First Sunday of Advent
TODAY
8am MORNING PRAYER in Church
10am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube
4pm CHURCH AT 4 MEETING in the Church Hall
All ages welcome.
NEXT WEEK
Monday 28th November 10.00am Bible Study Group – 22 Kellsborough Avenue
Tuesday 29th November 9.00am Morning Prayer in Church
11.00am Healing Meeting – Vicarage
7.30pm PCC Meeting – Church Hall
Thursday 1st December 9.00am Morning Prayer in Church
SUNDAY 4th DECEMBER 2022
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
8am HOLY COMMUNION in Church
Preacher: Martina Lewis
Sidesperson: Ron & Joan Reader
10am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube.
Preacher: Martina Lewis
Intercessor: Sheila Tubey
Reading: Isaiah 11. 1-10 or Romans 15. 4-13
Reader: Matthew 3. 1-12
Sidespersons: Sally Parker and June Bradley
4pm CHURCH AT 4 MEETING IN THE CHURCH HALL All ages welcome.
6pm EVENSONG in Church
Preacher: Marion Colton
Intercessor: Helen Toomer
Reading: 1 Kings 18. 17-39
Reader: Jean Ford
Sidespersons: Lyn Hezlett and Jean Ford
Small Groups
If you would like to join a small group, please contact the leaders of the groups below and find out where there is space. We would love to have everyone involved in a small group.
| 22 Kellsborough Avenue | Mondays 10am-11.30
|
Lillian Wicks
Louise Bessent |
| 12 Artis Avenue | Tuesdays at 7.30pm | Carolyn Kirk |
| Church Hall | Alternate Tuesday evenings | Nick Orman |
| The Vicarage | Wednesday evenings during term time. | Karen & Phill Harrison |
| Church Hall | Saturday men’s breakfast | Mike Mason |
Live streaming the 10am service
The 10am service will be live streamed on You Tube. Please visit our YouTube Channel on https://www.youtube.com/@WroughtonWichelstoweParChurch (or search for Wroughton and Wichelstowe Parish church) and press the ‘subscribe’ button.
Mask wearing in church
The current PCC policy requesting that masks continue to be worn in church has been updated to recognise individual choice so that mask wearing will now be advisory only, providing that the president and chalice assistants will continue to wear masks during the distribution of Holy Communion. As Covid 19 has not disappeared, the situation will be kept under review.
Setting our budget for 2023
Throughout the Gospel of Luke (the Gospel we have been following this year) money is and its use/misuse is recurring theme. In fact, Jesus talks far more about money than he does about many other important aspects of our lives, like sex for example. Like it or not, money is important: we can’t live on air.
And of course, just like you, the church doesn’t run on air either. Our finances work in this way:
- We don’t get money from the C of E; in fact we pay into a common pot called parish share. This pays for current clergy, training new clergy and for central support services like property and safeguarding that are used by all of the parishes in our diocese.
- All parishes are asked to contribute to the parish share based on their size and the relative wealth of the area they serve, which means that better off parishes pay more to support those in less well-off areas.
- Our income for 2022 is expected to be £120k. This money will be used as follows: We pay £80k to the diocese as our parish share. £33k is spent on church support and running costs. £7k is used to support the wider church and charities.
- We balanced our books in 2021 and we are on track to do so again in 2022. This is a very good situation for us to be in, for which we give thanks to God.
- However, in common with many others, prices are going up and our income is not.
At this time of year we need to set our budget for the year ahead. The diocese also needs to set its own budget, so that it can work out how many vicars and curates it can afford and whether it can invest in new ministries to reach new people with the Gospel. This year the diocese has again asked for a parish share of £80k, and this is something that we want to be able to do. However, the effects of inflation and increasing energy prices mean we expect our costs to rise by around £9,000 next year. If our income doesn’t rise to cover this then we will end up in a deficit position. If everyone who currently gives to our church were to increase their giving in line with inflation then we would be able to cover the gap and to set another balanced budget for 2023.
Healing Meeting at the Vicarage on Tuesday 29th November at 11am.
There will be a healing team meeting on Tuesday 29th November at 11am at the Vicarage, if you cannot make it please let Carolyn Perry know on 813823.
Monday Bible Study Group
We will meet for the last session on Monday 5th December, usual time. This will be an informal coffee morning and you need only bring yourself and either a funny story, a poem of anything else you may like to share and entertain. We will meet for our first meeting of of 2023 on Monday 9th January.
Another mission opportunity
There are sign-up sheets in church for our next mission opportunity, ‘Here Comes Christmas’ on Saturday 10th December between 11am and 1pm. Come and help with craft activities, join in the worship, chat to parents and grandparents or provide some food. This is something that we can all be part of. More information from Barbara or any Community Engagement member.
Legge House invite you to one of our two fundraising Christmas dinner.
As in previous years these lunchtime / evening events will be a time to relax and enjoy yourselves, while supporting Legge House’s work with many young people. As this is a fund raising event we are asking for £27.50 per person. As usual soft drinks provided but you would be welcome to bring your own bottle. The date will be Monday 12th December, at 6.30pm for 7pm meal.
We also plan to hold a lunch time dinner for those preferring to get home before it is dark. On Thursday 15th at 12.30pm for 1pm meal. Contact leggehouse@btconnect.com or 813273 to book your place.
Knitting for charities.
Thanks to those of you knitting squares for GWH’s End of Life unit. We are now sewing together a blanket in autumn colours and have already got 40 other squares -halfway to the next one. 6 inch squares in any colour DK wool are most welcome. Please do not use glittery wool and please thread the ends of your squares in.
Last week I heard from Mission to Seafarers that they can accept hats, gloves and scarves again. I have two large boxes of hats and scarves waiting since early 2020 to be sent off. If you would prefer to knit these rather than squares then now is the time to get started again. I will put some patterns in the box by the choir vestry in church. If you would like to contribute but cannot knit then donations of Double Knitting wool are always welcome. These can also be left in the box in church. Many thanks. Janet Henderson.
Eco Top Tips – practical ways to take better care of God’s creation
November – Around the home
- Get a smart meter or read your meters monthly to check how much fuel you are using. This kind of monitoring can save on your fuel bills and also up to 250kg CO2e a year, as you keep a closer eye on your energy use.
- Find out if you have any unfilled cavity walls and (if yes) have them filled. This extra insulation can make a significant difference to the comfort of your home and save over 1 tonne of CO2e.
Eco ‘Top Tips’ and the problem of soya ‘milk’
A couple of weeks ago our Eco top Tips suggested switching to soya milk as a way of avoiding the methane emissions produced by cows. However this particular Top tip may not be very Eco… Most soya comes from the Americas and nearly half from just two countries, Brazil and Argentina. Growth of the soya industry has been meteoric – production in Brazil has quadrupled in just 20 years and this rapid growth has come at a huge cost. Vast areas of forest and natural habitats have been destroyed, replaced with mile upon mile of soya fields. Converting forests and grasslands into monocrop farmland for soya releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases which cause climate change. If we want to reduce the impact that producing our food has on our planet then we need to understand where it’s coming from, as well as how it was produced – we need to be canny. (It is possible to buy organic milk that was ‘grown’ right here in Wroughton.)
Funerals
We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have, died recently Phil Cook and Margaret Smith. We pray for all those who mourn the loss of a loved one.
Church Office
The Office will be closed Monday 28th November and then my normal day off Tuesday 30th November.
Janet Burchell
| The Parish Office, Priors Hill, Wroughton, SN4 0RT Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 1.30pm
01793 812050 office@wroughton.com Revd Phill Harrison – Vicar 01793 812301 vicar@wroughton.com Revd Chris Hunter – Curate 01793 814987 curate@wroughton.com Church Twitter Account – @WroughtonWichel Find us on Facebook – Wroughton and Wichelstowe Parish Church Please follow us for all the latest updates from Wroughton Parish Church.
|
CHRISTMAS SERVICES
Wroughton & Wichelstowe Parish Church
Sunday 11th December – Christmas Carols and Readings
6pm Join us for our Carol Service
Christmas Eve – Christingle Service
3pm and 5pm
Join us at either 3pm or 5pm in church for our popular Christingle Service. We will be singing carols, hearing the Christmas story, having fun and lighting our Christingles.
Car parking is limited, so please walk up the hill if you can!
Christmas Eve – Holy Communion
11:30pm Midnight Holy Communion Service
Christmas Day
8am A quiet Holy Communion service using traditional language
10am All-age Holy Communion
For more information please email or phone the church office: 01793 812050 or office@wroughton.com
