Welcome!

Welcome to the website of the churches of St Michael’s & St Barnabas, Devonport.

For details of our services and other events, see What’s On or get in touch by using the contact page. For who’s who, see the gallery.

Recent sermons are available from links on the Ministry page, and see the GIFT Groups page for bible study materials being used in the groups.

Charity Coffee Morning – February 8th

Our community coffee morning at St Michael’s in February is in aid of Headway, the charity for those with acquired brain injury. Their role is to promote understanding of all aspects of brain injury and to provide information, support and services to people with a brain injury, their families and carers. They do this by

• working to increase awareness of brain injury and its consequences
• initiating activities and campaigns which will reduce the incidence of brain injury provide information and support for people with brain injuries, their relatives and carers and concerned professional people
• by promoting improved approaches to brain injury screening, acute care, assessment, rehabilitation and social re-integration
• by assisting people with brain injuries to return to community living, including access to appropriate accommodation, social outlets, and productive activity
• and by supporting and establishing Headway groups throughout the UK in furtherance of the charity’s mission statement

Our local branch of Headway is based nearby in Devonport Park, and we hope to raise funds to help them in their work in our community. So come along and support us … and in the process, enjoy good company and cakes with your coffee!

For your diary …

A good time was had by all!

On Sunday, January 22nd, a crowd of folk from St Michael’s stayed together after the morning service for a meal at the café in our local park, Devonport Park. The park itself has recently been refurbished, and the Pavilion Café is an ideal spot for lunch or coffee any day of the week. 40 of us, of all ages, had a wonderful – and generous – Sunday lunch, continuing in fellowship from our Sunday service. Thank you to all who made it possible … and let’s do it again soon!

Peter and Sally Bartlett

Peter and Sally’s latest newsletter can be found here

Shekinah

Shekinah is Plymouth’s local city mission, working to provide

• Accommodation
• Employment
• Drop In
  

for the disadvantaged and unemployed in the city.

Both St Barnabas and St Michael’s support the work of Shekinah through regular giving, special events (our community coffee morning raised £150+ at the Christmas event!) and through donations of tinned and dried foods at Harvest. Now St Michael’s are joining St Barnabas in having a regular collection of specific items …

black sacks for rubbish
handwash
bleach (thin, not thick)
toilet rolls
toiletries for men (toothbrushes and toothpaste)
men’s pants (sized medium)
socks
disposable razors

We’re pleased to be able to help in this way. Bring your donations to any Sunday service!

Community Coffee Morning

Our Charity Coffee morning this week is in aid of Whizz Kidz, providing powered wheelchairs for children. We open at 10.30am, Wednesday at St Michael’s … come and join us for good company, coffee and cakes!

GIFT group dates for Spring 2012

GIFT groups are our small midweek groups when we meet to look at the Bible, to pray together and to support one another in our Christian life. This term we are looking at the life of Joseph. We have two groups – an afternoon and an evening group. Dates for this term are:

Afternoon GIFT Group
St Barnabas 2pm
Wednesday January 25th
Thursday February 9th
Wednesday February 22nd
(Ash Wednesday)
Thursday March 1st
Thursday March 15th
Thursday March 29th

Evening GIFT Group
St Michael 7.30pm
All Wednesdays …
January 18th
January 25th
February 8th
February 22nd
(Ash Wednesday)
February 29th
March 14th
March 28th

If you’ve never been along or are a newcomer, please feel free to come along or ask Rev Tim for more details, or if you need help with transport.

New Year reflections

This time last year we posted Ten Questions and a Prayer for the New Year. The links on that post no longer work, but the questions are as valuable as ever, at any time of year! So here they are again … how did you answer them last year? Were they effective in building up your relationship with God and those around you? What can you do this year to continue to build up your Christian life and experience?

1. What’s one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What’s the most important way you will, by God’s grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

(c) Don Whitney

Wishing you every blessing throughout the New Year!

And see Vicar’s Blog for his alternative suggestions
and a modern parable for the New Year …

Christmas Messages

If you have been away over Christmas … there is still opportunity to read the various sermons and messages preached at St Barnacles over the Christmas season. Here are the links (in reverse order) for the Carol Service, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day … click on the title for a full text.

The God who speaks

St Michael’s 25th December 2011

Reading – John 1:1-14

Christmas Celebrations

St Michael’s and St Barnabas 24th December 2011

Reading – Luke 2:1-14

The solution revealed

St Barnabas Carol Service 18th December 2011

Readings – Genesis 15:1-6; 1 Chronicles 17:7-14; Micah 5:2-5a; Matthew 1:18-23

From the squalour of a borrowed stable …

Everyone loves a traditional carol service … the atmosphere, the candlelight, children singing, the mince pies and mulled wine afterwards … but with the carol services over and a week still to go to Christmas, how do we keep that sense of it being a special season? Yes, there are presents to wrap, perhaps even still to buy. And the crowds in the shops ensure that we know it’s not just any old week to go shopping. There are programmes to look forward to – whether it’s Downton Abbey, a Bond film or the Doctor Who Christmas Special – there’s always something for everyone from fairytale riches to thrills and tension. And, of course, there’s the Christmas lunch (do you always have turkey or is there a family debate each year as to which meat?).  But how do we maintain a sense of what Christmas is really all about?

I suppose it’s about focus … Christmas is often the focus of our attention for months beforehand, and for those of us for whom faith is an afterthought it’s not surprising. It’s our national holiday, a celebration for everyone, a time to be with friends and family – although it may also be a time of hardship for those who are alone or struggling in some way. But the focus of the Christmas story isn’t the birth of a baby in extreme circumstances, or the glories of an angel choir setting the sky alight with God’s glory. We may enjoy the fairytale like details of the fabulous wealth of some exotic visitors from far away, or the tension of a last minute escape from Herod’s clutches … but the focus of the story is on a lonely hillside, some 30 years later, when God’s plan to save the world finally came to fulfilment:

From the squalor of a borrowed stable,
By the spirit and a virgin’s faith;
To the anguish and the shame of scandal
Came the Saviour of the human race!
But the skies were filled, with the praise of heav’n,
Shepherds listen as the angels tell
Of the Gift of God, come down to man
At the dawning of Immanuel

King of heaven now the Friend of sinners,
Humble servant in the Father’s hands,
Filled with power and the Holy Spirit,
Filled with mercy for the broken man
Yes he walked my road, and He felt my pain,
Joys and sorrows that I know so well;
Yet His righteous steps, give me hope again -
I will follow my Immanuel!

Through the kisses of a friend’s betrayal,
He was lifted on a cruel cross;
He was punished for a world’s transgressions,
He was suffering to save the lost
He fights for breath, He fights for me
Loosing sinners from the claims of hell;
And with a shout, our souls are free -
Death defeated by Immanuel!

Now He’s standing in the place of honour,
Crowned with glory on the highest throne,
Interceding for His own beloved
Till His Father calls us to bring them home!
Then the skies will part, as the trumpet sounds
Hope of heaven or the fear of hell;
But the Bride will run, to her Lover’s arms,
Giving glory to Immanuel!

Stuart Townend, 1999 Thankyou Music

Final Copy

The final copy of our notice sheet ‘This Week’ is now available here. It contains Christmas Greetings from us all, and details of all services and activities for the coming week, as well as services over Christmas and New Year, and some diary dates for January …

See you in the New Year!

Christmas Coffee Morning Special

Today was our St Michael’s Coffee Morning at which we raise funds for a different charity each month. This month, our focus was the work of Shekinah … with the additional attraction of lunch for our coffee morning ‘regulars’ and guests!

We began with the coffee morning itself …

… and then everyone was invited into the worship area to sing carols, and to prepare for Christmas by remembering the story behind the season.

When they returned, our meeting space had been transformed -

and we were soon all tucking in to a proper Christmas spread of turkey with all the trimmings. The fellowship was as warm as the food (!) with folk from both churches and others enjoying each others’ company across the tables. There were also individual cakes on sale to raise funds, and at the last count, over £150 will be donated to the work of Shekinah at Christmas.

Thank you to everyone who made it possible – both those who cooked and those who ate what they cooked!

Alternative Advent Activity

ADVENT SUNDAY

If you don’ t have an Advent Calendar, how about making a Jesse Tree? To make your Jesse Tree, use a small artificial tree or a shapely tree branch, or even a bunch of twigs and set them in a pot … perhaps decorate them with gold spray paint or some simple lights. Each day in Advent, or from December 1st, there is a reading and a tree decoration or symbol to illustrate it. Share the reading each day with your family or friends, and hang the symbol from the tree as you pray together.

You can make it as simple or as elaborate as you like! See here or here for readings and suggestions or click on the picture (with thanks to the individual sources for the picture and links).

PS – if you don’t know why it’s called a Jesse Tree … follow the same readings to find out!

Advent

I know all your advent calendars start on December 1st, but Advent begins this coming Sunday … each Sunday at church we’ll be lighting a candle, until on the Sunday before Christmas all four candles are lit. This marks our anticipation of Jesus’ coming, not only for the first time as a baby at Christmas, but the day when he will return again as Lord and King!

Why not follow a series of daily readings through the Advent season, to help retain that sense of the spiritual in the midst of the chaos that is our modern Christmas! Take a look at WordLive or use Bible Gateway‘s verse of the day.

 

New Term Card

Our Term Card for December – February is now available.

The Term Card contains details of Sunday services, other mid-week activities and contact details. Keep one in your Bible or diary, and pass one on to a friend or neighbour.

Click on the image for an online version.