Sunday 28th September
Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Sunday 28th September
9:15 am Family 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
3:00 pm Bishop John Farewell Service at The Cathedral
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 October
Copies are available in churches for collecting especially for those who do not have emails.
Dear friends,
Over the coming weeks we will be celebrating Harvest across our churches. Last Sunday we welcomed Bishop John to Caldecote for one of his final services in the diocese. It was a joyful and fitting occasion, not least because it also marked the sixth anniversary of my licensing as your Rector. The last time a Bishop came to Caldecote was during Michael Baker’s time as vicar, when Bishop Frank White visited, so this was a very special moment indeed.
My thanks to all who cleaned and prepared the church (including the vestry), decorated it so beautifully, and provided the refreshments. It was a real community effort.
This week our Harvest celebrations continue with services for the school, the village nurseries (Rocking Horse and Hedgehog Hill), and Tots Own at Greens Norton. Friday brings the Harvest Supper at the Community Centre (6:30pm, tickets still available). Next weekend we will gather for Harvest at Easton Neston and Greens Norton, followed by celebrations in Towcester the week after.
Walking through the vicarage garden I have noticed how quickly the season is turning. The trees are changing colour, the conkers and acorns have started to fall, and Steve has had to bring out the leaf blower. There is a lovely crunch underfoot, though sometimes a slippery one too. Autumn reminds us of the cyclical nature of the year: the dying back of autumn, the stillness of winter, the first signs of spring, the fullness of summer. As Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us: “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”
But unlike the turning of the seasons, the pattern of joy and sadness in our lives rarely follows a rhythm. Sometimes joy bursts in unexpectedly; sometimes sadness lingers, heavy and uninvited. At present it feels as though many are walking through a season of sadness. We do so together, holding one another in prayer, trusting that even when the way feels hard, God does not abandon us.
And yet, amid the heaviness, there are also signs of joy. This week we celebrate with Hazel Starmer as she turns 90. Hazel has been such a faithful part of the Greens Norton community, and we give thanks for her life, her faith, and her friendship.
So perhaps the challenge of this season is this: to pay attention. To notice in ourselves both the dying leaves and the new shoots, the heaviness and the joy. And to look for the same in those around us. A kind word, a listening ear, a simple act of care can be the way we share Christ’s love in community. For each season has its place under heaven, and in Christ we are held, and called to hold one another, through them all.
With my prayers
Revd Paula Challen
Rector
Towcester Primary School
Towcester Primary School are seeking regular weekly volunteers to listen to readers. Please contact Elizabeth Sandham on 01327 350332 or office@towcester.pdet.org.uk for more information
From This Week
Ukraine
On 5th October Alex and Steve will be taking their last ambulance full of aid to Ukraine. This is ambulance no7! Thank you to all those who have supported these much needed donations over the past 2 years. Recently Steve and local volunteers also cleared a 21 bedroom Care Home in Silverstone, and with the help of Ukraine Aid BAMK in Milton Keynes, a full articulated lorry delivered the items just 5 days later to the national eye hospital in the south of Ukraine - over 8 tons of items adding much needed capacity. More details are in this link https://www.bbc.co.uk/
If you would like to support this last trip, then please use the link below, pop into the Chantry Office or speak with Steve direct 07593700754 
https://www.justgiving.com/
Worship for this coming week
Lectionary Readings:
Please see the Weekly News for Lectionary Readings (Bible Gateway is currently not in use due to technical issues)
Amos 6: 1a, 4 - 7 1 Timothy 6: 6 - 19 Luke 16: 19 - 31
This week's Reflection by Jane Jakes entitled "How rich are we"
In Church Worship: details for this weekend and next weekend services are in the weekly news - which can be picked up in church.
Zoom Services:
The meeting rooms are opened approx. 15mins before the service is due to start. All the liturgy for the service will be displayed on the screen.
- Sunday 10:15 am Benefice Sunday Worship
- Monday to Saturday 9:00 am Morning Prayer (except on the first Tuesday of each month)
Benefice Office Hours
Monday to Friday
9:30 am to 1:00 pm
01327 350459
tovebeneficeoffice@gmail.com
Key Ministry Team Contacts
The Rev'd Paula Challen (Rector) rector.tovebenefice@gmail.com
The Rev'd Greg Roberts (Associate Priest) TheRevdGregRoberts@
The Rev'd Nigel Clent (Assistant Curate) tovecurate@gmail.com
Sarah Barnett (Children and Families Leader) tovefamilies@gmail.com
