A very warm welcome to all
Readings: Jeremiah 14: 7-10, 19-22; 2 Timothy 4: 6-8, 16-18
Gospel: Luke 18: 9-14
In our Gospel
In our Gospel reading today, this parable can be a trap. Whenever we try to divide people into any kind of groups, we find ourselves siding with the Pharisee. Whenever we take it upon ourselves to judge who is righteous and who is a sinner, as the Pharisee did, or we try to divide people into the proud and the humble, as Luke seems to do, we fall into the trap. Anytime you draw a line between who’s in and who’s out … you will find God on the other side. This parable is not about self-righteousness and humility any more than it is about a pious Pharisee and desperate tax collector.
War in Ukraine
Please continue to offer prayers for our brothers and sisters caught up in the mayhem that is Ukraine. Please think about what you can do to help in any way for those who continue to reach out to the rest of Europe and beyond for our assistance. Whatever method or organisation you use to make donations, please do it rather than thinking about it.
Dates for your diaries
On Friday the 28th of October, there will be no Compline service. This is to allow the Holy Communion service at 7pm to remember Simon and Jude. Fr Roger will officiate.
Next Saturday (29th) The Aberdeen Organists Association will be here at St Mary’s. They intend to use both our organs and the session will run for an hour between 4-5pm.
Service of The Word
Next Sunday (30th) I won’t be here. Sam and I will be down south for a few days. I have been unable to get clergy cover for the two services on that day. Therefore, I will cancel the 8am service, and the 10am service will be a Service of the Word, basically a service without Holy Communion. Please do not assume that this service is any less important than a Sung Eucharist and I ask you to attend as normal to support those who will be officiating on the day. I have asked Dr Nicola Mills and Mr Godwin Chimara (Ordinand in final year of training) to officiate at this service.
Collection Plate Assistance
I am making an appeal for help. Every Sunday, the plate collection needs to be counted and properly recorded. This should ideally be carried out by two people, to ensure propriety. We cannot always rely on Lydia our Treasurer to do this and it should really have independent oversight. I am therefore asking everyone to consider putting your name forward to assist in this small task. There will be guidance provided and it should not prove too onerous. Names in the first instance to me please.
Service of All Souls
At St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral on Wednesday the 2nd of November at 7pm, there will be a Service of All Souls, when we will remember those who have passed before us. There is a sheet at Font where I urge you to put the names of those whom you have lost so that they can be remembered at this service. As in previous occasions, we will read out the names of those to be remembered whether you are able or unable to attend the service.
Creche?
We are fortunate to have an ever increasing congregation of children attending our services and it is important that we make proper provision for them to ensure that they are both enjoying and benefitting from our worship. I am therefore putting forward an idea voiced by our Vestry committee to whether we could begin some sort of Creche during the service. This would entail parents and other volunteers to get involved and the ideal place for this would be in the Crypt. The details of what we could do is still a work in progress but I am interested to see if there are any expressions of interest before we move forward.
Jacket Potato
‘Jacket Potato’ is an appeal to everyone to have a look through your unused coats and jackets, gloves and scarves, and consider donating them to us here at St Mary’s. Once we have what is considered a sufficient amount, we will, after some advertising, invite anyone, who, through no fault of their own, have fallen on hard times, to come along to find a garment that fits and to take it free of charge. There will be a limit of one garment per person, and the thinking behind this venture is to ensure that as the winter months fast approach, we here at St Mary’s can ‘do our bit’ to help those who might otherwise go cold. This will take place on Saturday the 3rd of December commencing at 10am. On the day we can have jacket potatoes and beans available for anyone who wants to have a hot meal. If you do decide to donate a coat or jacket, please ensure that it is serviceable to wear, e.g, all buttons etc, are in place. Also, if you have a coat rail of some kind we can borrow to hang the items donated that would be great. ‘And he answered and he said to them’, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to him who has not, and whoever has food should do likewise.” (Luke 3: 11)
Jewellery
As mentioned in previous weeks, I am asking you to look through your jewellery boxes to see if you are prepared to part with something that you really haven’t used for years or maybe you just feel like donating something you have no further use of. Of course, it doesn’t have to be gold, it could be any type of jewellery that we might be able to sell on to a jewellers. In any case, I am now appealing to you to consider this and I intend to keep this running for the next 3 months, at which point we can assess where we are.
Vestry Vacancies
We have two vacancies on St Mary’s Vestry for Ordinary Members, and I would strongly urge those who feel that they could offer something to assist in the management of our Church to speak to me. Vestry membership is a rewarding role and provides an insight in to how we reach the decisions we do in our work here at Carden Place.
Holy Land Pilgrimage
I have put some details of a proposed pilgrimage to the Holy Land in April 2024 on the noticeboard in the Choir Vestry. Should anyone expressing an interest in this, please let me know and I will endeavour to obtain more details for you.
Photography Competition 2022
Photography Competition 2022 : Thank you to everyone who contributed to or photograph competition. It has been an amazing response and there are some wonderful photographs. I am currently researching who can be the judge for this years excellent entries. Once this has been done I will announce the three chosen submissions. As previously, some of the photographs submitted will form St Mary’s calendar for next year
Services/Events Commencing Sunday the 23rd October 202
Sunday 23rd October at 8 am – Said Eucharist (1970 – Cn Terry)
Sunday 23rd October at 10 am Sung Eucharist (1982 – Cn Terry)
Monday 24th October Cn Terry – Day Off
Tuesday 25th October at 10 am – Morning Prayer (Cn Terry)
Wednesday 26th October at 10am – Holy Communion (1970 – Cn Terry)
Thursday 27th Oct – Friday 4th Nov (Cn Terry – Annual Leave)
Friday 28th October at 7pm – Holy Communion – Simon and Jude (Fr Roger)
Saturday 29th October at 4pm – Aberdeen Organists Association
Sunday 30th October at 10 am – Service of The Word (Dr Nicola Mills and Mr Godwin Chimera)
Readings: Isaiah 1: 10-18; Psalm 32: 1-8; 2 Thessalonians 1: 1-4, 11-12
Gospel: Luke 19: 1-10
“The world tells us to seek success, power and money; God tells us to seek humility, service and love”
(Pope Francis)
Cn Terry Taggart:
01224588776/07768219984