The third Sunday of February, finds us with Mattins as our 10. am service. As we are now in Lent, the Canticles we sang were the Venite, the Benedicitie and the Jubilate Deo, in addition to the psalm set for the day. The readings, from the King James Bible were from Genesis and St Luke's Gospel. In the Sermon Father Stephen considered God's message to Abram that his seed should be as the stars in the sky, and how Abram's faith, even at his great age, that he should have an heir was eventually to be true. The Choir sang Lord for thy tender Mercy's Sake by Farrant. There was coffee after the service. Please note the third Sunday in March will be Palm Sunday, so Mattins will be held on the second Sunday in the month, Passion Sunday.

This Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, and also the feast of St Valentine we celebrated the Eucharist at our 10 am service. The church is without decoration or flowers as we start Lent and in the service instead of the intercessions we normally have, today we sang the Litany. This invocation asking blessing on us as sinners fits very well with the season. The Choir sang 'Turn Thy Face from my Sin' words from Psalm 51 Setting by Attwood as the anthem, Mrs Amos sang the soprano solo. There was coffee after the service.


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This evening at 7:30 we held our Eucharist for Ash Wednesday. The service included the ceremony of imposition of ashes, always a solemn beginning to Lent. So we start the season of reflection and contemplation which precedes the glory of Easter, The Choir sang 'Lord for thy Tender Mercy's sake' setting by Farrant.
The Lent study course begins tomorrow evening at the Vicarage, do come and join in

We celebrated Candlemas,the Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, at our Family Service at 10 am. This was a lovely inspiring family service, Father Stephen began the service with a short explanation of the Feast, and the Sunday School members continued the theme with their presentation. The Children had prepared votive lights which they had individually decorated to be presented on the altar.They processed from the Tower vestry to the altar steps, each group giving a different short description of how Christ works as the light of the world. We were then treated to the Junior choristers, with soloist Hazel, accompanied by 3 members of the Adult Choir, and of course Joanna playing the piano, singing 'Lead me Lord' Everyone then returned to their seats and the intercessions were lead by Sunday School members.
After Communion the Choir, Junior and Senior together, sang the Nunc Dimittis in the setting in C major by Stanford. At the end of the Service Father Stephen blessed the Candles that will be used in the Church this year. There was coffee afterwards in the North transept.

The final day of a stormy January, and the fifth Sunday in the month, brought us to the fourth Sunday in Epiphany. At our 10 am Eucharist service the Gospel reading continued the story from last week of  Jesus teaching in the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. After recognising his ability to teach the crowd turned on him, furious that he, a local man, should suggest himself as the Messiah.They wanted to throw him off a cliff, but he turned and walked through them and left the area. In his sermon, Father Stephen explored the idea that this story both looks back to the Prophets, and forwards to His Passion. That Jesus throws into relief the contrasts of good and evil, the struggle that ends on the cross here he died for our redemption.

The Choir sang 'If ye Love me' by Thomas Tallis as the anthem. There was coffee after the service.

Our Italian themed events of last week were very successful, and highly enjoyed by all who attended. Many thanks to Margaret and Stephen for sharing their lovely pictures of Venice, and providing delicious wine and nibbles, and to Hilary, Michael and the team for all the lovely food on Saturday evening. A pleasing total of £600 was raised towards the new parish rooms!

Next Sunday for the Family Service we shall be celebrating Candlemas.