January 2020 news

Contents

What's on in January - Services and Events

All items at St Andrew's, North Swindon unless marked otherwise

Sunday 5th January: Ephiphany

10am Children’s Service followed by refreshments and Introduction to Baptism. 
6:30pm Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)

Tuesday 7th January

9.30am Finding the Sacred Space - see Clearing the Clutter in notices below

Wednesday 8th January

11am Coffee, Prayer and chat

Sunday 12th January:  Baptism of Christ

10am Holy Communion
4pm  Church at Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy All age service, starting with refreshments

Wednesday 15th January

1.30pm Get Together at Kingdom Coffee House in Redhouse
7.30pm PCC meeting, 15 Rackham Close

Sunday 19th January:  Epiphany 2

10am Morning Prayer with Sunday school and refreshments
6.30pm  Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at Rodbourne Baptist Church SN2 2PE 

Wednesday 22nd January

11am Coffee, Prayer and chat
6-8pm INGNItE youth group, 15 Rackham Close

Sunday 26th January: Epiphany 3

10am Holy Communion with Sunday School

Sunday 2nd February: Presentation of Christ in the temple

10am Children’s Service followed by refreshments and Introduction to Baptism. 
6:30pm Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

On Sunday 19th January, instead of our evening prayer service at St Andrew’s we will be joining with Christians from across North Swindon to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service is at 6.30pm at Rodbourne Baptist Church, SN2 2PE.  You can join with Christians across the world by using the devotions for each day from 18th-25th January. You’ll find them on our website together with the cycle of prayer for our parish and the Bristol Diocese and the opportunity to request prayer.

Do you want to help St Andrew’s in 2020?

The PCC has various projects planned for next year and really need a few extra people to help. The roles required include:

  • Clearing the Clutter – we are only a small building, but we feel we may be able to use the space better and with more respect. If you would like to look at our building with fresh eyes and make better use of this sacred space come along at 9.30am on Tuesday 7th January or talk to Sally or Karen. 
  • Minute Secretary – you would need to be able to come to PCC once a month on a Wednesday evening and then produce the minutes soon afterwards.  
  • Helping to organise Easter and Summer community events – you would need to have the time and enthusiasm to help liaise with organisations in the community and help to organise these events.
  • Help with raising funds for the church wall – you would need to have the time to fill in some grant applications and help with fundraising ideas and administration.

If you feel this is something you could help with, please speak to Sally or Karen.

Do you want to help the Community in 2020?

School Governors

Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy needs 2 new church-linked school governors. This is a fulfilling role, being a critical friend to the school’s leadership team and learning about what makes the school so special.  Please speak to Sally if you’d like to know more.

Blood Stem Cell Donor Register

Nicola Wheeler is helping to recruit more people for the blood stem cell donor register, to provide lifesaving treatment for those with blood cancer.  Please contact Nicola 07971178638 or visit www.dkms.org.uk for more details.

Do you want to learn in 2020?

There are two opportunities in Swindon Deanery to learn starting in January:

  • Growing Leaders: If you are interested in deepening your understanding of Christian leadership, whether you are a leader at church, work or in a voluntary organisation, please speak to Sally about joining the Growing Leaders course taking place once a month from January to November. It’s mainly on Monday evenings with a couple of Saturdays, starting on 18th January.
  • Exploring Christianity: This course will be running weekly on a Tuesday evening at St John’s Parks. It is for anyone who wants to explore their faith, deepen their commitment and learn with other interested students. It consists of 6 termly modules, each costing £50. Please speak to Karen if you want to know more about the course or book directly by contacting  claire.eade@bristoldiocese.org

Prayer

As well as praying for Christians across Swindon and across the world to be united, please pray that we at St Andrew’s would be clear on how to be Jesus’ body in North Swindon and share his love with our community.


From the Vicar

Looking forward to the New Year

I am old fashioned enough still to use a paper diary and I love this time of year when I haven’t filled in next year’s diary yet and there’s the promise of a quieter period after the wonderful busy-ness of Christmas.  We all need times of activity and of rest in our lives and I hope you will enjoy some relaxation with family and friends over the Christmas and New Year period.

However once January gets started in earnest we will be preparing for the year ahead and as well as the normal Christian festivals we’re planning a couple of community events and opportunities for more people to discover both the beauty of St Andrew’s and the wonder of the Christian message.  Check out the outline calendar for 2020 below.

New year or even new decade, we will continue to be worshipping Jesus at St Andrew’s Church at 10am every Sunday and at 6.30pm twice a month, as well as at Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy.  You can also find some of us chatting over a cup of coffee and praying together at 11am on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month. Please see the What's on section above for details.

May I wish you all a 2020 filled with love, joy and peace.

Sally (see below for contact details)

Around the Parish


What’s going on at St Andrew’s North Swindon and its parish in 2020?

All events subject to change so please keep an eye on our Facebook page or the online news for up-to-date details.
Date


January
Sunday 5th January: Epiphany


Celebrate the Coming of the Wise Men to worship Jesus at our Children’s Service at 10am and Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion at 6.30pm 
February
Sundays 9th and 16thFebruary 

Sunday 23rd February

26th February Ash Wednesday
Services at 10am and 6.30 (on 16th) exploring God’s generosity and our response 
10am Holy Communion for Healing and Wholeness
7.30pm Holy Communion 
March
From 15th March
Symbols of Easter trail around parish
April
5th April Palm Sunday




9th April Maundy Thursday – 

10th Good Friday


12th Easter Sunday

Celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week at our Children’s Service at 10am and Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion at 6.30pm

6.30pm Simple fellowship meal   
7.30pm Communion Service

10am Good Friday Family event 
2pm Last hour meditation

10am Holy Communion 
May
21st Ascension Day
Sunday 24th May

31st Pentecost
7.30pm Holy Communion
10am Holy Communion for Healing and Wholeness
10am Holy Communion and Songs of Praise
June
Saturday 20th June
Community Celebration event
Including Annual barbeque
July



August
Sunday 23rd August


10am Holy Communion for Healing and Wholeness



September
Saturday 12thSeptember

25th-27th September
Ride and Stride – visit historic churches throughout Wiltshire
National Prayer weekend
October
Friday 2nd October
Sunday 4th October 
Harvest Supper
Celebrate Harvest Festival at our Children’s Service at 10am and Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion at 6.30pm
November
Sunday 1st November

Sunday 22nd November

6.30pm All Saints Day Community memorial service
10am Holy Communion for Healing and Wholeness 
December
Friday 25th December Christmas
Details of our Christmas services to follow!

We would love to see your contributions!

Please help with contributions to the online news. You could write about your faith, the church building and history, community events - anything of interest to the parish. Please email contributions to Brian: brian@brianclegg.net

Wider World

Swindon Uganda Deanery Link Newsletter - Winter 2019

Celebrating 50 years of the Bristol Uganda Link

As we hope you know by now, the link between the church in the Bristol Diocese and in Uganda was 50 years old this year and we had a great week of celebration in October.

The AYF choir:
The AYF choir performing at St Michael's, Highworth
  • Stayed in 8 homes in 6 different parishes in Swindon for 5 night
  • Performed for all of years 7 and 8 at Swindon Academy
  • Entertained over 100 people at St Francis School Taw Hill and were welcomed by a choir of children from 4 local Primary Schools
  • Inspired us at a great concert at St Michael’s Highworth.
Everyone who heard them were impressed by their ceaseless energy, great musical ability and particularly their vibrant faith as they mixed singing Christian songs composed by the group with their testimonies.  They then spent a week performing in the rest of the Bristol Diocese.


Bishop Eridard, Mama Jane, Revd Paulson, Revd Canon Frederick at Oliver Tomkins School with the Photo of Bishop Oliver who founded the link 
Bishop Eridard and Mama Jane from Luweero diocese and Revd Canon Frederick and Revd Paulson from Kampala Diocese stayed in Swindon for 10 days.  While here, among other things they
  • Visited 8 Sunday services in 7 benefices
  • Met children in 8 different schools
  • Engaged in discussion with Bishop Viv and Bishop Lee and local church members on a variety of topics.
The Uganda Link team is really grateful to everyone who contributed to making the celebrations a success, by hosting, transporting, welcoming or contributing financially.  We were delighted that as well as paying for the airfares for Bishop Eridard and Mama Jane, Swindon Deanery was able to contribute £1500 to the Ugandan Clergy training fund supported by Bristol Diocese.

Thank you

Where do we go from here?

It’s great to celebrate friendships formed in the past and help and support given, but we were always keen that this anniversary would look forwards as well as back, so what can we do to deepen our links in the coming 50 years?

It’s great to hear of parishes and schools who have already been inspired to get more involved…..
  • St Paul’s Dorcan has revived the link with St Paul’s Kiwuliriza in Kampala, where Revd Paulson assists Revd Canon Helen and have exchanged messages via Podcasts.
  • Stratton Team Ministry is considering how to partner with St Stephen’s Church and School in Kisugu, a suburb of Kampala who are lanunching an ambitious project to provide accommodation for 16 teachers
  • The Benefice of All Saints and St Barnabas and the Parish of St Mary’s Rodbourne Cheney are considering finding suitable church partners to link with.
  • The Deanery CE Academy is hoping to link with a Secondary School in Luweero
  • Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy sent letters of encouragement from year 6 to Nsawo Primary School’s top year group and have received letters in return.


If you have an idea about how you or your church could support the link more, communicate more regularly with our brothers and sisters in Uganda, or visit Kampala and Luweero, please speak to your local rep or contact Sally.

What the link looks like currently



We are linked with Kampala and Luweero Diocese.

Archbishop Stanley Ntagali is also Bishop of Kampala and when he retires in March 2020 he will be replaced by Bishop Stephen Kaziimba.  The Assistant Bishop of Kampala, Bishop Hannington Mutebi has just returned to Kampala after 11 months treatment for Leukemia.

Bishop Eridard Nsubuga, has been Bishop of Luweero since 2015. He and his wife, Jane, head a far more rural diocese, based around the small city of Luweero, about 50 miles north of Kampala.



Churches and Schools in Swindon are linked with the following schools in Luweero Diocese:

  • Balittalwogi Primary and Special Needs School with St John’s Haydon Wick and Haydon Wick Primary School  
  • Bwaziba Primary School with St John’s Haydon Wick and St Francis School, Taw Hill  
  • Katikamu Sebamala Primary School with West Swindon Benefice and Oliver Tomkins School 
  • Nsawo Primary School with Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy
  • Sekamuli Secondary School with St Michael’s Highworth

There are opportunities for more schools and churches to be linked, so please contact Sally if you are interested.

Stop Press!

The AYF Choir will be returning to Swindon and you will be able to hear them again on Wednesday 8th January at 7.30pm at St Barnabas Church, Ferndale Road, Gorse Hill, SN2 1BU. Come along and bring a friend!

A carol for New Year

A beautiful carol by Benjamin Britten to wish you a Happy New Year.

Priest-in-Charge

Reverend Sally Robertson
15 Rackham Close
Tadpole Garden Village
Swindon
SN25 2QT
07588 594410

Parish Office (including Christenings (Baptisms), Banns and Weddings

07588 594410

Churchwarden

Karen Vermeersch 07443 522620

Deputy Churchwardens

Peter Smith
Barry Luffman
Paul Zukiewicz 07778 016843

Hon. Pastoral Assistant

Susan Smith 01793 706970

Parish Safeguarding Officer

Nicola Wilding 07900 016639

Items for Notice Sheet

Helen Allen
helen.allen@nschurch.org.uk

Items for Online News (here)

Church School

Tadpole Farm CE Primary Academy
Greene Street
Tadpole Garden Village
Swindon
SN25 2QS
01793 729740
Headteacher: Mrs Jane Leo

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