On Sunday, 28th June at 4pm (GMT+1) we will gather on Facebook Live (or on YouTube) with interactive discussions afterwards in Zoom. You can follow along with the running order below and find any links that you need.
We have an online worship gathering every Sunday at 4pm and we are also meeting for a weekly online prayer gathering Wednesdays at 7:30 via Zoom. If you would like to ALSO connect with one of our mid-week Zoom Community Groups email newchurchbirmingham@gmail.com.
When we gather in person we always have cake and a creative/ mindfulness area with activities. You’ll have to grab your own snack this time, but if you fancy doing some mindfulness colouring as you watch/ listen/ engage with our worship gathering, you can download and print this. Here’s what else to expect:
Welcome (Danielle)
Song (IGB Band) In the River
Prayer (Lu)
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen(St Francis of Assisi)
Question for Sharing (Sam & Julia):
What is the strangest phone call you have ever received?Song (Dave) – Strange Boat
Interview: Danielle interviews Jo about the story of Erdington Local Community Response to Covid 19
Scripture Reading (Danielle):
NOTE from Danielle: We’ve been talking about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount since the start of the year. We know this section is TOUGH but have chosen to engage with the words, not skip them. Naomi will help us think about them in her reflection in a way that is filled with love and compassion.
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgement day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
(Matthew 7:13-23– part of Jesus’ first speech, the Sermon on the Mount)Reflection– (Naomi) – The Kingdom & the Gate
Song (Ellie & Ali with Animation by Cam) – So Will I
Love Feast (David & Nettes)
Song (Joel) – Sacred
What’s Coming up (Danielle) *
Blessing: “May we live fully, love wastefully and have the courage to be all that God has created us to be.”
*If you are part of our community and would like to make a gift toward Inclusive Gathering Birmingham, you can do that here. Anything you give helps to support the costs of making church happen and allows us to be generous as a community. There’s no pressure to give!
After our Worship Gathering, at 5:15 we will move over to Zoom to chat about how we’re doing and discuss some of the themes from today. If you are in a regular Inclusive Gathering Community Group, please join your regular group. If you are not, please pop in to any of the groups below by clicking the link. If you enjoy the chat, you are very welcome to meet up with your group again, later in the week. If there isn’t a group near you, that’s okay – join whichever one. You can read more about Community Groups here:
Edgbaston Community Group (Pete & Eunice – also meets Mondays – FULL)
Coventry Community Group(Ali & Ellie – also meets Mondays)
Moseley Community Group(Danielle & Joel – also meets Tuesdays)
West Brum Community Group – (Adam & Rachel – also meets Thursdays)
(Our Summerfield/ Winson Green group meets on Tuesdays and our Worcester Community Group meets on monthly Saturdays – but neither gather on a Sunday evening. So if you are in one of those groups usually, join the West Brum group tonight.)
Here’s the questions the groups will be discussing this evening:
- Where have you seen glimpses of beauty this week?
- If you feel comfortable sharing, what have been the difficult moments this week?
- Was there anything that stood out to you from the reflections today? What challenged you? What encouraged you?
