The parable of the sower by Marten van Valckenborch 1590
Bible readings: Romans 8:1-11 and Matthew 13.1–9, 18–23
Gospel Reading [NRSVA]
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’
‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’
A ‘thank you’ from Revd Jacky Wise
Thank you … for the most amazing Licensing Service on Monday, and for the many warm welcomes during my first week with you. The service was wonderful and deeply humbling, and I’m so grateful to everyone who contributed, and for all the preparations for the Bring & Share. I’m so excited to be here, and very much looking forward to working with you all as we live the love of God in our communities.
Blessings,
Jacky
A Glorious Celebration
What a glorious celebration we had on Monday as we welcomed the Reverend Jacky Wise as our new Priest in Charge and witnessed her licensing by Bishop David! Some 150 people streamed into St. Mary’s on a sun-drenched evening representing our four churches and we were joined by the King’s representative, the Town Mayor, Staff and children from our schools and representatives of many local organisations. Some of the singing nearly raised the roof.
Bishop David gave Jacky – and ALL of us – a powerful challenge to follow the example of the fishermen in our gospel reading from Luke 5. They did as Jesus said (despite having caught nothing all night!) when he said, ‘Put out into deep water and let down your nets for a catch’ – and the huge catch quite overwhelmed them. We were urged to persevere in faith when we are discouraged and go bravely into the deep waters of new challenges, knowing that Jesus is with us – and be expectant for a great catch, against all the odds. Let us all support Jacky prayerfully in this new chapter in the life of our churches.
Welcome, Jacky – and may God richly bless your ministry among us!
CLUSTER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Celtic Morning Prayer – Each weekday morning on zoom 8:00am – 8:30am. Please email Keno for zoom details.
Fellowship Lunch at St Mary’s – Every Monday midday.
Emmaus is a diverse, friendly group reflecting on a Bible reading every Tuesday, 5-6pm, at Paul Church Hall. All are very welcome.
Psalm Prayer Group – Psalm Prayer Group won’t be meeting this Thursday 16th, but will return on Thursday 23rd July, at the usual time of 11.15am. Everyone is welcome to come and join us then to read, pray and meditate on a psalm. 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
Julian Prayer Group The Julian Group meets at 6pm 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 7pm 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.
The Rainbow Project – Breakfast and Breathe
It was wonderful to see people from Breakfast and Breathe contributing to Revd. Jacky’s licensing service on Monday, both by helping out with refreshments and making a welcome banner for Jacky as they were unable to attend the service. Next time you are at St. Mary’s, look up as you come through the door into the Narthex.
This Monday 13th July we welcome poet Sally Crabtree to Breakfast and Breathe. Sally will be helping with the craft activities for the well-being vending machine.
Also on Monday we welcome Radio Cornwall to St. Mary’s who are coming along to film and chat to a member of the team who has been nominated for the Volunteer category in the Make A Difference awards 2026 and is selected as one of the 4 finalists out of over 400 nominations.
The Rainbow Project
Getting ready for Holiday Club
We have been successful in our application to the St Paul’s Trust for an innovative school and church choir project!
Our Family Worker, Jenny, will be leading a junior choir at St Mary’s C of E School on a weekly basis, then combine them with the church choir at St Mary’s Church for a monthly service.
Both St. Mary’s Church and School are very excited about this project which develops intergenerational links and also will expand our repertoire of worship music.
The project will start in October 2026 and has funding for 12 months initially. Watch this space for more details nearer the time! My thanks to Vicky for helping with the application. Hilary, Rainbow Project Lead
Little Lights
Little Lights for 0- 3 year olds and their carers will be meeting for two weeks before the summer holidays. We offer a safe space out of blazing sunshine for an hour, where families can play, listen to stories, join in with music and have a snack – all free of charge! At St. Mary’s Church on Thursdays 16th and 23rd July, from 1.30-2.30. All welcome, please come and join us. Best wishes, Jenny
Art Exhibition at St Mary’s church
Nature Through Children’s Eyes.
Children from St Mary’s and Madron Daniel CofE schools, share their photographs of nature and tell us what they love.
NightChurch
As we look ahead to July, we are looking forward to gathering for shared meals, creative activities, evening reflections, and welcoming more visitors. These simple acts of eating together, exploring faith and creativity nurture a welcoming and growing worshipping community.
We give thanks to God for all that He is doing through NightChurch. Victoria
CTiPA
Please join ‘Churches Together in Penzance Area’ members and friends in St. Anthony Gardens on Saturday 11th July at 10.30am, to pray together with thousands of Christians on the South West Awake Coastal Path Prayer Event 2026.
