Sunday School meets in the Vestry
Sunday Youth meets in the Glebe Maisonette
Small Children are welcome to play in St Thomas's Chapel, near the porch
Baptised Communicants of other Churches are encouraged to receive communion
Children and other non-communicants are invited to come to the altar for a blessing
The Ministry of Healing is offered in the Chapel, after Communion is given

From Mr & Mrs Kasim & family : “On behalf of my family, we express our profound gratitude for your support during the difficult time of our son’s death.  We like to thank church members, family and friends for their financial and moral support during the difficult time.  We thank you for your prayers and we pray that God would answer all our prayers.  The death of Alex has come as a shock to us, we love him and we all miss him, our consolation is, he knows Christ and he died on a Christian pilgrimage serving the Lord.  We thank Bishop Michael, Rev Sarah Archer, and Rev Ann Clarridge for attending the funeral service and also The Rev Philip North from Walsingham and other people on the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage, who were touched by Alex’s sudden death.  We pray that God continues to uphold us and strengthen us during this saddest time of our life.  Yours in Christ”

Processional Hymn     301        God is here!

Collect of the Day
Almighty God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the cross, and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

First Reading                 Proverbs 22.1-2,8-9,22-23               (p.667)
            1A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
                        and favour is better than silver or gold.
            2The rich and the poor have this in common:
                        the LORD is the maker of them all.
            8Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
                        and the rod of anger will fail.
            9Those who are generous are blessed,
                        for they share their bread with the poor.
            22Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
                        or crush the afflicted at the gate;
            23for the LORD pleads their cause
                        and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Gradual Hymn               616        When a knight won his spurs

GOSPEL                         Mark 7.24-37                                       (p.671)
24Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ 28But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ 29Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go – the demon has left your daughter.’ 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.  31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha,’ that is, ‘Be opened.’ 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’

INTERCESSIONS
Please pray for
- The sick and suffering: especially Felix Okike, Lucilda Bernard, Joan Andrew, Elizabeth Dorsett, Clive Heywood, Ron & Ivy Smith, Susie Leach, Norbert Edwards, Brother Paul Anthony, Sylvia Steed, John Asbridge, Caroline Nevill, Ruth and Tracey Davies.

Offertory Hymn             386        Be thou my vision

Communion Hymn      313        My God, and is thy table spread

Post Communion Prayer
God our creator, you feed your children with the true manna, the living bread from heaven: let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Recessional Hymn            590     The kingdom is upon you!               

Coffee in church after the service    

You will remember that the application for planning permission by St Stephens church was turned down by the Hammersmith and Fulham in July. The church has had to take a decision on whether we sell the site of the old hall to the school at a point when we do not have planning permission ourselves. The deadline for the grant the school received was August 31st. We decided for two reasons to go ahead and sell the land to the school. The first reason was that the Diocese have agreed in principle to sell us the Maisonette. This would mean that we would have our space for parish breakfasts (and the like) close to the church as we have always wanted. The second reason is that we are very committed to working in partnership with the school and seeing them develop a nursery provision.

Juliet and I have then worked with Bob Wilson (our project manager) in thinking about what the basic and minimum requirements would be in supporting the development of the St Stephens church and congregation. Our list was - kitchen, two rooms (for teaching young people on Sundays), a large parish room and two toilets. Bob has come back with a single storey suggestion that would
not encroach on any green space and would utilise the maisonette beside the vicarage
It is all possible and it is all exciting so keep praying.

Bob

Post Communion (13th after Trinity) ©  1980, 1986 Mowbray, a Cassell Imprint: Prayers for the Alternative Services comp. David Silk. Some material included in this service is copyright: ©  1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA. Some material included in this service is copyright: ©  The Archbishops' Council 2000

NOTICES

THIS WEEK:

THIS MONTH

29th September - Peace Week concert by Bush City Youth.

NEXT SUNDAY:  17 September 2006  Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

10 am SUNG EUCHARIST
Celebrant and Preacher – The Reverend Dr Bob Mayo
Proverbs 1.20-33 (p 672), Mark 8.27-38 (p 678)

Home Communion – Available to any unable to come on a Sunday.  Talk to Father Bob (8743 3166) if you or anyone else might be interested.

Any enquiries about pastoral concerns, baptisms, weddings or funerals please get in touch with either Bob Mayo, the vicar, or Sarah Archer, the Associate-Vicar at St Michaels. The only time that Bob will be unavailable is between Friday pm and Sunday am.

For Parish Hall enquiries please contact the Parish Secretary, Jill Wigney. on 020 8740 9879 or email ststephensw12@london.anglican.org

Visit the church web site at www.ststephensw12.org