St James The Great
Old Milverton, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
New Electoral Roll
Every 6 years, the Church of England requires us to create a new Electoral Roll, starting again from scratch. 2025 is that year! If you are on the current Electoral Roll, you will be receiving a letter inviting you to re-join: please complete the form and return it to Claire Drage by 30th March. If you are not currently on the Electoral Roll but have been a regular worshipper here for at least 6 months, are a baptised member of the Church of England, and would like to join, Claire would be happy to give you a form to complete.
Food Bank – there is a current shortage of: long-life milk, tinned fruit, tinned veg, custard, long-life fruit juice, coffee (small jars), cup soups, deodorants (male / female), toilet rolls and laundry powder.
Thank you to everyone who went along to St Mary Magdalene’s to support the Ukraine Coffee Morning on 19th February. Just over £1000 was raised, which will go to the Belvedere Charity that provides aid, medicine and ambulances to Ukraine. Don’t forget that we continue to collect items to send out in those ambulances: any medical supplies that you can buy over the counter from a chemists are very welcome.
Our next Muddy Church event will be on Sunday, 23 rd March at 3.00pm. We will be thinking about the Easter story with some practical activities and refreshments. Everyone is welcome, however young or old so do come along and have some fun.
World Day of Prayer: Friday 7th March
The World Day of Prayer is an international, ecumenical organisation which enables us to hear the thoughts of women from all parts of the world: their hopes, concerns and prayers. This year, the service has been prepared by the women of the Cook Islands, a group of 15 islands in the South Pacific Ocean with a rich and colourful Maori heritage and a deep connection to nature. It will take place at Holy Trinity Church, Leamington Spa at 2.00pm on Friday 7th March with prayers and reflections on the theme ‘I made you wonderful’. Everyone is welcome.
If anyone from St James would be interested in joining the local committee to help plan future services, please let Sue know.
The Quiet Path
By Maya Anthony
In the stillness, hearts seek light,
Paths of solitude, through Lent’s night,
Whispering prayers, out of sight,
In quiet, souls take flight.
Candles flicker in the dark,
Guiding the inner, spiritual arc,
Each flame, a hopeful spark,
In Lent, begins the hallowed mark.
In silent moments, truths we find,
In every prayer, peace entwined,
In Lent’s embrace, spirits refined,
In quietude, with God aligned.
Thought for the month: Looking rather than seeing; listening rather than hearing
We all enjoy seeing new things: perhaps a new art exhibition, or a new place to explore. When faced with the unfamiliar, we tend to pay greater attention to everything around us. It’s the same with a new piece of music, an interesting item on the radio, or something we may not have heard for a long time.
But what about the deeply familiar? The view out of our window; that painting hanging on our living room wall; the prayer or the hymn we know so well that we can say it or sing it without needing to read the words – do we really think about it or take it for granted?
I am currently reading a book, written around the time of the Covid restrictions, by a wildlife writer who would normally travel the world. Entitled ‘A Year of Sitting Dangerously’ the book is a daily account of sitting in the same spot at the end of his garden each day for year, looking at and listening to the wildlife around him.
He talks about finding that when you sit still and look into rather than at something, you discover so much more than you might have expected. He compares it to the difference between standing in a gallery, studying a great picture and looking through the picture hanging on your wall at home that you see every day. That made me think about just how easy it is to see but not truly look, or to hear but not really listen; we all do it all the time, our minds taken up with our own inward thoughts rather than with the world around us.
Do we do the same with faith I wonder? The bible tells us that, on a number of occasions, the disciples failed to fully understand what Jesus might be saying to them. You can sense his frustration when he says to them: “Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears and fail to hear?” (Mark 8.18)
It’s something we are all guilty of at times. For example, do we recite the Lord’s Prayer without thinking about it; look at the same stained glass window in church week by week but rarely see its beauty and detail? Do we hear that well-known bible story and assume we know what it has to say to us? Each time we do any one of those things, we may be failing to notice the new and wonderful something that God wants to offer us.
Over the coming month I encourage you to try to see rather than just look at the beautiful world around us; to hear rather than just listen to what someone might be saying to you; and in doing so to become aware of Jesus seeing and listening alongside you. In the meantime, I am going to take a proper look at my pictures on the wall behind the sofa ……
With love, Sue x
Lord Jesus, help us to look with your eyes and listen with your ears to the people we meet day and by day, and at the beautiful world that we are so lucky to live in.
Show us how you would have us respond to what we see and hear and fill us with the joy that comes from knowing your presence with us
Clergy
Revd. William Smith 316475 wms.smith@btinternet.com
Revd. Sue Fairhurst 735254 sue@fairhursts.me.uk
Churchwardens
Michael Rayner 831522
Jane Marshall 831680
Website & email
www.stjamesoldmilverton.co.uk churchwardenstjames@outlook.co
Parish News
Ali Foster © 2013