Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 31st May 2026

31st May 2026 Trinity Sunday

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

This Sunday we meet together as a benefice to celebrate God’s nature as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
We can worship in the cooler weather forecast and, I hope, in the Vicarage garden at 10.30am.
If anyone needs a lift please do ask.

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Holy God,
faithful and unchanging:
enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,
and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,
that we may truly worship you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Readings for this Sunday: Isaiah 40: 12-17 and 27-31, Ps. 8 & Matt. 28: 16-20.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
10:30am    Benefice Holy Communion in the Vicarage Garden
(or St Thomas’ if wet)
5:00pm      Families meal at Madeleine and Andrew's home

Prayer Breakfast, this Saturday, 30th May

Please come and pray for the life of our parishes and seek God’s guidance this summer and ahead. This will take place in the Canterbury Room at St Thomas’. Coffee and croissants from 8:15am, followed by prayer for the life of our churches. Finished by 9.30am.

This Sunday, 31st May
We meet for a benefice service in the Vicarage garden at 10.30am and begin a series on The Creed - its good news and gospel content. It is 701 years since the Nicene Creed was set out to celebrate all that God is and that which unites and identifies us as Christians.
We will follow this with a series of five more sermons over the coming two months and offer follow up study / fellowship groups. Five Digging Deeper sessions will happen on Tuesday mornings at 10.30am every other week from 9th June and fortnightly on Thursday evenings from 11th June.
Please sign up if you are interested. Thank you.

Families Meal, Sunday 31st May, 5.00-7.00pm (N.B. Change of venue)

This time the families and their children will meet at Madeleine and Andrew’s home to enjoy home made pizzas. Everyone meets, eats and shares faith together and the kids have a brilliant time eating, playing and exploring faith in their way.

Families of all ages are very welcome. The meal will start at 5:45/6pm. If you’d like to join us please email Sarah via the church office (officeofgsandss@yahoo.com) and give any dietary requirements.

Christian Aid Week - Thank you!
The total raised this year during Christian Aid Week in Goring, Streatley and South Stoke was £2,455!

A very big ‘Thank you’ to all those who donated so generously, those who prepared the envelopes for distribution and those who delivered them. We are especially grateful to those who delivered envelopes in several roads and enabled us to reach considerably more houses than we did last year.
Thanks are also due to Ann and Chris and their band of helpers for organising and hosting the Ploughman’s Lunch, and to Westholme Stores and Inspiration for their kind cooperation in receiving the envelopes in their shops. Judith Aguda

South Stoke newsletter delivery
A huge thank you to Catherine who has delivered the church newsletter around South Stoke through rain and shine for many years.

Sadly for us, Catherine and her family are moving very soon so we need someone (or several people to share the task) willing to take this on. The newsletters are delivered to St Andrew’s by a Friday lunchtime and need delivering before Sunday.

The route devised by Catherine is a walk of approximately 45 minutes. Please contact the church office if you might be able to help with this in any way.

Churches Count on Nature
We are hoping to carry this out in the churchyard at St Andrew’s at some point in June.
Please click here for some resources aimed at children but with some interesting and useful information for all.
.

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 witness to the world.
A willingness for all parts of society to look at how we are increasing the gap between each other and the earth we depend on, those with and without work and hope.
Those affected by the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo.
All preparing to leave school, especially those with no future plans.
Those being tested in exams. For a peace and delight in what they know and the ability to show it.
The individuals on our Bereavement Journey course and all who mourn.
Jed preparing for his Confirmation at Shiplake next week.

Diary for the week

Wednesday 3rd June
10:30am    Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be 2 Timothy 1: 1–3, 6–12, Psalm 123 and Mark 12: 18-27.

Saturday 6th June
2:00pm      Baptism of Willow and Martha at St Thomas’

Sunday 7th 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’
4:00pm      Confirmation of Jed at Shiplake College

The monthly calendar for June can be downloaded by clicking here

Prayers for the week
Based on "Prayers for Intercession for Common Worship" by Susan Sayers.

Called by the great God we worship.
let us pray fervently for the church and for the world.
We bring before you, O God,
the needs of the Church,
in its weakness and its potential;
revive and refresh us, teach and direct us,
inspire all who preach, teach and gossip the good news,
and uphold all who suffer for their faith in any way. (Silent prayer…)
God of mystery and compassion: you know us and you love us.

We bring before you, O God,
the particular problems of our age and our culture;
renew in us a commitment to community
and mutual trust,
give a sense of value to all
who despise others and themselves;
protect the vulnerable
and sensitise the hearts of all who have become anaesthetised
by images of violence or by despair. (Silent prayer…)
God of mystery and compassion: you know us and you love us.

We bring before you, O God,
the nurturing of our children and young people,
in homes and parenting, schools and teaching,
in the expectations, pressures and dangers,
in the hopes and possibilities for good. (Silent prayer…)
God of mystery and compassion: you know us and you love us.

We bring before you, O God,
the hungry and malnourished, the greedy and complacent;
those who are ill and those who care for them;
the unhappy and those who comfort them;
all who are undergoing surgery or painful treatment,
and all who have no one to turn to. (Silent prayer…)
God of mystery and compassion: you know us and you love us.

We bring before you, O God,
those who have died in faith
and will now see you face to face;
those for whom death speaks of fear,
and those who are unprepared to meet you.
God of mystery and compassion: you know us and you love us.

We bring before you, O God,
our lives and all that we are,
including our successes and failures;
we thank you for the gift of life.
Thank you that you know us fully , and even so you have hope in us.
We ask that we may get to know you more deeply
day after day.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 1st June

Monday am:	Ps 85	1 Sam. 2: 1-10	Mark 3: 31-end	pm: Ps 122	John 3: 25-30
Tuesday am:	Ps 1	Joshua 7: 1-15	Luke 10: 25-37	pm: Ps 4	Rom. 4: 1-12
Wednesday am:	Ps 5	Joshua 7: 16-end	Luke 10: 38-end	pm: Ps 9	Rom. 4: 13-end
Thursday am:	Ps 147	Deut. 8: 2-16	1 Cor. 10: 1-17	pm: Ps 23	Luke 9: 11-17
Friday am:	Ps 15	Joshua 8: 30-end	Luke 11: 14-28	pm: Ps 18	Rom. 5. 12-end
Saturday am:	Ps 19	Joshua 9: 3-26	Luke 11: 29-36	pm: Ps 22	Rom. 6: 1-14

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

29/05/2026