26th July 2020 
Dear All
Coronavirus – Covid – 19 – continues to change our lives. No doubt by the time you read this, instructions could easily have changed! This is inevitable because we have never been here before.
It’s as if the pause button has been pushed on our remote controls and life has been put on hold. We have all been told to stay at home, except for a daily walk, run or cycle; work from home, as far as possible; keep our distance. How important it is to follow this advice.
We can all play our part. We thank God for the many, many people who have volunteered to assist the NHS in this crisis.
As you have no doubt heard, we have been requested by our bishops to close our churches. This means, as we have started to do, is to share our worship differently. On the Hempnall Group website there are thoughts and prayers to guide us and we are hoping in the future to add a morning and evening prayer so we can share and pray together.
There seems to be a network of practical help available in our villages. Thank you to those who have arranged this. We all have different needs and there are those who can assist. Please don’t hesitate to contact someone to help or just for a chat.
If Liz or myself can be of help, we are only a phone call away, my number is 01508 498157, Liz’s number is 07891 854219.
Let’s cope with this crisis with a spirit of kindness and loving service to those around us.
Remember SPS: Stay at home; Protect the NHS; Save lives;
Our love
Michael and Liz
I lift my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2
Thoughts and Prayers for the Week
Sunday 2nd August 2020
8th Sunday after Trinity
Prayer of the Week:
Heavely Father, the earth is yuours and the harvests are your bound.
We pray for our arable farmers and our dairy farmers.
We ask your blessing on the harvest and on all who work in farming. We ask that farmers may know your love and support.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thought for the Week
On the first Sunday in August the Hemnpnall Group normally meets, weather permitting, in the open air in Fritton. We celebrate Lammas Tide – the gathering of the First Fruits of the Harvest, through our worship and sharing a meal together. Sadly, not this year.
Our reading is one we no doubt know well, the feeding of the 5,000.
Jesus had heard about his cousin John and needed a time alone, to think and pray, to withdraw from busyness of his ministry. We all need a time to take stock and allow God to minister to us. May we give ourselves that time.
Jesus was moved with compassion. He sought peace, quiet and a time alone, he found a vast crowd eagerly demanding what he could give. He could have been resentful, this is my time, send them away! His compassion meant he had time for them, he cared for them, he loved them. May we have time for others which is sometimes not easy, in the same way Jesus has unlimited time for us.
Jesus took the food and blessed it. The disciples shared it among the crowd. All were satisfied and there was plenty left over. I don’t know about you, I often take my food for granted and yet it is God’s gift to us. How fortunate we are in our country.
On that subject, thank you for all the gifts that have been left at the Rectory for the food bank. They are very much appreciated and needed. Please keep them coming for the September collection.
Prayer
Faithful God, we pray for the gift
of deeper faith in you,
so that we trust you in a way
that alters our dependence on everything else,
and allows us clearer vision
as to the direction and role of the Church.
Remind us that it is your Church, and not ours;
your work, your power and your kingdom.
Amen.
Let us continue to care for and remember each other:
* 
Sunday 10.00am, light a candle and The Lord’s Prayer together.
* Daily Prayer 8.30am and 5.00pm, saying The Lord’s Prayer together.
* Our next Food Bank Collection is Sunday 2nd August.
Prayer for our Villages, Nation and World
God of all,
we cry out to you for help.
In your mercy, hear our prayer.
Protect us, Lord, and be with us
especially those of us most vulnerable
during this coronavirus crisis.
Move us to reach out in love
to our neighbours near and far.
So that the humble may be exalted,
the hungry filled with good things.
Grant us the courage
not to rush back to our old ways,
but to rebuild our world together,
creating foundations of justice,
with equality and peace for all.
Amen.
Readings for the week: Isaiah 55:1-5, Psalm 145:8-9, 15-end, Matthew 14:13-21
