A warm welcome to you on this First Sunday of Lent. 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’.

Thank You
Thank you to those who came along yesterday and contributed to our Appeal and also to those who helped in whatever way. We hope that it will have been successful. Please pray for Stella and myself as we prepare for the parachute jump - are we mad?

Reports for APCM
Please could those people who write reports for the APCM make sure that all reports are received into the office by the end of this month.
The revision of the electoral roll needs to take place before the APCM and is now current. If you regularly attend St Mary’s and are not on the electoral roll, please see Sheila Wick as soon as possible. The revision will end on 28 February and the new list approved by PCC on 2 March, prior to the APCM on 21 March.

St Mary’s Charitable Giving 2009
Please see the Mission notice board for thank you letters from:
• Coventry Myton Hospice
• USPG Anglicans in World Mission and Nicholas Wheeler’s newsletter from Brazil
• The Gurkha Welfare Trust
• Yeldall - a Christian response to addiction
• The Church Army
• Gilead Health

Sue Morton, for Mission Group

Lent
Season of Renewal
Our Lent Course starts this coming Wednesday (24th), for six weeks, both after the 10am service and in the evening at 7.30 pm - details are given below.

The course will invite us to consider our pattern of Spiritual Growth in a changing world. There are 6 sessions (one to be held after Easter - on purpose. These are entitled

1. Seasons of Change
2. Praying with Jesus
3. All things new - growing as individuals
4. Depending on the Holy Spirit - resourcing the Church
5. Made new for mission - reaching the community
6. Celebrating the kingdom (after Easter)

Do come along either at 10.30 am or 7.30 pm.

Coffee Club
The Coffee Club meets next on Wednesday 3rd March at 10.45 am. Cost £1. All welcome.

January Tote
1st Prize No. 9 K Sheffield £24.50
2nd Prize No. 38 G Croshaw £ 8.00

1st Sunday of Lent

Collect: Heavenly Father, your Son battled with the powers of darkness, and grew closer to you in the desert: help us to use these days to grow in wisdom and prayer that we may witness to your saving love in Jesus Christ our Lord.

First Reading: Deuteronomy 26. 1-11 Owen Vigeon

Second Reading: Romans 1. 8b-13 Sally Vigeon

Gospel Reading: Luke 4. 1-13 Margaret Davoll

Intercessor: Malcolm Tyler

Hymns: 541 124 10 261 372

Post Communion Prayer: Lord God, you have renewed us with the living bread from heaven; by it you nourish our faith, increase our hope, and strengthen our love: teach us always to hunger for him who is the true and living bread, and enable us to live by every word that proceeds from out of your mouth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This week beginning 21st February 2010

This Sunday

8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion, Junior Church and Lazers
6.30 pm Evening Prayer
Monday 7 pm Parish Office
Tuesday 9 am Morning Prayer
Wednesday 10 am Holy Communion
10.30 am Lent Course
7.30 pm Lent Course
Thursday 9 am Morning Prayer
Saturday 9.30 am Morning Prayer

Sunday 28th February

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