Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 6th September

The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity

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Sunday
  9:15 am  Family Worship at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom
11:15 am  Holy Communion at St Bartholomew’s Greens Norton
  2:30 pm  Baptism at St Lawrence, Towcester


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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

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



Dear freinds,

September always seems to have something of a “new beginning” about it. Schools return, routines begin again after the summer and, across our Benefice, much of our regular pattern of worship and community life begins again too.

As Revd Greg mentioned last week, our Bible Study started this week, moving to its new evening of Wednesday at 7.30 pm in Chantry House. It's not too late to join us, so do come along. Also returning are our under 5s groups, with Tots Own Tea & Toast in Greens Norton on Wednesdays and Little Sprouts in Towcester on Thursdays. Our Family Worship begins again too, at 9.15 am in Towcester this Sunday and 11.15 am on Sunday 13th September at Greens Norton Primary School (note the venue change). Also on Sunday 13th September at 4:00 pm, there will be Choral Evensong at St Mary's, Easton Neston. If you'd like to join the scratch choir, rehearsal begins at 1.45 pm, with a short break for tea and cake before the service. Then on Sunday 20th September at 9.15 am we gather in Towcester for Family Communion with Thanksgiving, celebrating the completion of our new heating and lighting, projection and screen projects.

For many years September has also been associated with Back to Church Sunday, encouraging each of us to invite someone we know back to church. There is something wonderfully simple about that idea: one person inviting another.

Of course, you could argue that every Sunday should be Back to Church Sunday! If we make one Sunday a year particularly welcoming, only to return to normal the following week, we may have missed the point. The challenge is to be communities where people can encounter Jesus, find a place to belong and grow in faith whenever they arrive.

Greg's piece last week also reflected on a Church Times article exploring how some younger people are discovering the traditions of the Church of England. One thing particularly stayed with me: the young adults described very different journeys into faith and found a home in very different expressions of Anglican worship. As the article puts it, the breadth of Anglicanism provides “a range of entry points” for those exploring faith. That breadth is something to celebrate.

Across our Benefice we already worship in different ways. We gather for Holy Communion and Family Worship, Morning Prayer and more informal services; with organ and traditional hymns, contemporary worship music, in our historic churches and online. As our September programme shows, Christian community and opportunities to explore faith aren't confined to Sunday worship.

This is part of what the Church of England describes as a mixed ecology of church, with different expressions of Christian community existing alongside one another. It is also part of our own Benefice vision. The question isn't whether the future of the Church is traditional or contemporary, about organs or recorded music, robes or informality, old hymns or new songs. Our Anglican tradition is broad enough to hold all of these. The deeper question is: how are we helping people encounter Jesus and become his disciples?

Over recent months an extended Ministry Team, together with people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, some who worship regularly and others who have a connection with church but aren't currently regular worshippers, have been exploring what another “gathering” within our Benefice might look like. We've listened, talked and prayed. We've heard about the importance of welcome and belonging; worship and music; opening the Bible and connecting it with everyday life; prayer; children being genuinely welcome; and having space to ask questions and grow in faith. We're not trying to replace what we already have, nor find the next fashionable way of “doing church”. We're asking whether God might be calling us to create another entry point, another Christian community within our mixed ecology. We don't yet know everything this “gathering” will become. We deliberately haven't given it a name yet, because we want those who become part of it to help shape the community it becomes.

Our first “gathering” will also be on Sunday 20th September at St Lawrence, beginning with refreshments from 4:00 pm. We'll explore the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. It's a wonderful story of encounter and invitation. Jesus meets her where she is, and she in turn goes back to her community with the simple invitation, “Come and see…”

The “gathering” isn't invitation only. Everyone is welcome, and if you're curious about what we're exploring, please do come along. At the same time, our particular hope is that it will grow into a Christian community for some of those who don't currently find their home in our existing patterns of worship.

So, as September begins, I would particularly ask you to pray. Pray for this new “gathering”, for those helping to shape it, and especially for those who don't currently see themselves as churchgoers but whom God may already be drawing towards him. Perhaps the old idea of Back to Church Sunday still has something important to teach us. Think about the people you know: family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Who might value an invitation? Who might be curious about faith? Who might simply be waiting for someone they know to say, “Would you like to come with me?”

Please pray, and ask who God might be inviting through you.

With my prayers 

Revd Paula Challen 
Rector

We are sorry to share the sad news that David Bell has recently died. David was part of the servers’ team at St Lawrence for the 8:00 am Sunday service, attending alongside his father, Peter, who died a number of years ago. David continued to be part of the life of St Lawrence, attending the 9:15 am service when his work commitments allowed, until more recently. David was also well known across Towcester through his involvement with Towcester Studio Band, his volunteering with the Scouts, and through his work at Countrywide (where Aldi is now) and, more recently, B&M. We will share details of David’s funeral once arrangements have been made. Please do hold David’s family and friends in your prayers at this very sad time. 

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!

This is the new name for the Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust sponsored event taking place on Saturday 12^th September with churches in Northamptonshire taking part along with many more all over the country.  Participants plan a route to walk, cycle, horse ride or drive a car, on their own or in a group, visiting churches, many of which are open with people to welcome them and nearly all with basic free refreshments.  It was agreed at the recent AGM that participants should be allowed to drive between churches.  It is hoped that more older and less mobile supporters can take part and that many churches, especially those on busy roads or rather out of the way, will receive more visitors and more people will take delight in Northamptonshire’s beautiful churches.

St Lawrence Towcester is planning to be open between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm on the 12^th September and we are looking to set up a rota of people willing to spend an hour or two in the church to welcome any visitors.  Welcomers can be sponsored but it is not essential.  We are also hoping to have participants raising sponsorship by cycling, walking or driving (50% of the basic amount excluding Gift Aid is returned to the church of your choice).
I am planning to do four separate walks between some of the local and not so local churches and I already have someone who is going to walk with me.  We are happy if anyone else would like to join us for all or part of the day. I would also welcome sponsorship and will be putting a sponsor form in the Chantry Office.
Anyone interested in finding out more, please contact Val Hartley on 07511 636883 or val.e.hartley@btinternet.com
 
Other churches in the benefice are also taking part:-
St Michael, Bradden will be open, unmanned from10:00 am to 6:00 pm
St Mary, Easton Neston will be open with welcomers from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
St Bartholomew, Greens Norton will be open with welcomers from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, with refreshments.
 
There is information about NHCT and Ride, Stride and Drive on the NHCT website www.nhct.org.uk also showing photos of 2025 participants and their stories.

Worship for this coming week