Newsletter for Sunday Easter 3 (Sunday 18 April 2021)

What's happening this week?

Sunday Mass We are delighted to have opened the Parish Church doors again to the public on Sundays for the 8am Mass, the 9.15am Mass (which is live-streamed on our Facebook page) and the 10.30am Mass, and the 5pm mass on Saturdays at Holy Trinity, Charlton.

We welcome and thank Revd John Durrant (5pm HT), Fr Robert Teare (8am PC) and Revd Judy French, of Dorchester (9.15am & 10.30am PC) who celebrate and preach at our Masses this weekend.

Contemplative Prayer & Eucharistic Exposition The contemplative prayer group has resumed on Wednesdays at 8pm in the Parish Church, and alternates with a 30-minute service of Eucharistic Exposition, led by the clergy. This week 21 April, is the turn of the Eucharistic Exposition. All are very welcome to attend both of these times of prayer.

Julian Prayer Meeting Julian prayer resumes on Monday 19 April at 10.45am and will continue on Zoom for the time being. All are welcome to join a growing group from the parish and around the country in a time of reflection, led by Fr Benji, on the writings of the Medieval Mystic, Julian of Norwich followed by silent prayer, music and (optional) sharing, lasting for an hour.

Service of Commemoration for HRH Prince Philip A service of thanksgiving for the life of HRH Prince Philip will be held in the Parish Church on Thursday 22nd April at 8pm and will be livestreamed on our Facebook page (Wantage Parish Events). Places at the service will be limited due to social distancing but if you would like to attend, please contact Pamela (Parish Admin) by email or phone (01235 764533) by 12 noon on Tuesday 20th April. Please provide a contact phone number or email address and you will be contacted on Tuesday afternoon if there is a place available for you.

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Do remember that there are opportunities to watch services produced by both the and the Diocese, daily audio prayer services via the Time to Pray app and podcast, and the Daily Hope telephone line for any who are unable to access the internet (please do pass this information on to anyone you know who would find it useful).

Public worship - a message from the Vicar Public worship restarted on Sunday 28th March, Palm Sunday. The restrictions we have become used to will likely need to remain in place for a number of months, and so this is not yet a return to normal. We will continue to take account of government and Church advice. In particular this means that the 9.15am Mass will continue to be celebrated at the Parish Church because of the limited numbers that can attend Holy Trinity with social distancing requirements. It also means that, with a congregation, the singing of hymns must be temporarily suspended and we can still enjoy music from the organ. The situation is under constant review, so do keep an eye on this newsletter for updates.

Can you help us to flourish as a Parish? We are looking to elect five new members of the Parochial Church Council (the PCC) and two members of the Deanery Synod (who also sit on the PCC) at our Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Sunday 25th April. Is this a way in which you could contribute to Parish life and help us to flourish as a Parish? To find out more, you are welcome to get in touch with Fr Philip or any of the current members of the PCC. Nomination forms for PCC are available to download here and DS here, and there are hard copies in both churches. Please pray for the renewal of the PCC, that we may fill these important roles in the life of the church in this place. We are also looking to appoint a new PCC Secretary and we would be interested in hearing from anyone who would like to take on this important administrative role (the Secretary does not need to be an elected member of the PCC).

Annual Meetings on 25 April 2021 Every year we hold annual meetings to elect churchwardens and members of the PCC, as well as to receive the PCC’s annual report for the previous year and to look ahead to the current year. This year’s meetings will be on Sunday 25 April, starting at 5.45pm. Because of the continuing social distancing restrictions, the meetings will again be held electronically via Zoom this year, as they were in 2020. The Zoom link will be in next week’s email newsletter. Everything you need to know about the meetings, including a financial summary for 2020, is available here. The PCC’s annual report and full financial statements for 2020 are available here. Printed copies of these documents are also available in both churches.

Electoral roll The Parish Electoral Roll has been reviewed and revised. Please check the printed copy, available now in both churches. For any discrepancies, please contact Bridget Procter by email straight away.

Situation Vacant The churchwardens are looking for volunteers to church watch on Wednesday mornings, and some Fridays. Hours are from 10am until 12noon. The position is unpaid, but there

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Greenfields School Thokoza Please would you leave in the Parish Church any unwanted tins or boxes in good condition that Judy Tren can pack with biscuits to sell at the Dickensian Evening or other fund raising events. Perhaps friends or neighbours might have some too? Many thanks.

Easter candles The candles are available in both the Parish Church and Holy Trinity, while stocks last, with all proceeds going towards Church funds. PASCHAL MYSTERY - amber and cedar ET IN ARCADIA EGO - jasmine and sandalwood CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS - laurel, clove & magnolia Large (20cl) - £15.00 Votive (9cl) - £7.50 (3 for £20) Large + Votive - £20

Equipping for Life : the local ministry courses for Summer 2021 Courses are designed for a wide range of people in the diocese. Some might simply want to learn more about their faith and aspects of church life; others are studying for a particular vocation, such as or being a Licensed Lay Minister. The course programme can be found here, and the Welcome page provides a useful introduction to the courses, indicating the rewards and demands of the study. Booking is via this link. If you require further information, please don’t hesitate to contact Carolyn Main, LLM and Local Ministry Programme Support Officer

Pastoral response Opportunities for pastoral care are still limited to telephone and online forms of contact at present, except in cases of grave illness. You are encouraged to contact Fr Philip (762214) or Fr Benji (765196) if you would like some pastoral care or even just to have a chat. For more sustained contact please do remember that we have a number of individuals who are willing to contact you regularly by telephone. If you would like to take up this offer then please be in contact with the Parish Administrator by email or on 764533.

By now the clergy have had the privilege of praying for everyone on the Electoral Roll by name, holding all the thanksgivings, petitions and remembrances at the altar before God. If you have not received any communication from either Fr Benji or Fr Philip, and would like to be prayed for, please email Fr Benji or phone him on 01235 765196. We are also keen to continue praying for individual needs, so please do share them with us at anytime.

The Parish Choir We are planning for the choir to return to singing at the 10.30am Mass, albeit it in a limited way, on Sunday 9 May.

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Parish Giving Scheme

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have or are in the process of subscribing to the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS). This is much appreciated. If you haven’t got around to doing it yet then it’s not too late! There are now three easy ways to donate to your church by direct debit through the Parish Giving Scheme.

• Online at Online at www.parishgiving.org.uk. If you wish you can scan the QR code here which will take take you straight to our page on the PGS website • by telephone 0333 002 1271 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm • or I can send you a PGS gift form. Contact me at [email protected] or on 07519 171114

There are no administration fees deducted from your donation. The church receives any gift aid from PGS on a monthly basis. You can choose to increase your gift annually to keep pace with the cost of living and adjust your donation at any time by contacting PGS if your circumstances change. If you have any questions about the scheme then please contact me. David Law Treasurer.

Prayer

Janice, Shirley, Anne, Howard, John, Sarah

RIP

This Newsletter Items for Items for inclusion in the next newsletter should be sent to the Parish Administrator, Pamela Allen, by 9am on Thursdays. The parish administration office is currently closed to visitors. Please make contact by email or telephone: 01235 764533 and leave a message. Please note that items may be edited.

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