This Weeks Notices

Sunday Morning Readings & Service Sheet

Jonah 3.10 – 4.11
Phillippians 1: 21-30
Matthew 20: 1-16

THIS WEEK’S SERVICE SHEET IN PDF FOR DOWNLOAD

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO ONLINE LINKS

For our online Holy Communion service on a Sunday we are moving to You Tube. The best way to make sure you can connect is to subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you follow this link you can click on the subscibe button and if you do not already have a YouTube account its free and you need to sign up for one. Alternatively you can still view it via the livestream page on the website. But we would encourage people to subscribe to the account as that helps us with other communications aswell.

ZOOM CHURCH IS BACK!

‘Five Sassy Biblical Women & Climate Change’

SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER 6pm
Zoom ID 845 5014 3776 PW 834918

Zoom Church is back and as part of our Creation Season at Chad/Mark we will be exploring with Rachie Ross from Christian Climate Action ‘Five sassy women and nonviolent direct action’ looking at Exodus 1:15 – 2:10 and it’s relevance to the struggle against climate change

Harvest Thanksgiving

Photos from our Harvest Thanksgiving Eucharist at St John’s last Sunday. Our first gathering together since lockdown in March. Nearly 60 of us gathered to worship God in Word & Sacrament and despite COVID 19 restrictions it was a joyous celebration. Our next Chad/Mark @St John’s will be on Sunday October 11th at 11am. Watch this space for details.
All Photos by Payam Hammatpour

Morning Prayer on ZOOM

For a couple of months a small number of people have joined with the Clergy to say together Morning Prayer on Wednesday’s on Zoom. The Clergy are required to say Morning and Evening Prayer every day and our Clergy use The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) 1662 – the traditional prayer book of the Church of England for this. If you would like to join in we begin at 9.30am and the service of Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer for next Wednesday can be found online in English here. You can download a translation of the traditional 1662 Book Of Common Prayer in Farsi here

Zoom ID: 84846408022
Password: 418940

For a good description of how the BCP 1662 came about and its enduring use see the Rt Revd Alan Wilson Bishop of Buckingham’s two articles The Book of Common Prayer, part 1: An English ragbag and The Book of Common Prayer Part 8 Liturgy & Society from The Guardian in 2010. A more traditional description of the Book of Common Prayer can be found on the site of the BCP 1662 fan club The Prayer Book Society

ALPHA ONLINE

A couple of years ago we ran a very successful Bilingual Alpha course in English and Farsi at Church. Well now Alpha has gone online and we would like to give it a go.

Alpha is an introduction to the Christian faith for people who are interested in exploring faith, those who are new to faith and people who are looking to renew their long standing commitment to Christ. Check out the video below.

We are hoping to start a course in October. If you are interested in Alpha, want to help run it, or think you know people who might want to come or who you might want to invite to come, contact Helen on 07590365250

CREATION SEASON 2020

The ecumenical Creation season runs from 1st September to 4th October and we will be joining in with special prayers at our services and also deeper reflection in some sermons and at Zoom Church. Check out the video below about reflecting upon Creation Season and being challenged to action for God’s Planet. Check out also the Church of England’s Enviromental and Climate Change Programme and what we as local churches are being asked to do to reduce carbon emissions

ZOOM ENGLISH CLASS DROP IN

Clare Whiney says
As the new academic year starts, our Zoom English group begins again on Saturday’s .  This will be on Zoom as we cannot meet in church yet due to Covid-19 restrictions.

This is a ‘drop in’ session for 1 hour from 11.00-12.00 noon;  it is not a formal lesson, but is an open time  if you would like to ask questions about  the English language,  have help with your college studies, or just have a chat and practise your English conversation skills in a relaxed and friendly way.

It would be lovely to see you.
ZOOM ID: 818 5020 1262
Passcode: 955373

Valerie & Helen’s ORDINATIONS

Its exciting that our two curates Helen and Valerie are being ordained in the next two weeks. Valerie to the Office of a Deacon in the Church and Helen to the Office of a Priest in the church. Valerie’s ordination will be at Lichfield Cathedral on Saturday 26th September at 11am and will be livestreamed and Helen’s ordination will be at All Saints West Bromwich on Tuesday 29th September at 6pm again hoping to be livestreamed. When we have the details of the livestreaming we will circulate via email and social media networks. Please hold them and all being ordained this Michealmas in your prayers.

Update From Home Office on Substantive Interviews

The Home Office have begun again to call people for substantive interviews by video link from 30 June. If you are called to an interview please get in touch with Payam on 07494524179 if you are an Iranian or Kurdish convert or with Revd David Babbington 07931421017 if you are part of the Emmaus group to ensure that we have time to prepare a substantial supporting statement for your case. Full details of the latest information is available on the Right to Remain website use the google translate app in top left hand corner of page to translate to appropriayte language if required.

Changes to the asylum and immigration process due to Covid-19

Light A Candle In The Darkness

We have a candle lighting page on the website this week in both Farsi and English. Candle lighting is an important practice of prayer for many in our congregation and as we cannot be in church at this time we wanted to offer you the opportunity of praying this way online. Thanks to Ash especially for all his hard work on this. The candle lighting prayer  page is here

Support Our Ministry

If you are able to consider giving to our church we have set up two ways for you to donate during lockdown.
1.We now have a JustGiving Website managed by the diocese which can be accessed here or
2. you can pay direct into our bank account by bank transfer the details are:
The Church of St Chad & St Mark
Sort Code: 30-99-83
A/C No 03829156
There is a very small percentage taken by Just Giving.
All your money goes to the church through a bank transfer

Data Problems?

If you have data or connection problems that are stopping you participating in our services and are in Home Office accommodation we can help with individual grants from City of Sanctuary  please get in touch with Payam on 07494524179 if this is an issue for you.

Food Aid

If anyone is struggling to get food at this time please also get in touch we can arrange for a three day food package to be delivered to your accommodation within 24 hours please contact Ray 07751155124 or Ziba (Farsi Speaker) on 07506206169  if you need this.

Spiritual Communion Resources

You can use the Spiritual Communion Resources at anytime available in English and Farsi by clicking on the Icon below. Also as with last week a prayer for Spiritual Communion is in this weeks service sheet at the time when the sacrament is being shared in church. For more about Spiritual Communion check out the video we featured in an earlier version of the Church Notices. Ray also preached on Spiritual Communion at our service on Second Sunday after Trinity on 21st June. You can listen to it on the Livestream Page of the Website, video of 21st June beginning at 38.00

Children’s Church

Children’s Church resources for this weeks lectionary readings can be found at https://hodgehilljuniorchurch.wordpress.com/

Mohabat -Farsi Bible Study

At 2.30pm there will be a Farsi Bible Study and gathering on Zoom
Zoom Meeting ID 844 3192 9302
Password 19696

Open Space – A Place of Welcome Online

Monday & Fridays at 11am
Meeting ID 846 2672 9620
Password 008252

Bible Study & Night Prayer

At 7.30pm every Thursday

Meeting ID: 871 5889 0118
Password: 024272

Songs of the Week

Thanks this week to Doreen for the suggestion of ‘Good to Me’ by Ni Cola

If you have any suggestions for the weekly Church Notice playlist WhatsApp Ray on 07751155124 or email him at revdray@hotmail.co.uk

Scripture of the Week

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12: 2

Blessings

Ray 07751155124
Helen 07590365250
Payam 07494524179