“And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel.”
(1 Corinthians 10:10)
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening reflection: Mustn’t Grumble
- Key notices: Life Groups, Parish Safeguarding Officer
- Coming Up: Join Up Confirmation course, Dare to Pray, Men’s Group, Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service
- Wider Church: Thanet Prayer Diary, Celebration Event for Safer Families
- Interesting Blogs: Leaving the European Convention on Human Rights?
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
“And do not grumble, as some of them did–and were killed by the destroying angel.” (1 Corinthians 10:10)
“Mustn’t grumble….” is a phrase, which is these days often associated with older people. It seems to be a concept that has been lost among younger generations! Most of us too easily slip into complaining about everything from the poor performance of our cricketers to the failures of our politicians.
Complaining does of course have its place. Where it is raising legitimate concerns with superiors in order to improve the situation for ourselves or others, then it can be very helpful and constructive. In this sense prayer can be a kind of complaint and the Psalms give pleny of examples of prayers that complain to God about the difficult circumstances of life.
So, what does the Bible mean when it says, “Do not grumble…”? To fully understand we need to know the stories about Israel as they travelled through the wilderness towards the promised land. These appear in the book of Numbers and our sermon series is looking at some of those events. In those stories, the Israelite grumbling went beyond calling on God for help, because of their difficult situation. When they faced any difficulty they focussed so much on the problem, that they forgot the power of God to help and so decided they would be better off without God and back in Egypt. It amounted to an abandonment of God and his whole project.
As Christians we need to be honest about the difficulties and struggles we face, but we must not allow ourselves to be caught up in a negative spiral of grumbling that makes us forget the power of God to help. We must not abandon hope. As we enter 2026, lets lift our eyes from our problems to the God who promises us ultimate blessing.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Life Groups
Will you dare to share the Christian life with others? Life groups are a great way to meet together regularly with a small group of other Christians, for mutual support, to share in reading God’s word and to pray for one another.
Please see Paul if you are interested in joining one. There are groups at the following times:
- Monday evenings
- Tuesday afternoons
- Wednesday mornings
- Wednesday evenings
Parish Safeguarding Officer Role
Safeguarding in church is the responsibility of everyone. However, we need someone to champion and promote safeguarding in the church and to be a point of contact for any concerns raised. There is a lot of Diocesan training and support for this role. If you think you might be the person to take it on then please let Paul know and he can share more about what is involved.
Coming Up:
Join Up Confirmation Courses
We will be hosting a Confirmation Service at St. Luke’s on 28th February 2025. Paul will be running a course called, Join Up, from 8th and 12th January, which is both a follow up to Christianity Explored and a preparation for Confirmation. If you have not been baptised or confirmed or are just interested in taking part in the course, then please talk to Paul, asap.
Dare to Pray – Saturday 17th, 9:30-10:30am, St. George’s Church
We had a small but important Dare to Pray meeting in December just before the Christmas services, which, as vicar, certainly boosted me for the Christmas period. For our January meeting we are going to be praying for positive developments for our vision in 2026 and discern together what should be our verse of the year. Suggestions in advance for the verse of the year are welcome.
Men’s Group – Saturday 17th January
Meeting at 8:30am for breakfast at Wetherspoon’s followed by a tour of Ramsgate tunnels at 10:00am. For more information contact Bruce Stokes or grab a flier.
Churches Together in Ramsgate United Service – 6pm, Sunday 25th January
After the success of the united service at Pentecost last May, we are planning another united service at the Royal Harbour School, for Sunday January 25th at 6pm. This will be more traditional in style and there will be a joint choir for the event. If anyone would like to be part of the choir, please let Paul know.
Wider Church
The Thanet Prayer Diary
The Prayer Diary for January and February is available at the back of church or download.
Celebration Event for Safer Families – This Saturday
You may have thought that the celebrations were over…… but we would love to invite you to join us to celebrate the first year of Safe Families and Home for Good in East Kent.
Do come along this Saturday 10th January between 2pm and 4pm to St Christopher’s Church, Newington (Princess Margaret Avenue, Newington, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 6LG).
Interesting Blogs to Share:
Should the UK leave the European Convention on Human Rights?
This is a meaty article but tackles a controversial issue of today. Should we abandon the convention because it is an obstacle to controlling irregular migration or is it a necessary safeguard against key rights for us all? Read more…
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 11th – The First Sunday of Epiphany
Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Num. 11:4-17,24-34 – 9:30am
Confirmation Course (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Monday 12th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Tuesday 13th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 14th
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Thursday 15th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Confirmation Course (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm
Saturday 17th
Dare to Pray (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Sunday 18th – The Second Sunday of Epiphany
Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Num. 13:1-2,21-33 – 9:30am
Confirmation Course (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
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.
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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.
Finally, stop moaning and start rejoicing in the Lord!
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 