This week's News

NEW FOOD BANK INITIATIVE, together with school & pre-school,

our ‘Community Kitchen Cupboard’ is now up & running!

(The 'C.K.C.')

This informal, free service is for anyone in our community who might be struggling or just needs a bit of extra help ~ please, just come & help yourselves from the shelves.

As you can see from the video, come on into the entrance of the church which is open each day (even if the door is shut, please try it, as it is usually unlocked from approx. 8.45am-4pm, or later on days where there is evening Mass) including during the summer holidays.
The Community Kitchen Cupboard is at the end of the entrance area - take a bag and take what you need for you / your family.

Also, if anyone is in a position to donate tinned & packet items for the CKC please leave items in the box at the bottom of the cupboard for our team to sort out and label.

We have loads of pasta and tins of beans/veg/pulses/soups etc at the moments but would love some more toilet rolls, tea, coffee, lunchbox snacks such as individual biscuits or dried fruit boxes etc, tinned or packet desserts (rice pudding / custard etc) and sanitary items.

We hope this will be a useful initiative for our community and we would welcome any helpful feedback and offers to join the team of people checking and re-stocking on a rota basis each day.

Cream Tea Time
"Sunday 14th July, a notably busy day for many between Glastonbury pilgrimage, children’s celebrations and THAT game on TV! Yet 30 or so people from our parish community and beyond came together to enjoy home baked scones, clotted cream, jam, home baked cakes, hand made crafts and enjoy a quiz for which Mike Ryan’s answers were not always 'the final answer'!
All these treats, food and joy lead to a healthy £348.12 for our parish projects - Brandon Trust's Playlinks scheme in South Gloucestershire and Little Sisters Of The Poor's new lift and call alarm system in their residential home."
Tim Johnston.
A big thanks to the team who put this lovely afternoon event together and to all who supported it.
Look out for more events coming soon!

Thanks Deacon Vincent, for your Reflections for Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

1st Reading from the prophet Jeremiah 23: 1-6.
In this passage Jeremiah is trying to instil hope into the desperate Exiles in Babylon. There had been a series of cataclysmic rebellions against Babylon, which had resulted in the destruction of the Temple and major parts of Jerusalem and the leaders and prominent people together with craftsmen were deported. People were in despair, and God has prompted Jeremiah to say that the Shepherds of the people of Israel had failed to listen to God’s warnings and had encouraged the people to adopt pagan ways and practices. But God is saying that they must retain hope, for there will be a restoration, and a return to Israel for a remnant; then Jeremiah is filled with God’s inspiration and proclaims the coming of a Messiah, of the House of David, who will fill the land with righteousness. We are not sure who Jeremiah had in mind, but early Christians immediately equated this passage as referring to Jesus. But we make a mistake in thinking of prophecy as foretelling the future; when in fact, it is, that prophets reveal the way in which God operates. When the early Christians looked back into scripture to see how they could understand the Jesus narrative, that is what is meant by “prophecy”.

Psalm 22.
Here we have the most well-known of the psalms, the beautiful description of God as the Good Shepherd. Christians immediately saw Jesus reflected in this psalm, which is natural as he is God’s only Son. We continue God’s theme of how a shepherd of God’s people should behave. God make us holy as you are holy.

2nd Reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians 2: 13-18.
This reading points to the centrality of Christ, in uniting Gentile and Jew in his risen body. By his death and resurrection, Christ has united us all. Christ makes a tangible difference to all our lives. Through him we have through the one Spirit been given a pathway to the Father. This passage is a theological vision of the work of the Eucharist within our Communities. We are all united in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Good Shepherd that God envisaged for the restoration of God’s Holy People.

The Holy Gospel according to Mark 6: 30-34.

The Apostles return to Jesus filled with joy and excitement of what they had done and taught. It is one of the most joyous occasions in Jesus Ministry to realise that his Apostles really could carry out His Mission. Jesus now knows that the Gospel will be proclaimed after he is taken from us. Look at his concern for their welfare. You must rest, come away to a lonely place and recoup. We follow this practice when we seek a quiet retreat. It is important not to overwork ourselves for we become vulnerable to the temptations of the wily one when we are exhausted. But the people guess where they are going, and they dash round for more from them. But it is Jesus who takes up the baton and teaches them, allowing his Apostles some respite. We encounter the loving and caring Jesus in this Gospel passage and once again have a picture of what a Good Shepherd we have in Jesus. Jesus cares about our welfare and in his Gospels, he leaves an image of how he has become God’s special Shepherd who is always at hand to look after God’s sheep (all of us) and guide us to the Father.

God grant us the grace to follow Jesus more closely and so come close to you.
Deacon Vincent