Sunday 2nd AprilOur Collect Prayer for this week – The Fifth Sunday of Lent

Gracious Father, you gave up your Son out of love for the world: lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion, that we may know eternal peace through

the shedding of our Saviour’s blood, Jesus Christ our Lord.

What’s happening this morning?

St Michael’s Church 9.00am Eucharist & APCM

Rev. Jordan Ling and Rev. Michelle Butcher prayers

St Ambrose Church 10.00am Eucharist Rev. Canon Stephen Purvis

St Aidan’s Church 10.30am Eucharist Rev. Canon TrevorDenley

St John’s Church 10.30am Eucharist and Baptism

Rev. Derek Clacey

Readings this week

Ezek. 37.1-14; Rom. 8.6-11; John 11.1-45;

Readings next week

Philippine 2:5-end

Matt: 21:1-11 Matt: 26: 14-27:end

‘Reaching Out to Welcome In’www.staidanbristol.co.ukSunday Service 10.30am

Special noticesLilies for Easter. If you wish to donate towards these then please see Sue or Pat.

Holy Week. Labyrinth Prayer takes place at St Aidan’s Church on Tuesday 11th April starting at 7pm. Everyone welcome!

Good Friday. Carry the Cross through the Benefice. This starts with an All Age Breakfast at St John’s Church at 8.45am and finishes with a Service on Troopers Hill at 12pm. Please see special events for all for more details. Everyone is very welcome to join us.

Easter Eve. The Easter Vigil Service takes place at St Aidan’s Church on Saturday 15th April starting at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome!

Regular weekly events

Sunday - 1st in month

MESSY CHURCH 9.45am - 11am in the Church Hall

Sundays – Fortnightly

DEAF CHURCH 3pm

Tuesdays EVENING PRAYER 7pm in the Lady Chapel

Wednesdays MESSY CHURCH 3.30pm at Air Balloon Primary School

Thursdays MORNING PRAYER 9.15am in the Lady

ChapelThursdays COFFEE & CHAT 10am - 12pm in the

Café area of Church

‘Serving the Community Worshipping God’www.stjohnsfishponds.com

Sunday Service 10.30am

Special noticesReal Bread will be used during the Service on Sunday 9th April.

RELEASE Service. The next Service takes place on Sunday 9th April at 7pm.

Holy Week. This starts on Monday 10th April with Evening Prayer at St John’s Church starting at 7pm. Everyone welcome!

Agape Meal. This will take place at St John’s Church on Maundy Thursday 13th April at 7pm. If you would like to attend please add you name to a sign-up sheet at the back of your Church or let Amy Donaldson, EBP Administrator know on 9586412 or eastbristol.org@gmail.com. The deadline to confirm attendance will be next Sunday 9th April.

Good Friday. Carry the Cross through the Benefice. This starts with an All Age Breakfast at St John’s Church at 8.45am and finishes with a Service on Troopers Hill at 12pm. Please see special events for all for more details. Everyone is very welcome to join us.

Fellowship Group. This is a group which meets on the 4th Monday of each month to look at our faith, using the bible or other material. We meet in homes, and it would be great if you could join us to learn more about our faith, which is what we are all doing. Nicola.

Disposal of the wooden chairs at the back of Church. The PCC have agreed to this. If anyone would like them for a small donation please let Anne know.

Request for help from Milestones Trust Zumba Class in hall. There are two ladies that attend the Zumba group on Saturday mornings. Both live in a small residential setting in Staple Hill. They have been attending the class since we started, both are on benefits but until now have paid for taxi's to run them back and forth. They have now stopped attending because of the taxi cost which is really sad. Would anyone like a free Zumba session in exchange for collecting and dropping off these two lovely ladies? They are both physically able but one does have some weight issues. I would be so grateful. Mike Edwards. Please let Amy in the EBP Office know if you can help.

Regular weekly events

Tuesdays MORNING PRAYER 9.15am in Church

Tuesdays COFFEE & CRAFT 10am - 11.30am in Church

Thursdays HOLY COMMUNIONfollowed by Coffee

10am in Church

Sundays – 4th in month

MESSY CHURCH 3.30pm - 5.30pm in Church

Sundays – 1st in month

GENERATIONS YOUTH GROUP

7.15pm in church hall[3rd Sunday @ All Saints]

St Michael’s Church‘Serving the Community of Two Mile Hill’

Sunday Service 9am

Special notices

St Michael’s Church APCM. This will be held during the Service today. Please make every effort to stay.

Stations of the Cross. This Service takes place on Wednesday 12th April starting at 10am. Everyone welcome!

Good Friday. Carry the Cross through the Benefice. This starts with an All Age Breakfast at St John’s Church at 8.45am and finishes with a Service on Troopers Hill at 12pm. Please see special events for all for more details. Everyone is very welcome to join us.

The Last Hour at the Cross. This Service will take place on Good Friday 14th April starting at 2pm. Everyone welcome!

Regular weekly events

Fridays COFFEE AFTERNOON

2pm - 4pm in Church

Saturdays COFFEE MORNING 10am - 12pm in Church

Wednesdays - 1st and 3rd in month

HOLY COMMUNIONWith prayers for Healing

10am in Church

Wednesdays - last in month

FRIENDS AND NEIGHBOURS GROUP

2pm - 4pm in Church

St Ambrose and St Leonard’s Church‘At the heart of the Community’

Sunday Service 10am

Special noticesRaffling of giant Easter egg. St Ambrose and St Leonard Coffee morning held in the Beehive are raffling a giant Easter egg for the DEC Charity in aid of the famine in Africa. Tickets are £1 and can be purchased at the coffee morning or in Church on a Sunday. Draw will take place on the Wednesday before Easter.

Good Friday. St Ambrose and St Leonard will hold a lay-led Service on Good Friday 14th April starting at 10am. Everyone welcome!

The Zimbabwe community. The Zimbabwe Community will be celebrating Easter with a Service of Worship and Praise on Saturday 15th April starting at 10.30am in St Ambrose & St Leonard Church finishing at 2.15pm. There will be a break for lunch in the Beehive centre between 12.30pm and 1.30pm.

St Ambrose and St Leonard’s Church APCM. This will be held on Sunday 23rd April.  The deadline for all reports is today.

Licensing of Nicola Coleman. The licencing of Nicola Coleman will take place at St. Luke’s Church, Barton Hill on Tuesday 2nd May at 7.30pm, all from the Partnership are invited to welcome her to the Parish and the EBP.

Future items for the pew sheet should be given to Joanna – joannaphillips@blueyonder.co.uk or Alison Cann who will pass them on to Amy, EBP Administrator. Many thanks.

Regular weekly events

Wednesdays HOLY COMMUNION followed by Coffee

10am in Church

Tuesdays - 1st in month

HEALING EUCHARIST

7pm in Church

Beehive Centre regular events for over 55’s

Mondays WELLBEING GROUPPING PONG

11am - 1pm2pm - 4pm

Tuesdays WALKING CLUBLUNCH CLUBFILM CLUB

10.30am - 11.30am12.30pm - 2pm1.45pm

Wednesdays HOLISTIC MASSAGE (fortnightly)TAI CHIART AND CRAFTKEEP FIT

10am - 12pm

11am - 12pm1.30pm - 4pm2pm - 3pm

Thursdays COMPUTER COURSEADVISORY GROUP (monthly)BALLROOM DANCECHAIR YOGA

10am - 12pm12.15pm - 1.15pm

12.30pm - 1.30pm2pm - 3pm

Fridays LINE DANCINGBINGO

10.30am - 11.30am1.30pm - 3.30pm

Please call the Beehive direct on 9354471 for enquiries on these and other activities….

Thought for this week by Rev. Michelle Butcher

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord hear my voice” Psalm 130

Many of us feel the pain, the frustration, the longing of the Psalmist as he searches for God, seeks to hear his voice. I am sure this is a feeling that many of us have experienced at

times on our own journey of faith. This verse is an expression of that deep searching, captured by the author of this Psalm.

This week we are looking at the book of Psalms; a book which expresses the depth of the ‘heart and soul of humanity’, a book which gives us the freedom to express our own feelings and emotions to God.

The book of Psalms is a collection of poetry and prayers, all of which were probably intended to be sung or accompanied by music. There are 150 Psalms, written by a range of authors over a long period of time. Some of the Psalms are more easily placed into a time frame – such as those written by David. Some of the Psalms reveal little about who wrote them or what was happening for the author at that time.

Many of our Psalms are over flowing with joy, praise and thanksgiving – a response to our God and what he has done for us. Others are filled with longing, sorrow, lament, and seeking forgiveness for things gone wrong. Some were sung in response to sickness or bad fortune in life; some were sung at weddings or other special occasions. When they are read together, we can get a picture of how the people of God, the Israelites, understood their God and His presence in all aspects of life.

We are called to do the same. We are called to search for God, to know him in all parts of our life. It is in doing this, that we are led to praise and worship of the God who walks with us in all things, who provides for us, who blesses us in ways we don’t always see.

But, if we are going to be real, and honest before God, then we need to be true to those times when we struggle to see God around us, when we fail to understand why he has allowed something to happen, when we feel we have lost our way. Maybe we find it easy to express these longings and frustration before God in prayer. Maybe this feels strange to us. If so, pick up your Bible, and make one of the Psalms your own prayer.

“O Lord, you have searched me and you know me” Psalm 139

Our Psalms are not only a reminder of our own searching to know God, but they are a reminded that our God searches and knows us. He made us, he cares for us, and he knows the depths of our emotions and feelings. Let us trust him enough to allow ourselves to be real and vulnerable before him. Amen.

Special notices and upcoming events for all

This weekLent Group. This continues on a Tuesday evening at Michelle Butcher’s house from 7.30pm

Music and Readings for Passiontide. This takes place at St Mary’s Church this evening starting at 6.30pm. Everyone welcome!

This monthAgape Meal. This will take place at St John’s Church on Maundy Thursday 13th April at 7pm. If you would like to attend please add you name to a sign-up sheet at the back of your Church or let Amy Donaldson, EBP Administrator know on 9586412 or eastbristol.org@gmail.com. The deadline to confirm attendance will be next Sunday 9th April.

Walking with Jesus to Calvary, Good Friday. On Good Friday (April 14th), we gather in Saint John’s Church at 08:45 for breakfast, before setting out at 09:30 to carry the cross - first to Saint Michael’s Two Mile Hill and then on to the Precinct, near Saint Aidan’s. There will be three ‘stations’ on the way, when everyone has the chance to participate in the action.After the walk, we gather at Summerhill Methodist Church before proceeding to Troopers’ Hill for the 12 o’clock service and a stunning view of Bristol. Just as Jesus prayed over Jerusalem, we shall pray for our city. Do join us!

Further ahead

EBP WEEKEND AWAYThe EBP is going camping!

Friday 28th April - Monday 1st May 2017A group of happy campers are off to Petruth Paddocks, Cheddar, Somerset to camp. This will be a great opportunity to have fun together and deepen friendships. If anyone would

like more information or to book directly please visit www.petruthpaddocks.co.uk.

For those who are not keen on camping there will be an opportunity to come over on the Saturday evening to join in a BBQ and share in some of the crazy camping joy - watch this space……..

Page for PrayerThose we are praying forRev'd Father Robert Britton, Wynn Evans, Jan Thomas, Cynthia Powell, Derek Lucas, Paul Hemmings, Pam Wiltshire, Lee Hurst, Carly Hicks, Margaret Bolley, Paul Brooks, Valerie & Richard Comer and Mervyn & Ruth Miller.

Please keep Amy updated as to who needs prayer. We commit to praying for one month unless otherwise advised.

Joining in PrayerWe would like to encourage you in your prayer and invite you to focus specific

prayers for 5 people by praying in this way

B Body health, protection, wellbeingL Labour employment, unemployment/retirement/adequate incomeE Emotional inner peace, joy, wisdom, insight, patienceS Social healthy relationships with friends/family/colleaguesS Spiritual repentance, salvation, obedience, faith, grace

Pray for our Growth TogetherPlease continue to pray for growth in our Christian community

Eternal Father, look with your love on your people of this benefice and the wider Partnership, and pour upon us the gifts of your Spirit. Draw us to you

and one another that our growing unity may bring healing of life to all, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

This morningWhat has moved you / spoken to you in this Service?

How might this affect your thoughts and actions this week?

Priest-in-Charge of Benefice Rev. Jordan Ling 0117 3304953Focal Minister for St Aidan’s Rev. Canon Trevor Denley 07960 329127Focal Minister for St Michael’s Rev. Nicola Callen 0117 9658833Assistant Curate Rev. Michelle Butcher 07804 610929

East Bristol Partnership OfficeT: 0117 9586412 E: eastbristol.org@gmail.com