Welcome to St Mary’s & St Anne’s Moseley
Sunday 5 February 2012 – Candlemas

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.

Lighting a Candle

Please feel free to light candles to pray for someone. Candles stands are at the top of the North Aisle in both Churches. Prayer boards are also adjacent.

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

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 Clergy 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 & Future Events

Old Parish Office Building

The second stage of the West End Development has now begun and will take three months to complete. The building is being made into two flats. External work near the Tower will begin soon; please watch for further notices regarding access. There will inevitably be some disruption during this time and we would ask for your patience. Thank you.

Lifts to Church

If you would like some assistance in getting to and from Church for Sunday services, please contact Lucy in the Office. If you are able to give help by offering lifts to those who need them to get to Sunday services, please contact Lucy in the office.

Prayer Circle

Tuesday 7th February, St Mary’s Courtyard Room, 7:30 p.m.
Revd. Richard Tetlow will lead the prayer circle. The subject is ‘Trust in God’. Please enter through the courtyard gate (office gate)

‘Values in the Workplace’ workshop

Wednesday 8th February, 12 Woodrough Drive
The next discussion group entitled ‘Values in the Workplace’ will be held on Wednesday 8th February at 12 Woodrough Drive. A simple vegetarian meal will be available at 7:00 p.m. and the discussion will start at 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. To book a meal, or for more information, please contact Liz Blakey 449 2937 on the Tuesday before the session. Thank you.

Drama 13 Production

February 16th, 17th, 18th
The next play by Drama 13 will be Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel (1990), recently performed by the Old Vic Company. It is set in Ireland in 1936, and will be performed in the Baptist Church Hall opposite Asda in Kings Heath. Tickets at £6.00 are available from 778 1854.

Lent Discussion Group ‘Walk the Jesus Walk’

Thursday evenings in March (1, 8, 15, 22) and Thursday 16th April 7.30-9:30 p.m.
For those who wish to explore what it means to live the way of Jesus in 2012, Please register your interest via the Church Office 449 2243 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by Ash Wednesday 22 February. If you are interested but cannot make these dates and times, please register and say when would be convenient for you. If you could host or are interested in leading these discussions please give your details to the Parish Office.

Blessing in Love! 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 is St Valentine’s Day! So we’re asking each person to share what Love 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 do you love and who loves you. What ‘spiritual’ image strengthens you or tells your story – and may reveal how God brings love to your life. There is a £20 prize for the winning entry each month. We look forward to receiving your entries.

Prayer & Reflection

The Benefice prays for:

• Hazel White as she begins her ministry in Moseley
• Moseley C of E School as it celebrates Candlemas with us on Wednesday
• Residents of Alexander Court
• Birmingham Malawi Partnership and all other parishes with a link
• Family Action, working to keep families together
• Churches Together seeking greater unity

Prayers are asked for:

Leo Charles, Matthew and Hannah & Bethany Davies, Sheila Peers, Peter Watson, John Brentnall

We celebrate the Birthdays of:

William Mackie (5th), Jacob Rowley, Peter Mowlam, Angela Green (6th), Joyce Hodgson (8th), Karen Gray (9th), Frances Walker, Mark Kilby (10th), Sue Lloyd, Helen McNicoll (11th)

Collect

God our creator, who in the beginning commanded the light to shine out of darkness: we pray that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ may dispel the darkness of ignorance and unbelief, shine into the hearts of all your people, and reveal the knowledge of your glory in the face of Jesus Christ your Son 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.