This Sunday is the 4th Sunday in Lent, and Mothering Sunday.
Our churches are all operating services at their normal times, with each celebrating the Eucharist. Our mid-week services continue in Alfaz on Thursday mornings and in Javea on Wednesday mornings.
ADVANCE WARNING – Please note that from Sunday April 3rd our weekly services at La Fustera will move to a new time of 12.15.
Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. It will be “streamed” live on Sunday at 10am Spanish time (9am BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to share our worship.
And remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.
If you wish to make a donation to support our Chaplaincy, which is entirely self-funded, you can pay directly into the Chaplaincy bank account in Spain (please show your name and the congregation that you support, if appropriate). The full IBAN number is –
ES24 0075 1294 6206 0012 5274
Or just click the following link to do so by PayPal –
On Palm Sunday (April 10th) all churches will celebrate a Eucharist (Communion service) including the blessing and distribution of palm crosses.
On Easter Sunday (April 17th) all churches will celebrate the resurrection in a parish communion services (the Eucharist).
These services are at the usual scheduled times (please see this page for location and timing of each – https://costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org/churches-and-services-3/). And please note that from Sunday April 3rd Sunday services at La Fustera will begin at 12.15.
Other services and celebrations are listed below –
Gandia Good Friday 12 noon.
Denia Maundy Thursday 12 noon. Good Friday 12 noon.
Javea Good Friday 10:30. Good Friday service
La Fustera
Maundy Thursday 6pm Seda Meal, Passover Liturgy including washing of the feet, the new Commandment to love one another and giving each other Communion. Please bring either your own food, or simple food to share. The service is followed by the Vigil in front of the Blessed Sacrament until 10pm. This service is open to all from across the Chaplaincy and beyond.
Good Friday – Liturgy of Good Friday, Noon
Holy Saturday – Lighting of Paschal Candle, Renewal of baptismal vows, Eucharist. 7 pm
Calpe Good Friday, 12 noon Stations of the Cross joint service with our Roman Catholic hosts. 8pm From the Church in Calpe Old Town Sra. De Las Nieves – Procesion del santo entierro Procession of the holy burial.
Albir
Maundy Thursday – The Forum, Alfaz Del Pi 11:00 Holy Eucharist
Good Friday – Albir 9:30 Solemn Liturgy for Good Friday
El Campello
Maundy Thursday – The Forum, Alfaz Del Pi 11:00 Holy Eucharist
Good Friday – El Campello 12:00 Solemn Liturgy for Good Friday
This week marks the second anniversary of the live broadcast services from Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin. They will be broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. It will be “streamed” live on Sunday at 10am Spanish time (9am BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to share our worship.
Our churches are all operating services at their normal times, with each celebrating the Eucharist. Our weekly service in Alfaz continues on Thursdays.
Remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.
If you wish to make a donation to support our Chaplaincy, which is entirely self-funded, you can pay directly into the Chaplaincy bank account in Spain (please show your name and the congregation that you support, if appropriate). The full IBAN number is –
ES24 0075 1294 6206 0012 5274
Or just click the following link to do so by PayPal –
Fr. Marcus has asked us to pass on this very powerful message from the Chaplain in Moscow –
March 10th 2022
St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Moscow is situated only 10 minutes walk from the Kremlin, the physical and geographical centre of power. The Ministries of Education, Culture and Defence are near neighbours. We are in the centre of power and yet we are powerless. Today, as many of our dear friends have left Russia, and as we nervously wonder whether or when we should leave, we are even more conscious of our powerlessness. Conflict was predicted and we were helpless, unable to do anything to prevent it. Now that ‘special military operations’, as they are called here, have begun, there is nothing that we can do to stop them. But it is precisely our powerlessness which means that there are things that we can do. We are gospel people, who serve a crucified but risen Lord. We are the ‘nobodies’ of 1 Corinthians 1, and it is our very powerlessness and insignificance and foolishness that can also be our strength, if it is handed to God. First of all, we are simply here. We are a community of very messed up people, but as we gather together to hear the Word of God and to receive bread and wine, a community of Russians and foreigners gathered together, centred on and receiving from Jesus Christ, our simple presence can be a witness of what the world can be like, of the future kingdom. Secondly, in our powerlessness, we can worship and pray. We pray for peace. That is far more than just praying for the absence of war. We praise God for the coming Kingdom, for the hope he has given us. I am struck that in both Mary’s song and Zechariah’s song we praise God for what we hope will happen, as if it already has happened; and we cry out for God, as we pray and long for the coming of God’s Kingdom. We pray for the time when there will be no more ‘fake news’, lies, betrayals or violence, and no more fear and death. And it is our very powerlessness which opens to us our dependence on God and on him doing wonderful works. Thirdly, we can still speak truth. There are some things that we cannot say in Moscow, but we can still preach Jesus Christ crucified and risen and reigning. We can call people to repentance and offer people hope. In my 30 plus years of ministry, I have never known a time and a place when people are more hungering for God. And fourthly we can love and serve our neighbour. We read the news and feel powerless. Most of us are in no position to solve world problems or to bring peace. The job advert when I applied to come to Moscow said that the person appointed could make a difference for world peace. On those grounds I have been a spectacular failure! But we can make a difference where we are, and love the actual physical neighbours who God has given us. For some, the neighbours are Ukrainian refugees. Yesterday I heard from the woman who I ran our college Christian Union with. Since leaving university, she has been working with Polish Christians, witnessing, and serving mainly among addicts and street women. She wrote of how her team met a family of homeless Ukrainian refugees and they are now living in her flat. There are many stories like that. Our neighbours at St Andrew’s in Moscow are different. They are the young Russian crushed by what has been done in his name; the mother sick with anxiety for her son who has been sent to Ukraine, the foreign student unsure whether to leave or how to leave, the person who has been named on the wrong sort of list, the older person who fears a return to the isolation and economic depression of the 80s. In our hubris we think that we are somebodies who can save the world – and we end up paralysed. But it is when we realise our powerlessness, that in the worlds eyes we are ‘nobodies’, that we can begin to see the neighbour who God has given us and learn to serve them Pray for us, for courage and wisdom and perseverance in faith and love. And we will pray for you.
Rev Canon Malcolm Rogers, Chaplain of St Andrews, Moscow The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Representative to the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Area Dean of Russia and Ukraine
Our churches were all closed in the first “lock-down” 2 years ago on March 15th. We returned to near normal operation in the summer and our services continue at their normal times, with each celebrating the Eucharist. Our mid-week services continue in Javea on Wednesdays and in Alfaz on Thursdays. This Sunday is the second in the preparatory season of Lent.
Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin began broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page just a week after we had to close our churches. Thus we are also approaching the second anniversary of this welcome addition to our worship. This week their service will be “streamed” live on Sunday at 11am Spanish time (10am BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to share our worship.
And remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.
If you wish to make a donation to support our Chaplaincy, which is entirely self-funded, you can pay directly into the Chaplaincy bank account in Spain (please show your name and the congregation that you support, if appropriate). The full IBAN number is –
ES24 0075 1294 6206 0012 5274
Or just click the following link to do so by PayPal –
Now in Lent, our Sunday services continue as normal, with each church celebrating the Eucharist. Our mid week services continue in Javea on Wednesdays and in Alfaz on Thursdays.
Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting their now regular communion service on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. It will be “streamed” live on Saturday at 7pm Spanish time (6pm BST) and then available all day on Sunday, to join at your leisure. As always both the live broadcast and the recording will be available on the following page – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940. If you are not ready or not able to join us in one of our churches this is a wonderful way to share our worship.
And remember to tune in to Fr. Marcus for his live Sunday radio programme, between 6pm and 8pm, Spanish time, on Pure Gold FM. You can listen on the radio on 94.1 FM. Or on your computer, tablet or phone join through the listen live button on https://puregold.fm/.
If you wish to make a donation to support our Chaplaincy, which is entirely self-funded, you can pay directly into the Chaplaincy bank account in Spain (please show your name and the congregation that you support, if appropriate). The full IBAN number is –
ES24 0075 1294 6206 0012 5274
Or just click the following link to do so by PayPal –
I have not produced a Tuesday Offering for a while now. I thought that you would have had enough of me wittering on, so I gave you a break. I hope you enjoyed it.
But Lent starts tomorrow, and it was always my intention to share some thoughts with you during this Holy Season.
Added to that, the world has changed dramatically this last week, and all of us are wondering what we can do. Many of us are feeling frightened, bewildered, angry, frustrated, shocked, and some are questioning everything! Our Brothers and Sisters in Ukraine are on the receiving end of unbelievable and unjustified aggression. This is not OK, and our condemnation needs to be heard!
So, what can we do? We want to do something!
Our Bishops have been pro active, making their voices heard, and calling us to Pray. Of course we can all do that, and I am sure you are already. Prayer is a big thing, and it can change the world, and it unties us across many divides. Here is what Bishop Robert wrote a few days ago
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The situation in Ukraine is very deeply troubling. President Putin is leading a completely unjustified and aggressive war against Ukraine, a war which many ordinary Russians deeply deplore. Leaders from many Christian churches, including the Ukrainian Orthodox (Russian Patriarchate) Church have condemned the invasion of Ukraine. Our hearts cry out for justice and peace. We are most especially concerned for the wellbeing of those in Ukraine who are directly affected by the war. This includes particularly the members of our own congregation of Christ Church, Kyiv. The Churchwarden there, Christina, messaged us this morning saying: ‘Please pray for us as we are standing here for our land and for our roots. The battle for Kyiv has begun; it is fierce and intensive. Pray for us.’
I am therefore inviting you to join an online gathering next Tuesday 1st March at 18:00 gmt/ 19:00 cet/ 20:00 Kyiv/ 21:00 Moscow: ‘Prayers across Europe for Peace in Ukraine’. The gathering is timed for the eve of a Day of Prayer called by Pope Francis. It will be led by me, with assistance from Canon Malcolm Rogers, our chaplain in Moscow and Area Dean for Russia and Ukraine.
In the face of military action, we can easily feel powerless and fearful. But one thing we can do is pray. We can pray in solidarity with those most affected. We can pray that God will yet overrule in the hearts and minds of those with power and authority. We can pray that the victims will be few and that the innocent will be protected. We can pray that peace will come through justice and not through the infliction of the will of a stronger party on a weaker.
In this prayer gathering, we will be joined by many people from Church of England churches in England. In addition, Archbishop Justin has drawn the event to the attention of the Anglican Primates from across the world.
So please do come if you can to share with many people from across Europe and beyond in praying for peace in Ukraine and in our continent.
Zoom space may be limited but the service will also be streamed on YouTube so please share the attached flyer and information about that with your congregations and friends. This is the YouTube Link YouTube Diocese in Europe Ukraine Service
Yours in Christ,
+Robert Gibraltar in Europe
So, please join us if you can, and if you feel moved to do so, take part in the day of Prayer and Fasting which Pope Francis has called for tomorrow, Ash Wednesday.
Christians believe that prayer can be efficacious. It certainly changes us, and it can definitely change the world, so please embrace these very positive initiatives.
It is also the case that Ukraine will need lots of support, and one thing we can do is financially be generous to them. Our Chaplaincy has already sent £1,000 from our funds, and there will be collection baskets in all of our Churches for the next few weeks. Please be generous, and Treasurers, please make sure that Dennis, our Chaplaincy Treasurer knows which money is given for Ukraine. We will send it via the Diocesan Account, so we know that every penny will get there.
But like you, I feel somehow that I would like to do more. If I was in the UK I would have joined the Demonstrations that were held in London and elsewhere. I shall look out for some here.
Since Russian forces officially invaded Ukraine on February 24th, dozens of protests have been held in cities across Spain including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, León, Murcia, Logroño and Bilbao.
Joining with others shows solidarity against aggression, and strengthens the resolve of those who speak out.
I am pretty sure that most Russians are not in favour of this war, and many are speaking out against it. I have just read that 5,500 Russian protestors have been detained! I feel that I want to somehow support them. We will have to explore how best we can do that.
In the meantime, let’s do what we do best – Pray, and Pray again.
Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.
Almighty God, from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed: kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all, the true love of peace and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who take counsel for the nations of the earth that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward, till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Something a bit lighter in these dark days. On Sunday Feb 27th Fr. Robin and Fr. Rodney blessed the dogs and cats at SCAN, the animal sanctuary in El Verger. It was a lovely afternoon and around 150 supporters enjoyed the barbecue and Blessing.
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