From the Vicar's Desk

From the Vicar's Desk - 22 January

Welcome to "From the Vicar's Desk" for 22 January 2021

Water into Wine

The Wedding at Cana, the first of Jesus' signs as recorded in John's gospel, is remembered most for the miracle that turned six stone jars of water, each containing 20 to 30 gallons of water, into the most exquisite, fine wine. At one level, that shows us that those who follow Jesus should not be shy of a good party and can feel encouraged to celebrate important family events. At a deeper level, this miracle turns the water of purification into the wine of celebration, thus turning upside down the expectations of how we approach the divine: not so much a process of making ourselves good enough, but an unfolding desire to join the celebration.

We're praying for you

Both individual church members and the congregation as a whole are always in our prayers. During this time of lockdown, however, we wanted to pray by name for everyone on our Electoral Roll. Today at Morning Prayer we started at A (by surname) and we will be working through a dozen or so a day between now and Lent, using your first names only to protect your privacy. If you'd like to join us in praying through our electoral roll you can find our weekly prayer list here and you can join us every day at 9.0am for Morning Prayer on SMR Live. If you ever have any specific prayer requests, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Corinne Rees funeral

Corinne's funeral will be held in church on Tuesday 26 January at 1.30pm. As with all our recent funerals, only those who have been invited can come to church for the service. If you wish to join us for the service please go to this link https://vimeo.com/event/621321. And the order of service can be downloaded here.

Home Schooling for Parents

Our Outreach team is organising sessions to give some support to local parents about how to home school. The team would greatly appreciate donations of rulers, pencils, A4 card, Rigatoni pasta, string or cord and empty egg cartons of 10. If you can help, can you contact David Cousins. Thank you.

Could you foster children?

In the earlier lockdown, leaders of the faith communities across the city came together to seek foster parents. The plea has come again from Bristol City Council and Home for Good for foster parents for at least five sibling groups. If this sparks an interest in you please watch this video and contact Claire Walker from Home for Good.

Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter

This year Bristol Churches Winter Night Shelter is running in a Bed and Breakfast property close to SMR Church. We have rooms for seven guests and are providing three meals a day for them. SMR has responsibility for providing food each Friday. Click here to make a donation to help pay for these meals as well as other essentials for the guests. Thank you.

Live Stream kit installation

Further work has been done this week but, at the time of writing, we're still not quite there yet!

Send on / Contact me

Please forward this email on those who might be interested in SMR and contact me here (rather than using reply please)

Finally ...

I'm on BBC Radio Bristol on Sunday morning just after 8.30am being interviewed by Lucy Tegg about church life in the third lockdown.

With my best wishes

Dan

Canon D F Tyndall

Vicar, St Mary Redcliffe

0776 929 6220

Looking ahead

Sunday Services:

9.00am : Morning Prayer : Live Stream here : Words here

10.00am : Holy Communion : Live Stream here : Words here

We Are Bristol phone line is available for people who need support during lockdown: 0800 694 0184 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm)

< Older Post

Newer Post >

More blog posts

Exhibition on Screen

By sam.love • March 18, 2026

Whilst my job title here at St Mary Redcliffe may be Governance & Administration Officer, I am always grateful for opportunities to utilise some of the skills – and connections – I gathered when working in the cinema industry. When I was working as the programmer at The Flavel, a small mixed-purpose arts centre in Dartmouth, I made sure that despite only having one cinema screen, we delivered a diverse and mixed programme. I remember jumping at any opportunity to run any of the Exhibition on Screen films – beautifully crafted documentaries that shed light on artists and their work. Despite barely having enough knowledge of art history to write on a matchbox, I always found these films compelling, and loved the concept of bringing the art gallery experience into a cinema setting. Allowing these magnificent, historic works to be experienced on a large screen, with the ability to zoom and focus in on particular details, always struck me as a wonderful idea. You truly feel like you’re stepping into the paintings. And it seems I’m not the only one taken by these films – a network of over 1500 cinemas regularly screen from Exhibition on Screen’s catalogue of over 40 films in over 60 countries. Their 2023 film Vermeer: The Greatest Exhibition even holds the record of the UK’s most successful art film. It is very exciting, then, that we – myself along with the Heritage, Visitors and Commercial department of Rhys Williams, Rebecca Horry and Lucy Marshall – have begun a relationship with Exhibition on Screen to start showing their films in church! We are thrilled to be showing Easter in Art on Wednesday 25th March, and even more thrilled that Phil Grabsky – who founded Seventh Art Productions, the company behind these films, in 1984 – has provided a special video introduction for the screening. We really hope that you can come along and support this screening, so that we may show more of their films in the future. There are a great many to choose from, although we are keeping our fingers firmly crossed that one day they might produce one on William Hogarth and show off the wonderful altarpiece that was painted for St Mary Redcliffe in 1755-56, currently housed at St Nicholas Church. I really hope to see you at the screening, and do keep your eyes peeled for more later in the year. BOOK TICKETS HERE Sam Love 18.03.2026

Sermon on the 15th March 2026

By matthew.buckmaster • March 17, 2026

Preached by the Revd Dr Brutus Green

Staff Update: Rebecca Horry, Commercial Manager

By rebecca.horry • March 13, 2026

As the new season begins, it feels full of potential as new life appears around us and the days grow longer. Spring brings a natural sense of renewal, and it feels like a particularly special time in the life of our church. I’m delighted that our building will be hosting several events that explore the story and meaning of Easter in different ways. One highlight will be hosting Riding Lights Theatre Company presenting Night Falls, a new Passion play by Paul Birch, offering a powerful retelling of the Easter story. We hope it will be meaningful for both members of our congregation and visitors who join us. We are also looking forward to a screening from the Exhibition on Screen series exploring Easter in Art, reflecting on how artists across the centuries have interpreted the Passion and Resurrection. Our church shop continues to welcome visitors and regulars alike. Alongside cards, books, and gifts, I’m pleased to share that we have recently brought a new book supplier on board, helping us widen our range of titles for both children and adults exploring faith and the heritage of the church. I’ve also been delighted to help recruit several new volunteers to help run church tours, and we hope this will allow us to expand our tour offer and share the story of the church with even more visitors. If you see them in the church please help welcome them to the team. Behind the scenes, we continue working to welcome concerts and other events into the church. Our beautiful space lends itself wonderfully to music, and these events not only bring people together but also help support the care and future of the building. Over the coming months, we look forward to hosting a range of concerts and cultural events, welcoming audiences from across the local area and beyond. If you know of choirs, ensembles, or promoters looking for a distinctive venue, please do point them in our direction. Thank you to everyone who supports these activities by volunteering, attending events, shopping in the shop, or spreading the word. Recca Horry , Commercial Manager 13.03.2026