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INTENTIONAL Vicar’s Blog
What is the Community of St Aldhelm all about? It begins quite soon after all, on May 25th, St Aldhelm’s Day, a fortnight Wednesday. Perhaps we should know a little bit more? Actually, I think St Aldhelm himself would have been mildly horrified that any community was kicking off that bears his name. He lived his life, immersed in prayer and the word of God, in order to draw people to Christ, to call people to intentional Christian community, to let his holy imagination run free in Christian mission and to plant churches and monasteries in the South West. However, King Athelstan the Glorious would have totally got it. Before he died in 939AD he pointed to Malmesbury Abbey and said ‘put me there. Bury my bones next to Aldhelm’s.’ It would be the greatest honour to be dead next to that holy man. An inspiration in life, a companion in death.
But something St Aldhelm would have agreed with was this: Christ’s simplest instruction is also his very hardest. Make disciples. We each have responsibility for our own discipleship, and that’s quite complex enough. But we also have a vocation to live a life in a Spirit-filled community that makes disciples of each other, and of those that walk through the door and join us. Haphazard rarely ever succeeds in this. But an intentional, disciplined life can bear great fruit. Aldhelm’s personal response was to live the monastic Rule of Benedict. And I would want to say to any members of our congregations, if that’s your thing, go for it – knock yourself out. I’m your Abbot! Hi! However, we are reaching for fruit from a far lower branch. Developing an individual discipline, a rule of life, that helps us stay closer to God, and
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A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: May 8th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church
closer together. This may not be your thing at all; not everyone sings in the choir, or rings the bells, or serves on the flower team, or works in Junior Church after all. But if you want to consider this further, two dates for your diary:
Wednesday 11th May at 7pm. A simple soup meal at the Abbey to explore this further with Catherine Price, the Lay Prior of the Community, and myself. (Price £5, please book in with Sandie or Catherine in advance.) Before this time together please consider our rule on the back page of this booklet. Wednesday 25th May at 7.30pm. A simple service of Holy Communion & Dedication as the Community of St Aldhelm begins; led by Revd James Pettit, visitor to the Community.
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 9th 10am Little Stars TUES 10th 7.30pm Glory! WED 11th 10.30am Communion 7pm CoStA Meeting th THUR 12 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice th FRI 13 10.30am Creative Response 6.30pm Refresh! at the Farm th SAT 14 10am The Meeting Place
NEXT SUNDAY: May 15th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church ADVANCE DIARY 25th May Community of St Aldhelm launches 22nd June Music for Autism 24th June African Children’s Choir 27th June Lifepath begins
AC T S 1 : 1 - 1 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ 6
Then they gathered round him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’ 7 He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’
Additional Reading: Luke 24:44-end
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Over a meal if possible, discuss together your experiences of worship together on Sunday and share what has particularly remained with you from our teaching. 2. Read our Acts passage. ‘The Acts of the Apostles is descriptive, not prescriptive.’ Discuss together whether you think this to be true, and if it is, what are the implications for how we read an apply Acts. 3. What happened in Genesis 3:23? What happened in Luke 2:7? What happened in Acts 1:9? And then read Ephesians 1:3. Take some time to work out the salvation narrative that these four verses imply when considered together. Where is humanity in each passage? 4. Before a time of prayer together read Ephesians 1, slowly, twice. Pay particular attention to any phrase in which the word ‘in’ appears, and any references to the ascended Christ.
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 93 Numbers 27:15-end 1 Corinthians 3 Tuesday Psalm 99 1 Samuel 10:1-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Wednesday Psalm 29 1 Kings 19:1-18 Matthew 3:13-end Thursday Psalm 24 Ezekiel 11:14-20 Matthew 9:35-10:20 Friday Psalm 28 Ezekiel 36:22-38 Matthew 12:22-32
REGULAR GIVING If you would like to give regularly to the mission and ministry of the Abbey as part of your discipleship, please e-mail alan@malmesburyabbey.com. m
LEE BARNES
CoStA
At Pentecost, on Sunday 15th May at 4pm, our visiting speaker is the Revd Lee Barnes. Many will know Lee from his time here as Abbey curate. He is now the Vicar of St Stephen’s Bristol and Holy Trinity, Hotwells. Lee will be speaking on the Spirit-filled life. All are most welcome, from all our congregations, to come and hear Lee speak.
If you are interested in joining the Community of St Aldhelm for the next 12 months you are warmly invited to the Abbey at 7pm on Wednesday 11th May for a simple meal (cost ÂŁ5) and a presentation and discussion led by Catherine Price & Neill Archer.
AFRICAN CHOIR
GLO RY !
We would be delighted if you could consider hosting some of the African Children's Choir on Friday 24th June after the concert, until Saturday 25th June late in the morning. Eight homes are needed to host different groups of chaperones and children. If you can help out, please speak to Becky Saunders, or e-mail becky@malmesburyabbey.com.
Please contact the Parish Office to let us know that you intend to come, or speak to Catherine directly.
Our next Glory! prayer meeting is this Tuesday May 10th at 7.30pm. Passionate worship & prophetic prayer led by John and Neill.
12t h CE N TU RY B E AU T Y 21st CE N TU RY CHU RCH
NOTICEBOARD SECURIT Y GUARDS NEEDED A few people are needed to look after outside equipment in the Cloister Gardens, for the Music in Country Churches concerts, on Saturday 21st May. A great opportunity to sit, drink coffee and read the paper, and hopefully enjoy some sunshine! The times needed are: 8.30am to 11am, 11am to 1pm and 1pm to 3pm. If you can help out, please speak to Becky Saunders or e-mail her on becky@malmesburyabbey.com.
ABBEY GUILD Refreshments will be served at our next meeting on Tuesday 10th May at 2pm in The King’s Church on Abbey Row. This month we welcome Mary Head from the Mothers’ Union. In this 140 year anniversary, Mary will share with us the work of the Mother’s Union today, from helping the rehabilitation of drug addicts to supporting young homeless people, working with families at the Children’s Hospital in Bristol and supporting single teenage mothers.
C H R I S T I A N A I D C A R WA S H On Saturday 14th May, from 9.30am-2.30pm there is Car Wash at the ATC on Tetbury Hill; £5 per car. Drive away feeling good because you’ve supported Christian Aid and have a shiny clean car for the weekend. Also, volunteers are still needed to help with the house-to-house collection. Please contact Dick Gray at richardgray.tiscali.co.uk.
A RULE OF LIFE Each member of the Community of St Aldhelm undertakes to draw up, in consultation with Catherine Price, our Lay Prior, a personal Rule of Life, giving practical application to the ideals set out below, as is appropriate for his or her unique circumstances over the next 12 months. The Common Rule Rule One: We commit to saying Anglican Morning Prayer each day, either in the Abbey at 9am, or at other times with others elsewhere, or alone. Rule Two: We commit to a second period of personal or shared prayer and Bible reading each day. Rule Three: We commit to prioritising Sunday worship, and to receive Communion if it is our custom to do so. Rule Four: We commit to meet regularly with other members of the community to eat together and share fellowship Rule Five: We commit to lives of holiness, kindness and simplicity, and to make ourselves accountable to others. Rule Six: We commit to serving God in mission with holy imagination. Rule Seven: We commit to a day of rest at least once a week, where possible. The Personal Rules Up to three personal rules can be added, and these might relate to spiritual reading, physical exercise, work, family life etc.
THE COMMUNIT Y OF ST ALDHELM