This weekend’s Bible readings:
Isaiah 42:1-9 (p 727) and Matthew 3:13-17 (p 967)
Volunteers still sought:
As well as hospital transport (see below), our in-house teams are still looking for volunteers on many fronts.
- If you can help out with the clubs at Roger de Clare on Thursdays, at lunchtime and after school, please speak to John or Caroline. This request has been running for some time, but we do need people from the church family to be involved, to help create relationships between the benefice and these children.
- If you are willing to bake for the café, please speak to Deborah or Rebecca.
- If you are willing to join our Sunday reading, intercession or coffee making rotas, please speak to the church wardens.
- If there’s another job you can see would be helpful, and are willing to undertake it, please speak to John!
Christmas cards:
As you dismantle the Christmas decorations and take down the cards, please remember that the Sacombe folk recycle cards for next year’s Advent coffee morning and sale. Please remove any personal messages and pass them to any of the Sacombe PCC.
Midweek Music at St Mary's Wednesday 25th January:
The next in our series of midweek concerts will be on 25th at 12.30. Refreshments will be served from 11.30am.
Easy Fundraising and Amazon Smile:
Just after Christmas seems a strange time to remind everyone, but please remember that you can earn commission for the benefice when you shop online. Please sign up with Easy Fundraising or Amazon Smile and nominate St Mary’s, Standon as your chosen beneficiary, then follow the instructions to access the retailers of your choice via those portals. Any commission received is used towards combined benefice expenses. For more information about how it works, please speak to almost anyone apart from Caroline!
FOSM Quiz Night 28th January:
The Friends of St Mary’s annual quiz night will take place at the community centre on Saturday 28th January, 7.00 for 7.30 start. Tickets are now available from Caroline, at £12 each, to include a ploughman’s supper. There will be a licensed bar. Teams may be up to 8 people. Please book early – we already have a number of teams booked in!
Sponsored Bible reading marathon – St Mary’s, Ware, 26th to 29th January:
Over 72 hours between Thursday 26th and Sunday 29th January, the whole Bible will be read aloud in the hall at St Mary’s, Ware. You are invited to take part in the reading, the listening and encouraging, or the sponsoring and fund-raising. There are posters in all our churches.
Standon and Puckeridge Hospital Transport Scheme: HELP - MORE DRIVERS NEEDED:
This is a small band of volunteers who take people registered at the Health Centre on Station Road, Puckeridge, to medical appointments. They offer a ‘there and back’ service to hospitals, clinics and the Health Centre. Generally, the time taken is between 1 and 3 hours depending on the destination.
Drivers are reimbursed at a mileage rate of 45p per mile for their door to door round trip. Please speak to Wendy or contact her on 07922 519174 to either offer your services or find out more. Thank you.
Concert in memory of Len Sparks 4th February:
The postponed concert in memory of Len will take place in St Mary’s on 4th February at 7.00 pm. John Petters New Orleans Jazz Stars will play and proceeds will go to St Mary’s. Tickets will be available soon.
Website:
Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The benefice page is: www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7825/benefice. Please visit it to see the range of information there.
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
For the next few weeks, we are looking in our midweek services at the later chapters of Acts. Often, study of the book of Acts doesn’t get to the latter part, so we have started at chapter 21. Please join us if you’d like to explore these passages with us.
Sunday services:
8th January 10.30am Holy communion, St Mary's
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
15th January 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's
10.30am Holy communion, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
22nd January 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
6.30pm Choral evensong, St Mary's
29th January 10.30am Morning worship, St Catherine's