Update on Sunday Worship

Sunday 21st June

The Third Sunday After Trinity

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Sunday
  9:15 am  Family Communion at St Lawrence, Towcester
10:15 am  Benefice Sunday Worship via Zoom at St Lawrence, Towcester
11:15am Holy Communion at St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton
  4:00 pm   Hymns & Pimms in the Vicarage Gardens, St Lawrence


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 June

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



Dear friends,

Last Saturday at the Greens Norton Fete, one of the most popular attractions was undoubtedly the chance to "Soak the Clergy." Judging by the photograph, there was no shortage of willing participants, nor any shortage of enthusiasm! An amazing £4,083 was raised from the event to be shared between Greens Norton School and St Bartholomew's Church. 

At first glance, village fetes are about games, cakes, stalls, music and laughter. Yet beneath the surface something deeper is taking place. Communities are strengthened. New friendships are formed. Conversations happen that would never take place elsewhere.

The Kingdom of God is built one conversation, one act of kindness and one shared experience at a time.

Jesus did not wait for people to find him in the synagogue. More often than not he met them by the lakeside, around the dinner table, on the roadside or at a celebration. He entered the places where life was already happening and revealed God's presence there. He gathered people together and invited them not simply to believe, but to belong. And when people belonged, lives were changed, communities were transformed, and God's Kingdom became visible.

As churches, we are called to do the same. We are called to be visible, accessible and engaged in the life of our communities. Every fete, concert, school event and community gathering becomes an opportunity to build relationships and share something of God's love in practical ways. There are several opportunities to do just that over the coming days.

This weekend sees the Towcester Midsummer Music Festival, with funds raised supporting the Mayor's Charities: Towcester Church of England Primary School, Nicholas Hawksmoor Primary School and Greens Norton CE Primary School.

The festival begins on Friday at 12.30 pm when musicians from Sponne School will be performing. Then from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm, students from Towcester's Primary Schools and Towcester Music and Performing Arts School (TNMPAT) will take to the stage. These concerts are always of an impressively high standard, so please do drop in and show your appreciation. Over the weekend there are many other opportunities to hear fabulous musicians and performers.

On Sunday at 4.00 pm, and closing the weekend's activities, you are warmly invited to Hymns and Pimm's in the Vicarage Garden. 

The following weekend begins with Towcester Choral Society's concert Colours of the Rainbow on Saturday evening, before we gather again for the St Lawrence Summer Fete on Sunday from 12.30 pm until 4.00 pm. Please note that our usual 9.15 am service that morning will be a simple said Holy Communion in the choir stalls as we prepare for the fete.

These are not simply events in the diary. They are opportunities to build friendships, support local schools and charities, and help our town and villages flourish.

As I discovered at Greens Norton last weekend, sometimes that may even involve getting rather wet!

I hope to see many of you over the coming days.

With my prayers 

Revd Paula Challen 

St Lawrence Church Fete and Craft Fair

Raffle Tickets are now available inside St Lawrence Church or The Chantry House. Please place your completed ticket stubs in the envelope and post through the Vicarage postbox, Chantry House postbox or bring to the Fete.
 

Could you help with our Eucharist Explained project?

This June we will once again be welcoming children aged 8–10 from our local schools into St Bartholomew's, Greens Norton (15th June) and St Lawrence, Towcester (22nd June) for our Eucharist Explained project.

Through a series of interactive prayer and reflection stations, children explore the meaning of the Eucharist and discover more about Christian worship in a fun and engaging way.

We are looking for volunteers who might be willing to help lead a simple station, welcome children, prepare resources beforehand, or simply support the project through prayer.

No previous experience is needed, and all materials and guidance will be provided. Appropriate DBS clearance and safeguarding training are required, but support can be given to anyone wishing to become involved.

If you would like to help in any way, please contact Sarah Barnett at tovefamilies@gmail.com.

Worship for this coming week