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Sunday 23rd July                                                                                Trinity 7
Welcome to our weekly newsletter 
seashells
Three leavers services in the last week! The school teachers can breathe deeply.
May we all breathe deeply and reflect, and count our blessings.
May we bathe in God’s love and ask for his love to help us face the real challenges of the world and its hunger for the living bread.
The Collect, the prayer for the week
   Lord of all power and might,
   the author and giver of all good things:
   graft in our hearts the love of your name,
   increase in us true religion,
   nourish us with all goodness,
   and of your great mercy keep us in the same;
   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: Rom. 8: 12-25, Ps. 86: 11-end and Matt. 13: 24-30, 36-43.

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
Steve and Lindsey Poulson’s visit
Lindsey preached well and reminded us of the importance of small faithful steps to make things grow. 
They made it around every church and gave their time and hearts to us.
A thoroughly enjoyable and delicious lunch followed and then a presentation update which was inspiring, harrowing and hope giving. They asked particular prayers for one lad being drawn back into gang life that he will decide to take up the opportunities of formal educ
ation.
Poulson lunch RM
Their business/ plan/ vision/ model of doing all they can to make the projects sustainable was so thorough and also so rooted in prayer and discernment.
They are indeed an amazing couple, doing great things, yet so humble.  It is a privilege for us to be partners with them in the Gospel. We prayed them on their way and they for us.
May they get some rest before they return to their beloved community where they seem to belong so fruitfully. May God bless and protect them and those they work with.
Thank you to everyone who supports them. If you would like to know more do ask (or look on our website, notice boards or the sheet they left behind).

Help please:  The Grange Care Home
Ben is leading a service/reflection and sing on Monday 31st July at 10.30am and would love a singer/ or musician or two to join him…? 
This is the first time we have been welcomed in for a long time. Please pray for this.

Our benefice service next Sunday is a
Songs of Praise service 
It is good to sing together.  It cheers the soul to be thankful and be united in praise.

Thank you to those of you who have given suggestions of your favourite hymns/songs.
These will be brought together for our Benefice Songs of Praise on Sunday 30th July at 10.30am in St Andrew’s. The organist and choirs from Streatley and Goring will be there to help raise the roof.
If you need a lift, please ask Ben (office 01491 875651 or officeofgsandss@yahoo.com)
News from the Wallingford Food Bank
Wallingford food bank has contacted us to thank us for the donations we send from St Thomas’ and St Andrew’s. They report that demand is increasing year on year at a shocking rate, so all our donations are very gratefully received.
Bank the food 07.23
They has also asked us to remind people about the app you can download to your phone which highlights items that the foodbank particularly needs. Here is a link to a very short film explaining how it works.
https://www.bankthefood.org/notjustbakedbeans/
If you have a smart phone, you can download the free app called “BankTheFood”, register and “follow” the Wallingford food bank  (you can easily find them if you enter OX10 in the postcode search). If you shop at Waitrose in Wallingford, or the Co-ops in Benson and Woodcote, the app will ping your phone with a list of the most urgent items they need when you arrive. Equally a user can check the app at any time to see what is needed and shop wherever they choose.
Daily Prayer will be taking place as usual although not on Fridays for the rest of July. 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.

We are asked to pray

  • We give thanks for sun and rain in moderate measure we have had this year.
  • We give thanks for public services. For wisdom for the government in weighing up the needs of all its people and the long-term effects of their decisions in deciding on public sector pay.
  • For those facing extreme weather in America, China and Europe and for us all to be accountable for our choices which affect the environment.
  • For courage and love for us all to listen to God and find his ways in our daily lives.
Diary for next week:
Wednesday 26th July
10:30am      Little lights at St Mary’s
10:30am      Coffee morning in St Andrew’s, South Stoke
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Exod. 16. 1-5, 9-15, Ps. 78. 17-31 and Matt. 13. 1-9.


Thursday 27th July
2:00pm        Funeral at St Mary’s

Saturday 29th July
1:00pm        Marriage at St Mary’s

Sunday 30th July
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
10:30am      Benefice “Songs of Praise” service at St Andrews’

Prayers for this week

Thank you to Judith A for this week’s prayers.

Heavenly Father, you taught us through your son Jesus to bring all our fears and troubles to you and to pray for one another, so we come to you today with our requests, trusting in your love and goodness towards us.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving God, we pray for peace in the world. The war in Ukraine seems endless. Please bless those who would be peacemakers and give them the wisdom they need to deal with leaders who have a different world view from their own. Protect President Zelensky and his advisors and those Russians who want peace with Ukraine and hasten the day when the fighting and suffering will cease.
We bring before you all the other areas of the world where there is unrest, particularly Israel and Palestine, Myanmar, Sudan and many more that we hear little about. We pray that you will restrain the forces of evil so that peace and love might prevail.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful God, we pray for those who are suffering because of the current high temperatures in many parts of the world. We know that many people died last year because of the heat and many lost their homes as forests burned and the same is happening now. Please help us to learn the lessons of these disasters and better protect ourselves and others. Most of all, we pray for a greater sense of urgency as we witness all these signs of climate change. May all governments around the world make dealing with this urgent situation their top priority and help each one of us to do whatever we can to save our planet.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We give you thanks, heavenly King, for bringing Steve and Lindsey to our benefice last Sunday. It was so good to see them again and to hear how you have been guiding their work in Honduras. Please bless and refresh them over the summer so they can return to Honduras ready to continue their work there. We ask for your protection for them. May the projects they have started be successful and the young people they are helping keep away from the gangs.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Lord, we pray for the churches in our benefice, for Ben and the ministry team, for our parish administrator, our churchwardens and all those who help in various ways.  Help us to discern the plans you have for these villages and our part in those plans. Thank you that we have a new musical director. We ask you to bless him as he prepares to take on his new role in September.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Loving Father, we bring before you all those in our community who are suffering hardship because of the increases in food prices and mortgage rates. Show us how we can help one another. Please give the government wisdom in dealing with the continuing threats of strike action.
We pray for those we know who are sick and ask for your comfort and healing for them. We remember all those who have died recently and pray for their families and friends in their grief.


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

Daily readings for the week beginning 24th July
Monday am: Ps 1 Jer. ch. 26 2 Cor. 11. 1-15 pm: Ps 4 Luke 22. 24-30
Tuesday am: Ps 7 2 Kings 1. 9-15 Luke 9. 46-56 pm: Ps 94 Mark 1. 14-20
Wednesday am: Ps 119. 1-32 Jer. 29. 1-14 2 Cor. ch. 12 pm: Ps 11 Luke 22. 39-46
Thursday am: Ps 15 Jer. 30. 1-11 2 Cor. ch. 13 pm: Ps 18 Luke 22. 47-62
Friday am: Ps 19 Jer. 30. 12-22 James 1. 1-11 pm: Ps 22 Luke 22. 63-end
Saturday am: Ps 23 Jer. 31. 1-22 James 1. 12-end pm: Ps 24 Luke 23. 1-12
 
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
For more information please see our website: http://www.thomandmary.org.uk/
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