Christingle

We've worked with groups over the last few days includingt he First Sunday Thing today to link the parts of the Christingle with things with which our local churches are concerned... and these are two of the illustrations which we produced.  The orange for the world - a globe with Zimbabwe marked on it here we have a link parish we support.  The ribbon for Christ's blood - the Christmas Cards being sent through Action of Christians Against Torture.  The candle for Christ the light - the candle shaped collecting boxes for the Children's Society whose idea Christingle was.  The fruit for the harvest of the seasons - the tins collected at Harvest and through the year for Grimsby's Community larder and Doorstep charity for young homeless.

Children's Society

Our First Sunday Thing in December will be a Christingle Service.  Get the date (10.30 a.m. on Sunday 2nd December) into as many people's diaries as possible! Many people who have taken candle-shaped collecting boxes for the Children's Society will bring them back as part of this service. 

But before that our First Sunday Thing in November will focus on the work of the Children's Society.  It seems to make more sense to do this when people might be thinking of taking a collecting box rather than wait until the Christingle itself.  Among other things we will learn a little bit about how the Children's Society works as a campaigning group around issues which affect vulnerable young people.  We meet in St Michael's at 10.30 a.m. on Sunday 4th November.

Fair Trade Sunday

It is St Francis Day today - and we've just had our Harvest Festivals - so lots of people's minds are turning again to our care for the environment and for our neighbours.  So Fair Trade will be our theme next Sunday, and there will be a Tradecraft Stall as well.  Remember that we will be gathering in St Michael's - which will remain our venue month by month for the six winter months.

Lincoln and Canterbury

As we thought yesterday about St Gregory (as Pope) sending St Augustine to England, and Augustine establishing himself at Canterbury from where every one of our Archbishops has been based since, we recreated the shields of the Bishops of Lincoln and the Archbishop of Canterbury from the bottom of the east window in St Nicolas' (the original stained glass can just about be made out in this picture at the bottom corners of the windows).  The Archbishop's shield has a direct link as it pictures a sort of woolen scarf worn over both shoulders but joined together at the front which is the 'pallium' the Pope still gives to people in Augustine's position today.

St Gregory' Day

On 2nd September we shall start with a story from the slave market in Rome and travel all the way from there to Grimsby - and we shall be create some coats of arms on the way.  We meet in St Nicolas' (our summer venue) for the last time this year - from October onwards we will be meeting in St Michael's (our winter venue).

But it will be Gambia this time

On 5th August we will be responding to our Curate's recent experience in Gambia where she went with students from the Grimsby Institute - including making some basic musical instruments to use ion our worship and reflect how big a place music places in the lives of people in Gambia.

No, it was St Peter!

We were challenged to create a 'story board'.

First, Peter the fisherman was called by Jesus.

Later, he was frightened and denied even knowing Jesus.

But neverthless Jesus asked him to look after his sheep.

We also (big and small) drew round our feet

and made a pathway walking back to God.

What next?

Our Curate returns from Gambia this week. She has been there with a group of students from the Grimsby Institute (to which we loan her as its Chaplain). So the First Sunday Thing on 1^st July which she is leading may well include some feedback from her trip. Or she may be planning to pick up the way Churches Together in North East Lincolnshire is encouraging local churches to designate 1st-8th July as a Week Against Human Trafficking - one of the UN’s ambassadors on the subject is in Grimsby on 3^rd July (at 7.30 at St Pius) and an ecumenical youth event highlighting the issue will be on 7^th July (at 7.30 at Grimsby Minster). Either way, our focus is likely to be on the needs of others across the world rather than on ourselves.

Jubilee Sunday

Many of the links in these chains have something written inside - something from which the writer would want the world free if there was a biblical year of Jubilee when the world could be put back to its 'factory settings' and not only alienated property, debts and enslavement written off and brought back to freedom.  It was quite fun hauling them up to the church ceiling as well.

Getting ready for 3rd June

We plan to celebrate the Jubilee with a huge paper chain and a little digging into where the word ‘Jubilee’ comes from.

Yes, it was vines

Vines on 6th May?

Our Curate, George Smith, is developing some ideas for our next gathering at St Nicolas' soon.  The set Gospel reading for the day is Jesus' saying "I am the vine".  So we are expecting a grapevine theme and activities, but we may be surprised...

Palm Sunday

The end of the our version this monring of Jesus' entering Jerusalem to shouts of welcome and the waving of palm branches. 

Coming up

On 4th March we will be at St Michael's at 10.30, our last First Sunday Thing at our winter venue until next autumn.  Those responsible are working at a theme beginning with God's promise to Abraham that through him all the countries of the world will be blessed.  Christians, Jews and Moslems all look back to this promise to Abraham.  We'll be having fun with flags and maps.  We'll be praying for the different countries of the world.

On 1st April we will be at St Nicolas' at 10.30, our first First Sunday Thing at our summer venue.  Those responsible are working at a theme beginning with it being Palm Sunday.  This is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey.  Among other things, we'll be having palm crosses and a palm procession.

The road to Easter

We gather in St Michael’s on Sunday (although the monthly parish pew sheet misprints this and incorrectly says we will be in St Nicolas’ - some redirection may be needed).

We have an ambition to have a Treasure Hunt which will end up with us mapping out everything that will happen from then until Easter. Come along and see whether this works!