10TH APRIL 2016
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OPEN DOORS Vicar’s Blog
For a number of years Malmesbury Abbey has, as part of our prayerful commitment to our brothers and sisters in the persecuted church, been financially committed to the Open Doors, a charity which has been serving the world’s persecuted Christians for 60 years. This week material from Open Doors is an important part of our worship, prayer and life together. At both our 10.30am and 4pm services Andrew Beebee and the young people of Deeper Bible study will be leading our prayers for the persecuted church. They will also be putting out a resource table and selling fabulous calorie-free, homemade cakes to raise money for the charity. On Tuesday evening at our Glory! prayer meeting, after a time of passionate contemporary worship
led by John Monaghan, we will be using Open Doors resources to help us pray together for the global church. And this Sunday each of us will be receiving a copy of the Open Doors World Wide Watch, which highlights the 50 countries in our world where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Places where followers of Christ must keep their beliefs hidden. Mike Langtree is the Abbey’s link with Open Doors and leads our regular meetings that pray for persecuted Christians. If you would like to find out more please speak to him, or to Andrew Beebee and Deeper, or visit opendoorsuk.org. Finally some inspirational words from the man who himself was an inspirational founder for the charity, and served God at great personal risk:
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A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: April 10th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church
‘If we want to leave an indelible mark on the world, there is no more powerful way to do it than by joining in God’s purposes though prayer. Our prayers can go where we cannot. While many things seem impossible from a human standpoint, in the realm of prayer there are no impossibilities.’
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 11th 10am Little Stars TUES 12th 2pm Abbey Guild 7.30pm Glory! WED 13th 10.30am Communion THUR 14th 10.30am Time for Chat 3pm Thanksgiving for Tony Neve 7pm Choir Practice FRI 15th 10.30am Creative Response 7pm Corston & Rodbourne Barn Dance SAT 16th 10am The Meeting Place NEXT SUNDAY: April 17th 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church VISION SUNDAY: April 24th 11am Festival Communion 12.30pm Picnic Lunch 2pm Annual Meeting 6.30pm Choral Evensong
J O H N 2 1: 1 - 1 9 Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. 3 ‘I’m going out to fish,’ Simon Peter told them, and they said, ‘We’ll go with you.’ So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realise that it was Jesus. 5 He called out to them, ‘Friends, haven’t you any fish?’ ‘No,’ they answered. 6 He said, ‘Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.’ When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. 7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, ‘It is the Lord,’ he wrapped his outer garment round him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred metres. 9 When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread. 10 Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’ 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ None of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead. 15
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he said, ‘you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’ 16 Again Jesus said, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He answered, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Take care of my sheep.’ 17 The third time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ He said, ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.’ 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’ Additional Reading: Acts 9:1-6
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Reflect together as to when you have experienced the most joy over this present Easter period, and in your Christian journey. 2. Read Luke 22:54-62. How many times does Peter disown Christ and what motivated him to do so? How does he react to his own denial of Jesus? 3. ‘Peter disowning Jesus relates little to lazy discipleship failure in the Western church and more to the intense pressure the persecuted church faces every day.’ How do you react to that statement and why? 4. Read John 21:15-19. What is going on and how does it relate to our Luke passage above? 5. What mechanisms are there in your spiritual life for experiencing and knowing the restoration of God? Is it all just a feeling?
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 96 Exodus 19 Luke 1:1-25 Tuesday Psalm 98 Exodus 20:1-21 Luke 1:26-38 Wednesday Psalm 105 Exodus 24 Luke 1:39-56 Thursday Psalm 118 Exodus 25:1-22 Luke 1:57-end Friday Psalm 33 Exodus 28:1-4a, 29-38 Luke 2:1-20
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
O R D I N AT I O N
C H U R C H WAR D E N
Many congratulations to Tom Hunton, from our 4pm congregation, who has been selected by a Bishops’ Advisory Panel to train for ordination in the Church of England. Tom, who serves on the PCC, runs Abbey Facebook & Twitter and already has a preaching ministry at the Abbey, will commence his training later this year.
Lesley Wilson has served wonderfully and faithfully as our Abbey 4pm Churchwarden for the last 4 years. She now feels it is the right time to step aside, so if you worship at 4pm and feel that sharing the oversight of a Christian community with Neill and the team might be what God is calling you to please contact Neill or our 10.30am churchwarden, Diana Crowe, for a chat next week.
ABBEY GUILD
ELEC TORAL ROLL
A change to the advertised meeting, on Tuesday 12th April we will be meeting at King’s Church, Abbey Row at 2pm and listening as Revd Bob Hyatt shares of his recent adventures with Through Faith Missions and in particular ‘Walk Uganda’. Refreshments provided. For more information please contact Helen on 01666 82372
In preparation of the AGM on Sunday 24th April, the current Church Electoral Roll (our membership list) will be at the back of the Abbey so that you can check that your details are correct. If your details do not appear on the Electoral Roll and you consider Malmesbury Abbey to be your regular place of worship then please complete a blank form and leave it in the folder or post to the Parish Office.
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NOTICEBOARD L I T T L E S TA R S R E S TA R T S T H I S M O N D AY ! Little Stars will be restarting this Monday from 10:00am to 11:30am. Please pick up a summer flyer and use it to invite friends and neighbours with little ones. We are still recruiting volunteers who can help on Sunday at 5:30pm getting the space ready for the parents and toddlers by moving the chairs. 6 people have signed up already and we are needing another 12 people, so that we can have teams of 6 people who are on a rota to move chairs once a month. Please contact andrew@malmesburyabbey.com, to join this team and support this new ministry.
TONY NE VE The Service of Thanksgiving for our dear brother Tony Neve takes place this coming Thursday, April 14th, at 3pm. All are welcome to attend the service in the Abbey and to join the family for refreshments in the Town Hall afterwards. Please give thanks to God for Tony’s life and remember Barbara in your prayers.
SENIOR’S ALPHA An opportunity to explore the Christian faith with Churches Together in Malmesbury. Six sessions being held at the United Reformed Church in St Mary’s Street starting on 10th May 2016, 2.30 – 4pm. Tea and cake provided. It is essential to book a place. For more information or to book your place please contact 01666 8216666 or office@malmesburyabbey.com or speak with Mandy.
GLORY ! Our next Glory! prayer meeting will be on Tuesday April 12th at 7.30pm. After a time of extended contemporary worship led by John Monaghan our focus in prayer will be the Global Church, using new material from Open Doors.
CONTAC T
ABBEY OFFICE
ABBEY KITCHEN
Monday 9.30am-12pm Tuesday-Friday 9.30am-3pm
Monday- Saturday (normal) 9.30am-4pm
01666 826666 sandie@malmesburyabbey.com www.malmesburyabbey.com issuu.com/malmesburyabbey
Happy hour (drinks ÂŁ1) from 9.30am-10.30am. dan@malmesburyabbey.com
Staff members can be contacted by name@malmesburyabbey.com
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