Pray for the world with Pope Francis
31 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic
in31 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic
in31 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Mission, St Nicholas Boldmere
inThe Trustees of Royal Sutton Coldfield Community Town Hall Trust, the charity which runs Sutton Coldfield’s Town Hall has confirmed that it will collect donations of food for local food banks during the current COVID-19 crisis.
This is because the normal collection centre, which then distributes to two food banks in Erdington has had to close due to volunteer shortages.
The Town Hall was scheduled to stage Tudor Musical Theatre’s production of Legally Blonde this week, followed by a sold-out comedy show featuring Bill Bailey next Friday. Since government restrictions were brought in on social distancing, all shows after 15th March and into the summer are postponed until later in the year and into 2021.
The Town Hall will continue to operate with skeleton staffing for blood collections and community requirements resulting from the coronavirus crisis. The first request for help was from The Trussell Trust Foodbank Network, which runs Six Ways Baptist Church and George Road Church Food Banks in Erdington. Food and household items are urgently needed by both these and other Sutton Coldfield Food Banks in the coming weeks, as more families than ever are hit by the economic impact of the virus.
In a statement, The Trussell Trust said: “Those who have the least resources to cope with this crisis must not be forgotten at this time. Some of the specific challenges we face as a result of the spread of the virus are:
• A significant proportion of our 28,000+ volunteers are older people, many of whom are now not able to volunteer because they are in higher risk groups.
• Many of the people who need to use the food banks in our network have health issues and so may be needing to self-isolate or comply most strictly with social distancing guidelines.
• Maintaining food stocks at a time when many people are going out less or are more urgently focused on providing for their own households.
• Potential for increased demand where workers are being laid off or shifts reduced due to impact on businesses.
Gerald Goshawk, who runs Erdington Foodbank explained: “Erdington Foodbank is already one of the busiest in the whole of the UK. We are now experiencing heightening demand; together with increasing pressure to deliver to people who are in isolation; and major problems with obtaining food donations. We would be so massively grateful for help from the people of Sutton Coldfield.”
Any non-perishable foodstuffs are appreciated, but our current priorities are: UHT milk, Sugar, Tinned custard, Pasta sauce, Coffee, Fruit, Packet rice and Rice pudding. We will soon need to replenish stocks of Meat, Vegetables, Fish, Cereals, Vegetarian meals and Tomatoes”. Non-food items such as feminine hygiene, toilet rolls, deodorants and soap are always needed.
Those who cannot leave the house at all or who would prefer to donate money for stock can do so via our website
Birmingham City Council’s Mick Brown commented: “As a Councillor for Gravelly Hill Ward where residents often depend on the good work foodbanks do to support their local communities, including the ones at Six Ways Baptist Church and George Road, as part of the Trussell Trust Foodbank Network. I can only thank them, the trustees of Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Hall Trust and the many people who make donations to this essential service. Whether donating 1 item or 10, every item makes a difference to the collective effort to support individuals and families at this difficult time”
MP for Royal Sutton Coldfield Andrew Mitchell added: “At this very difficult time for everyone, our Town Hall and its staff and friends are playing an important and safe role in supporting this vital work. I want to thank them”.
The Town Hall will accept donations of food to its main entrance foyer on Mondays and Fridays for the next few months, commencing Friday 3rd April, 10am – 2pm.
Donors can incorporate the drop off into their daily exercise or park in the short-term spaces by the Cenotaph in King Edwards Square.
Staff are engaging in strict social distancing to reassure donors. The Town Hall’s Managing Director Julie Rennison will be one of those staff on site. “Locals can simply drop off any donations in the Entrance Vestibule – we will acknowledge a thank you from the other side of our inner glass doors!”
Those who want to help while self-isolating can donate to the website mentioned, who will buy in bulk food stocks to distribute locally.
The Town Hall will not be keeping food on the premises and it is a drop off point only, not a food bank collection service.
Over the coming days, the staff remaining at the town hall will push the message of donations via social media. Local comedy actress and voice over artist Josephine Enright from Erdington, has volunteered her services in narrating an information advert. The Town Hall would like to engage a volunteer video editor to compile a short piece from home. If interested, please contact Town Hall MD Julie Rennison at julie.rennison@townhall-scart.co.uk
31 Tuesday Mar 2020
31 Tuesday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic
inEach day during Lent there will be a reading from that day’s Mass posted, chosen by a parishioner, and with their own brief reflection for the day.
For some suggestions as to how to get the most from the reading, click here.
Tuesday 31st March:
Tuesday of the 5th week of Lent
The Gospel today is a challenging read.
Jesus argues that the Pharisees who resist his teaching will die in their sin – and extends his warning to an unbelieving world.
At times like this, we want security, a comfort blanket that everything will be OK. For most of us, physically we will be fine, but we must not forget the need care for our spiritual health.
We need to pray and seek the Lord’s intervention to help us believe that Jesus is the divine ‘I am’ and as St Peter states in Chapter 4 of Acts, the only name by which we can be saved.
Gospel: John 8:21-30
When you have lifted up the Son of Man then you will know that I am He
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
‘I am going away;
you will look for me
and you will die in your sin.
Where I am going, you cannot come.’The Jews said to one another, ‘Will he kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ Jesus went on:
‘You are from below; I am from above.
You are of this world; I am not of this world.
I have told you already:
You will die in your sins.
Yes, if you do not believe that I am He,
you will die in your sins.’So they said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus answered:
‘What I have told you from the outset.
About you I have much to say
and much to condemn;
but the one who sent me is truthful,
and what I have learnt from him
I declare to the world.’They failed to understand that he was talking to them about the Father. So Jesus said:
‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He
and that I do nothing of myself:
what the Father has taught me is what I preach;
he who sent me is with me,
and has not left me to myself,
for I always do what pleases him.’As he was saying this, many came to believe in him.
30 Monday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic
inThe current crisis has all sorts of practical consequences for people’s employment, finances, and security. The following summary of advice has been provided by Birmingham City Council.
To sign up to receive future updates directly from BCC, please click here.
In light of the impact COVID-19 is having on the economy, Birmingham City Council would like to ensure our residents are fully aware of all of the financial support which is being made available through the Government.
Going forward, we will issue a weekly update with details of any grants or relief which business can apply for with links to the relevant sources of information.
Information if you are an employee
You can get £94.25 per week Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) if you’re too ill to work. It’s paid by your employer for up to 28 weeks. If you are staying at home because of COVID-19 you can now claim SSP. This includes individuals who are caring for people in the same household and therefore have been advised to do a household quarantine.
The Government is legislating for SSP to be paid from day 1, rather than day 4, of your absence from work if you are absent from work due to sickness or need to stay at home due to COVID-19. Once the legislation has been passed, this will apply retrospectively from 13 March.
If you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home, you can get an ‘isolation note’ by visiting NHS 111 online, rather than visiting a doctor. For COVID-19 cases this replaces the usual need to provide a ‘fit note’ (sometimes called a ‘sick note’) after 7 days of sickness absence.
If your employer intends to access the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, they will discuss with you becoming classified as a furloughed worker. This would mean that you are kept on your employer’s payroll, rather than being laid off. This will allow your employer to claim a grant of up to 80% of your wage for all employment costs, up to a cap of £2,500 per month. You will remain employed while furloughed. Your employer could choose to fund the differences between this payment and your salary, but does not have to. The Government plans for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to run for at least three months from 1 March 2020, but will extend if necessary.
Whether you are currently in or out of work, if you are on a low income and affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19, you will be able to access the full range of the welfare system, including Universal Credit. From 6 April the Government will increase the standard allowance in Universal Credit and the basic element in Working Tax Credit for one year. Both will increase by £20 per week on top of planned annual up-rating. This will apply to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants and to existing Working Tax Credit claimants.
Information if you are self-employed
Your employer can ask you to stay at home or take unpaid leave if there’s not enough work for you. A lay-off is if you’re off work for at least 1 working day. Short-time working is when your hours are cut. There’s no limit for how long you can be laid off or put on short-time. You could apply for redundancy and claim redundancy pay if it’s been four weeks in a row or six weeks in a 13-week period. For lay-off pay entitlement and short-time working payments, you should get your full pay unless your contract allows unpaid or reduced pay lay-offs. If you’re unpaid, you’re entitled to guarantee pay.
This scheme will allow you to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of your trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for the next 3 months. This may be extended if needed. You can apply if you’re a self-employed individual or a member of a partnership and you:
If you’re self-employed, Income Tax payments due in July 2020 under the Self-Assessment system can be deferred to January 2021.
All businesses and self-employed people in financial distress, and with outstanding tax liabilities, may be eligible to receive support with their tax affairs through HMRC’s Time To Pay service. These arrangements are agreed on a case-by-case basis and are tailored to individual circumstances and liabilities.
If you are not eligible for SSP – for example if you are self-employed – and you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home, you can now more easily make a claim for Universal Credit or the new style Employment and Support Allowance. If you are eligible for new style Employment and Support Allowance, it will now be payable from day 1 of sickness, rather than day 8, if you have COVID-19 or are advised to stay at home.
Whether you are currently in or out of work, if you are on a low income and affected by the economic impacts of COVID-19, you will be able to access the full range of the welfare system, including Universal Credit. From 6 April the Government will increase the standard allowance in Universal Credit and the basic element in Working Tax Credit for one year. Both will increase by £20 per week on top of planned annual uprating. This will apply to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants and to existing Working Tax Credit claimants
You should check your eligibility for Universal Credit, which is available for people in and out of work. Support for rental costs will be paid through Universal Credit. From April, we are increasing Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of market rents. This applies to all private renters who are new or existing Universal Credit housing element claimants and to existing Housing Benefit claimants.
Benefits and financial support
You can apply for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a disability or health condition that affects how much you can work. It gives you money to help with living costs if you’re unable to work and support to get back into work if you’re able to. You can apply for ESA if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed.
You may be entitled to up to 100% Council Tax Support if you or your partner is:
If you are of working age (other than those listed above) you will now have to make a contribution towards their Council Tax bill. As Council Tax Support will be calculated as a means tested discount, the amount each household will have to pay towards the Council Tax will depend on their individual household circumstances.
BCC has been allocated £17m through the Government’s COVID-19 Hardship Fund to deliver relief to those who are struggling to make council tax payments in the current economic climate. These reductions will be applied after any award of council tax support (CTS), and will not affect the CTS scheme itself or entitlement to any other benefits. The government expects authorities to reduce the bills of all working-age recipients of Council Tax Support by £150, or by a lesser amount if that is all that remains to be paid for the year. It does not expect taxpayers to have to apply for this reduction – authorities should already hold enough information to be able to award this automatically. It does not matter whether or not a taxpayer has been affected directly or indirectly by COVID-19. The government recommends an upfront payment, although it accepts that in some cases it may be better to spread it over the year.
Housing rental payments
Contact your landlord if you’re struggling to pay rent; they may be able to give a rent reduction or accept late payment. Make sure you get something in writing. The Government announced on 18 March that landlords will not be able to apply to court to evict tenants for at least three months. That includes if you rent from a private landlord, a housing association or the council. The new law is expected to come in very soon.
Mortgage payments
Mortgage lenders have announced they won’t apply to court to repossess homeowners for 3 months starting from 19 March. They will also allow a three-month payment holiday for those struggling to cover their mortgage because of coronavirus. Be aware that this option may mean your monthly mortgage payment goes up after the payment holiday ends. Check if you have insurance that will cover your mortgage payments instead. For example, mortgage payment protection insurance or through your current account
Free advice
You can receive free and impartial advice on a range of matters from organisations including:
A FINAL IMPORTANT REMINDER: if you have any concerns about coronavirus, all the important official advice to help restrict its spread and how to deal with any infection can be found on the NHS website.
30 Monday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic, God who speaks, Parish Newsletter, Prayer, Scripture, St Nicholas Boldmere
inMostly the postings on this Blog have been directed at adults, so far. Time for catch-up.
Here are a wide range of different materials very firmly aimed at families with younger children.
Some are activities for parents to lead, others are intended to be made directly available to the youngsters.
Do please post your comments and observations in the comments section below, or on this posting on our parish facebook page.
It’s an opportunity to learn what parents and children find most helpful and why.
30 Monday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic, Mission, Parish Newsletter, Prayer, St Nicholas Boldmere
inYou may like to use this prayer, to continue to pray with the Church to Jesus, Bread for the World, as she prays in praise and faith, and intercedes for protection for the sick and those who seek to help end this time of crisis.
30 Monday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic
inEach day during Lent there will be a reading from that day’s Mass posted, chosen by a parishioner, and with their own brief reflection for the day.
For some suggestions as to how to get the most from the reading, click here.
Monday 30th March:
Monday of the 5th week of Lent
The crucial part of this Gospel passage is the punchline: “do not sin any more.”
Jesus does not ignore the woman’s sin: but he does not condemn her to death. On the contrary, he restores her to life. That’s what happens to us every time we go to confession.
At the moment we have no access to that sacrament but Father Allen has published on the parish blog some advice from Pope Francis on how to seek authentic forgiveness in the absence of the sacrament. We are all going to have to reflect on that advice not least because none of us will be able to fulfil our Easter duties in the usual way.
The blog yesterday offering a prayer for a perfect act of contrition sits very well alongside the lead given by the Holy Father.
When the public celebration of the sacraments is restored, we might think about going to confession in preparation for our return to community worship. In the meantime, the pastoral counsel from both Rome and sources closer to home gives us the means of fashioning a very powerful Plan B.
John 8:1-11
‘Let the one among you who has not sinned be the first to throw a stone’Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them.
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in full view of everybody, they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and Moses has ordered us in the Law to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?’
They asked him this as a test, looking for something to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he looked up and said, ‘If there is one of you who has not sinned, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and wrote on the ground again.
When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained standing there. He looked up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus ‘go away, and do not sin any more.’
29 Sunday Mar 2020
Apologies.
I don’t know why the newsletter was not opening – it was there on the website and had uploaded ok. But I have reconfigured the file and it is now uploading properly!
Fr Allen
29 Sunday Mar 2020
Posted Catholic, Prayer, St Nicholas Boldmere
inThousands of Christians lit candles and prayed last Sunday at 7.00pm and want to keep the prayer going.
While the online witness was extraordinary, we are aware that not many people were outside to see the candles – and the lighter evenings will make them less visible in the weeks to come. So Churches Together in England is offering a poster to encourage #PrayersOfHope.
Download the poster below. There’s one for you if you can print in colour, or a black & white version if you prefer, or one to colour in. If you’re from another country, there’s a version without words so that you can add your own.
St Paul tells us to pray continually. However, it helps to know that others are also praying at a specific time, so we encourage you to pray at 7.00 pm on Sunday evening.
If you want to join in prayer led by others, you might like to know of the service on Premier Radio – Premier radio: Prayers of Hope service at 7.00pm on Sundays
‘Praying For You, Praying For Everyone’ posters
01 Coloured poster (105.5KB)
02 Black & white (84.8KB)
03 To be coloured in (84.5KB)
‘We Are Praying’ Posters
01 Coloured poster (56.9KB)
02 Black & white (38.1KB)
03 To be coloured in (37.9KB)