#323: plenty of seats free on planes going to Rwanda, it seems…
Dear friends,
Bertie here once more- it is so sunny and warm that I have even had to take my distinctive waistcoat off because it is so very summery at the moment at last- bees are flying, daisies are smiling and the flowers are in full bloom (well, at least the ones the Rector’s dog hasn’t crushed while scratching herself against the bushes in the garden). Here is the news which I have carefully curated- Fr Richard has been flipping useless this time because he has tested positive for Covid again and is determined to be well enough to be at work at the weekend. I’ve done this all on my own. And they said that a mouse would never make it in showbiz. And here I am, writing thrilling emails for a living- where are the critics now? And the doubters? And the naysayers? I am Bertie the Churchmouse. Look on my works, you mighty, and despair. Never before in the history of mousekind has one small mouse made such a difference to the whole of humanity [the rest of this rant originally went on for another 12 sides but I have, you’ll be pleased to know, redacted it somewhat- poor Bertie- I think the responsibility might be getting to him, or the heat- Fr Richard]
Things to remember and note
Mass for Corpus Christi tomorrow (Thursday) at 8pm
Edward Sutton is being baptised on Sunday at 9.30
The next Evensong with Sermon is this Sunday at 6.15pm, with a focus on the Jubilee and a sermon by Philip Hobday, the Vicar of St Peter’s, Earley and Precentor-elect of Wakefield Cathedral
On Sunday the 26th the older teenagers at Church are organising an event for those roughly in School Years 5-8:
Here is the poster for the Evensong on the 19th of July- do tell other people about it, do come along and sing, do come along to the picnic, do come along and have fun in such a great cause and focus:
And here are a couple of photos from the Great Coffee and Chat Jubilee Shindig for your delight and delectation:
Things to look into and investigate
Cara, Jane and Richard had a great time at Clergy Conference last week at Swanwick in Derbyshire- there was some excellent input and the three talks by Bishop Steven on 2 Corinthians were astonishingly good- they can be found here, on this channel: (1) Diocese of Oxford – YouTube
If you want more of Bishop Steven, then he also did an excellent address at Diocesan Synod on Saturday morning on the topic of the environment and the care of creation, which is well-worth reading: The earth is the Lord’s – Bishop Steven’s Blog (anglican.org)
The Deanery Prayer Cycle for June 2022:
Other items of interest
The June draw took place at St Nicholas’s after Communion on Sunday 12 June.
The lucky winners were:-
£50 No. 7 Eric Hart
£25 No. 16 Jenny & Brian Perris
£15 No. 39 Pam Subden
£10 No. 98 Keith Mintern
The Draw is a simple way of raising funds for repairs and renewals to the church building. One share (number) costs £24 per year and the draw takes place monthly (either at St Nicholas’s or St Paul’s) for prizes of £50, £25, £15, and £10. All remaining funds go to the Restoration Fund.
If you would like to subscribe, or want further information, please contact Tony Roberts (979 5351), Liz Gallagher (989 1176) or Mary Cassidy (979 5096) – or in person at church (Mary at St Paul’s, Tony or Liz at St Nicholas’).
