The Parish of Ockbrook & Borrowash
Dear Everyone, please find some useful information below:
Love in a Box: The collection date for the shoeboxes is w/c 25th November so boxes can be left in either church up to and including Sunday 24th November.
PCC news:
Outward Giving: The PCC allocates up to 10% of the annual income received directly from the congregation to local, national, and international beneficiaries. We would now like to allocate the money at the Jan 14th PCC meeting. If you wish to nominate recipients, please let Martin or Tim know asap, including information about each organisation and/or a website link.
Giving in Faith (GiF): The PCC agreed we should have a GiF initiative sometime in the Spring of 2025. (Leading up to 2020 – the first Covid Lockdowns – we had an annual Giving in Faith initiative, highlighting how financial giving to the local church is part of Christian discipleship, and offering details of our current income and expenditure, how we spend the money we receive and a forecast of what we will need for the coming year).
Tim’s Sabbatical: Tim informed the PCC that the bishop has awarded him a sabbatical, from 1st May to 31st July 2025. He has also some pre-booked holiday, so will effectively be back from 1st September. More details regarding this will follow in the new year.
2025 AGM: Please note this will now be on Sunday April 27th beginning at 11.15am in All Saints’.
Along with our usual Christmas services this year there will be a few different services and events that will be happening, that as a church community we hope you will support, encourage others to attend, and pray for. Below are the dates and times of the special service, and please see the attached sheet for more details, and our website www.oandbparish.com
Advent Sunday – 1st December
Morning Service 9.15am St Stephens/Christingle 11am All Saints’
Blue Christmas – 8th December 4pm All Saints’
9 Lessons & Carols – 15th December 6pm (with the community choir).
Christmas Eve – 24th December
Christingle 3pm St Stephen’s (especially for under-5s)
Christingle 6pm Stephen’s
Midnight Communion 11.15pm All Saints’
Christmas Day – December 25th
Christmas Celebration 10am All Saints’
Christmas Café with Santa – Saturday 14th December – 2pm – 4pm
For this event we need the following:
- Cake donations. There is a list by the kitchen hatch in All saints’ on which you can put your name and the cake you are bringing. Alternatively if you email me, I will put your details on the list.
- Tombola items: chocolate, unwanted/old (unused) Christmas gifts, biscuits, chocolate Christmas decorations etc. If you can offer help with these, please let Janet Hoban know asap, on (01332 668800).
Christingle Carols Round the Tree – December 24th 3pm & December 24th 6pm
If you are able to donate mince pies for the carols by candlelight service, please bring them to All Saints’ on the morning of Sunday December 15th.
Advent Quiet Day 2025: This will be (in either St Stephen’s or All Saints’) on Sat. 30th Nov. 10am – 2pm. We will explore some different ways of reading the bible, with silence, reflection, meditation, and Holy Communion. Please let Tim know asap if you are coming and no later than Sunday 17th November.
Christingles: After 25 years coordinating the creation of the Christingles for the December 4ALL service, Sheila Exley has now stood down. We owe her a great debt of thanks. Peter, Jenny & Jamie Wallace will coordinate this year. If you are able to come along and help, please be at All Saints’ on Saturday 30th November from 3pm.
Leading Intercessions training: Sun 22nd Dec 11.30 – 12.15 in St Stephen’s following the joint Holy Communion service. This is open for all those who are currently on the rota and for those who wish to explore how they might lead the prayers in our worship services. We are hoping to recruit more prayers to lead the intercessions at both St Stephen’s and All Saints’. Please let Tim know asap if you are coming.
With love in Christ and ongoing prayer, Tim.
If there’s any further updates throughout the month of November 2024 we will inform through our E-List and update the website in the News section accordingly
November 26th, 2024
