The Christmas & New Year Period at St Mary’s
The Office will be closed from Friday 22nd December 2017 until Friday 5th January 2018
Wednesday
Morning Prayer at 8.30am
Full Choir Practice at 7.30pm
Carol Singing at 9pm
Thursday
Holy Communion at 12.30pm
Carol Singing at Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in the evening
Friday
Memorial Service for Victor Prazak and the Victims of Libyan Airlines Flight 1103 at 10.30am
Next Sunday 24th December: Fourth Sunday of Advent
There is no 8.30am Service Today
11.00am Blue Christmas Eucharist For all who find Christmas tough this year
Christmas Services: 24th/25th December
4.00pm Crib Service for Children of all ages
11.00pm The Blessing of the Crib & Midnight Mass Carols Sung from 10.45pm
8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)
11.00am Christmas Day Choral Eucharist
Sunday 31st December: First Sunday of Christmas
8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)
11.00am Parish Eucharist for Christmastide
Sunday 7th January 2018: Feast of the Epiphany
8.30am Holy Communion (Traditional Language)
11.00am Parish Eucharist for Epiphanytide
6.00pm Evening Prayer
Dates for January
Monday 1st January
No Morning Prayer
Tuesday 2nd January
Holy Communion at 8.30am
Wednesday 3rd January
Morning Prayer at 8.30am
Full Choir Practice at 7.30pm
Thursday 4th January
Holy Communion at 12.30pm
Saturday 6th January
Wedding Preparation Day for 2018 (10am to 3pm)
Monday 8th January
Morning Prayer at 8.30am
Meadbank Service at 2.30pm
Bell Ringing Practice at 7.45pm
Tuesday 9th January
Holy Communion at 8.30am
Wednesday 10th January
Morning Prayer at 8.30am
Full Choir Practice at 7.30pm
Thursday 11th January
Holy Communion at 12.30pm
Saturday 13th January
Half-Day PCC Meeting from 10 to 1pm (Venue tbc)
THIS WEEK’S NOTICES
FaithWorks 18: If you’ve not heard much about FaithWorks 18 yet, please take one of the A3 brochures at the back of church. Plenty of volunteering opportunities in the New Year!
FaithWorks 18: Pilgrimage for Peace and Remembrance to Passchendaele in 2018. Please do take a look at the details of what will be an exciting and moving long weekend, 1st-4th June 2018. Full information on the board at the side of church. We encourage you to think about bringing friends with you: they will be most welcome. It would be extremely useful to have some indication of interest in going very soon. Please sign up to indicate interest at the information board.
Card Reader Trial: If you would like to give by card, you can do so immediately after the service near the lift at the back of church
Farewell to Tyrone Whiting: If you would like to contribute to Ty’s farewell gift, please send your gift to the Parish Office marked ‘Gift for Tyrone’ as soon as possible.
Katherine Low Settlement are looking for some help with their Contact Club Christmas Lunch for elders on Tuesday 19th December at Dimson Lodge. Various tasks need doing throughout the day, plus a few on Monday 18th December. To offer, please contact Lucie ([email protected]) or Sarah ([email protected]) asap. Thank you!
Glass-Door Night Shelters: Glass-Door Night Shelters: Thank you for all your contributions to Glass Door so far. There is a thank you card and further information on the notice board at the back. Please continue to bring spare warm clothes, bags, toiletries and towels to church or contact me, Libby Bradshaw on 07956 655 037 or at [email protected] Thank you
Victor Prazak Memorial: On Friday 22nd December at 10.30am, Felicity Prazak is holding a special memorial service here for Victor and all those killed 25 years ago when Libyan Airlines Flight 1103 was shot down in Libya. The preacher is Bishop Bill Musk, former Bishop of North Africa. You are warmly invited to attend.
Blue Christmas: Christmas isn’t always a happy time for people. On Christmas Eve, at our 11am Service, we are holding a special ‘Blue Christmas’ Eucharist, where we take time to think of those who find Christmas difficult and think about light in darkness and God’s hope in time of trouble. If you know someone who might benefit from coming along to this gentle service, please invite them.
Please Pray For…
Those who have asked for our prayers:
Ginny Mackenzie, Chloe and Lucien, Sareeta, Ron Nicholls, Ingrid Spatt, William Gallagher, Jane Foster, Chloe Hutchinson, the Survivors of Grenfell Tower, Baby Joseph and Tony & Alice.
Those who have died recently, their families and friends:
Eleanor Macnamare, Diana Newman, Elizabeth Preston, Jeremy Hutchinson, David Wickham, Phyllis Lowe, Hugh Seymour – Davies, Eddy Beddington, Dan Jackson, Roland Whitby, John Hanly, Paula Suvarne , Sheila Dawton, Meryl Metcalfe and Marisa’s Mum
Looking Ahead…
Sunday 21st January
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service at 6pm At Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church
A chance to worship and meet members of Sacred Heart Church as we prepare for the FaithWorks 18 work ahead.
Sunday 11th February Tyrone Whiting’s final Sunday at St Mary’s including a farewell concert at 6pm (If Ty gets his visa beforehand, this may change. We will keep you informed.)
Comings & Goings: Appointment Announcements from the Vicar
Director of Music: I am delighted to announce that we have appointed James Potter as Director of Music, in succession to Tyrone Whiting, who will be leaving us by mid-February to take up his post in the United States. James is currently Director of Music at All Saints’, Headington in Oxford and Director of the Cathedral Singers at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford (who sing when the Cathedral Choir are on holiday). James impressed the choir and the appointment panel with his fine conducting and work with the choir. We hope he will be in post some time before the beginning of Holy Week next year.
Tyrone Whiting: Although Ty’s visa situation remains unresolved, he and I have agreed that we should be looking to say goodbye to him by mid-February 2018. We are therefore intending that Sunday 11th February will be Tyrone’s last Sunday with us and that, in place of Choral Evensong in the evening, we should have a farewell concert. More details in the New Year. Save the date.
Parish Manager & Assistant Treasurer: We have successfully appointed to this new managerial role at St Mary’s and I am delighted to announce that David Britten will be taking up the role in late January/early February. David is well-known to us as a member of St Mary’s and co-leader of the Sunday Morning Group. We are very pleased that David will bring his significant managerial experience to the role and look forward to welcoming him to the staff team next year.
Sunny Walker-Kier: The role of Parish Administrator ends in early 2018 and we will be saying goodbye to Sunny at some point early next year, but the precise arrangements are to be finalised in consultation with the new Parish Manager. We are extremely grateful for Sunny’s generous approach to what is, inevitably, a difficult situation.
An Associate Vicar for St Mary’s: We are delighted to announce that we shall be appointing an Associate Vicar for Community Development and Mission in 2018, following the extraordinarily generous gift of 7 years’ funding for this post from a member of the congregation. We give thanks to God for such a lavish gift. Although some practical details remain to be arranged and agreed with the Diocese, which I hope will be complete before Christmas, we hope to be advertising for such a person early next year. An Associate Vicar is an experienced priest who brings particular skills and knowledge to work alongside Simon. The Associate is not a curate and will be responsible for a number of areas of work, including working at building our links with the local community and establishing new forms of church for those who perhaps don’t connect with what we currently offer at St Mary’s. They will also assist me in the leading of worship, preaching and the pastoral offices of the church. Please pray for this exciting venture.