A warm welcome to you on this Second 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’.

Mission Notice Board -
letter and Christmas card from Vio, Home of Hope, Romania
Please read Vio’s latest letter. Vio is now aged 18 years [St Mary’s has sponsored her since 1996]. She attends vocational school and is training to be a baker. She hopes to move soon into one of Global Care’s flats with some of the other girls from the Home of Hope. It’s so good to have such good news. Sue Morton, for St Mary’s Mission Group

Coffee Club
The Coffee Club meets next on Wednesday 12th December at 10.45 am. We will only be meeting once in December. All welcome.

Christmas Carol Singing
We have be asked by Hugh Priestner (Chaplain at the University Hospitals) if we might like to join a band of Carol Singers at the hospital on Tuesday 18th December at 7-9pm. If you would like to join in, please meet in the Main Foyer just before 7pm. Musicians and singers all welcome.

Annual Christmas Card
We shall be running our Annual Christmas Card again this year. For a minimum donation of £1, preferably more, you can contribute a message to our annual card which will then be distributed to all members of the congregation on Sunday 23rd December. This year all contributions will be donated to The Children’s Society. Please put your message and donation into the box in the foyer.

Children’s Society Boxes
Many thanks to all box holders and a special thanks to Ann and Barry Walker who helped to count the many coppers and coins, also to Crawford who changed these into notes for us. The amount collected this year was £664.00, slightly down on last year, and we have lost several members, so if anyone would like a box please let me know. Audrey Curtis.
If you took a Children’s Society collection box a couple of weeks ago from Ruth Smith could you please let us know who you are - so that we can add you to the list. There is no problem with taking the box but churches like to know who has them!

Stewardship Envelopes
Jean Hudson has a new supply of weekly envelopes. If you give to St Mary’s using the regular weekly envelopes, please do pick up a new set today. If you have wondered what these envelopes are and how they work, read on……..Many people nowadays give to church by banker’s order, but others prefer to put money into the collection plate week by week. The weekly envelopes provide a simple method of doing this and are doubly advantageous to church. Firstly if you miss a week, they allow you to put the envelope for the missed week on the collection plate, the next time you come and secondly, if you pay income tax, they provide a record of your payments for the tax office. For more details, or a set of envelopes, please speak to Jean Hudson.

Christmas Tree Festival
Risen Christ, Wyken are holding their Christmas Tree Festival this weekend to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their new church. Today at 3 pm there will be an Advent Songs of Praise to which all are invited.

November Tote
1st Prize No. 67 S. Morton £27.00
2nd Prize No. 18 K. Sheffield £ 9.00

Christmas Services
PCC agreed to the usual pattern of services at Christmas this year namely

7 pm Carols and Communion on Christmas Eve
8 am Holy Communion on Christmas Day
10 am Parish Communion on Christmas Day

The Christingle will be held at Walsgrave Baptist Church and our annual toy service will be on Sunday 2nd December.

Second Sunday of Advent

Collect: Almighty God, purify our hearts and minds, that when your Son Jesus Christ comes again as judge and saviour we may be ready to receive him, who is our Lord and our God.

First Reading: Isaiah 11: 1-10 Gill Bowser

Second Reading: Romans 15. 4-13 Sheila Wick

Gospel Reading : Matthew 3. 1-12 Lorraine Baker

Intercessor: Sue Morton

Hymns: 401 196 193 334 172

Post Communion Prayer: Father in heaven, who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge: give us grace so to imitate him
in the humility and purity of his first coming that, when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week beginning 9th December 2007

This Sunday 8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion, Junior Church and 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
7.30 pm Emmaus at Offa House
Thursday 9 am Morning Prayer
Saturday 9.30 am Morning Prayer

Sunday 16th December

8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion, Junior Church and Lazers
6.30 pm Evening Prayer