From the Vicar's Desk

From the Vicar's Desk - 23 April

Welcome to "From the Vicar's Desk" for Friday 23 April

"one flock, one shepherd"

It's not been an easy week for the Church of England: a Panorama programme and an official report which leaves little room for doubt that we are not doing well when it comes to racial equality in the church. read more...

Living in Love and Faith

The Church of England is currently engaging in a national engagement, listening and learning process around questions of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage, and how these fit within the bigger picture of Christian Faith. We will have an opportunity to explore this together later in the year, but our engagement with this as a diocese will begin with two half-day conferences (both the same programme) which you are invited to attend, both on zoom.

Saturday 8 May: 9.30am - 1.30pm
Saturday 22 May: 9.30am - 1.30pm

You can book here and please contact Kat if you have any questions about Living in Love and Faith.

Lewis & Elizabeth Cobb

Following news of Elizabeth's death, I got this message which is rather lovely and definitely worth sharing:

The Cobbs served SMR very well indeed. Lewis was Assistant Verger alongside Brian Spencer and they were, as far as I know, a good team and worked very well together. They did many things that today's Vergers are not allowed to do (due to Health & Safety legislation) like cleaning the chandeliers - and there are many of them. What may be less well known is that Lewis spent over a dozen years in Dar es Salaam heading the Mission to Seafarers' work there after his stint at SMR. Elizabeth did stalwart work on the flowers front and has for some time been laid low by spinal problems.

SMR's Annual Meeting

This will be held at 7.30pm on Monday 24 May. Please email email me for the Zoom link.

Thank you to those who have notified me of changes to the Electoral Roll: interestingly I have not yet had any applications to join the roll. You can see last year's roll here. If your name is not on the list and you consider yourself to be a member of SMR church you can download an application form here which can be sent in by email here. If you have moved recently or need to check the address we have on file for you click here to send me an email.

Celebrate your vaccine

Final chance to make a donation to the World Health Organisation's Arm in Arm vaccination programme. Just click here. We've raised over £2000 which is magnificent. Thank you.

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)

With my best wishes

Dan

Canon D F Tyndall

Vicar, St Mary Redcliffe

0776 929 6220

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Sermon on Sunday,10th August 2025

By matthew.buckmaster • August 10, 2025

Preached by the Revd Laura Verrall-Kelly, Associate Vicar

Interregnum Information

By Laura.Verrall-Kelly • August 7, 2025

Keeping You Updated During the Interregnum As I prepare to go on maternity leave at the end of August, I want to share some important updates regarding our Sunday Services and communication during the Interregnum period. We’ve taken time to consider what is sustainable and meaningful in this season of transition, and while some of the changes have been difficult, they are intended to ensure we can continue to worship together well. Service Changes 8am BCP Eucharist We’ve made the difficult decision to pause this service during the vacancy, following a PCC vote (with 3 votes against). This is due to the limited availability of clergy to cover two Eucharist services on a Sunday. We’re grateful that this decision has allowed us to secure strong cover for the other services. If you’re looking for an early service, the Cathedral offers Morning Prayer at 7.40am and BCP Eucharist at 8am. This change to the 8am will happen from the beginning of October. Mattins & Evensong These will continue with support from a growing team of Lay Leaders. If you're interested in helping lead, please speak to Simon Goodman. Please note: bespoke online orders of service will no longer be produced weekly. Instead, we will use a standard booklet and hymn book in church. Online viewers will receive a standard order of service plus a document with Bible readings and hymns. 10.30am Sung Eucharist Some small changes are being made to simplify things for visiting clergy: Notices will be read by a Church Warden, Duty Warden or Church Representative Communion distribution will return to queue formation A Gradual Hymn will replace the Responsorial Psalm - there is simply not the resource to produce a weekly or termly Psalm hand out in church. We’ll use a standard “Eucharist during the Vacancy” order of service (in booklet form), with hymn books provided in church. As with other services, online resources will mirror this setup. These changes to the 10.30am will happen from the 17th August. Christingle Service Due to the scale of this service and the planning it requires, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause it this year. Without full-time clergy to oversee preparations and lead the service, we don’t believe we can deliver it safely or well. We know this will be disappointing, but this service will be back. Ongoing Communication Thanks to Chris Duncan and Sam Love, we will continue to send out a weekly email during the Interregnum. I’m very grateful to both of them for stepping up to support in this way. We know some of these decisions may not affect everyone, while others may feel them more deeply. We don’t expect universal agreement, and that’s okay — your questions and thoughts are welcome and valued. All we ask is that feedback is offered with kindness and respect for those who have worked hard to make these plans in a short space of time. Thank you for being part of this community and for your ongoing support as we navigate this together.