Shoebox Appeal 2025Thank you to all who built a shoebox last year in 2024. Operation Christmas Child shoe box appeal sent 11.9 million shoe boxes to over 100 countries where children are victims of war, disease, poverty and famine. Your gifts are greatly valued.'You never know how God is going to use that box. They go by plane, they go by riverboat, they go by motorbikes - these shoeboxes go to children in some of the most isolated areas of the world.' Franklin Graham (President, Samaritans' Purse).If you wish to take part again by donating or filling a shoebox, St Giles' once again will be offering flat-pack boxes to fill, or you can donate and build a shoe box online. Boxes can be collected from the foyer whenever church is open.Please return your boxes to St Giles on:Thursday 13th Nov 09.30 - 12.00Friday 14th Nov 09.30 - 12.00Saturday 15th Nov 09.30 - 12.00
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Vicar Geoff – 16th October 2025Listening for the still small voice of GodOne of my favourite hymns is ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’, mainly because of the last few lines of the 4th verse, which go … speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire, O still small voice of calm, O still small voice of calm!We all live such busy, complicated and noisy lives, yet our God who created the heavens and the earth, does not usually speak in a loud booming voice, but in a still small voice of calm. Yes, there are occasions where He makes his voice known to all, such as when Jesus is baptised and God speaks out,17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)God enjoys that intimate one to one with each of us. Sometimes that can be in prayer, other times when we least expect to hear from Him. But that should not be considered unusual. If we know and love God, I believe He wants to be communicating with us regularly and often. He wants us to hear from Him. But are we listening?We need to be ready and open to hear from God, as part of our ongoing relationship with Him through Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can prepare ourselves to do this by setting ourselves a part to listen to Him in prayer. I was recently at Ripon Cathedral when I heard God speak clearly into my life, at a time when I really needed to hear from Him. I was struggling and hurting, and He brought a word of life, encouragement and comfort.When did you last set time apart to ear from God? You don’t need to go away on retreat or sit in a church building in silence; you simply need to be open to hearing His voice. Why not give it a go? Tell God you are listening and then hear Him speak.Pray for … The ceasefire in Israel and Palestine to hold For peace to be achieved in the Ukraine The coming together of the ABC & AAA Churches and Villages to form a Mission and Ministry Unit The appointment of God’s person as our Children, Youth and Families WorkerGive thanks for …. Our new Licenced Lay Ministers President Trump in his negotiations for a peace deal God’s provision to meet our every need Our new Archdeacon of York,
The ABC churches seek to appoint a Children, Youth and Families worker.An exciting opportunity is available for the right person to join our team, working with children, young people and families across the 7 ABC villages, placing them at the heart of our vision.We are offering a contract for three years initially. For more information about this opportunity and an application form please email vicar@abc-churches.org or telephone 07980 569450. The deadline for applications is 5 p.m. on Friday 17th October 2025. Interviews will be held on the afternoon of Tuesday 21st October 2025, at St Giles Church Copmanthorpe YO23 3SE.
