Weekly News - 29th October 2023

If you’re reading this before Sunday morning, please remember that the clocks change this weekend!

This weekend’s Bible readings:

Psalm 119:9-16 (p 617) and Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 (p 1005)

Service of memories 4th November:

Our annual service of memories will be held in St Mary’s on 4th November at 3.00 pm. This is the service where we invite any who have been bereaved to gather to worship, to remember, to reflect, to light a candle if they so wish. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served after the service.

Archdeacon Janet’s visits:

Archdeacon Janet will be visiting our benefice several times over the next weeks, as she continues her programme of ‘getting to know you’ visits to parishes. This week, she will preach at Sacombe on Tuesday and lead collective worship at Little Munden School. Next Sunday, she will preach at our 8.00 and 10.30 services in St Mary’s and All Saints. On 8th, she will attend our PCC meetings and on 12th she will take part in our Remembrance Day service in St Mary’s. Please make her welcome!

November coffee mornings and sales:

Both of our November events are approaching. FOSM’s coffee morning will be on 18th November, 10 - 12 and Sacombe’s will be on 25th, 10.30 – 12.30. Please support these if you can.

Advent service:

Our annual service of readings and music for Advent will take place on Sunday 3rd December at 6.00 pm in St Mary’s. Advent can sometimes get a bit lost, as Christmas hurtles towards us in December; please join us if you can to reflect on this time of waiting and anticipation as we hear the ancient prophecies and listen to the benefice choir as they lead our worship.

Operation Christmas Child:

If you’d like to contribute to the OCC shoeboxes for children in areas of need, you can do so by wrapping and filling a shoebox yourself (Lizzy will give you a list of what’s allowed) or by donating boxes, wrapping paper or any of the things that will go into one, or, indeed, money for the travel costs. Right now, there are 87 filled boxes in Lizzy’s living room, but she is running short of small soft toys (please check any charity shops you pass!), soap and toothbrushes.

Website - changes:

Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform.

The benefice page can be reached via this link: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice/32-240BF/. The forward from https://ubsms.org.uk should point to that page.

Services for the next few weeks

Midweek services each week:

Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine's

Wednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary's

Sunday services:

29th October 10.30am Bible Sunday Morning worship, St Catherine's

6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints

5th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's

10.30am Morning worship, All Saints

6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints

12th November 9.30am Morning worship, All Saints

10.45am Remembrance service, St Mary's

3.00pm Act of Remembrance, St Catherine's

6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints

19th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's

10.30am Holy communion, All Saints

6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints

26th November 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's

6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints

Please note our usual 4th Sunday Choral Evensong service won’t happen in November, as 3rd December is Advent Sunday and we will have our Advent service of music and readings at 6.00 pm that day.

3rd December 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's

10.30am Morning worship, All Saints

6.00pm Advent carols service, St Mary's