Weekly Notices

[ See here for Notice archives ].

Sunday 8th November Remembrance Sunday 3 before Advent

Welcome to our newsletter

Today we remember the costs of war in the past and those who worked to bring peace.
What is asked of us today to bring peace for the present and the future?

Prince of Peace, work in our hearts and frame our lives.

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Almighty Father,
whose will is to restore all things
in your beloved Son, the King of all:
govern the hearts and minds of those in authority,
and bring the families of the nations,
divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin,
to be subject to his just and gentle rule;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Readings for Sunday: 1 Thess. 4: 13-18, Ps. 70 and Matt. 25: 1-13.
Streatley at 10:50am: Matt. 5: 1-12. Goring at 10:50am: 1 Cor. 15: 50-end.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Said Morning Prayer at St Thomas’
10:50am    Act of Remembrance at St Thomas’
10:50am    Act of Remembrance at St Mary’s
10:50am    Act of Remembrance at St Andrew’s
5:00pm      Youth Alpha

Youth alpha. Please pray for this, 5pm this Sunday. We would love to have prayer partners for this. If you could undertake to pray, please contact Jane / Judith H.

Change of time for mid-week service – the usual Wednesday BCP Holy Communion service at St Thomas’ will start at the earlier time of 10am, for this week only, so that the service finishes before the 11am remembrance observations at the villages’ war memorials.

Digging Deeper
We continue looking at the Book of Acts of the Apostles this Tuesday, 10th November, 10.30am-12 noon in the Canterbury Room. This week we will be looking at Acts 3 & 4 in which a lame beggar is healed. Peter explains to the onlookers what has happened, thus incurring the wrath of the religious authorities. All welcome.

Ecumenical Advent Course 2026
The Ecumenical Planning Group looks forward to you joining us on this year’s Advent Study Course. The course comprises 4 sessions, commencing Monday 23rd November, with a plenary session in early January. There is a choice of 5 venues and times, spread over 4 days of each week. Places are restricted to 10 per group, including the host and leader/s.

This year, the course will be based on the book by John Cox entitled “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” which costs £10.00 per copy. Please bring the correct cash for your copy to the first session of your group meeting. Sign-up sheets are available in church. Please sign up with your name and telephone number by Sunday 15th November.
Unless you hear to the contrary, you can assume you have the place for which you signed up.
If you have any questions, please contact Alison via the church office (875651).

Do join us to prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus and to share your thoughts and prayers with our friends from across the churches in our neighbourhood.

Advent calendars
We will soon be ordering chocolate Advent calendars from the Meaningful Chocolate company (https://meaningfulchocolate.co.uk/pages/real-advent-calendar). These are no longer sold in supermarkets and supplies are limited. They are available with either milk or dark chocolates and cost £5.50 each. Please put the money with your order through the Vicarage door by November 9th.

Prayer Breakfast, next Saturday, 14th November

Please come and pray for the life of our parishes. 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.
Please do join us.

Wallingford Foodbank
The foodbank is very grateful for the recent harvest gifts from St Thomas’ as they continue to support increasing numbers of people. We are encouraged to get Christmas goodies to them by the end of November. This enables them to get them to families who can be reassured that they have some treats put by, and do not worry about buying them.
Christmas items to consider are: Christmas cakes (various sizes), microwaveable Christmas puddings, chocolate tree ornaments, Christmas chocolate treats and other Christmas sweets, boxes of biscuits, packets of stuffing mix or packets of gravy and, of course, mince pies.
Donations can be left in the boxes in the porches at St Thomas’ or St Andrew’s. Thank you.

Duruflé's Requiem, Reading Bach choir concert
Saturday 7th November at 7:30pm at St Thomas', Goring
Reading Bach Choir opens its 60th anniversary season with a beautiful concert for choir, cello and organ. Featuring Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, the concert also includes works by Becky McGlade, John Tavener, and a UK premiere of Virtues by Nathalie Joachim. Tickets cost £18 in advance, £20 on the door (£5 for under 18s). More information and a link to buy tickets can be found here: https://www.readingbachchoir.org.uk/duruflesrequiem

Beyond the Window - Stain Glass Artist, Natasha Redina

at All Saints Church, Dunsden,
Thursday 26th November, 7 for 7:30pm
Natasha Redina, an award-winning stained-glass artist and the designer of the Owen Window at All Saints Dunsden, has kindly agreed to give a fund-raising talk on her journey in stained glass. Any profit will be shared between All Saints Church and the Dunsden Owen Association. Tickets are priced at £15: tinyurl.com/dunsdenwindow and refreshments will be available. If you have any queries please contact Linda by email at linda@glithro.com.

Mid week prayer together. Worship, listen to the Bible and pray for our world and church members in turn.
Morning Prayer: Monday: 8.30am, Goring
Tuesday and Thursday: 8.30am Streatley. Friday: 9am Goring.
Evening Prayer is said on Wednesday afternoons in St Andrew’s at 5pm.

This week we are asked to pray for:

our armed forces and their families.
those living and fighting in war zones.
the injured, and the refugees.
those who decide on when force is deployed.

Diary for the week

Monday 9th November
11:00am    Funeral of Betty Jefferies at St Thomas’

Tuesday 10th November
10:30am    Digging Deeper in the Canterbury Room

Wednesday 11th November
10:00am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Titus 3: 1-7, Ps. 23 and Luke 17: 11-19.
10.55am Act of Remembrance at war memorials
for 11:00am

Saturday 14th November
8:15am      Benefice Prayer Breakfast

Sunday 15th November, 2 before Advent
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am      Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am    BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am    BCP Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
4:00pm      Afternoon Church at St Thomas’

Prayers for the week from Roots for Churches
God of our past and our future,
we remember the generations that have gone before us:
people who fought for freedom from oppression and gave their lives for others.
We pray that we would honour their sacrifice by living in peace with one another,
and ask for courage to respond to broken relationships with healing and reconciliation.
We will serve the Lord who has done great things for us.
Our hope is in God forever.

God of our past and our future,
we look to the witness of history,
and ask that we would learn its painful lessons as we see rising antisemitism in our communities and far right extremism shaping debate on key issues in our lives.
Help us to know when to challenge and when to listen,
and may we learn to live in unity even though we are so different.
We will serve the Lord who has done great things for us.
Our hope is in God forever.

God of our past and our future,
we offer to you all that is unhealed in our lives,
all the scars and pain of our own past,
and we ask for your love to heal our wounds.
Fill us with compassion for people who are struggling
and give us listening ears and gentleness
with the pain that our neighbours may be carrying.
We ask for your love to surround everyone we know who is facing illness or loss and we name them now in the quiet.
Be their peace today and always,
and may our choice to serve you be shown daily in our love for one another.
We will serve the Lord who has done great things for us.
Our hope is in God forever.

God of our past and our future,
we pray that we will keep the hope of the Christian story alive,
telling and living it in new ways for every generation.
In a world of socials, may we not forget the living body of Christ to which we belong.
In a world of virtual reality, help us not to forget the bread we hold and the wine we share.
In a divided world, may we live out Christ’s call to love.
We pray for communities torn apart by fear and violence and all parts of God’s world that are in conflict,
asking for an end to the terrorising of civilians as a weapon of war.
Make us ready to live Christ’s story of love right here where you have placed us.
We will serve the Lord who has done great things for us.
Our hope is in God forever.

God of our past and our future,
at times of change in our own lives,
and as we face the challenges of living in the world,
we ask that you would free us from chasing after things that do not matter.
Keep us faithful to your call
and fill us with joy in choosing you and serving you with our hearts, hands and minds,
today and every day.
We will serve the Lord who has done great things for us.
Our hope is in God forever.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 9th November

Monday am:	Ps 20	Dan. 4: 19-end	Rev. ch 5	pm: Ps 34	Matt. 4.23-5.12
Tuesday am:	Ps 21	Dan. 5: 1-12	Rev. ch 6	pm: Ps 40	Matt. 5: 13-20
Wednesday am:	Ps 23	Dan. 5: 13-end	Rev. 7: 1-4, 9-end	pm: Ps 37	Matt. 5: 21-37
Thursday am:	Ps 26	Dan. ch 6	Rev. ch 8	pm: Ps 43	Matt. 5:38-end
Friday am:	Ps 32	Dan. 7: 1-14	Rev. 9: 1-12	pm: Ps 31	Matt. 6: 1-18
Saturday am:	Ps 33	Dan. 7: 15-end	Rev. 9: 13-end	pm: Ps 86	Matt. 6: 19-end

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

06/11/2026