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8th March 2026                                                                                    Lent 3
Welcome to our weekly newsletter
Daffodils station JK 2026

As plants grow towards the light, may we be interested and ask questions of God, of the Light revealed in Jesus and turn to Him in all that life is.

May we follow His way, even the way of the cross.
Collect, the prayer for the week
   Almighty God,
   whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,
   and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
   mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
   may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
   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 Sunday: Exodus 17: 1-7, Psalm 95 and John 4: 5-42.

This Sunday:
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am        Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am      Family service at St Mary’s
11:15am      BCP Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
5:00pm        Discoverers 
Next Sunday is Mothering Sunday
There will be Posy Making on Saturday 14th March in the Canterbury Room at 10.30am. All welcome. Please let Jenny Boyd know you are coming and what contributions of flowers and greenery you may be able to bring.
Confirmation Course
We now have some dates to start off this course. Two slots, at the Vicarage as the basis/starter. We can work out then the next steps and I can then catch up with you individually if we can’t fix on a communal meet.
Wednesday 8th April 4-6pm
and Thursday 9th April 3-5pm
If you are interested, or know someone who is, please talk to Ben, Liz or Wendy.
P.S. to Eco tip for March from A Rocha
Last week we included the suggestion of taking part in The Great British Spring Clean initiative taking place this month. Following up on this, the Goring Community Village Litter-pick is taking place on Saturday 21 March, from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
Volunteers are asked to come to the Community Centre, Station Road to sign in, collect equipment and choose or be allocated an area to litter-pick. There will be refreshments provided by the W.I. for all volunteers!
Please come along and make a difference to your local community!
Big plastic count 26
The Big Plastic Count this week
The Goring Beavers are leading the way on this and invite us to join them in counting and logging the plastic in our lives.
There is more information here: https://thebigplasticcount.com/
Government consultation into children and social media
Following on from the call for a phone free childhood which was raised in January the consultation on this has now begun. You can complete the government’s official online response form here:  https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/growing-up-in-the-online-world-a-national-consultation If you would like to read more about this issue there is more information from the Smartphone Free Childhood group here: https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/ whose stance is that if platforms aren’t safe for children, they shouldn’t have access to our children and that it is important to give young people a few more years to grow before stepping into systems designed to harvest their attention for profit.

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 the people of Iran and for those with war in their hearts to turn to you. For us all to search our hearts and lives before you, O God.
  • For the parishes of Shiplake, Dunsden and Harpsden, for their new priest,  Jane Wright, to be licensed on Monday.
  • For our plans for a children’s activity day in Holy Week.
  • For us to know our need of God and ask for his Spirit to revive and renew us.
  • For any who feel marginalised and unwelcome in church.
  • For our keeping of Lent and Holy Week and willingness to be changed.
Diary for the week
Monday 9th March
Lent groups continue

Tuesday 10th March
7:45pm        St Mary’s PCC meeting

Wednesday 11th March
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Deut. 4: 1, 5-9, Psalm 147: 13-end and Matt.  5: 17-19.


Sunday 15th March, Mothering Sunday
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am        Mothering Sunday service at St Thomas’
11:15am      Mothering Sunday Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am      Mothering Sunday service at St Andrew’s

Prayers for the week 
Thank you to Brenda for this week’s prayers.
Father, We pray for courage to give up other things and to give ourselves to you this Lent. (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,
give us strength and hear our prayer.

Give us, your Church, the courage to give more time to your mission in the world.
We pray for all the leaders of our Church and our own ministry team who lead us and teach us week by week. We pray for Steve and Lindsey Poulson, together with their young daughter, Elizabeth Milagro, and for their work in Honduras. Keep them safe.
We pray for the leaders of Discoverers, inspiring our young people in faith, and we pray for our Lent groups.
We pray that, with your strength, we will look outwards as we meet people day-by-day, and that we will show love and share the hope of a better life now. (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,
give us strength and hear our prayer.

Give us the courage to give up war, bitterness and hatred, and to seek peace.
We pray for all those working to bring respite to those suffering under the hostilities in Ukraine and Russia, Gaza and Israel, Iran and the Sudan.
We pray for all those who are starving or displaced due to power struggles that they may find relief.
We pray for the aid agencies that they may demonstrate their integrity and restore trust, and that their work may be of support to the victims of war.
We pray that you may guide the National leaders of the World whose decisions are crucial to bringing about peace. (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,
give us strength and hear our prayer.


Give us the courage to give up quarrels, strife and jealousy in our families, neighbourhoods and communities.
We pray for street pastors and all those who bring compassion to our streets.
We pray that in our villages and our own families that we may address issues between us and forgive one another.  (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,
give us strength and hear our prayer.

Give us the courage to give up our selfishness as we live for others, and to give time, care and comfort to the sick and those in need.
We think especially of those who are sick in our community.  (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,
give us strength and hear our prayer.

Give us the courage to give up our fear of death and to rejoice with those who have died in faith. We lift to God the departed and we pray for their families and friends.
May the feet of the risen Lord Jesus, once nailed to the cross, walk alongside the dying and the bereaved in their agony and walk with us and all your Church through death to the gate of glory.  (Pray in silence)
Lord, meet us in the silence,  
give us strength and hear our prayer, here and in eternity. Amen.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 9th March
Monday am: Ps 5 Gen. 47. 1-27 Heb. 4.14-5.10 pm: Ps 17 John 7. 37-52
Tuesday am: Ps 9 Gen. 47.28-48.end Heb. 5.11-6.12 pm: Ps 64 John 7.53-8.11
Wednesday am: Ps 38 Gen. 49. 1-32 Heb. 6. 13-end pm: Ps 39 John 8. 12-30
Thursday am: Ps 56 Gen. 49.33-50.end Heb. 7. 1-10 pm: Ps 59 John 8. 31-47
Friday am: Ps 139 Exod. 1. 1-14 Heb. 7. 11-end pm: Ps 69 John 8. 48-end
Saturday am: Ps 31 Exod. 1.22-2.10 Heb. ch. 8 pm: Ps 116 John 9. 1.17
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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