Fear not, rejoice and be glad! Joel 2:21

Services this Sunday 15th September

St Mary’s	10.00	Sung Holy Communion
All Saints	10.30	Harvest Holy Communion with band followed by bring and share lunch Donations of tinned and packet food welcome. Donations to Christian Aid by envelope,  or  virtual envelope

Greetings from Rev Diane

I confess I remember hymns more than sermons from my childhood and I loved decorating the church for Harvest Festival, savouring all the colours and shapes of flowers, fruits and vegetables. I remember sitting next to the sheaf of oats attached to the end of my pew and enjoyed investigating and eating the flour inside the grains. Oats grow well in the Irish climate. My dad, a city boy from Belfast’s Shankill Road, ended up as a Church of Ireland rector among farmers in South Armagh and Tyrone in the 60s and 70s. He was a good singer and a favourite harvest hymn of his was ‘God whose farm is all creation’ – partly because it was written by beloved cricket commentator of the day John Arlott.  In church we thanked God for the sights, sounds, scents and tastes of harvest – a welcome respite from the sectarian violence of the Troubles. Today we continue to live in a world of both bounty and scarcity, peace and war, reassurance and uncertainty.  And yet as Arlott’s hymn says, God takes our ‘hopes and fears of sun and rain’, all our ‘thinking, planning, waiting’,  and still He ripens the fruits and grains. God is good. All the time.

Harvest reminds us to give something back out of what we have generously received from God. Our thoughts turn to people who lack food and financial resources both locally and across the world. 
So we are offering two ways to give to others this harvest.

1) by donating tinned and packaged long life foods for local foodbanks 

2) make a donation to Christian Aid – by virtual envelope or envelope in church.

Christian Aid works with communities to help mitigate the effects of climate change by using alternative crops and farming methods. The charity supports the relief effort in Gaza and places on the brink of famine and advocates for climate justice worldwide

In the  Week Ahead

Date	Time	Place	Event
Tues 17th	10.30	St Mary’s	Music for Toddlers
Wed 18th	09.00	All Saints	Celtic Prayers
Thurs 19th	10.00	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
Sat 21st	12.00-14.00	St Mary’s	Saturday Lunch. All Welcome
Sun 22nd	08.00	All Saints	Holy Communion
Sun 22nd	10.00	St Mary’s	Holy Communion with St Mary’s Guides
Sun 22nd	10.30	All Saints	Cafe Church:  King David’s legacy

Thank you for sending rain and sunshine

Thank you for giving harvest growth

Thank you that we can share our food
With those who need it most!