21 S T F EB R UA RY 2016
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CONNEC T Vicar’s Blog
‘’National surveys show that the large decline in church attendance has not happened because many adults have stopped going to church. It is because more and more adults never start attending in the first place.’ 1 So the problem isn’t that grown-ups like me, and I use grown-up in the very loosest sense of the word, suddenly wake up on a Sunday morning and say ’do you know what, this is the day I stop going to church;’ although clearly that will have happened for some. The more significant issue is that there is a generation or two who are not connecting with church in the first place. Listen also to this feedback from parents: ‘Only 36% listed religious faith as an especially important quality that children can be encouraged to learn at home, compared to good manners (94%) or tolerance and
respect (83%)’ 1 The interesting thing about those last few statistics? They were interviewing parents who attend church regularly and who describe religion as important in their own lives. What?! Last Monday and Tuesday, Andrew Beebee and a truly awesome team, launched Little Stars soft-play for two days. This coming Monday it will continue in a regular weekly slot at 10am. 72 toddling things with their parents, carers or families showed up. I was terrified that my Size 13s would have a close encounter with a crawling child. Last Wednesday to Friday a profoundly generous and committed team led by John Monaghan, Matt Bird and Phil Williams led us through the noise and general wonderfulness of Malmesbury Abbey Skate 2016. On Thursday morning I stood and drank
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A B B E Y D I A RY THIS SUNDAY: February 21st 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm Informal Worship & Junior Church
coffee and watched the scooting and skating. It was great to watch so many Abbey young people having the time of their lives. It was great to talk to parents of children, broadly unconnected with the Abbey, who were delighted that we were serving them and their family in such an imaginative way. It was great to hear ‘Skittles,’ one of the team, talk of his love for Christ to an attentive Abbey. And it was great to have Gloucester Cathedral there, looking over our shoulder, asking us how it’s done. If the church wants to have a conversation with people outside the church about God, it actually needs to be having a conversation in the first place. I am glad we connected last week. I am glad we opened our mouths. 1
From Anecdote to Evidence (2013)
THIS WEEK EACH DAY 9am Morning Prayer MON 22nd 10am Little Stars WED 24th 10.30am Communion THUR 25th 10.30am Time for Chat 7pm Choir Practice th FRI 26 1.30pm Funeral SAT 27th 10am The Meeting Place NEXT SUNDAY: February 21st 9am BCP Communion 10.30am Holy Communion 4pm All-age Communion 6.30pm Choral Evensong HOLY WEEK ADVANCE DATES Mar 18th Mark Palmer Comedy Mar 19th Ben Holder Quartet & Rosie Archer Mar 21st Anthony Hammond: Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde nd Mar 22 Riding Lights: Crosslight (Passion Play) rd Mar 23 Royal Academy of Music th Mar 25 Abbey Choir
LU K E 1 3 : 3 1 - 3 5 31
At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’ 32
He replied, ‘Go and tell that fox, “I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.” 33 In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! 34
‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Additional Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1
DISCIPLESHIP 1. Read Luke 13: 31-35. Verses 31&32 show Herod and the Pharisees trying to hurry Jesus to Jerusalem, and Jesus’ response. What lessons can we learn about how the church, and individual Christians, should react to those who try to impose their own agendas on us? 2. Read Luke 20: 9-19. What light does this shed on Jesus’ (almost certainly ironic) comment in v33, and the opening of his lament in v34? 3. Verses 34 and 35 suggest that Jesus foresaw the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, following the Jewish revolt against the Romans in AD66. Why might this have been avoided if the Jewish leaders had accepted Jesus as the Messiah? 4. If you have time, read Revelation 21, which gives a picture of the new Jerusalem ‘prepared as a bride adorned for her husband’ (v2). What comfort can we take from this as we look at the reality of life in the Holy Land today, and look forward to Christ’s second coming?
D A I LY R E A D I N G S Monday Psalm 32 Genesis 43:16-end Hebrews 1 Tuesday Psalm 50 Genesis 44:1-17 Hebrews 2:1-9 Wednesday Psalm 35 Genesis 44:18-end Hebrews 2:10-end Thursday Psalm 34 Genesis 45:1-15 Hebrews 3:1-6 Friday Psalm 41 Genesis 45:16-end Hebrews 3:7-end
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
BACK ROWS
CHORAL EVENSONG
As Easter gets closer we are starting to see an increase in visitors at our 10.30am and 4pm services, and this is set to grow in the spring and summer tourist season. (The Abbey gets over 50,000 visitors each year.) Could we ask regular members of our congregations to leave the back three or four rows empty so that people arriving during a service can sit down easily and stay for our worship and teaching. Many thanks.
Next Sunday, February 28th at 6.30pm, Choral Evensong continues in its new slot on the fourth Sunday of the month. Join us for a service in the 17th century English of the Book of Common Prayer, and as the choir lead us in worship with beautiful music by Stanford, Purcell and Morales.
BAPTISM
E A S T E R D AY
It is still not too late to be prepared for Baptism this Easter Day at 4pm. We are more than happy to fill the font with water, if you are happy to meet with Neill or Andrew for preparation and then to declare your faith publicly in what will be a joyous service. Please do speak to Neill in the next week or so if you are considering this and would like to have a further conversation.
Advance notice that our services on Easter Day this year, March 27th, will be as follows: 9am 10.30am 4pm 6.30pm
BCP Holy Communion Holy Communion Easter Celebration & HC Choral Evensong
Unfortunately it has not proved possible to staff our normal 6am Dawn Service this year. Our sincere apologies. BBC Wiltshire’s Easter at the Abbey is on March 26th at 7pm.
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NOTICEBOARD ROOF APPEAL 2017 Many thanks to all who have pledged, and continue to pledge, towards our 2017 Roof Appeal. Currently we have nerly £50,000 pledged from our congregations, £25,000 pledged from the Friends of Malmesbury Abbey, and £200 from the Malmesbury Civic Trust. The application for a large Government grant will be submitted by Diana Crowe and our architect, Izaak Hudson in the next few days.
L I T T L E S TA R S Little Stars is the Abbey’s new baby and toddler group which will be meeting in the Abbey on Mondays from 10am-11.30am. There will be free-play, craft activities, refreshments, story time and action songs. The group will start this coming Monday, 22nd February (£2 per family).
LENT TEACHING Our teaching series throughout Lent and Holy Week help us as a community reflect together on the life, ministry and death of Jesus Christ. Please use these texts as the focus of your small group study together: February 14th February 21st February 28th March 6th March 13th March 20th Good Friday Easter Day
The Temptation of Christ (Luke 4:1-13) Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-end) The Fig Tree (Luke 13:1-9) The Mother of Christ (John 19:25b-27) The Anointing of the Christ (John 12:1-8) The Palms (Luke 19:28-40) The Cross of Christ (John 19:1-20) The Empty Tomb (Luke 24:1-12)
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
MalmesburyAbbeyCafe
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