Weekly Notices

[ See here for Notice archives ].

Sunday 26th July Trinity 8

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

A wise person listens to reproof (Proverbs 15.31).
We hope to be a learning, growing church. Jane, our new curate, and all our preachers would like to know what the fruit of their preaching is and how we can present it more clearly/engagingly/memorably.

Please do come expecting to learn, perhaps take a note or two to reflect on, on your weekly take home sheet!
Do talk to us and keep us posted – otherwise it is your fault if it is not helpful!
Thank you so much.

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Lord God,
your Son left the riches of heaven
and became poor for our sake:
when we prosper save us from pride,
when we are needy save us from despair,
that we may trust in you alone;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings for this Sunday: St Mary’s: Gen. 29: 15-28 and Matt. 13: 31-33, 44-52. For St Thomas’ & St Andrew’s: Philippians 2: 5-11 and Mark 4: 35-41.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am    Mattins and Baptism at St Mary’s
11:15am    Holy Communion at St Andrew’s

Prayer Breakfast, this Saturday, 25th July

Please come and pray for our plans for the autumn. This takes place in the Canterbury Room at St Thomas’. Enjoy coffee and croissant breakfast together at 8:15am, followed by a thought for the day and prayer for the life of our churches. Finished by 9.30am.

The Nicene Creed sermon series...
… continues this Sunday with Jane preaching on the humanity of Jesus at St Thomas’ and St Andrew’s. The Tuesday morning group will meet on 4th and 18th August to finish off the course.
The Thursday evening group is going to turn into a home group in September with a new subject! For more details please speak to Ben or Margaret Styles.

Songs of Praise service

Live in harmony, join together in songs of praise the Bible urges us. So we can look forward to doing as we are told, for once! Our Benefice Songs of Praise on Sunday 30th August at 10.30am is in St Andrew’s.

The organist and choirs from Streatley and Goring will be there to help raise the roof.
What is your favourite hymn/song and why?
We would love to hear your requests and reasons. Please feed into Liz Dowding, Jane Collins, Mike Codner, Ben or to the office (875651 or officeofgsandss@yahoo.com) in the next three weeks, please, so we can shape the service. Thank you.

Date for your diary:

This year’s Ride and Stride in aid of Berkshire and Oxford Historic Churches Trust will take place on Saturday 12th September.

If you would like to plan a ride or a stride with others, please let the office know.

Hope for all Creation
A new landmark teaching document was endorsed by General Synod in July, that sets out a theological response to the environmental crises. The document argues that care for creation is not an optional concern but a core part of Christian discipleship and mission. It presents environmental action as an expression of hope rooted in God's purposes for creation.

You can read it online here and join webinars on the themes or order a copy here.

Continuing to pray for the next Bishop of Oxford
We continue to pray for all those involved in discerning the next Bishop of Oxford, and for all who are considering their personal calling in this time.

Join in Morning Prayer together. Please do. We offer ourselves in worship, listen to the Bible and pray for our world and church members in turn.
Monday: 8.30am Goring, Tuesday and Thursday: 8.30am Streatley.
Friday: 9am Goring.

This week we are asked to pray for:

Our plans for Youth Alpha in September for 11-14 year olds and the Genesis club in October.
Our police and health services struggling with funding and reduced numbers.
The people of Gaza still restricted and kettled. For all living in fear.
Thank God that we still have water in the taps but pray for rain.
Our farmers and firefighters.
May we learn ways to adapt to climate change which do not use up any more oil… and live more simply that future creatures may simply live.

Diary for the week

Wednesday 29th July
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Jer. 15.10, 16-end, Psalm 59: 1-4, 18-end and Matthew 13: 44-46.

Sunday 2nd August
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
8:45am      Parish breakfast in the Canterbury Room
9:30am      Family Communion service at St Thomas’
11:15am    Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am Family Communion service at St Andrew’s
4:00pm Choral Evensong at St Thomas’

Prayers for the week based on those from Roots on the web
We pray for your Church at home and abroad:
Lord strengthen those having to meet and worship in secret; renew any churches here threatened with closure due to falling numbers and revenue.
We pray for the churches that are seeing growth and pray for new Christians setting out on their journey of faith. We pray for those newly baptised into your family.
We ask your blessing on The Free Church’s King’s Club this week and all summer camps and ventures to build up children, families and us all in faith and hope.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

We pray for those for whom family life is difficult. For those rejected by loved ones, parents or siblings; and for people rejected by society. At the onset of schools’ long summer holidays, we pray for parents and grandparents juggling childcare around work. We pray for working parents who have no-one to help them and for children left to fend for themselves for hours at a time, that you will keep them safe.
We ask for refreshment for those on holiday.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

We pray for the new Prime Minister. May he and his new cabinet, and their advisors and civil servants have the integrity and wisdom to bring stability and unity to this country.
God of truth and power, guide those in government and all who work for justice and peace.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

We pray for our ever-changing climate and the adaptations needed to cope with increasing temperatures. Give us the wisdom and the will to make the changes we need to our way of life to protect this beautiful earth. We pray for our farmers reliant on the weather for their livelihoods, for the animals and plants in their care. Comfort and guide those who have lost crops and grazing pasture due to the wildfires and we pray for those fighting wildfires in various parts of Europe.
Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer

Bless, Lord, those in our own communities reaching out to the needy, the hungry, the lonely, the destitute, the victims of crime and the bereaved.
We pray for Christians the world over showing your love and compassion to those suffering amid conflicts. We think especially of army chaplains in Ukraine, and all ministering in the war and famine in Sudan.

Lord in your mercy… hear our prayer
We pray for those we know who are sick or housebound, and we remember those who have died recently and pray for their families and friends.
God of blessing, mercy and grace, may your presence with us help and sustain us in the situations we face day by day, knowing that you bring good out of all things.

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Daily readings for the week beginning 27th July

Monday am:	Ps 27	1 Sam. 14: 24-46	Luke 23: 13:25	pm: Ps 26	James 2: 1-13
Tuesday am:	Ps 32	1 Sam. 15: 1-23	Luke 23: 26-43	pm: Ps 33	James 2: 14-end
Wednesday am:	Ps 34	1 Sam. ch 16	Luke 23: 44-56a	pm: Ps 119: 33-56	James ch 3
Thursday am:	Ps 37	1 Sam. 17: 1-30	Luke 23.56b-24.12	pm: Ps 39	James 4: 1-12
Friday am:	Ps 31	1 Sam. 17: 31-54	Luke 24: 13-35	pm: Ps 35	James 4.13-5.6
Saturday am:	Ps 42	1 Sam. 17.55-18.16	Luke 24: 36-end	pm: Ps 46	James 5: 7-end

Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.

The Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke

The Vicarage

Manor Road

Goring, Berkshire RG8 9DR

United Kingdom

24/07/2026