A warm welcome to you on thisFourth Sunday of Advent. Please do join us after the service to share in a cup of tea or coffee. All ages are welcome at St. Mary’s, children included. There is also a crèche in the Octagon for the very young if you need it. If this is your first time with us, please do fill in the slip at the end of the newsletter, so that we can keep in touch with you. St Mary’s is fitted with a hearing loop system. Members of the congregation who have a hearing aid with a ‘T’ switch will find that they can hear better when it is switched to ‘T’.

The First Sunday of Christmas

Collect: God in Trinity, eternal unity of perfect love: gather the nations to be one family, and draw us into your holy life through the birth of Emmanuel, our Lord Jesus Christ.

First Reading: 1 Samuel 2. 18-20, 26 Leo Spooner

Second Reading: Colossians 3. 12-17 David Greenhalgh

Gospel Reading: Luke 2. 41-end Sheila Wick

Intercessor: Sue Morton

Hymns: 199 251 440 75 165

Post Communion Prayer: Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home: help your Church to live as one family, united in love and obedience, and bring us all at last to our home in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week beginning 31st December 2006

Sunday 8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion
Tuesday 9 am Morning Prayer
Wednesday 10 am Holy Communion
Thursday 9 am Morning Prayer
Saturday 9 am Morning Prayer

Sunday 7th January 2007

8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion
6.30 pm Evening Prayer

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Thank you to all those who have decorated the church and made it looking beautiful for the Christmas period and to all those who have given donations towards the flowers.