Royal Cornwall Hospital 24 Hour Sing Marathon

Sarah Chaplin is the Chaplain at the Royal Cornwall Hospital and as part of her role she runs the hospital choir. They have a sponsored 24 hour sing marathon on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th October at Truro Methodist Church. They are hoping to raise £24,000 for the BABA appeal at the hospital.

This event is open to the public so you are warmly invited to come along and listen. They also need stewards who could help for an hour or two during the marathon. If you think you could help then please contact me at the office (office@stkea.org.uk) and I can pass your details on to Sarah.

Many thanks,

Ruth Putnam, Church Administrator

Back to Church - Harvest Sunday

Tonight at Old Kea and next week at Truro and All Hallows we will be celebrating Harvest. These services are a great opportunity to invite friends back to church. Tonight’s service will be a traditional harvest service and next Sunday we will be enjoying our all age extravaganzas. 

This year we will be collecting none perishable food for the work of Foodbank in Truro. The Foodbank has seen demand growing and this month they are especially trying to raise awareness about their work. Next Sunday we will also be hearing about meals for the homeless in Truro. Homelessness in Truro has also been growing over the last years and this is one practical way some members of our church family have been able to help.

Our all age services will be shorter than usual with lots of fun and games - so do invite those you know who have children. A flyer invitation is included in this week’s Notes and News.

First Wednesday Breakfast - for all Christians in work

Staring on Wednesday 4th of October, in unity with other churches across Truro, we are launching a monthly breakfast for Christians in work. This is for absolutely any Christian involved in the world of work - anyone working in retail or leisure, working in a professional capacity, or working in or running a small business or service. Whatever line of work this breakfast is for you. 

The aim is to establish a network of Christians who can support each other with the challenges and opportunities of being a Christian in the workplace. At the first session we will be hearing from Andrew Virr who is an Accident and Emergency Consultant at the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske.

There is an invitation card in this week’s Notes and News with more details and more information about the first session on the St Kea Facebook page.

Welcome Back - Youth Group and Sunday Clubs

This is the first week back for our Creche, Sunday Club and Youth Groups. Children and young people are right at the heart of our church, so do be praying for them and their leaders as they begin the new term.

If you have children or young people involved in any of our groups then they will need to complete a new registration and consent form for the new academic year.

Do also pray for students as they both head off from St Kea to university, or return to St Kea to study in Truro and Falmouth.

For more information about our Children’s and Youth activities do look at our website stkea.org.uk.

As Always, Marc Baker

Seeing God transform lives

This Sunday at St Kea we will be meeting as One Church (our four congregations gathering together) to launch the new academic year. In our service we will be hearing news about the development plans for the year, launching our new series in John’s gospel, praying for one another and sharing together at the Lord’s table.

Over the last few months our Leadership Teams and PCC have been working on a plan for how we see each of our congregations developing over the next years. It is a plan to see each of our congregations grow and to see our lives transformed as God works amongst us. These plans were developed in partnership with the Diocese and in June and July Archdeacon Bill and our Bishops committed themselves to supporting us as we move forward in this direction.

Each of our four congregations has its own distinctive style, feel and unique outreach opportunities. Each of our four congregations also shares that unique St Kea DNA. Here are some highlights from the plan…

At St Kea Truro alongside our Sunday gatherings and Life Groups, we are beginning to look for the right permanent venue to enable outreach ministries to take place through the week, including working with other churches to develop a Youth Hub.

At St Kea All Hallows, as well as continuing to reach out to our parish though activities like Community Lunch and Kea Stay and Play, we are seeking to launch a number of new small groups and run a new Parenting Course. More substantially we are also looking at ways to extend the capacity of our church building to accommodate our growing numbers.

At Old Kea we are seeking to extend the use of this church building so individuals and groups can more comfortably pray, reflect and hold small away meetings there. Disabled access and a toilet will enable this.

At CAP Lanterns we want to consolidate on the growing number of people who are part of this special congregation. We want to increase our capacity to help more people in debt (a sadly growing need) and we also plan to run a second Release Group this term (to help people in addiction). We are also delighted to be working in partnership with Grace Church who are starting a CAP Job Club.

To enable all this we need to rebuild our staff team following the changes over the past few months. The PCC has decided to appoint a part time worker to help facilitate these developments and a full time Youth Worker to refocus on young people at All Hallows and develop the Youth Hub. Also with James entering the fourth and final year of his curacy we are working with our Bishop to seek a suitable new Curate for next Summer.

Do pray for our PCC as they continue their work tomorrow evening and for each of our Leadership Teams. Do share your thoughts and questions with them and do pray for our church as we step into this new academic year together.

As Always

Marc Baker

Vision Sunday 10th September

Vision Sunday - 10:30am 10th September 2017

Sunday the 10th September is a significant Sunday in the life of our church at St Kea. Many of us will have been away over the summer at different times and this Sunday is a chance to regather as we begin the autumn term.

The morning begins at 10:30am when all four of our congregations are gathering together for a time of celebration and praise. During this shorter All Age service we will be looking forward to the year ahead. I will be speaking about the plans our PCC and Leadership Teams have developed for the next 12 months and where we see our church family developing and growing. 

As well as speaking about the vision that is set before us, we will be praising God for His goodness and committing another academic year in the life of our church to Him. Do make it a priority to come and hear the news and begin the new year together.

After the service each of our Leadership Teams are taking part in providing a great BBQ lunch. This will be hosted in the Vicarage Garden just up the road from the church. Instructions on what to bring are included in Notes and News. We need to know the numbers so we can make arrangements for the food, so please do sign up at the Welcome Desk in Truro and at the back of church in All Hallows and at Old Kea. 

As well as the BBQ, different people will be providing a variety of entertainments: live music, bouncy castle (built for grownups as well as children!) and garden games. 

In the past years this has been a very special launch to the new year in our church family. It is a great way to end the summer and recommit ourselves to the Lord for the term ahead. I hope you can join us all.

Pictionary - Psalms for the Summer

This summer our all age series for our 9.30am St Kea Truro and 11.00am St Kea All Hallows congregations is taking us to the Psalms. (Old Kea continues as usual through the summer and the Tuesday CAP Lanterns congregation is now on summer break until 6th September).

We are thinking about the different ways that God is described in the Psalms - our Shield, our Shepherd, our Redeemer, our Refuge, our Rock and our King. Each week we will be looking at a different Psalm and marvelling at the different characteristics of God. The services are shorter than usual, lasting about 45 minutes, and the whole service is designed for all ages.

But You Are My Glory

Last Sunday, launching our Summer All Age Series, we looked at Psalm 3 and asked what it would feel like if we grasped the true source of our glory. This is such a crucial idea that I want to return to the theme in this notes and news.

What is your glory? By that I mean what makes you valuable, what gives you worth and status? What is it about you that makes you lift your head?

Now we will respond to that question in many different ways. Some of us will want to say there is very little about us that is glorious, very little that makes you feel valuable. You might feel quite ‘down on yourself’. Others of us, in humble ways, will know there are things that make us rightly proud. Maybe your family? Maybe your career? Maybe your character or how you relate to others? These are all good things - reasons for a right sense of pride.

But here is the thing - if those things are not just a source of glory but the deepest source - we are living quite fragile lives that often are given over to deep anxiety. The source of our value and worth is quite vulnerable. If your family is your deepest glory then what happens if the family falls apart over some big argument? What if the career goes south or character is called into question? If those good things are the deepest basis for your value or worth, then not only have you lost the family or career, you have lost yourself - your glory and your pride.

This is what was happening to the great King David in Psalm 3, he has lost everything - his power, his children, he popularity, his character. Yet David can still sleep at night, he is not afraid. How can this be?

Put simply the deepest ground for his glory is in the glory that is given by God, not a glory he has had to earn for himself. His worth, value and identity ultimately come from the fact that God loves him. We know Christ died for us, has brought us into relationship with God, gifted us with eternal life. This is our ‘given glory’ and it is so secure and stable because it can never be taken away.

So might you take a moment this week to ask what is causing you to be fearful or anxious? Might it be you have ultimately located your deepest glory in something other than that glory given from God? What difference would it make to our anxiety levels and how we feel about ourselves if we increasingly located our glory in what God has given us?

“But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the one who lifts my head high." Psalm 3:3