Shepherd and sheep by Anton Mauve
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Bible readings: Acts 2.42-end and John 10.1–10
Gospel Reading [NRSVA]
‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Updates…
Please send all information for the newsletter/blog/website by Wed 29th April noon to Keno at admin@penleecluster.org.uk.
CLUSTER INFORMATION & EVENTS
Owing to there being a funeral at St Mary’s on Thursday April 30th the Coffee morning, Communion and Psalm group for that morning have been cancelled.
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. Thursday 23rd and Thursday 30th cancelled. Next session will be Thursday 7th May. 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 Our next monthly contemplative prayer session will be on Monday 27th April at 5.30pm at St Mary’s. Last Monday of the month. We look forward to being together in silent worship. Vicky
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.
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
St John’s Church and Playzone
Do join us for our 11am Friday services! We are also pleased to announce that the Civic Service will be held at St. John’s as usual this year, on Sunday 21st June at 11am following the procession from St John’s Hall to the church. Revd. Derath Durkin
Sustainable Sunday
The next Sustainable Sunday event will be on Sunday 24th May from 2:30pm – 4:30pm. Swap an item of clothing or book or pay just 50p per item of clothing or £1 a book. Refreshments and Messy Church Activities for children and Families will be run by Family Worker Jenny. Please spread the word about this, come along and bring a friend!
Night Church
We are delighted that NightChurch will be reopening next Wednesday 29th April, a space for connection and spiritual nourishment with the heart of Jesus’ promise of life in all its fullness. As well as ‘being with’ NightChurch offers guests the opportunity to share, reflect, and be uplifted, now with the addition of a new evening programme. Please keep this important ministry in your prayers as we gather and grow together. Victoria
Paul Tuesday Talks
History, secrets, books and bees!
A talk by Jane Johnson
Tuesday May 5th
Jane Johnson is a Cornish writer and publisher. She is the author of many works of historical fiction, some set in Cornwall, others in Morocco; and in her day job is a Publishing Director at HarperCollins Publishers, where she is responsible for publishing many bestselling writers including George RR Martin, and was for many years the publisher of JRR Tolkien’s work.
Her latest novel is SECRETS OF THE BEES – set *very* locally, including even scenes at Paul Church! She will also talk a little about the novel she’s currently working on – HEART OF SAFFRON, an historical thriller set partly now and partly in the 18th century set in the Lizard Peninsula, and she will bring some books for sale. Doors open 7pm, talk starts at 7.30pm. £5 entry includes nibbles.
Rainbow Project
As you know the Rainbow project is changing from 1st May. Molly is taking redundancy and Jenny’s hours are cut from 15 hours to 10 hours a week. We will endeavour to keep as much provision for children and families as we can. Little Lights has started at Newlyn this week and starting on Monday 11th May at St Mary’s there will be a ‘Breakfast and Well-being’ group with food, fellowship and well-being activities. This is run by both Jenny and Molly with Molly as a volunteer. The Breakfast and Wellbeing group will run from 9:30- 11:30am. We hope to link with Christian Aid’s Big Breakfast in May. Watch this space!
Thursday 30th April is Molly’s last day of work. I am sure you will want to thank Molly for all the work she has done in connecting the church with the wider community in Penzance; from her development and management of Playzone when this was first established to her work from September 2022 to present as Family Worker. In this role Molly has worked with our Church Schools, supporting children and families, worked with families in the Penzance area (often referred to the project by Social Care) and, since Rev Sian retired, continued to successfully manage and lead the Holiday Clubs for children. These have been part of our offer since 2013!
It has been so rewarding to see Molly grow and develop as a person and in her work. Her care and compassion for helping those in need and genuinely ‘being alongside’ is discernible in all her interactions. Molly has found employment with WeAreWithYou and will be supporting teenagers and young people with addiction issues. We pray for Molly and wish her well for her future. She will always have a warm welcome at Penlee Cluster of Churches and we are confident that she will continue to make a positive difference to people’s lives. Thank you Molly!
We are collecting for a leaving gift for Molly. Please contact Jenny, Keno, Hilary or Penny at St Mary’s if you would like to make a donation. We will be presenting this to Molly on Sunday 3rd May at St Mary’s. Hilary
Dear Cluster congregations
You may have heard about the group of Spanish students who have spent time in local primary schools over previous summers as part of their work experience placement. Each year they have a wonderful time getting involved with school life, practicing their English, and learning about British culture. We are incredibly grateful to the community for the warm welcome they receive each year.
This is a well-established programme that we have been running successfully for over 20 years, and we are delighted to say that we would love to repeat this enriching experience this summer. We are currently looking for local hosts in the Penwith area who would be interested in hosting two of the students for two weeks. The students would spend their days at a primary school local to you, supporting teachers and pupils, and return to their hosts after school.
Host families receive payment for accommodating the students, and we will provide full guidance and support throughout their stay. We are based in Gulval for the entire duration of the visit, and are always available to offer help and support to both students and host families if needed.
The dates are Saturday 4th July to 18th July.
If you think you might be interested or would simply like to find out more, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly.
E mail address: Kernoualles@yahoo.es
or preferably by phone or Whatapp 00 34 652768915
Thank you for your consideration in helping make this programme such a success.
Warm regards,
Janet Pearce
