Category: Announcements

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.

Holy rest, why is it so important.

It is often said that Priests, when they preach, do so primarily to themselves. This may well be an example of me writing an article I need to read!

We have a packed Autumn Term planned, there is something happening every week and we’re all working super hard to bring new people to Jesus Christ here at St. Anselm.

As we come to the summer school holidays it’s a good time to reflect on our workloads and consider a time of rest and relaxation.

This isn’t being lazy, it isn’t running away – it is vital if we are to be in the best shape possible to welcome the people of Hayes as they discover us through the mission and evangelism work we are all working so hard on. 

What good will we be if, when children arrive for Sunday School we are so worn down and grumpy that the welcome they receive is anything less than loving and enthusiastic? 

What good will we be if, when people who come on Thursday evening to the 59 Club or Fun & Fellowship are faced with sourness and tired disciples?

God gave us the sabbath – our day of rest – as a model of His being, of His love. 

To love Him, is to accept His rest… to be like the disciple that Jesus loved and to recline our heads in His lap.

Thank you for all you have done this year. Rest now. Come back re-energised and full of Love for Him.

Fr. Matthew

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There is Sunday School THIS 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.

Fr. Josiah is launching the first Fun & Fellowship evening 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. 

It’s mission, but not as we know it.

Last Thursday we launched the first of two new Thursday evening events designed to reach out into the wider community of Hayes and make people feel welcome. 

Last week we heard about our new initiative ‘Thursday Fun & Fellowship” and this week I get to share “Spanners and Coffee”.

Our new monthly meet of the famous 59 Club will happen on the second Thursday of each month.

This week we saw a huge diversity of people attend – people who rode Triumphs, Hondas, Harleys, Aprilias, BMWs – they were all represented!

We welcomed people who have lived in Hayes their entire lives and remembered the 59 Club from the 60s & 70s and came into the church for the first time in the lives.

We saw friends and family of people who come to church regularly but who were too afraid to step in themselves.

We saw bikes in the nave, at the font, and in the aisles. We saw 21 year old guys taking photos of their machines with the altar in the background and sharing the images to all their friends who now want to come to church.

We welcomed local business owners who have a connection with the biker family and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

There were hot dogs, burgers, coffees, hot chocolates and fries. It was a huge success and I can’t wait until next month to meet new amazing people who had never thought of coming to church… but just maybe… this may work for them and they may come to know Jesus.

Fr. Matthew

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Readings for 16th July, 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

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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 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.

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.

An enormous thank you is owed to all those who helped host our very first motorbike meet with the 59 Club – but especially to Julie who manned the BBQ and Coffee Bike and then cleaned it all up afterwards! 

Please keep any eye on services during the week over the summer. With so many other churches to cover and with holidays there are often last minute changes.

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.

Foundation stones, are built to last.

This week we celebrate the solemnity (a holy day of obligation where all Christians are expected to attend mass) of Saints Peter and Paul.

Solemnities are the most important days in the Christian calendar and when they come along we should pay particular attention to them (even if we don’t make it to mass).

Peter and Paul are the foundations on which Jesus built the Church as we know it. They were instrumental in creating the body of Christ here on earth.

Each year we are called to remember them, to remember their great sacrifices (neither met a particular wonderful end), but more importantly, to remember their great examples. 

St. Peter was a fisherman from Galilee. He (along with Andrew) were the first to be invited to follow Jesus. 

Peter was an enthusiastic disciple and very human – he would often get things wrong and make dreadful mistakes that Jesus had to explain. 

But his enthusiasm and love for Jesus is what led to him being given the keys of heaven, to him being the first Pope. 

Paul on the other hand was on the wrong path. Persecuting the followers of Jesus in the most horrible ways. But, he had his eyes opened and in that instant he followed Jesus and became one of the greatest evangelists of all time – baptising thousands of people at once.

St. Peter – our rock, St. Paul – our evangelist, are both examples that we are called to follow today. 

Are you a rock that someone can rely on to pray for them? Are you the evangelist that will bring your neighbour to Jesus?

Fr. Matthew

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We will be hosting Deanery Synod on Tuesday this week. If you could help by serving refreshments I would be grateful. 

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

We’ll be updating the prayer list on the first week of July. 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.

We’re looking for readers for the coming couple of months. Please see the rota at the entrance or speak to Susan. It’s been so lovely to hear new voices over the last few months and to hear from the children as well. Let’s do more!

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 is now fully back – you can tune in live each day, or catch up, all via the dedicated page on our website. https://stanselm.matthewcashmore.com/live 

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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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 most holy body and blood of Jesus Christ – a powerful tool.

This Sunday we celebrate the Solemnity (holy day of obligation) of Corpus Christi – The most holy body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It remains for me one of the most important days of the year because it hauls us back to the Altar and to the focus of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Mass.

Why on earth is it so important? 

The bread and wine we consume on a Sunday is not sustenance for this world – but a tool to prepare us for the next. 

What do I mean by that? The sacrament of the body and blood of Christ makes us one – quite physically – with Jesus. 

A small part of Jesus is joined with our body and in doing so we are strengthened against evil, we are brought to healing, we drive out of us things that should not be within us. 

Can you comprehend how powerful and awesome an act that is? It amazes me that I can get to my feet after receiving the holy sacrament and walk away! 

When we receive the sacrament we are made strong – and nothing the world can throw at us can deter us from the powerful command of Jesus Himself to go out into he world and bring people to His Good News.

You arrive at mass with many problems and concerns. 

You can – if you allow the sacrament to do its work – leave mass healed, loved and made strong ready to do battle in this fallen world for one more week. 

Come this Sunday and be made strong. 

Receive Jesus Christ and be healed.

Fr. Matthew

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

The first 59 Club meet at St. Anselm will be on the evening of the 15th June starting at 6:30pm and running to 9pm. If you are able to come and help serve food, welcome people, talk to people, pray with people or just help move things around I’d be grateful of your help. If you can’t come please pray for this new way of brining people in our family and for them to come to know Jesus.

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 still 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.

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 from Monday 12th June. 

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.