Weekly News

Benefice Office Opening Hours
Monday to Friday -  9:30 am to 1.00 pm
Please note: from 28^th July,
during the school summer holidays the Benefice Office will be closing at 12:30 pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

24th August 2025

 Tenth Sunday after Trinity

Welcome
If you are new to this church, it is lovely that you can join us today. We produce this information on a weekly basis which you can have emailed to you along with other information about the benefice.
If you would like to go onto our regular mailing list please call 01327 350459
or email tovebeneficeoffice@gmail.com



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The Collect
Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Post Communion
God of our pilgrimage, you have willed that the gate of mercy should stand open for those who trust in you: look upon us with your favour that we who follow the path of your will may never wander from the way of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Lectionary Readings for Easter Sunday:

Old Testament Reading:  Isaiah 58: 9b - 14
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.” If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your needs in parched places and make your bones strong, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a
spring of water whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath,
from pursuing your own interests on my holy day; if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, serving your own interests or pursuing your own affairs; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

New Testament Reading:  Hebrews 12: 18 – 29
You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, “If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking, for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, for indeed our God is a consuming fire.

Gospel:  Luke 13: 10 – 17
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.

Please click here (or on the image) for This Weeks Daily Readings
 

Benefice Prayers 

We pray for those who are sick at this time and remember those who have recently died and pray for their families:

Continuing Prayers for
David Shield
Christine Williams

Sick
Caroline Hunt
Jackie Parson
Bob Upton
Babs Stuchbury
Rob Jones
William Ironmonger
Jane Small
Arthur Hughes
Bridget Hunt
Emily

Rest In Peace
Mildred Judd
Ian Sander
Alan Ratledge
Keith Oakley

Benefice Notices

Change to Office Opening Times
Please note, from 28th July, during the school summer holidays the Benefice Office will be closing at 12:30pm on Monday and Tuesdays.

Men at The Mill
Next meeting is at 7:30pm on Wednesday 27th August.

Greens Norton Village Show - Sunday 31st August 2025
The Greens Norton Village Show will be held in various locations around the village, including St Bartholomew’s Church; the event is open from 1:30 – 3:30pm. Once again, we will be offering cream teas for visitors to the church. Thank you to those who have offered support, but if anyone else would like to bake scones, make homemade jam, donate double cream or strawberries, please get in touch with me: janejakes266@gmail.com. Your help would be much appreciated. This has been popular in the past and it is an opportunity for the church to be part of a village event, and to offer hospitality to people spending time in church, as well as contributing towards our fundraising efforts.

Changes to Service pattern in September at St Bartholomew’s
Holy Communion will be taking place at St Bartholomew’s, Greens Norton on Sunday 14th September and on Sunday 21st September Family Worship at Greens Norton Primary School, followed by a Fun Day.

Our next Confirmation Course will begin in September.
We will meet on Thursday evenings in the Chantry house starting on September 11th at 7.30 pm, for eight weeks. Please do let a member of the clergy know if you would like to be part of the group or whether a family member or friends may be interested to proceed
to confirmation or join us as a refresher in the faith. These groups are great opportunities to ask any questions about faith, life, the Bible.

Renew169 is a Wellbeing Café in Towcester and is a place where it is OK not to be OK. We are open to everyone in the community with a view to helping people to feel less isolated and supporting them with their mental health. We are now in need of some new trustees, up to a maximum of three. In particular, we urgently need someone who could be our treasurer – if that could be you, please contact Dr Lynn Suter, Chair of Trustees at lis@suter.uk.com. Other people who feel called to be a trustee may also contact Lynn at the same email – thank you.

Towcester Town Crier are looking for volunteers to deliver the magazine. Please contact the Town Hall on 01327 350995 if you are able to help out.

Ladies Night 
7:00 pm Thursday 11th September 2025 at Italian Restaurant, Amarone, 100 Watling Street West, Towcester, NN12 6BT
Please let Stephanie know if you would like to come. RSVP: stephaniejwatts@gmail.com by Thursday 4th September.

Ride and Stride - 13th September 2025
The Northamptonshire Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride will be taking place on Saturday 13th September with churches in Northamptonshire taking part along with many more all over the country. Participants plan a route to walk, cycle, horse ride etc, 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. Some participants drive round the churches which is ok as long as their sponsors don’t mind!
St Lawrence Towcester is planning to be open between 10am and 6pm on the 13th 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. It is very unlikely you be inundated and you may not be able to welcome anyone at all during your hour. Welcomers can be sponsored but it is not essential. We are also hoping to have participants raising sponsorship by cycling or walking (50% of the basic amount excluding Gift Aid is returned to the church of your choice) I am planning on either cycling or walking between some of the local, or maybe not so local, churches and would be happy to have anyone else with me. 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 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
St Mary, Easton Neston will be open and manned from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
St Bartholomew, Greens Norton will be open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, manned from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm with refreshments.
Please see the NHCT website for more information. www.nhct.org.uk

RIP Diary 
This is now in church please indicate with a tick if you would like your loved one/relative to be remembered, or add new.

Communion
Please can we ask and remind people to refrain from dipping (intinction) their wafer into the wine when receiving communion. Those administering the chalice do not wish to cause upset at the communion rail. The reason for non-dipping policy is on the bishop’s advice and twofold: firstly one of hygiene and secondly because we have members who are gluten intolerant. If you feel unable to receive the wine from the chalice then receiving in one kind means you are making a valid communion. Thank you for your understanding.

Easton Neston Church and Churchyard visitors
If you have previously registered your number plate for access to visit St Mary's Easton Neston Church and Churchyard and it is not working the gate, please would you let Bev know on 01327 354385.

Please click here, or on the image, for This Months Services