Pews News – 24 May 2026

† St Andrews
Proclaiming Christ in Clewer
24 May 2026

WELCOME

The Feast of Pentecost, May 2026

This week we have been celebrating Pentecost in our local care homes and it’s always a pleasure and a privilege to take services for them. Years ago, at the end of my curacy, I made a set of hats, just headbands really, out of foam, which have come to be known as Pentecost hats. It’s a way of helping us to tell the story of what happened that when the Holy Spirit came and the birth of the church began. When you go into a care home, it’s always good to take something with you, something for them to see or to hear or to hold. So, Pentecost hats is a great way of being interactive with the residents. This year they were all given a tea light and we were thinking about what lights our fire? What passions do we have? What fills us with excitement and energy? We got all kinds of responses from rugby to reading to music. All the residents really enjoyed just exploring what lights our fire. So, at the end of our service we decided to go back to that passion of music and asked one of the activities coordinators to sing some songs with us. He has a speaker there which is plugged into his Bluetooth, and he can play music and he sings. The residents just love Italo singing for them. They started to sing ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ and every one of those residents were singing and humming along. We even had a little dance and then we had John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home Country Roads’. The whole of the day room was just filled with music, song and laughter and we were waving our tea light candles around and the joy was overwhelming. I can honestly say the Holy Spirit was in that Residence Lounge on Tuesday.
Pentecost is a time to always be reminded of the story of how the Holy Spirit came to those first disciples. How they were inspired to go out and teach and tell everyone about the love of God and the good news Jesus Christ.
What is it that lights your fire?
What sparks that passion in you?
What are those things that get you excited?
What motivates you to create?
What is it that makes you burst into song?
Well, I can tell you. It’s the Holy Spirit.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not just an event in history; it’s a present reality. Let us be open to the Holy Spirit’s presence with us, guiding and empowering us for the mission ahead. May we be open to the Spirit’s leading, willing to share the good news and eager to embrace the diversity of God’s creation. May we offer hope awakened. 
 
Blessings for your week.
Revd Rosie


SUNDAY SERVICES 24TH MAY
PENTECOST


10:30am Eucharist 
  3:00pm CTW Pentecost Picnic and Praise in the Park – Alexandra Gardens     

COLLECT 

God, who as at this time
taught the hearts of your faithful people
by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
grant us by the same Spirit
to have a right judgement in all things
and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;
through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen

READINGS

Acts 2.1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

1 Corinthians 12.3b-13

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

John 20.19-23

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

Sermon Sunday 17th May 2026 (Rev Rosie)

NOTICES

PLEASE PRAY FOR

The Suffering:  Jennifer, John B, Matt, Stef, and Joanna. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn.

The Departed: All those recently departed this life and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. 

Baptisms: FreddieWeddings: Those preparing for marriage Georgina and Ben

Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, Mrs Branch, Mr Seymour, and all the staff, pupils, staff and governors. Busy Buttons CORE Charity and for all the work that they do. For all our Care Homes, for the safety of residents and staff. We pray also for Windsor Christian Action. For EMERGE advocacy for their work in hosptials. Please pray for the PCC as they work  through the Mission Action Plan and discern God’s mission in Clewer.

Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Parsonage Lane, Errington Drive, Chantry Close, Rectory Close, Haslemere Road, Oak Lane, Orchard Avenue and Dedworth Road. 

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Episcopal Church in the Philippines. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Zanzibar (Tanzania), Zaria (Nigeria), Central Zimbabwe (Central Africa), Ziwa Rukwa (Tanzania), Zonkwa (Nigeria) and Zululand (Southern Africa).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families.

If you would like anyone added to our Prayer List please email the office office@clewerparish.org

SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church
Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursdays at 5pm on Zoom
Prayers & Bears – Early Years Liturgy on Fridays at 9.30am in Church (not on on 29th May)
The church is open for private prayer 10.00am – 5.00pm daily 

Sun 31 May
                    10:30am Eucharist 
                      3.00pm Worship Explorers

Sun 07 June
                    10:30am All-Age Eucharist 
                      5.00pm Eucharist

Sun 14
                    10:30am Eucharist 
                      3.30pm Faith Explorers (Middler Schoolers Group)
                      5.00pm Evening Prayer

UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES 

Churchyard Afternoon Teas start on Saturday 23rd May 3pm 

Churches Together Windsor Pentecost Picnic and Praise Sunday 24th May 3-5pm Alexandra Gardens 

Monthly Christian Meditation Thursday 28th May 6.30pm in Church

5th Sunday of the Month Worship Explorers (Childrens Church) Sunday 31st May 3pm 

Clewer Green Family Worship Sessions on Wednesday 3rd and 10th 2.15pm if you’d like to come and help welcome them to church
 

CHURCH GIVING

Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to our church financially as well as through their time and skills. As we see our congregation grow and our community events increase we invite you to prayerfully consider how you might support this ongoing growth. Every contribution helps us serve our parish here in Clewer.

Finance Details 
Parish Giving Scheme – where one off payments or regular giving can be set up. 

Alternatively, financial contributions can be paid directly to our bank account, the details of which are:
HSBC Bank
Sort Code: 40-47-37
Account number: 11373366 
Account name: PCC St Andrews Church
    If you haven’t already please consider downloading the Church of Englands EverydayFaith app to help with daily reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everday faith.  

CONTACTS
 
Rector Revd Rosie Webb 01753 852334, email: rector@clewerparish.org

Parish Office email: office@clewerparish.org
Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/st_andrews_clewer/ 

Churchwarden: Vacant
Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org

Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy
Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com

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