The next week in the St Faith’s community

Sunday 1st December

8.00am Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion

9.30am Parish Eucharist

11.00am Sundays@11 with Holy Communion

6.00pm Evening Prayer

Monday 2nd December

8.00pm General Election Hustings

Tuesday 3rd December

9.30am Rainbow Toddlers

Thursday 5th December

11.30am Eucharist

2.00pm Cuppa & Company

Friday 6th December

2.00pm Interment of Joan Kirk’s ashes

4.00pm Memorial Service for Vera Taylor

Saturday 7th December

Live Nativity Rehearsal and Preparations

Sunday 8th December

10.00am – 2.00pm Live Nativity 5.00pm Advent Communion Service

Morning and Evening Prayer are said in the church most weekdays at

8.30am and 5.00pm. Everyone is welcome.

House groups meet during the week for prayer, discussion, friendship and

Bible study. For more information, please speak to one of the clergy.

Welcome to St Faith’s! If you are a visitor, we hope you enjoy your time with us. If

you would like to know more about St Faith’s, please fill in a

Welcome Card which is found on the desk near the entrance to the church.

Weekly Notes

1st December 2019

Advent Sunday

StFaith’sLee

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Christmas Dates for your diary Sunday 15th December, 5.00pm Mince Pies and Mulled Wine before

the Carol Service

Sunday 15th December, 6.00pm Carol Service

Christmas Eve, 3pm Crib Service

Christmas Eve, 4.30pm Christingle service

Tuesday 24th December, 11.00pm Midnight Mass

Christmas Day, 8.00am Communion Service (BCP)

10.00am Christmas Family Service

Next Sunday: Special Advent Service at 5pm Since the Live Nativity is taking place on the morning of Sunday 8th Decem-

ber, we will be holding a special Advent Communion Service at 5.00pm.

This will be the only service at St Faith’s that day.

The service will a reflective service thinking about the themes of Advent, and

as the Live Nativity will have taken place earlier, there won’t be any Junior

Church groups at the service.

Traidcraft Stall There is a Traidcraft Stall after today’s Parish Eucharist, with the final stall for 2019

being on Sunday 15th December. The stall

will resume on Sunday 12th January, 2020. Thank you for your continuing

support and if you would like to know more about Traidcraft please contact

Cecily Parkinson on 023 9255 2717.

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FaithWorks There are still copies of our newsletter to the parish,

FaithWorks, which need to be distributed. If you usually

distribute FaithWorks to roads in Lee, please take your

copies, and distribute as soon as possible.

There are still many roads which do not have named

deliverers - if you can, please take some and distribute in

the next week. Thank you.

LEE CHORAL SOCIETY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Saturday 14th December 7.30pm in St Faith’s Church

‘In Winter’s Arms’ Hadyn - Little Organ Mass Chilcott - Wenceslas

plus other seasonal items Carols with audience participation

Tickets: £10.00 available from LCS members, in the Church Office (Monday to Friday) 10.00am-12.30pm), on the door, or by calling 023 9311 3534

Live Nativity help

still needed! People to help set up on

Saturday 7th December (10.00am to 2.00pm)

People to run the Gifts Stall and

the Raffle. Sign up on the welcome

table in the church.

BABY NEEDED……..Does any-

body knows anyone with pre-crawling baby who would be able to do a

shift as Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus?

Lots and lots of wonderful cakes, buns and other tasty items for the cake

stall. Cakes can be delivered to the church on the day, or the day before.

Any items for the Bric-a-Brac stall can be left on the tables at the back of

the church.

Items for the New Gifts stall should be handed in to the church office.

For further information please contact Mary Kells on 01329 556151, or email

mary.kells@stfaithslee.org.uk

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This Advent Jan Beer, or Ann Leonard, will be contributing an Advent Reflection for

each of the Sundays in Advent. This Reflection is by Jan Beer.

Advent Reflections The First Week of Advent: ‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’

In this week’s reflection for Advent, we will be looking at the Advent carol,

‘O come, O come, Emmanuel’, as well as making reference to Matthew

chapter 24.36-44.

In the first verse of the carol we are sending out an invitation asking

Emmanuel - Jesus - ‘God with us’, to come to us. If we sent out an invitation

in an earthly context, we would probably already be making preparations for

our visitor – planning meals, tidying up the house, perhaps thinking of others

who might like to meet our guest. Of course, in this kind of situation, we

would be setting the date and time so that we could be prepared for our guest’s arrival. But, Jesus tells us in Matthew’s Gospel Ch 24 vs 36, ‘about

that day and hour no one knows’.

We don’t know when Jesus will come again, so we need to be prepared. We

can’t just say, ‘I’ll get ready to meet Jesus some time but not yet’. In our

ministry, Michael and I have helped many people to have an experience of

Jesus’s and God’s special love for them. Many, we are grateful to say, have

grown over the years in their Christian faith, long after we moved on.

However, it is always with great sadness to hear of other folk who have lost

their way and returned to a life where God seems to have been forgotten.

Maybe you know of friends or family who have also let the world and its

distractions take over their lives? Perhaps, in your prayers this week, you

could bring them to God and ask that, through the power of his Holy Spirit,

he might speak to them and draw them back into his loving arms.

For ourselves, we might pray for wisdom to re-examine our own lives and

see how we can be better prepared for the coming of Emmanuel.

Archbishop Anthony Bloom wrote in his book ‘Living Prayer’, ‘If Christ was

here, before us, and we stood completely transparent to his gaze, in mind as well

as body, we would feel reverence, the fear of God, adoration or else perhaps terror

but we should not be so easy in our behaviour as we are.’ p12.

As we think about this quote, we might ask ourselves, ‘If Jesus stood beside

me now, how might I feel? What changes might need to take place in my

life?’

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When we ask someone to come to see us, we often have expectations for

that visit. We’ll look forward to rekindling friendship, sharing stories and

receiving from our friends as well as giving to them. I wonder what we

expect from Jesus when he comes. In the carol, we ask him to free us ‘from

Satan’s tyranny’, to help us turn away from all that is evil – even the ‘little

evils’. We acknowledge that it is Jesus who can ‘cheer our spirits’ and make

the way to heaven clear as we continue life’s journey.

So, asking Jesus to come to us can only be positive. He is the guest who will

be our wisest counsellor, our cheerful and uplifting friend, and our constant

guide through all of life’s ups and downs.

This week you might like to use this prayer, or write your own, as you re-

flect on the coming of Jesus, Emmanuel.

Lord Jesus, Emmanuel, come into our hearts this week. Come with your wisdom to guide our thoughts,

Come with your love to heal our wounds,

Come with your Spirit to warm our hearts,

Come with your forgiveness to cleanse us and revive us,

Come to us with open arms as we bring ourselves to you. Amen.

------------------------------------------------------------

Reminder about changing

collection practices TODAY

at St Faith’s From today collection bags will no longer be

passed around at the 8.00am BCP Holy Com-

munion and 9.30am Parish Eucharist services. You will still be able to give

using cash at these services, but you will need to put your donation in the

collection plate as you arrive.

However, we encourage everyone to give to the church via

Standing Order or the Parish Giving Scheme. These are much easier

for our volunteers to administer, and help us to plan better for the future. If

you don’t give, using these routes, please will you consider doing

so?

Information on giving to St Faith’s via Standing Order and the Parish Giving

Scheme is available on the notice stand in the South Porch.

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For your prayers during the next week

Collect for Advent Sunday

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness

and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life,

in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;

that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty

to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal;

through him who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Those who are unwell: Martin Over, Sue Harrap, Margaret Parker, David

Almond, Matthew Beer, Sheila Hester, Val Channing, Angela McGrath, Peter

Garratt and Karina Green.

Those who have died: Dudley Williams and Beatrice Beard

Anniversaries of death: William Mills, Ron Dimmer and Gladys Wilcox (1st); Peter Lover (2nd); Eric Batten (3rd) Martin Adams, Pat Jones and Betty

Head (4th); Roger Hurley and Norah Drew (7th)

Lord our God, we thank you for letting hosannas rise from people's hearts

and for letting us cry out to you all the more fervently in dark times. Help us,

O Almighty God, and help your king, Jesus Christ, to his final victory. For he

shall be victor, bringing grace, peace, life, and victory for all that is good, on

earth as in heaven. He shall be victor at all times in our lives, enabling us to

keep faith in trouble, fear, and need, yes, even in death. Hosanna to the

victor, Jesus Christ, the victor you have chosen! O Almighty God, proclaim

him on earth. Let all the people know he is on his way, to the glory of your

name. Amen.

***********************************************

Positive Parenting Course: Are you able to offer help? As part of serving our community, we are planning to run a 6-week course

from Friday mornings from 31st January for parents of pre-schoolers. We

would like to run a crèche during the course, so that parents with young chil-

dren can attend. For this, of course, we need some people to help run a

crèche.

If you would be able to help with a crèche for some, or all of the 6 weeks,

please speak to Becca Chamberlain, call her on 023 9200 6184, or email

families@stfaithslee.org.uk. Course dates: 31st Jan, 7th & 28th Feb, 6th, 13th &

20th March.

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Sunday 1st December - Advent Sunday 8.00am Book of Common Prayer Holy Communion

A traditional communion service using the 1662 order of service

President: Trevor Reader Assistant: Ann Conington Collect: Page 87

9.30am Parish Eucharist

A formal choral service of Holy Communion

President: Paul Chamberlain Deacon: Mary Kells

Preacher: Ann Leonard Intercessions: Ann Dent

Epistle: Romans 13:11- end Barbara Hawkins

Gospel: Matthew 24:36-44 June Witham

Chalice: Margaret Hunt, Pam Rigg, Cliff Rook and Mary Bucks

Hymns: Hymns are on the screen, or in the hymn book.

Before the service: Zion hears the watchmen’s voices J S Bach

Processional: 38 Hark, a thrilling voice is sounding

Candle Lighting: Page 14 in the Order of Service

Offertory: 42 Longing for light, we wait for darkness

Communion: 37 Hark what a sound, and too divine for hearing

Final hymn: 45 O come, O come, Emmanuel

11.00am Sundays@11

A service for all ages, with a music group, various media, and activities for adults

and children.

Leader: Paul Chamberlain Preacher: Paul Chamberlain

Songs : Great is the darkness; We are waiting; Light of the world;

There is a Redeemer; Lo! he Comes

6.00pm Evening Prayer

A traditional reflective service with music and a sermon. Hymns are in the hymn

book.

Officiant: Ian Hamilton

Hymn: 54 Wake, O wake! With tidings thrilling

Psalm: 9

1st Reading: Isaiah 52:1-12 June Witham 2nd Reading: Matthew 24:15-28 June Witham

Homily: Ian Hamilton

Hymn: 57 Ye servants of the Lord

Intercessions: John Herklots

Hymn: 51 The Lord will come and not be slow

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Church Bulson Hall Lowry Room

Sun

1st

Dec

8.00 Holy Communion

9.30 Parish Eucharist

11.00 Sundays@11 with

Holy Communion

6.00pm Evening Prayer

Refreshments

Traidcraft Stall

11.15 Sundays@11

9.00 Choir

11.15 Sundays@11

Mon

2nd

Dec

8.00 Silent Prayer

8.30 Morning Prayer

5.00pm Evening Prayer

3.45pm - 4.45pm Live

Nativity rehearsal

9.30-12.30pm Lunch

Club

5.15-5.45pm Zumba

Gold

6.15-7.15pm Yoga

8.00pm General Election

Hustings

10.00-11.00 Pilates

1.30-2.30pm Clinical

Pilates

6.15-7.15 Zumba

8.00-9.00pm Dance

Fitness

Tue

3rd

Dec

8.00 Silent Prayer

8.30 Morning Prayer

5.00pm Evening Prayer

9.30-11.15 Rainbow

Toddlers

1.30-3.45pm Pilates

6.15-7.15pm Yoga

9.30-10.30 Zumba

5.30-7.00pm Brownies

Wed

4th

Dec

8.00 Silent Prayer

8.30 Morning Prayer

5.00pm Evening Prayer

7.30-9.15pm Lee Choral

Society

9.30-12.00pm Business

Women’s Networking

Group

1.00-3.00pm Weight

Watchers

7.00-10.00pm Private

Party

9.30-12.30pm Lee

Bridge Group

5.15-6.15 Clinical Pilates

7.30-8.30 Zumba

Thu

5th

Dec

8.00 Silent Prayer

8.30 Morning Prayer

11.30 Eucharist

5.00pm Evening Prayer

9.30-10.30 Yoga

2.00-3.00pm Cuppa &

Company

5.30-6.30 pm Yoga & Pilates

10.00-1.00pm Lowry Art

Group

1.30-3.30pm Flower Team

7.00-8.00pm Zumba

Fri

6th

Dec

8.00 Silent Prayer

8.30 Morning Prayer

2.00pm Interment of Joan

Kirk’s ashes 4.00pm Memorial Service for

Vear Taylor

5.00pm Evening Prayer

1.00-2.00pm Zumba Gold

5.00-7.00pm Private Party

10.00-11.00 Jiggy Wrigglers

2.00-4.00pm Knit & Natter

6.30-9.00pm Choir

Sat

7th

Dec

9.00 Preparation for the Live

Nativity

9.30-10.30 Zumba

11.00 Preparation for Live

Nativity

9.00 Preparation for the

Live Nativity

Sun

8th

Dec

10.00-2.00pm Live Nativity 5.00pm Advent

Communion Service

10.00-2.00pm Live Nativity

10.00-2.00pm Live Nativity

In the Church and Parish Centre 1st December – 8th December