St Matthew's Church, Surbiton : Archived Daily Postings for March

Wed 31 Mar@ 10.35

The running order for music and silence in our Good Friday time of Reflection in church will be approximately this:

11.15am excerpts from Stainer's Crucifixion
12 noon silence
12.30pm excerpts from St Matthew's Passion by J.S. Bach
1pm silence
1.30pm Part 2 of Handel's Messiah (abridged)
2pm brief reading of Crucifixion Narrative
Silence with occasional music
3pm brief reading of Crucifixion Narrative
Close in silence

Tues 23 March @ 09.05

For today's National Day of Reflection we will be remembering in a minute's silence at 12 noon all those who have lost their lives in the last year. The church service bell will be run to mark this.

A prayer you may like to use:

Christ yesterday and today, the beginning and the end, Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to him, and all ages.

God of all that has been, that is, that is to come
as we reflect on the year that has past,
those we have lost,
those we have missed,
the contact not made,
the hopes dashed,
new things discovered,
new opportunities seized,
new love embraced,
we thank you that you have been with us
and brought us to this day.
Stay with us
as we step into your future
with faith and hope and love
and in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Thurs 18 March @ 21.20

Notice is given that the Church Electoral Roll will be revised beginning on 1st April 2021 and closing on 8th April 2021. Please find the attached notice HERE which is also on display in the church porch.

If you would like to join the Electoral Roll please fill in the form HERE and return it to church or through the Vicarage letter box at 20A Kingsdowne Road KT6 6JZ by 8 April 2021. If you are already on from last year - you don't need to do anything!

Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting and the Annual Parishioners' Meeting will take place at 11am on Sunday 25 April as part of our 10.45am Service. It will be accessible online and onsite.

Thurs 18 March @ 10.01

Returning to Church – regulations permitting, we intend to be back worshipping with a congregation in church from Palm Sunday, 28 March at 10.45am. We are going to trial swapping our services around so our new services will be at 9.30am (with children’s provision) and the more traditional service at 10.45am. This is what the services will be for the next few weeks:

	9.30am	10.45am
Sunday 28 March	20MinutestoPraiseGod online only	Holy Communion onsite - in church - and online
Easter Sunday 4 April	30ishMinutestoPraiseGod online and onsite - in church - including Holy Communion	Holy Communion service onsite and online
Sunday 11 April	Short Family Service onsite and online	Holy Communion service onsite and online

From Sunday 18 April we hope to have children’s groups in the 9.30 service, although they will still be the combined groups that were operating last Autumn.

Easter Sunday – we will have 3 services all with Holy Communion - 8am, 9.30am (30ishMinutestoPraiseGod) and 10.45am. You are asked please to sign up for the service you would like to attend HERE so we can avoid overcrowding at any one service. Alternatively, if you are not online, you can leave a message on the Parish Office number or with Helen to book a place(s). If one service is oversubscribed we may have to ask you to come to another one, so book early to avoid disappointment!

Maundy Thursday – Zoom Holy Communion Service at 8pm. Call details
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/96158055480?pwd=VGY3aDkyclBSeVBlNElwWFhiRzFoQT09
Meeting ID: 961 5805 5480
Passcode: passover

Good Friday – church open from 11am – 3pm for private prayer with Passion music playing 11.15am – 2pm and one hour of silence 2-3pm.

This year we will not be having any Easter roses in memory of loved ones. However we hope that will be back next year. Also, whilst still having fresh flowers as the norm, we are intending to buy a significant artificial floral display for use at weddings and on other appropriate occasions. An effective looking one will not be cheap so if you would have usually contributed to the flower fund over the last year but haven’t then please do consider making a contribution online HERE or using the card machine when we are back in church.

Tues 9 March @ 09.54

Here is the extract from a poem which was used to close the sermon last Sunday. It will also go on the Eco Church page once that is re-configured to facilitate up to date postings.

Poem of Lament

"It's 3:23 in the morning
and I'm awake
because my great great grandchildren
won't let me sleep.
my great great grandchildren
ask me in dreams
what did you do while the Planet was plundered?
what did you do when the Earth was unravelling?
surely you did something
when the seasons started failing?
as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying?
did you fill the streets with protest
when democracy was stolen?
what did you do
once
you
knew?..."

Excerpt from "Hieroglyphic Stairway" by Drew Dillinger

Thurs 4 March @ 10.22

Tomorrow is the World Day of Prayer - formerly Women's World Day of Prayer. There is no local service this year but you can find one to join HERE.

We are encouraged to join the service at Salisbury Cathedral at 3pm on that day.

If you are interested, it is recommended that you join the link between 2.30pm and 2.50pm
on the day so that everyone can be settled before the service starts.

Here’s the Zoom link:-
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89501586685

(Meeting ID: 895 0158 6685)

Wed 3 March @ 15.39

2021 A5

Here is our Motto verse 2021 for you to print, if you would like.

HERE for A5 size printing on an A4 page, HERE for 2xA5 on an A4 page.

Also if you would like to read the sermon which Ian Christie delivered on Sunday 28 Feb HERE it is along with a longer slide presentation HERE. We hope to be able to invite Ian to come to speak to us in person before too long.