Congratulations to Azita Jabbari who was ordained as a deacon in the Church of England on Saturday (red arrow, together with other ordinands and the Bishop of Oxford, Steven Croft) and is now starting her training curacy at Denham Parish Church. She is very much looking forward to meeting all of us! Catch up on our first interview with her and her husband Kamran last Sunday (the interview starts at 36 min 45 sec):
For this Sunday’s 10.30am service at St Mary’s Church, we have prepared a little gift for all fathers, grandfathers and godfathers.
Here is a little detail – can anyone recognise what it is?
Sunday 26 June: Friendship
Sunday 3 July: Parents
Sunday 10 July: Marriage
Sunday 17 July: Singleness
Sunday 24 July: Grandparents, Godparents, Mentors
Sunday 31 July: The Greatest Love
Catch up on all parts of this new series on our YouTube channel…
Dear friends,
What a wonderful start to the Platinum Jubilee today and the weather is certainly playing its part!
At St Mary’s Church we are getting ready for our “Alternative Beacon Bonanza” evening later today. The concert is now fully booked and we sadly can’t offer any tickets at the door.
Let there be light: Tonight from 9.30pm
However: You are invited to join us outside St Mary’s from 9.30pm tonight as we get ready to count down to the lighting of St Mary’s as an “Alternative Beacon”. The lights will be switched on at 9.45pm and we will sing the Song for the Commonwealth and the National Anthem. Our bells will be rung. It will be a wonderful way to mark the end of the first day of this Platinum Jubilee.
St Mary’s Church open Friday and Saturday
Our church is beautifully decorated with flowers and crowns decorated by various community groups in Denham. Do pop in on Friday or Saturday – the church will be open roughly from 10am to 6pm on both days. Printed Church guides will be available to explore St Mary’s Church.
Sunday: Celebration Service
Our all-age service on Sunday (10.30am) will be full of joy and celebration and suitable for all ages. It will include a family quiz and the winner will receive the delightful children’s book “The Queen who chose to serve”. The service will be live-streamed on Youtube in the usual way. After the service we will dedicate the newly planted tree in the churchyard, which is part of The Queen’s Green canopy (please note: we will not be able to stream this part). And – weather permitting – you are invited to bring a picnic and enjoy it in our churchyard. In the afternoon family games will be available and from 3pm to 5pm we will have the first of seven Royal Vestry Teas (whatever the weather)!
At all these events we would like to give you a beautifully illustrated book “Our Faithful Queen” as a gift. Do make sure to also pick up the special Jubilee issue of Denham Parish News. If you don’t live locally you can download a PDF of it here…
I look forward to seeing many of you over the next days.
Best wishes,
Christoph Lindner, Rector
On Tuesday 3 May, our PCC updated the risk assessment for meetings and services in our building:
A PCC UPDATE TO OUR COVID RISK ASSESSMENT
As the country has moved forward with guidance around the wearing of masks and social distancing, we have updated our risk assessment at St Mary’s.
With many people attending weddings, funerals and baptisms without wearing masks, and members of our church family asking if it is necessary to wear masks, we would like to propose that we have changed our guidance to be less rigid. We are also allowing seating in all areas of church.
There is no requirement to wear a face covering inside the building, including when singing. However, if you feel more comfortable please continue to wear a face covering. We ask that if you feel ill that you take part in the church service online. If you choose to attend the church service onsite with symptoms, kindly take a lateral flow test first.
You are welcome to sit in any of the pews in the centre of the church but if you would prefer to stay at a distance from people other than your immediate family please sit in the side pews.
As the warmer weather should be with us for the next few months, we will continue to ventilate the building before, during and after services.
We will continue to serve communion in one kind only in the chancel but we won’t operate a one-way system anymore.
We will use the West door both for entry and exit. The South door will also be open if people want to leave that way.
We learnt about the bells in the December 2021 edition of Denham Parish News. Now we are pleased to announce that the Universities Association of Change Ringers will be visiting St Mary’s to ring our bells on Saturday 9 April at 10am as part of their spring outing to ring at various churches.
Do come along and listen!
“The Universities Association of Change Ringers was founded in 1943 to bring together past and present ringers from different universities. Our Spring Day visit of St Mary’s Denham is our first step in the water after the lockdowns. Perhaps of interest is that the Spring Day’s organiser’s first Quarter Peal was rung at Denham in 1968.”
(This video is 5 minutes long – perfect for a coffee or tea break!)
Some of us will have been unsettled by the unquestioning support of the Russian Orthodox Church for Putin’s war.
James Emery White writes an excellent blog about “Church and Culture” and offers a condensed summary of the history and the present reality:
How can we pray?
Ukrainians praying in the central square of Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Image: Courtesy of Ukrainian Bible Society)
How can we pray for the ongoing war in Ukraine?
Read an excellent article on the website of BRF, one of our mission partners…
Here are some suggestions how you can pray on your own or with others:
Pray and meditate on Psalm 46:
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. 6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 8 Come and see what the LORD has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Ukraine’s chief Rabbi invited Christian leaders to recite Psalm 31 together
PRAYER RESOURCES
Behind the scenes with local Christian leaders in Ukraine and how they pray…
You can find liturgical resources on the Church of England website…
A Prayer for Ukraine from 24-7 prayer…
How can we pray for President Zelenskyy
Prayers For Refugees – Prayer of The Refugee – Compassion UK
Prayers for peace in conflict and disaster (faithandworship.com)
Prayers prayed for Ukraine at our Sunday service on 13 June:
Lord Jesus, you are our Prince of Peace, the Captain in our Storm. When circumstances are overwhelming and you seem far away, remind us that your presence is with us.
Father, we pray for the War in Europe, and cry out to you for peace in the Ukraine. We ask for your grace to shine upon the citizens of Kiev, Kharkiv, Sumy, Mariupol, Kherson, the Donbas, and all other areas facing the sheer and unthinkable terror of war:
We pray Lord for the refugees who have been forced to leave behind their lives and loved ones. We trust that you are close to the brokenhearted, and you save those who are crushed in spirit. In the same way, protect these people from aggression Lord, and guide their safe passage out of the Ukraine. May they be welcomed by countries across the continent with open arms and avoid encountering bureaucratic challenges or hostility as they seek refuge. Revive, guide and empower the organisations working tirelessly to enable this evacuation, and direct aid to where it is needed the most – and we pray that refugee needs for food, shelter, clothing and love can be expedited wherever they are needed.
We pray that you can use the leaders of western governments to be instruments of peace. Guide them away from pride and partisanship, and towards unity in common purpose. Give them strength and wisdom through their negotiations as they seek to ensure enduring peace, fill them with compassion and empathy for those in need.
We pray for President Putin and the Russian leadership. Your light leads us out of darkness, and in the same way we pray that you can lead and guide his decisions over the coming weeks. We pray Lord that you can soften his heart away from decisions that might cause further destruction or hurt others. Lord, only you can make the impossible possible. Amen.
Other Prayers for Ukraine
God of peace and justice,
we pray for the people of Ukraine today.
We pray for peace and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for all those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or peace,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion
to guide their decisions.
Above all, we pray for all your precious children, at risk and in fear.
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Amen.
Archbishop Justin Welby
Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
Father, today we pray for the escalating situation in Ukraine.
We confess that in times of such rapid change and on issues of such complexity, it can be difficult to know how to pray.
So we start with our praise and thanks to you, who remains steadfast and faithful, all-seeing and all-knowing.
We re-orientate ourselves in you, your timescales, your ways and your purposes.
We remind ourselves of your love for this earth you formed and those you created in your image.
We struggle to see clearly through confusion and misinformation, yet recognise an age-old lust for power, control and violence.
We pray for those already mourning, those who are fleeing homes and livelihoods, for those who are fearful and vulnerable.
We pray for intermediaries on the ground and those seeking to defend life and liberty. Blessed are the peacemakers.
Amidst the political posturing and frightening military action we pray for those involved in genuine diplomatic efforts to avert further bloodshed.
We remember how Jesus resisted being co-opted into the religious and political uprisings of competing empires. We remember how He spoke to heal the sick, calm the storm and raise the dead. We too pray that the name of God would not be invoked in destructive nationalistic ways. We pray for powerful words and miraculous actions – for de-escalation, peace and justice, repentance and restoration.
On earth as it is in heaven, and for our faithful witness until then,
Amen.
David Smyth, Head of Northern Ireland Evangelical Alliance.
A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine
God of compassion,
Have mercy this day on the people of Ukraine.
Restore to them the gift of peace.
Grant wisdom to the governments of the world.
Bring good in the midst of evil and suffering,
For the sake of Jesus Christ your Son,
Who gave his life to bring peace to your world
Amen.
Bishop Steven Croft
A Prayer by Christian Aid
Borders, barricades, bewilderment…
When the bargaining begins,
God please protect peace.
Sanctions, security measured in minutes and it’s scary…
When safety scatters,
God please protect peace.
War dresses up in peace-keeper’s clothes,
Troops amass, the ground trembles and so do people…
When the future feels fragile,
God please protect peace.
The littlest, the least likely to have a say, those
who lives are sanctioned and bargained over
Violence always finds them first.
And the ‘oh-so important’ political manoeuvres
mean nothing to them. They just want to live.
When the winners want to wipe them out of
the way, God please protect peace.
We will not turn away. We will stand together
God, give us the strength to protect peace.
Amen
Prayer about refugees and finding asylum…
St Mary’s Church Office
Village Road
Denham UB9 5BH
Tel: 01895 832771
