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† St Andrews
Proclaiming Christ in Clewer
Pews News: December 2014
Welcome, in the name of Jesus Christ, to this house of prayer.
Advent is the time of year when we think about our preparations for Christmas. It is a time of ‘getting ready’, cards to send, pressies to buy and counting up who is coming for the ‘big’ meal this year. If we are not careful we can get too carried away with all the ‘trimmings’ and lose the meaning. Infact, there is much to do preparing the church for all the services! As always the scripture readings for the Sundays in Advent remind us to reflect on the prophecies and point us towards the arrival of the new Messiah in the stable. We are directed towards the ‘arrivals lounge’, one of my favourite places. In the midst of darkness the light came. God came to us in Jesus, he arrived and made His home in us that we might make our home in Him. Christmas is not an easy time, the dark days can seem very long when you are on your own and cold, the extra expense can push families to the limit.
Is there some way you make someone’s darkness more bearable this Christmas?
Whatever you are doing or wherever you are travelling to this Christmas, remember the journey of Mary and Joseph, guided by the light, filled with concerns and yet also passion and joy for the task that had been given to them.
My prayer for you all is that you make a home for Jesus this Christmas, remain faithful and true and, let the arrival of His awesome, wondrous, amazing light shine in your hearts and lives.
Wishing you all every blessing for a peaceful and joyous Christmas.
Revd Rosie
Services for the Month
1st Sunday: 7 December – Advent 2
10.30am Family Service (non-Eucharist)
Readings: Isaiah 40.1-11, Mark 1.1-8
5pm Parish Eucharist
Readings Isaiah 40.1-11; 2 Peter 3.8-15a, Mark 1.1-8
2nd Sunday: 14 December – Advent 3
10.30am Parish Eucharist
Readings Isaiah 61.1-4, 8-end; 1 Thessalonians 5.16-24; John 1.6-8, 19-28.
5pm BCP Evensong
Readings Psalm 68.1-9; Malachi 3.1-4, 4-end; Philippians 4.4-7.
3rd Sunday: 21 December – Advent 4
10.30am Parish Eucharist
Readings 2 Samuel 7.1-11, 16-end; Romans 16.25-end; Luke 1.26-38.
3pm Children’s Church (Child-centred Holy Communion)
6pm Nine Lessons & Carols by candlelight
Wednesday 24 December – Christmas Eve
11pm Midnight Mass
Readings: Isaiah 9.2-7; Titus 2.11-14; Luke 2.1-14.
Thursday 25 December – Christmas Day
10.30am Parish Eucharist
Readings Isaiah 52.7-10; Hebrews 1.1-4; John 1.1-14.
4th Sunday: 28 December – The Holy Innocents – Christmas 1
10.30am Parish Eucharist to be taken by Canon Brian Shenton
Readings Jeremiah 31.15-17; 1 Corinthians 1.26-29; Matthew 2.13-18.
No evening service
Midweek Services in December
Wednesday 10th and 17th only : 10am Midweek Eucharist
Friday 12th 9.30am Prayers & Bears in the Lodge
Friday 19th 10.30 am Prayers and Bears Christmas party
Midweek services start back to normal on 7th and 9th January
For your prayers
Healing Prayers: Norman Iley, Peter and Katie Dennis, Jack Trigwell, Jenny Evendon, Louise Birch, baby Blake, Barbara Childs, Tina Lawson Smith, Daphne Moseley, Jim Allen
Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all those who live and/or work in Ellison Close, Addington Close, Byron Court, Mayfield Close, Kimber Close, Sherbourne Drive, Woodland Avenue and Illingworth.
Notices
Christmas cleaning Friday 19th 2pm, all hands on deck to polish the brass and make the church sparkle. Please come along and help out.
Christmas tree and church decorating Saturday 20th 12-2pm
The church will be open from 2-4pm on 20th. Come and visit the Stable, spend some time out from your preparations to reflect on the wonder of the Christ child, light a candle and pray.
Choir Practice – Tuesday evenings at 6pm in church, not on 23rd or 30th Dec.
PCC Secretary – If you’d like to help out with this worthwhile role within the parish, have a chat with the Church Wardens or Revd Rosie.
St Agnes Fountain End of Tear Show: 16th Dec at 7.30 at St Agnes, no tickets required. All welcome
Sing Christmas Choir – will be singing at various events and places over the Advent and Christmas period, if you would like to join us please contact Heather Henry. The choir will be joining us for our Nine Lessons and Carols on the 21st.
CHRISTMAS VOICES
The Wesley Guild at Windsor Methodist Church is delighted to invite you to Christmas Voices: an evening of Christmas music & carols led by Voci Chamber Choir, directed by Sue Piggott. This evening of Christmas Music and carols is on Wednesday 17 December at 7.45 pm at Windsor Methodist church, Alma Road SL4 3HH. Entrance is free & the carols will be followed by refreshments. Retiring collection is for the Christian Aid Christmas Appeal & MHA (Methodist Homes).
Advent Bible Study
Following in the footsteps of St Andrew and the disciples.
The disciples spent time together before and after Jesus’ death and resurrection. We will be meeting together at church on Wednesday evenings during Advent. The topic will be based on our parish vision of Living, Loving and Learning and what it means for us to be called as disciples.
Come and use this time to reflect on scripture, pray and discuss together in preparation for the Incarnation, so that we can give the gift of ourselves more fully this Christmas.
- Wednesday 3 December 7.30pm: Session 1 – Living
- Wednesday 10 December 7.30pm: Session 2 – Loving
- Wednesday 17 December 7.30pm: Session 3 Learning
St Andrews’ Patronal Festival 28-30 November
My personal thank you to everyone for all their marvellous efforts in making the festival weekend so successful.
The quiz night was a great deal of fun, the fish and chips were hot and crispy and the company was good. Perhaps we should make this an annual event? It was wonderful to see the church buzzing with so many people on the Saturday at the fair, the smell of mulled wine and the waffles gave us a real festive smell rather than the damp! I was more than happy to escort the Mayor and his wife when they were judging the Bake Off! The Home produce stall sold out, the raffle was huge! Please check your tickets and collect as soon as possible.
The entertainment carried on throughout the fair, choirs, individual musicians and recitations all helped to raise the atmosphere and showcase our local talent.
The wonderful smells from the fair continued on Sunday morning as our prayers were lifted with incense and Stuart, our churchwarden, gained some new skills as ‘boat boy’ and thurifer.
The weekend was drawn together with the Advent carol service. The candlelight helped set the tone for reflection and the Sing Christmas Choir brought out the best in our singing voices. A truly wonderful way to start our Advent journey towards the stable.
Thank you again to everyone who helped in any way and a special thanks to Georgine for her organisation of the festival fair.
We managed to raise over £1000, for a first time that was brilliant. We have to start somewhere! So get your thinking caps on now ready for what we might do next year!
Parish Priest: Revd Rosie Webb
St Andrew’s Rectory
Parsonage Lane
01753 852334