Parish Newsletter

Parish Newsletter

June:

  • Weds 5th  : Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12, Village Hall
  • Weds 12th : Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12, Village Hall
  • Sun 16th :  Family Eucharist 09.30, refreshments. Village Hall
  • Weds 19th: Art Club,10-12, Village Hall
  • Sun 23rd  :  Children’s Messy Church 13.30-15.00 Village Hall
  • Weds 26th: Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12, Village Hall

July:

  • Weds 3rd : Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12, Village Hall
  • Weds 10th : Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12, Village Hall
  • Weds, 17th : Art Club, 10-12, Village Hall
  • Weds 24th : Crafty Coffee and Cake Club 10-12 Village Hall
  • Sun 26th :  Family Eucharist 09.30, refreshments. Village Hall
  • Sun 26th   : Messy Church, 1.30 – 3.00
  • NOTE: While Algarkirk’s church is closed for health and safety reasons, villagers are invited to join worshippers at our sister churches in Kirton and Fosdyke. Kirton’s services are at 11.00 each week, and Fosdyke’s at 09.30 on the second and fourth Sundays of the month.   

Thanks for the support!

We launched a “Save our Church” appeal, in the village with a house to house collection. Although we were not able to pick all the envelopes up (no-one home, etc) I want to say a huge thank you for the support of the village. Whether it was pennies or pounds – and some were very generous – we have raised over £400 towards the church match funding. Our online Crowdfunding campaign is currently just over £1000. There is still a very long way to go, but we are all working hard at it. If anyone didn’t get their envelope, please collected call Cheryllyn on 07796010319 to arrange a pick-up, or go to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-algarkirk-church  to make a donation.

Thank-you!

We are also saying thanks to our Paybackers. Not only have they continued their sterling work around the churchyard, Village Hall and Playing Field, they have also been working on a special project to make the graveyard more environmentally sustainable and to attract wildlife. As part of this they were entered into 2019 Lincolnshire Environmental Awards competition, and their collection of wildlife boxes, compost programmes and special planting has been awarded a “Highly Commended” by the judges. Considering they have only just started this project, this is very pleasing. Don’t forget that cuttings, bulbs and other plants will all be very welcome as donations. The Payback team are at the church on a Tuesday and Sunday, between 09.30 and 3.00 and will be delighted to receive your plants.

On a less positive note, the Paybackers have done a lot of work by the bridge between the churchyard and Sutterton. Unfortunately, on a regular basis someone is breaking down the post and rail barriers, and kicking over the insect boxes. When something nice is happening in the village, it is up to all of us to help keep it that way. Please keep an eye out, and remind children how important it is that we all work towards making the village a good place to be.

The church is still closed because there is scaffolding up inside, and we wouldn’t want children to have access to the risk. I know it is difficult for those who would like to go inside for quiet reflection, or to worship, but we are holding services in the Village Hall which have proved very popular and friendly. You can keep up with all the news on our website, (www.algarkirkchurch.org.uk) and through notices on the board outside the church. Messy church will continue to meet on every fourth Sunday, and the craft and art clubs are going strong. If you would like to come along, you are very welcome. They are friendly groups, and we all have a lot of fun. If you need a lift, call Cheryllyn on 07796010319 or email at Cheryllynh@gmail.com .

The View from the Vicarage

This month in two of our three Churches we celebrate our Patronal Festival June 30th – the holy apostles Peter and Paul, the dedication of Kirton and Algarkirk Churches .

There are many myths surrounding these two major figure of the Church. For example concerning the apostle Peter, it is said that he founded the Church of Rome. This is untrue. In fact he founded the Church of Antioch, where the disciples were first called ‘Christians’, as is related to us in the Acts of the Apostles. The Church of Rome was founded by the apostle Paul. That is why he wrote an epistle to the Romans. The apostle Peter did not write an epistle to the Romans. Indeed, it is believed that he was illiterate and dictated his memories and thoughts to St Mark, who wrote them down in a Gospel and later also wrote down from dictation the epistles of Peter.

It is also claimed that not only did the apostle Peter found the Church of Rome, but that somehow this gives the Church of Rome some special supremacy and superiority over all the other Churches. This is clearly not true, for the Church of Antioch, which was founded by St Peter, has never claimed any superiority. In reality, when our Lord says in the Gospel: ‘Thou art a rock and on this rock I will build my Church’, it refers not to some special authority given to Peter, it concerns all who confess Christ as the Son of the Living God. All who make this confession have authority, all who confess Christ truly are rocks and are granted the keys to the kingdom. 

Another foolish theory is somehow that these  apostles represent different groups of Christian. Thus, St Peter represents Roman Catholics, St Paul the Protestants and some have said St John represents the Orthodox. But how can the apostles Peter and Paul represent groups which broke away from the Church in the eleventh and sixteenth centuries, when they themselves lived and were martyred in the first century? 

 Having spoken of these myths, what then can we say of the apostles Peter and Paul?

First of all, we can say that they were very different.

Peter was one of the twelve disciples. Paul was converted after the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ. Peter was a fisherman, probably illiterate. Paul was a highly-educated rabbi. Peter was a provincial from the back of beyond Galilee. Paul was a Roman citizen who was able to speak in public in sophisticated Athens.

Peter’s real name was Simon, meaning ‘he who obeys’ and his nickname was ‘Cephas’ in Aramaic or Petros in Greek, meaning ‘the rock’, because his confession of faith in Christ the Son of God was rock solid. Paul’s real name was Saul, meaning ‘the destroyer’, which was changed to Paul, meaning in Latin ‘short in height’ or ‘small’, no doubt because he was short and small.

Peter renounced Jesus three times before His Crucifixion, which is why he had to repent three times after the Resurrection, answering Christ’s threefold question ‘Do you love me?’, as is related to us at the end of St John’s Gospel. Paul persecuted the Church and probably took part in the stoning of the First Martyr,  Stephen. Peter worked to convert the Jews, travelling to Egypt. Paul travelled everywhere he could and is known as ‘the apostle of the Gentiles’, the Non-Jews.

Despite all these differences, the two apostles had one vital thing in common.

This is that they both lived the miracle of repentance. The disciple Simon showed obedience and faith, was called Peter – a rock – and so was given keys to the kingdom, as all who confess the faith. And the persecutor Saul was converted on the road to Damascus, as is recounted in Acts Chapter 9, and so Saul became Paul. Thus both apostles Peter and Paul entered Rome and their repentance was crowned with martyrdom.

As we look at the personalities of Peter and Paul, we see that God called them to use their very different personalities to spread the Gospel. It is a reminder to us that our talents and our weaknesses too can become God’s means of helping others, if we allow. We don’t have to be perfect for God to work through us, God can work through us, faults and all, as he did with Peter and Paul.