#457: Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to all my fabulous mouse followers! Have you missed me over Christmas? I wouldn’t blame you if you had, I am afterall, a most wonderful companion and reporter. Never fear, I haven’t just been sleeping, eating cheese, watching Wallace and Gromit, napping and nibbling some more cheese. Oh no! I’ve also been gathering up all the news you’ll need for the next few weeks. Whoever said mice can’t multitask was so very, very wrong.
This Sunday
We are starting off 2025 by celebrating Epiphany! This is a joint St Paul’s and St Nick’s service at 9.30am (because of the vacancy and clergy availibility), which means that we get to start the year together. It’s also an All Age Service. The organ music will be:
Before (ca 8′)
Flor Peeters – Chorale Prelude on ‘Stuttgart’ (op. 81, no. 1)
Flor Peeters – Chorale Prelude on ‘The Star Proclaims the King is Here’ (op. 70, no. 5)
Anthem
Peter Warlock – Bethlehem Down
After
William Harris – Epilogue on ‘Dix’
There is also a BCP service at 8am at St Paul’s.
Songs of Praise – Sunday 19th January at 6.15pm
We will be holding a Songs of Praise on 19th January with refreshments to celebrate our new hymnbook and to start learning a new Mass setting. All the hymns that evening will be from the new hymnbook. If you would like to request a particular hymn from our new hymnbook, either a favourite or one that is new to St Paul’s, please submit your request to the Church Office no later than close of play on Sunday 12th January. It will be first come first served!!
Louise Turner and Lesley Ruddock
Christmas Thanks
Having started off by talking about 2025, it’s time to go back a little and say a massive thank you to everyone who helped serve, clean the church, decorate the church, hand out leaflets and hymn books and service sheets, provide refreshments, serve teas and coffees, sang or played… and everything else over the last month. Thank you so much to you all for giving your time and skills that we could celebrate Christmas in our churches, come together to worship the God who loves us so very much. May you know and feel God’s love for you and with you, in all that you do, for all whom you pray.
For anyone who missed it, or would like to read it and hear the words again, here is my sermon from Midnight Mass.
Christingles
Jean sends this message about the Christingle services:
We had a great team making the Christingles on Saturday 21st December – thank you to everyone who took part.
Then on 23rd the two Christingle services, which were not quite as well attended as usual, went really well. Cara’s Christingle made in a pineapple was great and involved all the children pointing out her mistakes! The sprouts on sticks were met with derision!
I took some of the extra Christingles to Bluebell House Care Home so they were put to good use, then the majority went to St James’ Church in Finchampstead as they were unsure if they had made enough.
Thank you to everyone who helped in any way. When we have all the donations put together I’ll let you know how much was raised.
Jean Vaughan
December Lucky Numbers
The Lucky Numbers draw for December took place at a St Nicholas fellowship group meeting at 2;30 p.m. on Tuesday 17th December 2024.
Congratulations to the lucky winners:
£50 No. 83 Diane Tuck
£25 No. 75 Lyn Austen
£15 No. 15 Jenny Perris
£10 No. 58 Yvonne Pett-Ridge
The Lucky Numbers Draw raises funds for repairs and renewals to the church building. Funds remaining after the distribution of the prizes go to the Restoration Fund for this purpose.
One share (number) costs £24 per calendar year; you can have as many shares as you wish, paying annually or monthly by Standing Order.
NB those members of the draw who pay their subscriptions by annual cheque will receive reminders shortly.
For more information, please contact Tony Roberts (979 5351), Liz Gallagher (989 1176) or Mary Cassidy (979 5096) – or talk to Mary at St Paul’s, or Tony or Liz at St Nicholas’.
Pastoral Care
As we head into 2025, it may well be a time of new starts and new beginnings for a lot of people. For others, this may be the first year in a long time, or even ever, where you are beginning the year without a loved one. Grief might feel especially heavy if you have just experienced your first Christmas without someone, and you might need or want someone to talk to about it. There are some really good grief counsellors and bereavement specialists around, your GP should be able to put you in touch with them if you need. And here in the parish, please do get in touch if you would like someone to talk to, to listen, to pray with you and for you. We have a pastoral care team, please contact Louise in the office if that is something you would like: church.office@spauls.co.uk or one of the clergy, cara.smart@spauls.co.uk
We also have a walking group for those who are bereaved, who meet regularly to walk and talk, and always end the walk at a cafe. You can join for the whole walk and cafe, or just meet up at the cafe for a warm drink and some friendly faces. Again, please contact Louise in the office if this is something you would like to find out more about, and she can put you in touch with the groups. church.office@spauls.co.uk or 0118 979 2122.
Please know that all who are grieving and bereaved are prayed for daily, that you may always know the comforting and loving arms of God holding you tightly, that you may know and feel supported and safe.
