Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 20th September

The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

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Sunday
  9:15 am  Family Communion with Thanksgiving at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom
11:15 am  Holy Communion at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton 


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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 September

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Dear freinds,

Many of you will know that Nigel and Jayne have recently returned from holiday in Croatia. Unfortunately, during the final days of their holiday they were caught up in the wildfires on Brač and had to be evacuated late at night. It was understandably a very frightening experience for them both.

Nigel is taking some time away from ministry to give them both some space to recover from what happened. I know that many of you, particularly in Greens Norton, will immediately want to offer your love and support. For the moment, the kindest thing we can do is to give Nigel and Jayne some space and allow them to decide when they are ready for visitors or conversations about what happened. Please don't pop round or contact them about church matters for now. We will make sure that anything that needs covering is taken care of.

I am sure you will join me in holding Nigel and Jayne in our prayers, asking that they may know God's peace, strength and presence in the days ahead.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported Ride, Stride & Drive this past weekend, whether you took part, sponsored someone, welcomed visitors or helped in any other way. Thank you too to all those who sang at, supported and attended Choral Evensong at St Mary’s. It was a beautiful and uplifting service and a lovely way to end the weekend.

This coming Sunday at St Lawrence we will be giving thanks for the completion of our new heating, lighting and projection projects. As I have been preparing for the service, one phrase has kept coming back to me: we are custodians for our time.

None of us starts with a blank canvas. We inherit churches and communities shaped by generations before us. They loved them, cared for them, changed them and invested in them according to the needs of their time. Now, for a while, they are entrusted to us.

Yet custodianship is about much more than buildings. We are also entrusted with our communities, our relationships and, as Christians, the faith which we have received and are called to pass on to those who come after us. Each of us has something to contribute: our time, skills, experience, compassion, encouragement, friendship, prayer and generosity.

One of the questions I have been asking myself, and will be asking the congregation on Sunday, is simply: What has been placed in my hands, and what am I doing with it? As I approach my time away during October, that question has become a much broader and more personal one for me too. What are the things I need to continue to carry? What might I need to lay down? What might God be asking me to pick up?

Our calling is not merely to preserve what we have received, but to use it faithfully and, when our turn comes to hand it on, to leave our churches and communities a little stronger, warmer and more welcoming for those who come after us.

History and heritage matter, and there is no doubt that we are blessed with some beautiful churches across our Benefice. They are places of worship and prayer, but they also need to be living buildings, able to meet the needs of our worshipping communities and the wider communities we are here to serve. Caring faithfully for what we have inherited means enabling these places to continue to be places of worship, welcome and community for generations to come.

A reminder that this Sunday afternoon at 4pm at St Lawrence we have the first of our new gatherings, particularly seeking to connect with those in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It still has no name! At this stage we are keeping things small, giving a core group the opportunity to help us shape what this might become before we begin inviting more widely. Please pray for this new beginning, for all those who come, for those who are leading, and above all that in our worship, conversations and time together we might encounter the living Christ.

Finally, we have received news of the death of Avis Sheppard, who formerly lived in Greens Norton. For many years, Avis was a regular member of the 8am Holy Communion congregation at St Bartholomew’s and will be remembered by many there. There will not be a funeral service, as there will be a direct cremation, with a burial taking place separately. Please hold Anna and all the family in your prayers at this time.  We are also able to 

With my prayers

Revd Paula Challen 
Rector

Could you spare a little time?

I’m on the lookout for a few lovely people with a little time and energy to spare.

There are two areas where some extra hands would make a huge difference:

Sponne Wellbeing Club 
Tuesday and/or Thursday lunchtimes, 1.30 pm to 2.10 pm. This is all about getting to know our secondary school pupils, building and sustaining relationships, and helping us provide a calm, welcoming place where young people can eat lunch, chat, make friends and simply be.

Open the Book
Join our friendly team taking Bible stories into our local primary schools. It involves simple drama and storytelling (no acting experience required!), helping children encounter Bible stories in a lively and memorable way. It’s great fun and only involves occasional sessions.

Both roles require a DBS check and safeguarding training, but Bev or I will help you through all of that, and there’s no cost involved – other than a little of your time.

If either of these makes you think, “Actually, I could do that…”, please do get in touch with me. Even occasional help would be very gratefully received!