Jo and Family Farewell As you already know, Jo, our curate, is moving to a new post in the New Year. Her final Sunday with us will be 14th January and we will be holding a bring and share lunch in the Canterbury Room at St Thomas’ at 12:30pm for Jo and her family when we can thank them for all they have contributed in their time in the Benefice and wish them well on their next adventure. Please note that the service at St Andrew's on the 14th January will start at the earlier time of 11am to allow people to attend the lunch. There is a sign up sheet for the lunch in each of our churches.
We also hope to give Jo a gift to remember us by. Donations can be given to church wardens or made online to the Goring Parochial Church Council account with TSB, sort code 30-13-42, account number 11162560 using the reference “JA Gift” please. (In this case please do not use the Parish Giving route as there is a lag between the donation being made and our receiving it.) There will also be a bowl for donations at all services this week.
“Gifts of the Magi”, Goring Chamber Choir Concert This Saturday, 6th January, at 3pm Goring Chamber Choir will be giving a concert on the theme of Epiphany in St Thomas'. When Christmas and New Year festivities are over it is a good time to 'find the star within our hearts', as Bob Chilcott says in his carol 'Epiphany'. Goring Chamber Choir will sing both familiar and some new carols reflecting on the bringing of gifts today. Atmospheric pieces by Canadian Stephanie Martin and Thomas Allain describe modern journeys 'to learn and to believe'. Steve Bowey will perform Gaston Litaize's organ piece 'Epiphanie' on the wonderfully restored organ, and there will be familiar carols for the audience to join in. Tickets are £15 (with free entry for under 18s) obtainable from Inspiration in Goring; or from a choir member, or on the door. Further information including details of the programme are available on the Goring Chamber Choir website. https://www.goringchamberchoir.org.uk/
Digging Deeper – Spring Term Session 1: The Historicity of Exodus: Did it happen, when, so…..All welcome! 10.30am Tuesday in the Canterbury Room, coffee and finish by noon. Fortnightly till Lent, so 23rd January and 6th February.
Piano Recital at St Mary’s Sunday 21st January There will be a Piano Recital on Sunday January 21st at 4pm by virtuoso concert pianist Russell Thompson also featuring his wife, Trudi, herself an exceptional pianist. There will be pieces by Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Liszt played by Russell Thompson and a duet of Carnival of Animals by Saint Saens. Tickets are available at the door for £10 full, £9 concessions (cash only please).
This week we are asked to pray
Prayers for this week Thank you to Geoffrey for this week’s prayers.
We give thanks, Lord, for your continual care for our world and your people. Thank you for preserving us in your love; for the hope of eternal life and for the material benefits we enjoy; for human love and fellowship and for the story of your concern for us which leads us to worship and praise you as our loving father, creator and preserver, with eternal thanksgiving. Lord, hear our prayer. We pray for your church worldwide; for your faithful servants who continually bring you before the world; for Pope Francis and all the bishops. priests and ministers, especially Archbishop Justin and Bishops Steven and Gavin in our land. We pray for Ben and all our wardens, priests and ministers here and also for Father Kenneth and Pastor Gordon-Potts. We pray that you will help us in our missionary work so that we may have greater success in spreading your word. We also pray for the church where it suffers persecution and difficulty; for all the clients of Barnabas Aid and Open Doors as they devote their efforts to helping disadvantaged Christians. We pray that you will strengthen your church everywhere in its mission to the world. We also pray for Steve and Lindsey Poulson and for their work in Honduras. Lord, hear our prayer. We pray for world peace, especially in Palestine, Israel and Ukraine but also in many other lands. We pray for an end to these evils of war and terrorism and relief for all affected by strife. We remember all people suffering economic hardship, disease, poverty and bad government and ask you to enrich their lives and relieve their distress. We give thanks for our peaceful land and for benign government here and pray that our leaders may exercise wisdom and compassion and be empowered to find solutions to the problem of migration which looms large in ours and many lands. Being aware of the dangers of Global Warming which we are currently experiencing, we pray that governments everywhere will agree on actions to deal with this. Lord, hear our prayer. We give thanks for volunteers who work to enhance our lives in our community and ask you to bless them. We pray for our local government and institutions and all our fellow citizens, for love and good fellowship to remain among us. We also pray for our care homes in these villages and in the wider country, that they may be able to continue their work amid staffing and other problems. Lord, hear our prayer. We bring before you the sick and housebound and all who care for them, both here and elsewhere and we ask for your love and peace to attend them and all who suffer in many ways. We ask for healing and restoration of health, if it be your will. We remember all who have died recently and our own departed loved ones. May they enjoy the glory of your kingdom and may your comfort be to all who mourn. Lord, hear our prayer. Accept, O Lord, these petitions which we offer in the name of Jesus Christ.