Weekly News

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Weekly News

23d March 2025
 
The Third Sunday of Lent

Welcome
If you are new to this church, it is lovely that you can join us today. We produce this sheet on a weekly basis which you can also have emailed to you along with other information about the benefice. If you would like to go onto our regular mailing list please call 01327 350459 or email tovebeneficeoffice@gmail.com

The Collect
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion
Merciful Lord, grant your people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow you, the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Lectionary Readings for Sunday:

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 55: 1 – 9
Hear, everyone who thirsts; come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your earnings for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. Now you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13
I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did, as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We must not engage in sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. And do not complain, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

Gospel: Luke 13: 1 – 9
At that very time there were some present who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish as they
did. Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the other people living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless you repent you will all perish just as they did.”
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the man working the vineyard, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good, but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Please click here (or on the image) for This Weeks Daily Readings
 

Benefice Prayers 

We pray for those who are sick at this time and remember those who have recently died and pray for their families:

Continuing Prayers for
Linda Wibley
Lynne Linney

Sick
Tim Lewis                     
Gill Lindsay
Ann Taylor 
David Shield   
Nai Piper
Phyllis Wright
Joan Brennan
Babs Stuchbury

Rest In Peace
Stuart Dunkley
Matthew Lambert
Martin Gale
Dee Jones-Hayes
Margaret Knowlton
Hazel Pargeter

Benefice Notices

The Prayer Course
Starts on Tuesday 11th February. Our Lent course for this year, we will be running two sessions on Tuesdays, at 10am – 11:30am and in the evening at 7:30 – 9pm for 8 weeks at the Chantry House. 2025 is a Year of Prayer in our diocese and an opportunity to immerse ourselves in prayer and its different forms, some with more words, some with fewer or indeed none. All the resources are online https://prayercourse.org/about/ The themes for each session are: Why Pray, Adoration, Petition, Intercession, Unanswered Prayer, Contemplation, Listening, and Spiritual Warfare. Life, including church life can be very busy. We try to do more and more thinking that it will help us achieve our goals. It is easy for prayer to be squeezed out. I hope that these times will help us to pause and focus on God and our prayer lives. For more information call the Benefice office on 01327 350459, or email tovebeneficeoffice@gmail.com

Clocks Change
Reminder clocks go forward at 1:00 am on Sunday 30th March


Men at The Bull 
Will be taking place at The Mill, Towcester on Wednesday 26th March.

World Day of Prayer
This year the service was held at St Thomas More church. 50 people attended from different congregations in Towcester. The service was a success and everyone remarked how enjoyable and powerful it was. The total of the offering was £142.20 which has been sent to WDOP head office by bank transfer. Thank you to Barbara and Kevin Parfitt for their hard work and many thanks to all the ladies who agreed to read. Lastly thank you to Fr James in his assistance and for using St Thomas More church for the service. Next years service is the 6th March which has been provisionally booked with Fr James.

Benefice Mothering Sunday Family Service 
30th March 10:15am
We will be having a at St Lawrence Church Towcester. Bishop Debbie will be preaching and presiding at this all age service.

Quiz Night
St Marys Easton Neston at 7:00 pm on the 29th March. Come along and test your knowledge at our quiz. There will be drinks and refreshments available to purchase. It’s £2.50 per person with teams of 4/6. Register your team with the Tove Benefice Office. Tel: 01327 350459 or email: tovebeneficeoffice@gmail.com.
Please could we have donations of cakes for the Benefice Mothering Sunday Service - 30th March 10:15am at St Lawrence Church Towcester. Please contact Eileen Reid on 01327 323180

Wednesday Holy Communions in Lent
10:15 am at St Lawrence, Towcester and 12:00 noon at St Bartholomew’s, Greens Norton followed by a soup lunch.
Please do come along.

Clothing and Rags 
Recycling fundraising at St Lawrence now being accepted until Sunday 30th March. Clothes, belts, bags and shoes. No Bedding items. Donations in church or to the Vicarage garage. Thank you.

Churches of St Bartholomew’s Greens Norton, St Lawrence Towcester, St Mary’s Easton Neston and St Michaels Bradden
Preparation of a New Electoral Roll
Under the direction of the Church of England the Electoral Roll has to be completely renewed every six years rather than revising the existing roll. Next week we will start the process. You will receive an email from the office Monday or a form in the post if we do not have an email address for you. Please complete and return your form as soon as possible. The Electoral Rolls will be open until the following dates:-
St Lawrence Towcester       Monday 21st April 2025
St Bartholomew’s                Monday Monday 14th April2025
St Mary’s Easton Neston     Monday 14th April2025
St Michael’s Bradden          Monday 21st April 2025

What is the Electoral Roll? What am I signing up to?
The Electoral Roll is a list of people who are eligible to vote in certain church elections, such as choosing representatives to the Parochial Church Council (PCC), which helps to govern the local church. To be on the electoral roll, a person must be a baptized member of the Church of England or a related church and be at least 16 years old. Being on the roll shows active membership and involvement in the life of the church. It also ensures that only those who are part of the church community have a say in decisions that affect the church's direction and activities. The roll is updated annually and is important for maintaining democratic participation in the church's governance.

RIP Diary 
This is now in church please indicate with a tick if you would like your loved one/relative to be remembered, or add new.

Communion
Please can we ask and remind people to refrain from dipping (intinction) their wafer into the wine when receiving communion. Those administering the chalice do not wish to cause upset at the communion rail. The reason for non-dipping policy is on the bishop’s advice and twofold: firstly one of hygiene and secondly because we have members who are gluten intolerant. If you feel unable to receive the wine from the chalice then receiving in one kind means you are making a valid communion. Thank you for your understanding.

Easton Neston Church and Churchyard visitors
If you have previously registered your number plate for access to visit St Mary's Easton Neston Church and Churchyard and it is not working the gate, please would you let Bev know on 01327 354385.

Please click here, or on the image, for This Months Services