Hello everyone,

As we reach the time of year when our PCCs are holding their annual meetings, please pray for all those in our team involved in keeping our team of churches functioning. We pray especially for our PCC and DCC members, as well as for the many other volunteers who help out every week, and for all who benefit from our services and open churches.

Services this week:

This Sunday we have Holy Communion services at Packington and Appleby who also have Kids Kingdom, Donisthorpe have Morning Prayer at the Halfway House Pub, and there will be a Baptism service at Measham, all at 10.00am.

Looking ahead:

Midweek Communion will be at Appleby at 10.00am on Wednesday.

Activeage also meet on Wednesday at 11.00am in Measham Church Hall.

On Thursday Kids Kingdom Baby & Toddler group meets in Appleby Church Hall from 9.00 to 11.00am.

Little Fishes pre-school group meets at Measham on Friday at 10.00am.

Next Sunday (5^th) we have 10.00am Holy Communion services at Measham and Snarestone, Morning Prayer at Normanton and Swepstone, and Morning Worship at Packington with guest speakers from Scripture Union.

Further ahead, Norton are holding an Open Flower Weekend on 8^th – 9^th June with the church open to visitors from 11am to 4pm each day ending with a Songs of Praise service at 4pm on Sunday 9^th.

Woodfield Team prayer

God our Father, you long to draw all people into your love.

Increase in number your church throughout the Woodfield Team; deepen us as followers and learners of Christ; and give us courage to share the good news of your kingdom.

We pray this in the power of your Spirit, to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for Sunday 28^th April – The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Risen Christ,

your wounds declare your love for the world

and the wonder of your risen life:

give us compassion and courage

to risk ourselves for those we serve,

to the glory of God the Father.

Amen

Reading for 28^th April – Acts 8.26-40 New International Version (UK)

Philip and the Ethiopian

²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Go south to the road – the desert road – that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means ‘queen of the Ethiopians’). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told Philip, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’

³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ Philip asked.

³¹ ‘How can I,’ he said, ‘unless someone explains it to me?’ So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

³² This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

‘He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
    and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
³³ In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
    Who can speak of his descendants?
    For his life was taken from the earth.’

³⁴ The eunuch asked Philip, ‘Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?’ ³⁵ Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

³⁶ As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ ³⁸ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. ³⁹ When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰ Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and travelled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Prayers for today:

We pray:

Eternal Lord, you are our creator and sustainer. We bring before you the needs of our church, our world, our communities, and ourselves.

• We pray for our team of churches, and especially for all those on our PCCs and DCCs running our churches. Help us to recognise and give thanks for all the hard work shown by so many who give of their time and energy, quietly supporting the day to day activity of our churches so that they may be places of welcome to all.
• Creator God, your word promises all the material things that we need to live but we find it hard to trust. We thank you for the food and water that we take for granted and we pray for those in our country who are struggling to feed their families and are worried about paying their bills, those who have lost their jobs, are on low incomes and are dependent on food banks. We pray for all those who struggle with the burden of personal debt, for those too frightened to face the problem, for couples who cannot talk about it, for children who cannot understand but live with the worry.
• We pray for the peoples of the world that they may enjoy safety and security, and especially for the people of Israel and Gaza at this time. We pray that those who use violence to bring about their desires and those who then so readily seek revenge may instead pursue all that makes for peace.
• Loving God, we pray for all who bear the burdens of pain, bereavement, anxiety and depression. We pray that they may have an awareness of your presence and an understanding that you are bearing those burdens with them and always working towards their healing and wholeness.
• Merciful God, we remember with thankfulness and gratitude all those who have left their mark on our lives by giving us love and laughter, but who have now gone before us to be with Christ. We hold them in our hearts, knowing that you, Lord, hold them in yours.
• Faithful God, we offer you our prayers and ourselves, that we may play our part in your response. May we be steadfast in faith and active in service. Give us the courage of Philip who took the time to share his faith with a curious stranger and remind us of Jesus command to us to “make disciples of all”.  

Amen.