Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 26th April

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Thank you for visiting the Tove Benefice website.

We are currently reviewing our approach to communications and would appreciate your feedback.  We would particularly like to know if this is your first visit or you are a regular visitor to the website.  It would also be helpful to understand what it was you were looking to find out.

Please contact us using the Your Comments page, by email to 360musafa@gmail.com, or by contacting the Tove Benefice Office.

Sunday
 9:15 am   Holy Communion at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am   Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom
11:15 am   Holy Communion (BCP) at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton
11:15 am   Holy Communion at St. Augustine's Caldecote

Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter here.

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 April

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

Dear all,

Ascension Day occurs 40 days after Easter and is therefore on a Thursday. This year falling on Thursday 14^th May. It’s one of the major days of the Christian year. Our service, a communion service, is at 7.30 pm at Greens Norton – please do try to attend particularly if this is not one you have been to before. Lent is 40 days in length, and the Easter season is 40 days. Jesus’ ascension marks the return of Jesus to heaven – having been born on earth at Christmas. After Ascension we look forward to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Sunday 24^th May.

On one of my trips to the Holy Land, back in the 90’s, with the church I grew up in in Shropshire the group visited Ramallah in the West Bank. The reason was to visit the deputy mayor of Ramallah, Audeh Rantisi, a Christian priest, and his wife who ran a boy’s home. Pat, his wife, had grown up in Shropshire, her father being vicar of Meole Brace. Pat is now a widow, quite elderly, and living in a Care Home in Shrewsbury. She shared the poem below that I thought I’d like to share here as well.

It’s sobering to look back and see that the Palestinians have endured generations of difficulty in just simply living normal lives on their land.  A snapshot, provided in 2003 by Pat to Parliament, is given here
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmselect/cmintdev/230/230we42.htm

A poem by a 13 year old girl in GAZA
 
The GAZA I want....
It is not a tent pressed against the wind
Nor a blood counter running night and day.
 
I want it as a morning
Opening its window to a calm sea
And a fisherman returning
With nets full of fish
Not riddled with shell holes.
 
I want it
Writing its school assignments
Not the names of the deceased,
Counting Stars in the sky
Not airplanes.
 
I want it as a Mother
Waiting for her children to comr home from school
Not from beneath the rubble
Baking bread
With the scent of thyme
Not smoke.
 
The GAZA I want
is a city that resembles life,
Walking barefoot on the sand
Laughing
Without bowing to the world.
(From UNISEF)
 
With every Blessing
Greg

A message from Paula, ‘Following on from last week’s mailing  - Those who are on the Electoral Roll, and for whom we have email address, should have received a copy of the APCM report this week.  Paper copies, for those without email or would prefer paper, will be available in Greens Norton and Towcester from this weekend.  If anyone needs a paper copy sent to them, please contact the benefice office.

Open the Book – Join the Story!

This week, our wonderful team of volunteers launched Open the Book at Greens Norton Primary School—bringing the Bible to life through storytelling, drama, and plenty of laughter! We shared the story of the paralyzed man lowered through the roof to meet Jesus, and it was a joyful reminder not to take ourselves too seriously while sharing something truly meaningful.

We’re excited to keep things going as we head to Towcester Primary next week—and we’d love to welcome more people to the team.

If you’re wondering about time commitments, we’re planning three stories a year. Eventually, each story will be shared across four local schools, meaning we perform the same story four times—so once you’ve learned it, you’re ready to go!

Not everyone can give lots of time, but even a small contribution makes a real difference. Could you:

• Donate old bedding or curtains for costumes?
• Help sew simple tunics?
• Create props?
• Offer a helpful eye at rehearsals to support the actors?
• Take on a speaking role?

There are many ways to get involved—whatever your time or talents—and it’s great fun.

If you’d like to be part of it, please get in touch at tovefamilies@gmail.com and come and join in.

Final Ukraine Update

On Tuesday, and with thanks to the Towcester Larder loan of a van, we delivered our remaining Ukraine aid to the London based charity who collected from us a month. Collectively, all 3 tons of our aid will be palleted, wrapped, and consolidated with other aid before it departs for Kyiv next week, where our volunteer contact will be able to access it. Anything which she is unable to take will be distributed by other approved aid organisations. This spring we have not only donated an ambulance, but also 3.5 tons of aid! Thank you again to all those who supported our efforts financially and with physical donations. It is however now time for us to pause aid collections and focus on the June fete and other church events / activities.  ?

 Worship for this coming week