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Sunday 25th May                                                                          Easter 6

Welcome to our weekly newsletter
 
Alleluia, Christ is risen...
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
AcensionDay
Jesus encouraged the disciples to let him return to the Father so that the Holy Spirit might come and live in them.
Sometimes we have to let go of something precious to be able to risk more what God wants to do next in us. Dare you ask God if that is the case?
The Collect, the prayer for the week
   God our redeemer,
   you have delivered us from the power of darkness
   and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
   grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
   so by his continual presence in us he may raise us
           to eternal joy;
   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.
Readings for this Sunday: Acts 16: 9-15, Ps. 67 and John 14: 23-29.

This Sunday
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am        Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am      Mattins at St Mary’s followed by APCMs
11.15am      Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
St Mary’s Annual Parochial Church Meetings
The Annual Parochial Church Meetings for St Mary’s will take place this Sunday, 25th May, after the 11:15am service. The after service refreshments will be a swift sherry before the meeting starts at 12:15pm. Paper copies of the annual report and accounts are available in the church.
8pm Ascension Day service, this Thursday, 29th May, at St Thomas’
We will have a celebration of all that Jesus enabled to follow his resurrection and Ascension. Bubbly refreshments afterwards. All welcome.
Common Cup Chalice
This Sunday and on Ascension Day at St Thomas’ and for the summer season we will be sharing the common cup.
Chalice & plate
Communion is present in the bread alone. Please do not dip your bread /wafer in the chalice as this is deemed to be the greatest risk of germs being shared. Thank you so much for your co-operation and understanding.
The taking of communion at St Mary’s will be discussed at their APCM on Sunday.
Digging Deeper – fortnightly, Tuesdays at 10.30am
Digging deeper
All are warmly welcome to come along to this study and fellowship group on Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.
Our next session is this Tuesday, 27th May, 10.30am-12.00pm in the Canterbury Room. With coffee and a biscuit we will dig deeper into Romans chapter 6. Do we find a human response to a forgiving God or a gracious one? How do they work out? All welcome!
StAndrewsCoffeeAndCake
St Andrew’s coffee morning
The monthly coffee morning with cakes will take place in St Andrew’s on Wednesday 28th May from 10:30am.
All welcome!

Moonrakers concert, Friday 27th June at 7:30pm 
Moonrakers is an Oxford-based group of four musicians who pride themselves in having brought traditional and contemporary folk music to new audiences in village halls, churches, arts centres and festivals across the UK.

Moonrakers photo 25.06
Following a very successful visit last year, they will be returning to St Andrew’s at the end of June. Immerse yourself in a mesmerizing night filled with variety as they take you on a musical journey through time.
Tickets £12 online https://www.tickettailor.com/events/standrewschurchsouthstoke/1593120
or £10 from South Stoke Village Shop, to include interval refreshments.

This week we are asked to pray: 

  • For refreshing half terms from schools and work.
  • For our local firefighters and those affected by the Bicester fire.
  • For togetherness in difficult challenges facing the world and the economy and care and dependence on all creation.
  • For more gratitude and generosity and less greed in us all.
  • For humanity and aid to reach the people in Gaza.
Diary for next week
Tuesday 27th May
10:30am      Digging Deeper in the Canterbury Room

Wednesday 28th May
10:30am      Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am      Coffee morning at St Andrew’s
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 17. 15, 22-18.1, Ps. 148. 1-2, 11-end and John 16. 12-15.


Thursday 29th May
8:00pm        Ascension Day Holy Communion at St Thomas’


Sunday 1st June
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
8:45am        Parish breakfast in the Canterbury Room
9:30am        Family service at St Thomas’
11:15am      Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11.15am      Family service at St Andrew’s
4:00pm        Choral evensong at St Thomas’

Prayers for the week from Roots on the web
Lord Jesus Christ, you walked the paths we walk 2000 years ago. You walked amongst your people, seeing need and reaching out, bringing healing and wholeness, comfort and release.
We bring our prayers for those we encounter as we walk hopefully and in your steps. For those who we meet face to face, those who we had planned to meet and those we encounter unexpectedly. For those we hear of near and far, and those for whom life is not plain sailing, comfortable or care free. We bring our prayers for those whose situations and needs challenge and change us and move us to places we hadn’t thought possible, and for those who stir us out of our comfort zone as we step out in faith.
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
 
We pray for those whose economic, religious and social backgrounds force them into poverty, hunger, homelessness and need. We pray for those whose lives are in danger because of their ethnicity and the place and the culture and the religion they were born into. We pray for those who face isolation and segregation through no fault of their own.
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
 
We pray for those people who seek to live in peace and harmony but whose political leaders seek to stir up trouble and fear and hate with neighbours. We pray for those dragged into fighting for their survival, livelihood and future.
We pray for those involved in the Russian-Ukrainian war, for the suffering, death, grief, fear and deprivation that they all have to endure, and for the lives, families, histories, and nations changed forever.
We pray for those in Gaza and Israel and those across the Middle East who struggle with hopes and fears trying to find ways forward to bring peace, comfort, fairness and hope.
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
 
We pray for those in our own countries, towns, cities and villages who struggle with the present economic and social challenges. Those who once felt comfortably off who now face a far bleaker future, and for those who need a helping hand from those of us who can offer one. We pray for those who once found life plain sailing but who now find themselves in the midst of a storm, with waves of fear and pain, need and anguish.
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
 
We pray that we, as your followers, have faith enough to step out in your name to reach out to those around us who challenge our presumptions and plans. Give us an acceptance of the leading of your Spirit. May we offer, where we can, words of faith, hope and love, and tables of fellowship and hospitality.
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
 
We pray for these and all those whose names and needs rest heavily on our lives this day, we remember them now ...
Lord Jesus Christ,
walk with us and with all for whom we pray
walk with us we pray Lord Jesus, this and every day.
Amen

 

A Prayer for Teachers and Rest
Gracious God,
We lift up all teachers—those who rise early, stay late,
and pour their hearts into shaping minds and nurturing souls.
In the midst of lesson plans, exam season, meetings, and endless demands,
grant them moments of stillness.
May they find peace in quiet mornings, strength in brief pauses,
and renewal in every breath.
Bless their dedication, even when it feels unseen.
Sustain their passion when weariness creeps in.
Remind them that their work is sacred, their presence a gift,
and their impact everlasting.
Lord, in the whirlwind of a busy school year, carve out space for true rest.
Let rest be not just a pause, but a healing.
Fill their hearts with encouragement, their minds with clarity,
And their spirits with the deep assurance that it is enough to simply be.
Amen.

Daily readings for the week beginning 26th May
Monday am: Ps  65 Deut. ch. 26 1 Peter 4. 1-11 pm: Ps 121 Luke 6. 27-38
Tuesday am: Ps 126 Deut. 28. 1-14 1 Peter 4. 12-end pm: Ps 128 Luke 6. 39-end
Wednesday am: Ps 132 Deut. 28. 58-end 1 Peter 2. 1-10 pm: Ps 15 Col. 2.20-3.4
Thursday am: Ps 110 Isa. 52. 7-end Heb. 7. 26-end pm: Ps 8 Matt. 28. 16-end
Friday am: Ps 81 Deut. 29. 2-15 1 John 1. 1-26 pm: Ps 145 Luke 7. 11-17
Saturday am: Ps 85 1 Sam. 2. 1-10 Mark 3. 31-end pm: Ps 122 John 3. 25-30
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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