Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 29th September

Sunday 29th September Trinity 18

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

Songs go on singing and repeating in our hearts in a life giving way, if it is music and story of the Lord. So may we fill our children with good deep life-giving songs, and ourselves too.

Come to the Songs of Praise, which is our Benefice United service this Sunday at St Andrew’s, South Stoke at 10:30am. Bring along neighbours and friends.
Lifts are available at 10.10am from the lychgate at St Thomas' or from outside St Mary’s. Or leave a message at the Vicarage by Friday evening please (01491 875651 / vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com) if you need a lift from anywhere else.

The Collect, the prayer for the week
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
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: Esther. 7. 1-6, 9-10; 9. 20-22, Ps. 124 and James 5. 13-end.

This Sunday:
8:00am BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
10:30am Benefice Songs of Praise service at St Andrew’s

Confirmation at Nettlebed
They did it and confirmed they wanted to be, with us all, vital parts of God’s family.
Hilary and Nigel from St Mary’s congregation pictured with Bishop Gavin, last week at Nettlebed’s Confirmation service.

Nigel said that Bishop Gavin led the service with much wisdom and positivity which inspired all there while Hilary described the service as "uplifting".

Harvest season is coming

Do check the October calendar (available to download below) for our Festival services.

Churchyard working party at St Thomas’
Saturday 5th October 10am - 12noon

All welcome to bring their favourite loppers, secateurs or tool to keep on top of the churchyard. The grass is wonderfully cared for but ivy creeps and seedlings from trees sprout and grow and need to be kept in their place!
Offers of help with refreshment welcome too!

Next Sunday, 6th October, Parish Breakfast at St Thomas’

Come along for croissants and coffee on this first Sunday of a month from 8.45-9.15am. This is a wonderful way to integrate our different church members of all ages and stages.
Thank you to Bill and Jackie for providing this.

Following her "stride" around local churches Jo has written about her adventures. Click here to read about her interesting day and see pictures of the churches she visited.

Concert at St Mary’s
This was a fabulous concert. We were delighted to welcome back piano virtuoso Ikuko Inoguchi and to welcome violin virtuoso John Kane to St Mary’s and, in a first for St Mary’s, we were also delighted to find we had one of the composers (Professor William Drabkin) at the concert.
The concert opened with pieces composed by both Mozart and Professor Drabkin. Mozart left fragments of these two compositions which Professor Drabkin, with much research and skill, completed in a most successful cross-centuries collaboration. They were very lively and most enjoyable.

The next piece was Elegy for Violin and Piano, Opus 13, no 3, by Johanna Senfter, a German Romantic composer from Oppenheim who was well known between the two World Wars, but has since been almost forgotten. This piece was sublime even if full of heartache and I hope she is widely rediscovered.

This was followed by Toru Takemitsu’s Hika or Elegy. Here the violin and piano carry out a very emotional conversation, sometimes together, sometimes detached, to produce a result which is sad but very beautiful
The final piece was Rain Sonata by Brahms, which was very suitable for the afternoon’s weather. Based on two of his lieder, Rain Song and Echo, this was a wonderful piece of music and my favourite piece from the concert, especially the first very exciting movement. Despite being a Classical composition I felt this piece could have been written as a modern film theme. The violin and piano interlock melodies with a repeated dotted rhythm theme recurring across all movements.
The concert finished with another Johanna Senfter piece, Melodie, also from her Opus 13, which made an excellent finale to the concert.
Despite the rain outside we had a golden and happy afternoon together inside! Thank you to our audience, who yet again all turned out in trying weather conditions! We were delighted to see you all. Thank you also to the volunteers without whom the concerts could not run, especially John, Elaine, Linda and Rosemary and to all the cake bakers. Stella

Daily Prayer continues 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 a willingness to pray, fast and attend to God’s guiding and enabling.
For all in our nation to be willing to work together to face the challenges of needs, budgets and for everyone to know they have a part.
To learn to live in peace and harmony with neighbours and how to build each other up.
Give thanks and pray for the Genesis group which started this week.

Diary for the week

Wednesday 2nd October
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
                   followed by coffee in the Canterbury Room
The readings will be Job 9. 1-12, 14-16, Ps 88. 1-6, 11 & Luke 9. 57-end.

Friday 4th October
9:00am      South Stoke Primary School Harvest service

Saturday 5th October
10:00am    Churchyard working party at St Thomas’
1:00pm      Marriage of Ryan and Heather at St Andrew’s

Sunday 6th October
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
8:45am      Breakfast in the Canterbury Room
9:30am      All Age Harvest service at St Thomas’
11:15am    Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am    All Age Harvest service at St Andrew’s
4:00pm      Choral Evensong at St Thomas’

The monthly calendar for October can be downloaded by clicking here

Prayers for the week from "Roots on the web"
Gracious God we bring to you the people, places and issues of the Middle East in all its pain and confusion. We pray for the leaders of Lebanon, Israel and all the nations and factions that they may have compassion for each other and wisdom to find a peaceful way forward. Be especially close to those who have lost loved ones, those who have been injured, those who have lost their homes and those who live in fear.
We pray for the peace which the world cannot give.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

Gracious God our prayers continue for Gaza and for all the trouble spots of the world. We commend to you the United Nations and all world leaders as they seek to promote harmony between the nations. We pray for the coming of your kingdom when women, men, boys and girls will no longer have to live in fear of bullet and bomb.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

Gracious God we remember those in our own country and throughout Europe who have been afflicted by floods and extreme weather. We commend to you those who are engaged in the clean up process; those who are seeking to return to their homes; those offering comfort and support.
We pray that all may see the rainbow of hope and be enabled to know the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

Gracious God we commend to you our government, parliament and all political parties as they seek to discern the best way forward for our nation. May they be guided by kingdom values of righteousness, justice and mercy.
May we all walk justly, love mercy and walk humbly with you our God.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

Gracious God, you gave your Son to be our saviour and to show us how to live by his words and actions. You gave us an example of love and compassion. We pray for our churches that we may have the vision and imagination to serve you creatively and to offer comfort and support to those in need.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

Gracious God, so many people in your world are suffering in so many ways. There are those who live in fuel poverty; those who are dependent on food banks; those whose lives are crippled by debt. We commend them to you.
We remember all who are sick, those awaiting treatment, those anxiously waiting for the results of tests for themselves or for those whom they love. We especially pray for… may our prayers of faith bring healing and relief.
Show us the practical and spiritual ways
To share your love with those who need it.

May we know what to do; may we know what to say; may we know how to pray. We ask it it in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Daily readings for the week beginning 30th September

Monday am:	Ps 80	2 Kings ch. 5	Acts 26. 1-23	pm: Ps 85	Mark 15. 1-15
Tuesday am:	Ps 89. 1-18	2 Kings 6. 1-23	Acts 26. 24-end	pm: Ps 89. 19-end	Mark 15. 16-32
Wednesday am:	Ps 119. 105-128	2 Kings 9. 1-16	Acts 27. 1-26	pm: Ps 91	Mark 15. 33-41
Thursday am:	Ps 92	2 Kings 9. 17-end	Acts 27. 27-end	pm: Ps 94	Mark 15. 42-end
Friday am:	Ps 88	2 Kings 12. 1-19	Acts 28. 1-16	pm: Ps 102	Mark 16. 1-8
Saturday am:	Ps 97	2 Kings 17. 1-23	Acts 28. 17-end	pm: Ps 104	Matt. 16. 9-end

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