CHILDREN Children are very welcome at St Mary’s. Junior Church takes place in the Parish Room during the Sung Eucharist. There is a children’s corner in Church for supervised pre-school pre children. WELCOME All Christians who would normally do so are invited to receive communion. If you wish not to receive, please come forward for a blessing. You are warmly invited to coffee afterwards. 16th November 2014 The Second Sunday Before Advent Hymns for Today 60, 314, TODAY 437, 195, 494, 511 raffle ticket sellersand people to make mince pies/scones/cakes for refreshments. Please sign up and give a little of your time to help Phil and Penny Jubin, Steve Sakakini and me at this busy time of year. Any enquiries enquirie about the Festival to Chris Young Young, tel. 01256 356973; [email protected] Psalm Response: Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. BITS AND PIECES Holy Baptisms At 2.00 pm there will be a baptism service for Max Evans & Imogen Oliver-Jones. All welcome. Clergy Availability w/c 24th November Both Fr Alec and Rachel will be away from the parish from Mon-Fri. Mon Any enquiries during that time should be directed to Debbie Filer. The Wednesday 10 am service will take the form of Morning Prayer. THIS WEEK Ploughmen’s Lunches This Thursday 20th November at 12.30 pm. in the Parish Room. All welcome. Confirmation Service Please pray for all candidates due to be confirmed at Winchester Cathedral on 22nd November. In particular Millie Rhodes, Stephen Douglas, Sylvia Eccott & Phil Jubin. LOOKING AHEAD Traditional Christmas Bazaar The countdown to 6 December continues and we are now only three weeks away! If you have good quality items to donate, do please contact the person(s) concerned – telephone numbers are on the lobby poster. If you can take an A4 poster for your home, workplace or club, please speak to Fay Farrant or phone on 476863. Any help you can give to make the afternoon a success will be much appreciated. Many thanks. Christmas Bazaar - Books wanted! Fiction only please! Books can be left in the vestry or in the porch of 68 The Street. Many thanks. Penny Potter Christmas Tree Festival ‘St Nicholas’ 13th/14th, 20th/21stDecember We need trees! Lots of trees to transform our beautiful church into a twinkling quiet haven in the great rush towards Christmas. Please let me have your bookings, we want more than ever this year. And we need competition entries for our Evening of Poetry, Prose – and Drama, (deadline December 1st don’t forget) and your favourite readings to do with anything in the Christmas season. And we need help. The lists for volunteers are now up on the board in the lobby. Stewards, Basingstoke Foodbank Update: Did you know? - 41% of people using the Foodbank have to do so because of benefit delays - 2,400 400 people across Basingstoke and Deane have made use of it in the last year - £18,000/year is needed to meet the Foodbank's running costs, including the storage facilities, utilities & it's 1 part-time part staff member. - The he rest of the Foodbank operation is run by 70 volunteers - 18 people from the Basing Ward have needed to make use of the Foodbank in the last 2 years; at least one had to walk both ways to collect their food from the Foodbank's Trinity Methodist Church facility. Urgent request: Any donations of dried or long--life UHT milk and/or fruit juice would be gratefully appreciated. Have you lost your Jump Leads? Among recent donations from St Mary's to the Basingstoke Foodbank were a set of jump leads and a tow rope in a shopping bag!!! They have been returned to us, so please speak to Rev'd Rachel if they are yours! The Weaving Continues …… As you will notice, the art project is gradually taking shape and being added to through many hands. If you have not submitted a photo and would like to, or would like to help weave, please talk to me. I am glad to see that it is already fulfilling its purpose p which is to help us to put names to faces and know some roles that are currently held so our communication is more effective. Through this emerging visual piece we recognise faces of many who have made extraordinary contributions to the life of St Mary's over the years and it is becoming a beautiful expression of the body of Christ woven together and reflecting something of the image of God in our community. Gill Sakakini Christmas by Candlelight with Guildford Cathedral Choir at All Saints Church, Odiham, on Saturday 6 December at 7pm: The men, boys and girls of Guildford Cathedral Choir will sing popular Christmas Carols by candlelight and will feature Tom King, BBC Young Chorister of the Year 2014. The concert will be directed by Katherine Dienes-Williams Williams and the organist will be Paul Provost. Tickets at £15 each are available online from www.guildfordwww.guildford cathedral.org/events/boxoffice/121 WALSINGHAM 2015 - a Parish Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham has been booked for 2015 - April 21-23rd inc. In view of the popularity of this pilgrimage in April last, 14 places plus one for Fr Alec have been booked and a £10 deposit on each place is required before Christmas. Please let me know as soon as possible pos if you would like a place and please try to get me a cheque a.s.a.p. for £10 made out to the Parish of Old Basing and Lychpit. Book early to avoid disappointment. Penny Potter From Fr Alec The parable of the talents which we read today is reminder to use our gifts wisely. But more than that, it is a challenge to be daring in the service of God, to trust in his ability to support us through our endeavours. We stand under judgement, Jesus will not ask if we succeeded or failed, but if we tried. Please pray for: Bishops Timothy, David and Jonathan Jonathan. All who carry the responsibility of leadership Generosity and forgiveness. Wise and just stewardship in the Church. Those working in financial services Max Evans & Imogen Oliver-Jones Oliver being baptised today; • Those who are sick or suffering, among them: Penelope Bickley; Pat and David Sacree; Beryl Streether; Mavis Lloyd; Jackie Deadman; Jean Schluter; Betty Annie Bembridge, Bembridge and all others in pain or sorrow; • All those who have died recently recently; Peter Williams; Leslie Fosh; and all those whose anniversaries fall at this time; • • • • • • ___________________________________________________________________________________ During the service a collection will be taken during the Offertory Hymn. Hymn. If you miss this collection, gifts can be placed in the wall pillar. Gift Aid envelopes are available in the pews. Deo Gratias Registered Charity No. 1136606 PARISH CONTACTS: Vicar - The Rev’d Alexander Battey 354707 [email protected] Assistant Curate – The Rev’d Rachel Hartland 07717 942669 [email protected]