Children and Families’ work We are very blessed to have Margaret Styles supporting Ben with the Discoverers group and also with Madeline Bastawrous praying and discerning what might be further done to support families. Please pray for this over the coming month.
Clare Stephenson’s ordination as priest I am nearing the end of my first year as the curate of St Mary the Great with St Michael (“Great St Mary’s”), Cambridge, during which I have served as deacon.
The picture shows me as deacon during the 2025 Palm Sunday procession in the Cambridge market place which is next to Great St Mary’s church. I remain so grateful for all the warm support and encouragement I received from you all at Goring, Streatley and South Stoke, both during the last year of my training, and also as I prepared to leave for Cambridge last summer. And now, very soon, along with 12 others, I will be ordained priest by Bishop Dagmar in Ely Cathedral on Saturday June 28th at 4pm, and will celebrate my first service of Holy Eucharist as presiding priest at Great St Mary’s at 10am on Sunday morning June 29th.
Both of these services will be streamed online for those who are interested. The link for the Ely Cathedral Livestream is here: https://www.youtube.com/c/ElyCathedralCambridge The link for the Great St Mary’s Livestream is here: https://www.youtube.com/@GreatStMarys/streams My curacy is planned to continue at Great St Mary’s until Summer 2027, do please drop into the churches if you are visiting Cambridge to say hello! With blessings, Clare.
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.
This week we are asked to pray:
Prayers for the week Thank you to Harry for this week’s prayers. Dear Lord, we pray for World Governments to achieve a proper understanding of why their enemies are fighting a war and what might or might not be achievable by fighting it. We pray for leaders only to engage in 'Just War' - with restraint and compassion for the defenceless children and civilians who cannot get out of the way. We lift to You the children, and all in Gaza, the remaining hostages in the tunnels of Gaza and, in the other current war, the suffering civilians in Ukraine. We pray also for those who are so war weary that they no longer care about the outcome, so long as the Drones and bombs will stop. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer We bring to you, O Father, the variance of views within the Church about 'Living in Love and Faith'. In particular, we ask You to take sovereignty over the National Synod debates where different perceptions could lead to destructive schism, breaking of fellowship, and the genuine fear on both sides of a falling into sin which grieves you O Lord. We pray for genuine compassion, while keeping the faith in you and discerning your Holy Spirit at work, and humility as we follow the steps of the Apostles. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer We pray for mission in this Benefice, where so much of the action requires Ben to be involved leading it. Thank you that you O God are at work beyond and within us. We ask you for some movement in getting another Curate as well as resource and energy for our Ministry Team. Please give leadership skills to our three PCCs and a succession of good ideas as they plan events in Goring, Streatley and South Stoke. We ask you to bless plans for our children and Families’ ministry and the Discoverers and Little Lights groups, not forgetting the ministry of care and compassion to the sick and frail in each parish at this Ascensiontide and Pentecost. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer We bring our sick friends before You, as disciples did at the Pool of Siloam, where You moved with compassion and healed many. We likewise ask for healing and for renewal of faith for our friends, especially if they happen to be in pain or misery, or are feeling afraid. We pray for those known to us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer Our Father, we value the memories and life's work of our loved ones and friends who have died. We are so sad that they are no longer part of our lives. At this Ascensiontide, we are thinking of our dear Lord Jesus ascending up into Heaven and staying there, where He ever-lives to make intercession for us. Our expectation and Christian Hope is that those we have known and loved are with You now in Heaven. We remember and thank you for Garry, Anthea, Philip and others. It is our Christian Hope that after this life, we shall by your grace and mercy, come there too. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.