Welcome to St Mary’s & St Anne’s Moseley
Sunday 15 January 2012 – 2nd Sunday of Epiphany

Blessing in Light! Bringing our Faith alive!

2012 will hopefully be a year of great celebration; it gives us the opportunity to remember 12 as a Holy number. Throughout the year, we will be creating a ‘collage’ of stories and faith, seeing God’s Blessing through many seasons and events. There will be a monthly theme relating to a particular church festival or celebration and we are inviting every member of the congregation to share their spiritual ‘image’ of what this means to them.

This month we celebrate the feast of Epiphany – the time when God reveals the Light of his glory made manifest (revealed) through the life of Jesus Christ. So we’re asking each person to share what Light means to them, perhaps through a person, place or being – or through a song, music, psalm, film, DVD, bible passage, painting photo, book or drama. Think who or what lightens up your life. What ‘spiritual’ image strengthens you or tells your story – and may reveal how God lightens your life. There is a £20 prize for the winning entry each month. We look forward to receiving your entries, in the office by 30th January. Next month the theme will be Blessing in Love.

Welcome

If you are here for the first time, please do introduce yourself to a sidesperson or priest. There is a loop system for the hard of hearing available in the nave at St Mary’s and in any part of the church at St Anne’s.

Your Offering

A collection for the work of the church is usually taken during each service. Please use the Gift Aid envelope if you are a UK taxpayer. There will also be a collection from the parents in the children’s groups

Mobile Phones

Please ensure phones are switched off as they interfere with the hearing loop and the PA system.

Contact details for the Vicar, Wardens & Admin.

• Church Office: 25 St Mary’s Row, B13 8HW
• Telephone: 0121 449 2243
• Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Church Office will now open for enquiries at 11:00 a.m. on Mondays. This is to ensure quality time for planning and communication by the Ministry Team and Staff in the first part of the morning.

Parish Hall and Room Bookings

• Contact: Chrissy McAteer
• Telephone: 0121 449 2243
• Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Notices

Goodbye to the Old Bells

Today is the last time the Old Bells will be rung. We thank all the Ringers who have given their time to call people to worship God. Over the next six months they will continue ringing at St Anne’s and be practising at St Paul’s Church in the Jewellery Quarter. Massive thanks also to the Trustees for enabling us to reach the stage we’re at.

Building Works

St Mary’s Tower
Preparations to install the new ring of 10 bells have now begun and will take six months to complete. To enable this, the old steel bells and frame are being removed in the next fortnight. There may be changes to access in the Church; please see notices with information.

Old Parish Office
The second stage of the West End Development has now begun and will take 3 months to complete. The building is being made into 2 flats and external major work affecting the area close to the Tower will begin soon; please watch for further notices regarding access and work.

For both projects there will be a number of workmen and approved volunteers on site and there may be some temporary disruption which we ask you be patient with.

Thank You

Very many thanks to everyone who delivered Churches Together in Moseley Christmas Cards

Future Events

Chamber Music Concert

Today, 3:00 p.m.
In aid of "“The New Voice for St Mary’s”" Opus 9 will perform works by Schubert, Brahms and Lachner. A retiring collection will be taken.

St Anne’s PCC Meeting

Monday 16 January, 7:30 p.m.
Council Room, St Anne’s Parish Hall. This will be an open meeting; all are welcome.

One Voice Movement

Thursday 26 January at 12 noon
St Mary’s Moseley. A couple of volunteer youth workers and their leaders from the One Voice Movement, who are touring the UK, will talk about their work with young people from Israel and Palestine. This will be followed by an informal Bring and Share Lunch at 1:00 p.m. Do come and bring your friends.

Hazel White’s Licensing as Associate Vicar

Thursday 2 February
Hazel’s licensing will begin at St Anne’s at 6:30 p.m. with a procession for the main part of the worship at St Mary’s at 7:30 p.m. If you are able to help either by donating wine, making canapés or serving on the day, please sign up on the lists which will be in both churches.

‘Values in the Workplace’ workshop

18th January, 12 Woodrough Drive
8th February, 12 Woodrough Drive
Following the successful “What’s Happening at Work” discussion group, two further sessions entitled “Values in the Workplace” are being held on Wednesday 18 January and Wednesday 8 February at 12 Woodrough Drive. A simple vegetarian meal will be available at 7:00 p.m. with the discussion from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. To book a meal, or for more information, please contact Liz Blakey 0121 449 2937 on the Tuesday before the session. Thank you.

PRAYER & REFLECTION

The Benefice prays for:

• Our bell ringers and the Trustees giving thanks for the progress of the project
• Hazel White as she prepares to join us
• Residents of Dowells
• St Anne’s PCC meeting this week
• Dr Suzanna Wood and the Hospital Children’s Clinic, Malawi
• Mission Aviation Fellowship, transporting famine relief supplies in East Africa

Prayers are asked for:

Matthew and Hannah & Bethany Davies, Leo Charles, Judith Eden, Vincent Nolan, Sheila Peers, Richard Erskine, Peter Watson, Liz Salmon

We remember the souls of:

Arthur Dudleston, Bob Rushton, Becky O Neill

We celebrate the birthdays of:

Jane Harvey (21st)

Collect

Eternal Father, who at the baptism of Jesus revealed him to be your Son, anointing him with the Holy Spirit: grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit, that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thought for the day by Michael Hell

‘There were wonderful giants of old’. So begins one of my school songs. we look back to some long lost Eden as the best of times, an idea elegantly sent up by Woody Allen in Midnight in Paris. Or, like Isaiah, we look forward to a time when a wonderful person will set the world to rights. When such a person comes we like, with Luke, to tell marvellous tales of the birth and early life presaging the person that the baby will become. At this time we also commemorate in the Eucharist the eventual death of Jesus and look for his ‘coming again’.

There is a danger in all this looking back and forward that we come to feel inadequate and powerless. We are regularly reminded that we are ‘miserable sinners’. The song actually concludes that we are as good as the ‘giants of old’. So let us not forget that we are not just brothers and sisters in Christ but, with Christ, sons and daughters of God. (In Jesus’ time, the expression ‘Son of God’ was not taken literally: it was used for any ‘holy man’ or ‘saint’.) It is only through the thoughts of our hearts and the work of our hands that God can make his kingdom here on earth. So as we celebrate the presentation in the Temple let us try, for ourselves and for our neighbour, to make life more wonderful now.

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