A very warm welcome to all
Psalm 45: “I will make your name to be remembered through all generations.”
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Readings: Isaiah 7: 10-15; Galatians 4: 4-7
Gospel: Luke 1: 46-55
In our Gospel today
Today’s gospel reading brings us to a very familiar passage. The Magnificat is Mary’s response to the loving action of God. She gives thanks and praise.
Mary gives us a model for prayer. She is rooted in the past but open to the future. The prayer invites us to give time to recognise and ponder on the good things we have received, so that we can thank God for them. Perhaps we could write our own Magnificat and pray over it, recognising the great things God has done for us in each of our lives and together in the life of St Mary’s.
Mary is a figure of hope for all of us as we journey in faith. Even though she didn’t know where that journey would take her, she trusted that God knew.
St Mary’s 160th Anniversary Service and Lunch: Sunday 18th August
This week at St Mary’s we have a very special anniversary to celebrate as the church is 160 years old this year! We will be celebrating the occasion with a special service led by the Very Reverend Graham Taylor on our patronal festival day. Following the service, we will be having a celebratory bring and share lunch. This special celebration also coincides with our annual St Mary’s Gift Day, so please reflect on your annual giving and consider giving a special gift to the church on this day. Thank you to everyone who has organised items for the lunch. Looking forward to seeing you all there on Sunday!
Thursdays @ 7
Thursday @ 7 will be taking a break and returning for a five-week run from the 31st of October. Thursday @ 7 meets in the crypt and is a mid-week opportunity to meet for Bible-study, prayer and fellowship. ‘Hope you might be able to join us when we restart’, Revd Roger.
Church Grounds Tidy Up
Thank you very much to all who have done the excellent weeding work over the past few weeks. The church grounds to the north, west and south of the St Mary’s are all looking really neat and tidy! Our architect, Dave Chouman, is hoping to lodge our project plan for the East End Garden Project in the next few weeks. Look out for more detailed information at church soon.
Kitchen windowsill plants for sale!
Fancy some basil for a nice caprese salad or some parsley for your chimichurri sauce? Please help yourself to the plants in the Choir Vestry for a donation towards church funds. Thank you!
St Mary’s Magazine
The latest issue of our church Magazine was published on Sunday 4th August to be closer to our anniversary celebration service on 18th August. In this issue you’ll find lots of interesting articles and an especially interesting one on the 16 decades of St Mary’s. If you haven’t got a copy yet, you’ll find one at the back of church or why not read it online.
Photograph Competition 2024
Just a brief reminder that our Photograph Competition is currently running and will now have a new deadline for entries being 30th September. Please send any nice photographs to our webmaster, David Rose. Donations of £2 per photograph entry go to church funds. Thank you to all who have sent in photographs so far!
Services and events commencing this Sunday and for the coming week
Sunday 18th August 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Jason Hobbs
Sunday 18th August 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Very Revd Graham Taylor
Tuesday 20th August 10am Morning Prayer: Revd Roger Dyer
Wednesday 21st August 10am Holy Communion: Revd Kate Gibson
Friday 23rd August 6pm Compline: Revd Roger Dyer
Sunday 25th August 8am Holy Communion (1970 Liturgy): Revd Canon Dr Jenny Holden
Sunday 25th August 10am Sung Eucharist (1982 Liturgy): Revd Canon Dr Jenny Holden
Next Sunday’s readings: Joshua 24: 1-2a, 14-18; Psalm 34: 15-22; Ephesians 6: 10-20
Gospel: John 6: 56-69
“If the only prayer we ever say is thanks that will suffice.”
(Meister Eckhart)
For any pastoral matters please contact our Assistant Priest Revd Roger Dyer. Please see email or paper copy of noticesheet for contact details.