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Proclaiming Christ in Clewer
Pews News: February 2015
Welcome, in the name of Jesus Christ, to this house of prayer.
Lent is fast approaching and Christmas seems such a long time ago.
The beginning of February is marked by our celebration of the feast of Candlemas, The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, The Purification. Candlemas is simply a popular name. It is when all the candles in the church are blessed, they symbolise the light of Christ and are lit for prayers and in our worship. They are blessed as a reminder of their symbolic use. The Presentation of Christ in the Temple is when we meet Simeon and Anna, people of great age and wisdom who spend their life at the Temple waiting in hope for the Messiah to come. Their meeting with the Christ Child is full of light and joy, a new time has come and great songs are sung. Purification of Mary, this is part of the Jewish ritual of cleansing of the Mother after the birth of a child, the presenting of the child to be blessed and the offering of sacrifices. And yet there is also a darker side, a prophecy of the passion and of the Mary of Sorrows at the foot of the cross. A feast day not to be celebrated as a stand-alone feast but as part of the turning point in the churches calendar. We turn from the wood of the stable and crib, which we finally put away, to the wood of the cross as we are led into Lent. This time of year we are all glad of some warmer weather and spring sunshine and longer days. The long cold nights of winter should be going! And the snowdrops are bursting into bloom. Signs of spring are in the air! So with this feast day we recognise the light shining in on us and revealing the darkness within, which we address through Lent. It is also a waiting and a meeting and an encounter that transforms lives.
Reflection for February – How do you present yourself, soul and body, to God in company with Christ, both now and at the end of time? How do we present the church to our community today?
Lent 2015. This Lent we will be focussing on the Eucharist, as part of the Pilgrim Course. Last year we explored the Lord’s Prayer if you remember. To help prepare us I will be doing a Commentated Eucharist on the 15th Feb at the 10.30 service. If you have not experienced this before I would encourage you to join us. It is like a ‘teaching session’ on the structure, function and purpose of the Eucharist service. Why we do what we do!
If you are considering confirmation or would like to delve deeper into your Christian journey then please join us for our Lent study on Thursday evenings throughout Lent, please take a detailed flyer home and give one to a friend or neighbour who may be interested.
Wednesday mornings in Lent sees the return of the Coffee Corner, the church will be open for coffee and cake, time to read the papers and to discuss life or just meet and chat. Opening times 9-12, offers to serve, make cakes etc will be gratefully received, please let me know.
Lent prayer cards and the Easter services flyers will be ready soon, so volunteers to distribute will be needed, thanking you in advance.
“Longing for light, we wait in darkness, longing for truth we turn to you”
Every blessing
Revd Rosie
Services for the Month
1st Sunday: 1 February – Presentation of Christ in the Temple – Candlemas
10.30am Family Service (non-Eucharist)
readings Malachi 3.1-5; Hebrews 2.14-end; Luke 2.22-40
5pm Parish Eucharist
2nd Sunday: 8 February – 2nd Sunday before Lent (Ordinary Time)
10.30am Parish Eucharist
readings Proverbs 8.1, 22-31; Colossians 1.15-20; John 1.1-14
5pm BCP Evensong
readings Psalm 65; Genesis 2.4b-end; Luke 8.22-35
3rd Sunday: 15 February – 1st Sunday before Lent (Ordinary Time)
10.30am Parish Eucharist
readings 2 Kings 2.1-12; 2 Corinthians 4.3-6; Mark 9.2-9
3pm Children’s Church (Child-centred Holy Communion)
5pm Thanksgiving for Marriage
Wednesday 18 February – Ash Wednesday
10am short Eucharist with Ashing
8pm Eucharist with Ashing
readings Joel 2.1-1, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5.20b – 6.10; Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21
4th Sunday: 22 February – Lent 1
10.30am Parish Eucharist
readings Genesis 9.8-17; I Peter 3.18-end; Mark 1.9-15.
5pm BCP Evensong
readings Psalm 119.17-32; Genesis 2.15-17, 3.1-7; Romans 5.12-19
Midweek Services in February
Wednesdays 10am Midweek Eucharist – Church & Coffee Corner open
Fridays 9.30am Prayers & Bears in the Lodge
For your prayers
Healing Prayers Katie Dennis, Jack Trigwell, Jenny Evendon, , baby Blake, Barbara Childs, Jasmine.
Thanksgiving for healing: Norman Iley, Louise Birch
Please let Revd Rosie know of any prayer requests.
Prayers for the Departed: Dorothy Moulton, Jack Williams, Ena Sloan, Alice Anderson, Teon Robbins, Ian Crawshaw.
Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all those who live and/or work in Legoland, Dedworth Medical Centre, Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Guides, Thames Hospice, Guards Club, Tennis Club and Windsor Gym.
Dates for your Diary/Notices
15 February – we will be having a Thanksgiving for Marriage at the 5pm service. This will be a wonderful celebration of marriage, time to sing those lovely wedding hymns and revisit that special day, celebrate with last year’s newly weds and encourage this year’s couples! Please bring your wedding memorabilia so we share memories and perhaps a photo for ‘guess who’ display. Copies of photos can be made so as not to worry about your original, please bring them to church next Sunday so that we can work on the display. We will have refreshments after the service and perhaps some wedding cake!
15 March – Mothering Sunday. Volunteers needed please to help with refreshments, ‘Afternoon Tea’ for Mothers after Children’s Church at 4pm.
29 March
Palm Sunday – following our Eucharist we will then be walking to the Rec, and joining with All Saints for our Praise in the Park and picnic lunch
16 May
Christian Aid Coffee Morning + Bring ‘n’ Buy Plant Sale
10am – 12 noon at The Rectory, 16 Parsonage Lane.
24 May
Pentecost Parish Picnic – come to church in ‘flame’ colours and we will be going over Clewer Park after the service for picnic and fun and games.
3 October
Harvest Supper at the Community Hall in Parsonage lane.
Clewer and Dedworth Churches – Half Term Events for Families
17t Feb Pancake Day activities at All Saints (time to be confirmed)
19 Feb ‘Frozen’ Church, come dressed up to All Saints and enjoy some themed fun with a Christian message! 10 -3, bring your packed lunch. (offers of help please!)
Choir Practice – Tuesday evenings at 6pm in church
Revd Rosie will be Installed as RECTOR by the Archdeacon on 1st March at the 10.30 service. This is our first Sunday of the month Family Service, non Eucharist. A time to celebrate with the church family and local community. So we are going to have a buffet lunch together after the service. Please look out for sign-up sheets at the back for church to help with food contributions and hospitality duties. Please see Mulle.
Reading for Lent – Revd Rosie has several books that you may like to look at/use for your own study this Lent. They will be available during the next few weeks.
Saturday 28 February 10-11am Training for Readers and Intercessors – if you are interested in serving in this way within our church family, please let Revd Rosie know. Come along, see what is involved and have a go!
Look out for our Spring Churchyard Tidy, it’ll be here before you know it! Please see Bob Lester or Vikki for details.
Our bid for the Chancellors Roof Repair Grant has gone in! We’ll keep you posted as soon as we receive news, please keep this in your prayers.
Fundraising – the St Andrews Festival Weekend raised a surplus of £1249, a great start to our building project. This has gone straight away towards the roof repair grant. All ideas welcome, so be inSPIREd and share your ideas on the ideas board that will go up at the back of church.
Stewardship/Giving – Please pray about your monetary giving to St Andrews, this is an important aspect of discipleship. It costs on average £4300 per month to run the church, this includes our Parish Share and utilities etc. Our current income per month is on average £2600. We would like to hold a ‘Tithing’ week during the week of our APCM. Sunday the 19 April will start us off with a Gift Service, followed by a Cheese and Wine and Music evening and APCM on Wednesday 22nd at 7.30pm. It would be good to have the church open all week, to welcome visitors and to be able to share what is happening at St Andrews. There are many ways of monetary giving, including legacies – please ask our church wardens . If you would like to be a Welcomer during this week please let the church wardens know. We will finish the week with a Taize Service on 24 April, Friday evening at 8pm.
Palm Crosses – please bring your palm crosses from last year next Sunday so that we can make the ash tor Ash Wednesday. There will be a basket at the back of the church. Thank you.
Parish Priest: Revd Rosie Webb
St Andrew’s Rectory
Parsonage Lane
01753 852334