A warm welcome to you on this Epiphany Sunday. 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’.

Recycle your Christmas Cards
Both Tesco and WH Smith have recycling facilities for Christmas cards - just put them in the Woodland Trust bins in their stores. However, if you are not able to visit either Tesco or W H Smith, please bring your cards to church and leave them in the box near the Prayer Tree and I will take them to Tesco. Thankyou. Jean Hudson

Unwanted Christmas Gifts?
Has Father Christmas left you a present you didn’t ask for or you will not use? Don’t worry, and please don’t throw it away or put it at the back of a drawer or cupboard!! We can make good use of it for a new stall we would like to have at the Fayre in November. (sorry to speak about such things so early in the New Year!!!) Please see Alison Liggins or Jean Hudson

Annual Meeting and Reports
It seems incredible that immediately after Christmas and the New Year that we have to turn our minds to the Annual Meeting and Report, but we do. This year our Annual Meeting is scheduled for Sunday 25th March and we will need to have all reports in by the first week of March to ensure we have enough time to produce papers for everybody by 11th March. Please, if you usually write a report for the annual papers start thinking about it now. The sooner we have it in the office, the better! If you are responsible for any group or committee, please make sure you send in a report.

This year too we have to completely revise our Electoral Roll and more details of this will follow in the next week or two. A complete revision, as its name implies, means that everybody has to re-apply to join the electoral roll (or membership list) of the church. If you worship here regularly you should be on it!
Membership entitles you to vote at the Annual Church Meetings and also to stand for office on the Parochial Church Council.

Palm Crosses
Looking forward again, Ash Wednesday falls on February 21st this year. It is our custom to collect in as many palm crosses from previous years as possible to burn prior to Ash Wednesday service to provide the Ash for the service itself. Please bring in any palm crosses you have from now onwards.

Lent Course
From Wednesday 28th February we shall be running a Lent Course both in the morning and evening. Following the success of ‘Life Balance’ last year we shall be undertaking a similar course ‘Life Attitudes’ this year which looks at the beatitudes in Matthew’s gospel (Blessed are the poor in spirit etc) - more details to follow shortly.

December Tote
1st Prize No. 51 W. Brown £25.00
2nd Prize No. 58 R. Ginda £ 8.50

Coffee Club
The Coffee Club meets next on Wednesday 10th and 24th January at 10.45 am. All welcome. Gwen and Audrey

Epiphany

Collect: Creator of the heavens, who led the Magi by a star to worship the Christ-child: guide and sustain us, that we may find our journey’s end in Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Reading: Isaiah 60. 1-6 Sheila King

Second Reading: Ephesians 3. 1-12 Karen French

Gospel Reading: Matthew 2. 1-12 Les Dakin

Intercessor: Margaret Davoll

Hymns: 41 71 392 69 320 128

Post Communion Prayer: Lord God, the bright splendour whom the nations seek: may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light discern the glory of your presence in your Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week beginning 7th January 2007

Sunday 8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion, Junior Church & Lazers
6.30 pm Evening Prayer
Monday 9 am Morning Prayer
7 pm Parish Office
Tuesday 9 am Morning Prayer
Wednesday 10 am Holy Communion
Thursday 9 am Morning Prayer
7 pm Quinquennial Group

Sunday 14th January

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