Weekly News

Collect for Trinity Twelve

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good  things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

News and Notices!

The Summer edition of the Parish Newsletter may be accessed here:  Please click here for your digital edition!! 

Note from the Vicar

It’s been a tumultuous couple of weeks on the roads outside of St Margaret’s! A couple of weekends ago Hammersley Lane was unexpectedly closed, there keep on being pop up roadworks in the vicinity, and yesterday someone collided with the wall outside of St Margaret’s Parish Rooms.

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, and even more fortunately Little Oaks wasn’t meeting and so there were no children around when it happened not long after 11am. However, you’ll see that the wall has police tape on it and is presently unsafe. The Trustees of the Parish Rooms are aware and will be taking the necessary steps to get things sorted.

Meanwhile we brace ourselves for the forthcoming 15 weeks of roadworks along Church Road between the Vicarage and Holy Trinity…

Sometimes it can seem that life brings us crashes and roadworks and, on each occasion, we have the choice of how we respond. For some these moments of disruption are deeply challenging and frustrating. For others it’s an opportunity to practice patience and resilience. Biblically people have been building walls (like the Tower of Babel), bringing them down (like marching around Jericho), and rebuilding them (like Nehemiah). These are circumstances which are not new. Indeed, in the time of the Gospel accounts the Temple had just finished being rebuilt and it was marvellous, and one of the key arguments that would be levied against Jesus was his claims that he would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. By his death and resurrection, he did exactly that; became the true meeting place of humanity and God once and for all. Because of this we have hope that survives the grave and endures into the resurrection of all God’s people to enjoy the new and eternal creation.

When we have a hope like this, in a saviour who himself was a carpenter and builder like ours is, perhaps when we encounter the roadblocks and crashes of our own lives, we can be those who calmly carry on. Those who discover our peace less in the absence of hardship but more in the presence of Jesus alongside us in the things we are struggling with.

Every blessing,
Samuel

Revd Samuel S. Thorp
Vicar of Penn and Tylers Green

 Mentioned in the Bucks Free Press 

As ever please feel free to give me a call or contact me on vicar@holytrinityandstmargarets.co.uk

Exploring the Bible

This last week we looked at different ways in which we encounter the Bible in our lives today, both directly and indirectly. We asked ourselves how the world would be different had we never had the Bible, or if the Bible taught a different message.

We also spent quite a bit of time learning about how to do a Bible study by ourselves and the Handout below includes that along with different reading plans and resources, as well as some advice on memorising scriptures.

We have had a positive reaction to this course and intend to run it again sometime so that people who were unable to make it might have the chance to benefit from it. Watch this space!

The handout can be downloaded below.

(Unfortunately the office printer still isn’t working and so I have not been able to provide a physical copy in the Churches as hoped).

A prayer for new people to join us

Let’s be praying for new people to join us and thinking who we might invite to come with us.

Lord God,
We thank you for sending your Son to be the Good Shepherd of the Sheep.
We pray for those sheep who are not yet part of your flock,
who for so many different reasons are wandering elsewhere.
We pray for them that they might hear your voice
and be brought into the fold
to encounter your love, your forgiveness of their sins,
and the hope of eternal life.
Be with us and give us courage,
to reach out and invite them to join us;
in the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.

Prayer List

Anne Griffiths of Holy Trinity is maintains our prayer list for us.
Please email her on prayer@holytrinityandstmargarets.co.uk and include ‘prayer list’ in the subject line.

Please remember in your prayers:

Amanda R
Bob V
Carol and Geoff,
Liz Lang and family on the death of Graham Lang
Sally  Clements and family on death of Clem

The Youth Club
The Sanctuary Cafe

Praying Together

Please remember that our churches are open during daylight hours for private prayer and reflection; take a moment to drop in, sit in the peace and serenity that the space provides and allow your minds to absorb God’s peace.

Prayer for a new Bishop

Note from the Vicar

SAFEGUARDING: There are safeguarding officers attached to both churches. Contact details can be found in the porches.