St Michael And All Angels Patronal Festival News

Priest-in-Charge Fr John Ainslie (revjohnainslie@gmail.com; 01628 629827)

A very warm welcome to any new readers, and to visitors and newcomers to St Michael's. If you are new to St Michael's, do join us for refreshments in the Vestry Hall after the service, so we can welcome you properly.

PRAYER REQUEST SLIPS are available at the back of church if you want to request prayer for yourself, for someone else or for a particular situation.

SERVICES THIS WEEK: Thursday Mass at 10.30am, Saturday Mass of Our Lady at 10.30am, next Sunday Harvest Festival Sung Mass at 10.30am followed by refreshments.

Next Sunday is our HARVEST FESTIVAL: Please bring contributions of dried food and other essentials, and carrier bags, which will be presented at the Altar and Blessed, before being taken to Maidstone Homeless Care/Food for Thought. This is a great opportunity to show our love of neighbour, as well as provide much needed assistance to those who have so much less than we do.

Next Saturday is our monthly MASS OF OUR LADY at 10.30am. All welcome, but especially those who are now members of the St Michael’s Cell of OLW.

ADULT BAPTISM & CONFIRMATION. I have two people wishing to begin a course leading to Adult Baptism and Confirmation. If there is anyone else who would like to join this, please let me know asap.

FINANCE. Our finances are very stretched this year, mainly due to a much more expensive energy contract signed last year. Thank you to all those who contribute regularly to our finances and thank you for continuing to do so. If you haven’t increased the value of your giving in recent years, could I ask you to think about making an increase if you are able? If you are new to St Michael’s and don’t yet give regularly, please consider doing so as part of your Christian discipleship. We give back to God from what we have received by his providence, in thanksgiving to Him and to support the worship and mission of St Michaels. The cost of upkeep of the building is considerable, and we receive NO Government funding and NO contribution from the Diocese towards these costs. If you are not able to help us in this way, be assured you are very welcome to be with us Sunday by Sunday, there is no entry-fee to St Michael’s !!

DEANERY ROADSHOW, ST LUKE’S 1st October 7pm. This is an opportunity to hear our Area Dean, Archdeacon and Diocesan Secretary and to quiz them as they talk about the future of the Church in our Deanery and Diocese.

FOR OUR PRAYERS: We give thanks and praise to God for his angels and his saints, especially for St Michael, all the angels, and for our own Guardian Angels. We give thanks for our beautiful church building, for the vision and generosity of those who built it and decorated it, and especially for the stained glass representing stories of the angels from the Bible. We pray for peace in the world, and for relief for those who are living in dark places and through dark times. We pray that our young people would be protected from all influences towards evil, and grow up to know the peace, joy and love of the Christian faith. We pray for Revd Anthea Mitchell as she is Licensed to St Andrew’s church Barming Heath this coming week.

We pray for those in need, and especially Paul Jones, Glynis Reynolds, Yvonne Young, Jessica O’Sullivan, Frank Carr, Lindsay Wheeler, Peter Rowe, Martyn Nash, Lisa Thompset, Fran, Keanna, Ellie Tomlinson, Claire Goodwin, Sara Dray, Robert Hill and Michael.

We pray for the recently departed. We remember those who have faithfully served God in this Church in previous generations, and we pray for those whose year’s mind occurs this week: Ann Day, Valerie Brown, David Vaughan, Winifred Vaughan, Ellen Arnold.

FROM THE BELLTOWER: 20 September 2024 in 37m 1272 Allendale Surprise Minor 1 Jacqueline Barlow 2 Kath White 3 Emma Jarvis 4 Philip Jarvis 5 Mark Elvers 6 Stephen Coaker (C)

Rung on the Saints Day of The Melanesian Martyrs killed in 1871.

22 September 2024 in 41m 1320 Surprise Minor (2m) 720 Cambridge Surprise 600 Norwich Surprise 1 Emma Jarvis 2 Jacqueline M Barlow 3 Michael A Birkbeck 4 Mark Elvers 5 Kath White 6 Philip Jarvis (C)

An 80th Birthday Compliment to Peter Dale.