Newsletter

#450: in 2 months time it will be the most exciting eve of the year

Bertie here, and I was so so excited about Christmas, only 2 months to go until we have fairy lights and decorated trees and Christmas cheese! But then the curate reminded me that we have quite a lot of other things to look forward to and mark in these next 2 months and maybe I was jumping ahead of myself a little. I think she’s just a spoilsport but whatever, I don’t care, not one bit, nope not me…

p.s. there is actually quite a few things I should be reporting on first so maybe she’s also a little bit right. Sigh. Guess I’ll get on with my actual job and bring you this weeks news.


This Sunday, 27th October

In the parish there are services at 9.30am at St Paul’s, 10am at Woosehill and 11am at St Nick’s. The Gospel reading set for this week is Mark 10:46-end, the story where Jesus asks a blind man, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ It’s an excellent story, why don’t you read it before this week’s service as a way of preparing for worship?


Our Parish Profile has been approved!

In what is clearly the most exciting thing to happen this week, on Tuesday evening we had our section 12 meeting (the one with the archdeacon and PCC, where we approved the profile, advert, job and person specification). What that means is that we are good to go for advertising the Parish vacancy for a Rector and Area Dean. The parish profile is on our website, Parish Profile | St Paul’s Parish, and if you know anyone who might be a good fit, please do share it with them. With very grateful thanks to all who have made this come together, for everyone’s thoughts ,suggestions and prayers, for our PCC members and churchwardens. But a special round of applause has to go to Peter Wells who has worked incredibly hard getting the profile ready and including all the ammendments, making it visible on the website. Thank you.


Morning Prayer

A reminder that we have Morning Prayer every weekday. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, it is on zoom at 8.30am. On Tuesdays and Fridays it is said in St Paul’s at 9am. The zoom link is:

https://zoom.us/j/96780966787?pwd=kXlIhnkCI3LZTc6OlanyCswP40qNBw.1

Meeting ID: 967 8096 6787

Passcode: 967885

The Church of England have an app called ‘Daily Prayer’, it’s blue, which has the words and the audio version for morning and evening prayer, which is very useful to use.

With a note that this coming Wednesday, 30th October, there’s no zoom morning prayer.


Mothers’ Union Meeting

Everyone is warmly invited to the next meeting of the Mothers’ Union on Thursday 7th November at 12.30pm in the Carpenter Room (upstairs in the Parish Rooms).   This will be a craft session: Gill Wilkins will lead a participatory demonstration on dried flower arranging so if you have any suitable dried flowers please bring them, together with a clear jam jar, no label, in which to arrange them.  If flower-arranging is not quite your ‘thing’, there will also be an opportunity to knit small Christmas stockings which will, at a later date, be filled with chocolate items for the various charities supported by the Mothers’ Union.  Patterns will be provided and a limited amount of wool and needles to get everyone started!  Feel free to bring along your lunch and we will provide light refreshments.   If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me.

Teri Austen


Coal (not Santa’s)

Sue Newport is keen to dispose of a large bag of smokeless coal and two half-used bags.  If anyone would like to take these off her hands for a sensible donation, please contact the Parish Office: church.office@spauls.co.uk/0118 979 2122. 


All Souls Day Service

We will be holding a service for All Souls on Sunday 3rd November at 6.15pm, to remember all those we love who have died. There will be sheets in the back of church this Sunday and next for you to write down any names of those you would like remembered. Please write their name clearly and also phonetically if needed, we really don’t want to get any names wrong.

As is our St Paul’s tradition, we will be lighting candles in the churchyard. If you’d like to help with this please gather in the church porch at 5pm. Thank you.


Grave Talk, Sunday 10th November

All Saints Church in Wokingham is holding a space for discussion and guided conversation, which gives people the chance to talk about life and death, funerals, and answer any questions you might have. It’s open to all, for every age, and people who attended the course previously found it really helpful to have that chance and permission to talk about things we sometimes pretend aren’t going to happen.


Green Opportunities

Andy Clark has sent in this to share:

I am looking for a Biodiversity Champion for the churchyard and a Tree Survey Champion. The Biodiversity job needs a different focus from the churchyard maintenance angle. It is also important to continually look at the trees and monitor their progress. We have a full survey done in 2015 but it really does need updating and any work planned in to be considered.

2 jobs required. Who in the congregation might be interested? Speak to me for more details if interested.

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