Services

Alleluia...Christ is risen......He is risen indeed...Alleluia

Services in the Three Rivers Group churches on  Sunday April 28
Easter 5

• 9.30am Isleham – Morning Praise 
   
• 9.30am Snailwell – Eucharist
   
• 11am Fordham – Eucharist
   
• 11am Chippenham – Morning Prayer

All the orders of service will be found on our website www.threeriverschurches.co.uk

Services in the Three Rivers Group churches on  Sunday May 5
Easter 6

• 9.30am Isleham – Eucharist
   
• 9.30am Snailwell – Morning Prayer 
   
• 11am Fordham – Morning Prayer
   
• 11am Chippenham – Eucharist

Reminder - Invitation to Evensong at Jesus College, Cambridge

The acting Dean of Jesus College Chapel has very kindly extended an invitation 
for Reverend Steve with members of  Fordham Parish and the other Three 
Rivers Churches to attend Evensong at Jesus College Chapel. 

The proposed dates both at 6.30pm are:

• Tuesday May 7
• Tuesday June 4

This would be preceded by light refreshments at 5.15pm.

If you would be interested in attending please contact reverend Stephen with 
you interest and preferred date/s at revdsmday@cantab.net

Ascension Day is on Thursday May 9 

• A group Holy Communion at Kennett at 7.30pm

All the orders of service will be found on our website www.threeriverschurches.co.uk

Have you ever visited your parish church?

If you are a new resident of Isleham or perhaps have just never ventured inside your parish church why not do so today. 

Or perhaps another time would suit you better; the church is usually open every deay from about 9am until about 5pm. 

There are many surprising and marvellous things to see.

We hold a service every Sunday at 9.30am at which you will be warmly welcomed.

Or why not join us at our 

Isleham Coffee Morning -Tuesdays 10am-12noon 

The Tuesday morning coffee and bacon butty crew are back at the St Andrew’s Social Centre , from 10am-12 noon.  All welcome.

The Rector’s Daily Reflections

Each day I produce a short set of reflections on the readings for
Morning Prayer the following day.

If you would like to receive these by email, please let me know. You
can unsubscribe very easily if you decide you don’t want them any
more please email me:
revdsmday@cantab.net30pm 

Services in the Three Rivers Group churches on  Sunday April 28
Easter 5

• 9.30am Isleham – Morning Praise 
   
• 9.30am Snailwell – Eucharist
   
• 11am Fordham – Eucharist
   
• 11am Chippenham – Morning Prayer

All the orders of service will be found on our website www.threeriverschurches.co.uk

Welcome to church today – we are very glad to have you with us.

Face coverings are no longer mandatory in public spaces, but if you are not
exempt, please consider wearing one while in church to help protect others.

All who are baptized and communicant members of their own church are warmly
invited to receive Holy Communion when it is celebrated in our churches.

Children and Holy Communion

All five PCC’s have now agreed that our church family younger children (aged 7 and above) may be admitted to Holy Communion after appropriate instruction. 

Muriel Hood and Ruth Ogden have agreed to instruct our young people. If there are young people in your family who would like to receive communion, then please do speak with them.l

All the orders of service will be found on our website www.threeriverschurches.co.uk

Collect

Almighty God, who through your only begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, 
so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; 
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. .

Amen.

 Psalm 23 Psalm 22. 25-31 

25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 

26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live for ever! 

27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 

28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations. 

29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 

30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 

31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. 

Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches
according to John 15. 1-8

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower.

He removes every branch in me that bears no
fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more
fruit. 

 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have
spoken to you.

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit 
by itself unless itabides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 

 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you
wish, and it will be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become
my disciples.'

God is Love 
according to 1 John 4.7-21

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; 
everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 

Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son
into the world so that we might live through him. 

In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 

No one has ever seen God; we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.13 By this we know that we abide in him 
and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as
the Saviour of the world. 

God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, a
nd they abide in God.

So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. 

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, 
and God abides in them.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have
boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this
world.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear
has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached
perfection in love. 

We love because he first loved us. 

Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.

The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must
love their brothers and sisters also.

Post Communion prayer

Eternal God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life:
grant us to walk in his way, to rejoice in his truth, and to share his
risen life; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. 

Amen

Funerals:

• Tracey Hobbs on Wednesday 1 May, at 1.45pm at Isleham, followed by 
  West Suffolk Crematorium at 3pm, 
   

• Martha Draper on Friday May 3, at 10.30am at Fordham; followed by
   a Committal at Chelmsford Cemetery at 1.30pm

Baptisms:

• William Gooderham on Sunday May 19, at 11am at Chippenham. 

Wedding:

• George Wise & Nicole Church in Thursday May 30, at 1pm at Snailwell.

• Facob Eatock & Bethany Jones (both of Isleham) on Friday June 21,
   at 1pm at Moulton.

Midweek services update

Revd Steve writes:

Morning Prayer is a great way to start the day: for those of you who would  like to join in, we gather at 8.15 in the church social centre in Isleham on Tuesdays, and in the church at Fordham on Wednesdays and Fridays

I aim to have Morning Prayer available on the churches’ Zoom link at 8.15 each day  on Tuesday to Saturday. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, this will be from the  gathering; on other days it will be just online. Please email me for details of how to join in (see address below).

Each day I produce a short set of reflections on the readings for Morning  Prayer the following day. If you would like to receive these by email, please  let me know. You can unsubscribe very easily if you decide you don’t want them any more!

You can get in touch with me in a number of ways: my email address is
revdsmday@cantab.net; my home phone number is 01638 354866; my 
mobile number is 07871182394 (but please note it spends almost all of its 
time on silent, so I may not notice it ring – please either leave a message or 
send a text); and for old-school paper, I’m at 24 Mildenhall Road, Fordham, 
CB7 5NR.

A reminder that all are welcome to join our midweek services, which currently include

• Technology permitting, we aim to have Morning Prayer available on the churches’ Zoom link at 8.15 each day  Tuesday to Saturday. On Tuesday and Wednesday anbd Friday, this will be from the  gathering; on other days it will be just online. Please email Revd Steve Day for details of how to join in revdsmday@cantab.net
   
• Tuesday Morning Prayer at Isleham (in church or at Social Centre) – 8.15am
   
• Wednesday Morning Prayer at Fordham (in church) – 8.15am
   
• Wednesday Compline at Snailwell (in church) – 6.30pm
   
• Wednesday Compline on Zoom (online) – 7pm
   
• Friday Morning Prayer at Fordham (in church) – 8.15am

The mailing list for online Compline is currently being refreshed, so if you would like to stay on it, or join it anew, please email threeriversgroupcambs@gmail.com to let us know1

In person services in church

With due consideration to national guidance from the government and the Church of England in the meantime, I'm pleased to say that we are going ahead with services in-person in church.

However, it's clear that as in all things at present, we must be careful, of ourselves and each other, and for that reason we do ask for your cooperation and understanding where modifications have been made. 

We must, of course, leave the decision whether or not to attend to you and your judgment. While it is generally good to be with other people, we realise that this is not comfortable or sensible for everyone at present, and we continue to pray for and ask God's blessing on all in our parishes, not just those we see in person. 

Two important considerations:

Firstly, in common with all public indoor spaces, we ask that you do not attend an event if you are feeling unwell or experiencing any of the recognised symptoms of COVID. 

As the virus spreads successfully between people without symptoms, please also consider taking a lateral flow test before attending a service, especially if you have been in contact with people beyond your household in recent days.

Secondly, Face coverings are no longer mandatory in public spaces, but if you are not exempt, please consider wearing one while in church to help protect others as local infection rates remain high.

We will continue to ensure good ventilation in our churches, so please come prepared for draughts.

Christian Aid prayer for Ukraine 

God of all peoples and nations, who created all things alive and breathing, united and whole, show us the way of peace that is your overwhelming presence. 

We hold before you the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, every child and every adult. We long for the time when weapons of war are beaten into ploughshares. When nations no longer lift up sword against nation.

We cry out to you for peace.

Protect those who only desire and deserve to live in security and safety. 

Comfort those who fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones

Be with those who are bereaved.

Change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression and fill leaders with the wisdom that leads to peace.

Kindle again in us a love of our neighbour and a passion for justice to prevail and a renewed recognition that we all play a part in peace. 

Creator of all hear our prayer and bring us peace. Make us whole.  

Amen.

Weekly notice sheet by email  

We still distribute a copy of the weekly notice sheet by email every Sunday to those who want to keep up-to-date with what's happening in the Group, even when they can't get to church. 

Please let the Parish Administrator know if you'd like to receive a copy.

.......................................................................................................

Prayer for the Nation

If you want to continue, David came across this from the diocese of Oxford which you could read/pray at 6pm each evening:

When we are isolated and alone, we remember God is with us; we place our hands in his hands

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

When we are tired and confused…

He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;

When we are worn out with worry

He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

When we are sick and afraid and if we lose those we love…

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff - they comfort me.

When we face difficulties today and we hope for a better tomorrow…

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

In the face of trouble & difficulty of all kinds, we remember Jesus’ promise of life beyond death…

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

Voluntary suggestions

For lovers of the Anglican choral tradition and Isaiah 6: John Stainer, ‘I saw the Lord’ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC-vCl8Aga4

Part of the current wave of recorded musical Blessings providing comfort and inspiration from different perspectives, here’s one from Ireland, using an ancient text very apt for Trinity Sunday:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TascsWZPj8U

Early music fans with time on their hands may like to revel in the glorious sound of John Taverner’s ‘Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas’: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNwIhVDVKDg

And another chance to hear our former organist at Fordham David Poulter playing J.S. Bach’s ‘Fugue’ in C major (BWV 545)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Qd4wWKMpc

Dementia Friendly Village - Fordham

Fordham is working towards becoming a Dementia Friendly Village. 

Laura Cox-Watson has agreed to be our Dementia Friends Champion. and Has atteneded some training in Cambridge. and has held two sessions to share with the community what she has learned and discuss how Fordham can move forward with this. Laura is also very keen to gain insight from families who have direct experience of living with Dementia.

If anyone would like to contact Laura direct then please do so on either 
07974 409228 or laura1978watson@mac.com

Children and Holy Communion

All five PCC’s have now agreed that our church family younger children (aged 7 and above) may be admitted to Holy Communion after appropriate instruction. 

Muriel Hood and Ruth Ogden have agreed to instruct our young people. If there are young people in your family who would like to receive communion, then please do speak with them.

Is God calling you to something?

There are a few things around which it might be good for our churches to be involved with. If anyone would like to take a more active part in prayer, reading the bible, working with young people, thinking about church growth, visiting baptism families, thinking about our faith, and many other things, then please contact David if this is something God might be nudging you towards.

Back to the top