Parish of North Stoneham and Bassett All Saints † St. Michael & All Angels † St. Nicolas PARISH NEWS SHEET 6th December 2020 St Nicolas Everyone is welcome here! Welcome to the parish of North Stoneham and Bassett – learning to be and do Church differently in these unprecedented times.

May you know the love and peace of God in your homes and with your loved ones.

As with all Church of England Churches, public worship resumes but still with limited places available; and most of our other weekly services and daily prayers are online. This Week Services and Daily Prayer

Sunday 6th December St Michael & All Angels’ Church 8.00 am Eucharist Pres. & Pr.: Revd Sheena Williams (Booking is essential) Deacon: Ann Devereux

Live/Broadcast on Facebook

facebook.com/nsabparish 10.00 am Eucharist President: Canon Norman Boakes (from St Michael’s) Preacher: Canon Rogelio Prieto-Duran Deacon: Revd Sarah Archer

facebook.com/stnicsnorthstoneham 10.30 am St Nicolas Service (From St Nicolas’ Church)

facebook.com/stnicsnorthstoneham 4.00 pm SN @ 4 Leader: Revd Jono Harvey

During the week: facebook.com/nsabparish

Monday - Friday 9.00am Morning Prayer Monday and Wednesday 9.00pm Night Prayer All Saints † St Michael & All Angels † St Nicolas Thought for the week Feast of St Nicolas This year is like no other! When we look back on 2020, it might not be with great affection for many of us. And at Advent we are encouraged to note the darkness in our lives before we look to the presence of Jesus, at Christmas, promising light, hope and joy. One aspect of that light is found at the feast of St Nicolas. There are so many stories, even legends, that surround him. He became Bishop of Myra, now in modern day Turkey, but his life began in difficult circumstances: his parents died in an epidemic, leaving him as an orphan. This experience did not dint his dedication to serving God. His was a great concern for the poor, selling all he had and giving it away. It’s what he did with this money for those in need, for children and even for sailors, that lead, perhaps, to the creation of Santa Claus. But, we have our own St Nicolas in this parish – our gem of a church building, nearing completion of the first stage of renovations, and from where there will be an act of worship this morning. Now the building is nearly ready for worship once more, after such a long time, and in the middle of the global pandemic, we can perceive what God is doing …. giving us back the gift of the church building so that we can serve others in our community, being St Nicolases to whomever we meet, wherever we go, whatever we do. And not just this Advent, but always. Amen. Revd Sarah Archer

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this News Sheet, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000 Collect: Almighty Father, lover of souls, who chose your servant Nicolas to be a bishop in the Church, that he might give freely out of the treasures of your grace: make us mindful of the needs of others and, as we have received, so teach us also to give; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Reading Isaiah 61:1-3 1The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken- hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; 2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; 3to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

Psalm 68:1, 4-7, 10 1 Let God arise and let his ¹ enemies be ¹ scattered; ♦ let those that ¹ hate him ¹ flee be¹fore him. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; exalt him who ¹ rides on the ¹ clouds. ♦ The Lord is his ¹ name; re¹joice be¹fore him. 5 Father of the fatherless, de¹fender of ¹ widows, ♦ God in his ¹ holy ¹ habi¹tation! 6 God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners to ¹ songs of ¹ welcome, ♦ but the rebellious in¹habit a ¹ burning ¹ desert. 7 O God, when you went forth be¹fore your ¹ people, ♦ when you ¹ marched ¹ through the ¹ wilderness, 10 Your people ¹ came to ¹ dwell there; ♦ in your goodness, O God, ¹ you pro¹vide • for the ¹ poor.

Second Reading 1 Timothy 6:6-11 6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. 11But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness.

Gospel Mark 10:13-16 13People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. 14But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. 15Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ 16And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them. Intercessions: Please pray: • for all our plans to celebrate Christmas in church and online. Pray for us to be able to share the joy of Jesus’ birth with our whole community and for people to come to faith this Christmas; • for those who are involved in rolling out the programme of vaccination against Covid 19; • in the week when we learned that the Amazon rainforest is being removed at the fastest rate for decades, pray for all efforts to tackle climate change internationally. NSAB Burma Link: Pray for David Ka Baw Soe, Saw Lay Lo, Saw Peter Taw and Saw Eh Poe who are all waiting to be ordained deacon, but this has not been possible due to Covid restrictions. Pray for them as they wait, and for the churches who were due to receive them. The Sick: We give thanks for the recovery of those who have been ill and pray for all who are in need of God’s healing, comfort and peace and those who care for them. We pray for Kelly, Kevin, Baby Lucy, Marina, Tom, Heather Curtis, Beryl Hickman, Patrick Lea, Luke Mayes, Rogelio Prieto, John Shakespeare, Vicky Stephens, Yvonne Toomer and Joan and Dennis Tranah. The Departed: We pray especially for all those who have died recently, all those known personally to us and for all those whose anniversary falls at this time.

The Diocesan Prayer Cycle - Sunday 6th December Anglican Communion Cycle The Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury) The Rt Revd Carlos López-Lozano - Bishop of Spanish Reformed Episcopal Church Diocese life: The team at the Diocesan Registry who advise the parishes, Bishop, and all the other organisations and officers of the Diocese on legal matters.

Post Communion Prayer: God, shepherd of your people, whose servant Nicolas revealed the loving service of Christ in his ministry as a pastor of your people: by this eucharist in which we share awaken within us the love of Christ and keep us faithful to our Christian calling; through him who laid down his life for us, but is alive and reigns with you, now and for ever. Amen. "Peace be with you." John 20:19 (NIV)  Notices 

Advent Window Trails Starting 01 December All Saints’ & St Michael’s area Starting 09 December All Saints’ Church  SO16 7DL Thursday 24 December 17:00 All Age Community Crib / Carols * St Michael & All Angels’ Church  SO16 7FD Sunday 20 December 18:30 Christmas Carols * Tuesday 22 December 19:00 Longest Night Service * Thursday 24 December 17:00 Walk-thru Crib * Thursday 24 December 23:30 Midnight Mass * Friday 25 December 10:00 Christmas Day Communion * St Nicolas’ Church  SO50 9NW Sunday 13 December 18:00 Drive-thru Carols * Sunday 20 December 18:00 Zoom Caroloke Thursday 24 December 17:00 Walk-thru Nativity * Thursday 24 December 23:30 Contemporary Midnight Mass *

Online Services (pre-recorded)  facebook.com/nsabparish Sunday 20 December 18:30 Christmas Carols Friday 25 December 10:00 Christmas Day Service

Notes: * Booking is essential for all church services and face covering is expected. Booking details can be found on our Parish Events calendar at our website NSAB.ORG.UK For more information, please email the Parish Office: [email protected]

‘Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.’ Romans 12.15 th Eucharist • St Michael’s • Sunday 13 December • 8:00am As the numbers are limited, so booking to attend the service is essential. To book your ticket(s) online, please use this link: https://bit.ly/3kW8FRu Please note that booking will be open on Monday 7th December. If you have trouble booking online, please contact the office via email ([email protected]) or voice mail (023 8098 2836).

Face covering is Please bring your own expected when attending supply of hand sanitiser if you would like to church services. receive Communion. To attend this event, you will be asked to fill out a Test and Trace Consent Form.

All Saints’ Morning Prayer - on Zoom - Monday-Friday 7.30am Anyone is welcome to join in to pray at that time. Please contact Adrian Thomas on 07966 018156 or [email protected] to receive the Zoom link. Connecting with others A number of people have asked about joining a small group that meets regularly for fellowship and prayer. A group might want to reflect on the week’s readings or sermon, or simply catch up with news and concerns and pray together. A group might meet weekly or fortnightly according to preference. At the moment this would have to be on Zoom, or by a telephone conferencing service. Would you like to join a group like this? It might help us to feel connected through the dark winter months. If you would like to take part, please contact the parish office and we’ll be back in touch when we have gauged interest. If you have any questions, please contact Sheena.

… Sunday 11.15 am Coffee … for everyone!

Zoom Coffee after church is for everyone! We are looking into smaller groups, so that everyone can join in and chat. We are currently looking for some new hosts who might be prepared to host some Zoom Coffee sessions for a period of time. If you are interested, please let the office know.

Basic Bank collection boxes:  All Saints’ Church Centre  outside Parish Office  Advent Window Trail (All Saints’ & St Michael’s Area) Day by day throughout the later days of this Advent, we’ll be building up the Nativity Story from 9th -24th December as people create a picture in a window of their home, and light it up. Day by day more and more lights will be going on in more and more windows, until by Christmas Eve we will have 16 windows lit up, telling the story of the first Christmas, across the parish. Why not join in the fun, find out where the trail leads you, gazing in wonder at the creativity of some of your fellow parishioners, but also at the story of the Incarnation once more? Please download an information sheet from our website at nsab.org.uk. There are prizes for all those who successfully unscramble the letters to reveal a Christmas greeting! Good luck! The final window will be lit at 4pm on Christmas Eve at St Michael’s and All Saints and we look forward to seeing you at either churches to complete the Advent window trail together. You can also come to our Crib and community carol services at 5pm. (Please note that booking is essential for attending the Crib services at both churches.)

Drive-Thru Carol Service  13th December  6pm In these challenging times, gathering to sing carols and remember the Christmas story of peace and joy for the world is just what we need. Due to the current restrictions on singing, St Nicolas’ church, in partnership with Football Club, invite you to join us for this COVID secure, fun and friendly, "drive-thru" carol service suitable for all ages this Christmas at the car park of Eastleigh Football Club. To book your place, please visit: https://bit.ly/39gVGYz Christmas Hamper Appeal This year of Covid 19, many families have suffered real financial hardship so we’d love to bless them through the Basics Bank by making Christmas hampers as usual. Please make a hamper, no matter how large or small every hamper is unique, and if you can spare, place a card inside with Christmas greetings. The contents are your choice, but perhaps something for breakfast, lunch and tea, would be suitable. If you can’t make a whole hamper, please consider giving some Christmas treats instead of basics! As I need to deliver these on the 15th December, can you please either bring them to the 8am service at St Michael’s church on the 13th, or deliver them to the Rectory before 14th December. On behalf of the Basic Bank volunteers, and the actual recipients, may I thank you again, for your kindness and generosity. David Gasson An Online Discipleship Course Fruitfulness on the Frontline A practical discipleship course for all those who are interested in how we can live fruitful lives, wherever we are, whatever we do. Every Tuesday at 7.30pm on Zoom If you have any queries or would like to book a place, please email the Office or Sarah Archer ([email protected]) for details.

To learn more about the course, please visit: https://licc.org.uk/ourresources/fruitfulness/

Volunteers Wanted!

This year’s Churches Winter Night Shelter for street homeless is taking place from the end of December. Due to Covid restrictions, this will be based in one venue only, but hopefully for 9 weeks. They are once again looking for volunteers to do welcome, overnight and breakfast shifts. If you would like more information, then please contact the office.

Fundraise for PCC Of North Stoneham And Bassett when you shop online Set up an account today at www.giveasyoulive.com Charity: PCC Of North Stoneham And Bassett Charity number: 1175931 Promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church.

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Parish Office: Temporarily closed Notices & Prayer Requests Please contact the office via email or voice-mail. for the News Sheet:

[email protected] 023 8098 2836(voice-mail) Please contact Catherine St Michael & All Angels’ Church, Bassett Avenue, Southampton, SO16 7FD before 9am on Wednesday Rector: Assoc. Pioneer Minister: Curate: Revd Sheena Williams Revd Jono Harvey Revd Sarah Archer 023 8076 8123 07907 054 763 07846 230 375 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Rest Day this week: Rest Day this week: Rest Day this week: Friday Friday Friday