This Sunday – 9th November 2025

“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”

( Job 19:25)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening reflection: My Redeemer lives!
  • Key notices: Remembrance Day Service Light Party, Samaritan’s Purse
  • Coming Up: Men’s Group film and Chippy, Advent Sunday, Christmas Tree Festival, Christmas Baroque, Christmas Services at St. George’s
  • From the Wider Church: Thanet Prayer Diary, Thanet Winter Shelter, World Day of Prayer Planning
  • Interesting Blogs: Keep Calm and don’t cry, Flags on lampposts – what do they mean?
  • Prayer Requests
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

This coming Sunday is Remembrance Sunday, when we celebrate the courage and bravery of those who risked and gave their lives protecting our country and freedom. It is also a time to remember the horrors of war, which helps to encourage us to do all we can to avoid war breaking out in the future.

It is easy today to feel that the world is messed up and broken. Nonetheless, in our country at least, we live during a time of peace. Most of us have lived our whole lives without the horrors and dangers of war and it is easy to take peace for granted. It is easy to forget what a tragedy war brings to countries and people, although you only have to look at what has happened in Gaza to see the true horror that war brings to people. Families have lost everything: loved ones, homes, livelihoods, even hope.

What has the Bible to say to people caught up in such suffering? Job is a book in the Bible that explores the question of suffering. Job, himself, is a good man in every respect but God allows everything to be taken from him, his children, his wealth, his property, even his health. He is left in total despair. Yet, in the midst of this desperate situation, Job still clings to an unshakeable hope: ‘I know that my redeemer lives.’

When all else is lost, God is still there. Hope remains, because God remains. At the heart of the gospel story, there is the torment suffered by Jesus on the cross. To the onlookers, all seems lost for Jesus, but Jesus willingly suffered and died to redeem us from our sin and rescue us to be part of God’s family. The cross is not the end of the story. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead. His resurrection provides an historic grounding to Job’s statement of hope: “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Remembrance Day Service – 9th Nov., 11am

This Sunday is our Remembrance Day service. This starts with a parade arriving outside the church and the Last Post and minutes silence at 11am. The wreaths of poppies will then be laid, and people will be invited into the church for our service. This year we are being joined by the Thanet Big Sing Community Choir, who sang at the Dunkirk Service in May.

Light Party

Thank you to everyone who helped out with this year’s Light Party. We had 44 children attend and over 96 adults. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!

Samaritan’s Purse Shoe Box Appeal

Thank you to everyone who supported the shoe box appeal. We have raised £306 as a donation and have already collected 20 boxes ready to take the collection point. If anyone has a box they would like to send please can they be collected by the 14th November.

Coming Up:

Men’s Group: Film and Chip Night, Wed. 12th Nov., 6:30pm

This one will be in church. The cost is £10 to cover a meal of fish and chips. Please contact Bruce Stokes… 07708 682464 bruce.stokes@btinternet.com

Advent Sunday – 30th November

There will be a joint service for St. Luke’s and St. George’s at St. Luke’s Church at 11am on Advent Sunday, 30th November.

In the evening from 5pm at St. George’s Church, there will be Let there be Light event after the 4:30pm Ramsgate Light switch on. This is a free event with refreshments and entertainment (see fliers for more information). Last year we had over 500 attend. If you can offer to help steward then please let Paul know.

Christmas Tree Festival

This will be running from 12th December at St. George’s. If anyone would like to enter a Christmas Tree for the festival, then please see Janet.

Christmas Baroque at St. George’s – 18th December, 7pm

The Baroque Collective warmly invites you to the fifth annual Christmas Baroque Concert at St George’s on 18 December at 7pm. This much-loved tradition brings together exquisite seasonal music and community spirit as a part of Christmas tree festival. Tickets: £13 in advance, £15 on the door; free admission for children under 16. Purchase online.

Christmas Services at St. George’s

Carol Service – Sunday 21st December, 5:30pm (note earlier time than previous years)

Midnight Service – Christmas Eve, 24th, 11:30pm

From the Wider Church:

Thanet Prayer Diary

The November-December prayer Diary is now available at the back of church or download here.

Thanet Winter Shelter

Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again. On Monday 6th October, a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall was started. Numbers attending are small at present, but expected to grow. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org  If you have trouble with the online portal, then you can ring Carl on 07900 49 73 26.

World Day of Prayer Planning

If anyone is interested in representing St. Luke’s to help plan for the World Day of Prayer service in March 2026, alongside other churches in Ramsgate, then please let Paul know. There is a meeting on Monday 1st December to begin to plan for this.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Keep Calm and Don’t Cry

Does Remembrance have emotional limits? In this article, Henna Cundill, considers Remembrance services and why we focus on emotional restraint and reverence, rather than overt grief. Read more… (5 mins)

Flags on lampposts – what do they mean?

Philip North, Bishop of Blackburn, considers what the increased flying of national flags in the last few months means for to different groups in our society and how we as a church should respond. Read more… (5 minutes)

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 9th November – Third Sunday before Advent

Remembrance Day Service – (St George’s, 11am), Reading: Job 19:23-27a

Christianity Explored Youth (13-18s) (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 10th       

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

Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 11th        

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

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

Wednesday 12th

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

Men’s Group – Film & Chippy Night (St. Luke’s Church) – 6:30-9:00pm

Thursday 13th         

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

Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Saturday 15th      

Dare to Pray (St. George’s Church) – 9:30-10:30am

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

Sunday 16th – Second Sunday before Advent

Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3.6-13

Sunday School (St George’s, 10:30am)

Christianity Explored Youth (13-18s) (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.

St. Luke’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. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.

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 remember that our redeemer lives!

Yours in Christ,

Paul Worledge

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

Perseverance and Faith (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12)

“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes. 1:12)

This week we begin a mini-series on the short letter of 2 Thessalonians.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

Faith and Perseverance (2 Thessalonians 1:1-12)

Starting a Journey

It’s wonderful to be baptising …. this morning.

Although, baptism in itself is a wonderful event and a great celebration,

more importantly it symbolises the start of a journey, a journey which lasts for the whole of life. It is a journey with Jesus through all the ups and downs of this life and ultimately, through death itself to the promise of eternal glory.

Everyone’s Christian journey will be different. We all have different gifts and skills to use, we will face different challenges and encouragements, but there are some key things in common.

In our reading from Thessalonians, Paul writing to a fairly new church is encouraging them on their journey with Jesus. He celebrates the progress they have already made, encourages them to keep on despite the challenges they face and reminds them of where they are heading – eternal life with God.

Although, he is writing to Christians who lived only twenty years or so after Jesus’s death and resurrection, his words are relevant for all Christians, including us today.

So, let’s look more closely at what is being said.

Grace – Our Ticket for the Journey

If you wanted to travel to Australia, then you would need to go by plane and to go by plane, you need a ticket and a passport. The ticket shows that you have paid for your journey, whilst the passport shows you have permission to travel.

But how can we pay for our journey to eternal life with God? What gives us a right to enter his kingdom?

The answer is that we cannot pay our own way and we have no right to enter his kingdom. In fact our sin, which someone has summed up as being the attitude which says to God:

“Shove off God”

“I am in charge”

“No to your rules”

means that we are very far from being able to journey to God’s eternal home. Why should God let us in with that attitude? Why should he help us on the way? Why should he bother with us at all?

The reading from Thessalonians has an important word at the beginning and the end of the passage. The word is, “Grace.” In Greek, it can be just a greeting, and in the previous letter to the Thessalonians, he had just said, ‘Grace and Peace to you.’ But notice that in verse 2, Paul says, ‘Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the LORD Jesus Christ.’ Paul seems to be emphasising that grace comes from God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Then in verse 12, he again talks about “the grace of our God and the LORD Jesus Christ” a grace which seems to make possible the journey being talked about in this passage. It is almost as though grace is both the ticket and the passport we need for the journey to God’s eternal home.

So, what is grace? It is a gift that is not deserved.

In our gospel reading, we see a great example of grace. Zacchaeus lived in Jericho.  But the people of Jericho were all agreed that Zacchaeus was a nasty greedy man. He worked on behalf of their enemy the Romans as a Chief Tax Collector, collecting money from his fellow countrymen to make people in Rome rich, and at the same time making himself rich. He even used his power to squeeze even more money out of people for himself.

So, when Jesus came to Jericho, you can imagine the shock, when of all the people he could visit in Jericho, Jesus decided to visit Zacchaeus’s house. Surely, people were saying, this is the last person that deserves to have Jesus visit. How can Jesus spend time with such a greedy and wicked man.

But, Jesus somehow knew that Zacchaeus was ready to repent and needed to be shown that God would accept him and welcome him. Zacchaeus needed to know about God’s grace, a grace that Jesus showed him by visiting his home. He needed to show Zacchaeus that God’s gift was available even to someone as corrupt and greedy as Zacchaeus. That even someone like Zacchaeus could be given a ticket and a passport to begin the journey with God.

So, God’s grace gives us the ticket for the journey, but we need to choose to make that journey. We need to decide to abandon our attitude of sin and embrace a life with God.

That is what repentance is all about. It is saying, actually, God, I don’t want you to go away, I want to be near you, I realise that when I am in charge of my life, I make a mess of it and that actually following your rules leads to a much better life. If grace is the ticket, given to us freely and undeservedly by God, then repentance is the decision to start the journey with God.

Growth – Progress on the Way

And as we journey we will want to see progress on the way. We will want to see that we are becoming closer to the destination.

Several years ago, we as a family went to visit my sister in Vietnam. It was a very long journey, but to help you to see how far you had gone, the plane had displays with maps on, that showed where you were in the world, how far you had come and how far you still had left to go. I don’t know about you, but I like to know the progress I have made on any journey I am on.

In 2 Thessalonians, Paul encourages the Christians to see how far they had already come. Look especially at verse 3:

“We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing…” (2 Thessalonians 1:3)

When he says their faith is growing, he means that as they are on this journey with God, they are learning more about God and that he is trustworthy, that he will not let them down. It is a growth in confidence that they can depend on God.

When he says their love for one another is increasing. He is not talking about warm fuzzy feelings for each other, but a desire to serve and care for one another. To have an attitude which is not about getting what I can for myself, but thinking what can I do to help others.

When Jesus showed Zacchaeus that grace was available to someone as nasty and greedy as him, Zacchaeus changed. He repented, abandoning his old life, which was all about getting as much money for himself as he could no matter what harm it caused to others. Instead of being greedy he became incredibly generous.

He promised to give away half of his wealth to the poor. The Old Testament Law says that if you have cheated anyone out of money, you should pay them back the money plus 20%, to show restitution. Zacchaeus however goes way beyond the Law. He offers to pay people back four times the amount he had cheated them out of. This was a beautiful sign of his growth in faith and love. This was the kind of growth in faith and love being shown in the Thessalonian church.

When we see such transformation in people, it demonstrates something beautiful or glorious. This is the kind of glory springing from grace that Paul talks about in verse 12. This is what it looks like to be making progress on the journey.

But, Paul also talks about something else that shows they are making progress on the journey. Their perseverance.

The Thessalonians were under a lot of pressure from people who were giving them a hard time for being Christians. When Paul was in the city, some of the Jews were jealous that people were following Jesus instead of joining the Synagogue. So, they caused trouble for Paul and the other Christians, accusing them of causing trouble and promoting Jesus, as an alternative king to Caesar, the Roman Emperor.

Imagine living in a world, where to be a Christian meant to be seen as an enemy of the state. It would take real faith and perseverance to keep going in such a situation. But the Thessalonians were and people today in many parts of the world, like Iran, continue to follow Jesus despite being branded an enemy of the state as a result and facing imprisonment or worse.

For most of us to be a Christian in the UK today, will probably not be as bad, but we can be treated as weird or pressurised to give up or conform to ways that are contrary to our faith.

But Paul says to the Thessalonians, that their perseverance in the face of such pressure, is more evidence of their progress on the way. If God’s enemies are their enemies, then it shows them they truly are on a journey with God.

As Jesus said,

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12)

Nonetheless, it is not always easy when we face such pressures as Christians. When we do we need to be reminded where our journey is taking us. And the answer is Glory…

Glory – The Destination

Paul reassures the Thessalonians that, although, they may be being treated as out of step with the ways of the world. Being accused of being enemies of Caesar, that the journeys end will reveal who the ultimate king is: Jesus. He reminds them that one day, Jesus will return, and when he does his full glory as the Son of God, coming with the powerful angels, will bring them relief from their persecution and judgement to those who are persecuting them. No matter how tough the journey is now, the destination makes it worth it.

There will come a day, when Jesus is revealed in glory and comes bringing eternal life to those who have chosen to accept his gift of grace, and join him on the journey of faith. But on that day those who have refused to know God, who persist in an attitude of sin, that tells God to shove off, and disobey the gospel, that is reject his gift of grace will be told by Jesus to shove off away from the glory, beauty and goodness of God, to eternal destruction or hell.

The journey we choose now, determines our ultimate destination. Will you chose a journey whose destination is glory with Jesus or one that means being shut out of his kingdom for ever.

The good news is, that it is never too late in this life, to change direction, to accept Jesus’s gift of grace and choose to join him on the journey as Zacchaeus did. When we do, then like Zacchaeus, Jesus will say of us, “Today Salvation has come to this house!”

As we baptise … today, we are celebrating God’s gift of grace that enables them to walk on a journey with God. We are praying like Paul in verses 11 and 12 for their progress on the journey, that they may grow in love and faith and persevere through the pressures and difficulties, that God may bring to fruition their desire to do good and that in this life and in eternity they may bring glory to God, and discover his glory for themselves.

A Soulful Winter’s Night (19th December)

SOLD OUT

As a highlight of the upcoming Ramsgate Winter Festival St George’s Church is thrilled to present A Soulful Winter’s Night with Sabina Desir & Jessica Lauren, in collaboration with Ramsgate Festival of Sound.

An evening of soul, gospel, and blues to lift your spirit and warm your hearts

19th of December,  Doors open 7pm
🎟️Tickets available now – SOLD OUT
£8 early birds (catch them while you can)
£12 in advance (before 19th December) or £15 on the door. Under 16s are £8.
📍 St George’s Church, Ramsgate

Step in from the cold and let your spirit be lifted at ‘A Soulful Winter’s Night’, a celebration of soul, gospel, and blues music in the stunning setting of St George’s Church, one of Ramsgate’s most beautiful historic landmarks.

Featuring the extraordinary Sabina Desir’s powerful and deeply soulful vocals, alongside the brilliant Jessica Lauren’s rich, expressive keyboards and inspired arrangements. Together, they bring an unforgettable blend of passion, harmony, and soul that will fill the church’s vaulted ceilings with warmth and joy.

This concert welcomes everyone, of all faiths and none, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to share in an evening of music that celebrates connection, community, and the spirit of winter. Expect heartfelt performances that journey through the roots of soul, the hope of gospel, and the deep groove of the blues – music that brings light to the darkest nights.

✨ Feel the music. Share the spirit. Warm your soul.

This Sunday – 2nd November 2025

“We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

( 1 Thessalonians 1:12)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening reflection: Amazing Grace
  • Key notices: Light Party, Christianity Explored, Life Groups, Remembrance Day
  • Coming Up: Men’s Group film and Chippy, Christmas Baroque
  • From the Wider Church: Prayer Breakfast, Thanet Winter Shelter, World Day of Prayer
  • Interesting Blogs: Pathways to Faith, Living Virtuously with AI chatbots
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

The hymn, Amazing Grace, is one of the most popular hymns of today. It has been estimated that is sung 10 million times annually. It was writte around 250 years ago, by John Newton, an Anglican Clergyman in Buckinghamshire.

Newton’s past was far from the respectable life you would expect of a clergyman. Having rejected his childhood faith, he openly mocked those who believed. He spent many years working on ships involved in the transatlantic slave trade and gained notoriety as being one of the most profane and insubordinate men amongst crews of unruly sailors who habitually swore.

Yet, after crying out to God for mercy in the midst of a storm that threatened to engulf the ship he was on, he began to wonder whether God could indeed have mercy on someone like him. He discovered that God’s grace was great enough to save even someone like him and so, Newton began to change. Initially, he gave up swearing and became more submissive to authority, but over time he realised that the slave trade was wrong and took a lead in the campaign against it, which eventually led to the abolition of slavery.

The hymn he wrote, powerfully expresses the immensity of God’s grace towards him, “Amazing grace! (How sweet the sound) That saved a wretch like me!”. But it also reflects on how God’s grace protected him before he became a Christian: ‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far…’. Furthermore, it is by God’s grace that he had a future hope: ‘And grace will lead me home.’

Jesus’ name was certainly glorified through John Newton’s life. And the ugliness of his early unruly life was transformed into the glory of someone wholehearted for God. Have you learnt to trust in God’s amazing grace?

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Light Party – Friday 31st October, 4:30-6:00pm

Our alternative to Halloween. A party event for all ages. This annual event is great fun and a good way to provide a positive alternative to the darkness that is the focus of Halloween celebrations. Do come and encourage both church and non-church friends to come. Everyone welcome and all is free. Please join us!

Christianity Explored – Starting this week

We are planning to run a trial version of the soon to be published new Christianity Explored in November and early December. This course is for you:

  • if you are interested in Christianity or new to faith
  • are looking to be baptised or confirmed
  • have questions about faith or want a refresher of the basics

We will be running small groups at St. Luke’s vicarage at the following times:

  • Sundays, 5:00-6:30pm, (13-18s only)
  • Mondays, 7:30-9:00pm
  • Thursdays, 11:30am-1:00pm

Please speak to Paul if you are interested in joining one of these groups or fill in the online form.

Life Groups – Small Groups starting this week

We are renaming our small groups, ‘Life Groups’. These groups, for up to twelve people, are to enable regular meeting outside of normal services to support and encourage each other in our day-to-day Christian lives. When the groups meet there is the opportunity to show care for one another, to pray with and for each other and to share encouragements as we dig into the Bible together. Why not think about joining one starting this week?

They will be meeting on:

  • Monday evenings
  • Tuesday afternoons
  • Wednesday mornings
  • Wednesday evenings

Have a chat with Paul to find out more or fill in the online form.

Remembrance Day Service – 9th Nov., 11am

Next Sunday is our Remembrance Day service. This starts with a parade arriving outside the church and the Last Post and minutes silence at 11am. The wreaths of poppies will then be laid, and people will be invited into the church for our service. This year we are being joined by the Thanet Big Sing Community Choir, who sang at the Dunkirk Service in May.

Helping set up chairs for Remembrance Service

If you can help set out chairs for the choir from about 10am next Sunday (9th November), then please let Paul or Mark know this Sunday.

Coming Up:

Men’s Group: Film and Chip Night, Wed. 12th Nov., 6:30pm

This one will be in church. The cost is £10 to cover a meal of fish and chips. Please contact Bruce Stokes… 07708 682464 bruce.stokes@btinternet.com for more information.

Christmas Baroque at St. George’s – 18th December, 7pm

The Baroque Collective warmly invites you to the fifth annual Christmas Baroque Concert at St George’s on 18 December at 7pm. This much-loved tradition brings together exquisite seasonal music and community spirit as a part of Christmas tree festival. Tickets: £13 in advance, £15 on the door; free admission for children under 16. Purchase online.

From the Wider Church:

Churches Together in Ramsgate Prayer Breakfast,

This Saturday, 1st November, 9:00-10:00am is the Churches Together Prayer Breakfast at the Salvation Army on Ramsgate High Street.

Thanet Winter Shelter

Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again. On Monday 6th October, a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall was started. Numbers attending are small at present, but expected to grow. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org 

World Day of Prayer Planning

If anyone is interested in representing St. Luke’s to help plan for the World Day of Prayer service in March 2026, alongside other churches in Ramsgate, then please let Paul know. There is a meeting on Monday 1st December to begin to plan for this.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

Pathways to Faith

This gives a summary of recent research from the Evangelical Alliance about how people are coming to faith in the UK today. Find out more… The full report can be found here.

Living Virtuously with AI chatbots

AI chatbots have become part of our everyday lives, whether on our smartphones, in the workplace, or even on a church website. They are an impressive simulacrum of human cognition and their seeming endless knowledge, authoritative outputs and friendly behaviour is alluring and sucks us into deeper engagement. This paper explores the strength and weaknesses of AI chatbot technology, how it may shape us and how we can live virtuously as Christians with these applications and avoid being nudged into unhealthy habits by our vices.

Issues raised by AI chatbots with respect to pursuing virtue, and avoiding being drawn toward our vices, are explored in the paper across six aspects of humanness: moral agency; truth and reality; cognition and creativity; embodied relationships; freedom and privacy; and dignity of work.

Long Read

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 2nd November – Fourth Sunday before Advent

Eucharist with Baptism – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: 2 Thes. 1.1-12

Christianity Explored Youth (13-18s) (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 5:00-6:30pm

Monday 3rd      

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

Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 4th        

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

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

Wednesday 5th

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

Thursday 6th         

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

Christianity Explored (St Luke’s Vicarage) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Saturday 8th      

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

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

Sunday 9th – Third Sunday before Advent

Remembrance Day Service – (St George’s, 11am), Reading: Job 19:23-27a

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. Luke’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. You can also listen to the sermon through the podcast website castbox.

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 keep celebrating God’s amazing grace.

Yours in Christ,

Paul Worledge

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

Seeking Mercy (Luke 18:9-14)

Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

This week is the last in our series on ‘Stories Jesus told’. This week we look at the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
Listen on Castbox

Luke 18:9-14 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

This Sunday – 26th October 2025

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”

(Psalm 51:1)

This week, the sections of the email are:

  • Opening reflection: Seeking Mercy
  • This Sunday: Luke 18:9-14
  • Key notices: Clocks Going Back, Consultation Meetings
  • Coming Up: Light Party, Christianity Explored, Life Groups
  • From the Wider Church: Thanet Winter Shelter, ACTS Newsletter, World Day of Prayer
  • Interesting Blogs: Church on the move in North India, Have you seen the man in white?
  • Weekly Calendar
  • Online Forms: Event application, Submit a notice, maintenance report, access Safeguarding training

Scroll on…

Opening Reflection

News stories these days often feature calls for high profile people to be sacked or stripped of titles, because of their bad behaviour. This is sometimes referred to as ‘trial by media’ and can be targetted at celebrities, politicians or royalty, with Prince Andrew being the main target in the last week or so.

King David was political leader, royalty, celebrity musician and military hero all rolled up in one. God chose him to establish the kingdom of Israel, which he did with great courage and faith.

Later in life, David failed spectacularly. He committed adultery, with one of his top soldier’s wives and to cover it up arranged for the soldier to be murdered. He thought he had got away with it, but God saw and God was angry. There were consequences for his crimes, including the death of one son and the rebellion of another. Yet, God forgives him. Nathan the prophet tells David, “The LORD has taken away your sin!”

How can God take away the sin of an adulterer and murderer? He does so, when the person in question comes to God in full acknowledgement of the reality of their sin and throws themselves on God’s mercy. The verse above, is the start of the Psalm in which David does just this in response to his sin.

God does not say that these sins do not matter – they are clear breaches of the Ten Commandments. The New Testament makes clear that a price has to be paid for sin and shows us how God himself pays the price through the death of his Son. So it is that when we acknowlege the seriousness of our sin and throw ourselves solely on God’s mercy made available by the cross, that we, like David, can have our sins taken away.

Paul Worledge

Key Notices:

Clocks Going Back

Remember the clocks go back this weekend, which means you have an extra hour in bed on Saturday night. Don’t turn up to church an hour early!

Consultation Meetings – Ramsgate Plan for Neighbourhoods

The council are holding a number of consultation meetings about the Ramsgate Plan for Neighbourhoods programme, which involves spending a £20million grant from the government to improve the town over the next 10 years.

You can read more about this and see a full list of meetings and how to book to come on this website.

Time and date GroupLocation   
Friday 24th (4 – 6pm)Shop Users in SEK shop Open workshopSt George’s Church Hall 
Saturday 25th (12 – 3pm)Community Soup (open drop-in session)St George’s Church (Soup and Cake)

Coming Up:

Light Party – Friday 31st October, 4:30-6:00pm

Our alternative to Halloween. A party event for all ages. This annual event is great fun and a good way to provide a positive alternative to the darkness that is the focus of Halloween celebrations. Do come and encourage both church and non-church friends to come. Everyone welcome and all is free.

If you would like to volunteer with running an activity, then please speak to Tonya or sign one of the lists at the back of church. We especially need people to sign up to offer to bring food for the event. Please do that this Sunday!

Christianity Explored – Starting – November

We are planning to run a trial version of the soon to be published new Christianity Explored in November and early December. This course is for you:

  • if you are interested in Christianity or new to faith
  • are looking to be baptised or confirmed
  • have questions about faith or want a refresher of the basics

Filling in this form will help us to plan at what time of the week it is best to run the course or courses. It expresses and interest not a commitment to attend. Please fill in the form by the end of this Sunday, so we can plan when best to run the courses.

Life Groups – Small Groups relaunched in November

We are renaming our small groups, ‘Life Groups’. These groups, for up to twelve people, are to enable regular meeting outside of normal services to support and encourage each other in our day-to-day Christian lives. When the groups meet there is the opportunity to show care for one another, to pray with and for each other and to share encouragements as we dig into the Bible together. Why not think about joining one at the start of next month? Have a chat with Paul to find out more or fill in this form to express interest.

From the Wider Church:

Thanet Winter Shelter

Some of you will remember that in 2016 the churches in Thanet under the leadership of Ramsgate Salvation Army provided a winter shelter for rough sleepers. This was eventually taken over by the council with government funding. However, there is now a need for the churches to step up again. On Monday 6th October, a winter shelter for rough sleepers at St. Laurence Church Hall was started. Numbers attending are small at present, but expected to grow. Volunteers are urgently needed. If you want to offer some kind of support please go to the Volunteer Portal to sign up: https://portal.thanetsheltersupport.org 

ACTS newsletter

The latest newsletter from ACTS is available to read on the World Mission Desk or using these two links: page 1, page 2. There is also an Update evening for ACTS on Monday 24th November, 7pm at St. Philip’s Church, Palm Bay. See poster for details.

World Day of Prayer Planning

If anyone is interested in representing St. Luke’s to help plan for the World Day of Prayer service in March 2026, alongside other churches in Ramsgate, then please let Paul know.

Interesting Blogs to Share:

This week, a couple of stories of Christian faith today, from around the world:

Church on the Move in North India

Eddie and George are like a modern-day Paul and Barnabas. They take God’s word to the very edges. They share the gospel, pastor, lead and disciple followers of Christ in situations where traditional church approaches cannot work.  Read more (10 mins)

 

Have you seen the man in white?

Many people in North Africa and the Middle East are having dreams of a man in white. For some this is the first step in a journey to faith. Read more…

Weekly Calendar

Sunday 26th – Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity

Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: Luke 18:9-14

Monday 27th    

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

The Bible Course (St. Luke’s Hall) – 7:30-9:00pm

Tuesday 28th       

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

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

Wednesday 29th

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

Thursday 30th        

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

The Bible Course (St. Luke’s Church) – 11:30am-1:00pm

Friday 31st

Light Party (St Luke’s Church) – 4:30-6:00pm

Saturday 1st November    

CTiR Prayer Breakfast (Salvation Army) – 9:00-10:00am

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

Sunday 2nd – Fourth Sunday before Advent

Eucharist – (St George’s, 9:30am), Reading: 2 Thes. 1.1-12

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@churchramsgate.org), so that we can keep records of who has done the training.

Finally, let’s rejoice that we have such a wonderfully gracious heavenly Father.

Yours in Christ

Paul Worledge

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

Light Party

As Christians we have a lot to celebrate. However, we do not like celebrating the things associated with darkness and wickedness, as is common at Halloween. So, we are throwing an alternative to a Halloween Party, a Light Party.

All are welcome, although children should be accompanied by a parent or carer. You are free to dress up, but not in anything scary. There will be games, food, craft , treats and other fun activities, along with a reminder of some the truths that Christians celebrate.

So join us at St. Luke’s Church (on the corner of Hollicondane Road and St. Luke’s Avenue) on Friday 31st October from 4:30-6pm.

Christianity Explored Course

We are excited to be running an early version of the new Christianity Explored course in November and December. This course is perfect for those who are exploring whether the Christian faith is for them, are new to faith and wanting to understand the basics or just need a refresher. It is also great preparation for baptism or confirmation.

Join us as over seven sessions we look at Mark’s gospel in the Bible, watch videos and discuss your questions about faith. All are welcome.

We are going to offer a choice of three courses all hosted

at St. Luke’s Vicarage:

  • Sunday afternoons from 2nd November, 5-6:30pm (13-18 year olds only)
  • Monday evenings from 3rd November, 7:30-9:00pm
  • Thursday mornings from 6th November, 11:30-1:00pm

If you are interested in attending, then please press the button below to fill

I’m interested…

Persistent Prayer (Luke 18:1-8)

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

This Sunday we will be looking at the parable of the Persistent Widow.

As recorded at St. Luke’s
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Luke 18.1 – 8, NIVUK

The parable of the persistent widow

Luke 18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’

6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

The Obvious Parable: The Persistent Widow and her Prayer

Introduction and Story

Steve Coneys introduced himself to the congregation and online viewers

I don’t generally pray with lists or prayer diaries…Do any of you?

But I do pray for Open Doors, so I hear the very often the raw cry from the heart of our persecuted Christian brothers and sisters around the world. But that cry really lands when you know someone. Recently a friend of mine told me of his own experience. When as a teenager he was on a bus:

Steve told a story of a young person surviving the massacre of Christians on a bus, where any Muslims had been told to get off before the remaining Christians were killed. At each stage of this dreadful process his friend said, ‘No one said anything’….

I suppose when we pray for people with stories like that we are saying something about their suffering. And standing with them in prayer.

That is almost certainly the context for this parable. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, Christians were experiencing persecution. So, the parable emphasises the need to pray always and not give up, and the widow’s persistent demand for justice.

Paul Worledge tells me you are near the end of series of straightforwardly wonderful parables from Luke like the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Also, some less straightforward ones like The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (who does wrong but is commended by Jesus).

You’ll have seen that usually with parables there is an element of surprise where things are shown to be not what we would expect (like in Luke’s story of The Good Samaritan in chapter 10, where the surprise is that the Samaritan is the righteous neighbour, not the priest or the Levite.

Next week is the final one in the series: the great Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – one which definitely works in the classic way.

This one, I have called The Obvious Parable: The Persistent Widow and her Prayer

Obvious? Because the very first verse says:

18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 

The cat is out the bag. Surely there is nothing more to say!

The potential trap with that is where someone like me comes along and so emphasises that we should always pray and not give up that it guilt trips us. Because so many of us struggle with prayer – don’t we?

So we go home feeling worse than when we got here. And that helps no one.

Because church is the Grace Zone. Where we experience God’s mercy and overflowing love, which makes us better people than we were before. So we go home feeling better than when we arrived, not worse. Even when God’s mercy and love – being so radical – is challenging.

I’ll say something practical about how we can learn to be even more faithful and persistent in prayer at the end, as a take away.)

What else can we find in this parable?

As well as the teaching that we should always pray and not give up?

Justice is emphasised

3 “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

If, by the time Luke is writing this up, the church is experiencing persecution, this is why fairness or justice is emphasised. But

The parable is like a Cartoon

But finally (the judge) said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’ (Peter emphasised ‘bothering’ beautifully in the reading. 😊)

Or it could be translated she might come and slap me in the face!

Our Rabbi Jesus is telling us is: if persistence pays off in this cartoonish story, where this disgraceful and pathetic judge isn’t interested in serving justice, how much more is persistence due in prayer when we come before our loving and compassionate God?

Indeed, God’s character is implied

7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  (’Will he not delay long?’ NRSV)

That very last phrase (‘keep putting them off’) is hard to translate. The word used by Luke is often translated ‘patience’ or ‘longsuffering’. It is a compound word, with two parts. It literally means: ‘He pushes anger far away’. This tells us something important about who God is. (This insight comes from Kenneth Bailey.)

Just because we are being treated badly – let’s imagine we are being bullied – and we feel angry – and it’s not an ego-driven anger, but a right-thinking anger – that doesn’t mean that in the rest of life we are as pure as the driven snow either. For us, who are in Christ, God is love and only love because he pushes his anger far away in Jesus – who dies for our sins and rises again that we may have new life in him.

In that way this parable is very clear. God is our faithful God of love and justice.

Isaiah 61.8 says ‘I, the LORD, love justice. This like saying ‘God is justice, like we often say, ‘God is love’.

61.1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor

These are no random verses because in this same gospel (in chapter 4) they are the verses Jesus adopts to describe his own mission.

And, a little bit more below the surface…

A woman is the hero

  • Middle Eastern culture was then, as it is now, in certain respects, one of deference and respect towards women. (I am not saying in all respects.)
  • Who are then protected – and can get away with more than men.
  • In the parable, a persistent man would have been removed at once, possibly very forcibly.
  • But not a woman.

This is why it was the women who gathered around the cross of Jesus at the end. Any men would have been arrested. (John, the beloved disciple in John’s gospel, got a free pass, as he was both known to the High Priest (Jn 18.15) and younger.)

So, this woman models for all of us confident, persistent prayer.

(My then vicar said to me, 40 years ago, ‘The church will be renewed through the prayers of faithful women’. I have not seen anything to counter that claim. A challenge to some of us men. 😊)

So persistence in prayer is often needed

Keeping praying about the same thing is the thing to do, right up to the point there is an answer. If God says ‘no’ or provides a way forward different from the one we were planning on, as faithful pray-ers we say ‘Thank you Lord, your will be done’. But up to that point persisting in prayer is part of being faithful.

Unlike in the parable, we pray from within that relationship of love – covenanted loving-kindness – with our heavenly Father.

The final note of this parable: we have hope

“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Martin Luther King could easily have added, ‘And towards the Kingdom of God’. History is not random and it has an end goal, in the Kingdom of justice and love. God will bring about justice for his chosen ones (‘putting his anger far away’) as he reaches out to us in love. But:

We need to stay on our toes

Because of that wistful final sentence, ‘When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

Will he find faith here, among us?

Here’s the practical thing, the take away

Which works for Prayer and any spiritual practice (such as Bible reading, coming to church, serving, being in a small group, etc.)

To be faithful in prayer, and persistent, and to be changed in the process, our prayer needs to become our daily habit. Like brushing your teeth is a daily habit…and you feel bad if you forget. ☹

So how does prayer become habitual, so that it changes us and becomes part pf us? The 80% rule.

Let’s say your hope is to pray for 10 minutes every day.

If in practice you pull it off 80% of the time:

  • that plan is right for you
  • it will become your habit, so that when you miss it you feel you’re missing out
  • it will change you as a person so that it becomes deeply part of who you are
  • In that way the Spirit is at work in you

If in practice you don’t pull it off 80% of the time:

  • that plan – 10 minutes a day, every day – is not right for you at this time
  • There’s no guilt about this. You just need to set a more modest target which does work for you 80% of the time. 5 minutes? 2 minutes?
  • This this means that we change with the reality and rhythm of our lives. What I can do now is very different from when I was the Dad of 3 children under 5 – let alone what my wife could do then! So we change.

When we do hit our target 80% of the time, the habit grows, prayer becomes more ‘us’, who we are, and we become more thirsty for God. The godly habit then can flex and grow as you are led by the Spirit.

Then we will be those who are faithful and persist in prayer, as the parable says.

That way, when the Son of Man comes…he will find faith on earth.

Pie Factory Raise the Roof

Tickets [£10/£8] can be purchased from this link or on the door for £12

Pie Factory Music and St George’s are teaming up for another gala fundraiser on Saturday 8th November in St George’s Church. The evening features alumni from Pie’s Emerging Artists programme, set in our beautiful church in the heart of Ramsgate town centre. 

Taking to the stage are Char.B, Claire Pitt Wigmore, Zico, Aaron and Evan Williams (who recently toured with The Libertines), with special guest Kingfisher. Each will perform their signature styles, from singer-songwriter to jazz, rap and soul.

The immersive pairing of young musical talent with community togetherness is set to thrill, with all proceeds going towards Pie Factory Music and emergency repairs to the Vestry roof of St George’s.

With funding provided by the Diocese of Canterbury, Project 200 is a five-year regeneration project leading up to the 200th Anniversary of St George’s Church in 2027. Now nearly three years into the project, the church has been opening up to the wider community in Ramsgate, with events and projects outside of Christian worship.

This year’s Raise the Roof is also generously supported by Ramsgate Town Council.

St George’s regeneration officer Jemima Brown says: – ‘St George’s Church is delighted to be hosting artists from Pie Factory Music in our beautiful building. It will be fantastic to have young local talent showcased in the church. 

Pie’s Music & Creative Arts Project Manager Moa Norrsell Fahlander says “We’re delighted to be returning to this beautiful building to showcase the talent of these young Kent musicians. It feels ever more important to demonstrate the power of music to bring people together. We can’t wait to see you there.”

Technical production is being provided by Matt Smith and Pie Factory Music alumni, Sound Engineer James Brown, who gained a level 3 MOCN NVQ in Music Business in 2007 with support from Pie.

There will be a bar, with doors opening from 7pm.