“Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
(Zechariah 9:9)
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening Reflection: Palm Sunday
- Key notices: Clocks going forward, Easter Services, Can you help run a tour?
- Coming Up: Romp through the Old Testament, St. George’s Day Service and Parade, Life in Tudor Ramsgate
- Interesting Blogs: The Quiet Revival: One Year on, Sarah Mullally’s Politics of Dignity
- Prayer Requests
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
On Wednesday, Sarah Mullally was enthroned in Canterbury Cathedral as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. This was the official launch for her into her new role as leader of the Anglican church in England, a big moment for her, for the church she will lead and for women’s rights. As part of her preparation, she also chose to walk a 72 mile pilgrimage from St. Paul’s, Cathedral in her previous Diocese of London, to the Cathedral church of her new Diocese in Canterbury. One thing she didn’t do was ride a donkey!
This Sunday is Palm Sunday. We remember Jesus on a journey into Jerusalem. He, like many Jews, was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem from his home region of Galilee (about twice as far as the Archbishop walked). Yet, he chose to arrive in Jerusalem deliberately announcing to the crowds that he was coming to be made king. He rode on a donkey in fuflilment of the prophecy in Zechariah.
The crowds, many of whom had witnessed his amazing preaching and astonishing miracles, responded by praising him and laying down branches along the path, symbolically welcoming him as their king. Yet, remarkable as this was, difficult questions remained. How could Jesus be enthroned when he was not welcomed by the temple authorities? (They were jealous of his popularity and angry at his criticism of them). And how could Jesus overthrow the military power of the Romans who occupied the city?
Yet, within a week, Jesus was crowned and declared to be king. At his crucifixion, a crown of thorns was placed on his head and a placard placed above him declaring him to be, “King of the Jews.” To most this looked like the authorities mocking his claims, but the deeper reality was that his claims were becoming true in ways people could not comprehend. On the cross Jesus became king of God’s eternal Kingdom, as his subsquent resurrection proved.
Paul Worledge
Key Notices:
Clocks going forward
Don’t forget that this Sunday morning, the clocks go forward by an hour. Don’t be late for church!
Can you help run a tour?
We are hoping to offer tours of St. George’s tower and crypt on Saturdays through the tower. This not only allows locals and tourists to experience the wonders of the building but also raises money for the church. If you are interested in being part of a team to run these tours, then please contact Jemima (07971782477 or regenerationofficer@stgeorgechurchramsgate.uk).
Easter Services
Grab a flier from the back of church and encourage others to come. There are also specific fliers for the Easter Story on Good Friday morning aimed especially at children and young families. You can also share the publicity from the websiteon your social media.
Coming Up:
Romp through the Old Testament
An interactive day of exploration, new insights and fun with Rev. Dr. Sue Woan. Free! (donations welcome) Bring your own lunch – drinks provided. Saturday 18th April, 9.30am – 3.00pm. Newington Free Church, St. John’s Avenue, Ramsgate. To book a place contact Robin Plant: robin.plant@protonmail.com.
St. George’s Day Service and Parade
On Sunday 19th April we will have a joint service at St. George’s church to celebrate St. George’s day at 11am. This will be for All Ages and will be followed by a Parade through town, which will this year include both a giant St. George and a giant dragon. After the parade, there will be lunch in St. George’s church, where the Pride in Place board will be launching the next phase of their engagement in working out how to spend the £20 million assigned to Ramsgate by the government. We hope as many as possible can join with some or all element on this day.
Life in Tudor Ramsgate
On Saturday 16th May, 3pm, Margaret Bolton will be giving a talk about Tudor Ramsgate. It will include insights into school life, the work of a housewife, the jobs people did, visits by important people and the experiences of family life. Tickets will be £5 with all proceeds going to the St. George’s Restoration fund.
Interesting Blogs to Share:
The Quiet Revival: One year on…
It now turns out, that YouGov have admitted that the research carried out behind the original Quiet Revival report a year ago was flawed and probably exaggerated the extent to which young people were turning to faith. Yet, that does not mean there are not important signs of a greater openness to faith today. Find out more…
Sarah Mullally’s Politics of Diginity
Andrew Atherstone, who has written a biography of the new Archbishop outlines what motivates her political engagement in this 5 minute read. Read more…
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 29th March – Palm Sunday (Clocks go forward)
Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 21:1-11 – 9:30am
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm
Monday 30th
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Confirmation Follow Up (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm
Tuesday 31st
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 1st April
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Maundy Thursday 2nd
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Holy Communion (St George’s Church) – 6:30pm
Good Friday 3rd
The Easter Story for families (St Luke’s Church) – 10:30-11:15am
Churches Together Service (United Church, Hardres Street) – 10:30am
Open Air Witness (Town Centre) – 12noon
Meditation (St George’s Church) – 1:00-3:00pm
Saturday 4th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Sunday 5th – Easter Sunday
Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Matthew 28:1-10 – 9:30am
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
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, let’s look to Jesus as our amazing king.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 