Banner Image:   pen-g104861c15 1920

Weekly Notices

[ See here for Notice archives ].

 
BeneficeLogoWithText
Sunday 8th June                                                                          Pentecost

Welcome to our weekly newsletter
 
Alleluia, Christ is risen...
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Pentecost
The 50 days of Easter have been celebrated. New life, of course, lives on. But the coming of the Holy Spirit brings on a new chapter.
We come together to celebrate and to ask for this new birth in each of us.
The Collect, the prayer for the week
   Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,
   ignite in us your holy fire;
   strengthen your children with the gift of faith,
   revive your Church with the breath of love,
   and renew the face of the earth,
   through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Readings for this Sunday: Acts 2: 1-21, Ps. 104, 26-end and John 14: 8-17 and 25-27.

This Sunday
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am        Holy Communion at St Thomas’
                    N.B. with children’s activities during the service.
11:15am      Family service at St Mary’s
11.15am      BCP Holy Communion at St Andrew’s

Children and Families’ work
There will be an extra to our pattern this week with children’s activities offered at Goring during the 9.30am service. 
Please pray for this and discerning what might be further done to support families over the coming months.  Thank you.

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, 10th June, 10.30am-12.00pm in the Canterbury Room. With coffee and a biscuit we will dig deeper into Romans chapter 7 when we will be looking at “Life under the Law”. All welcome!
Chalice & plate
Chalice training – It is a privilege to administer Holy Communion and enable the sharing of this gift. Now that we have returned to using the Common Cup at many services, we would like some more assistants to help with this. If you are interested, do speak to Wendy and come to a training session this Tuesday, 10th June, at 7.45pm in the Canterbury Room.
Thank you!
The donations during Christian Aid Week this year amounted to £2,604. Thank you to all of you who donated so generously. Thanks are also due to all those who prepared the envelopes for distribution, to those who delivered envelopes in Goring and Streatley, and to Ann Moody and her team for once again providing the delicious Ploughman’s Lunch at Oriel House.
Christian Aid 80 years
We are grateful as always to Inspiration and Westholme Stores for their kind co-operation in receiving the donation envelopes every year.
Your donations enable Christian Aid to make a difference to people in parts of the world like Guatemala where climate change is hitting hardest. Christian Aid works with its local partner Congcoop to provide specialist training for farmers in the region. They are learning how to combine ancient and modern agricultural methods to cultivate seeds that are more resilient to extreme conditions.  
The Christian Aid Team
Wednesday 10:30am transport?
There are a couple of housebound people who would like to come to the Wednesday service occasionally. Might anyone be able to offer a lift to the church or the Lych gate sometimes?  Please contact the office or ministry team. Thank you.
Federation of Goring and Stoke Row schools
The school governors are proposing that the governance of the two schools is merged. This has potential benefits and disadvantages. You are being consulted and invited to understand what is going on. Please click here to see the document. You are warmly invited to attend a meeting at Goring school on Tuesday 17th June at 2.30pm for the wider community as well as the parents. They would like the church to be present and it is important we understand what is going on.
The St Thomas’ PCC is the main body to appoint governors at present and will be responding to the consultation and would like to know your thoughts to help us do this. Please do let Ben know or speak to Sara Todd.
Goring primary fete 2025
Goring Primary School fete
The primary school will be holding its annual summer fete next Saturday, 14th June, from noon to 3pm.

As well as raising much needed funds for the school this promises lots of fun for all the family. There will be plenty of stalls as well as games, food and refreshments.
VAT on church building repairs. Please plead to your MP….        
There has been a scheme available to reclaim VAT paid on church building repairs to help preserve the nation’s heritage. This has already been limited and is under threat after this year. To add a further 20% on all fundraising for roof or organ repairs would be one step beyond for many small communities, or large projects. 
There is more information and a suggestion of what to write here: 
https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/letter-template-help-you-write-about-listed-places-worship-grants-scheme
Please send your plea to Freddie van Mierlo freddie.vanmierlo.mp@parliament.uk (if you live in Goring or South Stoke) or Olivia Bailey olivia.bailey.mp@parliament.uk (if you live in Streatley) or by post to them at House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

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.
Friends of St Mary’s Annual concert
Glynne Stackhouse (piano and organ) and Brian Thomas (trumpet) with the choir of St Mary’s will be providing a musical entertainment “Weddings we have played for – and the tales that we can tell…” on Sunday June 29th at 4pm in St Mary’s.
Glynne S St M Sept 23
This will include music by Charpentier, Handel, Wagner, Mozart, Franck, Mendelssohn and others.
Tickets on the door will be £10 (£8 for Members of the Friends of St Mary’s).
Refreshments will be available afterwards in the Morrell Room.
Brian THOMAS with trumpet

This week we are asked to pray: 

  • For the gift of the Holy Spirit. That we, Christ’s body may live as Jesus taught us and where He will guide us.
  • For our understanding of our call to be one family across all divides.
  • For the compassion and enabling everyone to play their part in making the world work together. The running of our government spending review and for all of us to be honest and involved in what is needed in this land for the sake of the future.
  • For humanity and aid to reach the people in Gaza.
Diary for next week
Tuesday 10th June
10:30am      Digging Deeper in the Canterbury Room 

Wednesday 11th June
10:30am      Little Lights in St Mary’s
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 11. 19-end, Ps. 112 and John 15. 12-17.


Saturday 14th June
Noon            Goring Primary school fete

Sunday 15th June  
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am        Good News service at St Thomas’
11:15am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am      Good News service at St Andrew’s
3:00pm        Bereavement café in the Canterbury Room
5:00pm        Discoverers

Prayers for the week from Roots on the web
Heavenly Father, on this day of Pentecost, we ask that your Church here and all over the world will know a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May we as Christians be unafraid to tell others about Jesus.
Loosen our tongues, Lord, to tell your wondrous story!

We pray that you will help us to speak in ways that those in our communities understand. May we be clear in our message of love, hope, and faith.
Loosen our tongues, Lord, to tell your wondrous story!

We ask that your Holy Spirit will be with us, bringing down any barriers which divide us.
Loosen our tongues, Lord, to tell your wondrous story!

May we be empowered to leave our comfort zones and tell others about our faith!
Loosen our tongues, Lord, to tell your wondrous story!
Amen

Father, we pray for a world where divisions so often lead to warfare. Today we think particularly of the Middle East, where our faith began, different yet sharing things in common with other faiths; and we pray for peace among all the descendants of Abraham.
Lord, let there be peace.
And we pray for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, asking that common humanity might be recognised and common ground be found.
Lord, let there be peace.
In all places where weapons wield unholy power, may your Holy Spirit break down barriers and bring peace.  
Amen

We think of all the things which divide us as Christians, Lord – varying beliefs and ways of worship, different ideas on how things should be done – and we pray that we might learn to value this rich diversity for the blessing it is. As we picture in our minds all the churches within our community, we pray for empowerment in our common purpose to bear witness to you. May we be aware this day and always that our prayers rise as one to the God who listens to his children.
Therefore, hear us, O Father, as we pray for those who are unwell at this time, and for the bereaved, and for those who are vulnerable in our community; may we know how to reach out and touch them with your love, for the Holy Spirit has come among us in gentleness as well as power.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, and may the Holy Spirit open our ears as well as our lips, so that we listen to what you have to say to us in this day and age, your people ever walking onwards in the Way of Jesus.
Amen

Daily readings for the week beginning 9th June
Monday am: Ps  126 Job ch. 1 Rom. 1. 1-17 pm: Ps 127 Luke 9. 18-27
Tuesday am: Ps 132 Job ch. 2 Rom. 1. 18-end pm: Ps 135 Luke 9. 28-36
Wednesday am: Ps 100 Jer. 9. 23-24 Acts 4. 32-end pm: Ps 147 Luke 9. 37-50
Thursday am: Ps 143 Job ch. 4 Rom. 2. 17-end pm: Ps 138 Luke 9. 51-end
Friday am: Ps 144 Job ch. 5 Rom. 3. 1-20 pm: Ps 145 Luke 10. 1-16
Saturday am: Ps 147 Job ch. 6 Rom. 3. 21-end pm: Ps 97 Mark 1. 1-13
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
For more information please see our website: https://www.thomandmary.org.uk/
DioceseOfOxford
Copyright © 2025 The Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
The Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke
The Vicarage
Manor Road
Goring, Berkshire RG8 9DR
United Kingdom