|
Services for the coming week at St Laurence's Church:
Sunday 28 April
8.15am Holy Communion (BCP)
10am Parish Eucharist
The Reverend Prebendary Kelvin Price President &
The Reverend Andrew Body Preacher
6pm Celtic Prayer
Monday 29 April
9.30am Daily Prayer
Sunday 5 May
8.15am Holy Communion (BCP)
10am Parish Eucharist
The Reverend Andrew Body President & Preacher
11.30am May Fair Service at the Dodgems
|
|
And at St John's Church:
Sunday 28 April
10am Morning Worship
Mike Beazley Officiant
Wednesdays:
9.30am Daily Prayer
10am Tea and Toast
11.30am Holy Communion
4pm Prayer Hour
Fridays:
9.30am - 11.15am Toddler Group
Prayer Meeting - all are welcome at the prayer meeting at 4pm on Wednesdays at
St John's, whether to lead in prayer out loud or to listen to and agree with others' prayers. We pray about Ludlow, the sick and bereaved, national and international matters, according to how we feel led. Typically we finish at about 4.45pm.
|
|
 Scam Email Alert - Please be aware that there is currently a scam email in circulation which appears to come from Kelvin asking for help. If you respond, a second email will ask you to send money. Please ignore, however convincing it might look (e.g., naming other genuine church members), and delete without opening. Nobody connected with the church would ever ask for money in this way.
|
|
T hank you from Roger - The other day I took delivery of the bench purchased through your wonderful generosity on my leaving St Laurence’s. It will be a constant reminder of my very happy association with the church, and the lovely people who make it such a lively and thriving church. I am hugely grateful.
Very best wishes, Roger
|
|
 26.2 Miles Completed! - My sincerest appreciation to all who sponsored my fund raising effort for Hands Together Ludlow. The London Marathon was an amazing experience.... in fact so amazing that there's no need to do it again! My fund total for our own Town charity is in excess of £6,000, hence thank you All. Kind regards Nick Young
|
|
 Ludlow Tower - The May 2024 edition of the Ludlow Tower is available in church and at the usual outlets around town. It is also available on the church website
.
|
|
 Christian Aid Week retiring collection. Our retiring collection for Christian Aid Week will be held on Sunday 12 May. As there is no house to house collection, this is one of our main means of collection. Governments are reducing overseas aid, yet alarmingly the need grows ever greater. Please give as generously as you are able. Thank you very much for your on-going support and generosity. The children of Gaza, the Yemen and the Ukraine rely on us, to ensure they do not go to bed hungry.
Thank you. Claire
|
|
Annual Church meetings The Annual Parish Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held on Saturday 18 May at 9.30am. Anybody on the civil electoral roll for the parish and anybody on the church electoral roll may attend and vote at the Annual Parish Meeting, the sole purpose of which is to elect churchwardens for the following year. Only those on the church electoral roll may attend and vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, the purpose of which is to receive the Annual Accounts and the Annual Report on the church fabric and church activities for the previous (calendar) year and to elect PCC members.
In preparation for the meetings and as required by law to do so, we are undertaking a revision of the church Electoral Roll. This revision will be completed by 30 April. If you are not already on the Electoral Roll and would like to be, application forms are available in the South Porch. For further information on the Electoral Roll visit https://stlaurences.org.uk/the-electoral-roll/ and if you have any questions please speak to Dick Franks
Nomination Forms – Nomination forms for Churchwarden, PCC Member and Deanery Synod Representative are now available in church. Dick and Lesley would be delighted to speak to anyone considering standing for election to any of these roles to explain what is involved.
|
|
|
Shropshire Historic Churches Trust - As a member of Shropshire Historic Churches Trust, which gave us a £6,000 grant last year towards the heating repairs, St Laurence’s receives an invitation to SHCT’s Annual Meeting.
This year’s meeting will be held at St Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury SY1 1UL at 2.30pm on Thursday 13 June 2024 followed by a talk on the church. For details of the meeting and other future SHCT events (church tours of North Shropshire, South Shropshire and Radnorshire, Open Gardens, Ride + Stride) visit Shropshire Historic Churches Trust (shropshirehct.org.uk)
|
|
More detailed information can be found here.
|
|
 The Wisdom, Women and Love Revue - taking place on 13 July are looking for talented performers, singers, musicians and poets. Please see poster for more information.
|
|
 Resound Worship coming to Meole Brace on Saturday 18 May - Please see poster for more information.
|
|
|
 Bible Reading Fellowship - Resourcing your spiritual journey.
Notes May-August 2024 are ready for regular subscribers. Hopefully most have been handed over at St Laurence’s in April.
Changes or new orders invited by last week in May 2024
BRF has been publishing Bible reading notes since 1922.
For more information follow this link https://www.brfonline.org.uk/pages/bible-reading-notes-at-a-glance
or contact Penny, pabridstrup@btinternet.com , 01584 876992
St Laurence BRF Contact
|
|
 Hands Together Ludlow - The most recent Newsletter can be found here.
|
|
 Ludlow Food bank Report - The latest foodbank report can be found here.
|
|
No 2 College Street Update - The Stephen House project at No 2 College Street is on track for completion in the summer with an anticipated launch date in early July.
Until then we will continue to conduct some work from the vestry and use a room at Hands Together Ludlow on two days a week (Monday and Thursday 9.30-12.30 approximately) for in-person meetings.
To contact the Parish Office email office@stlaurences.org.uk, call 01584 872073 or leave a note with the welcome stewards in church.
|
|
 Fair Trade Stall - this Sunday after the 10am Parish Eucharist.
Come and look for your favourite items including tea, coffee, biscuits, snacks, cards, gifts and household items.
You are invited to visit the Stall and also make some regular purchases, supporting producers in developing countries 
Penny, Fairtrader pabridstrup@btinternet.com
01584 876992, 07747025798
|
|
 Icon Coffee Shop
The Icon coffee shop is open from 10am to 4.30pm, Monday to Saturday, serving home-made quiches and salads at lunchtime. Closed on Sunday.
|
|
The Shop is open from 10am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday, except for services, concerts or other events. The Shop is closed on Sunday.
Contact shop@theshopatstlaurence.co.uk or telephone 07833 866485.
|
|
|
Light the Tower - To remember a loved one, for someone who has helped you or just to brighten up the town. The cost is £35. The Tower will be lit up from 8pm-10pm. Email the office with your request and a preferred date. More information can be found here.
|
|
|
Payments to St Laurence’s - For any payment to St Laurence's at any time: Payment by cheque payable to "Ludlow PCC" or by BACS CAF BANK, Sort 405240 Acc 00016766. Don't forget if you are a UK tax payer you can gift aid any payment.
|
|
Notes from the Choir Vestry - Today’s Gospel is John 15:1-8 which focuses on Jesus as the true vine. Jesus stresses the need for his hearers (the branches) to abide, and to dwell and grow deeply in him (the vine). This allows for them to be fruitful. However there is a condition attached, namely that the fruitful branches be pruned by the vine-grower (God the Father) to enable more fruit to be produced. This is a powerful image of God tending and shaping us, in order that our lives be as rich and fulfilling as possible.
There are two texts linked to this piece of scripture, which have appealed to composers. The first is ‘I am the vine’ which has been set by musicians such as John Bertalot and Iona musician John Bell. Strangely, however, these settings do not appear on You Tube (although there is a ‘virtual choir’ version of John Bell’s music). There is a vast number of settings of this text in a variety of more popular styles which might be of interest.
The second text which has been set over the centuries is ‘Vine mea electa’… (Third Responsory for Good Friday) ‘O vineyard, my chosen one, I planted thee. How is thy sweetness turned into bitterness, to crucify me and take Barabbas in my place. I protected thee: I took the hard stones away from thy path, and built a tower in thy defence’.
As so often, there is plainsong for the text. As always there is fluidity in the lines of the music, giving a playful quality to the chant
You Tube - [plainsong] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ib8nqBUB3I
The choir will be singing the setting by Palestrina in today’s Eucharist, though there are other settings. A slightly less ’standard’ style is that of 16th century composer Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613), who was Prince of Venosa and Count of Conza. As a composer he wrote not only sacred music, but also secular, often in the form of madrigals. He is also known for killing his first wife and her aristocratic lover upon finding them ‘in flagrante delicto’. Witnesses test to the gruesome nature of the crime, and that Gesulado returned to the scene ‘because he wasn’t certain they were dead’. A cut and dried case one might think. However, being well connected helped as the Gran Corte della Vicaria found Gesualdo had not committed a crime! He must have been an unusual if not extraordinary character, as his music is at times very unpredictable, lurching from one harmonic centre to another, with little or no warning.
You Tube - [Gesualdo] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5t0BahVMvs
20th century composer Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) also composed in a style very much his own, also involving harmonic shifts which can feel a little ‘unrelated’. However this is less of an issue in the 20th century when deconstruction of harmony is not unusual, but it was far more shocking at the time of Gesualdo.
You Tube - [Poulenc] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cjefJhC-Jo
Michael, younger brother of Joseph Haydn, composed a setting of this text which is homophonic in style. As a result the music, though quite powerful harmonically, never ignites into something rather more exciting.
You Tube - [Haydn] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzP3fzilXZw
For the final ‘vine' linked music, we go to the music by Estonian tintinnabulist composer Arvo Pärt. (The concept of tintinnabulation is like the ringing of bells, where the three notes of a triad resonate like bells). In his ‘I am the true vine’ (1996 , the music is stripped down to its bare essentials, and yet Pärt creates a tapestry of sounds which leads us effectively through the story. There is an ‘otherworldliness’ to this soundscape which can be most effective.
You Tube - [Pärt - Vine] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPlQIEBHTc0
If you enjoyed this piece of Pärt, you might also find ’The woman with the alabaster box’ engaging. With similar forces and the same mix of upper and/or lower voices, the music swirls around us to great effect.
You Tube - [Pärt - Alabaster Jar] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=402WEBVDiU8
|
|
|
Diary for week ahead - Church Calendar– Please visit the ‘What’s On’ page of the website https://stlaurences.org.uk/google-calendar/
|
|
|
Readings for the Eucharist, 5 May 2024
1st Reading: Acts 10.44-end
2nd Reading: 1 John 5.1-6
Gospel: John 15.9-17
Psalm: 98
|
|
Please pray for the sick:
Evelyn, Chris, Victoria, Angela, Brian Thomas, Pauline Allen, Susan, Anna Barge, Maureen Sims, Marion Pullen, Pat Pardoe, Jade Priday
|
|
Please pray for the souls of the recently departed:
Mark Schubert
|
|
If you have any queries about the prayer list, please contact the office
|
|
PARISH OFFICE
at Hands Together Ludlow
Open Monday and Thursday 10am-12noon
e-mail: office@stlaurences.org.uk website: www.stlaurences.org.uk
WHO’S WHO
Rector
The Reverend Prebendary Kelvin Price - 07799 243867
kelvin.price@stlaurences.org.uk
Pioneer Curate For Ludlow Benefice
The Reverend Wayne Davies BEM - 07545 438892
wayne.davies@stlaurences.org.uk
Director of Music
Michael Oakley
Office Administrator
Nicky Luck
Director of Finance and Strategy
Peter Nield
Social Media and Press Coordinator
Kate Garrett-Nield
|
|
|
|
|
