Portsmouth Cathedral Notices Sunday 7 June Trinity Sunday
Welcome from The Dean
As I write this, protests are taking place in the United States of America and across the world, following the death of George Floyd. His death has once again shone a light on the systemic issue of racism and inequality that pervades societies around the world, including our own.
The protests seen in the US, UK and globally come in the midst of a continuing period of national and international soul-searching generated by a devastating pandemic. While no doubt the motives of those involved are diverse and mixed, I wonder if our collective sense of what is just and right has been sharpened by current circumstances. We don’t just want to go back to the ‘same old’, but in the same way that post VE-Day Britain saw the foundation of the National Health Service we have all been lauding and applauding, our post-Covid response has the potential to tackle the inequalities in society that continue to be our shame.
This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, in which we celebrate the vision of God at the heart of the Christian faith. Most other Christian festivals are about an event. We celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and his death and resurrection at Easter. But there wasn’t a Biblical Trinity ‘moment’; this is a festival for more general reflection on the nature of God. And what the Bible as a whole teaches us, is that the God known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a God for whom each of his children is equally precious. A God for whom justice, integrity and love are not optional extras, but rather at the core of what humanity is created to be.
The Very Revd Dr Anthony Cane
Dean of Portsmouth
Supporting Portsmouth Cathedral
Over past weeks we have been sharing some of the profound financial challenges that Portsmouth Cathedral faces. The Cathedral team has done everything possible to reduce expenditure and Chapter has approved revised budgets for 2020 and 2021 which see deep cuts of almost 40%. Even with such drastic measures, we will be unable to achieve balanced budgets and to continue our ministry in the way we aspire to without the support of our congregation.
We know many people are facing financially challenging circumstances. If you are able to, please consider making a new or increased regular or one-off donation to support our work. Every gift is hugely valued and very gratefully received. If you are a UK taxpayer, signing up for Gift Aid will enable us to claim an additional 25% of your donation from HMRC.
Ways to make a regular donation:
By Direct Debit – via the Parish Giving Scheme by calling 0333 002 1271. Lines are open Monday-Friday between 9am and 5pm. You will need your bank details ready as well as this reference information: Church name: Portsmouth Cathedral, Parish Giving Scheme parish code: 290629001
By Standing Order – please contact sophie.henstridge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for our bank details and reference number
Ways to make a one-off donation:
By bank transfer – please contact sophie.henstridge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for our bank details
By cheque – payable to ‘Portsmouth Cathedral Chapter’ and sent to the Cathedral Offices
Online here. Please note that online donations incur a fee from the online provider, if you wish us to receive all of your donation and Gift Aid, please use bank transfer or cheque.
Thank you to everyone who has generously increased their giving recently, we are hugely grateful.
If you would like to talk about how your gift can make a difference, please contact our Head of Fundraising Sophie Henstridge-Brown on sophie.henstrdge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk.
In the notices this week:
The Revd Dr Ruth Tuschling
The Volunteers’ Tea
Chapter - Wednesday 10 June
College of Canons - Thursday 11 June
Corpus Christi - Thursday 11 June, 5.30pm
Cathedral Quiz – Thursday 18 June, 7pm
Weekly reflection from the Portsmouth Cathedral Ministry Team
Do you need extra support during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Resources
Sound quality of online services
Portsmouth Cathedral - our future
Regular details of online worship, prayers and intercessions, Dr David Price’s weekly music choice and ways to contact the Cathedral.
The Revd Dr Ruth Tuschling
Dr Ruth Tuschling, who has been the Diocesan Spirituality Adviser, Cathedral Honorary Chaplain and valued member of the Ministry Team since 2012, leaves the diocese at the end of this month. There will be an opportunity for the Cathedral Community to say farewell and thank you to Ruth on Sunday during our Coffee Hour and she will give her final sermon during the live-streaming of Compline on Tuesday. Donations towards a leaving gift can be made through the Cathedral Offices by cheque or BACS, please contact accounts@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk for details.
The Volunteers’ Tea
As part of National Volunteer week, and in celebration of the all the Cathedral’s wonderful volunteers, we held an online version of our Volunteers’ Tea, via Zoom, on Thursday. Our guest speaker was the Very Revd Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark, who gave a thought-provoking talk, entitled ‘Fresh Expression of Cathedral?’ about the challenges and opportunities facing us all at this time and going into the future. He also gave us an insight into his experience of being Chaplain to the Worshipful Companies of Innkeepers and Launderers (coats of arms including the star of Bethlehem for the Innkeepers, and a cat washing itself for the Launderers!) and, on the day after the third anniversary of the devastating London Bridge attacks, all of which happened within the Cathedral parish, he offered his reflections on that time. There was then a question and answer session, followed by a more general chat and catch-up. A truly splendid range of both hats and cakes was in evidence, and our Dean expressed our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers, including those who could not be with us. We took solace from the words of ‘The Gate of the Year,’ by Minnie Louise Haskins, which Dean Andrew quoted in his talk, and we look forward to next year’s tea:
And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.
Canon Kathryn
Chapter - Wednesday 10 June
Chapter will meet on Wednesday 10 June. The agenda for this meeting is here.
College of Canons - Thursday 11 June
The College of Canons will meet on Thursday 11 June by Zoom. Further details here.
Corpus Christi - Thursday 11 June, 5.30pm
A live-streamed Eucharist will be celebrated at 5.30pm on Thursday 11 June to celebrate Corpus Christi (the Day of Thanksgiving for the Institution of Holy Communion). We remember how Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples and gave us the Eucharist as a means of grace and an assurance of his presence in our lives. Even though we cannot gather to share the sacrament at this time, we give thanks for Christ’s promise to us and his abiding, eternal love.
Cathedral Quiz - Thursday 18 June, 7pm
Following the success of the first online Cathedral Quiz, we will be running another quiz on Thursday 18 June at 7pm. Please note this is different from the date previously published.
We encourage you to join others and play in a team. Using Zoom, you will be able to discuss your answers with your team members during the quiz. If you’d like to play in a team but don’t yet have one, just let us know. You are also welcome to play on your own.
To participate you will need:
Access to the internet as the quiz will be hosted on Zoom
A pen and paper to write notes
As much knowledge as you can muster
How to sign up
Please email sophie.henstridge-brown@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk with:
Your name
If you’re playing in a team, please include: the names of all your team members, one email address per household and the name of the team-member who will be in charge of collating your answers
If you’re not yet in a team, please say whether you’d like to be allocated into a team, or if you will playing on your own
Joining details will be sent on Wednesday 17 June via email.
Weekly reflection
For the past few weeks we have been sharing a short reflection from members of the Ministry Team. This week, when millions of people around the world tuned in to watch SpaceX and Nasa launch their landmark mission to the International Space Station, Canon Kathryn Percival reflects on the incredible mystery and wonder that are a the heart of both space and the Feast of Trinity.
You can see all of the previous videos on our YouTube channel here.
Do you need extra support during the COVID-19 pandemic?
If you would like to request help with shopping or collecting medication, posting mail, dog walking, gardening, topping up your gas/electricity key or just a friendly phone call. Please contact Compassionately Portsmouth, who are working with The Hive, Portsmouth, and have volunteers who would be happy to help. Tel: 07942 671194 - Monday to Friday between 9:00am to 5:00pm or email- coordinator@compassionatelyportsmouth.org.uk
Further detail can be found here
Resources
Details of resources for individuals and families can be found on our website. A new addition to the Church of England’s Faith at Home resources this week is a section for parents and families on grief, bereavement, and loss. You can find it here: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-action/faith-home/i-am-parent/grief-bereavement-and-loss-resources-parents-and-families
Sound quality of online services
Thank you to everyone who has fed back to us about the sound quality of our broadcasts.
We know how important our live services are at this difficult time and are taking all your comments very seriously. We have taken a number of steps already to improve sound quality and will soon be receiving more new equipment to improve things further.
As one of the most prolific broadcasters of live services, our operation is much more complex than many other churches and cathedrals. We currently broadcast live from eight different homes and, more recently, the Cathedral itself. Each space has different acoustics and we have to think carefully about the best solution for each different location. In the context of extremely challenging circumstances, we need to be sure that each purchase of new equipment is a good investment of money. Our new equipment should arrive within the next week and, although the sound levels will still vary depending on location, we hope our investment will make a real difference.
Thank you for continuing to bear with us. Click here for some helpful tips on how to make the most of the equipment you are using in your home.
If you would like to support us through this challenging time, visit our website.
Portsmouth Cathedral - our future
Thank you to everyone who joined the Congregational Meeting recently on Zoom and for sharing your comments and questions. As highlighted above, the Cathedral has long-standing and significant financial challenges which have been compounded by COVID-19. To read more about these, please refer to the notices from previous weeks, available here.
Music
This week’s music choice is taken from a Songs of Praise programme broadcast from Portsmouth for Remembrance Sunday 2003. The choir sings the Benedictus from Karl Jenkin’s Mass for the Armed Man – a setting which was commissioned by the Royal Armouries Museum in response to the Kosovo War and a fervent prayer for peace and reconciliation across the world. On this, the 76th anniversary of DDay we recall all who sailed from these shores in 1944 as part of the sword of freedom, liberation and justice (as depicted in our DDay window) https://youtu.be/4cLtRwk9tpI
Online worship
Monday-Saturday
8.15am Morning Prayer
5.30pm Evening Prayer
8.30pm Compline
Plus Toddler Group on Wednesdays at 2.00pm via Facebook
Sunday
9.00am Holy Communion, followed by online coffee at 10.00am
5.30pm Evening Prayer
8.30pm Compline
How to join the services
You do not need to be a member of Facebook to join the services. Please use this link. when the service is about to begin. You will see a prompt asking you to join Facebook, just click ‘not now’.
How to join the online Sunday Coffee Hour
Coffee is hosted on Zoom. In order to maintain security details will be sent with our emailed notices.
Prayers and Intercessions
A prayer during COVID-19
God of compassion,
be close to those who are ill, afraid or in isolation.
In their loneliness, be their consolation;
in their anxiety, be their hope;
in their darkness, be their light;
through him who suffered alone on the cross, but reigns with you in glory,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Cathedral Prayers
We give thanks for Joey’s improvement in health: he is now home from hospital after a successful bone-marrow transplant
All those affected by COVID-19
We remember the following for whom prayer has been asked by members of the Cathedral Community: Christopher, Peter, Michael, Richard, Stephen, Paul, Marinus, Chris, Colin, Philippa, Terry, Sally, David, John, Bob, Derek, Nigel, Trevor, Emrys, Reuben, Andrew, Jonathan, Grant, Melissa, Mary, Laurence and all those in need.
All those who have died: Wendy Pascal, Brian Anderson (Priest), Patrick Tobin, Mavis Morris, Roberta Flowers and Terry Colliver RIP.
Requesting an addition to the prayer list
To add someone to the prayer list, please email info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
Getting in touch
We know that this is a lonely and anxious time for many people. Please feel free to get in touch if we can help in any way, or if you just want to hear another voice!
By phone:
The Dean: 023 9282 4400
Canon Kathryn Percival: 023 9289 2967
Canon Jo Spreadbury: 023 9275 2335
Messages can also be left on the cathedral phone system 023 9282 3300 and will be responded to as necessary.
By email:
The Dean Anthony.Cane@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
Canon Kathryn Percival Kathryn.Percival@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
Canon Jo Spreadbury Jo.Spreadbury@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
For pastoral matters pastoral@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk
General matters info@portsmouthcathedral.org.uk