3rd March 2024

Lent 3

TODAY

8am                        HOLY COMMUNION in Church

10am                      HOLY COMMUNION in Church and on YouTube

6.00pm                 EVENSONG in Church

NEXT WEEK

Tuesday 5th March                            9.00am                 Morning Prayer – Church

Thursday 7th March                          9.00am                 Morning Prayer – Church

Saturday 9th March                           1pm to 4pm        Wiltshire Green Open Homes – C/Hall (see separate notice)

SUNDAY 10th MARCH 2024            

Mothering Sunday, Lent 4

8am                        HOLY COMMUNION in Church

                                Preacher:             Revd Phill Harrison

Sidespersons:    Jean Reens and Christine Wrixon

 

10.00am               MORNING WORSHIP in Church and on YouTube    

                                Preacher:             Revd Phill Harrison

                                Sidespersons:    Rose Humphries and Pat Herring

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 Lunches

Soup  ~  Bread  ~  Cheese

Tea or Coffee

Every Friday during Lent at St Joseph’s Parish Centre, Devizes Road, Wroughton

12noon to 1.00pm – Donations for Christian Aid/Cafod.  Everyone Welcome

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

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

Easter Extravaganza!

We will be holding an activity morning for families on Tuesday 2nd April at 11.30 am in the Church Hall. There will be crafts, games and story followed by lunch. This will be a free event so tell your friends and neighbours. No need to book.  As usual we need the whole congregation to help by coming along to chat to people, help with crafts etc. and to provide food and drinks. If you can provide food or come along to help please sign the lists on the table at the crossing. Many thanks. Barbara

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.

News from the Eco Church Group – caring for God’s creation:

Lifestyle Audit – Working towards the Eco Church Gold Award, we have committed to undertaking a lifestyle survey to review our personal approach to creation care and we hope you will participate as part of our church life together. It’s a one page questionnaire that is completely anonymous (so please be honest – none of us are perfect!). If you don’t have the questionnaire, copies are available from church (near the Baptistry) or the Parish Office (or email helenaxthomas@hotmail.co.uk for a copy). Please return completed surveys to the box in church (near the Baptistry) or to the Parish Office.  Thank you for your support, and we’ll reveal the findings in due course 😊

Toilet Twinning – we’ve recently ‘twinned’ our church hall toilets with one in Nepal and one in South Sudan.  Toilet Twinning is an initiative from Tearfund, one of our  mission partners.  Twinning helps enable a poor community to build their own basic toilet, access clean water and learn about hygiene.  If you’re interested in twinning your own toilet and saving lives, do click on this link for all the information you’ll need:   Home – Toilet Twinning

Green Christian – thank you to Deborah Tomkins, our speaker on climate justice at last week’s service. If you missed her talk, do catch it on the service ‘You Tube’ link.  One take away was that just 20 letters to MPs, government etc can make a difference – so our church community can definitely be part of that!  We now have church membership to ‘Green Christian’ and will keep you updated on issues of climate justice and how we can get involved.

The Big Plastic Count – I am taking part in the Big Plastic Count – organised by Greenpeace and Everyday Plastic.  From 11th – 17th March I will count and report on every piece of plastic I use (recycled and otherwise) along with thousands of other individuals and schools – to highlight the national and world plastic problem – and gain evidence to push for proper action to end the ‘age of plastic’.  If you’d also like to get involved, visit the website: Home | The Big Plastic Count   I’ll let you know how I get on!   Helena

Eco Top Tips – practical ways to take better care of God’s creation

March – Lent Lament

  1. For each day of Lent pray of one thing in creation that you care about, for example birds in the garden, your favourite food, your car. Thank God for it, lament if it is being damaged by human action or causing harm, and intercede for wisdom and Christ’s renewal.
  2. Set aside time each week in Lent to go for a walk (or look out the window if you are not able) and actively appreciate Christ’s creation, remembering that we are wholly dependent on it for our survival.
  3. Join a prayer group at church (or start one if you have to) and intercede for the renewal of creation, for example pray local eco projects, halting species extinction, slowing down climate change. Find monthly intercession updates at prayandfastfortheclimate.org.uk

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.

Pastoral Care

As a church community we are getting better at looking after each other, but some will always slip through the net.  If you feel that you or someone else would like some care or prayer from the church family, please contact Janet Burchell in the office and she will pass the request on.  Don’t forget that you are part of the church and can visit and pray with others too.

Floodlighting

The Church will be floodlit on Thursday 7th March by Ida Morton in memory of William Morton.

Funerals

We commend to God’s care and keeping those who have, died.  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 HunterCurate 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.

 

 

WROUGHTON & WICHELSTOWE

PARISH CHURCH

Easter Services

Maundy Thursday – 28th March

7.30pm   Maundy Thursday Service

Good Friday – 29th March

10.00am  Good Friday Service followed by

Walk of Witness from Church to the Ellendune Centre

2.00pm  Last Hour at the Cross

Holy Saturday – 30th March

7.30pm   Easter Vigil,  The lighting of the new fire

Easter Sunday – 31st March

6.30am SonRise’ at Barbury Castle  (main car park)

8.00am    Holy Communion

10.00am   Holy Communion

For more information please contact

Parish Office 01793 812050

office@wroughton.com

www.wroughton.com