NEWS & VIEWS

Today on the Sunday next before Advent (the 34th and last Sunday in Ordinary time) we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the Universal King. The Gospel tells of the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus, one of whom, admitting both his guilt and our Lord’s innocence, asks ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’. Jesus replies, ‘today you will be with me in Paradise.’ This gives us hope and assurance that even though we are sinners, Christ is merciful, and when turn to him in faith and love, he forgives us and welcomes us into his Kingdom.

CHRIST THE KING is today, the last Sunday of the Church’s year, and we celebrate Christ’s universal kingship with this beautiful festival. Mass will conclude with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

ADDITIONAL CURATES SOCIETY There will be a raffle after Mass today - tickets £1 each from Hilary Hardwick - in aid of the ACS, which helps fund assistant priests in less well-off parishes. ACS has helped St Mary’s in the past and we hope may do so again in the future.

BUT IT'S NOT YET CHRISTMAS ... ADVENT QUIET DAY

On Thursday 1 December, from 10am to 4pm, Fr Chris Burke, Archdeacon of Barking, will lead an exploration of Advent as a season for hope, commitment and transformation, building on some of the traditional Advent themes, at the Diocesan House of Retreat in Pleshey (CM3 1HA). The cost is £28 or £42 including lunch and you will need to arrange your own transport. Book by this Thursday at tinyurl.com/advent-retreat.

ADVENT AT ST MARY’S Next Sunday the season of Advent begins. This is the period in the church year when we prepare for the great festival of Christmas and the scriptures and liturgical themes turn to thinking about the end times, when Christ will come again (the second Advent) to restore all things and take his people to himself in the Kingdom prepared for us. On Thursdays, during our weekly Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Seminarian Marcel Firth will be leading us in special devotions based on the themes of waiting, expecting and hoping.

Q&A SESSION WITH BISHOP OF CHELMSFORD On Thursday 1 December Bishop Guli will be at the Redbridge Deanery Synod at St Paul’s Goodmayes, and, after a short act of worship at 8pm, will answer questions. Light refreshments will follow. All are welcome to come and meet our bishop.

WELCOMERS We are looking for a small team of people to become welcomers at Mass on Sundays. This is an important ministry of hospitality, but something sadly lost during pandemic. It involves being in church 15 minutes before Mass every 3 or 4 weeks and available to welcome those coming into church by handing out the service sheets, assisting those who are new and being generally warm and friendly! We need to get this together urgently, so please speak to Fr Gareth ASAP.

PASTORAL CARE COURSE The first of two courses leading to accreditation as an Authorised Pastoral Assistant, suitable for all involved in caring informally for others and who wish to develop and grow their pastoral skills / role. The sessions will be on Saturdays in January to April 2023. More details from Diane Hardy - dhardy@chelmsford.anglican.org / 01245 294449 or Hazel Kempton - hkempton@chelmsford.anglican.org / 01245 294456.

QUIZ NIGHT Many thanks to all who came to our quiz night last night. We hope you had a great time, enjoyed the food and (assuming you didn't win) didn’t mind not winning. Congratulations to the victors, and special thanks to quizmaster Fr John Brown of St Luke’s and all who worked to make the occasion happen.

PARISH SHARE Please take home with you and read the leaflet explaining the new Parish Share system for the diocese if you didn’t pick one up last week. Every parish in the diocese is expected to pay a Parish Share contribution, and the leaflet explains what the money is used for. Next year St Mary’s is being asked to pay a Parish Share of £50,000, which is in fact one of the lower amounts being asked of the parishes in in this area. Nevertheless, it represents our largest single annual expenditure, which we pay in monthly instalments.

CHURCH FINANCES We rely on the people who worship at St Mary’s to cover the costs associated with our church. Financial giving to fund the ministry of the Church is part of being a Christian and an essential part of our commitment to our faith. Please, if you don’t already, would you consider committing to giving a regular amount each month using our parish giving plan? No amount is too small, and you can give anonymously. We are really struggling to make ends meet! Please take a look at the leaflet in today's pew sheet about how to set this up. It’s really easy, but if you need help, please ask Margaret Quinney, who will be pleased to give some guidance.

INTERCESSION

OF YOUR CHARITY, PLEASE PRAY FOR

the sick, distressed and bereaved

John & Joan Cassidy, Richard Holland, Lucy Ball, Amberly Crediton, Christine Taylor, Kathy Valentine, Margaret Harding, Mel Taylor, Bernard Street, Muriel Masters, Fr Oliver Coss, Keith Holland, Helen Johnson, Joe & Sally Cox, Kay Higgins, Peter Decker, the Noory family, John & Joy Bewick; Barbara Hope

the recently departed

Graham Buche, Crispin CR priest, Hosney

those whose anniversaries of death fall this week

Monday

Horace Landon priest, Daisy Monk

Tuesday

Sylvia Martin

Wednesday

Amelia Sharpe, Jack Forge, Walter Taylor

Thursday

Margaret Cushing

Friday

Jessie Bonner

Saturday

Blanche Forge, Adam Semjan,
Frank Martin, Lois Martin, Margaret Ogilvie

please pray especially for

Peace in Ukraine

ORDER OF SERVICE