Benefice of Goring and Streatley with South Stoke : Sunday 22nd January 2023

Sunday 22nd January Epiphany 3

Welcome to our weekly newsletter

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
This desire to be in good fellowship with all Christian people takes costly longing and listening. Within our own church and denomination, and also across divisions of seemingly coming from different starting points, to desire Jesus to be the focus and Good News we share.

Photo: Mazur/cbcew.org.uk

The Collect, the prayer for the week
God of all mercy,
your Son proclaimed good news to the poor,
release to the captives,
and freedom to the oppressed:
anoint us with your Holy Spirit
and set all your people free
to praise you in Christ our Lord.

Readings for Sunday: 1 Cor. 1: 10-18, Ps. 27: 1-11 and Matt. 4: 12-23.

This Sunday:
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Mary’s
9:30am      Good News service at St Thomas’
11:15am    Mattins at St Mary’s
11:15am    Good News service at St Andrew’s
4:00pm      Piano recital by Paul Page at St Mary’s
5:00pm      Discoverers

Following discussion on how to be more prayerful, St Thomas’ PCC suggested: At 9am in St Thomas’ on Sunday those leading, helping welcome etc. at St Thomas’ are invited to down tools and pray together for 5 minutes by the font for all we are preparing to do.

Ecumenical Lent course
The ecumenical Lent course will commence in the week beginning 27 February. The focus this year is on the prayers that Jesus prayed. The Lent course provides a wonderful opportunity to meet with fellow Christians from different denominations and learn more about our shared faith. Look out for the sign up sheets at the back of the churches. Please pray about joining a group and also about whom you might invite to join you.
If you feel you would like to host a group or indeed lead a group, please contact Catherine Coulson via email.

Piano recital at St Mary’s
Paul Page, Concert Pianist, will be giving a Recital on Sunday January 22nd at 4pm. Pieces will include On an Overgrown Path by Janacek and works by Bach, Chopin, Debussy and Schumann.

We are delighted to be able to welcome Paul back for his third concert with us, which has been repeatedly delayed due to the Covid pandemic.
Tickets £10 full, £8 concessions, sold on the door only, cash only please.
Advance reservations and enquiries by text only to 0776 233 9853.

Try Out the Organ Day at St Thomas'
On the afternoon of Saturday 28th January there will be the opportunity for young musicians up to the age of 25 who are interested in learning to play the organ, to experience playing the rebuilt instrument under the guidance of local organist Bryan Almond.
If you are interested in taking part, please contact the parish office (e-mail officeofgsandss@yahoo.com or call 875651) to book your place. More details about the event can be found on the benefice website by clicking here.

“Ring for the King”
Also on January 28th but in the morning, between 10am and noon, the bell ringers of Goring and Streatley will be holding an “Open tower” event at St Thomas’ when you can come and learn more about church bell ringing. They are hoping to ring for the coronation of King Charles III in early May and

would like to invite anyone living within a reasonable distance of the towers to learn to ring and join them for this occasion.
The ringers will explain the art of bell ringing and give you a chance to ring a simple method on hand bells. You will also be able to go up the bell tower to see the church bells and see how they are rung.
For more information (even if you can't make the 28th) please see https://tinyurl.com/2emzk54t or https://ringfortheking.org or e-mail Josie Irving (Tower Captain at St Thomas') at josieirving@hotmail.co.uk.

Warm Space
Our doors are open on Mondays, 10am-12 noon, in the Canterbury Room, offering a warm space, a welcome, company, tea, coffee and toast.
Do come, or invite anyone who might be alone.

Please pray for this venture. Do ask if you need help with a lift.
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to make it possible.

Inaugural Organ Recital, Saturday 11th February 2023 at 7pm
To mark the completion of the organ rebuild project at St Thomas' there will be a recital by Thomas Trotter, an organist of international renown.
Tickets are £12 and are available online at eventbrite.co.uk (click here) or there may be limited availability on the door.
The concert will include music by Handel, Stanley, Mulet, Dupre, Dove and more and promises to be a wonderful event.

We are asked to pray

For the bereavement group beginning this week
For the Warm Spaces initiative on Monday mornings.
For a right candidate to respond to the advert now out for a new organist/director of music at St Thomas’.
And the organ builders, for all the wisdom and skill needed as they come to complete the project this week.

General Synod meets soon to govern the Church of England and decide on painful issues which can easily divide us, such as understandings of God’s wishes for marriage and same sex blessings, appropriate Climate Action etc. Please pray for them.
We also pray for the sick.

Diary for next week:

Monday 23rd January
10:00am Warm Space in the Canterbury Room
10.30am   Funeral at Whitehills

Wednesday 25th January
10:30am    Little Lights at St Mary's
10:30am    BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas’
The readings will be Acts 9. 1-22, Ps. 67 and Matt. 19.27-end.
Noon    Memorial service at St Thomas’

Sunday 29th January
8:00am      BCP Holy Communion at St Thomas'
10:30am      Benefice Holy Communion service
and rededication of the organ at St Thomas’

Daily readings for the week beginning 23rd January

Monday am:	Ps 108	Hos. 2.18-3.end	1 Cor. 9. 15-end	pm: Ps 138	Matt. 26. 1-16
Tuesday am:	Ps 36	Hos. 4. 1-16	1 Cor. 10. 1-13	pm: Ps 146	Matt. 26. 17-35
Wednesday am:	Ps 66	Ezek. 3. 22-end	Phil. 3. 1-14	pm: Ps 119. 41-56	Col. 1.24-2.7
Thursday am:	Ps 47	Hos. 5.8-6.6	1 Cor. 11. 2-16	pm: Ps 24	Matt. 26. 47-56
Friday am:	Ps 65	Hos. 6.7-7.2	1 Cor. 11. 17-end	pm: Ps 67	Matt. 26. 57-end
Saturday am:	Ps 68	Hos. ch. 8	1 Cor. 12. 1-11	pm: Ps 72	Matt. 27. 1-10

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