GOOD CALL! Our sermon theme for August
GOOD CALL: Hearing from God and making good decisions
All through August we reflected on this theme in our Sunday services.
WIN PETE GREIG’S BOOK “HOW TO HEAR GOD” (deadline is 1 Sep 2023)…
6 August: Go for it. Click here for the service on YouTube…
13 August: Seek advice. Click here for the service on Youtube…
20 August: Divine GPS.
27 August: Grow in wisdom.
Ian Jennings on Prayer and Mission
Ian Jennings was an associate minister at Denham Parish Church for four years. After retiring in April 2023 he is occasionally recording a talk for us.
Here he is reflecting on one of our focus areas in our developing mission plan: the place of prayer in our mission.
Coronation Weekend at St Mary’s
Almighty and ever faithful God,
We pray for Charles at this time of coronation.
Grant him grace in times of challenge,
Hope in time of struggle,
Support in times of weakness,
And faith in times of doubt.
May he lead in mercy and understanding.
Grant the King knowledge of your presence
and enable him to be a witness to your love and power.
Grant him grace, peace and joy
as he fulfils the role that you have called him to.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Prayer by Fred Drummond, Scottish director and UK prayer director for the Evangelical Alliance UK
Thriving not just surviving
Jesus promises us life in all its fulness (in John 10.10) but often our reality seems to fall short. This Lent we are reflecting in our Sunday services on passages from Matthew’s Gospel, combined with Psalms to learn how we can thrive rather than just survive:
Sunday 26 February
Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Turn from Temptation
Mat 4.1-11 | Psalm 141.1-5,8-10
Sunday 5 March
Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Faith in the Healer
Mat 8.1-13 | Psalm 30
Sunday 12 March
Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Plain Priorities
Mat 8.18-22 | Prov. 3.1-8 NLT
(Sunday 19 March: Mothering Sunday. We are pausing the series)
Sunday 26 March
Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Calm in the Storm
Mat 8.23-27 | Psalm 34.1-8
Praying for our new prime minister
King Charles welcomes Mr Sunak at Buckingham Palace (Photo: PA)
THE Archbishop of Canterbury has asked people to pray for Rishi Sunak as he starts his term of office as Prime Minister.
Mr Sunak was chosen as the new leader of the Conservative Party on Monday afternoon, and became the new Prime Minister on Tuesday morning, when Liz Truss stood down after several weeks of financial and political turmoil.
After the announcement on Monday, Archbishop Justin Welby posted on Twitter: “At a time of great difficulty and uncertainty for this country, please join me in praying for Rishi Sunak as he takes on the responsibilities of leadership. May he, and all leaders of all parties, work across divides to bring unity and offer stability for those who need it most.”
Last Thursday, in a House of Lords debate on the cost of living, the Bishop of Oxford, Dr Steven Croft, exhorted whoever became Prime Minister to address child poverty as a priority.
“The well-being of the nation is now very fragile,” he said. “To the incoming Prime Minister, I say: ‘Please don’t make it worse. Do all you can to make it better. Don’t allow the costs of the economic downturn to be borne by children and the poorest. . . Blessed are those who consider the poor.”
St Mary’s Festival: Many hands…
St Mary’s Festival on 11 September will be a wonderful community celebration and we need your help!
Welcoming Azita and her family
Above: Azita with her husband Kamran, their children Rozhin and Rohan and their dog Chelsea
On Saturday, 2 July, our new training curate Azita will be ordained as a deacon in the Church of England. On Sunday 3rd we will welcome her and her family here in Denham.
Ordination Service 2 July, 2pm: Onsite and Online
Azita’s ordination service will be at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford on Saturday, 2 July at 2pm. Everyone is welcome. Christ Church Cathedral is part of Christ Church College (OX1 1DP). If you are planning to attend the service please arrive early to make sure you get a seat. Parking is difficult in the centre of Oxford, so it’s best to use Park&Ride or to come by train (it’s a 15-20min walk from Oxford Train Station).
The service will also be live-streamed on YouTube. The link below will take you directly to the right page:
https://youtu.be/W1O-mgfykV4
Welcoming Azita and her family on Sunday 3 July
Azita and her family will be with us for our services on Sunday 3 July. We will have our usual 9am Holy Communion, 10.30am Sunday service. There will also be Café Church at St Mark’s at 3.30pm. Please join us for one of those services, so we can welcome them together. If you are away, please don’t worry as there will be many more opportunities to get to know Azita and her family. They will move into St Mark’s House on Friday 8 July.
Please pray for them over these next weeks as they step into a new season of life and ministry as a family.
Download Azita’s prayer card with the link below.
Azita Prayer Card
This is what our “Alternative Beacon” looked like
The lighting of St Mary’s Church tower during the Jubilee. Thank you to Encore and Denham Parish Council for their support!
Where to find us
St Mary’s Church Office
Village Road
Denham UB9 5BH
Tel: 01895 832771
