Weekly Email w/b 27th March 2023

March 30, 2023

Last weekend, I had the joy of singing in a choral concert in Shrewsbury Abbey. Like Christmas, the Passiontide and Easter seasons have given us a wealth of musical masterpieces, as scripture is set to music and sung by choirs the world over.

On Monday, I noticed in our prayers a verse that I first came across in Stainer’s “Crucifixion” – “Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by?” And I recalled how many times, standing in the middle of a busy town on Good Friday, on a Walk of Witness, I have seen shoppers walking resolutely by, taking little notice of the vital story being told nearby – and I’ve wanted to call out to them “Is it nothing to you?” But I didn’t.

The truth is that many of us were once people who “passed by” until one day by a quirk of fate – or an act of God – we turned aside and said “yes” to God. So we began to take up our own place in the Great Story, as we responded to God’s call on our lives and we too followed Jesus. Suddenly things began to fall into place, as the great mystery of Jesus began to unfold, like one of the spring flowers that surround us today, and we started to make sense of what Life is really about.

The coming week – from Palm Sunday to Easter Day – covers a whole range of emotions, from the joy at Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the mystery of Maundy Thursday, the horror of Good Friday, desolation of Saturday and overwhelming joy of Easter Sunday. What a week! Let us not let this week pass us by.

Valerie Pitt, Associate Minister

It’s Palm Sunday this Sunday (2nd April), and our usual opportunities to celebrate together across the four congregations at Trinity as well as at Belle Vue. Alistair Magowan is our speaker at Meole Brace as we conclude our look through the book of Isaiah, with Shirley Stevens our speaker at CTK and Fi Iddon hosting the Pre-School Easter celebration at Belle Vue. Phil Cansdale is our speaker in the evening congregation as conclude a few weeks reflecting around various Psalms, and how they speak to us about “whole-life worship”.

This Sunday is also our twice-yearly Service of Remembering. More details below.

You’ll find on our website outline details of what’s taking place for Holy Week and Easter this year. In particular:

MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY HOLY WEEK (3rd to 5th APRIL)
6 o’clock live as usual

Tuesday 12pm Trinity Table Easter Service followed by meal in the Trinity Centre
Tuesday 7pm. Radbrook Prayer Gathering in Cafe Connect
Wednesday 2pm. Radbrook Easter Community Tea

MAUNDY THURSDAY (6th APRIL)
4pm to 5pm. Meal for children and families (RSVP)
7pm to 9pm. Evening meal and worship (Belle Vue Church) (RSVP)

GOOD FRIDAY (7th APRIL)
9.30am Good Friday All-age worship (Meole Brace Church)
9.30am Good Friday Gathering (Christ the King)
2pm to 3pm. House at the Cross (Meole Brace Church)

3pm Good Friday till 6am Easter Day is “Watching and Waiting.” (RSVP) Sign up for an hour (or more) of prayer, daytimes (9am to 9pm) at Holy Trinity Church, nights (9pm to 9am) at home. Sign up on website www.trinitychurches.org/easterprayer

EASTER DAY (9th APRIL)
6.30am Easter Morning Service (Meole Brace Gardens)
9am Easter Day Gathering (Holy Trinity Church)
1030am Easter Day Gathering (Christ the King)
11am Easter Day Gathering with baptisms (Holy Trinity Church)
6.30pm Easter Day Evening Celebration (Trinity Centre)

You’ll find more details of all of these on our website.

Holy Week and Easter events

You are invited to our next “Service of Remembering” taking place on Sunday 2nd April 2023 at 3pm at Holy Trinity Meole Brace. These services usually last about 45 minutes. We read out a list of names for those for whom we have taken funerals, as well as other names of those perhaps long deceased but still very much on our hearts. There are opportunities to light a candle as a sign of remembering, and to enjoy the stillness and peace of the church which has been part of people’s remembering for many, many generations. We’ll hear again of the Christian gifts of faith, hope and love which feel particularly timely as Easter approaches. We’ll finish with refreshments at the back of church hosted by our team.

We’ll be finding different ways of saying “thank you” to Craig Silcock over these next days as he finishes his role as Youth Minister after five years on the team. There is a card at the back of Holy Trinity church which we’d love you to sign. And thank you to those who have kindly made a donation towards a gift. You can do so with cash in envelopes provided in church, or for those who would rather give online you can do so by bank transfer to the PCC account. Click below for our account details, and please include “CRAIG” in the bank reference.

Details of giving via BACS (halfway down page)

And finally…. our latest copy of “Trinity Life” is now out. You’ll find further details of Lent and Easter events, as well as a sneak-preview to a few May gatherings like the King’s Coronation and REVS. You’ll also find readings etc for March and April, and a sense of a few of the different things taking place in our shared life here at Trinity.

Download and Read online