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The Priory and Parish Church of St James, Deeping
Scripture readings for Sunday
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Nineteen Ninety-nine is set to be an exciting year, with a lot about to happen in the life of our church and community. You will probably have read in the local press about the development of a community centre in Douglas Road, and for many of us this will be a very exciting project which will improve life in the Deepings.
At the Priory Church, developments are less dramatic but very worthwhile and are taking place on two fronts. On the one hand progress is being made on preparations for building repairs which ought to see work carried out to replace the slates on the chancel roof with a much more durable material, ending years of buckets and puddles in the church, and also to repair the tower louvres which are unsightly and a potential danger.
At the same time there are proposals to build up the membership of the church in both senses, numbers and fellowship with one another and with God. In this we are much more involved as individuals!
We shall be looking for volunteers to help with a proposed two-session course on marriage and to visit the bereaved and those preparing for the baptism of their children: these ministries will be in addition to what I am already doing with these people, not a substitute for it. Full details will follow, but for the present, please pray for these developments, that they will bear much fruit for the community and for the church.
Also to come, building on our children’s work which is now one year old, is a “Pram Service” on a weekday for accompanied pre-school children, and a “Pathfinder” group on Sunday evenings for 11-14 year-olds. Help will be needed for staffing of both of these vital projects, and again your prayers are asked, please.
Finally for this year, we hope to start after Easter a monthly healing service, probably a Eucharist, probably on Sunday evenings, and more will be announced when we have taken advice from one of the diocesan healing ministry co-ordinators.
An exciting year!
7th February, 2nd before Lent
10am: Romans 8: 18-25; Matthew 6: 25-34
6pm: Job 38: 1-21; Colossians 1: 15-20
14th February, Next before Lent
Family Eucharist with Baptism
10am: 2 Peter 1: 16-21; Matthew 17: 1-9
17th February, Ash Wednesday
7.30pm: 2 Corinthians 5: 20b - 6:10; Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21
21st February, 1st of Lent
10am: Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 1-7; Matthew 4: 1-11
28th February, 2nd of Lent
10am: Genesis 12: 1-4a; John 3: 1-17
7th March, 3rd of Lent
10am: Exodus 17: 1-7; John 4: 5-42
6pm: Joshua 1: 1-9; Ephesians 6: 10-20
A bible study in five parts based on the Passion narrative in the Gospel according to St John
There will be two opportunities to join this study. An evening group will meet on Wednesdays at 7.45pm at various venues (first meeting 24th February at Cranmore Farmhouse, Stowgate Lane). A morning group will meet on Fridays at 10am at the Vicarage (first meeting 26th February). Other venues for the evening group will be listed in the March issue of Priory News and the weekly notices in church, and a final session “Feed my sheep” will be held after Easter.
I thought you might be interested in the final results of our Funding Programme together with some fascinating and encouraging statistics.
We started the programme with existing planned giving worth £15,000 per annum, which included 31 households who were covenanting their gifts.
We set a target of £37,000 per annum, an increase of 147%, which included substantial sums for work needed to improve and maintain the Church building.
We actually achieved £30,986 per annum (83.7% of the target) which means that we more than doubled our regular planned income. The number of covenanters increased to 73, allowing us to reclaim £6,280 per annum from the Inland Revenue.
In the process we contacted 289 households of whom
We now have 104 families contributing to the regular income of the Priory Church. The great majority of these are paying monthly either by banker’s order or by using the envelope scheme. It is encouraging to note that some of the new pledges come from families who are outside the regular worshipping members of our Church.
The process of visiting 289 families was a mammoth task but we were almost without exception greeted with politeness and interest. The contacts made revealed a number of pastoral needs throughout the parish which Mark and Sonia are following up. One of the most positive aspects of the whole campaign was the opportunity to get in touch with so many residents of Deeping St James who previously had had little or no contact with the Priory Church.
My thanks go again to all involved in the Funding Programme, including all those of you who listened to us with patience and gave so generously.
The Vicarage now has a separate number for facsimile transmissions, so the sending of faxes will be very much simpler in future, not depending upon someone being there to receive them manually.
The new number is 345877, and should only be used for fax, please. The telephone number continues to be 345890 and should only be used for telephone calls.
to Margaret Flegg: A large, round, flat bottomed basket with handle. This was sold in error with produce at the Harvest Festival Auction. Thank you.
To Vicar's Letter for February
We welcome into the Lord's family:
13th
This is only an extract from some of our magazine. Residents of Deeping St James can subscribe to the printed version.
Back issues are available on line as follows:
November 1997;
December 1997;
January 1998;
February 1998;
March 1998;
April 1998;
May 1998;
June 1998;
July 1998;
August 1998;
September 1998;
October 1998;
November 1998;
December 1998;
January 1999.