A very warm welcome to all
“Ascribe to the Lord honour and power.”
Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost
Readings: Isaiah 45: 1-7; 1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10
Gospel: Matthew 22: 15-22
In our Gospel today
The readings for this Sunday speak of allegiance and responsibility. From the first reading we understand that we must give our whole selves to God. The psalm echoes this with “Ascribe to the Lord honour and power.” The Epistle, from the beginning of the letter to the church in modern-day Thessaloniki, speaks of how we are called and chosen to do the work of Christ. And in the gospel, Jesus explains that we must give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.
Photograph Competition 2023 results
It’s time to announce the winners of our Photograph Competition for 2023. This year’s judge, Reverend Dr Jenny Holden said, “I was most impressed by the quality of all the entries, and in fact, I found it quite difficult to choose the winners.”
In the Under 18 Category the top three photographs are:
First place: No.32 ‘A place of tranquillity – Peterculter’ by Luca Downs
Second place: No.33 ‘A beautiful break in the forest’ by Lara Downs
Third place: No.31 ‘Sunrise in Auchinyell’ by Luca Downs
In the Adult Category the top three photographs are:
First place: No.15 ‘Finzean Water Mill’ by Revd Roger Dyer
Second place: No.39 ‘Two swans at the Brig O’Balgownie’ by Malcolm Hay
Third place: No.23 ‘Standing Cross, Co Clare’ by Revd Roger Dyer
Highly commended photographs are:
No.2 ‘Garachico, Tenerife’ by Gillian Rose
No.7 ‘River Tilt near Blair Atholl’ by Gillian Rose
No.25 ‘A Walk in the Woods’ by Revd Roger Dyer
No.27 ‘View from Finzean farm Shop’ by Roger Dyer
Many thanks to all photographers that took part and contributed to St Mary’s funds!
All-Saints Holiday Club
Thank you to all the volunteers that helped to support the All-Saints Holiday Club. This has been a great success again and enjoyed by around 20 girls and boys from the three churches involved.
All Souls – A Service to Remember the Faithful Departed
All Souls, Thursday 2nd Nov. 7pm: A Service to Remember the Faithful Departed.
At this service there will be an opportunity to light a candle in memory of a loved one who has died. If you would like names of those who have died to be read out during this service, please place their names on the sign-up sheet available in church or email to revrogdyer@btinternet.com
Please do invite any family, friends, or neighbours for whom you think this service might be helpful.
Diocesan Library – we need your help
Thank you very much to those of you that have expressed your views on the future of the Diocesan Library so far. The Vestry would like to continue to canvas the views of the congregation, so the memo about the Diocesan Library is again attached to this week’s newsletter. If you’d like to share your views and ideas, please talk to a Vestry member, or email us at stmaryscardenplace@gmail.com.
Mexican Night – Friday 17th November
On Friday 17th November we plan to have a Bring & Share Mexican Evening in the Choir Vestry. The idea is to bring along Mexican food and drinks to share. So please start thinking about your Mexican recipes and drinks and dust off your sombreros!
Gardening Gangs
Many thanks to the Gardening Gangs that have done such a great job on the weeding in the church grounds over the last few weeks. It would be great to keep the effort going for another few weeks if the weather is fair to clear the east end of the grounds – at least as best we can!
Bottle Appeal
We ask everyone to consider donating attractive (and empty) gin or whisky bottles for our ‘Bottle Appeal’. This is an ongoing fundraising initiative and we ask you to keep your eyes open.
Services/Events Commencing Sunday the 22nd October 2023
Sunday 22nd October 8am Said Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy) Revd Dr Jenny Holden
Sunday 22nd October 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Presiding Revd Dr Jenny Holden; Preaching Louisa Donaldson
Tuesday 24th October 10am Morning Prayer: Revd Roger Dyer
Wednesday 25th October 10am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Roger Dyer
Friday 27th October 6pm Compline: Iain Stewart
Sunday 29th October 8am Said Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Jason Hobbs
Sunday 29th October 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Revd Jason Hobbs
Sunday 29th October readings: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 15-18; Psalm 1; 1 Thessalonians 2: 1-8
Gospel: Matthew 22: 34-46
“What can I give Him, Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, — Give my heart.”
(Christina Rossetti)
For any pastoral matters please contact our Assistant Priest Revd. Roger Dyer on 07719 458571
or revrogdyer@btinternet.com
Memo: Diocesan Library – we need your views!
When the books from the Diocesan Library arrived in St. Mary’s some time ago, the plan was that they would be dispersed to interested people in the diocese who might want to pay for them (the proceeds to be split between the diocese and St. Mary’s), and any left over to be given to Oxfam or sold at the Christian Aid Booksale.
Someone then came up with the suggestion that St. Mary’s might like to house the library, the idea being that people could come in at set times, perhaps once a week, to read the books, maybe have a cup of tea and a bun, and donations could be invited. To do this, the books would need to be catalogued and tidied and some better shelving erected, which we hope the diocese would help to fund. There would be no lending.
If we get rid of the books, we will have some space back in the church and have no further responsibility for the library. However, the library would be permanently dispersed.
If we keep the books and act as a kind of reference library, it might raise St. Mary’s profile and earn us a little money. However, we would need volunteers to help staff it.
The Vestry would like to know how other members of the congregation feel about this: do you think we should tidy it out and have our space back, or do you think we should take an opportunity to make use of a resource we’re offered?
Note: There is the possibility of a trial run for a year to see how it goes – it may be that it’s popular at first and then interest dies down.
Either talk to a vestry member or email stmaryscardenplace@gmail.com if you’d like to share your views and ideas.
Thank you!