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Sunday 23rd March                                                                              Lent 3

Welcome to our weekly newsletter
daffodils 1 jk
Are we bearing fruit for God? Is Lent and is your faith fruitful?
We check ourselves with the 10 commandments, but perhaps also other commandments – not to grumble or be self-righteous.
God will help us be a good witness.

 
The Collects, the prayers for the week
  Eternal God,
  give us insight
  to discern your will for us,
  to give up what harms us,
  and to seek the perfection we are promised
  in Jesus Christ our Lord.

  Almighty God,
  whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain,
  and entered not into glory before he was crucified:
  mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross,
  may find it none other than the way of life and peace;
  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: 1 Cor. 10: 1-13, Ps. 63: 1-8 and Luke 13: 1-9.

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
4:00pm        Piano recital at St Mary’s
5.00pm        Discoverers
Next Sunday the clocks spring forward, and it is Mothering Sunday.  There will be services in every church (no united Benefice one).
There will be Posy Making for St Thomas' and St Mary’s next Saturday, 29th March, in the Canterbury Room at 11.15am. All welcome!
Lent ideas from A Rocha
Week Three
Discover the great outdoors with company. Meet up with a friend or several for an extended or brisk spring walk together.
A Rocha wk 3
Or step out of your door into your nearest green space. Bring along a notepad and pens to write about or draw something that inspires you in nature and share your ideas and reflections.

Piano Recital at St Mary’s
In celebration of JS Bach's 340th birthday Christopher Burrows, virtuoso organist and pianist, will be giving a piano recital in St Mary's this Sunday, March 23rd, at 4pm. The programme will comprise short works composed by the Birthday Composer himself. This will include toccatas, preludes and selections from the

C Burrows S 25.03.23

Goldberg variations and the Art of Fugue.
Tickets £10 full, £9 concessions on the door only and please bring cash not cards! Tea and cakes will be provided by the Friends of St Mary’s in the Morrell Rooms after the concert.
Any enquiries please text to 0776 233 9853.

StAndrewsCoffeeAndCake
St Andrew’s coffee morning
The monthly coffee morning with cakes will take place in St Andrew’s on Wednesday 26th March from 10:30am.
All welcome!
Prayer Breakfast, next Saturday, 29th March
CoffeeAndCroissant

Please come and pray for the life of our parishes:
How do we communicate God’s good news locally?
The prayer breakfast 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.
We are drawing up a new rota for first Sunday of the month parish breakfast in St Thomas’… Might you be willing to serve it once in a while?
Please contact Ben or the office (875651).

A Quiet Day on the Stations of the Cross
We have been sent details of a quiet day led by Revd Dr Zachary Guiliano and Revd Philippa White at the Community of St Mary the Virgin at Wantage on Saturday 5th April. This day is being organised by the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral and costs £35 for the day including lunch and refreshments. For more information please contact the church office.

Electoral Roll 2025
Each Parish Church must prepare an entirely new electoral roll this year so everyone needs to complete a fresh form, please.
Copies of the forms for all three churches are available in church or may be downloaded for St Thomas’ here or St Mary’s here or contact the church office (875651).
Please return your completed form to the box in church or email the form to
Judith Aguda (judith.aguda@gmail.com) by 24th April for St Thomas’ or
Keith Jackson (fkjj@btinternet.com) by 1st May for St Mary’s.
Start your day listening to God and praying together. 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: 

  • We give thanks for the beauty of Spring and every part of our eco-system.
  • That our justice system will not favour those who can afford a bigger, better legal team but will protect all.
  • For the prevention of supplying arms to civil wars in Congo, Sudan, Israel and perhaps to Ukraine, Russia…?
  • For us all to engage with the true price for peace.
Diary for the week
Monday 24th March
Lent groups continue this week

Wednesday 26th March
10:30am      Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am      South Stoke coffee morning at St Andrew’s
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Deut. 4. 1, 5-9, Ps 147. 13-end and Matt. 5. 17-19.
7:30pm        St Thomas’ PCC meeting in the Canterbury Room


Saturday 29th March
8:15am        Benefice prayer breakfast in the Canterbury Room
11:15am      Posy making in the Canterbury Room


Sunday 30th March, Mothering Sunday, clocks go 1 hour forward
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
9:30am        Mothering Sunday Family Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am      Mothering Sunday Family Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am      Mothering Sunday Family Communion at St Andrew’s

Prayers for the week from "Roots on the Web"
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, we come to you admitting our weakness and failure.
Thank you for giving us the chance to turn around and start afresh with you.
Indeed, Lord, you are the God of second chances and we know, in our lifetimes, you have been the God of third and fourth chances, forgiving and restoring us a countless number of times. We are profoundly grateful. We know that without you, we would have no hope and yet, because of your love, we remain your children – even if rather wayward children at times.  
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, we think about the times this week when we have wandered away from you; and the times when we have determinedly gone in unwise and selfish directions. Yet you still desire to bring us back. We ponder those moments when we have found ourselves safely back with you. What was it that brought us there? A word of encouragement from a friend? A sign of love from our family? Verses from Scripture that challenged and enabled? Something beautiful that we saw or heard that reminded us of you? Lord, whatever or whoever you used to bring us back, we thank you. Help us to remember those joyful moments of reconciliation so that we are less inclined to wander away again.
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, as we think about the disasters that Jesus spoke about, we remember things we have heard on the news this week that have shocked or saddened us. We remember particularly…. the Middle East as the ceasefire has crumbled and more people are dying. We think of the progress of diplomacy between Russia, the USA and Ukraine. Lord, may your words of peace and love rule in these places. May conflict cease and goodness return.
We also pray for those places which are no longer in the headlines but are still seen and remembered by you…
We thank you for the aid agencies that work tirelessly to bring supplies, medicines and comfort. Lord, may your people be fed, clothed and given safety wherever they find themselves. These are big prayers, Lord, but you are a big God.
And we pray for the people or places that never make the news, where only you see the hurt and the pain. We know how much it grieves your heart of love. We pray for those who are trafficked or abused…  those who suffer from addictions and long to be free... those who are in prison…  or feeling desperately alone... . We long to see the world restored to the way in which you intended it. Lord, may your kingdom come.
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, we think of those who we have struggled to give a second chance to this week… perhaps a friend or colleague who let us down; someone in our class who was annoying; someone in a shop who was rude or someone who cut us up in traffic; a family member that was trying our patience. We pray for each of those people now, whether they are known to us or just an incident we remember... Give us the grace to forgive and the patience to accept situations that we cannot control.
And we think of all those who have given us second chances this week... We pray for them now with gratitude for their kindness and patience.
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, we bring to you all those we know who are suffering for whatever reason. We pray for those who are sick… those who are sad… those who have had a difficult diagnosis and don’t know what will happen next… the confused and anxious…
Lord, you care about each and every situation we face – we do not have to go it alone. We ask that you will bring your peace into each situation we have just prayed for. May there be restoration and healing and renewal of hope no matter how hard everything may seem.
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored.

Lord, as we go forward into the new week, may we go from here restored and refreshed by having spent time with you. Send us out, filled with your love, to be peacemakers and forgivers. Help us to see you in the eyes of everyone we meet this week and to serve them as if it is you we are serving. Give us a new strength and determination to follow your way no matter how hard, challenging, or glorious it is!
Lord, we choose to turn back to you.
Help us to start afresh: renewed and restored. Amen.

Daily readings for the week beginning 24th March
Monday am: Ps 5 Jer. 11. 1-17 John 7. 37-52 pm: Ps 85 Gen. 3. 8-15
Tuesday am: Ps 111 1 Sam. 2. 1-10 Rom. 5. 12-end pm: Ps 131 Heb. 2. 5-end
Wednesday am: Ps 38 Jer. 13. 1-11 John 8. 12-30 pm: Ps 39 Heb. 6. 13-end
Thursday am: Ps 56 Jer. ch. 14 John 8. 31-47 pm: Ps 59 Heb. 7. 1-10
Friday am: Ps 22 Jer. 15. 10-end John 8. 48-end pm: Ps 69 Heb. 7. 11-end
Saturday am: Ps 31 Jer. 16.10-17.4 John 9. 1-17 pm: Ps 24 Heb. ch. 8
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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