WHAT'S IN THIS WEEK
More news and reminders
Worship in Church:
We are now in Lockdown again, and we have made the difficult decision to operate in a similar way to the November lockdown: the church will not fully close, but worship on a Sunday will move online. Only those people will specific roles in leading worship will be permitted in church on Sundays.
If you are usually on a rota to help with the worship (readings, intercessions, organ etc.) you will be contacted by the rota coordinator. No-one should feel they have to come if they don't want to.
We will remain open for Morning Prayer on a Wednesday at 9am, staying open for private prayer until midday. You should consider your own risk when deciding whether to come to church.
If you have any queries about this, please get in touch.
Join us online! Head to our YouTube Channel to join us Live at 10am on Sunday, and access other videos. You can do that by clicking or tapping on this link:
NEW THIS WEEK
Flower Arrangers
We have a wonderful flower arranging team who put together lovely floral tributes for us in church. The flower arranger’s team has reduced to around half of the volunteers who were on the rota in 2018/19. If at any time you’d like to come onto the flower rota to help with this much needed role in church do let us know. Those on the current rota aren’t needed at the moment due to the current restrictions but will be back in action hopefully for Easter and possibly with new volunteers!
Many Thanks
Suzanne would like to thank everyone at St Mary’s for their prayers and for the cards they sent to her for her Baptism on Sunday 10th January. Suzanne is very grateful her Baptism could go ahead and she is so happy to have now been baptised!
Thanks from Emma Campbell
Thank you all for your prayers for Emma. Her latest scans show the fantastic news that she has no evidence of the disease following surgery and chemotherapy. It has been a gruelling year for the family exacerbated by Covid-19 but they have come through. Please continue to hold Emma in your prayers. Cheryl
MORE NEWS & REMINDERS
The Parish Office reminder:
The Parish Office remains closed as Dot and Carol continue to work from home during this third lockdown. Phone messages or emails will be checked regularly, and correspondence can be popped through the letterbox in the north door and will be responded to as soon as possible.
Confirmation reminder:
A Confirmation is a special church service in which a person confirms the promises that were made when they were baptised. We are having a Confirmation Service on Sunday 9th May 2021 which is also the date of our Dedication Festival as we celebrate our Church's 90th Birthday.
If you would like to know more about being confirmed, get in touch with us. The Church of England also has a FAQs page here.
A Message from Tina Tompkins
Happy New Year to all my church family, and a big thank you for all your prayers and good wishes. The past 16 months have been difficult for me and for my family and but hopefully I am on the mend and I look forward to attending church once again instead of watching on my iPad. A big thank you to Ben and everyone else for their work in enabling our housebound congregation to watch the service. Tina Tompkins
Please continue to donate non-perishable items at Sainsbury’s & Morrison’s.
For your prayers this week:
Your Prayers are requested for
Martin Cooper
Emma Campbell
Chris Taylor Pat Baker
Olya Bouchard
Denise Burton
Don Amy Herbert
Alan and Margaret Stears
Rest in Peace
Dan Bean
John Barker
Please also pray for Suzanne Rider who was baptised here at St Mary’s on Sunday 10th January. Surround her with your love as she is received into the family of the Church and help us all to support her that she may grow in faith and serve you with joy.
Don’t forget, you can add someone to the prayer list by emailing or phoning as usual, but you need to get their permission before adding them to the sick list. You can also use the form on the website here to submit a prayer request online.
This Sunday's Hymns & Readings
Remember that News and notices from previous weeks are all available to read by clicking "notices" at the top of the page. Sign up below to receive our weekly email by joining our mailing list.