Bowland Benefice Pews News 23 November 2025 Collect for Christ the King Eternal Father, whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven that he might rule over all things as Lord and King: keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace, and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. This week in the Benefice Saturday 22 November 10.30am Coffee Morning in The Parish Room, White Ladies Aston with Fair Trade items for sale Sunday 23 November 9.30am Holy Communion in White Ladies Aston 10.30am Hymns and a Prayer in Upton Snodsbury 11.00am Holy Communion in Peopleton Thursday 27 November 1.30pm Saxon Christmases in the Parish Room, White Ladies Aston Sunday 30 November 1 st Sunday in Advent 10.30am Benefice Holy Communion in Broughton Hackett We once again welcome Revd Alma Organ and her husband Robin to the Communion Services in White Ladies Aston and Peopleton this morning. The weather may be wintry but they are assured of a very warm welcome! The talk in The Parish Room on Thursday at 1.30pm will be given by Paul Harding from Discover History. Cost £3 to include tea/coffee and biscuits. Next Sunday, 30 November is the beginning of Advent and it will be celebrated with a Benefice Service of Holy Communion in St Leonard’s, Broughton Hackett. Please do come along and support Revd Claire and the St Leonard’s loyal band of supporters and mark the beginning of this important church season together. The theme for this Sunday is Christ the King – so what’s it all about? In the Church of England, Christ the King Sunday reminds us of and celebrates Jesus's supreme authority over all creation – He is there to unite all of Creation with God the Father; it acknowledges Jesus’s reign as an ever-present reality in believers' lives and He epitomises the only future hope for the world. Christ the King Sunday is the culmination of the liturgical year before the season of Advent begins. It is there as a very stark reminder to contrast the disastrous mess our earthly kingdoms are in with Jesus’s heavenly rule of love, justice, and sacrifice. It was the Roman Catholic Pope Pius XI’s brainchild and he instituted this special Sunday in 1925. It emphasised the true kingship of Christ after all the horrors and upheavals resulting from the First World War which saw the end of all four major monarchies in mainland Europe. It was instituted to respond to the rise of atheism and secularization across the world at that time. Lord, thank you for being a different kind of King. Thank you for your goodness and kindness in our lives. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for your Kingdom that is unlike any Kingdom in this world. Amen. In the era of The Book of Common Prayer – which a lot of us grew up with – the last Sunday in the liturgical year was always known as Stir-up Sunday – a tradition grew up, dating back to the Victorian era as it became the day when families would gather and ‘stir’ their homemade Christmas pudding before steaming it, five weeks before Christmas. Any Archers fans will know that Jill Archer would always try and get her grandchildren together to stir the pudding mix! Why stir up? Because of the opening words of the Collect set in the Book of Common Prayer Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A Plea…….Could let me know of all the events happening across the Benefice between now and the end of 2025 so that I can include them in our Pews News and let people know what is going on. I don’t want to miss a thing! Please email me on [email protected] Come thou long expected Jesus, born to set your people free!