Author: Fr. Josiah Myles-Abadoo

Listening and learning.

It is always essential to try to hear something, be alert, ready always to hear something, and take notes. When we are keen to listen, the window is always opened for learning, and this opportunity must always be taken advantage of. I am thankful to God for allowing me to serve the lovely people of St. Anselm Church and the people of Hayes for the past year. 

This year has been a year of listening and learning. 

It is worth acknowledging that although the journey has not been entirely smooth, God has always been faithful and still supporting and opening our hearts and minds to new things that have been treasured so much. 

We are now moving into a new chapter, especially with the blissful collation service of our new Vicar, Fr. Matthew, who, together with his family, has been with us through thick and thin. 

This is all the handwork of God, and it portrays the direction God is moving St. Anselm towards, which we should be thankful for.

Luke 10:16 says, 

“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me”. 

Both Fr. Matthew and I have been sent to be with God’s lovely people in this church to serve and listen to what God is saying to us and his people. Therefore, the word of God will guide, lead, teach, and encourage all of us in the church of God so that we can serve each other and this wonderful community. May God help us. Amen 

Fr. Josiah

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Readings for Sunday 1st October

Other News

I want to thank everyone for an amazing service last week. Bishop Jonathan and Archdeacon Catherine were very taken with everyones love and friendship. We were well over 100 and the joy in the room was tangible. Thank you for all the hard work, all the lovely messages, and all the lovely food! – Fr. Matthew, Catherine & Edmund

There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

There is a brass band concert at St. Anselm on the 7th October (flyers in church with all the details). Tickets £2

Thursday Fun & Fellowship is ON for Thursday! There are some new games to play and as always a friendly group of people ready to have a chat, share a coffee and bit of cake, and generally make the world that little bit better.

Rotas – please sign up for the tea & coffee and the reading rotas at the back of church.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Miracles Still Happen

During the week, I had an encounter with a wonderful woman, and after the conversation, something came to mind, and I have been thinking about it ever since. I have this conviction that nothing happens by chance and that, as a Christian who believes in God, everything happens for a reason, not just by chance. I have been thinking of miracles and how often we experience them without knowing they are miracles. 

Miracles are always extraordinary, are manifestations, and they are also divine interventions.  Miracles can be experienced in different ways, and it is essential to acknowledge that all miracles emanate from God. It’s all about God and not man. It is available for all, and we experience it all the time because life is a miracle. 

We experience miracles when the spirit of God leads us, have a forgiving heart, are always thankful, full of praise to God even in difficult times, have an unshaken faith, and exhibit the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.” 

This Sunday is the Feast of the Transfiguration of The Lord, a miracle that cannot be understood. No wonder the celebrated theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, refers to the transfiguration as ‘The Greatest Miracle’ because it goes a long way to complement the Holy Baptism and portrays how perfect life is in heaven.  

God is already performing miracles in our lives, so let us continue to trust him and allow Him to have His way in our affairs.

Fr. Josiah

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The Historic 59 Club is back this Thursday from 6pm to 9pm, come and join them for the monthly meet.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are still encouraging those who would like to read in church and also help serve tea and coffee to contact Susan.

Fan Into Flame, The Gift of God in you

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands (2 Timothy 1:6). 

Each of us has unique gifts that came from God, and we must fan them or stir them up for them to benefit the assembly of God. Sometimes we belittle what is in us and cannot stir it up to achieve our full potential. This is because we think we have nothing to offer or that what God has given us is irrelevant. It is important to note that every Christian has a ministry in the church of God, and we need to develop them through the power of the Holy Spirit poured on us at Baptism. 

We cannot build our gifts when we hide them and do not make them relevant in the church and the community. No God-given gift is too small or irrelevant because God gives every skill or talent to help the assembly grow, develop and flourish. Therefore, the power and authority of God are always at work in the church, where every gift is made evident and relevant.  

Let us look deep within us in devotion, meditation and prayer through the power of the Holy Spirit to discern what God wants us to use our gifts for in the church and the community of believers. This will help us fan into flame the gift of God in us by making ourselves available to the things of God and playing an active role in any area of the Church’s life.

Fr. Josiah

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There will be Sunday School NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Our Thursday Fun & Fellowship (TFF) is on again this Thursday at 7pm. It’s going to be a great evening of conversation, board games, all with tea, coffee & cake. Please be in touch with Fr. Josiah if you could lend a hand serving or having a chat with people.

Thursday fun and fellowship.

Have we considered the importance of fellowshipping and recreational activities with friends, especially church members? 

St. Anselm Church is a family like any other church, but we always pride ourselves in the fact that our family is unique because we have purposed in our hearts to grow together and support each other with the help of God. 

Our history tells us that we have been through many good and challenging times, but we have stayed together as one big and loving family that is always welcoming. 

We must always be thankful to God, continue to rely on His promptings and be ready to move on steadily through the power of the Holy Spirit. Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything through him who strengthens me”.

It is essential as a church to come together on Sundays and other days to fellowship and have fun through recreational activities because it helps improve our mental, physical and spiritual well-being. 

This will help improve our quality of life, make new friends, learn new things and share our experiences. Life is challenging and very stressful, and we must ensure that we take care of ourselves through recreational activities to avoid or minimise stress. The church is creating an avenue for us to take some time out of our busy schedule to play games, uplift our souls with some refreshing words of God, drink tea & coffee with our friends and pray together. 

Come and be part of our new church activity dubbed Thursday Fun and Fellowship (TFF) starting on Thursday, 27th July, from 7-8:30 pm every Thursday. Come out and enjoy yourselves. 

Fr. Josiah

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Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. There is Sunday School THIS WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

You’ll notice over the summer that either Fr. Josiah and       Fr. Matthew may be away on Sundays – this is not because they’re having wonderful holidays but because they’re covering services at other churches who are not as fortunate in having two Priests!

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done.

A light, and a lamp.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105) 

The word of God is our lamp that helps us to see things around us and be able to make the right decisions in life. It also serves as a light on our path in order to see our way clear and be bold and move on in this life with purpose. In fact, the word of God is the manual that must dictate the lifestyle of every Christian.  

The Psalmist makes it clear 

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.” (Psalm 1:1-2) 

Most of us have the desire to peruse the word of God but sometimes doing it alone makes it difficult and unexciting especially when we come across texts that are difficult to comprehend. 

We believe that the time is ripe to present an opportunity for everyone to share thoughts and personal understanding of specific biblical texts. 

The psalm encourages us to be in the counsel of the godly and contemplate continuously on the word of God. 

This is a window opened for all of us to meditate on scripture together and encourage ourselves with scripture. 

So, we are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done. 

Fr. Josiah

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Other news

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. Our next Sunday school is NEXT WEEK at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We’ll be updating the prayer list next week. If you would like somebody to stay on the list, or if you’d like to add or remove somebody please do speak to Susan.

You’ll notice over the summer that either Fr. Josiah and       Fr. Matthew may be away on Sundays – this is not because they’re having wonderful holidays but because they’re covering services at other churches who are not as fortunate in having two Priests!

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are planning a Bible Study Evening for Thursdays starting on 27th July, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm. We will come together to have informal discussions on interesting topics in the Bible, share ideas, experiences, have tea / coffee, pray, and play board games together. Let us pray about it for the will of God to be done.

Free Will

1 Corinthians 6:12 says

 “All things are lawful for me”, but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me”, but I will not be enslaved by anything.” 

God has given us free will which makes us decide the path we want to tread but it is always important to take a step back and reflect on every decision, plan and action whether it is helpful. 

The fact that we have money and can buy whatever food we want does not mean every food is good for us. We can express ourselves anyway we prefer but we must do it by taking cognisance of the outcome. 

Indeed, our ability to control ourselves is very key in this journey of ours and discerning what the spirit wants us to do is key in our Christian life. 

Free will is for us to be able to control our actions not allowing ourselves to be enslaved by things that are not helpful. 

Sheep have shepherds but it does not mean they cannot take decisions, they will need a shepherd who is able to see what is ahead of them and direct them to the right path where they can feel protected, nourished and fulfil their purpose.

We all find ourselves in situations where we find it difficult to discern the will of God in our lives. 

That is why it is important to allow God to be our shepherd, so that we will not be enslaved by unhelpful things and become like sheep without a shepherd. Let God’s will be done.

Fr. Josiah

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Other News

Our new Sunday School is up and running and is an hour after mass every other Sunday. Our next Sunday school is next week (25th June) at 11:30am-12:30pm. Please invite and encourage your children to come.

We have moved the first 59 Club meeting to the 13th July.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Live Streaming of Daily Prayer & Mass. Our internet connection has stabilised after several weeks of disruption and so we are pleased to be able offer live streaming of the daily offices and mass again – thank you for your patience as we deal with the gremlins affecting this!

The Trinity, at work in us.

Trinity portrays the unity of God the Father, God the Son and God the holy Spirit. From Latin Trinitas which means threefold. 

We believe that there is one God who we see as the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a way of describing God who is Lord over the universe. 

“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
(1 Corinthians 8:6). 

Jesus always talked about the unity that existed between him and the Father and the Holy Spirit. This moves us into being united with him as well so that we can get to the Father through him. He has also asked the Father who has sent unto us the Holy Spirit the advocate and comforter who will lead us into all truth, therefore making us fit for purpose.

The unity of the triune God must move all and sundry to come together in love and unity to work for the greater good of the Church of God just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit coexists. 

Although there is one God who exists eternally as three distinct persons, there is nothing that is secret between them, they all work in unison and there is no discord in them.  

In our lives as Christians, we are individual instruments in a symphony orchestra playing different parts, but working together to achieve harmony of sounds which will be pleasing to all. 

Fr. Josiah

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Thank you so much to all the children and to Fr. Josiah and to Susan for such an uplifting and spirit filled service of Pentecost last Sunday – the children were absolutely amazing and we look forward to more in the future. 

Sunday School will be running for an hour after Mass each Sunday from next week.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to take Food Hygiene Training so we can offer our little coffee bike at various events and for the 59 Club evenings soon to be arriving at St. Anselm. Training will be next week so there’s still time to sign up if you would like to be part of it.

We need volunteers for the tea and coffee after church. The rota isn’t getting very much love and it often falls to Fr. Josiah, Fr. Matthew, Susan or Ruth to sort it quickly at the end of mass. It really needs some dedicated love! Please see Ruth or sign up on the sheet at the door.

To serve, is to seek holiness.

“… make you His service your delight and your wants shall be His care”.

(Nahum Tate & Nicholas Brady).

The assembly will always need devoted and dedicated Christians to serve in different capacities to ensure the continuous growth and development of the church of God. 

Are you being called to serve in the house of God and help bring others to the light of Christ through your devotion to things of God Almighty? 

The church of God is the Body of Christ made up of different parts and abundantly filled with gifts and talents beyond imagining, but it is incumbent upon all of us to stir it up by availing ourselves to the service of God. We all have a lot to offer in the family of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

I came across this interesting quote and I think it is nice to share, it is from Michael Franti (An American Musician and Poet), and he says, 

“Music was a central part of my childhood because my mother played organ and piano in the church, and that meant all us kids had to be in the church choir.” 

We play different roles in the church of God, and it can encourage others to also support with every gift they have. 

There are different roles of service in the church today and it is our prayer that God moves us to identify something we can help with. He will bless us because whatever we do in the church is to the glory of God and not man.

Fr. Josiah 

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Readings and Children’s Look Sheet available soon.

Other news

We are launching a new Sunday School after mass on Sundays. Fr. Josiah will be working with the children as they prepare to lead our Pentecost Sunday service. Please speak to Fr. Josiah for more details.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

Thanks to everyone who has signed up to take Food Hygiene Training so we can offer our little coffee bike at various events and for the 59 Club evenings soon to be arriving at St. Anselm. Training will be in two weeks so there’s still time to sign up if you would like to be part of it.

We need volunteers for the tea and coffee after church. The rota isn’t getting very much love and it often falls to Fr. Josiah, Fr. Matthew, Susan or Ruth to sort it quickly at the end of mass. It really needs some dedicated love! Please see Ruth or sign up on the sheet at the door.

Pentecost is coming.

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

Acts 2:2-3

Pentecost is approaching and our young ones will be leading the service on this very important day in the liturgical calendar. 

Pentecost Sunday falls on the 28th of May, it is the 50th day after Easter and known as Whit Sunday and brings the Easter season to an end. We will be honoured to have our lovely ones sing to the glory of God, do the readings, play a musical instrument, and do the intercession and exhibit the gifts God has given them through the power of the Holy Spirit, a day of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles.

Our children are eager to play their part in the kingdom business and our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ have shown us how important it is to allow them to come to him. 

Some of us have volunteered to help teach them throughout this month to get them ready for Pentecost Sunday. 

We will be meeting them after church for some few minutes to take them through their roles and give them time to practise and be more confident. 

You can also come on board to make this happen to the honour of God through our prayers, ideas, support in the teaching and practise, teaching materials, and any other way to make them enjoy every bit of their meetings.

Fr. Josiah

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We will be open on Saturday 6th May to show the Coronation service live from Westminster Abbey on the big screens at the front of church. There’ll be tea & cake and I’m sure much merriment! Come along and join in.

Fr. Matthew is to be made vicar of the parish at a special service with Bishop Jonathan on Sunday 21st May at 3pm here at St. Anselm’s. He will be organising a big party afterwards and the 59 club (and all their motorbikes!) are being invited as he will also be being commissioned as Chairman of the club at the same service. Please be in touch with him if you would like to help with organising the party afterwards.

Please sign up for Parish Giving (which is a wonderful way to support St. Anselm and helps us claim more money from the government) Go to stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/giving or call the Parish Giving Team directly on 0333 002 1271 quoting our parish number, which is: 230 623 503.

We are launching a new Sunday School after mass on Sundays from this week. Fr. Josiah will be working with the children as they prepare to lead our Pentecost Sunday service. Please speak to Fr. Josiah for more details.