Here is Tuesday’ s reflection - your daily dose of hope for Holy Week. Click to play.
Hope for Holy Week
Here is Monday’ s reflection - your daily dose of hope for Holy Week. Click to play.
Our aim is to encourage you and help you as we journey towards the Easter celebration. Every day (Monday 29th March - Good Friday 2nd April). there will be a 5 minute thought from one of the Ministry Team.
The Tuesday Evening Prayer zoom services have finished for this year and there is NO Weekday said Morning Prayer this week or Bank Holiday Monday. Find Hope for Holy Week instead - click the play button above.
There is NO Wednesday Evening group this week, so do watch the Daily Hope for Holy Week reflections. The Wednesday group will continue after Easter.
Greetings from Grant.3
Greetings from Grant 2
On Sunday morning, I took the well known opening passage from John’s Gospel and talked about three things:
Through this passage we are welcomed into the story of God personally.
We as the Church are called to be light to the world.
God came to us. To be with us, to be close to us.
There are a wide variety of things that we can do to deepen our relationship with God, even in lockdown. God isn’t limited by social distancing like we are. The crucial thing is that we do something rather than nothing.
Contd…. click link
Greetings from Grant
Greetings from Grant
Dear friends,
Thank you all for the lovely warm welcome we have received as we have joined this community and taken up the responsibility of being the next Vicar of this wonderful benefice. Our house has been adorned with beautiful flowers, we have enjoyed some wonderful meals, cakes and biscuits, plus a good few bottles of bubbles!
Thank you so much.
Latest News from CIRDIC (drop-in for Reading homeless)
CIRDIC update from Lynn Smith
I dropped the donations left at St Stephens to CIRDIC Monday morning and had a catch up and chat with some of the people outside. Apart from the many “regulars” I speak to I’ve noticed over the last few months that there are more younger people who’ve been using the centre – a sad sign of the times – but how wonderful it is that CIRDIC is there.
I asked the centre manager if they had anything (alongside the usual things they need) that they are in particular need of over the next couple of weeks - and they have a special request for :
men’s spray deodorant (not roll on),
men’s underpants,
large disposable paper coffee cups, and
takeaway containers.
Collation : The Revd Grant Fensome to Basildon w Aldworth and Ashampstead
We are delighted that Grant Fensome’s formal Collation as Vicar, Basildon with Aldworth and Ashampstead within Bradfield Deanery, will take place on Tuesday 2 February at 7pm. Bishop Olivia will license him online via Zoom.
Grant does hope that you will be able to join him: it will be wonderful to welcome him formally to the Benefice and rejoice in the start of his incumbency with us in the Benefice..
Christmas Greetings from the Ministry Team
We would like to wish you all a happy, peaceful and above all safe Christmas. We know it is a very different Christmas to the one we were hoping to have – particularly in our churches.
The churchwardens of Aldworth and Ashampstead have felt that in the light of the danger of the mutating virus and Tier 4 restrictions that they should close St Mary’s and St Clement’s for services over Christmas but we are so fortunate in the benefice in having a modern church at Basildon which is more flexible and safe.
So we are delighted that, as well as the many virtual services on offer, we are able to have two 'in-person' services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Please make sure you contact 01491 672442 if you would like to come to these as numbers regrettably have to be restricted.
We do hope we shall see you, either virtually, or in person over the Christmas season – all services and links are listed
You are invited to remember the birth of Jesus in our beautifully decorated church
Carol Service OnLine
We were able to record our Carol service which we held on Sunday 20th - click on the link and you can share with us - the choir of 6 socially distanced members singing carols, other members of the congregation reading, enjoy a lovely recording from St Bartholomew's choir and Henry playing the organ.