Saint David’s Uniting Church
& Castle Square URC
Minister: Rev. Dr Phil Wall
Tel: 01443 300345 Mob: 07855090360
Website: www.stdavidsuniting.org.uk
Admin email: office1.sduc@gmail.com
13th June 2021
With Phil on leave we have the pleasure of welcoming our good friend Haydn Blackey as our worship leader for today’s service, which is being live streamed. We look forward to this time of fellowship.
Haydn’s style of worship today will be a little different to comply with Covid restrictions! Although we are sure that his message will, as always, be enlightening.
The text of this week’s reflection will not be posted on line so we encourage you to view the service on our YouTube page.
This week is Refugee Week. A UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary. Refugee Week’s vision is for refugees and asylum seekers to be able to live safely within inclusive and resilient communities, where they can continue to make a valuable contribution. This is a cause our churches actively support.
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Church Family and Pastoral News
We include this in the news sheet to inform our prayers.
We received news last Tuesday that Caroline Jones passed away unexpectedly at the weekend at the University Hospital of Wales. Caroline attended Carmel as a child and had been a member of the Church in Pontypridd since 1978 when she was baptized at Pontypridd United Church (one of our parent churches). Due to poor health Caroline had been unable to worship with us for many years. She has lived at Bay View, in Rhoose since 2017, but was still kept in touch with regular visits and more recently by post. We pray for her sister Ally as she arranges the funeral. We also hold her Aunt, Sylvia in our prayers. Funeral details will be shared when they are available.
- We continue to hold Doreen’s family; Paul, Kay, Sue, Sian, their partners and families, along with her sister Jean and John, in our prayers as they prepare for her funeral, which will be held at Glyntaf on Tuesday 15th June at 10.30 am – just over 6 weeks since they gathered for David’s funeral. The cortege will leave the house at 10.15. The link for the service is: https://www.wesleymedia.co.uk/webcast-view Login / Order ID: 98928 Password: uhugqqbf
- Brenda Elias has had her operation and is now receiving physio. the members of Castle Sq Chapel and Guild send their love. We all pray for a good recovery for her, which will take time.
- Valerie Henson is not too well at the moment we pray for her and John in his concern for her.
- We remember those who are unable to leave their homes because of poor health, especially Bernice, Cyril & John
- We think of those for whom this time of year holds sad memories.
- We remember the Elders of St David’s as they meet this week to further discuss the outcome of the Vision Day.
Good News
Jan was able to have a socially distanced chat with Bernice recently, Bernice sends her love to everyone.
Many people are delighted that extended households have been increased to allow three families to meet together. Celebrations have already started!
We share Marilyn and Mike’s joy that their son Matthew has been awarded his Masters. MSc with distinction in Leadership and Management. Which is fantastic news given he had a difficult year with home-schooling his children whilst studying without being able to go into university. Congratulations!
Thanks……
……from Stephanie ~ for the flowers, phone calls and cards received on the occasion of her birthday. Family celebrations are due to be held this week!
Birthdays this week
We have just one person that we are aware of with a birthday this week ~ so we wish Dave Poole a very Happy Birthday for Saturday 19th June – celebrate in style Dave! There are probably others, who have birthdays, so we hope they are able to celebrate with family and friends.
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Minister’s Diary
Phil has completed his trek along Hadrian’s wall and now has the pleasure !? of attending ministers’ summer school from 15-18th before leading worship for the URC Youth Exec 18-20th. He’s due back in the office on June 21st.
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Synod Service
We have been told that some people were unable to access the Synod Service on May 31st. It is on YouTube – the link is here! https://youtu.be/IBDTKamBtZo?list=PLxQWdcxg47Gybk10RCotvs0-un_9EuF9m
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June Services
As we transition from online/on paper only services to a blend of worship including on-site services, the elders continue to review Government guidelines, denominational advice and the needs/preferences of church members. With that in mind our June services will take the following shape:
Zoom worship at 10:45am EVERY Sunday (also available on YouTube and on printed material).
- June 20th at 10.45 – Dave Kitchen will be leading our worship.
Meetings being held in St David’s Uniting Church:
- TODAY at 10:45am – Morning service with Hadyn Blackey which will be livestreamed
A reminder – please arrive about 10 minutes before the service begins, and the stewards will take you to your seat.
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Midweek Reflection
Phil may be on holiday but he still chose to record the midweek reflection! He did it whilst walking along Hadrian’s wall, the scenery was magnificent.
‘The wall may not look impressive, but when you think that it was designed in about 120 AD by the emperor Hadrian to keep out the barbarians of the north, although they weren’t barbarians, the Celtic tribes, who threatened the safety, the sanctuary, the unity of the roman empire – so the wall was built….only 10% of it is still in place today. but when you consider it was built all those years ago by about 15,000 men over 6 years and it spanned almost coast to coast marking the edge of empire and it’s lasted here until this day – but then us walls (Phil said pointing to himself) are strong walls!
The place we are going to later in our walk, is Vindolanda, which is the remains of a roman fort which is still being excavated, so I’m hoping to see some live excavation which I guess will be really interesting. Last year they discovered a chalice that had all sorts of Christian art engraved around the outside, fish, symbols, cross symbols and other indications that it was used as a chalice for communion, and apparently this changed the whole way historians understood the religious landscape of those centuries, because they weren’t sure that Christianity had reached this far north, so it changed the way they viewed things.
Which brings us to this week’s challenge – I’d like you to share if there’s ever been am artifact or piece of art which has changed the way we’ve looked at the world we’ve looked at the world it could be some photograph which widened your horizons or showed the truth of a situation before which you might not have understood, it could be modern art, a Banksy, that made you think about society in a different way, you could take your cue from someone like the Dutch priest Henri Nouwen who wrote extensively about Rembrandt’s The Prodigal Son, which transformed the way he viewed that parable of Jesus and how his understanding of God whatever it might be. I’d like us to share what pieces of art have moved us, have changed the way we’ve seen ourselves or the world and if you could send those in as usual to Marcia or office1.sduc@gmail.com.
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A Thought for the Week
True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost
Charles Caleb Colton
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ZOOM SERVICES: Log in opens at 10.30 for pre service chat. Services will start at 10.45 or as advertised. Zoom service link – https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89461145366?pwd=S3ExNTVjdGVGdXlGVlNQc2k3eldudz09
To join by phone (call 0203 901 7895. then, when asked, type in the meeting ID – 894 6114 5366; followed – when asked – by the passcode – 8453605) Calls are charged at standard UK call rates