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)
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.
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 questionnairewhich 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.
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.
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.
Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.” (John 16:20)
Thinking of World War II it is often the case that the greater the suffering or challenge the greater the joy when the suffering or challenge is overcome. In the quote above, Jesus was preparing the disciples for his imminent death. For many at the time, the death of Jesus was a reason to rejoice. A trouble maker had been eliminated, the status quo maintained.
But, the greater joy would be reserved for Jesus’ disciples. Although, they would go through the trauma of losing Jesus, they would discover the amazing joy of seeing him again as the one who had defeated sin and removed the fear of death, not just violent death as at the end of World War II, but the fear of death full stop. That is the incredible joy that people are still discovering today, as they come to follow Jesus.
We live in a culture that looks for all kind of excuses for a party and a bit of fun. But is there any substance to a lot of our celebrating? Are we actually celebrating something that matters, or is much of it just a flimsy excuse to get together and eat, drink and be merry?
Take Easter for example. People enjoy the chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, easter egg hunts and a long bank holiday weekend. But are they celebrating anything worthwhile or meaningful? Or is it just an excuse to have fun at that time of year?
VE Day – Something Really Worth Celebrating
Thursday is the eightieth anniversary of VE day, the end of the second world war in Europe. The original VE day in 1945 was truly a day worth celebrating. It’s hard to imagine what it would have been there.
For over five years, the whole country had been caught up in an almighty struggle that had cost millions of lives around the world and brought huge restrictions, upheaval and terror to the lives of most people in Britain. Food had been rationed, there was a constant threat from bombing and later on the V2 rockets, millions were risking their lives fighting on the front line, many had lost loved ones, sons, husbands and fathers to the fighting. Even those not called up to fight had to work extra hard to ensure the manufacturing war effort could continue with so much of the workforce off fighting. We may romanticise the war, but it had been tough.
But, in the end all the hard work, restrictions, deprivations and fighting had been worth it. The evil of Naziism had been defeated, the peace and security of our country secured and the war had come to an end. This was something really worth celebrating and it was a celebration shared by almost everyone. Here was a moment of true joy. And it showed.
The joy of the day broke down normal social conventions, as people poured out onto the streets and embraced those they had never met before. Even the two daughters of the king, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret slipped out of Buckingham Palace and joined the crowds incognito. Queen Elizabeth, when she remembered the day said,
“I remember lines of unknown people linking arms and walking down Whitehall, all of us just swept along on a tide of happiness and relief.”
There were bonfires, street parties, drinking, music from gramophones, accordions and barrel organs and dancing in the streets.
Albert Jarrett who was in the RAF having joined up from his home in Jamaica recalls:
“It was a marvellous day unlike anything I have experienced since. It was a great day and we celebrated and went along to the dancing halls to have fun – wonderful to be with so many relieved people!”
Jack Bracewell who was in the army and stationed in Germany when the news came through said:
“We heard a rumour going around camp that the war had ended, and everyone was asking is it true. When it was confirmed we were all euphoric and couldn’t really take it in at first. There was a lot of drinking and singing that night.”
This was the joy of victory. A celebration of the transformation
from war to peace,
from fear to security,
from struggle to relief.
It was something they had been waiting for, even expecting, but when it came it must have felt almost unreal.
Celebration comes with Transformation
True celebration occurs when there has been a real transformation from one situation to something that is far better. VE day celebrated the transformation from war to peace.
The Psalm we read begins by celebrating the transformation from exile to returning home. One of the great stories of the Bible is that the people of Israel had been terribly defeated by the Babylonian empire. Their main city, Jerusalem had been destroyed, and their temple had been burnt down. Many of them had been taken away from their homes and made to live near Babylon in exile. But God promised that he would bring them back. It seemed impossible. It looked to be all over for the Israelites as a nation and a people. But, 70 years after the exile the impossible happened. Babylon was defeated by the Persians and incredibly, the Persians encouraged the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple.
It was a moment of transformation that the first few verses of the Psalm refer to in words that I think also sum up the feelings of the moment, the same kind of feelings that people would have had on that first VE day.
“When the LORD brought back the captives to Zion,
we were like men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:1-2)
You cannot help but celebrate true life changing transformation.
But the Psalm also acknowledges who it was that had given them this moment of transformation.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.”
Many also wanted to acknowledge that God had answered their prayers at the end of the war too. St. Paul’s in London had to have ten consecutive services giving thanks for peace, each one attended by thousands of people. No doubt many other churches up and down the country similarly held services of thanksgiving.
A celebration rooted in thanksgiving to a God that has enabled such amazing -and for the Jews seemingly impossible – transformation of their fortunes gives us ongoing hope.
This Psalm is looking back to the celebrations when they returned from exile. But it recognises that there are now fresh challenges, that also need a transformation of fortunes. So, it becomes a prayer, a cry to God to the God who has shown that he can transform the most hopeless situation, that he can do it again:
“Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like streams in the Negev.”
It is a prayer, that has a confidence that God can transform our lives for the better. ‘The streams in the Negev’ comment refers to the amazing transformation that happens in the wilderness of the Negev on the rare occasions when it rains, and the streams are filled once more. Suddenly, the wasteland becomes alive as dormant seeds, enlivened by the rain spring into life and flowers appear everywhere. It is a joyful image of unimaginable transformation.
Is your life in need of transformation? Do your fortunes need reversing? Then why not pray to the God who has shown again and again that he can transform our fortunes. Why not see if he might not give you a real reason to celebrate?
Celebration comes after Struggle
Not that following God is easy. Jesus said to his followers, “Take up your cross and follow me.”
Becoming a Christian can be hard, because it may mean letting go of attitudes or behaviours that we value or enjoy, when God tells us we need to stop, because they are destructive for us and or others.
Becoming a Christian can be hard, because others may ridicule us for it and in some parts of the world to be a Christian may even mean full on persecution, imprisonment or even death.
Becoming a Christian can be hard, because it is a call to play an active part as one of God’s people, to care for other Christians as though they were your family, to work to grow the church and share the good news of Jesus with a wider world.
To become a Christian is to take part in a struggle. But it is a struggle that leads to victory. And the victories most worth celebrating are the ones that have involved the greatest struggle.
That’s the sense of the last two verses of the Psalm:
“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.”
(Psalm 126:5-6)
Just as sowing seed is hard work, with no immediate reward, its ultimate benefit will be a transformative harvest that will bring great joy.
That was true of the Second World War. It was a struggle for the whole nation of epic proportions. But it led to a victory, the elimination of Nazi power, that was truly worth celebrating. True celebration often comes after great struggle.
Becoming a Christian may mean embarking on a life of struggle, but it is a struggle that will lead to an eternal victory really worth celebrating. The victories most worth celebrating always involve a struggle.
But for Christians the greatest struggle, the one that has secured our victory, is not the one we make, but the one God has made on our behalf.
Jesus echoing the theme of sowing and reaping, said about his upcoming death on the cross:
“I tell you the truth, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24)
His death was an immense struggle. It was a struggle to obey God in the face of a horrifying death, but he obeyed. It was a struggle to bear the sins of the whole world by the sacrifice of his own life, but he did it, condemning the evil of sin, the devil and rebellion against God and paying our punishment, so that we can be forgiven and reconciled with God. It was a struggle to face the fear of death and even death itself and to come out ultimately victorious, as he did when he rose again on the third day, the victory to beat all victories.
VE day celebrated the defeat of one form of evil and the end of war. Jesus’ death and resurrection, goes way beyond that. He defeated all evil, guaranteeing its ultimate abolition and he defeated death itself. That is the transformative victory through struggle that gives us a real reason to celebrate at Easter.
Just as we reap the benefits of those who fought in World War II to destroy the threat of Nazi Germany, and can celebrate their achievements, so when we give our lives over to Jesus and become part of his kingdom, we reap the benefits he won for us through his struggle: forgiveness of sin, freedom from evil and the gift of eternal life. That is what we celebrate at Easter.
At the end of World War II not everyone was celebrating. Those who had fought for the Nazis were utterly defeated. They had chosen the wrong side in the war.
If we want to be part of the ultimate eternal celebration, we need to choose the side of victory. We need to give our lives to Jesus. When we do that we will find something really worth celebrating.
On June 8th, we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) day, the end of the Second World War in Europe. Britain had been at war for over five years, during which time people’s lives had been transformed.
Many had been involved in military service and risked their lives fighting on the front lines, at sea or in the air. Even those not involved in the fighting directly, had to work extra hard as part of the exhausting war effort that had engrossed the country. All the time, there would have been the constant fear of being bombed or hearing that a loved one had been killed in action.
Then on VE day that was suddenly all over. The fear was gone, everyone could look forward to life returning to normal, the troops could come home and the work of reconstructing the country (and Europe) could begin. It is hard to imagine how incredibly joyful people would have felt on that day.
It is often the case that the greater the suffering or challenge the greater the joy when the suffering or challenge is overcome. In the quote above, Jesus was preparing the disciples for his imminent death. For many at the time, the death of Jesus was a reason to rejoice. A trouble maker had been eliminated, the status quo maintained.
But, the greater joy would be reserved for Jesus’ disciples. Although, they would go through the trauma of losing Jesus, they would discover the amazing joy of seeing him again as the one who had defeated sin and removed the fear of death, not just violent death as at the end of World War II, but the fear of death full stop. That is the incredible joy that people are still discovering today, as they come to follow Jesus.
Paul Worledge
This Sunday’s Service – 9:30am
This Sunday part of the focus of our service is celebrating VE day, which is this coming Thursday 8th May. Also, we will be blessing a Standard.
APCM and PCC membership
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.
Also check out the latest newsletter from ACTS at the back of church.
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 questionnairewhich 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.
Open the Book Training event with ACTS
Interested in sharing Bible stories with local schools? Keen to be part of a trained storytelling team? Join the training session, Wednesday 7th May. 10:00-13:00, St. Peter’s Baptist Church. To book a place contact Abi: primary@actsthanet.com
Services in May
Sunday 4th May, 9:30am
Holy Communion, VE Day thanksgiving and blessing of standard
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.
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:
News Report on last week’s parade
Check out the article in the local news. Read more…
Faith or Dancing
In this piece, Amit, who had been a successful and famous dancer gave it all up to follow Jesus. Read more…
Finally, in the light of Christ’s victory in the Resurrection, let’s keep fighting the good fight.
Yours in Christ
Paul Worledge
(Priest in Charge, St. George’s Ramsgate)
Weekly Calendar
Sunday 4th May – Third Sunday of Easter
Eucharist – VE Day Thanksgiving (St George’s, 9:30am), Psalm 126
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.
Join us for a special service at 9:30am on Sunday in the lead up to VE day on 8th May. This week’s Sunday Service will have a special focus on the 80th anniversary of VE day . We will also be blessing a standard during the service.
Join us at 11am on 18th May for this special parade service to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo, the incredible rescue of over 300,000 troops from the French town of Dunkirk.
We are delighted to have the Thanet Big Sing Community Choir performing during the service.
“But you, man of God, flee from all this,and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.Fight the good fight of the faith.”
This Sunday is our annual joint service at St. George’s church at 11am, followed by the St. George’s Day parade down the High Street and a lunch in the hall. Do join us for the service and as much else as you can manage.
St. George is the patron saint for England. He was a Roman soldier who became a Christian and was ultimately killed for his faith in AD 303, executed by the then Roman Emperor, Diocletian only a few years before the emperor Constantine came to power and converted to Christianity himself.
Over the next few weeks, we will be celebrating some key moments in our nations history that celebrate some important military successes. On 8th May, we celebrate Victory in Europe day, the 80th anniversary of the final defeat of Nazi Germany. We will reflect on this at our services on 4th May. Then on the week beginning 18th May, there will be big celebrations in Ramsgate of the evacuation of the British Army in Dunkirk in 1940, when through a combination of perfect weather, great military planning and the involvement of small boat owners around the English coast 338,000 allied soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk. The result was nothing short of miraculous and a key moment in our national history.
As we celebrate these great military victories, it is worth remembering that the Christian life is often described in the Bible as a battle or a fight. It does not involve the normal weapons of war, but it does involve the inner struggle with our own temptations and the battle to persuade a sceptical world of the glorious truth of the good news about Jesus Christ.
In the Second World War, many people in our country worked extremely hard, took great risks and made great sacrifices to defeat the evil of Naziism. If we want to see the church grow in our town today, we, like St. George, need to be up for the fight.
Paul Worledge
APCM and PCC membership
Our Annual Church meeting (APCM) will be on Thursday 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. 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.
Services in May
Sunday 4th May, 9:30am
Holy Communion, VE Day thanksgiving and blessing of standard
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
Youth Hangout – Restarting this Thursday!
We are re-opening the after-school club, Youth Hangout from Thursday 1st May for Year 6 pupils and upwards. It will run in St. Luke’s church. Come along, for refreshments, to hang out and play games. Please encourage your youngsters to come and bring friends. Drop in anytime between 3 and 6pm.
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 Paul Worledge if you are interested in going as part of a group from St. George’s.
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.
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:
Defeatist Mentality?
In this article the writer argued that the church is besieging hell. Read more…
The death of progress?
In this article, the writer claims that the myth of technological progress is being proved false. Read more…
Finally, in the light of Christ’s victory in the Resurrection, let’s keep fighting the good fight.
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.
In partnership with Art and Christianity St George’s is pleased to host artist Phil Coy’s new work, sixty beats per minute, transforming the nave of St George’s into a musical instrument and time machine. An array of microphones will amplify the Benjamin Vulliamy 1829 turret clock to form a multi-channel surround sound installation inside the church. The installation records and reverses time sequentially, creating a live feedback loop between digital and analogue time. Tuned to the resonant frequency of the architecture and matching the tempo of our heart at rest, sixty beats per minute uses a beat known to raise consciousness to create a deep listening experience that reflects on the physical experience of time.
Saturday 26th April Final Carnival Club Preparation day in St George’s Church – 12 til 3pm (Soup will be available from 12 til 2pm) Sunday 27th April Parade Day!!! Church Service 11am Parade 12 noon Lunch 1.30 in St George’s Hall
Final workshops have been taking place in St George’s Hall for parade participants and it’s not too late to get involved. Come along on Saturday for the final session of making masks and rattle shakers in the church from 12 noon… Or just come along and join the parade on Sunday – everyone is welcome.
St. George's Church Ramsgate 