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Sunday 6th April                                                                               Lent 5

Welcome to our weekly newsletter
Running race

Passion Sunday
God’s commitment to us becomes clear and we are called to take up our gift in Jesus and follow with all our strength, and desire to share in this prize for all.
The Collect, the prayer for the week
  Most merciful God,
  who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
  delivered and saved the world:
  grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
  we may triumph in the power of his victory;
  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: Phil. 3: 4b-14, Ps. 126 and John 12: 1-8.

This Sunday:
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
Apologies:  No Parish breakfast in the Canterbury Room. Please offer to join the rota!
9:30am        Family service at St Thomas’
11:15am      Holy Communion at St Mary’s
11:15am      Family service at St Andrew’s
12:00pm      APCM at St Andrew’s
4:00pm        Choral Evensong at St Thomas’
Disasters Emergency Committee Myanmar appeal
DEC logo
Powerful earthquakes in Myanmar have caused catastrophic devastation. Survivors urgently need critical support including food, water, shelter and medical aid. DEC has started an appeal and the UK
Government will match pound-for-pound up to £5 million donated by the public. You can find out more and donate online here: https://www.dec.org.uk/ or we will have buckets in our churches for the next two weeks.
Thank you...
Mothering Sunday basket 25
…to the posy makers. These were beautiful and so appreciated.
… to Rob E for his help with delivering paper copies of the newsletter in Goring last week.
…and to Wendy who will be delivering the paper copies round South Stoke this week.
St Andrew’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting for St Andrew’s will take place this Sunday, 6th April, at noon after the Family service.  We have made it through a year without a churchwarden. We need to thank everyone for playing their part and plan how to move forwards. Please invite and come along.
Paper copies of the annual reports will be available in the church.
Lent ideas from A Rocha
Week five - Join us to protect and restore nature together. How can we make small changes in our everyday lives that can make a big difference to others and for your world? Contribute to positive change as part of an A Rocha UK community, as a church (Eco Church) and as an individual or family (Wild Christian).
A Rocha wk 5
For ideas about lower carbon living and how we can make a difference see: https://www.climatestewards.org/resources/lower-carbon-living/
Easter lily 3 JB

Lilies at Easter in memory of Family or Friends
In previous years many of you have generously contributed to the Easter flowers at St Thomas’.  The church has been scented by lilies and looked beautiful. 
Should you wish to remember family members or friends again this year by donating a lily, please contact Jenny via the church office (875651).

Schools’ Easter Celebration
On Tuesday 1st April all the children from both Goring and Streatley Primary Schools squeezed into St Thomas’ Church for their joint Easter Celebration service. Through the words of a poem; Bible readings; songs; and some powerful artwork they had prepared in school, the themes of Holy Week and Easter were explored.
Some of the artwork and the poem will be on display in the churches over the Easter period so do look at it.
Easter schools WM 2
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: 

  • That we will keep Holy Week and Easter.
  • For the people of Myanmar.
  • For us all as the global economy is re-set, to consider what values and aspirations, what drivers we want to have guiding us.
  • For us all to engage with the true price for peace.
Diary for the week
Wednesday 9th April
10:30am      Little Lights at St Mary’s
10:30am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Dan. 3. 14-20, 24-25, 28, Bless the Lord and John. 8. 31-42.


Sunday 13th April, Palm Sunday
8:00am        BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9.25am        Procession from Village Hall
9:30am        Holy Communion at St Thomas’
11:15am      Palm Sunday service with procession at St Mary’s
11:15am      BCP Holy Communion at St Andrew’s
3:00pm        Bereavement café in the Canterbury Room.  

Prayers for the week
Thank you to Sally for this week’s prayers that are based on “Glimpses of Glory” by David Adam.

Almighty God, we give you thanks for your great love towards us and the whole world, love revealed in our Lord Jesus Christ, who by his death destroyed death, and who has for us opened the gate of glory. We pray that, sharing in the fellowship of the suffering of our Lord, we may come to know the power of his resurrection; through the same Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Lord, we come before you.
Change us and we shall be changed.

We give thanks for all who are contemplatives:
For those who teach others to meditate,
for all who have shown us how to be silent before you.

Lord, in the stillness of this place, refresh us;
In the stillness of our minds, renew us;
In the quiet of our hearts, restore us.

We pray for all who are caught up in hyperactivity,
all who seek to justify themselves by work, all who cannot be still.
Lord, we come before you.
Change us and we shall be changed.

Lord, we are grateful for places of rest and peace:
we thank you for our homes and all who care for us.
We pray for all who are overworked in their caring for others.
We ask your blessing on all who have shared their time and their love with us.
Lord, we come before you.
Change us and we shall be changed.

Lord, we pray that through your cross and passion we may come to know the power of your resurrection.
We remember before you all suffering peoples, all who are struggling or despairing at this time, the people suffering in Myanmar and Thailand after the great earthquake,
and all who are facing darkness or death.
May they come to rejoice in your presence and saving power.
Lord, we come before you.
Change us and we shall be changed.

We give thanks for all who have passed through pain and suffering and are now where sorrow and pain are no more, for all you have experienced the power of your resurrection.
We pray especially for any known to us.
Lord, we come before you.
Change us and we shall be changed.

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

Daily readings for the week beginning 7th April
Monday am: Ps 73 Jer. 21. 1-10 John 11. 28-44 pm: Ps 26 Heb. 11. 17-31
Tuesday am: Ps 35 Jer. 22. 1-5, 13-19 John 11. 45-end pm: Ps 61 Heb. 11.32-12.2
Wednesday am: Ps 55 Jer. 22.20-23.8 John 12. 1-11 pm: Ps 62 Heb. 12. 3-13
Thursday am: Ps 40 Jer. 23. 9-32 John 12. 12-19 pm: Ps 43 Heb. 12. 14-end
Friday am: Ps 22 Jer. ch. 24 John 12.20-36a pm: Ps 31 Heb. 13. 1-16
Saturday am: Ps 23 Jer. 25. 1-14 John 12. 36b-end pm: Ps 130 Heb. 13. 17-end
Please send any notices or articles for the next news sheet by noon on Thursdays to vicarofgsandss@yahoo.com.
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