Crocuses and daffodils and everything [213]

Dear friends, here is everything you need to know for the week ahead, plus a couple of other items of relevance:

The Week Ahead

Compline happens on a Mon, Tues and Wed evening at 8.30pm- please find the link in email 214.

Morning Prayer happens on a Mon and Thurs at 8.30am- please find the link in email 214.

The Lent Bible Study happens on a Tues evening at 7.15pm- link in etc- and here are the notes for this week for anyone who is not able to be there…

The World Day of Prayer is this week on Friday- Previously the Women’s World Day of Prayer, this is a global event where every country around  the world takes part in the same service on the same day. Each year the service is written by  women of a different country; this year it’s the women of Vanuatu and the theme is: Building on a Strong Foundation. In Wokingham, churches take turns to host and this year it’s the turn of Wokingham Baptist Church. All Wokingham churches can take part and are represented by readers. The service will be held on Zoom on Friday 5th March, 7.00-8.30pm.

Please join in if you can! The World Day of Prayer relies on donations to make grants to projects throughout the world. We would normally  take up a collection, but as we cannot do so this year, please donate directly to the World Day of Prayer via their  website: https://www.wwdp.org.uk/product/make-a-donation.  Thank you.

Recommendations

Mothering Sunday is on the 14th of March. There will be a P and N Service at 9.30 and a Woosehill one at 10am. The MU are running an excellent campaign called Make a mother’s day, which is all about making a donation to support the work of the MU across the world- do read about the campaign and do look at the gifts you can purchase here: Make A Mothers Day

Georgina Spencer is trying to gather more snowdrops for the Churchyard, especially along the main path. They need to be planted green (as in, after the flower has died but while there is life in plant)- if you have any spares, or can spare some, or can source some without going over to the Rectory garden with a spade, then please could you put them in the Church porch and let Louise or Richard know that they are there? Thanks.

Yesterday I went to check the Foodbank Container in church. There was a carrier bag in there but all it had in it was some material. I have no idea what it is or who it is for. I have put it back in the container as I don’t know what else to do with it. Do you think Bertie could put a note in his letter to see if anyone knows what or who it is for? Liz Gallagher 

Also, Teri has sent in this note: With our Lent theme of Climate Change and valuing Creation in mind, I’d like to recommend a book called No.More.Rubbish.Excuses by Martin Dorey; its sub-title is ‘How to reduce your waste and why you must do it now’.  It’s not a heavy tome, easy to read and extremely interesting. The author is dedicated to encouraging people to make vital, small changes in their lifestyles and, in 2019, initiated the 2 Minute Foundation, a charity devoted to cleaning up the planet two minutes at a time.

The Deanery Prayer Cycle for March is here:

And from the Rev’d Andrew Dotchin:

This is the centre of the Gospel; God loves you and sent his Son to show how deep and wide and broad and high that love is.

Let us not pass up this time [Lent in lockdown] to take the slogan ‘Hands, Face, Space’ into our journey of faith.

This Lent may we;
Lift up our hands in prayer
Turn our faces towards God
And makes space to hear God’s love song for us.