needs-driven, and serving our community by identifying and meeting real (maybe unglamourous) needs. We mentioned maybe the most important internal transformation that we could achieve – that of becoming a truly prayerful community.

There is still some way to go to finalise our vision but I hope this helps you to see how we are thinking. Please could you reflect on the vision you see for our church community in five years’ time and as before, please docontribute to the discussion by communicating with Francis, Roger, me, or any PCC member. This is the critical part of the process as it fully informs our next step, which is identifying how we get from where we are now to where we want to be. The next meeting is on 30th October. We really want to know what you think.And, please continue to pray for the future direction of the church: prayer is the most vital part of this process.

Church Security/Keys

There have been a few minor incidents of small scale theft and disruption within the church recently, so we are reviewing church security. I know this has been asked before, but it is essential that we know of the holders of all church keys so we can build a register for insurance purposes. If you hold any church keys, could you please let me or Roger know so that we can compile as accurate a register as possible. Please email me that’s easiest or ring myself or Roger. This is urgent so your cooperation is appreciated. Thank you. Keith

Services and Events this week:

Mon 9th / 8.00am
8.45am
9.45am
1.00pm
4.30pm / Morning Prayer
Tea & Toast
Stepping Stones
Funeral of Reginald Cornwall
OTB planning meeting
Tue 10th / 2.00pm / Mothers’ Union meeting
Wed 11th / 10.45am / Open the Book @ FJS
Thu 12th / 9.30am / Holy Communion
10.00am / Refreshments and Stalls
5.00pm / Choir practice
Sun 15th / 8.00am / Holy Communion
10.30am / Holy Communion
12.30pm / Christening of Caspar Walsingham

Bishop’s Day of Prayer Saturday 14th October 10.00am-4.30pm at the Cathedral. All welcome.

(Please see poster for full details.)

Traidcraft Morning Saturday 14th October 10.00am-12.30pm

The Heys are hosting an autumn Traidcraft Morning at Field Cottage, Wood Norton Rd, Stibbard to which all are invited. The new catalogue and Christmas cards will be available. Everyone welcome.

Thursday Refreshments Group (28th September):

Refreshments (net): £203.00. Stalls/books: £133.35

Total: £336.35. Thank you to all those concerned this week.

8th October 2017

(17th Sunday after Trinity)

W

elcome to today’s worship, especially if you are visiting us or here for the first time. You may simply wish to sit, pray, listen and observe and my guiding hope is for us all to feel God’s presence alongside ustoday. We hope that you find our Orders of Service or Prayer Books easy to follow. If you are unsure of anything please do not hesitate to ask someone nearby. If you are a Communicant member in your own church you are welcome to come up to Communion. (If you wish to receive a blessing please keep your hands folded.)Refreshments are served after the 10.30am service.

Francis Mason, Rector

01328 862268 /

Today’s Worship:

8.00am / Holy Communion (BCP)
Led by: Francis Mason & Amanda Sands (Reader)
Celebrant & Preacher: Francis Mason
10.30am / Holy Communion
Celebrant & GuestPreacher: Bishop Jonathan
11.00am / Holy Communion (BCP) at Christ Church Fulmodeston NR21 0NJ
Celebrant: Revd Andrew Thomson
6.30pm / Healing Service

Please remember in your prayers:

  • in the wider Anglican Church:Bishops Graham, Alan and Jonathan. Pray for the work of the Diocese of Luleå amongst the indigenous Same peoples of Sweden (Laplanders), and for Birgitta Simma who has special responsibility in this area.

Diocese of St Albans: Bishops Alan Smith, Richard Atkinson and Michael Beasley.

  • the work of United Nations and peace keeping;
  • locally: those who live or work in Sculthorpe Rd, Sculthorpe Eastgate, Kings Rd, Chappell Hill, Knoll Gardens;
  • in the Deanery: the Rural Dean, Revd Alan Elkins, Lay Chair, Anne Prentis, Chapter Clerk, Treasurer and Secretary;
  • those who are unwell or in any kind of trouble including: CissieBillman, Sybil Barrett, Kirsten,
    Sue & Andrew Stewart, Ethel Walker, Ken Elliott, Stephen Doughty, Chris Milsom, Liz, Jim, Liz Rogers, Wilfred Rushbrooke,George Clayden, Doris Smith, Marian Pruden, Russell Frary, Merry Huxtable and Peggy Chase;
  • the anniversaries of the late Jean Duffy, Betty Miller and Tony Chapman.

Music today:

Thank you to Jonathan Dodd our organist, who is playing for us today.

Hymns: 332 (Parts 1, 2 & dox’y), 104, 63, 179, 4.
(Red hymn book)

Collect for 17th Sunday after Trinity:

G

racious God,
you call us to fullness of life:
deliver us from unbelief
and banish our anxieties
with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Readings today:

Isaiah 5:1-7

L

et me sing for my beloved

my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
2He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watch-tower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.

3And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between meand my vineyard.
4What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?

5And now I will tell youwhat I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge,and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.
6I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.

7For the vineyard of theLordof hosts
is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judahare his pleasant planting;
he expected justice,but saw bloodshed;
righteousness,but heard a cry!

Matthew 21:33-end

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built awatch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to anothercountry.34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce.35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another.36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way.37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.”38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.”39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’41They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

42Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejectedhas become the cornerstone;this was the Lord’s doing,and it is amazing in our eyes”?

43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Next week’s readings for Trinity 18

Philippians 4: 1-9 & Matthew22: 1-14

Mission Action Plan update from Keith

The MAP team met for the second time on 18th September: this is a short note to keep everyone informed of our thoughts and discussions.

Following our first meeting we had a lot of helpful thoughts and input from within our church community (for which we were very grateful) all of which went into the mix of our discussions during our second meeting.

This meeting was intended to try to map out where we wanted to be as a church in five years’ time and to develop a vision for our future. This in fact proved too much for one meeting and whilst we made a lot of progress, we still need to do more work to identify and finalise our vision. The framework we are using to develop our thinking is that of becoming a ‘missional’ church, iea community of Christians that defines itself, and organizes its life around its real purpose of being an agent of God's mission to the world.

We agreed that we should be God-focused, that we should concentrate on building relationship and community both within and outside the church, that we should be present and active in our community ie outside of our building, that we should be helping people to become disciples in our faith, and that we should be ourselves the agent or channel for transformation within our community. These are big aims (but then, we have a big God!), but how in practice can they shape and lead to our vision of being a missional church?
We began to talk of having a much wider representation of people in our church in five years time, in terms of age of course, but also thinking about all the many ways in which people identify themselves in our contemporary world. We also talked about being