Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 4th January
   
Epiphany

Saturday 3rd January
6:00 pm  Epiphany Holy Communion St. Mary’s, Easton Neston

Sunday 4th January     
9:15 am  Holy Communion  St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom
11:15 am  Holy Communion  St Bartholomew’s, Greens Norton

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Our weekly news contains details of services for this and next weekend, as well as daily bible readings, prayer requests and notices for forthcoming events. 

Looking ahead to events and services that are happening please do look at the monthly calendar for January

Copies are available in churches for collecting especially for those who do not have emails. 

Dear all,

Happy New Year!

It’s the time of year that may include a period of reflection – what has happened and not happened in the past year – and what we hope will continue or be different in the new year. We may well have heard, several times, during December the beginning of John’s gospel, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God……the Word became flesh and lived among us. ‘ The acceptance of the one who was born as a human child to reveal most fully God’s love for all his people opens the way to the transformation of our lives. No matter how badly the past year may have gone in terms of our personal lives or our hopes, John tells us once more how much has been given to us in Christ and how much, therefore, can still come to be. Whatever experiences we have had last year, failures, loses, maybe those we could moan about, we are able, through the love of God available to us, to face the new year with hope and strength.

During January a new session of the Tuesday Bible Study will begin – studying The Holy Spirit. And on Saturday 17^th January, 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, at The Chantry House, there will be a special day called Made for More.

This day will build on the focus we have had over the last year on prayer and discipleship. As Rev’d Paula writes, ‘By discipleship, we mean learning to follow Jesus in the whole of our lives, noticing where God is already at work, and responding together with faithfulness and courage. It is not primarily about programmes or strategies, but about being shaped by Christ in how we listen, decide, lead, and serve.’
The morning, of the 17^th January, is designed as a reflective and hospitable space to listen, to think, and to share openly. The morning will include three short, TED-talk-style contributions offering insight and lived experience:

• Charlie Nobbs (Diocese of Peterborough), reflecting on vocation, gifts, and discerning where God may already be at work
• Liz Kelly, Bishop’s Adviser for Anna Chaplaincy, exploring listening, presence, and ministry across the generations
• Open the Book, sharing how simple storytelling can open spaces of encounter and meaning within school

Rev’d Paula writes, ‘There will be time for quiet reflection and conversation, with freedom to engage as much or as little as you wish. This is not about decision-making on the day, but about prayerful attentiveness and shared discernment.’
If you are able, please let us know if you are planning to attend so that we can ensure appropriate refreshments.
 
The Tuesday Bible Study Group will recommence on Tuesday 27^th January and follow a course recommended by John Booth that lasts 8 weeks, though we will take a break for half term, so concluding on Tuesday 24th March prior to the beginning of Holy Week.  So no Bible Study on Tuesday 17^th February though there will be Ash Wednesday services on Wednesday 18^th February. The contents of the course include topics such as ‘The Spirit and the Bible’, ‘The gift of the Spirit’, ‘The Spirit and You’.

On the Tuesdays before the start of the Bible Study there will be a united service on Tuesday 20^th January, Prayers for Christian Unity.

And finally, we have confirmation of Peter Allen’s Thanksgiving service which will be Monday 9^th February at 2:00 pm at St Lawrence Church.  It will be a ‘celebration of life’ with refreshments afterwards being at the Sawpits Centre.

With every Blessing,

Greg

Forthcoming Events