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This Week at St Nicholas...

©Morna Simpson

Nomad Podcast

As some of you might be aware, Karen and Jay were recently on Joy's podcast "Nomad", talking about the "Gayest Church in the City". Have a listen!

Karen Rooms and Jay Hulme - The Gayest Church in the City - (nomadpodcast.co.uk)

Community Nights - Wednesdays

We will be offering a St Nick's Community Night every Wednesday evening between 6.30 and 8.30pm. In the church.

1 June Games night!

8 June Living The Questions - Bible and Life
15 June Speaker - TBC
22 June Living The Questions - Bible and Life
29 June Board Games

#TogetherWithRefugees

The Bishops of Leicester and Loughborough, Martyn Snow and Saju Muthalaly, have taken part in the national Together with Refugees campaign to urge the Government to establish an asylum system that respects the human dignity of all people.

The Nationality and Borders Bill, which was first brought forward in July 2021, is nearing its final stages in Parliament. The stated aims of the Bill are to make the immigration system fairer and more efficient whilst being strict on illegal immigration and tackling people smuggling. However, charities and NGOs, including the United Nations Refugee Agency, fear it would penalise the majority of those seeking asylum in the UK and undermine international protections for refugees.

To mark their solidarity with refugees, faith and community groups all around the country, including churches across the Diocese of Leicester, are sharing photographs of orange hearts (the colour of the refugee flag in the 2016 Olympics and the colour of a rescue lifebelt) and symbols of support with the hashtag #TogetherWithRefugees

Also: Christians across the world are joining together for 1 minute prayer everyday for Ukraine- it is 3pm in the UK and a set time in other countries, which is something you might want to join in with.

Leicester Cathedral at St Nicholas...

You may have picked up in the local news that the Cathedral building is closing on 2nd January in the new year for 18+months for major refurbishment and the addition of a new visitor centre. The main 10.30am Sunday Eucharist will continue as normal but take place next door to the Cathedral in the Grand Hall of St Martin's House.

On Sunday afternoons the Choir and congregation have accepted invitations from parishes across the Diocese to join them in Choral Evensong and other special services. Here at St Nicholas we are offering the hospitality of our building for the Cathedral's daily midweek services, all of which are public acts of worship open to all.

Cathedral Services being held at St Nicholas are as follows:

Monday 8.15 Eucharist (Live Streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Monday 17:30 Choral Evensong

Tuesday 8:30 Morning Prayer (Live streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Tuesday 13.00 Eucharist (Live Streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Tuesday 17.30 Choral Evensong

Wednesday 8.30 Morning Prayer (Live streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Wednesday 17:30 Evening Prayer

Thursday 8.30 Morning Prayer (Live Streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Thursday 13.00 Eucharist (Live Streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Thursday 17.30 Evening Prayer

Friday 8.30 Morning Prayer (Live Streamed to Cathedral Facebook)
Friday 17.30 Evening Prayer

please head over to www.leicestercathedral.org for more information.

The Backwater Sermons...

According to the press surrounding Jay's recently launched book of poetry.....In late 2019, his fascination with old church buildings turned into a life-changing encounter with the God he had never believed in, and he was baptised in the Anglican church. (That's us).

In this new poetry collection, Jay details his journey through faith and baptism during an unprecedented world-wide pandemic. As he finds God in the ruined factories and polluted canals of his home city, Jonah is heckled over etymology, angels appear in tube stations, and Jesus sits atop a multi-story car park. Cathedrals are trans, trans people are cathedrals, and amidst it all God reaches out to meet us exactly where we are.

Jay’s poetry explores belief in the modern world and offers a perspective on queer faith that will appeal not only to Christians, but young members of the LGBT+ community who are interested in faith but unsure of where to start.

You can buy it here, from him in person, and at all major retailers including Christian Resources in St Martin's House.

Ornithologist in Residence...

Dr Alexander Bond is our Ornithologist in Residence

If you want to know a bit more about the research of the Adrift Lab (Alex's research group at the Natural History Museum and University of Tasmania), and how Alex weaves it in with his queer identity, you can watch a talk from last winter for Scientific Queeries over on this website.

You can visit Alex’s website, and follow him on Twitter @TheLabAndField.

Supporting Ministry at St Nicholas...

If you like what we do and stand for, and would like to support our ministry and common life here at St Nicholas please consider giving to our work. This can be done HERE. through our Give A Little online giving portal which can also be accessed via the DONATE button on the top menu of our website.

You can set up a regular donation or make single donations and it is easy to Gift Aid it as well, if you are a UK tax payer. All donations are gratefully and prayerfully received.

Services...

We have reviewed our worship pattern again and will return to IN PERSON worship on Sundays. We continue to encourage the wearing of face masks inside and maintain some social distancing. We are now singing in doors, but request people do so with masks on. We want to be 'safe enough'; to respect those who are feeling most anxious and wary, and live by the principle in 1 Cor 10:23 'Everything is permitted, but everything isn’t beneficial. Everything is permitted, but everything doesn’t build others up.' To recieve the weekly newsletter please get in contact and ask to be signed up to the mailing list. You can also stay up to date via our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.