Lucy, Ann Andrew, John Wilkinson, Irene Pitman, Pat Ward.
Jan Miller (5th), Matthew Bates and Rebecca Isaacs (6th), Melanie Hillman (8th), Steve Lodge (9th), Lyn Rawlings, Olive lrechuchukwu and Timothy Hodgson (10th), Amanda Doyle (11th).
Gift Aid: If you are a taxpayer, please maximise your giving in the Offertory Plate by using the Gift Aid envelopes provided.
St Mary’s notices can be sent to the Parish Office at info@stmarysmoseley.co.uk, or by phone: 0121 449 2243 (mornings) by 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Voicemail messages can be left at any time. Also see http://www.stmarysmoseley.co.uk.
St Anne’s notices can be sent to Revd Rosemary Donovan at info@st-annes-moseley.org.uk, or by phone: 0121 449 1071 by Thursday. Also see http://www.st-annes-moseley.org.uk.
St Mary’s has a loop system for the hard of hearing, in the centre block of seats. Turn your hearing aid to the ‘T’ setting.
Children aged 3-11 meet on the second, third and fourth Sundays during the 10:00 a.m. service. Children’s groups recommence after the Easter break on Sunday 26 April. The leaders have decided to make some changes to the organisation of the groups for this term, to even out the numbers in the groups. The changes are as follows:
These changes will be an experiment for the summer term, and I would welcome any feedback from parents or children on the new arrangement.
Chris Abbott, Children’s Groups Co-ordinatorChildren meet on the first, third and fourth Sundays during the 10:15 a.m. service. They leave with their leaders after the first hymn. All children are welcome.
The Youth Group meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the Piggott Room at St Mary’s.
Holy Week is a demanding time for all those who are preparing for worship and consideration is needed. Rosemary is with the Youth Group this week and Jeremy has set aside Monday to Wednesday to visit parishioners who have particular needs or may be unable to get to Church and wish to have Holy Communion at home. If you know of anyone from either church who needs a visit or may wish to receive the sacrament, please get in touch with him as soon as possible so this can be arranged. We’d be grateful that issues and correspondence other than to do with services or pastoral needs could be deferred until after Low Sunday, 19 April.
Holy Week is a special time for many to pray in Church. We ask that on Monday to Thursday evenings that a quiet time can be kept and ask everyone to observe this when arriving and leaving the Church.
The Good Friday Service at St Anne’s at 10:15 a.m. will be a service with discussion and chat and is recommended especially for children. There will be hot cross buns and fellowship after the service.
The Good Friday Service at St Mary’s from 12 noon commemorates the last hours and death of Jesus Christ and we ask that silence is kept in and around throughout the day to mark this. (You are welcome to come and go at any time during this).
The Easter Eve Service starting at St Anne’s at 7:00 p.m. will move to the Green at 7:45 p.m. and we will all then process to enter the Dark Church of St Mary’s at 8:00 p.m. Those who have been for the last two years will know that we move from darkness to light and so if need help to see more clearly at the beginning then please do bring a torch. During the Service we celebrate the first encounter of the Risen Lord and receive the first Eucharist of Easter. Champagne follows afterwards!
Please make sure that you return the green form with your responses to the recommendations of the Vision Group as soon as possible please.
| Service | First Reading | Second Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Isaiah 50:4-9 | Gospel: Mark 15:1-39 |
| Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Holy Communion Celebrant & Preacher: Revd Peter Hansell |
|
| 10:00 a.m. | Processional service Procession to the Village Green and to St Anne’s |
|
| 11:15 a.m. | Sung Eucharist Celebrant & Preacher: Revd Peter Hansell Hymns: 346,148,81 |
|
| 6:30 p.m. | Evening Service for Palm Sunday, Stainer’s Crucifixion |
| Day | Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon-6-Apr | 12:15 p.m. | Holy Communion | |
| Mon-6, Tue-7 & Wed-8 | 8:00 p.m. | Holy Communion | |
| Thu-9-Apr Maundy Thursday |
8:00 p.m. | Supper and Sung Eucharist – Followed by a Watch until 11:00 p.m. | |
| Fri-10-Apr Good Friday |
10:15 a.m. | Community Worship | |
| 12 noon – 3:00 p.m. | Service of Readings & Music for Good Friday | ||
| Sat-11-Apr Easter Eve |
7:00 p.m. | Processional Easter Vigil starting at St Anne’s and Continuing at St Mary’s | |
| 8:00 p.m. | First Mass of Easter followed by Champagne Party |
| Time | St Mary’s | St Anne’s |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. | Holy Communion | |
| 10:00 a.m. | Festival Eucharist | |
| 10:15 a.m. | Festival Eucharist | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Said Evensong | |
| 5:55 p.m. | BBC Radio 1 Songs of Praise with members of the congregations singing Part 1 of Handel’s Messiah (recorded in Birmingham Town Hall) | |
See also: Calendar of Future Events
| Date | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 6-Apr – 10-Apr | Youth Group Retreat at Beaudesert Camp Booking Forms available from Rosemary |
This exceptionally long Gospel reading must be familiar to all who’ll hear it in Church today. Yet however familiar its words, this lucid account of Jesus’ last hours before His death on the cross never fails to move those believers who hear or read it. It is interesting to delve a little deeper into the text and to discover how many details of the events of this horrendous day have their origins in the Old Testament.
To name but a few: Mark, in today’s Gospel, relates that Jesus was offered a drink of wine mixed with myrrh, such as would be offered to condemned criminals to deaden their pain. Matthew (27:84), on the basis of Psalm 69:21 “When I was hungry they gave me poison”, changes “myrrh” to “gall”, thereby indicating hostility through the choice of drink. In John, the Roman soldiers are said to have cast lots for Jesus’ clothes, a fulfilment of Psalm 22 which states, “they gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves”. Isaiah 53 contains a verse about how he “was numbered with the transgressors”, this statement being fulfilled by Jesus’ crucifixion between two bandits.
There are many other examples, fascinating to consider in a way, but they do not detract from the solemnity of Mark’s detailed description of that first Good Friday. This account lies at the heart of Christianity. The darkest hour before dawn. After the sombre journey through the horrific events of that first Good Friday, Easter bursts upon us in a blaze of glory.
He is risen indeed!
Almighty and everlasting God, who in your tender love towards the human race sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ to take upon him our flesh and to suffer death upon the cross: grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.