1st December 2019

Advent 1 

A prayer for action on climate change:

Loving Lord, call us out of our sleep

Awaken our hearts and minds to your hope.

Awaken us to be renewed with creation.

Awaken us to the joy of enabling others to live life to the full.

Loving Lord, call us out of our sleep.

Amen.

Today

  8.00am          Holy Communion

10.00am          Parish Communion

  4.00pm         Church at 4

  6.00pm         Evensong

Diary – Week Commencing 1st December

Monday 2nd December

8.30am            Morning Prayer – Church

9.00am            Morning Prayer – Chapel Deanery School

10.00am          Bible Study Group – 11 St John Road

Tuesday 3rd December

The Church Office will be closed today

8.30am            Morning Prayer – Church

Wednesday 4th December

8.30am            Morning Prayer – Church Hall

10.00am          The Let’s Group – Committee Room, Deanery                       School

Thursday 5th December

8.30am            Morning Prayer – Church

4.00pm            10am Planning Group – 11 St John Road

7.30pm            Choir Practice – Church

Filling Station – Carol & Tricia

Friday 6th December

8.45am            Morning Prayer – Prospect Hospice

7.00pm            Bellringers Christmas Dinner

Saturday 7th December

Dates for your diary 2019

Ladies who Lunch – Christmas Lunch

On Tuesday 17th December at The Baker’s at Badbury at 12.30pm.  So far I have had 9 Menus . if there are any more please let me have them by the Sunday 15th December.

Menus on which to make your choices from Veronica, me or from the Baker’s at Badbury website.

Sunday 8th December 2019

Advent 2

8.00am            Holy Communion

Preacher:        Marion Colton

Sidespeople: Alan & Christine Wrixon

10.00am          Parish Communion

Preacher:        Marion Colton

Intercessions: Helen Toomer

Reading:          Romans 15. 4-13

Reader:           John Henderson

Gospel:            Matthew 3. 1-12

Servers:           Alan & Kathy Gregory

Sidespeople:    Lillian Wicks and Ross Fralley

4.00pm            Church at 4 – Church Hall

Leader:            Revd Phill Harrison

6.00pm            Evensong (1st Sunday of the Month)

                        Our next service will be Sunday 5th January

Christmas dates for your diary

We will be holding a number of specifically ‘visitor friendly’ events this Christmas:

15th December 4pm Come along and join in Nativity in the Church Hall followed by mince pies (you are invited to dress up as your favourite nativity character).

15th December 6pm Traditional Carol Service

22nd December 2pm Blue Christmas Service

in the Church Hall. Aimed at people who are finding Christmas difficult. Please come along yourself an also pray and think about who you might be able to invite. 

Climate Emergency – a message from Bishop Viv

On Saturday 16th November members of our Diocesan Synod unanimously agreed to declare a Climate Emergency. We are the first Diocese to make this declaration and to pledge to reach net zero carbon emissions in our life and work, by 2030. Climate change hits our poorest global neighbours first and worst, exacerbating migration and conflict over resources. As Christians we are driven to urgent action by love for our neighbour, our world and our creator God and I know that many of you are already involved in activity to halt this destruction and bring about climate justice.

By declaring a Climate Emergency I hope our practical action and collective voice will send a strong message to our Church and government. There is so much we can do as Christians, in our churches, our homes and our daily lives. The situation is urgent. We must act now. 

8am congregation – ‘coffee tasting’.

Members of the 8am congregation are invited to meet Chris Wrixon and others in the new Coffee Shop at The Deanery School at 11am on Tuesday 3rd December for coffee (or tea!), fellowship and conversation.

Advent Reflections

If you’re looking for stillness and reflection in the busyness of the run up to Christmas, there are a few copies of daily Advent reflections from the christian charity ‘Embrace the Middle East’ on the church chest.  Please help yourself to a copy – I’ve found these informative, thought-provoking and inspirational in the past. Alternatively, you can request a daily email version by signing up on their website:  https://www.embraceme.org/sign-daily-advent-email-reflections

Helena

Pray and Bless Wroughton and Wichelstowe

19 of us met on Tuesday night to pray for God’s blessings on our community as Christmas approaches. We prayed using the themes of Music, Food, Words and Light. May we spread the light of Christ wherever we go and whoever we meet this Christmas. If you would like to join us in prayer then please take a ‘Pray this Christmas’ leaflet from the back of church.  There will be no ‘Pray and Bless’ meeting in December, we return in January.

Presents for the Filling Station

With the onset of winter, life gets even harder for those living on the streets. The Filling Station would welcome presents for the homeless men in Swindon, which they will distribute nearer Christmas. If you would like to donate something, please pass it to Margaret Penfound or Jack Gower.  Suitable items are:

Boxer shorts, socks, gloves, hats, deodorant, baby wipes, toilet roll, Chocolate

They are not ignoring the homeless women, as other churches are being asked to provide for them!

Legge House Christmas Dinner

After a couple of years absence it is again our pleasure to invite you and your guests to our Christmas Dinner on Saturday 14th December, 12.30pm for 1pm start.  The cost is £16 per head for a three course meal.  Non alcoholic drinks provided but you are welcome to bring your own.  To book please contact Mark & Sheila 813273 or email leggehouse@btconnect.com

Plastic Recycling

Wiltshire Air Ambulance are collecting some plastics that the council don’t take at  present. We now have a box in the church hall kitchen where you can put clean BREAD BAGS, CRISP PACKETS AND BISCUIT WRAPPERS, which will then be taken to their collection point. The best time to drop them off would be on a Sunday afternoon when the hall is open for Church at 4, or any time you are going to a meeting in the hall.

Wroughton Choral Society

Wroughton Choral Society invite you to their Christmas concert at 7pm on Sunday 8th December at Wroughton Parish Church. The programme is a mixture of folk songs, choir carols, instrumental music, readings and carols for all to join in with.  Refreshments will be served. Tickets are £6 and may be obtained from choir members or at the door. For further information contact Janet 01793525856.

Annual Pub Crawl

Everyone is welcome to come along to what has become a tradition on the Saturday before Christmas our annual pub crawl. This has dwindled from visiting every pub in Wroughton to going to two possibly three depending on how we feel! We start at the Brown Jack and continue to the White Hart and finish at the Carter’s. Bring along your friends and family. Times will be announced nearer the time

Sally

“Urgently required”

Swindon Commercial Chaplaincy urgently requires Retail Chaplains to join our friendly team. Could you spare 1-2 hours per week or whatever time suits your availability? Or do you know somebody who would like to volunteer to help with this valuable work?  Our retail industry is struggling at this time-fighting closure and internet buying. We offer a listening support service to them to help lift their spirits. If you are able to help please contact Sheila Wright

Tel: 07715 667019. Full training will be given.

Toys for Beirut

When Sylvie Good visited us last month, we asked whether there was anything specific that our church could provide  for her work as our CMS partner in Beirut. She asked if we could donate some construction toys for the Syrian refugee children Sylvie and her husband Phil will be coming back to Wroughton to visit us again on 5th January so can take any donations back with them. If you would like to give a construction toy, please bring it to church for the Mission Matters team to collect.

Joyce Mwangi

has asked for help in raising £600 towards her daughter’s exams which she is taking in December. She is asking for our help and our prayers as she and her friends in Kenya no longer have the means to pay the fees.

If you can help please talk to Sally Parker

Knitting for Mission to Seafarers 

On November 22nd I sent off the latest batch of 10 scarves and 40 hats to the Mission to Seafarers and I already have a large number waiting to go in the next box. If you have any completed items please bring them in as soon as you can and hopefully I can send another box off before Christmas. These items are given to seafarers who are recruited in warmer climes and find themselves without suitable clothing to keep warm as they sail into colder areas.

Thank you as always to our faithful band of knitters. If you would like to do some knitting there are patterns and wool in the box near the piano in church and if you can’t knit, but would like to support us by buying wool, this also can be left there. Further details from Janet 525856

This week please pray for:-

  • Tearfund
  • The 4 Let’s group that meet at the Deanery
  • For Swindon Food Collective
  • The Filling Station
  • We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have died recently especially Gordon Stratford. We pray for all who mourn the loss of loved ones.

Legge house prayer point

We give thanks, because we have been extremely busy in the last three months. We now have a young full time  assistant, Theo Roberts.  Theo will be going to India in January with  ‘Youth With A Mission’,  in the meantime  Mark and Sheila will be able to have much needed time off, while the centre continues to be well used.

The Parish Office, Priors Hill, Wroughton, SN4 0RT

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 1.30pm

01793 812050.  office@wroughton.com

Revd Phill Harrison – 01793 812301 vicar@wroughton.com

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