Sunday, September 20, 2026
Collect of the week
Loving Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ has taught us
that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters
we do also for him:
give us the will to be the servant of others as he was the servant of all,
who gave up his life and died for us,
and yet lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Church of
St Peter the Fisherman
Anglican Parish of Bramble Bay
A: 13 Lucinda St, Clontarf
W: bramblebay.anglicanchurchsq.org.au
Stay In Touch
Father Ted Starr - Priest-in-Charge - 0451 929 180 - edward.starr@anglicanchurchsq.org.au
Mrs Liz Peters - Rector’s Warden - 0400 844 946
Mrs Gail Symons - People’s Warden - 0409 618 511
Mr Tony Hughes - People’s Warden - 0468 764 009
Zoom Church - 328 492 8300 - 548 747
Readings
for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Exodus 16:2-15
Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45
Philippians 1
Matthew 20:1-16
Printed copies of every sermon are on the back table
Sermons from every service are available under “Homilies”
Giving
Offering - 704 901 - 0000 0780
Building Fund - 704 901 - 0001 4767
Other Stewardship
Cards are on sale at the back of the church.
Mission and Outreach
Woody Point Special School has been discerned as a focus for our new season of mission and outreach. The yellow lid bins at the back of the church are waiting for your extra groceries to donate to their pantry. Meals which are labelled with date and ingredients, packaged and frozen can be put in the church freezer for collection. For more information, contact Elizabeth on 0404 080 861, or Leisa.
BCA Boxes are due: please leave them on the back table, or hand to Elizabeth.
Spirited Generosity is an ongoing initiative in our parish. Please check the back table for information on our next steps. If anything has been raised in your spirit as a result, please continue the conversation with fellow parishioners, parish councillors, wardens, and Fr Ted.
We ask of your goodness, Lord, to comfort and sustain all who in this transitory life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity, and especially Shirley and Alan Kimber, Rosina, Ann, Barbara, Kevin, Ian, Chris, Jeff Byrne, Karne, Greg, Aaron, Joanne, Grace and Faith, Beryl Old, Fr David, Nina, Sophie, Lesley, Helena, Claire, Melissa Cameron, Janice, Carol, Shakiraia and Kristy. Please contact Fr Ted to be on this list.
We also give thanks for those whose year’s mind occurs at this time, and among them Helen Rowlands and Noel Wanka. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them.
Ministry During the Week
Mother’s Union: Every third Wednesday at 9am.
Thursday Fellowship: every first and third Thursday from 9:30am to 11:30am. All welcome for a cuppa and a chat. Bring your craft to work on or just enjoy the company.
Caring and Sharing: every fourth Wednesday after Holy Communion.
Bible Study: Tuesdays at 9:30am and Thursdays at 7pm. All welcome; all materials supplied.
Beaumont Aged Care: Holy Communion every third Friday at 10:30am.
Recycling has resumed in the new location: the small white shed at the back of the property. Any questions call Elizabeth Melvin on 0404 080 861
Services: Part of the priestly calling is that clergy “shall unite themselves with the unceasing prayer of the Church on earth and in heaven, being carried by this rhythm of prayer in peace and joy.” Various services throughout the week are offered to this end, and all are warmly encouraged to attend.
The Week Ahead
***Please note the reduced timetable this week***
Wed, 23 Sep
10:00 am - Holy Communion with Caring and Sharing
Sun, 27 Sep
7:00 & 9:00 am - Holy Communion for the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Growth Committee Update
The Growth Committee have been busy preparing for the second half of this year. Please see information below for events coming up in the life of the parish.
The Blessing of the Pets will be on the afternoon of Saturday, 10 October at 3pm. Donations this year will go to Happy Paws, a community-run animal shelter.
Melbourne Cup Afternoon Tea will be held on Saturday, 31 October from 2pm. Tix are $20 each.
Volunteers will be needed for all of these efforts. Please consider what your role could be, and how you might support these events.
Fisher Bags
Our Fisher Bags — Bags of Love are a simple way for our parish to extend Christ’s love beyond our church doors. They are designed to welcome those who are new among us, offer care and encouragement to those who may need a little support, and strengthen our mission of reaching out and connecting with our wider community.
If you know someone who might appreciate receiving a Fisher Bag — perhaps a neighbour, friend, someone who is unwell, lonely or simply in need of a little encouragement — there is an Expression of Interest form at the back of the church. Please add your name and the number of bags you would like to distribute.
Parish Council Update on the Veranda Blinds
The Parish council has spent some time seeking a firm to replace the veranda blinds at a reasonable price. Ready-made blinds were not a suitable size. We have finally settled on a very reputable firm at Clontarf who make blinds. The blinds will be a see-through mesh with a handle for easy winding up and down. Plastic PVC blinds were $1000 more expensive. The Quote is for $3000 (made and installed) which includes a discount from the firm. Parish Council is pleased to announce we are over half-way there, having already raised $1900 towards this project. Bless you for your generosity.
Morning Tea Update
Our parish initiative of Spirited Generosity is already bearing fruit – fruit cake, that is. You may have noticed over the past several weeks that our faithful workers behind the counter brewing your cuppa have been reinforced by some faithful bakers to make Morning Tea even better.
The Ladies Guild is famed throughout the wider parish for their sumptuous catering – and now they are putting the call out to the troops to join in the fun.
There is no reason why we cannot have the best Morning Tea in the diocese – all it takes is your humble self, bringing a special treat to church once every so often to share after the service.
Invite A Friend
There are some occasions coming up in the church calendar to which you might like to invite a friend. There will be no “signing on the dotted line” expected of them; rather, it is an opportunity to share with someone you love the meeting place between everyday life and the kingdom of heaven.
Do consider inviting someone along to The Blessing Of The Pets. This is not a worship service; rather it is a time to celebrate the goodness of God in his creatures. Bring a pet (or their photo – not everyone is comfortable with bringing Fluffy the Boa Constrictor out of the home), receive God’s blessing upon it, enjoy some community fellowship with fellow animal lovers, and raise some awareness of the good causes in the area supporting animal welfare. Saturday, October 10 at 3pm on the church grounds.
We will also be making a special observance of All Saints/All Souls at the 8am service on Sunday, November 1. Indeed, this is not only for inviting a friend, but for all of us. We have all been touched by the tragedy of the death of a loved one. On this Sunday there will be a particular emphasis on the communion of saints, a belief we confess in our Creeds. At the Holy Eucharist there is a sense of the mystery that we share a meal not only with God, and with the saints beside us in the pews, but also with the saints in heaven who have gone before us. There will be the opportunity to renew our trust in God, and that he is holding our loved ones in his loving arms. Keep an eye out in the near future for more details on how you might like to make the most of this wonderfully pastoral occasion in the Church calendar. Perhaps you know of someone who might need a sacred moment to hold them in their grief – consider offering them a personal invitation to this service.
Christmas boxes
These are now available at the back of the church. Brochures giving you details of the process are there also. Take some for yourself and friends. It would be lovely to see the front of the altar covered in packed Christmas boxes. They must be returned by 11 October.
Pre-Melbourne Cup Party
The popular annual function is on again, and bookings are now open. Same price $20, at the church on Saturday 31 October. Book a table for 8 or as many tickets as you like. Please see Gail, Dale or Liz for bookings. No need to pay on booking. Brochures are available on cupboards at back of church. Please take them for your friends.
Green tree frog Luncheon
I am sorry to tell you that we are unable to hold this event this year due to Blue Card changes at the College. Hopefully we will be able to enjoy this event next year.
- Gail, with the Parish Council and Growth Committee
Prayer Space with Leisa
“A Prayer Shared with Love”
This week’s prayer space comes with a very special story. Geoff Wieland shared this prayer with me and told me that it belonged to his late wife Roslyn. Knowing that makes these words all the more meaningful. A prayer treasured and carried through one life is now being shared with our church family, and perhaps its words will be just what someone else needs to carry with them today.
May we receive it in the same spirit in which it has been shared – with love, remembrance and faith.
I said a prayer for you today
And I know God must have heard,
I felt the answer in my heart
Although He spoke no word.
I didn’t ask for wealth or fame,
I knew you wouldn’t mind,
I asked Him to send treasures
Of a far more lasting kind.
I asked that He’d be near you
At the start of each new day,
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way,
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small,
But for His lasting, loving care
I prayed for most of all.
Beyond The Pew
Faith. Life. Questions. Conversation.
Beyond The Pew is the beginning of a new parish ministry seeking your prayers and engagement. Beyond the Pew is a relaxed space for conversation about faith and life. Each gathering begins with one question. There are no prepared answers and no pressure to speak — just an opportunity to listen, share, pray and discover something from one another.
You may like to try this out with your church friends. Just ask the question and see where the conversation goes!
Last week’s question: How does God want us to live?
This week’s question: Do you believe in ‘soulmates’? Why or why not?
A Prayer of Thanksgiving
Today’s readings all reflect something of the Christian approach to thanksgiving. Here is a prayer of thanksgiving from the devotional The Valley Of Vision.
O My God, Thou fairest, greatest, first of all objects, my heart admires, adores, loves thee, for my little vessel is as full as it can be, and I would pour out all that fullness before thee in ceaseless flow.
When I think upon and converse with thee ten thousand delightful thoughts spring up, ten thousand sources of pleasure are unsealed, ten thousand refreshing joys spread over my heart, crowding into every moment of happiness.
I bless thee for the soul thou hast created, for adorning it, for sanctifying it, though it is fixed in barren soil;
for the body thou hast given me, for preserving its strength and vigour, for providing senses to enjoy delights, for the ease and freedom of my limbs, for hands, eyes, ears that do thy bidding;
for thy royal bounty providing my daily support, for a full table and overflowing cup, for appetite, taste, sweetness, for social joys of relatives and friends, for ability to serve others, for a heart that feels sorrows and necessities, for a mind to care for my fellow-men, for opportunities of spreading happiness around, for loved ones in the joys of heaven, for my own expectation of seeing thee clearly.
I love thee above the powers of language to express, for what thou art to thy creatures.
Increase my love, O my God, through time and eternity.
