Sunday 14th March 2021 – 3rd Sunday of Lent All Saints Church, Childwall
READ: Mark 10:46/52 – 46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means ‘son of Timaeus’), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’
49 Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’ So they called to the blind man, ‘Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.’ 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Jesus asked him. The blind man said, ‘Rabbi, I want to see.’52 ‘Go,’ said Jesus, ‘your faith has healed you.’ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
REFLECT: Don’t you just hate it when someone or something gate crashes your carefully planned daily routine? Well, today’s Gospel reading tells us what happened when a blind beggar interrupts Jesus’ evangelistic tour of towns and villages just as he is about to leave Jericho and move on to Jerusalem. Jesus doesn’t seem to mind! Everybody else is telling Bartimaeus to keep quiet, but Jesus stops, calls him over and asks, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’
During this season of Lent, as a Church, we are thinking about different aspects of evangelism and witness – telling God’s story and telling our own story of faith. Today’s Gospel passage reminds us of a number of important things to remember in this regard.
1. Be willing to make time for people even if it’s necessary to arrangeto meet/talk later in the day/week.
2. Remember that ‘one size does NOT fit all’. Jesus met and engaged with many people, one to one, but He always responds to them individually and personally.
3. There is more than one way to proclaim the Good news of the Kingdom of God. We tend to think of evangelism/witnessing as a verbal thing, but in today’s passage Jesus doesn’t say much at all, rather he demonstrates the power of God’s Kingdom when He heals the blind beggar. We probably don’t have a gift of healing, but we have other gifts we can use to serve others and demonstrate the love of God in action.
4. Jesus didn’t follow a set pattern or method although he did regularly ask questions in order to discern a person’s individual need and ‘where they were coming from’ spiritually speaking and, having asked one or more questions, Jesus also listened carefully to the answers. Only then did He know what to say or how to act, appropriately.
I know from my own faith journey how important it is for people who are seeking, spiritually, to have someone willing to make time for them; someone to whom they can address their questions; someone who will listen sympathetically and sensitively; someone who is willing to share their own faith story and also the seekers faith journey, as a fellow pilgrim. Two lay people were my ‘someone’ in my mid-twenties. I wonder who your ‘someone’ is/was? The challenge of our Lent Course is for us to be that ‘someone’ for somebody else!
RESPOND: Think about your own journey of faith, to this point. Why not write down the key points and key people in that story so that you can share it with somebody else, if the opportunity arises?
Who are the people who, in normal times, you come into contact with day by day? Write a list and commit to pray for them and for opportunities to witness to them in word and/or deed.
PRAY: Loving God, as a mother feeds her children at the breast, you feed us through your Word: help us who have tasted your goodness to grow in grace within the household of faith and to be willing to share the Good News of your grace with those whom we live amongst, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Rev. Bill Forster [Associate Minister]
Dear Friends,
Church building re-opening for services at Easter
Thursday 1st April – Maundy Thursday 10.45am BCP Communion service
Friday 2nd April – Good Friday 12noon – 3pm Church building will be open for personal reflection and prayer. Come when you can and leave when you need to.
Sunday 4th April – Easter Sunday 9.30am All Age Communion Service 11am – All Age Communion Service.
Social distancing will still be in place and masks will still have to be worn.
Services in church – All services in church are currently suspended until Easter Sunday.
Funeral services are still happening at All Saints with a limit of 30 mourners set by government guidelines.
Church Services Online – We are recording our Sunday morning service in church weekly. It will be uploaded to our website to be viewed each week soon after 11am. www.allsaintschildwall.org.uk
Evening Prayer – Healing Service this Sunday 14th March at 6pm – The Sunday Evening Healing service was a time of Worship appreciated by many people when we were able to meet in Church. The Readers have adapted the liturgy we use and have made it suitable for the Zoom services currently on offer. The next Healing service will be held this Sunday, March 14th at 6pm, please join us, you will be very welcome and please let your friends know. Garry Critchley Meeting ID: 789 873 7449 Passcode: Newsman1
#LiveLent course – If you would like to join the Lent course that is being run centrally on Zoom it is taking place on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm. Please join us any week you can make it. It will meet weekly for 1 hour with an opportunity for discussion and further study based on the Archbishop’s Lent book ‘Living his Story’. There will be a short video each week along with discussion and opportunity for questions.
Meeting ID: 948 786 2454 Passcode: 4allsaints
Bookworms Quiz. The third book quiz has now been issued. If you haven’t already received a copy and would like to give it a try please contact us and we’ll let you have it either by email or a paper copy delivered to your door. It’s not competitive – no winners or prizes. Just enjoy doing it on your own or with family members or phone a friend. You might even do a bit of research to find the answers! Helen Ford. 0151 428 9153 or h.h.ford@btinternet.com
Mission in Papua New Guinea – An opportunity to meet with Dave & Emma Moore to reflect on lessons learned from the last 3 years of mission work in Papua New Guinea and hopes for the future in discipleship, healthcare and education. Saturday Mar 13th, 2021 7.30 – 8.30pm on Zoomhttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83533091992?pwd=N2hUWTRmeTZrTnhDS0o2cVZ0cVVaQT09
Meeting ID: 835 3309 1992 Passcode: 622251 Contact: mooredjm@gmail.com
Weekly prayer meeting – Thursday 6.30pm on Zoom. Why not join a group of us at All Saints that pray regularly. It lasts 40 minutes, you can pray, sit and listen or just contemplate.
Aidan Holmes. Meeting ID:798 5378 2379 Passcode:7VUQh6 https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79853782379?pwd=NEloclhRVEJST3RFeUdUVEowSWJRUT09
All Saints Buddy Scheme – If you are self-isolating and would value some support or a regular chat or know someone else who would, please email Mary Harrison at mary.harrison32@virginmedia.com with details.
Leprosy Mission – The Leprosy Mission have an Unconditional Appeal this year which focuses on their work in Mozambique. TLM hospitals are not only treating people suffering from leprosy but they are also treating people who have Covid 19. They are fully stretched on reduced resources. Please consider donating to TLM as all donations received by 24th April will be matched by the UK Government.
I would be happy to receive any donations (or collection boxes) to forward on or you could send a donation direct to – TLM, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough, PE2 5GZ Thank you so much – Sandra Dunn.
Playgroup – This is an extract from a letter that sadly was sent out to Playgroup staff and parents of Playgroup children on Wednesday 3rdMarch.
I am writing to advise you that the Parochial Church Council of All Saints Church, Childwall, (“the PCC”) has taken the decision to close the All Saints’ Playgroup (“the Playgroup”). It is proposed that the final day of operation will be on the last day of the Summer Term being Friday 16 July 2021.
Everyone concerned is saddened by this decision. This has not been an easy decision and it has been made for several reasons:• The number of children attending Playgroup has decreased over the last 12 months which has had led to a reduction in income which makes the operation financially unviable.• Previously the Church has been able to help subsidise and support the Playgroup in its running costs, but given the limitations on church activities due to the pandemic this is no longer possible as the Church itself has financial challenges.• The historic structure of Playgroup has relied too heavily on voluntary hours given by individuals which, going forward, is not sustainable. One of them, our Ofsted Nominated Officer, is stepping down from this role at Easter. This person has also covered staff hours when staff members have been absent. The Nominated Officer is a key liaison role and requires experience and a considerable amount of time to fulfil it properly. Whilst we will be able to fulfil our obligations to cover this role from Easter to Summer on an interim basis, we do not have the resources to recruit a replacement on a permanent, long-term basis.
For all these reasons, the Playgroup is not considered viable which is why the PCC has taken this decision.
I would like to stress that nobody is questioning the quality of the care provided by the staff of Playgroup and I hope that you wish to join me in expressing gratitude to everyone involved for all they have done over the years.
Prayer Space – will be closed on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th of March as Helen is on leave. The normal pattern will resume on Monday 15th.
The tea room will also be open as usual at 4pm on weekdays. Do pop in and see who is around for a natter. Meeting ID: 753 2429 1267 Passcode: teatime
Put Jesus back into Easter with the Real Easter Egg – Due to the pandemic, it is more important than ever that we find ways to share the Easter story in 2021. The Real Easter Egg is a proven way to do this.
Supermarkets have decided not to stock the Real Easter Egg this year. The Real Easter Egg is the first and only Fairtrade chocolate Easter Egg to explain the Christian understanding of Easter on the pack. It is also plastic free and supports charity and development projects (For more info visit www.realeasteregg.co.uk).
Weekly News – If you are aware of anyone who is not receiving all the weekly news that we are sending out please ask them to send me their email address so I can add them to our master email list. Thank you.Weekly Prayer requests – If you would like other members of our church family to pray for you or a family member, please send me their names for this sheet, please ask permission from the person. Please pray for all those who are unwell at this time particularly praying for Bill Maitland, Nicoli Gray (Carole Turner’s daughter) David Miller, Eileen Miller and Hazel Watson. Please pray for the bereaved family and friends of Peter Watson (Ruth Scott’s Father).
Pastoral visiting – Current Government guidelines mean that we cannot visit people and go inside their homes. Any face-to-face visiting will have to happen from the front gate. If you would value a chat or know anyone who would appreciate a visit please let Helen or me know, our phone numbers and email addresses are below.
Tea@4- Weekdays at 4pm. Pop in for a natter. Bring your own tea and biscuits!
Meeting ID: 753 2429 1267 Passcode: teatimehttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/75324291267?pwd=WmdnY1B3WUtRdHdVVkJQdXJGRE1Ldz09
Zoom Sunday coffee – Every Sunday at 10.15am – remember to bring your own coffee!
Meeting ID: 842 767 1496 Password:4allsaintshttps://us04web.zoom.us/j/8427671496?pwd=K2dMMnlvTHpwTkxDNEV6bDYwQXBDQT09
With our prayers for you all at this time
Andrew Colmer – Vicar – Tel: 07305 842257 – vicar.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Helen Deegan – Curate – Tel: 07984 933467 – curate.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Gypsey Tait – Youth & Children’s Worker – Tel: 07961 793435 –gypsey.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
Bill Forster – Associate Minister – william.forster1@btinternet.com
Adeyinka Olushonde – Ordinand –adeyinka.allsaintschildwall@gmail.com
