Randwick

St. Jude's - 4th Sunday after Trinity 5 July, 2020

During these Covid-19 days, when all Churches have been closed for Sunday worship, we have had to make other arrangements regarding our church attendance.  In normal times we like to attend Christ Church, our local Anglican Church in Springwood, but during the pandemic the Church has had to conduct church services via Zoom.  Although the Ministry team is doing a great job in maintaining the continuity of worship, the zoom style of service has a few drawbacks, so we have looked around for an added alternative.  We found St. Jude's at Randwick on You Tube where our friend Andrew Schmidt is the Rector and we have been happy to partake in this online service every Sunday since the beginning of the pandemic.  Andrew was once an assistant minister at Anglican Churches in Springwood and we feel he is a good friend and we are familiar with his preaching, so we feel quite at home in this beautiful Church.  We have actually been inside this Church as we attended Andrew's induction a few year's ago when a busload from the Springwood congregation journeyed over to Randwick to attend the induction and supper afterwards in the Church hall.

Here is the beautiful church of St. Judes, Randwick.  There are differing views as to who was the Architect, among them being Simeon Pearce and Edmund Blackett.  The foundation stone was laid in 1861.

Rev. Andrew Schmidt at the beginning of the service on Sunday 5 July, 2020.  Every week there is always a beautiful flower arrangement beside the prayer desk, on the communion table and by the organist.

Kat Cowell, Women's and Families Minister, reading the Gospel.  She is married to Nigel Cowell, a student minister at St. Judes.

Rev. Andrew Goddard (Assistant Minister, Youth and Evangelism) delivering the sermon on Sunday 5 July, 2020.  Here, in the background, you can see the pipes of the organ. 

Andrew Schmidt giving the blessing at the end of the Holy Communion service.  There is also another Minister on the Ministry team, Rev. Jim Le Huray.

Angus Gilchrist the organist always plays a glorious postlude at the end of the service, which is a treat to listen to. Angus is also the choirmaster and every Sunday there is a small representation of the choir, socially distanced, to sing the hymns and vocal parts of the Dudman mass.

We enjoy partaking in this service on You Tube on our TV, sitting in our comfortable lounge chairs  with the gas fire on, joining in by saying the responses and singing the hymns.  We also appreciate the opportunity to take communion online and always have our bread and wine, in tiny glasses, set out on a little table in front of us.  Because the service is available on You Tube, we can watch it at a time convenient to us and we choose to watch it after we have watched our own church's service on zoom on Sunday morning.  We feel we are doing the best we can in these uncertain times and are just grateful we are fortunate enough to be able to access these meetings due to modern technology.

Springwood

Christ Church

Holy Communion at Christ Church this morning.   I love this beautiful old sandstone church on the Great Western Highway at Springwood.  We have been attending this church for the last fifteen years and are part of the 8 am Traditional Anglican congregation.

I took this photo this morning on a rather dull overcast day.  It is an example of  a Victorian Academic Gothic Style Church designed by Sir John Sulman and built in 1889

This is the rear of the Church.  In 1961 a Transept and Tower were added, in accordance with the original plans and these are sensitive additions to the original Church.

Inside the church.  The Communion Table and the beautiful stained glass window above it.  There are many beautiful stained glass windows throughout the Church and the Transept.

To-day we were encouraged to exercise compassion for the lost, the needy and each other.  At morning tea afterwards in the hall, we picked up these Red Hearts and were asked to complete and return them at the end of November listing ways in which we have shown compassion. Examples of compassion would be praying, make new friends at church, make a meal for the church freezer, fill an Operation Christmas Child box, telephone calls, etc.




I think I am going to have some trouble completing my Red Heart as I cannot  think of many ways in which I can contribute towards compassion.  I think I shall try and make new friends, which might be hard as hardly any new people turn up these days.  Perhaps I could make a meal for the freezer and, of course, I can always pray for the many sick people in our Parish.  It will be interesting to see my completed Red Heart at the end of November!