Good afternoon Friends
Another crisp but beautiful day! And tomorrow we celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the church. Don’t forget to wear something red! Look at these beautiful Pentecost flowers- ready for tomorrow’s celebration. We have some talented flower-arrangers in our midst- what a blessing they are.
The new Messenger is out and you can find it here. There are some good, interesting articles this month which I recommend and hope you will enjoy.
I have sent out the Reports booklet and there are some printed copies available at church. Please let me know if you would like a copy. I have attached the Application for Enrolment form– thank you to everyone who has returned theirs. There are still quite a number of people who haven’t yet; the Annual Meeting of Parishioners is a week tomorrow (Sunday 12th) so please get your form in.
I have also attached a Nomination Form because we have some roles with no nominations as yet. As you prayerfully consider whether the Spirit is prompting you to nominate for a role please bear in mind that it is only for a year. You are not promising your life away! The only 3-year commitment is for our two Members of Synod; every other role is just for one year, and resignation if circumstances demand is also a possibility.
Our Formation Student, Grahame, will be going on leave in July so there will be no Meditation Group in July– unless someone else would like to facilitate the group while he’s away?
Archbishop Kay has notified the clergy that from June 16th (Thanksgiving for the Holy Communion) we will once again be able to offer the wine as well as the bread at communion. This is what she wrote:
“Recently I wrote of my intention to allow for the reinstatement of the Common Cup sometime this month. Given the rise in COVID cases over the past months I had thought to revise this, however, after consultation, wide discussion and in the light of high vaccination rates, and the State relaxing of COVID regulations I have decided to stay with the intention of allowing the Common Cup to be offered at Holy Communion from 16 June, Thanksgiving for the Holy Communion. This is not permission for intinction. Permission for the use of the individual Communion Cups will also end from that date. Most dioceses around the country have now returned to Communion in both kinds. No doubt there will be people who do not yet feel able to share the Common Cup, and will choose to continue receiving in one kind. I know there will be much celebration and relief as we return to the Communion practice which speaks so eloquently of our common life in Christ.”
Archbishop Kay Goldsworthy
This means that from the 16th you will have the choice of taking the wine from the Common Cup; and if you choose not to, that is also fine. Intinction (dipping your wafer into the cup) is not permitted. There is an excellent article in this month’s Messenger written by the Reverend Joseph Legarda, who is Archbishop’s Chaplain, which explains all this clearly and well.
Please keep in prayer those who are unwell, those in isolation, anyone with Covid and all who are vulnerable. Our Admirable Admin Assistant, Alex, is currently out of action so please pray that I can keep up until she is well again!
God bless,
Lorna The Reverend Lorna A M Green
St Nicolas Anglican Church 