Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 5th February 2023

Sunday 5th February 3rd before Lent

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

Knowing what a mess we can make, we marvel that God can use us to shine his light and love in the world.

Each of us has a particular part to play, by God’s grace.

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Almighty God,
who alone can bring order
to the unruly wills and passions of sinful humanity:
give your people grace
so to love what you command
and to desire what you promise,
that, among the many changes of this world,
our hearts may surely there be fixed
where true joys are to be found;
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 Sunday: 1 Cor 2: 1-end, Ps 112 and Matt. 5: 13-20.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am      Family service at St Thomas’
11:15am    Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am    Family service at St Andrew’s
4pm           Evensong at St Mary’s

Please pray about who you can invite to the Come and See course opening up who Jesus is to possible enquirers about faith and life and love.
See below for details.

Inaugural Organ Recital, Saturday 11th February 2023 at 7pm
Following on from the re-dedication of the organ last Sunday to mark the completion of the organ rebuild project at St Thomas', there will be a recital by Thomas Trotter, an organist of international renown, next Saturday.
Tickets are £12 and are available online at eventbrite.co.uk (click here) or there may be limited availability on the door.
The concert will include music by Handel, Stanley, Mulet, Dupre, Dove and more and promises to be a wonderful event.

Ecumenical Lent course
The ecumenical Lent course will commence in the week beginning 27 February. The focus this year is on the prayers that Jesus prayed. The Lent course provides a wonderful opportunity to meet with fellow Christians from different denominations and learn more about our shared faith. Look out for the sign up sheets at the back of the churches. Please pray about joining a group and also about whom you might invite to join you.
For more information, please contact Catherine Coulson..

Come and See
We will be running a group, in person and by Zoom, in the Canterbury Room on Tuesdays at 7.45pm.
This is designed for those who might be curious about who Jesus really is, what he really meant by his words and life. It uses 6 ways to look at him, and unpacks the 6 statements in the Beautitudes.

This is an easy way for you to offer our treasure to someone who you know, who just might be interested… Please pray who you could invite.

Warm Space
Our doors are open on Mondays, 10am-12 noon, in the Canterbury Room, offering a warm space, a welcome, company, tea, coffee and toast.
Do come, or invite anyone who might be alone.

Please pray for this venture. Do ask if you need help with a lift.
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to make it possible.

News from Honduras
As mentioned last week, we have received a newsletter from Steve and Lindsey Poulson updating us about their work for CMS in Honduras. Copies are up in our churches. Prayer cards for Steve and Lindsey are also available – please do take one. You can click here to read their latest newsletter.

Real Easter Eggs
Once again Real Easter Eggs are not being sold by supermarkets so the only way to obtain one is to order directly. The eggs are Fairtrade, palm oil and plastic free and many come with a 24 page Easter story/activity book. There will be sign up sheets in our churches and we will be placing an order by the end of February as the eggs sell out quickly!

Star Count 2023 will take place between 17th-24th February 2023
The children at Streatley Primary School will be taking part in this year’s Star Count. The idea is to count the number of stars you can see in the constellation Orion and fill in an online form with your results.
The results from Star Count will help make a map of where star-spotters are enjoying deep, dark skies. By showing on a map where light pollution is most serious, we can work with local councils and others to decide what to do about it.
Further details are available here:
https://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-care-about/nature-and-landscapes/dark-skies/star-count-2023/

Try Out The Organ Day
Last Saturday, 28th January, we had a 'Try Out The Organ Day' at St Thomas' for young people.
It was very successful with 12 participants aged between 5 and 25 with a range of experience from only having started to learn the piano a month or two ago to diploma standard. Whatever their experience, all participants really enjoyed playing our newly rebuilt organ.

“Ring for the King”
The bell ringers were also pleased to welcome a number of visitors last Saturday. People were taken up the tower to see the bells and how they are rung full circle for services and other events. Afterwards they were able to enjoy refreshments in the Canterbury room and learn some ringing theory using handbells.

We hope that some of them may be willing to learn to ring bells as a consequence. Anyone unable to make Saturday morning but who might like to join them can
e-mail Josie Irving (Tower Captain at St Thomas') at josieirving@hotmail.co.uk for more information.

We are asked to pray

For all couples preparing for marriage and our course tomorrow.
For the bereavement group continuing this week.
For the Warm Spaces initiative on Monday mornings.

General Synod meets soon to govern the Church of England and decide on painful issues which can easily divide us, such as understandings of God’s wishes for marriage and same sex blessings, appropriate Climate Action etc. Please pray for them.
We also pray for the sick.

Daily Prayer is offered each morning in one of our churches. Why not join in one day? We listen to the Bible and pray for our world and church.
Following a request we are trying new times on Friday.
Monday: 8.30am Goring,
Tuesday and Thursday: 8.30am Streatley,
Friday: 9am Goring

Diary for next week:

Monday 6th February
10:00am Warm Space in the Canterbury Room
Noon          Memorial service

Wednesday 8th February
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Gen. 2. 4b-9, 15-17, Ps. 104. 11-12, 29-32 and Mark 7. 14-23.

Sunday 12th February
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am    Family service at St Mary’s
11:15am    BCP Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
5pm           Discoverers in the Canterbury Room

Daily readings for the week beginning 6th February

Monday am:	Ps 30	2 Chron. 2. 1-16	John 17. 1-5	pm: Ps 28	1 Tim. 6. 1-10
Tuesday am:	Ps 36	2 Chron. ch. 3	John 17. 6-19	pm: Ps 33	1 Tim. 6. 11-end
Wednesday am:	Ps 34	2 Chron. ch. 5	John 17. 20-end	pm: Ps 119. 33-56	2 Tim. 1. 1-14
Thursday am:	Ps 37	2 Chron. 6. 1-21	John 18. 1-11	pm: Ps 40	2 Tim. 1.15-2.13
Friday am:	Ps 31	2 Chron. 6. 22-end	John 18. 12-27	pm: Ps 35	2 Tim. 2. 14-end
Saturday am:	Ps 42	2 Chron. ch. 7	John 18. 28-end	pm: Ps 46	2 Tim. ch. 3

Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.