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Getting closer and closer

We are looking forward to the usual fun and action packed afternoon that is the annul Parish Fete. Do come along and enjoy.

You can also sign up for the fundraising quiz night on Sat 7th June at the link below!   Thank you !

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddmyP3fxEBVa6grPJ-mGqoJthLzx3a0UBBwkktx7fHzkGLOA/viewform

Below is the message from Felicity announcing the appointment of our new Team Vicar, Oliver Harrison, who will be joining us in September. But if you want to know more about him “in his own words” just go to Our New Team Vicar

Dear Friends,

It is a great joy to announce that we have been able to appoint someone to join our clergy team as Team Vicar.

The Rev’d Oliver Harrison is currently vicar of Wilnecote in Tamworth (NE of Birmingham). As an experienced incumbent he has done a lot of work in schools and is passionate about children’s work. The interview panel was unanimous in wishing to appoint him and we are really looking forward to Oliver and his wife Jessica joining us. They also have two adult daughters.

Oliver has a lot to bring to the team and is a real people-person. He loves motorbikes and fly fishing too – and I guarantee he will make us all laugh!

There are no dates for arrival or licensing as yet but it is normal to give three months’ notice and then have a time of transition, so we are not planning a licensing in the near future.

This was announced in St Mary’s at our joint service on 23rd March and also in Holy Trinity Wilnecote.

Please pray for the parish of Holy Trinity Wilnecote as they prepare to say goodbye, and for Oliver, Jessica and their daughters.

A big thank you to everyone who helped with a very busy and complex interview day – it was a great team effort.

With every blessing

Felicity

Make sure you’ve got the date booked in your diary as it’s going to be a really great day.

We will be holding our monthly Joint Parish Communion service at 10am in St Mary’s Kidlington. After the service, as well as the usual tea and coffee, there will be a Cake/Bake Sale organised to raise funds towards the Away Weekend for our young people coming up this October. The weekend is a chance to encourage our young people in their faith journeys, to continue to build friendships, and to make memories together. This year some of the costs have gone up (with inflation), so they are fundraising to help pay for the weekend, making it more manageable for families. Please do support them (and advance notice that they are also organising a Parish Quiz in St John’s on Saturday 7th June).

And this will be followed by a Church Family Party, from 12noon to 4pm – read all about it below

WE REGRET THAT OUR THIRD PLANNED TEA TALK, SUNDAY 9TH MARCH, HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

PLEASE ACCEPT OUR APOLOGIES.

The second of our annual series of Winter Tea Talks was on Sunday 9th February, 3pm in St John’s. Our speaker, Professor Dermot O’Hare talked on “Chemistry for Tomorrow’s World”.

The first talk in the series was given in January by our friend – Professor William Whyte, who is a Fellow of St John’s College, Oxford and an architectural historian, specialising in churches and universities. His talk was entitled “The accidental university – a short(ish) history of Oxford“.

The parish electoral roll is a register of the lay members of the parish who are entitled to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). FOR 2025 A NEW ELECTORAL ROLL WILL NEED TO BE PREPARED INSTEAD OF THE USUAL REVISION. So we need everyone who wants to “have a say” in running our parish to complete a new form. You can find out more and download an application form here.

As we continue through the Epiphany season, Paul Charles and Penny Pedley will be leading three sessions reflecting on the Magi, their preparation, their journey and what they found. These will take place in St Mary’s Refectory from 2.30pm to 3.30pm on Mondays as follows:

27th January, Noticing – How the Magi noticed the star and recognised its meaning. How does this resonate for our experience of growing in relationship with God?

3rd February, Journeying – A long tiring journey with many uncertainties. They lost their way, made mistakes and had to wait for the sign. How does this resonate with our ‘journeys’ with God?

10th February, Finding God in unexpected places – The Magi recognised Jesus despite not finding him in the place they might have expected. They returned home by another route. What are our experiences of finding God in unexpected places? How have they changed us?

All are welcome. Each will be stand-alone if you can’t make all of them.