Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 8th September

Sunday 8th September Trinity 15

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

We continue our start to the new academic year with the Streatley “Back to School service”.

Also our new Tuesday teaching course, "The Story of Scripture", begins.
In our church services we are working through the Epistle of James. St James asks if we treat different people differently?

The Collect, the prayer for the week
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
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: James 2: 1-10, 14-17, Psalm 125 and Mark 7: 24-end.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am    Family service, “Back to School”, at St Mary’s
11:15am    Holy Communion with Baptism at St Andrew’s

The Story of Scripture
On alternate Tuesday mornings starting in September we begin a new course giving an overview of the story of God’s loving purposes revealed in Scripture. To help us see the big arcs of narrative amid the trees.

This course from the Diocese of Oxford uses a mixture of video, Bible study, teaching and discussion. You can see here: https://learn.oxford.anglican.org/course/info.php?id=5 for more information.
All welcome. Begins 10th September at 10.30am in the Canterbury Room.
Come ready to learn, ask questions and have your hearts and lives stretched. Please let Ben know if you are interested and do take a card with the dates on it.

Prayer Breakfast, Saturday, 14th September

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.

Get out and enjoy, be nosy and discover local churches:
This year’s Ride and Stride in aid of

Berkshire and Oxford Historic Churches Trust will take place on Saturday 14th September.
Tim Streatfeild, the Henley Area Coordinator Ride and Stride reports:- "I am delighted to report that despite the extraordinary heat of R & S Day 2023, £84,859 was raised, up over £2.6K on 2022. Let’s hope we have excellent weather on 14th September and everyone has a very enjoyable as well as profitable fund raising day."
Sponsor forms are available. Help with refreshments and welcoming gladly received. Henry from St Thomas’ will be cycling on Saturday and he has set up a donations page on Goodhub: GoodHub | St Tom's Goring for those who might like to sponsor him. Jo from St Andrew’s is also cycling.
You might prefer to bring a book and welcome any visitors…?

Oxford Invitation - last call!

Our benefice is blessed by having Christ Church Cathedral as our patron.
They invite us to join other similar parishes for a Corporate Communion on Wednesday 25th September at 6pm.
This is preceded by a tea and talk at 4.30pm by Canon Peter Moger on Anglican Hymnody and followed by supper in the great hall, ending about 9pm.
So a feast to the soul and the senses.

Each guest is asked to contribute £15 to food + maximum £10 travel (train or parking) costs.
If you would like to go please sign up using the sheets in church by morning service on 8th September.

Organ Scholar – Toby Best
The Organ Scholarship is part of The St Thomas’ Organ Rebuild and Musical Outreach Project. During 2022, the organ was dismantled, mended, cleaned and completely rebuilt by early 2023. Now we have started the second phase of the project – Musical Outreach.

An important element of this outreach is encouraging a new generation of young organists. As part of this aim, we are delighted to announce that we have appointed the first St Thomas’ Organ Scholar. Following an open application process, Toby Best was selected as the first organ scholar and was formally appointed at the evensong service on 1st September 2024.
Toby has lived in Goring since he was born and became involved in St Thomas’ church through Goring Primary School. He stayed active in the church in the choir and Discoverers, while pursuing other music through Langtree School and music making in the village. He is currently at Cranford School sixth form and participates in the Starter Band and Roy Bailey Big Band in Goring. Toby first had the opportunity to have a go on the organ in 2019 and enjoyed the power of the instrument! He has taken part in a few courses run by St Thomas’ as a ‘try out’ of the organ and decided, when the opportunity for a scholarship came up, that he would like to continue learning more seriously. He enjoys playing at different churches as well - and finding how the different organ’s sound and work. Toby says, “I am looking forward to playing at St Thomas’ much more regularly with the scholarship and I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given.”

Concert at St Mary’s
John Kane (violinist) and Ikuko Inoguchi (piano) will be giving a concert, “Echoes in Raindrops”, in St Mary's at 4pm on Sunday September 22nd.
The program will include pieces by Brahms, Senfter, Takemitsu and Mozart/Drabkin.

Tickets are £10 full and £9 concessions on the door only. Cash only please. We will fit you in. Enquiries by text to 0776 233 9853 or e-mail StMarysConcerts@hotmail.co.uk Followed by tea in the Morrell Room.

Songs of Praise service
If music be the food of life, sing on! It is good to sing together. It cheers the soul to be thankful and be united in praise.

What is your favourite hymn /song and why?

We would love to hear your requests and reasons. These can be brought together for our Benefice Songs of Praise on Sunday 29th September at 10.30am in St Andrew’s. The organist and choirs from Streatley and Goring will be there to help raise the roof.
Hymn suggestions to the office (875651 or officeofgsandss@yahoo.com) by Sunday 8th September. Thank you v much.

Daily Prayer resumes its usual pattern. 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 all starting university this year and all returning to new academic years.
For wisdom for the government and us all in how we manage a welfare state and care for refugees, and enable us all to have a part to play to bless others.
For a change of heart of those set on war and revenge.
Give thanks for the gift of worship to be able to unite us.
For year 6 children to sign up for Genesis group and our support of young people.
Any care homes dealing with Covid outbreaks.

Diary for the week

Tuesday 10th September
10:30am    “The Story of Scripture” in the Canterbury Room

Wednesday 11th September
10.30am    Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be 1 Cor. 7. 25-31, Ps 45. 11-end & Luke 6. 20-26.

Saturday 14th September
8:15am Benefice Prayer Breakfast in the Canterbury Room
From 10.00am Ride and Stride around all three churches.

Sunday 15th September
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am      Good News service at St Thomas’
11:15am    BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am    Good News service at St Andrew’s

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

Father, we pray for a just resolution of the conflict in Palestine and Israel where both nations wish to control the same land. We pray for an end to the bullying of Ukranian people by their neighbour. We pray for Bangladesh with its recent change of government; for Nigeria with its uncontrolled terrorists and persecutions of Christians. We pray to you, the King of Kings to hold back the forces of evil in these places and to establish peace. Please bless the peacemakers with your protection and gifts.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for and give thanks for the continuing recovery of King Charles from cancer. We pray also for Princess Kate recovering after surgery for cancer. Kate also has the stress of small children and worries over their future. In like manner we pray for all subjects of the king who are suffering from cancer and who need your loving help and protection every day.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the newly elected members of Parliament and the new front-bench team of Government. Help them to develop foreign policy, to defend the realm and to stimulate the economy. We pray for honesty and a good public service ethic and confidence of the electors to become well established.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Please would you bless the ministry of our churches to our villages this autumn time. We are keen to see the ministry to children expand though our relationships with the schools, with the governors, in school lessons and their religious assemblies. As the seed is sown, may also the fruits of the harvest come into being in due season, bringing many young people to personal faith.
Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Some of our friends are sick this week, so we ask for your comfort and healing.
We pray for those recently bereaved that they may have your help as they cope with great loss.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 9th September

Monday am:	Ps 30	1 Kings 8. 31-62	Acts 16. 6-24	pm: Ps 28	Mark 11. 1-11
Tuesday am:	Ps 36	1 Kings 8.63-9.9	Acts 16. 25-end	pm: Ps 33	Mark 11. 12-26
Wednesday am:	Ps 34	1 Kings 10. 1-25	Acts 17. 1-15	pm: Ps 119. 33-56	Mark 11. 27-end
Thursday am:	Ps 37	1 Kings 11. 1-13	Acts 17. 16-end	pm: Ps 40	Mark 12. 1-12
Friday am:	Ps 31	1 Kings 11. 26-end	Acts 18. 1-21	pm: Ps 35	Mark 12. 13-17
Saturday am:	Ps 2	Gen. 3. 1-15	John 12. 27-36a	pm: Ps 110	1 Cor. 1. 18-25

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