WEEKLY NOTICES FOR SATURDAY 11 JUNE

Upcoming Services

Sunday, 12 July: The Sixth Sunday after Trinity
8am Holy Communion 9:30am Sung Eucharist 6pm Fire Pit Service 6pm Evening Prayer	Fr Mark Canon Nigel Fire Pit Team Fr Mark
Wednesday, 15 July
11:30am Said Eucharist	Fr Mark
Next Sunday, 19 July: The Seventh Sunday after Trinity
8am Holy Communion 9:30am Music Group Eucharist 6pm Choral Evensong	Fr Peter Fr Mark Fr Mark

See ‘Online Worship Resources’ below for the usual links to Sunday’s Bible readings.

The reader at tomorrow’s 9:30am service is David Lawrence. The intercessions will be led by Rosie Harrison. Fr Ray will read the Gospel.

Some of tomorrow’s music at the Sung Eucharist will reflect the fifty-year tradition of keeping the second Sunday in July as Sea Sunday.

We will be holding another Red Bucket collection tomorrow for the Venezuela earthquake; see below for more details.

Please also see below for details of tonight’s concert – Magnificat.

Sunday Evenings in July

If you fancy something a little bit different why not join us for tomorrow’s fire-pit service to be held outside around a real fire followed by toasted marshmallows. This informal service is growing in popularity and provides a friendly, joyful and inclusive space for worship, alongside the Book of Common Prayer evening (said) service which begins in church at the same time.

Evensong next Sunday will be sung to the setting by William Smith (1603-1645) of Durham. The canticles will be sung to the setting in C by Charles Villiers Stanford (1852‑1924). The anthem will be ‘Thee will I love, my God and King’ by Cecil Armstrong Gibbs (1889-1960). This service usually lasts for around 45 minutes and do feel free to join us, and perhaps tell any friends who enjoy our choral services.

The new Archdeacon of Chichester, the Venerable Dr Tom Carpenter will be the preacher at Sung Evensong to celebrate the Festival of St James at St James’s Ashurst on Sunday, 28 July at 4pm. Following a tradition dating back to mediaeval times, refreshments after the service will include servings of ‘St James’s Ale’ (as well as wine, soft drinks and nibbles) – in the beautiful churchyard at Ashurst, weather permitting. Please save the date in your diaries and join us for this special annual service, and perhaps invite a friend. All are welcome.

Invitation to the Vicarage Garden Next Sunday

If you would like to join us for drinks after church in the Vicarage garden after the Music Group Eucharist next Sunday, 19 July, you can sign-up online here or hard copy sign-up sheet at the back tomorrow morning. Soft drinks, sparkling wine and nibbles will be served. On that Sunday there will be no refreshments in church. If you are able to bake some cheese straws or other nibbles, please send an email to Katherine Heather, or use the separate clipboard and sign-up sheet tomorrow.

Our Special Guest from Ramallah

We hear from Father Fadi that he was very encouraged by the response to his visit and different meetings in Steyning, including our 9:30am Eucharist, where he was interviewed and pronounced the blessing in Arabic. Fr Fadi urges us not to waver in our efforts to pray and advocate for the people of Palestine. He felt a great sense of love and peace here and hopes to return. He will write the pastoral letter in our August magazine.

Thank you to everyone who donated towards last weekend’s Red Bucket appeal to be used by the charity, the Friends of the Holy Land. The collection taken at the events on Saturday and Sunday may have raised as much as £2,000 and we will announce the total in next Saturday’s notices. The donations will be used for trauma support, organised by the local churches of the Holy Land, for children and adults affected by the continuing fear and violence.

Red Bucket Appeal following the Earthquake

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched a special appeal for recovery and relief operations following the earthquakes in Venezuela. Over coming weekends, we will be holding another red bucket appeal for anyone who would like to donate to this appeal and our gifts will be channelled through Christian Aid, one of the 15 member charities of DEC.

If you are a tax payer and wish to add Gift Aid your donation, please complete of the blue giving envelopes (your surname and postcode are sufficient if we already have your address in our records) before adding it to the bucket. Alternatively, you can tap the church contactless donation point on a Sunday morning whenever the red (rather than blue) display mentions the red bucket appeal. If you prefer to pay from a banking app or online banking, please send an email to treasurer@steyningparishchurch.org

You can click here for more information about the appeal – or to donate direct to Christian Aid.

Family Support Work – Thank You

Last week’s fundraising concert raised over £1,000 for much-needed support for families across Sussex facing challengesin their day-to-day lives. The organising team offers its thanks for everyone who supported this event on a very busy weekend. If you missed it and would still like to make a donation, speak to Penny Warner or another member or the team, or donate online here.

In Memory of David Boyle and Martin Toomey

The Downland Scheme crowd-funding campaign in memory of David and Martin has so far raised £5,805 towards its target of £14,000 to enable those who can no longer walk up to the Downs to access this beautiful landscape, with a new bench and a new mobility vehicle suitable for some of the hill paths. To find out more, to see who has donated already, or to make your own, please click here.

Concerts in Church

Today (11 July) at 5pm: Magnificat – Kaleidoscope Singers, supported by a string quartet sing Pergolesi’s Magnificat, and works by Rutter, Holst and Vivaldi. Tickets £15 (under-18s free) from the Steyning Bookshop, on the door or also available online here.

Saturday, 5 September at 1pm: John Twitchen, tenor; Helen Ridout, piano; and the Florentine String Quartet. Tickets £15 from the Steyning Bookshop. Pick up a flyer from church for more details, which gives details of a companion concert in Henfield St Peter on 29 August, with a programme of flute and piano music.

Lunchtime Concerts 

We are now halfway through our series of Tuesday lunchtime concerts. These concerts begin at 12:30pm and run for 30 minutes, and are free to enter with a voluntary retiring collection towards church building and improvement projects.

14 July 21 July 28 July 4 August

Michael Brierley, Baritone Cantatrice Sing Out Sister Tredici Wind Ensemble

Help Needed Please

After a trial period Mary, our new Penfold Hall key-holder has decided that she does not have capacity to continue in the role. In the short-term, until a successor is identified, it would be helpful to have one or more volunteers to unlock and lock the hall after a few one-off bookings, especially at weekends (often on a Saturday). If you might be in a position to help with this, please either speak to a churchwarden, or send an email to the Parish Office, and we will provide more information.

Finding Our Way in Troubled Times

Anyone who signed-up to the screening of the Emergency Briefing film organised by Greening Steyning last month, might be interested to know about an event taking place on Shoreham Beach next Saturday, morning (from 8am to 12:30pm). Organised by the Centre for Spirituality, and described as ‘a morning of listening for the sacred, for the “more than” through meditation, walking a beach labyrinth, poetry shared reflection and breakfast’, this event is free and open to all, but places must be booked in advance. Click here to sign-up and for more information.

July Magazine

The new magazine can be read online here. Printed copies are available from the back of church and from the other usual distribution points including the Post Office and Penfold Hall.

Midweek Eucharist

All are welcome to our peaceful midweek service which takes place in the chancel of St Andrew’s & St Cuthman’s at 11:30am every Wednesday. The next midweek service with prayers for healing will take place on 29 July, the last Wednesday of the month.

Wednesday Coffee

Join us at the Penfold Hall on any Wednesday morning between 10am and 11:30am for real coffee or tea, conversation and big smiles. If you are willing to help, please speak to a member of the team.

Good Grief Café

The sessions take place every second Friday afternoon from 2pm until 4pm in the Penfold Hall, with the next session scheduled for Friday, 14 August. Those who have experienced any sort of loss are welcome to join us for tea or coffee, biscuits and a listening ear. Come to talk and share, or just listen. For more information, please ring 01903 813276 or, if you prefer, you can email care@steyningparishchurch.org

Children’s Church

Meetings of Children’s Church continue on first and fourth Sundays. Children should join the congregation at the beginning of the service at 9:30am, then head over to the Penfold Hall for crafts, games, stories and worship before coming back into church for the final part of the Eucharist.

Little Stars!

Meetings continue in the Penfold Hall over the usual two sessions each week:

Monday afternoons from 1pm to 2:45pm
Thursday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30am.

There is no need to apply or book. Just turn up at the Penfold Hall with your children. Any enquiries can be directed to Gary on 07396 963996 or at families@steyningparishchurch.org.

Board Games Fun

Two board games Café events take place each month at the Penfold Hall. The afternoon session takes place every second Tuesday from 3:15pm until 5:15pm. The evening session takes place from 6pm to 9pm on the fourth Monday of each month. For more information speak to Gary or send him an email – or just turn up on the day. Come by yourself, or invite a friend.

Free Food – Three Times a Week!

Steyning Community Fridge now holds three sessions each week, including Sunday mornings so feel free to pop down to the Cottage after the 9:30am service to pick up some fresh food that is close to or has just passed its best‑before date but is still good to eat. Opening times are as follows:

Monday evenings from 6pm to 7pm
Thursday mornings from 10am to 11am
Sunday mornings from 10:45 to 11:45am.

Click here to send an email to the organisers. Donations to help with transport costs are always welcome.

Intercessions for Healing

Please contact the Parish Office (or on 01903 813276) if anyone you know should be added (with their consent) to our public intercessions. To contact or update our Prayer Group, please write to prayer@steyningparishchurch.org

ONLINE WORSHIP RESOURCES

The readings for tomorrow morning (Sixth Sunday after Trinity in Year A, Proper 10) are Isaiah 55:10‑13; Psalm 65:[1‑7]8‑13*; Romans 8:1‑11; Matthew 13:1‑9, 18‑23.

The Church of England continues to provide a videoed, pre‑recorded service, available every Sunday at 9am. These services tend to last between 30 and 50 minutes.

Services continue to be streamed live from our Cathedral. The text of each service, including hymns and readings, is usually available as a PDF on the same page.

FOR YOUR PRAYERS

Holy Baptism

Tanaka Amara Aoife Evans-Clarke (Ashurst, 12 July)

Holy Matrimony

Fraser Sheath & Millie Aiton (Steyning, 11 July)

Recently Departed

Jane Helen Marshall, Mary Elizabeth Cromwell Laver, Anthony John (‘Tony’) Smith, Jill Maureen McDonald, Jane Cosham, John Ernest Brown, Brenda Wadman.

Year’s Mind

Margaret Michelin, Patricia Ann (‘Patta’) Tolputt, Betty Ford, Jean Williamson, Vivienne Powell, Lilian Gallagher, Leah Marie Johnstone, Ivy Saunders, Joyce Margaret Honer, Monica Mason, Ronald Tudor, Wray Woodrow, Robin Andrew Hall.