The first Sunday in Trinity this year is also the 5 th Sunday in May,  our 10 am service was a Eucharist, celebrated by Father Stephen. In his Sermon Father Stephen referred back to the Deanery Confirmation held last Thursday at St Peters Selsey, at which a number of young people from our Parish were confirmed by Bishop Mark of Horsham. It was amazing to be part of this lovely service at which people of all ages, children and adults, were accepted into full membership of the Church of Christ. The St Peter's Choir were joined by members of the St Mary's Choir to produce a resounding sound in the hymns, and the congregation included families and supporters of the candidates from St Peters, St Marys, St Georges Whyke and Funtington Church. A joyful occasion.

At our Parish Eucharist the Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei were sung by the choir in the setting by Darke in F major, and the Anthem was Ave Verum in the setting by W.A. Mozart.
There was coffee after the service. We went home to a beautiful early summers day.

Next Sunday, the 5th of June will be the Rogation Walk, so please come prepared fro all types of weather!!

Our 10 am Eucharist for Trinity Sunday on a beautiful spring morning marks the end of the great festivals and the beginning of so called Ordinary time. For Trinity we sang some traditional trinitarian hymns, and in his sermon Father Stephen discussed the sometimes difficult concept of the nature of God, three persons in one.
The Choir sang 'God so Loved the World' by John Stainer as the anthem. There was coffee after the service.

Next week we have  fifth Sunday which will be a Eucharist, the Choir are planning to sing a special setting for this occasion! The first Sunday in June our Family service will be the Rogation walk, so come with suitable footwear!!

Pentecost falls this year on the third Sunday of May, so our service was Mattins. The canticles and the set psalm were sung to Anglican Chant with the exception of the Benedictus, which to mark this special occasion was sung by the Choir in the setting by C V Stanford in C major. In addition the anthem was 'O Holy Spirit, Lord of Grace' by Tye.
There was coffee after the service, and the beautiful May sunshine illuminated out Pentecostal Glass plate to remind us of the coming of the Holy Spirit to us all.

Our Eucharist at 10 am continued to look at the theme of the Ascension of our Lord. The celebrant was Father Stephen, and the service included the traditional Ascension tide hymns. In his sermon Father Stephen continued his theme of the return of Jesus to his Father, a return to oneness of two of the three parts of the Trinity, and of course we anticipate next week the arrival with the disciples, and ourselves, of the third element of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost.
The Choir sang 'God is gone up with a merry noise' by Croft as the motet. There was coffee after the service.

To mark the ascension of Our Lord we held a Eucharist at 7:30 in the evening, the Eucharist was celebrated by Father Stephen and in his sermon he reminded us that, as heard in the Gospel, after Jesus had Ascended to the Father, the Disciples returned home joyfully. We remember that Jesus will return, but as we await Pentecost we remember that the Spirit remains with us until that day comes.
Music at the Eucharist for the feast included an English versification (by J M Neale) of the Latin office hymn for first vespers of the feast Æterne Rex altissime – Eternal Monarch, King most high -  and Charles Wesley’s Hail the day that sees him rise (sung to Llanfair). The motet at Communion was J S Bach’s Lift your heads, ye gates eternal, and the voluntary at the end of the service was Heut’ triumphieret Gottes Sohn (Today God’s Son rises in triumph), BWV 630, again by J S Bach.
We came home in the dusk of a May evening with the joy of the disciples in our minds and hearts.

This morning we met for our Family Eucharist on a sunny but cool morning. The Children of the Sunday School told us about the lives of St Philip and St James who's feast's occur this week. More is known about St James who appears in the Gospels as a fisherman,  brother to St John, one of the 'Sons of Thunder' , St Philip was from the town of Bethesda, the same place that the brothers Peter and Andrew came from. He introduced Nathaniel, sometimes called Bartholomew, to Jesus.  This morning’s music reflected that we are still in Eastertide,, with seasonal hymns A brighter dawn is breaking, sung to an old German tune, and Sidney Carter’s Lord of the dance, for which he used the American folk tune ‘Simple Gifts’. At Communion the choir sang Charles Wood’s arrangement of This joyful Eastertide.