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Weekly Notices

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Sunday 20th and 27th April                                            Easter and Easter 2

Welcome to our newsletter that covers the next two weeks
Schools Easter 5 jk

Alleluia, Christ is risen……
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
 
God’s love has triumphed over sin and death, and is big enough for all of us. Nothing can separate us from it. Except perhaps our own choice not to receive and join in…
Come and worship. Rejoice and share in it.
The Collect, the prayer for the week
Sunday 20th April, Easter Day
Lord of all life and power,
who through the mighty resurrection of your Son
overcame the old order of sin and death
to make all things new in him:
grant that we, being dead to sin
and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory;
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit
be praise and honour, glory and might,
now and in all eternity.
Sunday 27th April, Easter 2
Risen Christ,
for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father.
Readings for this Sunday: Acts 10: 34-43, Ps. 118: 14-24 & John 20: 1-18.

Readings for Sunday 27th April: Acts 5.27-32, Psalm 150 & John 20.19-31.

This Sunday (Easter Day)
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am        Family Communion at St Thomas’
10:30am      Family Communion at St Mary’s
11.00am      Family Communion at St Andrew’s


Next Sunday (27th April)
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
10:30am      Benefice Holy Communion at St Thomas’
5:00pm        Discoverers
Services leading up to Easter:
  Goring Streatley South Stoke
Maundy Thursday      
 Holy Communion service 8.00pm    
Good Friday      
 Act of Witness in the Rectory Garden, Goring at 10.00am  
 Family service followed by 
 hot cross buns
10.30am    
 Meditation service with hymns   3.00pm  
 Reflection & Prayer     6.00pm
Easter Eve, 19th April      
 Easter egg hunt     11.00am
 Dupré’s organ symphony
 and readings
7.30pm    
StThomasOrganRebuilt
Dupré’s organ symphony of the Passion and readings, this Saturday, 19th April,
7.30pm at St Thomas’

On Easter Eve we are having a special service based around this piece by Dupré.  
There are 4 short plainsong refrains each expanded into a meditation on 4 moments in salvation history: the world in waiting for Jesus, his birth, his death and resurrection.
There will be readings, prayer and silence and one hymn around it.
Lent ideas from A Rocha
Easter Sunday - The Easter hope of reconciliation is good news for all. May we celebrate anew Christ’s commitment in relating to his creation; that the Godman Jesus would enter into the deepest pains and realities of the flesh in order to restore the relationship between Creator and creature.
A Rocah Easter Day
By this restorative work all creation is reconciled to its intended delight, finding peace and mutual flourishing.
StAndrewsCoffeeAndCake
St Andrew’s coffee morning
The monthly coffee morning with cakes will take place in St Andrew’s on Wednesday 23rd April from 10:30am.
All welcome!
Ecumenical Lent groups
The ecumenical groups wrap up meeting is on Thursday 24 April in the Canterbury Room. Meet at 10am for coffee and a biscuit - the session will begin at 10.30am. We’ll finish the final session, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus’ and feedback about the different groups. Anyone is welcome, even if you’ve not attended but are curious to know what it’s all about.  
Digging Deeper – fortnightly, Tuesdays at 10.30am
Digging deeper
Our study and fellowship group ‘Digging Deeper’ is starting again after Easter on Tuesday 29 April. We meet fortnightly in the Canterbury Room. Each session starts at 10.30am with coffee/tea and biscuits followed by a Bible study, and ends at approximately 12 noon. 
Continuing our study of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, we will be looking at ‘The Father of all believers’ in Romans 4: 1-25. Do come and join us - everyone is welcome.
Electoral Roll 2025 - last call!
Each Parish Church must prepare an entirely new electoral roll this year so everyone needs to complete a fresh form, please.
Copies of the forms are available in church or may be downloaded for St Thomas’ here or St Mary’s here or contact the church office (875651).
Please return your completed form to the box in church or email the form to Judith Aguda (judith.aguda@gmail.com) by 24th April for St Thomas’ or
Keith Jackson (fkjj@btinternet.com) by 1st May for St Mary’s.
If you miss the deadline you can still be added to the roll but only after the annual meeting.

St Thomas' - helping us pick hymns for services
At St Thomas', we have a hymn committee (Alun Hughes, Ben Phillips, Jenny Boyd, Mary Plowman and Elizabeth Parkinson) who meet 3 times a year to plan hymn choices for services for the next 4 months.  Our next meeting is on 7th May.  If you have a favourite hymn you would like to see included, please let one of the hymn committee know or email Jill at the benefice office.
Thank you

Start your day listening to God and praying together. Why not join in one day? We 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 new hope and life to be found and shared in the world, and by God’s grace, lived and shared in us.
  • For comfort, strength  and hope for all who mourn.
  • For triumph over evil in us and others – for reconciliation and peace in war torn places. Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar…
  • For sharing goodness with the vulnerable.
  • For schools and all returning to work this week.
We pray for all the housebound and all the residents of our four care homes in the parish.
Diary for the next two weeks
Wednesday 23rd April
10:30am      Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am      South Stoke coffee morning
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 3. 1-10, Ps. 105. 1-9 and Luke 24. 13-35.


Thursday 24th April
10:00am      Lent groups wrap up session in the Canterbury Room

Sunday 27th April, Easter 2
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
10:30am      Benefice Holy Communion at St Thomas'
5:00pm        Discoverers


Tuesday 29th April
10:30am      Digging Deeper in the Canterbury Room

Wednesday 30th April
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 5. 17-26, Ps. 34. 1-8 and John 3. 16-21.


Sunday 4th May
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
8:45am        Church 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'
The monthly calendar for May can be downloaded by clicking here

Prayers for the week
Thank you to Brenda for this week’s prayers.

In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
Holy and everlasting God, we give you thanks for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
He brings us light and joy and hope.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!

Thank you for King Charles and Queen Camilla as they celebrate their 20th Wedding Anniversary.
We pray for our mission partners in Honduras, Steve and Lindsey Poulson, as they start family life with baby Elizabeth Milagro. May they be kept healthy and safe.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!

We pray for peace in our world, and for all who work for peace.
Let your peace begin in the hearts of all who turn to violence and reach out into the whole world.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!

We pray for all who serve our local community – postmen, road sweepers, bus drivers, bin men and a whole host of other people.
We pray for all who serve in Parliament. May they seek the common good
and may they be ambassadors of goodwill, building friendships and cooperation.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!

We ask your blessing on our homes and families, on our schools, children and young people. May our neighbourhoods be places of hospitality, peace and trust.
We pray for older people in our community. We pray that you will keep them safe. May they be known, honoured and cherished.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!

We commend to your care the sick and vulnerable and any who despair. May the joy of our celebration renew them in heart and mind.
Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!
 
We pray for all who come to this place of prayer, whether in times of joy or sorrow, find it a place of healing and hope. Transform our lives by your grace, and as you have called us to your service, make us worthy of our calling.

Jesus is risen from the dead. He is risen indeed – Alleluia!
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Daily readings for the week beginning 21st April
Monday am: Ps 111 S. Sol. 1.9-2.7 Mark 16. 1-8 pm: Ps 135 1 Cor. 15. 1-11
Tuesday am: Ps 112 S. Sol. 2.8-end Luke 24. 1-12 pm: Ps 136 1 Cor. 15. 12-19
Wednesday am: Ps 113 S. Sol. ch. 3 Matt. 28. 16-end pm: Ps 105 1 Cor. 15. 20-28
Thursday am: Ps 114 S. Sol. 5.2-6.3 Luke 7. 11-17 pm: Ps 106 1 Cor. 15. 29-34
Friday am: Ps 115 S. Sol. 7.10-8.4 Luke 8.41-end pm: Ps 107 1 Cor. 15. 35-50
Saturday am: Ps 116 S. Sol. 8. 5-7 John 11. 17-44 pm: Ps 145 1 Cor. 15. 51-end
Daily readings for the week beginning 28th April
Monday am: Ps 5 Josh. 1. 1-9 Eph. 6. 10-20 pm: Ps 3 John 15. 1-8
Tuesday am: Ps 37 23-end Isa. 62. 6-10 Acts 12.25-13.13 pm: Ps 45 2 Tim. 4. 1-11
Wednesday am: Ps 30 Deut. 3. 18-end John 20. 19-end pm: Ps 33 Col 2. 1. 15
Thursday am: Ps 139 Prov. 4. 10-18 Jas. 1. 1-12 pm: Ps 149 John 1. 43-end
Friday am: Ps 61 Deut. 4. 15-31 John 21. 15-19 pm: Ps 118 Col. 3.12-4.1
Saturday am: Ps 84 Deut. 4. 32-40 John 21. 20-end pm: Ps 66 Col. 4. 2-end
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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