“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.”  

(1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

This week’s notices are for the next two weeks from Palm Sunday through to 27^th April, please see the calendar at the end for details of all the services in the next two weeks.

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For this year’s Easter publicity, I decided to include four sections: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Unlike Christmas, which focuses on one key event, Easter is more of a narrative, a story with separate and key elements that all work together.

Palm Sunday reminds us both of the claims to kingship that Jesus made about himself, claims that were embraced by many who had witnessed his miracles, but rejected by those in power as a threat to their position. It reminds us of the context of the rest of the story and the choice we face.

Maundy Thursday takes us to the last supper, and the meal Jesus had with his disciples. This part of the story makes it clear, that Jesus’ death was his plan and had a purpose. It was God’s way of forgiving our sins and bringing us into relationship with him, a new covenant.

Good Friday brings home for us the reality and immensity of what Jesus did. It shows us the fullness of his obedience to God’s will, the immensity of  his love for us and the seriousness of our sin and rebellion against God. Through faith in the cross, our sin, wickedness and evil are condemned, but we ourselves are set free from future condemnation by God.

Easter Sunday is the amazing climax of the story and vindication of Jesus. It show us that Jesus was who he claimed to be and that his death was for the purpose he described. Because of his resurrection, Jesus cannot be ignored, we all now need to decide whether to reject or accept him for ourselves.

Paul Worledge

Plans for Easter and on…

Please see the Calendar below for details of all services, times and locations. Also, check out the website…

The Easter Story – Good Friday, St. Luke’s 10:30am

This is ‘Crib Service’ meets ‘Easter’. Designed for young families, we go through the events of Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday, with children building up a display of the whole story. A great event to bring grandchildren or friends along to.

Good Friday Meditation – St. George’s, 1-3pm

Over four 30-minute sessions, with hymns, a short talk and space to reflect and respond, we will be exploring some key passages in Paul as we consider why Jesus died:

1pm                       Justification – Romans 3:21-26

1:30pm                 Reconciliation – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2:00pm                 Victory – Colossians 2:13-15

2:30pm                 Unity – Ephesians 2:11-22

St. George’s Day – Joint Service & Parade – 27^th April, 11am

The Sunday after Easter we will be having a Joint Service with St. George’s church at 11am, to celebrate St. George’s Day. This will be an All Age service, introducing our theme for the term, “Fight, the Good Fight.” It will be followed by the St. George’s day parade, when we will be handing out fliers to advertise both churches regular activities and upcoming events.

 

Electoral Roll – 16 so far

The electoral roll is the list of members of St. George’s parish who have the right to vote at our annual meeting. Every six years, the roll has to be renewed from scratch and 2025 is one of those years. So, if you consider yourself a member of St. George’s then please complete an electoral roll application, whether you were on the electoral roll before or not. To qualify to be on the electoral roll, you must be baptised, over 16 and either live in the parish of St. George’s or have attended St. George’s for six months or more. Forms available through the website or paper copies at the back of church. Please register by Easter Sunday.

Youth and Children’s Pastor

Thank you to everyone who helped out with the Youth and Children’s Pastor interview process and prayed for us. Unfortunately, although, both candidates had some good qualities, we decide than neither were a right fit for the role.

Treasurer Role

After many years of faithful service, Derek Tench is looking to step down as treasurer. This is an important role in the life of the church and involves various tasks: Bookkeeping, PAYE management for staff, reclaiming Gift Aid, Negotiating Utilities & Procurement and producing accounts for the annual report. If you think you might be able to take on some or all of these tasks, then please see Paul, Mark or Derek. Derek will of course offer training and support to whoever would like to take over.

Tower and Crypt Tours – Can you help?

Please contact Jemima on either 07971782477 or via email regenerationofficer@stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk if you are able to get involved with helping to host the tours.

They will be on during the summer to coincide with the Yard Sales and Heritage Open Days and we are also doing a couple of dates in May as well. The dates are Saturdays: 17th May, 24th May, 14th June, 12th July, 9th August, 13th September and 20th September.

Links to Share:

Should we ‘apply’ the Bible?

We often talk about the importance of “applying” the Bible to or lives, but it’s that the best way to think about what the point of reading the Bible is? In this article Wyatt Graham gives us a better way to understand the purpose of reading the Bible. Read more (10 mins)

Church Attendance is growing

According to this Bible Society report the number of people attending church monthly is increasing and especially among young men. Read more….

Finally, let’s celebrate the fantastic good news contained in the easter story.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)

 Weekly Calendar

Sunday 13^th April – Palm Sunday

Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) – Reading: Luke 19:28-40

Monday 14th     

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Tuesday 15^th   

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Coffee Morning (St. George’s Hall) – 11:00am-12:00pm

Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm

Wednesday 16th   

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Maundy Thursday 17th   

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Maundy Thursday Service (St. Luke’s Church) – 12noon

Maundy Thursday Service (St. George’s Church) – 6:30pm

Good Friday 18^th   

The Easter Story, an interactive telling of the events of Easter for families and small children (St. Luke’s) – 10:30am

Ramsgate Churches Together, Good Friday Witness (Town Centre) – 12noon

Good Friday Meditation (St. George’s, 1:00-3:00pm, 4×30 min. slots, join us for all or some of the slots)

Saturday 19^th  

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Sunday 20^th – Easter Sunday

Eucharist (St George’s, 9:30am) – Reading: Luke 24:1-12

Tuesday 22^nd   

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Coffee Morning (St. George’s Hall) – 11:00am-12:00pm

Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm

Wednesday 23rd 

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Thursday 24th  

Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Saturday 26^th 

Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am

Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm

Sunday 27^th – St. George’s Day celebration

JOINT All Age Service (St. George’s Church), 11:00am-12:00pm

Online Forms

Under the ‘Contact’ tab on the website, there are now three forms that you can use to help us in managing the church:

• Events Application Form. Use this if you are organising a church event that needs a church room booked, advertising or ticketing.
• Submit a Notice. Use this if you want to ask us to include a prayer request or other notice in the church notice sheet or email.
• Maintenance Reporting Form.Use this to report any non-urgent issues with our buildings or grounds.

St. George’s Website

• What’s On – a page which lets you know what is happening this week and gives information about upcoming events.
• Notices – You can read the latest notices on this page.
• Sermons – Read a transcript of a recent sermon or watch the YouTube version recorded at St. Luke’s. There are now videos for all the sermons over the summer.

Safeguarding Training

If you volunteer in anyway at church the national authorities are strongly encouraging you to take at least the Basic Module in safeguarding training once every three years.

If you have not completed the training in the last three years, then the module can be completed online and takes about ninety minutes. You can access the training by following this link. You will need to first register, to access the training. Once the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.ce the training is completed, you will be sent a certificate. Please forward that certificate to James (office@stlukesramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.