Dear friends

A very warm welcome to this service, wherever you are worshipping across the Langtree Team Ministry area. Today is Pentecost Sunday, (Whitsun in the old lectionary) when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the first disciples. The Spirit equipped them with the power and love of Christ to share the message of the resurrection and of the Kingdom of God. If the church as an institution has a birthday, it is today !

Pentecost Sunday

Pentecost gets its name from the Jewish Festival of Weeks – a Harvest Festival. This was celebrated after a “week of weeks” – the fiftieth day – after the Passover. (“Pente” is the greek word for fifty.) It is fitting that the Spirit’s bounty – spiritual gifts, and fruits of character, poured out with love and generosity upon all the disciples enabled them to gather the “harvest” of salvation for those who believed their message.

Team Feast 30th June

Don’t forget that our next Team Service will be at St Peter and St Paul’s Checkendon, at 10.30am on Sunday 30th June. The “Team Feast” afterwards will be at the Highwayman Inn, Exlade Street, from noon. There is a two course Sunday lunch for £20, (£10 for children). Please contact Debi Hornsby (680204) to reserve your place and make your menu choices in advance. It will not be possible to simply turn up on the day.

Goodbox breaks new ground at Checkendon

At Checkendon today we are breaking new ground with the arrival of our “Goodbox” contactless donations unit. This will accept both debit and credit card donations, and also mobile phone donations using either apple pay or android pay. It is very fast, and very easy to use. We are going to be demonstrating how to use it during our service this morning. If you are a treasurer elsewhere in the Team and would like a demonstration, please do get in touch with me.

May the Spirit of the Risen Christ be with us all

Your Rector                   Canon Kevin Davies

Please pray for:

Ed Hunt and Lucy Cowdery, married at Checkendon yesterday. Also Hailey Pearson and Gino Fiorillo, who will be married at Checkendon on 22nd June. May God’s joy be with both couples as they embark on the adventure of marriage.