St Thomas à Becket
Pews News
Priest-in-Charge: The Reverend Lucy Sullivan
Tel: 01243 941 551 Email: mthrlucy.pagham@gmail.com (Rest day: Friday)
Churchwarden: Mr Alex Brockhurst
Tel: 07792 544259.; Email: churchwarden@paghamchurch.org
Churchwarden: Mr Mike Wake
Tel: 07899 705632; Email: churchwarden@paghamchurch.org
Safeguarding Officer: Mrs Jan Brockhurst
Email: safeguarding@paghamchurch.org
Find us online: www.paghamchurch.org // @StThomasPagham
SUNDAY 27th NOVEMBER 2022
ADVENT SUNDAY
Sunday 27th 09:30 Parish Eucharist
ADVENT 1
Monday 28th 09:00 Morning Prayer (church)
Tuesday 29th 17:30 Evening Prayer (zoom)
19:00 Tuesday@7 Eucharist
Wednesday 30th 11:00 Funeral- Thelma Green RIP
ST ANDREW 17:30 Evening Prayer (Zoom)
Thursday 1st 09:00 Morning Prayer (church)
December 10:00 Holy Communion
Friday 2nd 11:00 Funeral- Bill Clarke RIP
Saturday 3rd 14:00 Advent Unwrapped
(Mosse Hall- Gossamer Lane)
Sunday 4th 08:00 Holy Communion
ADVENT 2 09:30 Parish Family Eucharist
14:00 Holy Baptism- Adam, Jude & Rio
Hymns
Entrance: 128 Come thou long-expected Jesus
Gradual: 709 We are marching
Offertory: 100 Christ is the world’s true light
Final: 666 Walk in the light
The Collection plate– If you would like to make an offering, please use the contactless Payaz machine or the collection plate, both can be found at the back of church. Thank you for your generosity.
Registered charity number 1134842
The Collect (Opening Prayer) for the First Sunday of Advent:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament reading: Isaiah 2: 1- 5
The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
Psalm 122 the response to the psalm is “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us got to God’s house’.”
New Testament reading: Romans 13: 11- end
Brothers and sisters, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Gospel reading: Matthew 24: 36- 44
Jesus spoke to his disciples:
‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.
Prayers of Intercession
The sick and those who care for them: Rosie Sims, Terry Haskell, Barbara Crew, Karen Cox, Jim Fowler, Sheila King, Dawn Spurway Pearson, Nicola Simpson, Betty Smith, Mike Hatzfeld, Andrew Naylor, Colin May, Tyler Rankin, Max Davey, Leslie Francis, Dickie Roots, Colin Wood.
Recently departed: Thelma Green, Bill Clarke
Anniversary of death: Eric Martin (27th); Alan Harmer (30th); John Morrish, Charles Meyer, David Atkins (3rd).
We pray for peace and especially for and with the people of Ukraine. We pray for all those caught up in conflict, and for those seeking safety and refuge on these shores.
For urgent prayer, contact Gillian Purvis (267597) or Pat Rush (262561) to start the Prayer Chain.
Post Communion Prayer:
O Lord our God, make us watchful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Next week’s readings: Second Sunday of Advent
Isaiah 11: 1- 10; Psalm 72; Romans 15: 4- 13; Matthew 3: 1- 12
Early Christmas Market & Craft Fair
Very many thanks to those who helped organise and support this event. A tremendous £1775 was made on the day, which will go a long way in helping our general funds. Well done, all!
At the time of writing we are seeking someone to co-ordinate our fairs next year- if you are interested in learning more about how you might help with this, please contact Mthr Lucy.
Introduction to Contemplative Prayer
Following the success and interest in contemplative prayer Mthr Lucy will lead a repeat introduction to contemplative prayer using the meditation technique of World Community for Christian Meditation (www.wccm.org). “Meditation is a universal spiritual wisdom and a practice found at the core of all the great religious traditions. It is not a complicated or essentially difficult practice. It is a way of simplicity, silence and stillness.” Those who participated in the introduction are welcome to repeat the course, and it is open to beginners too. The final introduction session be on Monday 28th November, at 14:00 in St Andrew’s Chapel, St Thomas à Becket’s, Pagham.
Prayer Diary
To work alongside the new version of Pews News there will be a yearly prayer diary to be taken home and used in your daily prayers, this will be ready for collection shortly.
Advent Unwrapped
Did you join us for the Good Friday Workshop in April? On the 3rd December, along with the Aldwick Mothers’ union Christmas gathering, St Richard’s are hosting a similar event for children (of all ages!) and their families, which members of our community are helping with. Advent Unwrapped will combine arts and crafts, including wreath making; and a chance to enjoy refreshments and even a singsong with friends. Join us in the Mosse Hall, Saturday 3rd December, 14:00- 1600. Friends of all ages are welcome- so do spread the word to your family and neighbours. Refreshments provided throughout.
Easyfundraising
Did you know St Thomas a Becket’s Church – Pagham is registered with #easyfundraising, which means over 7,000 brands will now donate to us for FREE every time you use #easyfundraising to shop with them. These donations will help SO MUCH, so please sign up to support us – it’s completely FREE and doesn’t take long.
https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/paghamchurch/?utm_campaign=raise-more&utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=rm-gs-f1.
Friends of Pagham Parish Church fundraising Family Quiz
The annual Christmas quiz is available for £2 at church, or from Alison Blenkinsop, 261131/07784 544981. Every entry has a chance to win a prize! Closing date is 8th January, and winners’ names will be drawn after the morning service on 15th January.
Festive Charity Concert in aid of South Bersted Church’s Christians Against Poverty project and Bognor Regis Foodbank. Saturday 3rd December, doors open 19:00. Tickets free, donations taken on the night. Music from Bognor Regis City Band and Regis Jazz band. Tickets and more details via Southbersted.org.uk.
Foodbank Project Manager Position
The Foodbank is seeking to appoint a new project manager from the start of 2023. If you would like more details about this, please contact Mthr Lucy, or see the notice on the board in the church porch.
Chichester Diocesan Pilgrimage to the Holy Land 6th – 13th February 2023, led by The Ven Dr Edward Dowler, Archdeacon of Hastings
Flying to Tel Aviv, the pilgrimage will take us to the Galilee region and then to the city of Jerusalem. The Pilgrimage takes in the key sites associated with Jesus’s birth, death, resurrection and earthly ministry, and also have the opportunity to visit Qumran and the Dead Sea.
This is the experience of the lifetime: the opportunity to draw close to Christ, to understand the
Scriptures in a new light, and to have an enjoyable and interesting time in varied and beautiful
places. Further information, including a full itinerary and cost is available on the diocesan website. If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact Archdeacon Edward directly: archhastings@chichester.anglican.org or Mthr Lucy who will be assisting on this pilgrimage.
Urgently needed this week: 1Ltr UHT Fruit Juice, UHT milk, Pasta Sauce, Rice Pudding, Tinned Fruit, Tinned Custard, Tinned meat, Jams/ spreads, Instant Mashed Potato, Pasta.
Items for the next pew sheet should be with Mthr Lucy no later than Wednesday 17:00.