“But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw
the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7:55
This week, the sections of the email are:
- Opening Reflection: George and the Dragon
- This Sunday: A Joint Service at St. George’s Church at 11am, no Livestream! Find out more about all that is happening on Sunday…
- Key notices: Electoral roll, Help on Sundays, Life Groups, Can you help with a tour?
- Coming Up: Romp through the Old Testament, Men’s Goup Snack and Watch, Life in Tudor Ramsgate
- Interesting Blogs: Two blogs on the Bible and its use today…
- Weekly Calendar
- Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training
Scroll on…
Opening Reflection
The story of George and the Dragon is a great story. George comes across a village, where the people are having to offer a human each day to the dragon to placate him. He offers to help and despite the princess pleading with him to save himself from the dragon, he goes into battle, kills the dragon and rescues the princess and village.
Although the story is fantasy, it presents George as a great example of service. He does not ignore the problem or the village’s suffering, but offers to help, to do what he can to aid the village. But, it is also a great act of courage, because he risks his life to fight a dragon that no-one else dares to stand up to. In the story, George survives the dragon, but the real St. George was killed as part of the persecution of the Christians by the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 303AD.
George was not the first Christian martyr. Many died for their faith and still do. The first Christian martyr was Stephen, who died at the hands of a Jewish mob upset at his teaching about Jesus.
Stephen had been selected as one of seven to be a Deacon in the church. This was a new role created to serve the poor by ensuring that the distribution of food to the widows was done effectively and fairly. So, Stephen was initially selected to serve, but he soon showed great courage. He also became a great preacher and powerful advocate for the Christian faith in Jerusalem in the early days of the church. No-one it seemed, could argue against him, so in frustration they hauled him before the Jewish leadership on trumped up charges. Stephen’s response was to give a courageous speech, which so upset the listeners that they took him outside and stoned him.
The real Saint George was an example of great courage. Stephen was an example of both service and courage.
Paul Worledge
This Sunday
The Service starts at 11am!
There is lots happening at St. George’s. Lots of fun and a great opportunity for us as a church to connect with the wider town community and show our desire to serve the town.
11am Joint All Age Service at St. George’s Church
12pm Mumming Play of St. George and the Dragon outside church, 12pm
12:30pm St. George’s Day parade setting off.
1:20pm A lunch and Pride in Place presentation in the Church.
Pride in Place funding is an exciting opportunity for Ramsgate to develop and flourish with a £20 million fund to help improve our town.
Key Notices:
Electoral Roll: Please fill in a form if you aren’t yet on it!
The electoral roll is a list of church members who have the right to vote at our annual meeting. Last year we had to create a new roll, and many people would have joined the electoral roll then. If you did not join last year or have started coming more recently, then you can now join the new roll, if you are 16 or over, have been baptised and have either been attending for six months or live in the parish. Please pick up a form at the back of church and return to Mark or fill in the online form. Forms must be completed by 3rd May. The Annual meeting is on Sunday 31st May after church.
Helping on Sundays
Making everyone feel welcome on Sundays and ensuring things run smoothly is an important task – as well as a privilege. Ahead of the Annual Meeting on 31 May, let’s renew and expand the list of : those who set out books and greet worshippers; those who read aloud, those who lead intercessions; those who open up and set up the church. Simple written guidance is available for each of these, and you’d be part of a team. Please consider being one of them and speak to Paul Worledge or Mark Ogden if interested.
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 now more groups available! They meet at the following times:
- Monday evening (two groups)
- Tuesday afternoon
- Wednesday morning
- Wednesday evening
- Thursday morning
There is also a youth life group on a Sunday afternoon.
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).
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.
Men’s Group Snack and Watch
Hot soup and snacks, and a chance to watch the acclaimed film on dementia, The Father. £5. For more information contact Bruce Stokes, 07708 682464, bruce.stokes@btinternet.com .
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 most overlooked evangelistic tool?
Phil set to reading the Bible alone. Within just a few weeks, he understood how Jesus’ death and resurrection offered him the forgiveness and hope he was seeking. Many people are requesting Bibles… Read more (5 mins)
Troubling Jesus – how non-Christian young people make sense of Scripture
What they shared was sometimes deeply uncomfortable, unsettling interpretations we may be overly familiar with and offering fresh perspectives on God and Jesus. Read more (10 mins)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 19th April – Third Sunday of Easter
Joint Service (St. George’s Church) Acts 7:54-60 – 11:00am
Tuesday 21st
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Meal (St. George’s Hall) – 5:30-7:00pm
Wednesday 22nd
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Thursday 23rd
Prayer Meeting (St. Luke’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Saturday 25th
Prayer Meeting (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:00am
Community Soup (St. George’s Church) – 12:00-2:00pm
Sunday 26th – Fourth Sunday of Easter
Eucharist (St. George’s Church) Romans 12:9-21 – 9:30am
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 live lives of service and courage.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
St. George's Church Ramsgate 