Then Deborah said to Barak, “Go! This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands. Has not the LORD gone ahead of you?”
(Judges 4:14a)
Anger, lust, violence, joy, bravery, valiance, malice, envy, elation, depression, confusion, empathy. Humans are complicated creatures with many difficult emotions shown and perceived in complex ways, and our passage this week is undoubtedly one to stir up a reaction!
At the battle between the Israelites and Canaanites, 10,000 fight against an army with 900 iron fitted chariots. Just away from the fighting, by herself in a tent, is a woman called Jael. Her and her husband are friends with both sides of the fight, living peacefully as tinsmiths and nomads of the land. But the leader of the enemy, Sisera, fleeing from the battle, is defeated not by the army 10,000 strong but by this lone woman, vulnerable in her tent, giving hospitality and rest before she hammers a tent peg through the mans skull. We can see that her time for neutrality between these two sides had come to a crossroads and she was faced with a choice to lie to the Israelites and hide the Canaanite at his request, or make a different choice, one that alights with the Israelite people. The Israelites were now free from their oppressors and the words prophesied by Deborah to the Israelite mility leader Barak that ‘the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman’ had been fulfilled.
This may either be seen by you as a shocking account, an impressive account or both. Whatever your reaction, it shows itself to be a series of events where God’s people are delivered, but not in a way anyone would have expected. Instead of a defeat for the oppressor of Israel by strength, numbers and brute force, he is delivered into the hands of the Israelites by a lone woman. In the book of Judges, God’s people are constantly caught in a cycle of walking with God and completely abandoning him and his teaching. Our society today can feel like this, cycling between belief in God and rejection of his teachings. However, we have the teachings of Jesus and a reconciled relationship to God through his sacrifice and the holy spirit to guide us through our journey. Let’s look for the unexpected ways God is moving in our lives and be thankful for the blessings we have been given in our walk with God today.
Beth Keenan
APCM and PCC membership – This Monday
Our Annual Church meeting (APCM) will be on Monday 12th May at 7:00pm in the Church. At this meeting we will be updating you on plans for our Vision 2030 and electing members to our PCC. Nomination forms are available at the back of church. Please put the date in the diary. Also, please consider standing for our PCC or nominating someone who would be a good fit. We need the wisdom of a variety of church members to help us guide the church over the coming years.
Please check out all the reports to the annual meeting here. Some printed copies will be available in church tomorrow and at the meeting.
Thank You present for Derek
Derek Tench is stepping down as our church treasurer after twelve years of faithful service. We plan to present him with a gift at the annual meeting to say thank you. If you would like to contribute to the gift, then please give any contributions to Mark Ogden. Also look out for a card to sign!
Planned Giving Review
This week we are launching our annual ‘Planned Giving Review’. This will climax with a Gift Day on Pentecost Sunday, 8th June. We are asking people to consider how much they can give to financially support the church as well as how they might be able to offer practical support and help with Vision 2030.
Please check the back of the church and take the envelope with your name on it. (We only send letters to those who have indicated they are happy to receive such letters. If there is not an envelope with your name on it and you would like one, then please take one of the nameless ones.)
Brian Belsey – Funeral
Brian Belsey who played a key leadership role at Christ Church for many years has sadly passed away. There will be a service of thanksgiving at Christ Church on Monday 19th May at 2pm.
Young Voices Questionnaire
If you are aged 11 to 24 or know someone who is, then do encourage them to fill out the Canterbury Diocese Youth Council questionnaire which focuses on mental health. These snapshot questionnaires are an opportunity to hear the voices of young people from across our diocese. It closes on 23 May.
Youthscape Launchpad Diocesan Event
6:30-9:00pm on Monday 2nd June at St. Laurence church in Ramsgate. Led by Bp Rose Hudson-Wilkin, with Jen Tobin the Diocesan Lead Officer for Children & Young People’s Work and Launchpad Youth Scape Representatives. This is an intergenerational event for young people 11 years old and upwards and those helping to lead young people’s work. See Tonya Curry if you are interested in going as part of a group from St. Luke’s.
Next Men’s Group Meeting
7pm, Thursday 15th May at the Ramsgate Harbour Lifeboat Station. Your chance to see what is involved in the running of our lifeboat station. This is a free event, but a £5 (or more) donation is suggested. For more information contact Trevor Kenney, 07792828097, trevorkenney1@gmail.com.
Services in May
Sunday 11th May, 9:30am
Holy Communion, Sunday School join us from 10:30am
Sunday 18th May, 11:00am
Dunkirk Little Ships Parade Service
Sunday 25th May, 9:30am
Holy Communion
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:
This week an article and a video about the recent Bible Society report: “A Quiet Revival”.
The Sound of a Quiet Revival
In this short article, Lauren Westwood helpfully summarises the recent research on church attendance that suggests a ‘quiet revival’ is going on particularly amongst younger people. Read more… (10 mins)
Reports of Revival
In this video Glen Scrivener gives ten shifts that the report suggests and five caveats to the report that we need to be aware of. Watch (22 minutes)
Finally, let’s keep fighting the good fight that God calls us to.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 11th – Fourth Sunday of Easter
Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: Judges 4:1-24
Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)
Monday 12th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
APCM (St. George’s Church) – 7:00-9:00pm
Tuesday 13th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Study Group (Lyndhurst Road) – 2:30-4:00pm
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 14th
Study Group (Langdale Avenue) – 10:00-12:00 noon
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Study Group (South Eastern Road) – 7:30-9:30pm
Thursday 15th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Saturday 17th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Sunday 18th – Fifth Sunday of Easter
Parade Service – 11am Commemoration Operation Dynamo – Reading: Exodus 14:10-18
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.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 