THE PARISH CHURCH OF STOKE DAMEREL
(ST. ANDREW & ST. LUKE)

Email:   info@stokedamerel.church                                          
www.Stokedamerel.church
www.facebook.com/StokeDamerelChurch

Please note: Stoke Damerel Church does not divulge
personal information to third parties.

Sunday 12 April                2nd Sunday of Easter
 

Merciful God,
we entrust to your tender care
those who are ill or in pain,
knowing that whenever danger threatens
your everlasting arms
are there to hold them safe.
Comfort and heal them,
and restore them to health and strength;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

PLEASE PRAY FOR:-
The sick:-
Maureen, Margaret W, Graham, John S, Kathy, Mo, Matt,
Bertie, Morwenna, David J, Wendy.
The long term sick and infirm:-
George, Peter, Diana, Liz & Keith N, Rob, John and Shirley.
The recently departed:-
We give thanks for the life of Peter Charles Davis
We pray for his family and friends at this sad time.
The Ministry Team:-
Wendy, Ruth, Marilyn and Rhona.

BLESSED SACRAMENT CANDLE

If you would like to have the candle lit for a week
for a particular prayer / thanksgiving /
commemoration, etc., please send a £5 donation to
Debbie Smith, clearly marking your donation as
being for the candle. Details of your intention can
be emailed to:- sarah.lundstrom@virginmedia.com
so that a mention of the commemoration, etc., can
appear in the Sunday Sheet.

SERVICES THIS WEEK
Stoke Damerel Parish Church is a hybrid church
open for public worship and private prayer and all
services will be live streamed.
By attending a live streamed service, you give
implied permission to have your image captured
on CCTV and to be broadcast as participant in the
liturgy.

Watch our livestreamed services
Please follow the link to make your way to our YouTube page: 

 STOKE DAMEREL YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

Sunday 12 April            2nd Sunday of Easter
0800 Morning Prayer
Led by Ruth Sayers
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Mike Wagstaff

Wednesday 15 April
1000 Morning Prayer

Sunday 19 April            3rd Sunday of Easter
0800 Holy Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Scott Angell
1000 Sung Parish Eucharist
Celebrant: Rev’d Scott Angell
Followed by APM and APCM

WELCOME BACK
To Rev’d Mike Wagstaff at 10am this Sunday.
Many thanks to Ruth for leading our Morning
Prayer at 8am.

ELECTORAL ROLL
The Electoral Roll has closed and is now displayed
on the church door until next Sunday, the date set
for the APCM.

EASTER FLOWERS
A huge thank you to those of you who made a
donation towards the Easter flowers. The seven
weeks of Easter continue until Pentecost on 24th
May so we are very grateful for your help to cover
the expense over that period. Many people
expressed how lovely the church looked on Easter
Day. It is encouraging to know that our time and
arrangements are appreciated all the year round,
especially for festivals. We would welcome more
practical help if anyone would like to join our
small flower arranging team. None of us are
professional. It is a form of therapy in appreciating
another of God’s gifts.
Thank you.
Julia and Ann

COFFEE MORNINGS
The 'duty' rota for April has been circulated and a
copy placed on the welcome table. If you have not
received the rota by email please let me know.
Many enjoy coffee and refreshments after Sunday
morning services but few have been left to provide
them. I'm therefore asking for volunteers to come
forward to go on the rota to fulfil this role.
Thanks.
Ian G

MARILYN'S MEMOS

APCM Sunday 19th April
Next Sunday is our Annual Parochial Church
Meeting which starts at 12 noon. Please do try
to attend as we will be discussing our past year’s
“performance” and looking at potential vacancies
on our PCC. The meeting usually lasts less than
an hour. Should you consider filling vacancies,
we must emphasise it is not just a matter of
attending a monthly meeting but supporting our
responsibilities by sharing administrative,
organisational and practical tasks. 

Wednesday Morning Prayer and monthly
Eucharist Group 10 to 10.30am

This week, following our session, we were able to
resume our visits to Amigos Café and duly
celebrated with rather extraordinary hot
chocolates, special coffees and cakes. Wendy,
we all miss you! However, before the above
indulgences, we very nobly checked over the
parish centre carpets and facilities, and removed
the sticky horse-chestnut buds which cling to our
shoes and find their way into church floors: as
Jenny, our cleaner, has been supporting her mum
in Taunton as her beloved dad died just over a
week ago.

Mysterious Easter egg donations
Several weeks ago, there was a box of Easter eggs
on the clergy desk which then disappeared. Then a
big bag of Easter eggs appeared in the choir vestry.
We were wondering who very kindly donated the
eggs as we would like to thank them very much.

Our Easter Triduum
Heartfelt thanks to Rev’ds Sacha, Sue and Trevor
and Ven. Jane Bakker, our Archdeacon for leading
our services.

Maundy Thursday begins the Triduum with the
Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper in the evening,
where our chairs are arranged in a circle as if in the
very room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and
the priesthood. The service includes the ritual
washing of the feet, symbolizing Christ’s call to
service. The altar is stripped and the Blessed
Sacrament is carried to the Altar of Repose, until
Good Friday. The congregation remain in a
darkened church to meditate on the Altar of
Response.


Good Friday observes the Passion and
Crucifixion of Jesus. It is a very solemn reflection
with liturgies including the Veneration of the Cross
and Communion from the reserved Eucharist.
No formal Eucharist is celebrated on this day, to
highlight the sombre nature of Christ’s death, but
communion can be received from the reserved
sacrament.

Holy Saturday and Easter Vigil
This is a day of waiting and reflection, to mark the
time Jesus lay in the tomb. The vigil is held after
sundown and is the highest point of the Triduum.
The Paschal Candle is lit from a fire outside the
parish centre and processed into the church.
Baptismal vows are renewed and the first
Eucharist of Easter celebrates Christ’s resurrection.


Easter Sunday
The Triduum is concluded and a joyful Easter
Sunday Eucharist is celebrated. Archdeacon Jane
presided and involved the children in part of her
sermon, stunning everyone by smashing a large
Easter egg.


Our church looked wonderful with all the spring
flowers and a congregation of 73 with 5 children
very excited by the Easter egg hunt.
There was a very lively coffee time and what a joy:
Debbie and Gerry are back for a couple of weeks
from Australia.

Thanks to our flower arrangers -
The church looks magnificent.
Sincere thanks to all those who donated to the
flower fund and the team who made our church
look so beautiful after the sombre weeks before
Easter Sunday.


HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN APRIL
Chris Tozer, Jenny Storey, Deborah Turner,
Matt Forster, Lemmy.

SPRING IS SPRUNG!
Having not seen the Cornish garden for about ten
days, we were surprised to return and see how
everything had grown so vigorously in our
absence. I therefore decided that, whilst the new
growth is still looking so bright and fresh, this
week my topic would be the garden, using the title
above. I was subsequently delighted when I then
took delivery of the May edition of the “Garden
Answers” magazine and found that this was the
exact phrase used on the cover of that magazine.
Up until now there has not been much difference
in the activities of the local bird population. The
Robin was the only one to continue singing
through the winter months. Now we can also hear
the Woodpigeons and Great-tits announcing their
presence from the Oak tree, which itself has burst
into leaf, ahead of the adjacent Ash tree again this
year. Does this herald another dry summer?

Up until now we have been treated to the sight of
the many Daffodils in the garden. Most have all
gone now, with just a few still in bloom. However,
there is now so much more colour to appreciate. I
am always glad to see the Honesty blooming in the
shade under the Magnolia tree and, even though
the latter has been drastically pruned and there is
much less shade this year, this does not seem to
have reduced the quantity of bright flowers
produced.

Last year some Lilac branches died back, and I
was concerned that all the tree might be affected.
No need to worry though, as there look to be far
more blooms appearing this year. There should
also be a heavenly scent soon from the now
opening flowers.

The Roses are all leafing up well and one small
Patio Rose has the first small red bloom.

We only have a small Cherry tree, which produces
a minimal number of cherries, normally snatched
by the Blackbirds before we get a chance. It is a
delight though to see the short-lived bright white
flowers.

So many other plants are all flowering at once, but
we are certainly very pleased this year with the
efforts of the many coloured Tulips, for once not
flattened by the wind.

Tony Barnard