“We loved you so much that we were delighted  to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

(1 Thessalonians 2:8)

This week, the sections of the email are:

• Opening reflection
• Key notices
• Over the summer
• Beyond the summer
• Interesting Blogs
• Prayer Requests
• Weekly Calendar
• Online Forms

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

“We loved you so much that we were delighted  to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

In 1982 Bananarama, a female pop trio, released a hit called, It Ain’t What You Do, It’s the Way That You Do It. Something of that senitment comes across in what Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians.

When Paul and his team came to the city of Thessalonica, they came with a mission: to share the good news or gospel of Jesus Christ. They felt driven by God to travel from city to city letting people know about Jesus’ death and resurrection and the resulting salvation and new life available to those who put their trust in him. Their mission was tough, but not in vain.

In his letter to the church birthed in the successful mission to Thessalonica, Paul does not just remind them what he did, but more importantly he stresses the way that they did it. In particular, he says that as well as sharing the gospel with them, they also shared their lives. The gospel offers people a share in the family of God. So, to share the gospel authentically requires authentic relationships with those with whom we are trying to reach. This matters not because we want to be successful in our mission, but because we delight to love the people God calls us to reach.

So, Paul reminds them how hard they worked for them, how much they cared for them and how authentically they lived out the Christian life among them. For Paul, sharing the gospel was an important thing to do, but the way that he did it mattered even more. If we are to fulfill God’s mission today, we need to delight to share not just the gospel, but our lives as well.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Thanet Christians Prayer Diary

Copies of the July and August prayer diary are available at the back of church or here.

Charity Support

At our last PCC meeting, we decided rather than paying from church funds into a few chosen charities, we would seek to promote the charities at special services through the year and encourage people to donate generously at those times.

In order to start this, we want people to suggest charities to support. We will choose three charities: one with an international focus, one with a national focus and one with a local focus. Ideally, the charities should be Christian. Please send suggestions for charities to support to Sue Martin by the end of July, so that the PCC can consider which three to choose.

Over the Summer

Small Groups

If you are interested in connecting with one of our small groups over the summer, please contact:

• Monday evenings: Trevor Clarke – 07899 318952
• Tuesday afternoons: Mark Ogden – 07896 111159
• Wednesday mornings: Vanessa Shingles – 07969 207887
• Wednesday evenings: Mike Turner – 07971 601364

Children and Youth on Sundays

We have plans for more interactive fun games for the children and young people attending church over the summer. If you can sign up to help on one week from 20^th July, please do so on the list at the back of church.

Art Exhibition – Now on at St. George’s Church until 13^th July

Visit St. George’s to view a lovely display of local artwork. Find out more…

United Prayer Meeting

Join Christians from around Thanet to pray for our Island: Queen’s Road Baptist, 13^th July, 6-7:15pm.

Beyond the Summer

 

The Bible Course – Coming in September

Starting on Monday 8^th September, 7:30pm in St. Luke’s Hall, we will be running The Bible Course (new edition), a great opportunity to understand how the Bible fits together as a whole. It is ideal for both those new to the faith and those who have been Christians for years. This will last for eight weeks and replace the small groups for September and October. Find out more…

Kent Women’s Convention, 4^th October, Canterbury

The Kent Women’s convention is to be held in Canterbury this year. 4th October, St. Mary Bredin. Tickets cost £10. See flier in church. Book early! Find out more…

Interesting Blogs to Share

The Secret to workplace evangelism

Sharing your faith at work can be a scary prospect. We often worry about saying the wrong thing, giving offence, or being caught out by a tricky question we can’t answer perfectly.

But the truth is, evangelism in the workplace isn’t about having all the answers or delivering a perfect speech. Instead, it’s about having good conversations – listening well to the people around us, engaging with them as unique children of God, and being open and honest about our own experiences. Read more and watch…

Responding to ‘the Quiet Revival’

There is a lot of talk about the recent report from the Bible Society about a possible ‘Quiet Revival’ among younger people. If that is happening, how should we respond? Robin Ham has no less than ten suggestions. Read more…

 Weekly Calendar

Sunday 6^th June – Third Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: 1 Thes. 2:1-12

Monday 7^th   

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

Tuesday 8^th      

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

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

Wednesday 9th      

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

Thursday 10th       

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

Saturday 12^th    

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

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

Sunday 13^th June – Fourth Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: Luke 10:25-37

Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)

Small Groups

We have four small groups that meet regularly for Bible Study, prayer and mutual support. If you are interested in joining one of them, then please contact one of the people below:

• Monday evenings: Trevor Clarke – 07899 318952
• Tuesday afternoons: Mark Ogden – 07896 111159
• Wednesday mornings: Vanessa Shingles – 01843 592857
• Wednesday evenings: Mike Turner – 07971 601364

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.

Finally, let’s dare to share our faith and our lives with those God has called us to.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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