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Please note that Streatley crossroads will be closed from 7am on Saturday 13th April until 10pm on Sunday 14th April for road repairs.
Please check if this might affect your journey to church.. 

Sunday 14th April                                                                             Easter 3

Welcome to our weekly newsletter 
Sheep 1 NB 24.04

Alleluia, Christ is risen……
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

We continue to follow the difference the resurrection made to the first disciples and pray we will receive God’s Spirit and be changed.

It was wonderful to be with Steve Poulson this week. Read further on…

The Collect, the prayer for the week
  Almighty Father,
  who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
  with the sight of the risen Lord:
  give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
  that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
  and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
  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: Goring and South Stoke: Acts 3: 12-19, Psalm 4 & Luke 24: 36-48 (NIV); Streatley: John 6: 16-21.

This Sunday:
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
We had a brief flying visit and update from Steve Poulson, our CMS partner.
The Talanga project is now well established and no longer a start-up. It is time for Steve to appoint a local Director and enable him to do the other 5 jobs more effectively and be a chair of trustees for the project there. They have taken on a Family Worker and a Psychologist part–time to work with the young people and families.
SP plus two
The picture (left) shows Steve with two former members of rival gangs showing the important work that they are doing. 
There is always more to do and God is at work in amazing ways, and always new challenges. How do changed lives fit into local churches which are rather middle class or legalistic (no tattoos etc.)…
We heard stories, ate lovely cake – thank you Mary and Jackie, and prayed together.
Confirmation Course
A couple of adults have asked for this. It will be on Tuesday evenings at 7.30pm from 30th April for 5 weeks for an hour. We will go through any questions about symbolism and understanding and receiving of Holy Communion and prepare anyone who wishes to either be baptised or confirm for themselves a baptism done earlier in life, perhaps as a child.
Might you be interested or can you think of anyone to ask? Do feel free to contact me for further details or any queries.  Please do pray for us. Thank you.    Ben
PAF April 24
Pick-a-Flick, Thursday 18th April, 10:30am
This month Pick-a-Flick will be screening the film “Another Mother’s Son”. As usual, there will be coffee before the film and a light lunch afterwards and we ask for a contribution of £5 towards this.
Pre-booking is required so please contact Sarah via the church office on 875651 to book in and to ask for transport if you require it.
Prayer Breakfast, next Saturday, 20th April
CoffeeAndCroissant

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.

St Mary’s Annual Parochial Church Meetings
The Annual Parochial Church Meetings for St Mary’s will take place next Sunday, 21st April, after the morning service which will start at the earlier time of 10:45am. Paper copies of the annual report and accounts will be available in the church.

Work at St Thomas’
We give thanks for those who worked and enabled us to employ them on the drive at St Thomas' and the ongoing work in the building.

Daily Prayer 
Please note
that this will only be taking place at Goring this week on
Monday at 8.30am and Friday at 9am.

This week we are asked to pray 

  • We thank God that his Holy Spirit would dwell in us, his comforting presence and enabling.
  • For all who risk the possibility of reconciliation with those who appear our enemies.
  • For our planned Confirmation course.
  • For the new term beginning this week at schools.
Diary for next week
Wednesday 17th April
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 8. 1b-8, Ps. 66. 1-6 and John 6. 35-40.


Thursday 18th April
10:30am      Pick-a-Flick in the Canterbury Room

Saturday 20th April
8:15am        Benefice Prayer Breakfast in the Canterbury Room

Sunday 21st April
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am        Good News service at St Thomas’
10:45am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am      Morning service at St Andrew’s
12:15pm      St Mary’s APCMs

Prayers for this week
Thank you to Harry for this week’s prayers.

Lord Jesus, as we think back to your first Easter-time we rejoice in the rich and personal love you have placed upon us, which has led you to give up your life -on the cross- and to pay for our sins. And by your resurrection have demonstrated your power as a living person to continue to save and keep us as disciples.  With this power and love we ask you to protect from harm those in conflict zones from harm from the attackers. Especially we think of Sudan, Myanmar, Gaza and Ukraine.  We ask that each of these conflicts may be brought to an end and that just solutions will be reached.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for the King and for Princess Kate in their personal battles with cancer and for the influence they have on the whole nation. We ask you for blessing upon Parliament and the affairs of State, including the well-being of the National Health Service, that it may be well-resourced at a time of heavy demand.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for Steve and Lindsay Poulson, our link missionaries in Honduras, in the light of Steve's news to us on Wednesday, that the Talanga Alas Project is maturing and expanding into local leadership, with an additional and new local Director to be appointed soon and two local outreach workers having already started. Thank you for keeping Steve and Lindsey safe from gang-violence and for the acceptance of this Christian initiative by the Mayor and authorities. Thank you for those street kids who have made the switch to Christ and are now out of the gangs and in work. Be with Steve in his new college course at All Nations, by distance learning, for an MA in Mission and Development. We also pray for their financial support through CMS to be kept up.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We commend our own Ministry team to you for protection and encouragement, during this time while we have no assistant curate. May they each be aware of your Holy Spirit's help and inspiration as they prepare messages of your love; also as they share the burdens of people in the difficulties of life. We pray for a quickening in the life of our three churches as we respond to you, O Lord, and the needs of the community around us.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We pray for those of our fellowship who are unwell and feeling separated from church.  Please bless the visits of friends and ministers and give them as sense of your presence and love, as well as healing from infection or discomfort.

We thank you for the lives of our friends who have recently passed away.  Their loss is keenly felt in the family and we reach out in love to those in such grief, today. We seek for your love to reach into their hearts and give peace.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 15th April
Monday am: Ps 96 Exod. ch. 19 Luke 1. 1-25 pm: Ps 61 Eph. 1. 1-14
Tuesday am: Ps 98 Exod. 20. 1-21 Luke 1. 26-38 pm: Ps 71 Eph. 1. 15-end
Wednesday am: Ps 105 Exod. ch. 24 Luke 1. 39-56 pm: Ps 72 Eph. 2. 1-10
Thursday am: Ps 136 Exod. 25. 1-22 Luke 1. 57-end pm: Ps 73 Eph. 2. 11-end
Friday am: Ps 107 Exod. 28. 1-4a, 29-38 Luke 2. 1-20 pm: Ps 77 Eph. 3. 1-13
Saturday am: Ps 110 Exod. 29. 1-9 Luke 2. 21-40 pm: Ps 27 Eph. 3. 14-end
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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The Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke
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