#417: Bertie’s Top Ten Things To Do Today
Bertie here- and here are my Top Ten things to do today… counting down from 10 as they always do on the radio…
10. Please do engage with the Extra Email on Finance which was sent out last week, and the information sheets available at the back of Church. As Lyn said on Sunday, if you are giving regularly to Church thank you- if you have come to Church for a while but haven’t thought about giving yet then please do so now- and if you can increase what you give that would be amazing. The way to increase your giving is just to contact the Parish Giving Scheme directly and they can do it very easily indeed- and do speak to Lyn or Richard or a Warden for more information, or if you would like to have a chat.
This is Richard’s sermon from Sunday morning if you would like to read it as you think about your level of financial giving..
9. This Sunday we are delighted to welcome Canon John Edwards to Preach at St Paul’s and St Nick’s- Lent 3. Richard is at 9.30 and then at Bearwood. Cara has just had to get another sick note so is not well enough to come back to work yet- do keep praying for her and the family and supporting them in every way you can.
8. Social Events this weekend… Parish Quiz on Saturday night from 6.30, Social for Newcomers and anyone else who wants to come along to The Rectory at 6pm on Sunday. Please could you email Louise if you would like to come on Sunday night if you haven’t already told Richard? It will be a great evening- relaxed, chatty, possibly with a few boardgames- and everyone is welcome- we said it was for newcomers to make sure that they knew they were welcome but it is very much open for everyone.
7. Social Events the weekend after- next Organ Recital followed by Parish Lent Lunch on Sat the 9th- concert at 11.30, lunch at 12.30- please book a place for lunch with trishgatland@hotmail.co.uk. Then the 10th is Mothering Sunday- no service at St Nick’s, main service of the day at St Paul’s at 9.30 followed by a cake sale over coffee to raise money for the Church.
6. This Friday is the World Day of Prayer– Woosehill Church at 10.30. Do turn up to support and to use the excellent prayers written by Palestinian women if you possibly can. You will be very welcome indeed.
5. Bishop Olivia is coming to address Deanery Synod on the 5th of March at 8pm at Sandhurst Church. It is an evening open to everyone so do come along if you can. It will be one of the last chances to hear her now that her retirement has been announced.
DID YOU KNOW- it costs £475 a day to run St Paul’s and St Nick’s
6. Looking further ahead… please sign up! As part of our Eco Church commitment to environmental stewardship, we plan to run a ‘Carbon Literacy For Congregations’ course each Thursday evening in May (except Ascension Day on 9 May) 7:30-9:30pm in the Parish Rooms. It will be facilitated by a couple of members of our congregation. The course is designed by the Carbon Literacy Project (https://carbonliteracy.com), and tailored for churches from an approach used in many different work and community settings. It is free, though a £10 contribution is suggested to offset running costs. Participants can submit a short written exercise to obtain a certificate of carbon literacy, though this is optional. Please reserve your place with Louise Cole in the Parish Office, or speak to Christopher Cipkin (organist at St Paul’s) for more information.
5. We are hoping to run a Messy Church type activity again on the morning of Good Friday but are short of volunteers and someone to oversee it- if you are interested or could help please can you tell Richard? If it a really important and popular part of our annual calendar and we are really keen to make sure it continues to be so.
4. The Quiet Day was a great success last week- thank you to Mary, Sally and Jane for organising it. The feedback was very positive- and here is what Richard said in the opening talk if anyone would like to read it…
3. A Green Event for the Diocese of Oxford in June… On Saturday 8 June we will be celebrating and recognising the churches, people, schools and communities that are caring for creation across the diocese. Everyone is welcome to our event at Wesley Memorial Church, Oxford, to hear from keynote speaker Dr Ruth Valerio, and to be inspired for the journey. For your church, project or champion to be recognised, send your nominations to the Environment Team and sign up on Eventbrite to attend on the day.
2. A Safeguarding Questionnaire for anyone who would like to to fill it in talking about their experience of the Diocese.
Share your experience of safeguarding at church As you may be aware, INEQE Safeguarding Group have been commissioned to conduct Independent Safeguarding Audits of the Church of England to make sure dioceses and cathedrals are doing all they can to create environments where everyone feels safe, valued and respected.
As part of the audit process, we hope to engage with parishioners and members of the parish community through an online survey which will act as a mechanism through which individuals can comment on any matters relevant to the Audit’s focus.
The survey is both anonymous (we are not seeking to identify you) and confidential (you will not be identified). We would therefore ask you to be open and honest with your responses. The survey results are received directly by INEQE’s Audit Team and not by the Church of England.
The survey is now live and will close at 11.30pm on 3Â April.Â
Should you wish to share any further information or if you would be interested in participating in a focus group you can contact the Audit t
1. The latest news from Madagascar as Bishop Hall comes closer to the end of his time there…
And some other bonus items…
Meditation Group
We continue to meet on the second Tuesday of each month in St Paul’s Church, 1 for 1.15pm, with music, a reading and 20minute meditation. We usually have from 5 to 9 people attending from across the parish and beyond, with several who attend regularly each month. The time to be still and quiet seems to be much appreciated. We are an open group. Anyone of Christian, other faith or none is welcome to come along to a meeting to experience meditation. I am very happy to be contacted if anyone would like to know more about the group, or mediation meditationgroup@spauls.org.uk
We are part of the Worldwide Community for Christian Meditation https://wccm.uk/
Mothers’ Union Meeting
There is a Mothers’ Union meeting on Thursday 7th March at 12.30pm in the Carpenter Room at St Paul’s Parish Rooms. This is principally a social gathering so all are very warmly invited to join us. Bring along some lunch, sandwiches etc and we will provide tea, coffee and biscuits. If you would like to know more, please speak to me. Teri Austen
Electoral Roll
A revision of the Electoral Roll is due before the APCM this year, commencing from 3rd March 2024 until 31st March 2024, all applications to be received between these dates. If you reside in the parish or are a regular attendee at church you are eligible to apply for admission to the Roll. Application forms may be obtained from the sides persons, the Parish Office or the undersigned.
Anyone wishing to take an official post within the church, such as sidesperson, must have his or her name on the Electoral Roll. Likewise, anyone wishing to stand for election to the PCC or Deanery Synod must have had his or her name on the Roll for at least six months prior to the election and be an ‘actual communicant’ (Rule 54i of the Church Representation Rules).
 If you already have your name on the Electoral Roll, you do not need to apply afresh this year but, if your details have changed, please fill in a new application form.                     Teri Austen
Table Tennis at Woosehill on a Friday…
A concert poster for a duo performing soon in Earley…
