Lent 2
TODAY
8am MORNING PRAYER in Church
10am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube
NEXT WEEK
Tuesday 27th February 9.00am Morning Prayer – Church
Wednesday 28th February 2.00pm Funeral Service for Susan Davies – NWilts Crematorium
Thursday 29th February 9.00am Morning Prayer – Church
Friday 1st March 12noon Lent Lunches – St Joseph’s Parish Centre
Saturday 2nd March 3.30pm Afternoon Tea, Church Hall (See separate notice)
SUNDAY 3rd MARCH 2024
Lent 3
8am HOLY COMMUNION in Church
Preacher: Revd Barbara Abrey
Sidespersons: David & Lynda Pell
10.00am HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube
Preacher: Revd Barbara Abrey
Intercessor: Marion Colton
Reading: 1 Corinthians 1. 18-25
Reader: Helen Thomas
Altar Servers: Andrew Kirk and Louise Bowyer
Sidespersons: Alan & Kathy Gregory
6.00pm EVENSONG in Church and on YouTube
Preacher: Revd Phill Harrison
Intercessor: John Henderson
Reading: Exodus 5. 1-6:1
Reader: Janet Henderson
Sidespersons: Sylvia Woodward and Jean Ford
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.
‘Sunday Club’ dates
Our Sunday morning group for primary school aged children takes place in the Vicarage during the 10am service, usually on the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Future dates are:
| Date | Adults- lead/support |
| 3/3 | Karen H/ Lyn |
| 17/3 | Hannah/Holly |
| 7/4 | Joan/Helena T |
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 |
Lent & Climate Justice – guest speaker 25th February
We’re pleased to welcome Deborah Tomkins, co-chair of ‘Green Christian’ to our 10am service on Sunday 25 February. The ‘Green Christian’ organisation work with Christians, churches and the Green movement to witness to hope in the ecological crisis. Deborah will talk on ‘Climate Justice’.
And please pray for the Lent Vigil for Climate Justice taking place until 24th February outside Parliament, where ordinary people from Tearfund, Christian Aid, Green Christian and others will lament our climate complicity and call for bold action.
LENT STUDY
During Lent the Tuesday evening small group, which meets at the church hall, will be studying a course produced by the Diocese of Bristol, based around the diocese’s “Transforming Church. Together” project. There are four sessions, starting on 20th February, and we will meet on the Tuesdays in Lent except when there is a prayer meeting. If you would be interested in joining us please speak to Nick or Joan Orman, or email joan.orman@btinternet.com
Lent Lunches
Soup ~ Bread ~ Cheese
Tea or Coffee
Every Friday during Lent at St Joseph’s Parish Centre, Devizes Road, Wroughton
From Friday 16th February, 12noon to 1.00pm – Donations for Christian Aid/Cafod. Everyone Welcome
Afternoon tea, Saturday 2nd March – tickets now on sale
Our Wednesday housegroup is organising an afternoon tea (the full works!) in aid of the Swindon Food Collective, on Saturday 2nd March in the church hall, from 3.30-5pm. Tickets are £10 and are now available from the church office. Under 12s are free, but please let us know and bring an item to donate to the Food Collective with you. Please do come and treat yourselves in aid of a very worthy cause.
Cheryl Hawkins update – Good news!
On Sunday 5th February the Acting Archdeacon of Bristol made the following announcement: “Following the recent interviews and the recommendation of the Parish representatives, the Bishop of Bath and Wells has appointed the Reverend Cheryl Hawkins to the post of Vicar of the Benefice of Burnham on Sea. This appointment is subject to a satisfactory completion of the usual statutory checks made on all clergy taking up a new post. Details of a Service of Welcome and Institution will be announced in due course. We give thanks for the ministry that Cheryl has offered during her time with the Diocese of Bristol; please hold her in your prayers as she prepares to begin this new ministry.”
Men’s Group
The next meeting of the Church Men’s Group will be on Saturday 16th March, gathering at Waitrose car park at 8.45 am for a walk around the green spaces of Wichelstowe. There will be coffee and chat afterwards at the H & W, winding up around 11.00 am.
Anyone interested in attending for the first time, please contact Mike Mason on masonmj@ntlworld.com
The Children’s Society:
The annual collection box opening has raised £365 for the work of The Children’s Society. Many thanks to all the box holders. Carolyn Kirk
Date for Diary – Spring Ramble
Our next walk will be on Sunday 21st April at 2pm – hopefully by then it will be somewhat dryer underfoot!
Do come and join us ….. it’s a lovely way to explore our local area and come together in fellowship. As usual there will be tea & cake at the end. More details nearer the time. Helena Thomas
WILTSHIRE GREEN OPEN HOMES
As part of the Wiltshire Green Open Homes week, we are opening the church hall on Saturday 9th March from 1pm to 4 pm to demonstrate the energy saving measures that we have taken. Youn are welcome to come to see if anything we have done could be applied in your home.
The improvements that we have made, improved insulation, improved heating controls and the solar slates mean that the energy use of the church and church hall in 2023 was only 37% as much as it was in 2019.
Eco Top Tips – practical ways to take better care of God’s creation
February – Be informed
- Are you responsible for more or less than the average UK carbon footprint of 12 tonnes CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent)? Challenge yourself to reduce by 1 tonne this year. Climate Stewards have an easy to use carbon calculator climatestewards.org
- Read a book to become more “carbon literate” and understand the greenhouse gas cost of your choices. Try “How Bad are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything” Mike Burners-Lee
- Do your own internet research to become more “carbon literate”: choose one item a day this week to find out what its carbon “cost” is. For example a kg of rice produces 4kg of CO2e in production or a kg of potatoes is 0.37kg CO2e.
The Hiding Place – Oddments Theatre Co.
Come and watch the true story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family, who rescued Jews during the 2nd World War. Oddments Theatre are partnering with Maranatha Christian School and Barnabas Aid to bring this story to Swindon at 7pm on Friday 8th March (at Barnabas Aid, SN2 8UN). Tickets are £10 at www.oddments-theatre.co.uk.
Funerals
We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have, died recently Susan Davies. We pray for all those who mourn the loss of a loved one.
| 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 & Wichelstowe Parish Church.
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Please use the prayer and prayer pointers below in your own prayers and encourage their use by your congregation and in prayers of intercession.
Swindon Deanery Prayer
Lord God, maker of heaven and earth,
We thank you for your unceasing care for us and for calling us to serve you in Swindon Deanery.
We lift our eyes to you and ask for your help in Swindon and the surrounding communities.
As we share the hope, love and good news of Jesus in our neighbourhoods
Guide us by your Spirit,
Unite us in your Son
And lead us to the people and initiatives where you want us to be.
Transform our Deanery so that more people know your love and hope in their lives
As we commit to serve one another and our town and villages
With love which reflects Jesus’ sacrifice, compassion and priorities
In His name we pray
Amen
Please pray:
- For clarity of thought as we plan and implement the Deanery Vision
- For human and other resources to make the plan a reality
- For clear priorities making best use of available resources
- For good communication and cooperation within the Deanery and with those elsewhere in the diocese who can help us
- For effective sharing of the hope, love and good news of Jesus in our neighbourhoods.
- For God’s kingdom to become more visible in Swindon and for more people to be impacted by God’s love.
