‘With you is the well of life‘
A very warm welcome to all
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Readings: Isaiah 62: 1-5; Psalm 36: 5-10; 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
Gospel: John 2: 1-11
In today’s Gospel
“They have no wine” Mary’s words hold before us some serious questions and wonderings. Where has the wine of our life given out? What relationships have run dry? What parts of us remain empty? Each one of us could tell a story about the day the wine gave out. It might be about the death of a loved one or the loss of a friendship or marriage. Some will speak about their search for love and acceptance. Some will describe their thirst for meaning and significance. Others will tell of their guilt, disappointments, or regrets. Many of the stories will be about fear of what is or what might be. Stories of failure and self-doubt abound. Some will describe a longing and desire for something they cannot name or describe. The storyline of unanswered prayer, doubts, or questions is known by most. They are not all stories from the past, however. Some of us are living those stories today.
Christian Unity
Today we will celebrate the Baptism of Ifechukwu Chimfulumnaya Nmasichukwu and Akuchukwu Nmachukwu Chimsidi in the presence of God and this congregation here at St Mary’s. Baptism is a joyful occasion and especially so when we will witness two sisters being blessed with this sacrament at the same time. When the time comes, we will gather appropriately at the font and we will all renew our baptismal vows and receive the water of new life. The family will be providing a light refreshment which will be in the Choir Vestry. Please consider joining them to celebrate this wonderful time in the lives of their children. All I ask is that if you are hanging back for a bit, that you collect your refreshment and bring it in to the main body of the church to consume , plus observing social distancing accordingly
Vestry Meeting
The Ecumenical Service of Christian Unity, which as to be held here at St Mary’s on Sunday the 23rd at 5 pm, has been deferred until a new date can be fixed later in the year. We encountered some reticence from both St Mary’s RC Cathedral and St Machar’s C of S due to the current Covid restrictions on social gathering. It was also clear that anticipated attendance numbers could prove to be very low. This was not an easy decision to make but I believe it was the correct one in this instance. Hopefully, when a new date is set, we will be able to gather in numbers both in choir and congregations to share our christian faith. Thank you for your continued support and patience.
Vestry Matters
AsI mentioned last week, we will experience a change of Vestry officers in key roles after the forthcoming AGM. Mr David Rose, who has been Rector’s Warden at St Mary’s for over 10 years, has decided to step back from this position. David has been, and continues to be, a dedicated and loyal servant to this church, whose counsel I value very much. David will continue in his role as our Webmaster and a member of both our Buildings Committee and Social Events Planning Committee. I am deeply grateful for David’s advice and unstinting support over the past 3 years I have been your Rector. As it is the choice of the Rector to appoint his Warden, I recently approached Mr John Cooke, who has been a Vestry officer for several years. I am delighted to reveal that John has very kindly accepted my invitation to become the Rector’s Warden, which will be effective after our AGM.
We also see the departure of Ms Elizabeth Smyth as our Vestry Secretary. Elizabeth has held this role for several years, and, like David, has been a great source of advice and support to me during my incumbency to date. Elizabeth will also relinquish her role as Alternate Lay Representative for General Synod which will therefore be advertised as vacant prior to our AGM. (See attached sheet) This therefore creates a vacancy for a Vestry Secretary and I appeal to anyone who might consider taking on this important post to contact me at your earliest opportunity.
Several Weeks ago, Mr Iain Stewart was co-opted onto our Vestry Committee and we are fortunate to have Iain contributing to the welfare of this Church. Iain has also offered to be our People’s Warden, a role that has been vacant for several months. The process for this position is open to anyone who wishes to be considered. Should there be more than one name submitted, it will be put to a ballot on the day of the AGM. If no-one else comes forward then it will be proposed that Iain becomes the new People’s Warden. (See attached sheet)
The position of Lay representative at General Synod, which is currently held by Dr Nicola Mills, will also be put to a ballot should there be more than one name submitted. Dr Mills has agreed to continue in the role and will abide by a ballot should that be necessary. (See attached sheet)
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 before our AGM. 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.
Readers / Intercessions
Iain Stewart has asked me to put out a call for more people to consider volunteering to read scripture and intercede at our worship. Should you feel so inclined, I encourage anyone who is considering this valuable ministry to approach Ian in the first instance.
Peace/Therapy Garden
I continue to draw you attention to our proposals for the Peace/Therapy Garden at the front of the Church. We have obtained some samples of ideas re what the garden could look like, and we (The Vestry) would value your opinion on what your preference might be. Please take some time to click on the following link where all will be revealed.https://stmaryscardenplace.org.uk/notices/west-end-garden-project/
Forthcoming Events
You will find a calendar of events on our website at: https://stmaryscardenplace.org.uk/notices/st-marys-pro-cathedral-fundraising-and-social-events/ covering the next several months. We will also place a few of these event calendars around the church for your perusal and diaries.
St Mary’s AGM and Constitution Change
St Mary’s AGM will take place on Sunday the 6th of February 2022 and we are proposing to make a change to our Constitution. St Mary’s Constitution states that we must hold our AGM within three months of our financial year end, which is the 30th of September. We would like to extend this period to six months which effectively brings the Constitution line with what we have been doing for a number of years. The result of this is that we would be required to hold our AGM by 31st March as opposed to 31st December.
Services/Events at St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral w/c Sunday the 16th January 2022
Sunday 16th January 2022 at 8am – Holy Communion (Cn Terry – 1970)
Sunday 16th January at 10 am 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany Sung Eucharist (Cn Terry – 1982)
Monday 17th January – Cn Terry – Day off
Tuesday 18th January at 10 am – Morning Prayer (Cn Terry)
Wednesday 19th January at 10 am – Said Eucharist (1970- Cn Terry)
Sunday 23rd January at 8 am – Holy Communion (1970 – Cn Terry)
Sunday 23rd January at 10 am – 3rd Sunday after Epiphany – Sung Eucharist (1982 –
Cn Terry)
“The Lord bless you“For as many of you as were baptised into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3: 27-28)
Blessings Always
Rev Canon Terry Taggart
01224588776/07768219984