Dear Friends

May I wish you all a continuing Happy Easter. That may seem an odd thing to say when we celebrated Easter a month ago, but the Easter season lasts for fifty days culminating on the day of Pentecost, which falls on 20th May this year. 10th May is Ascension Day, when we remember how Jesus commissions his disciples to continue his work and promises the gift of the Holy Spirit, before ascending to his Father in heaven. For many Christians the nine days (novena) between Ascension Day and Pentecost is traditionally a time of prayerful waiting, in the same way that Jesus’ disciples prayed together as they waited for the promised Holy Spirit to come.

‘Thy Kingdom Come’ is a global prayer movement (instigated by the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York in 2016), which encourages Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost. May I encourage you to join this wave of prayer? There will be Novena prayer booklets (available in church) using art and scripture and the theme ‘Changed Lives Changing Lives’ to help us as we pray afresh for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As with the Lent Prayer booklets, you can do this individually or in a group.

There are plenty of other ways to get involved in ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ – visit the website www.thykingdomcome.global for more information and resources.

Eating together, praying together and talking about our faith together helps us to grow in discipleship and deepens our relationship with God and each other. Following on from the Lent Brunch and Blessings, there will be the opportunity to meet for breakfast, a bit of Bible study and prayer on the first Saturday of the month, beginning 5th May between 9 -10am at Christ Church, Derry Hill. Come with a healthy appetite, musings and questions – we’d love to see you. Linda