Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 2nd April 2023

Sunday 2nd April Palm Sunday

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

The cross is the centre of God’s redeeming purposes.
What does it mean to you? Do we take it lightly or with tears of delight as a gift?
How can this week be Holy for you?

Prayer Breakfast.
Saturday, 8.15 - 9.30am in the Canterbury Room. Please come and pray for all we are doing preparing for Holy Week and wait on God to show us his way. All welcome!

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
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: Matt. 21: 1-11, Ps. 118: 1-2, 19-end, (Ps. 80).

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am      Family service with palm crosses at St Thomas’
11:15am    Holy Communion with palm crosses at St Mary’s
                           beginning with a short procession
11.00am Palm and alpaca procession and
11:15am Family service with palm crosses at St Andrew’s
Noon          Annual Parochial Church Meeting at St Andrew’s
4:00pm      Evensong at St Thomas’

Please decide how to mark Holy Week and walk closer to Jesus this week

St Andrew’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting for St Andrew’s will take place this Sunday, 2nd April, after the 11:15am service.
A copy of the annual report and accounts will be available in the church.

Schools service
We were thrilled to host a thoughtful service throbbing with life and depth this week. Goring and Streatley Primary schools squeezed into St Thomas’ and every class had made a different cross from a European tradition which explored the meaning and effect of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to different people. Orthodox, Celtic, Taize, Cross of nails, Red Cross etc.
Each cross had a related Bible passage and explanation. The children spoke brilliantly, and sang five songs thoughtfully and fulsomely. Alleluia.

South Stoke prayer walk
Liz and Jo will be again be doing a prayer walk around South Stoke next week starting from St Andrew’s. Please e-mail Jo or Liz for details of the day and time.
Anyone is welcome to join them.

Caring for Creation
It has been suggested that we might share ideas about how to be more ‘green’ through the medium of this newsletter. If you have any hints or tips about how we can improve our care of the planet, please send them to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com so they can be included.

Here’s one to kick off with. Did you know that a lot of plastic food packaging can now be recycled? Look for the little note on the back which asks you to recycle at large supermarkets. Some packaging may need a little rinsing but most of them dry quickly. You can collect them over the week and take them with you when you go to your favourite supermarket. There should be a bin where you can drop them off. Also, the stationery shop in Wallingford takes many different items such as toothpaste tubes, certain sweet packets, etc. for recycling. Check it out next time you’re over there and make a note of what else you can keep out of landfill.

Audibility and other surveys
Thank you to all of you who have completed surveys over the last few weeks. It has been helpful to the ministry team.

Holy Week Pilgrimage
From 3 – 6 April Canon Sally Welch of Christ Church Cathedral is leading a pilgrimage along the Thames Path from Reading Abbey to Oxford.
Walking at a leisurely pace, for ten miles each day, there will be plenty of time to enjoy the countryside and the company of fellow pilgrims.
During the journey, Sally will be leading reflections on the theme of the Stations of the Cross.
The group will be leaving from Christ Church Cathedral each morning at 9.00, and will be taken to and from the starting and end locations each day by minibus.
There is no charge for this trip, but booking is essential as places are limited.
For further information and to book a place, please contact Sally at sally.welch@chch.ox.ac.uk

St Thomas’ and St Mary's Electoral Roll
St Thomas’ Electoral Roll is being revised. If you would like your name to be added to the Electoral Roll, pick up a form from the table just inside the church and put the completed form into the box provided by THURSDAY 6 APRIL AT THE LATEST.

Or for St Mary’s please ask for a form and bring it to church or the Vicarage.
Please note that YOU DON’T NEED TO FILL IN A FORM IF YOUR NAME IS ALREADY ON THE CURRENT LIST. If you are not sure whether your name is already on the list, you can check the list on the notice boards at the churches.

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.
Monday: 8.30am Goring,
Tuesday and Thursday: 8.30am Streatley.
Friday: 9am Goring.

Holy week services
This year we are being more ecumenical. The Free Church building is being used for other activities but we are sharing together using St Thomas’, St Mary’s and Our Lady and St John to offer a noon and an 8pm evening reflection with a short set of prayers afterwards (compline in the evening).
The content may be taken from the work of Paul Iles who was based at Coventry Cathedral with the theme of Reconciliation.

	12 noon	8pm	led by:
Monday	Our Lady & St John	St Thomas’	Fr Kenneth
Tuesday	St Thomas’	St Mary’s	Ben Phillips
Wednesday	St Mary’s	Our Lady & St John	Judith Hogg
Thursday	St Thomas’		John Tye

On Good Friday there is a short walk of witness following a cross from the Rectory Garden to the Lockside with a prayer at the start and end of the journey, 10am to 10.15am, finishing in time for people to go to different services at 10.30am.

We are asked to pray

For ourselves and realise what God has done for us
For education and public services with shrinking budgets and greater demands
For Ukraine. For an end to this terrible tragedy and relief for all grieving and affected. May God work in our hearts
For preparations for our church APCMs
For our care for this one planet

Diary for next week (in addition to services above):

Wednesday 5th April
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
                   followed by coffee in the Canterbury Room
The readings will be Isa. 50. 4-9a, Ps. 70 & John 13. 21-32.

Thursday 6th April
8:00pm      Maundy Thursday service at St Mary’s

Friday 7th April
10:30am    Family service followed by hot cross buns at St Thomas’
3:00pm Meditation service with music at St Mary’s
6:00pm Compline at St Andrew’s

Saturday 8th April
11:00am    Easter Egg hunt at St Andrew’s
1:30pm      Marriage service at St Mary’s

Sunday 9th April, Easter Sunday
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Family Communion at St Thomas’
11:00am    Family Communion at St Mary’s
10:30am    Family Communion at St Andrew’s

The monthly calendar for April can be downloaded by clicking here

Daily readings for the week beginning 3rd April

Monday am:	Ps 41	Lam. 1. 1-12a	Luke 22. 1-23	pm: Ps 25	Col. 1. 18-23
Tuesday am:	Ps 27	Lam. 3. 1-18	Luke 22. 39-53	pm: Ps 55. 13-24	Gal. 6. 11-end
Wednesday am:	Ps 102	Jer. 11. 18-20	Luke 22. 54-end	pm: Ps 88	Rev. 14-18-15.4
Thursday am:	Ps 42	Lev. 16. 2-24	Luke 23. 1-25	pm: Ps 39	Eph. 2. 11-18
Friday am:	Ps 69	Gen. 22. 1-18	Heb. 10. 1-10	pm: Ps 130	Col. 1. 18-23
Saturday am:	Ps 142	Hos. 6. 1-6	John 2. 18-22	pm: Ps 116	1 John 5. 5-12

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