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Weekly Notices

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Sunday 28th September                                                            Trinity 15
Welcome to our weekly newsletter 
Elvendon valley 1
Talent shows!
Each of us is a gift to the world, made in God’s image, and given other gifts and talents which are to bless the world and be celebrated.
All part of harvest season and several opportunities to sign up for of celebration and refreshment…
The Collect, the prayer for the week
   God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
   upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
   grant that your people may be fervent
   in the fellowship of the gospel
   that, always abiding in you,
   they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
   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: 1 Tim. 6: 6-19, Psalm 146 and Luke 16: 19-31.

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
11:15am              Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
1:45pm                Come and Sing Rutter Workshop choir registration (St Thomas')
4:30pm                Short concert of Rutter anthems (Free) at St Thomas' 
5:00pm                Discoverers in the Canterbury Room
Poulsons Sept 25
The Poulsons are returning...
for an afternoon tea
and to show us a bit more of their work in Honduras:      
(This) Wednesday 1st October at 3.30pm in the Canterbury Room.
Please can you let the office know by Monday 29th September if you hope to attend to help those planning the refreshments?
Come and Sing Workshop
In celebration of John Rutter’s 80th birthday (24th September) on Sunday 28th September we are holding a singing workshop at 2pm (registration 1:45pm) at St Thomas’.
Come and Sing participants
During the afternoon, we will sing through several of Rutter’s most well-loved anthems and carols. There will be time for a cup of tea and light refreshments before a short concert at 4:30pm.
Tickets for the choir workshop cost £10, (the concert will be free but donations towards our music outreach would be welcomed). More information about the workshop and details of how to register are available on the church website by clicking here.
Henley Deanery Quiet Day - Saturday 4th October
Rather late notice, but you are warmly invited to the Henley Deanery Quiet Day, at Christ the King, Sonning Common, RG4 9TA on Saturday 4th October.
This is the programme for the day:
    9.30 Eucharist
    9.45 Introduction
    10.00-10.45 Session 1: Ignatian Gospel Contemplation (Led by the Revd Sarah van der Watt)
    11.00 Coffee and quiet time
    11.30-12.15 Session 2: Centering Prayer (Led by the Revd James Stickings)
    12.30 Lunch and Close
Coffee and a light soup and bread lunch will be provided.  There is no charge, but donations to the cost of catering are encouraged.
If you wish to attend, ideally, please reply to Gillian (gillian.walmsley@gmail.com) by today, Friday, or else sign up in church this Sunday and Ben will reply, suspecting there is space.

Tea and toast px

Next Sunday, 5th October, Parish Breakfast at St Thomas’ 

Come along for croissants and coffee on this first Sunday of a month from 8.45-9.15am.

This is a wonderful way to integrate our different church members of all ages and stages.
Fairtrade fortnight continues and leads up to our harvest celebrations
Harvest border
Next Sunday we will have harvest services in all three churches.
We will also be visited by a potential curate so continue your best welcoming skills on all new faces! :)
At St Thomas’, after the parish breakfast, there will be an all age Harvest service at 9:30am. This will be followed by family bread roll making with coffee and tea for parents in the Canterbury Room at 10:45am.
At St Andrew’s there will be an all age Harvest service at 11:15am while at St Mary’s there will be a Harvest Holy Communion at 11:15am followed by:
Bring and Share Lunch
All eating
There will be a Bring and Share Lunch (no nuts please) celebrating local, seasonal produce in the Morrell Room at 12:30pm.
Please sign up on the lists at the back of our churches if you wish to attend and let us know what you will be bringing.
Any finger food or main course (particularly including salads) or
dessert dish would be welcome.
We can warm up specific dishes beforehand; please stipulate on the list.
Most importantly, do ensure that your neighbours and friends know about
this event…
Please contact me if you have any questions. Very many thanks.        John 
Update from Wallingford Foodbank
The most recent monthly update from the foodbank thanked people for their donations, especially for items marked as urgent in the BankTheFood app. They asked “Please do avoid collecting dried pasta, baked beans, tinned fish and soup as we have lots of those items. Instead may we suggest tinned potatoes and veg, biscuits, tea and coffee, tinned fruit, long life orange/apple juice, meat meals (e.g. chicken in white sauce, tinned ham) or small 500gm bags of sugar and rice. With thanks for all your support”
Wanted: treasurers…
Are you competent at keeping a spreadsheet up to date? If so you may be able to help. Following the death of Andrew Taylor and with the treasurer of South Stoke unable to continue, we are in great need of some help.
Please do speak to Ben or Jill or a churchwarden or to Don to know more. 
Thank you.
Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir, Saturday October 11th at 7:00pm
OWMVC website
St Thomas’ is delighted once again to welcome the Oxford Welsh Male Voice Choir to Goring to entertain us with their wonderful and uplifting singing. They will be singing their mix of traditional and more recent songs and
featuring their own – local! – soloists. Tickets cost £20 and include refreshments (wine or soft drink) in the interval. Any surplus from the concert will go towards church funds.
Tickets are available online by clicking here or from the Inspirations shop in Goring Arcade. There is more information available here: http://www.oxfordwelshmvc.org.uk

This week we are asked to pray: 

  • We give thanks that we have all we need in Jesus Christ.
  • For contentment and generosity in our hearts and lives.
  • For our Genesis and Discoverers groups and our families and children’s work.
  • For our care of the land, discerning ways to protect and improve it for future generations as well as now.
  • For trade justice.
Diary for the week
Wednesday 1st October
10:30am              BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
                             followed by coffee in the Canterbury Room
The readings will be Neh. 2. 1-8, Ps. 137. 1-6 and Luke 9: 57-end.

3:30pm                 Afternoon tea with the Poulsons in the Canterbury Room 

Thursday 2nd October
Noon                    Funeral of Linda Rosi at St Thomas’


Friday 3rd October
12:15pm              Funeral of Audrey Robuck at St Thomas’


Sunday 5th October, HARVEST FESTIVAL
8:00am                BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
8:45am                Church breakfast in the Canterbury Room
9:30am                All age Harvest service at St Thomas’
                               followed by family bread roll making
11.15am              Harvest Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am              All age Harvest service at St Andrew’s
12:30pm              Benefice Harvest lunch in the Morrell Room
4:00pm                Choral Evensong at St Thomas’
The monthly calendar for October can be downloaded by clicking here

Prayers for the week 
Thank you to Sally for this week’s prayers based on “Glimpses of Glory” by David Adam.

Good and gracious God, all that we have comes from you;
make us sensitive in our dealings with each other and with your whole creation.
Grant that we may reflect your generosity in our lives and do your will here on earth,
that we may come to rejoice in your heavenly kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end. Amen.

Lord, the Creator of all, give us a sense of respect for all people:
let your church work for the good of all and the uplifting of those who are down.
We pray for all relief organisations, for those working among the world's poor.
We remember the church in its work in shanty towns and among street children.
Lord, guide us that we may be good stewards of what you have given to us.
Lord, make us loving people
and a caring people.

We pray for all who work for little wages and live in poverty:
all who are misused and cheated in the world of trade.
We pray for countries in deep debt, for places of famine and hunger remembering especially Gaza and Sudan.
We remember all whose homes and land have been spoiled by war, by a lack of respect for the earth, by the greed of multinationals;
for all who are losing their heritage through the power of others remembering the people of Ukraine.
Lord, make us loving people
and a caring people.

We give thanks for all who taught us love by loving us,
for those who gave us respect for ourselves and confidence.
Lord, teach us to be open to the needs of others in our homes and in our communities: let us not become hardened or neglectful.
We pray for homes where there is respect for each other,
where there is neglect and apathy, where there is abuse and animosity.
Lord, make us loving people
and a caring people.

We pray for all who lack well-being, the ill at home or in hospital.
We remember those who have no home or security, who have no one to care for them.
We pray for all who suffer through feeling unwanted or rejected,
all who have been betrayed in love, all who have been deserted.
We pray for friends and loved ones in their needs,
for all ill and suffering people.
Lord, make us loving people
and a caring people.

We give thanks for all who have entered the fullness of joy and peace in your kingdom, for all who are refreshed and restored in your kingdom.
We ask you to bless friends and loved ones departed.  
Lord, make us loving people
and a caring people.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 29th September
Monday am: Ps 150 Dan. 12. 1-4 Acts 12. 1-11 pm: Ps 138 Rev. ch 5
Tuesday am: Ps 36 1 Chron. 28. 11-end Mark 11. 12-26 pm: Ps 33 Acts 16. 25-end
Wednesday am: Ps 34 1 Chron. 29. 1-9 Mark 11. 27-end pm: Ps 119. 33-56 Acts 17. 1-15
Thursday am: Ps 37 1 Chron. 29. 10-20 Mark 12. 1-12 pm: Ps 40 Acts 17. 16-end
Friday am: Ps 31 1 Chron. 29. 21-end Mark 12. 13-17 pm: Ps 35 Acts 18. 1-21
Saturday am: Ps 42 2 Chron. 1. 1-13 Mark 12. 18-27 pm: Ps 46 Acts 18.22-19.7
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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