Just a few alerts: please note that February’s Foodie Friday will not be on the first Friday of February as would be usual (7th Feb) but is on 14th instead – a special Valentine’s meal. Full details are given in the newsletter. Please book in advance by phoning the church office or speaking directly to Ali at the Angel at my Table café (Thursday-Saturday) However, instead of Foodie Friday on 7th you can come along to our second film evening: ‘Marvellous’ (the first film evening is on Friday 24th Jan. – ‘One Life’). Again, details are given in the newsletter but remember to let me know if you are intending to come along (there is a sign-up sheet on the noticeboard in the Welcome Area or you can contact me directly). We need to set out enough chairs and bake enough cakes! Warning: I have taken the bold step of not always putting articles in columns this month – and thereby will undoubtedly manage to annoy more of you than usual. It seems to depend on what device you read your Bulletin/Newsletter whether you prefer articles to be in columns or to go across the width of the page. I anticipate feedback (not all of it positive!). Enjoy the sunshine and beautiful clear skies! All good wishes, Lynne
Please find attached the Bulletin for the coming week. It’s an exciting time for us at St Mike’s as work on our long-awaited and rigorously planned new lighting system will begin on Monday 13th January. This will have major implications for access to the Worship Area (nave) and Flower Vestry on weekdays. Please read the accompanying document carefully as it covers all you need to know regarding how we will be affected: weekday parking constraints, café opening, midweek services, etc. If there are unanswered questions, please ask one of our Wardens (Rachel or Matt) to clarify. The work will last approximately 8 weeks. We do ask for your forbearance – it will be worth it in the end! If you come along to the Friday morning Contemplative Prayer session, please note that this will take place on Saturday mornings for the duration, as it is highly unlikely that there will be silence on Friday mornings in church and quiet contemplation to a backcloth of hammering and drilling won’t be easy! Apologies to those who can’t come on Saturdays, but this seems the best option. It would be great if as many as possible could assist in moving items out of the Worship Area after Sunday morning’s service. Please note that Choral Evensong on Sunday at 6.30pm includes Bishop Sam formally welcoming Revd Vivien Gisby as an Associate Minister at St Michael’s. Bishop Sam will also be preaching. And finally – the date for the third film evening (Sing-along-a-Mama Mia – by popular demand last year (don’t blame me!)) - has now been fixed: 28th Feb. All film dates are advertised in the Bulletin itself. Please sign up if you are coming along to any or all of them. All good wishes, Lynne
Happy New Year to you all! Please find attached the first Bulletin of 2025. Let’s see how long it is before I forget we’ve moved on from 2024 and put the wrong date somewhere in a Bulletin. I am also sending a compilation of Nativity photographs for you to browse through. These are not in any coherent order - I just had to fit them on the pages easily. My thanks to Sue who took these pictures, which means that unfortunately we have none of her and Tina as the Two Wise Women: a shame as we do need that recording for posterity. Please send me any of yours if you took some. Things are returning to ‘normal’ now after our Christmas service-bonanza, and soon we will be welcoming Vivien as a member of our Ministry Team. There will be a special service of Choral Evensong on 12th January at which Bishop Sam will be present to welcome her officially. Meanwhile, keep sending in any news items or photos for inclusion in our newsletter (which will be sent out on Thursday 16th Jan – the deadline for submissions is 15th at noon). All good wishes for the week, and for a peaceful and fruitful 2025. Lynne
There is a fascinating article in the newsletter on some lumps of stone which have been stored in the Savage Chapel for - who knows how long? (thanks to David M for sending in this piece), plus the usual updates, photos and reflections, including a poem written by Dorothy Bentley-Smith. As mentioned last week, I do hope that you are taking some time to be peaceful each day, especially if you are using our Advent Calendar! Yesterday’s and today’s reflections cover the ‘Advent Acclamations’, as we wait in expectation of the one who is: Adonai; Root of Jesse; Key of David; King of the Nations; Dayspring; Wisdom; Emmanuel – each title symbolising a separate attribute of God in Christ. There have been so many lovely submissions to the Calendar, giving us lots to ponder - what a creative set of people! All good wishes
