If you’re reading this before Sunday morning, please remember that the clocks change this weekend!This weekend’s Bible readings: Psalm 119:9-16 (p 617) and Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 (p 1005)Service of memories 4th November: Our annual service of memories will be held in St Mary’s on 4th November at 3.00 pm. This is the service where we invite any who have been bereaved to gather to worship, to remember, to reflect, to light a candle if they so wish. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served after the service.Archdeacon Janet’s visits: Archdeacon Janet will be visiting our benefice several times over the next weeks, as she continues her programme of ‘getting to know you’ visits to parishes. This week, she will preach at Sacombe on Tuesday and lead collective worship at Little Munden School. Next Sunday, she will preach at our 8.00 and 10.30 services in St Mary’s and All Saints. On 8th, she will attend our PCC meetings and on 12th she will take part in our Remembrance Day service in St Mary’s. Please make her welcome!November coffee mornings and sales: Both of our November events are approaching. FOSM’s coffee morning will be on 18th November, 10 - 12 and Sacombe’s will be on 25th, 10.30 – 12.30. Please support these if you can.Advent service: Our annual service of readings and music for Advent will take place on Sunday 3rd December at 6.00 pm in St Mary’s. Advent can sometimes get a bit lost, as Christmas hurtles towards us in December; please join us if you can to reflect on this time of waiting and anticipation as we hear the ancient prophecies and listen to the benefice choir as they lead our worship.Operation Christmas Child: If you’d like to contribute to the OCC shoeboxes for children in areas of need, you can do so by wrapping and filling a shoebox yourself (Lizzy will give you a list of what’s allowed) or by donating boxes, wrapping paper or any of the things that will go into one, or, indeed, money for the travel costs. Right now, there are 87 filled boxes in Lizzy’s living room, but she is running short of small soft toys (please check any charity shops you pass!), soap and toothbrushes.Website - changes: Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform.The benefice page can be reached via this link: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice/32-240BF/. The forward from https://ubsms.org.uk should point to that page.Services for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services:29th October 10.30am Bible Sunday Morning worship, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints5th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning worship, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints12th November 9.30am Morning worship, All Saints10.45am Remembrance service, St Mary's3.00pm Act of Remembrance, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints19th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy communion, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints26th November 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's6.00pm All Saints@6, All SaintsPlease note our usual 4th Sunday Choral Evensong service won’t happen in November, as 3rd December is Advent Sunday and we will have our Advent service of music and readings at 6.00 pm that day.3rd December 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning worship, All Saints6.00pm Advent carols service, St Mary's
Welcome to Hugo and Oscar: This morning we welcome Hugo and Oscar, who will be baptised during the service. Please pray for the boys, their parents and God-parents as they take this important step.This weekend’s Bible readings: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (p 1186)Basma’s cookery evening postponed: The demonstration of Levantine cookery, planned for 21st October has been postponed. We hope to be able to reschedule for early in 2024.Pop up shop: The next pop up shop will be at the 10.30am family service at St Mary's this weekend. There are lots of fairly traded and ethically sourced products, including this month the popular Advent calendars and also Christmas cards. As usual, all profits go to our local Buntingford Food Support charity. If there is something you would like Marion to order for you please let her know.Choral Evensong, Sunday 22nd October, 6pm: The last chance this year to experience a beautiful service that can give respite during our busy lives. The choir will sing 'If ye love me', written by Tallis in 1565. The anthem is 'Ubi Caritas', (where charity and love are, God is there), written by Gjeilo in 1999. There will be hymns for all to join in with. The service lasts about an hour.Instead of Choral Evensong next month, our benefice choir will lead our Advent service of music and readings on 3rd December. Please see the note at the end of the service list.Midweek Music at St Mary's, 25th October: This month's concert, entitled Nostalgia, will be on Wednesday, 25th October at 12.30 and will be given by a vocal group called the Courtyard Quartet. Refreshments are served from 11.30 so bring some friends and have a get together over a coffee. Free entry, donations welcome. Do come and join us if you can.Mothers’ Union 25th October: The next meeting of Braughing with Standon Mothers' Union will be on Wednesday at 2.30pm in the Old Boys School Braughing. There will be a talk ‘From Jordan with Love’ by Basma Chitham. Everyone is invited to this meeting. Please ring Ann on 01920 821674 for more information.Service of memories 4th November: Our annual service of memories will be held in St Mary’s on 4th November at 3.00 pm. This is the service where we invite any who have been bereaved to gather to worship, to remember, to reflect, to light a candle if they so wish. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments will be served after the service.Lunchtime concerts series – thank you: Thank you to all who were involved in or supported our recent lunchtime concerts in St Mary’s. The three Saturdays raised £1,650.Operation Christmas Child: Lizzy is now wrapping and filling shoe boxes with stationery, toiletries and toys to be sent with Samaritan’s Purse to parts of the world where the children who will receive them have no prospect of receiving any other Christmas gift. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by wrapping and filling a shoebox yourself (Lizzy will give you a list of what’s allowed) or by donating boxes, wrapping paper or any of the things that will go into one. If you’d rather donate money so that Lizzy can use it to buy things she is missing for boxes, or to pay for the travel costs, cash can be given to her or Caroline, or you can transfer it to the Standon PCC bank account (details at the end of this notice sheet) with the reference "OCC". Last year we sent around 150 boxes. This year’s boxes will go about mid-November (and Lizzy will start on next year’s!)Lighting issue in St Mary’s: We are still waiting to hear back from the manufacturer about the fault with our lighting switch panel, but until we can get it sorted, the visitors’ lights switch (in the porch, just outside the big doors) has been altered so that it puts on all the lights. Please use that one if you need lights on.Website - changes: Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform.Some people have been having difficulty reaching the benefice page. It can be reached via this link: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice/32-240BF/. The forward from https://ubsms.org.uk has been updated to point to that new page.Services for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services:22nd October 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's6.00pm Choral evensong, St Mary's29th October 10.30am Bible Sunday Morning worship, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints5th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning worship, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints12th November 9.30am Morning worship, All Saints10.45am Remembrance service, St Mary's3.00pm Act of Remembrance, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints19th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy communion, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints26th November 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints
This weekend’s Bible readings: John 15:1-4 (p 1083)Next week’s notices: Next week, this sheet will be going out early, as Caroline will be away at the weekend.If you have anything to be included, please let Caroline have it by Wednesday evening. Thank you.Basma’s cookery evening: Basma will be hosting another demonstration of Levantine cookery, followed by supper, in the Memorial Hall, Dane End, at 7.00 pm on 21st October. Tickets are sold out, but Basma plans another of these evenings for some time in 2024, to help raise funds for Little Munden, so if you’ve been unlucky this time, ask to be put on the list for that one!Pop up shop: The next pop up shop will be on Sunday 22nd October at the 10.30am family service at St Mary's. There are lots of fairly traded and ethically sourced products, including this month the popular Advent calendars and also Christmas cards. As usual, all profits go to our local Buntingford Food Support charity. If there is something you would like Marion to order for you please let her know.‘4th Sunday’ Sunday lunch: Heather’s next Sunday lunch will be on Sunday 22nd October at 12.30 at Whitehill Golf course near Dane End. There are only 12 spaces so please let her know as soon as possible if you would like to go. 07909 065550.Operation Christmas Child: The time has come again! Lizzy’s attic has been emptied and her sitting room has been converted into this year’s ‘Santa’s Grotto’ as she wraps and fills shoe boxes with stationery, toiletries and toys to be sent with Samaritan’s Purse to parts of the world where the children who will receive them have no prospect of receiving any other Christmas gift. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by wrapping and filling a shoebox yourself (Lizzy will give you a list of what’s allowed) or by donating boxes, wrapping paper or any of the things that will go into one. If you’d rather donate money so that Lizzy can use it to buy things she is missing for boxes, or to pay for the travel costs, cash can be given to her or Caroline, or you can transfer it to the Standon PCC bank account (details at the end of this notice sheet) with the reference "OCC". Last year we sent around 150 boxes. This year’s boxes will go about mid-November (and Lizzy will start on next year’s!)Giving in St Mary’s: You may have spotted that gift aid envelopes have reappeared in St Mary’s. We can claim gift aid on cash donations in the collection bags, but only up to a certain amount and last year Standon exceeded that amount. If you’re making a cash donation (in church or at one of our events) and you are a tax payer, it would be helpful if you would complete a GA envelope, please. If you’ve signed an ongoing gift aid declaration, just your name on the envelope will enable us to allocate the donation to your existing declaration. That will mean that we will claim more gift aid on the amount of cash given by non-tax-payers. Thank you for helping us maximise the amount we can recover from HMRC.This isn’t an issue at present for our other two churches, who haven’t reached the limit and are able to claim tax back on all the cash donations they receive.Lighting issue in St Mary’s: Since the electricians switched off the power in St Mary’s recently the panel of buttons to control the lights hasn’t been working. We are in contact with the manufacturer, who is working on it, but until we can get it sorted, the visitors’ lights switch (in the porch, just outside the big doors) has been altered so that it puts on all the lights. Please use that one if you need lights on.Aegean cruise & stay ‘In the Wake of St. Paul’: Our friend and frequent visitor, Revd Nigel Bennett of St Jude Southsea will be leading a cruise to the Aegean between 3rd and 13th October 2024. Specially invited guests include Pam Rhodes from BBCTV’s Songs of Praise, Paul Jones, Fiona Hendley-Jones and Revd Dr Peter Walker. John has more details; please ask him if you’d like to know more.Website - changes: Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The ACNY platform has been/is rolling out a number of changes to improve their site so that benefice information doesn’t need to be duplicated for each church. Please bear with us as we work to populate the new pages.Some people have been having difficulty reaching the benefice page. It can be reached via this link: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice/32-240BF/. The forward from https://ubsms.org.uk has been updated to point to that new page.Services for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services:15th October 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy communion, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints22nd October 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's6.00pm Choral evensong, St Mary's29th October 10.30am Bible Sunday Morning worship, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints5th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning worship, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints12th November 9.30am Morning worship, All Saints10.45am Remembrance service, St Mary's3.00pm Act of Remembrance, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints19th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy communion, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints
This weekend’s Bible readings: Psalm 80:7-15 (p 593) and Matthew 21:33-46 (p 990)Lunchtime concert season: Our lunchtime concert season in St Mary’s has started! Thank you to all who have supported the first two concerts. The final one is on Saturday next, 14th October when the performers will be Flute Cocktail, directed by Wendy Walshe.A soup and cheese lunch is served from 12.00 onwards, with concerts taking place at 12.30. As usual, we ask for £5 to cover lunch, and there will be a retiring collection for the Friends of St Mary’s.Knit & Natter group: If you like knitting or crocheting, come and join us for a couple of hours in the Sargant room at the back of Standon village hall at 2pm, usually on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Tea & cakes will be available. The next meeting will be on Thursday 12th October 2023. For more information please contact Marion T on 01920 745683.Basma’s cookery evening: Basma will be hosting another demonstration of Levantine cookery, followed by supper, in the Memorial Hall, Dane End, at 7.00 pm on 21st October. Tickets are almost sold out, but fear not! Basma plans another of these evenings for some time in 2024, to help raise funds for Little Munden, so if you’re unlucky this time, ask to be put on the list for that one!‘4th Sunday’ Sunday lunch: Heather’s next Sunday lunch will be on Sunday 22nd October at 12.30 at Whitehill Golf course near Dane End. There are only 12 spaces so please let her know as soon as possible if you would like to go. 07909 065550.Operation Christmas Child: The time has come again! Lizzy’s attic has been emptied and her sitting room has been converted into this year’s ‘Santa’s Grotto’ as she fills wrapped shoe boxes with stationery, toiletries and toys to be sent with Samaritan’s Purse to parts of the world where the children who will receive them have no prospect of receiving any other Christmas gift. If you’d like to contribute, you can do so by wrapping and filling a shoebox yourself (Lizzy will give you a list of what’s allowed) or by donating any of the things that will go into a box. If you’d rather donate money so that Lizzy can use it to buy things she is missing for boxes, or to pay for the travel costs, cash can be given to her or Caroline, or you can transfer it to the Standon PCC bank account (details at the end of this notice sheet) with the reference "OCC". Last year we sent around 150 boxes. This year’s boxes will go about mid-November (and Lizzy will start on next year’s!)Giving in St Mary’s: You may have spotted that gift aid envelopes have reappeared in St Mary’s. We can claim gift aid on cash donations in the collection bags, but only up to a certain amount and last year Standon exceeded that amount. If you’re making a cash donation (in church or at one of our events) and you are a tax payer, it would be helpful if you would complete a GA envelope, please. If you’ve signed an ongoing gift aid declaration, just your name on the envelope will enable us to allocate the donation to your existing declaration. That will mean that we will claim more gift aid on the amount of cash given by non-tax-payers. Thank you for helping us maximise the amount we can recover from HMRC.This isn’t an issue at present for our other two churches, who haven’t reached the limit and are able to claim tax back on all the cash donations they receive.Lighting issue in St Mary’s: Since the electricians switched off the power in St Mary’s recently the panel of buttons to control the lights hasn’t been working. We are in contact with the manufacturer, who is working on it, but until we can get it sorted, the visitors’ lights switch (in the porch, just outside the big doors) has been altered so that it puts on all the lights. Please use that one if you need lights on.Aegean cruise & stay ‘In the Wake of St. Paul’: Our friend and frequent visitor, Revd Nigel Bennett of St Jude Southsea will be leading a cruise to the Aegean between 3rd and 13th October 2024. Specially invited guests include Pam Rhodes from BBCTV’s Songs of Praise, Paul Jones, Fiona Hendley-Jones and Revd Dr Peter Walker. John has more details; please ask him if you’d like to know more.Website - changes: Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The ACNY platform has been/is rolling out a number of changes to improve their site so that benefice information doesn’t need to be duplicated for each church. Please bear with us as we work to populate the new pages.Some people have been having difficulty reaching the benefice page. It can be reached via this link: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/benefice/32-240BF/. The forward from https://ubsms.org.uk has been updated to point to that new page.Services for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services:8th October 10.30am Holy communion, St Mary's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints15th October 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy communion, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints22nd October 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's6.00pm Choral evensong, St Mary's29th October 10.30am Bible Sunday Morning worship, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints5th November 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning worship, All Saints6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints12th November 9.30am Morning worship, All Saints10.45am Remembrance service, St Mary's3.00pm Act of Remembrance, St Catherine's6.00pm All Saints@6, All Saints
