10th century ivory relief of The Ascension
The Seventh Sunday of Easter
Bible readings: Acts 1:6-14 and John 17.1–11
Gospel Reading [NRSVA]
Jesus prays for his disciples
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
Updates…
Please send all information for the newsletter/blog/website by Wednesday noon to Keno at admin@penleecluster.org.uk.
CLUSTER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Celtic Morning Prayer – Each weekday morning on zoom 8:00am – 8:30am. Please email Keno for zoom details.
Psalm Prayer Group – Every Thursday at 11:15am we read, pray and meditate on a Psalm. Come and join us at St Mary’s. Josie
Meditation Group – Every Friday a Meditation group meets at St Mary’s church at 10:30am. This is a welcoming and supportive space for everyone in the community. Vicky
Christian Meditation and Contemplative Prayer – Last Monday of the month at St Mary’s at 5:30pm. We look forward to being together in silent worship. Vicky
Little Lights Group at St Peter’s church on Wednesdays 9.30am-10.30am, and at St Mary’s Church on Thursdays 1.30pm-2.30pm. Please share with anyone you know who has children aged 0-3 years. Many thanks. Jenny
Julian Prayer Group – The Julian Group meets at 6:00pm at St. Pol de Leon church on the first Sunday of the month, and online via zoom other Sundays. If you would like to attend, please email Mel at mlevesconte@hotmail.co.uk for zoom details.
Prayer Requests – If you are concerned about someone and would like their name included in the Prayer Request Group’s weekly prayer list, please do email Mel by 7:00pm on Tuesday evenings.
If you would like to join the group and could spend a little time each week praying the list in your personal prayer time, please do contact Mel at mlevesconte@hotmail.co.uk who will add you to the circulation list. Information is not shared and members’ names are not circulated within or outside the group.
Art Exhibition at St Peter’s church, Newlyn.
From Saturday 23rd May to Friday 29th May, between 11am and 4pm (from 12:30 on Sunday). Over 30 local artists represented. Paintings, prints, cards, demonstrations, music. Refreshments: tea, coffee and cakes. Part sales to the Fishermen’s Mission, Newlyn.
If anyone would like to help during the week please let Lynda or Diane know.
Sustainable Sunday
Sunday 24th May at St Mary’s church. 2:30-4:30pm. St Mary’s Act on Poverty group together with Family Worker Jenny are holding the next Sustainable Sunday event on Sunday 24th May. This event will also have a Messy Church Pentecost Activity for families to take part in. Any contributions for refreshments gratefully received. Please list ingredients used so we are allergy aware. Please spread the word about this, come along and bring a friend! Jenny
Experience After Easter
After the success of Experience Easter prayer stations for schools before Easter, we are providing Experience After Easter prayer stations for some students of St Mary’s School on Tuesday 19th May 8:30am-12:30pm. Looking forward to welcoming them. Jenny
Breakfast and breathe
This group for parents and carers met for the first time last Monday 11th May at St Mary’s. We shared breakfast, friendship and information about The Beacon of Hope urban farming project in Dargoretti Informal Community, Nairobi Kenya where Fridah has created an innovative ‘cone’ garden. We ended with planting seeds, thinking and praying for our own community and The Beacon of Hope community in Kenya.
We also asked for suggestions for names for this new group and ‘Breakfast and Breathe’ won!. The group will share breakfast, have craft activities available and also have an optional gentle faith-related activity. Please let Family Worker Jenny know if you are coming to this so we know numbers.
Send a sheep!
Did you know there are 1277 days from birth to nursery? The ‘1277 Make Them Count‘ group support church toddler groups throughout the country with resources and prayer. https://1277.org.uk/
June is the national month of prayer for toddler groups. Resources for this month are focussed on Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and each toddler group is encouraged to send a sheep to a central address. All the sheep (with the toddler group name attached) will be taken to parliament on June 1st by members of 1277, where there will be a reception for invited toddler group leaders, MPs and others to highlight the role of these groups.
Could you donate a sheep? (Not a live or life size one!😂) The sheep can be handmade (knitted, sewn, crocheted etc) or bought secondhand or new and not fragile as it will be posted.
If you’d like to send a sheep, please let Jenny know. If we get enough sheep, the groups can choose which to send, and will keep the rest for activities in June! Any sheep need to get to Jenny by Sunday May 24th please. Many thanks, Baaaa! Jenny
NightChurch
This week at NightChurch we welcomed 23, along with 4 visitors who were spending time on holiday. We shared stir fry together around a bigger table before gathering in the chapel for the evening reflection ‘being known and loved’.
During the reflection we heard the words: “Being known can heal something deep inside us. Not because all problems disappear, but because shame loses some of its power.
We reflected on how many people carry shame “like a backpack full of bricks” through painful experiences, addiction, debt, poor mental health, grief, broken relationships, or choices they cannot undo. Together we considered one of the central messages of the Gospel: “You are not your worst day. You are more than your addiction. More than your criminal record. More than your diagnosis. More than your debt. More than what happened to you.”
The reflection reminded us that every person carries value simply because they are loved by God, not because they have earned it, “loved before success, before recovery, before getting everything sorted out. Loved for who they are, not what they can do.”
We finished the reflection in prayer, lifting up each person by name, known and loved by God.
The evening was followed by a workshop where we continued creating our individual mini artworks, each one becoming part of a larger collaborative piece. Together they reflected the beauty of many different stories contributing towards one shared whole. Victoria
OTHER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Thy Kingdom Come 2026 – Thursday 14 to Sunday 24 May
For this 2026 season of PrayingTogether, Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) has the theme God With Us. With the help of leaders from across the traditions, over the 11 days, TKC will explore a different Bible story each day, which demonstrates God’s transformative presence, power and love at work in the lives of people and communities.
https://www.thykingdomcome.global
Resources available online and at St Mary’s church.
Taizé at Pentecost
High Street Methodist Church – Sunday 31st May. Come along to a Taizé service for Pentecost at High Street Methodist Church on Sunday 31st May at 2.30pm to celebrate God’s unending generosity with praise, worship and prayers of thankfulness. Followed by refreshments and fellowship.
A Million Acts of Hope campaign
Taking place from May 13 to 20, 2026, celebrating acts of kindness, care, and connection across the UK. It aims to highlight the positive actions happening in communities to counter division and hate.
Purpose: Celebrate Kindness: Highlight everyday acts of kindness and community support. Counter Division: Address societal divisions by promoting unity and compassion.
A Million Acts of Hope serves as a reminder of the power of community and the importance of fostering hope in challenging times. By participating, individuals can contribute to a larger movement aimed at building stronger, more connected communities.
