| 08:00 | Buckland
Holy Communion (Said 1662) | | 10:00 | Longworth
Holy Communion (Common Worship) | | 10:00 | Pusey
Holy Communion (Common Worship) | | 11:15 | Lyford
Holy Communion (1662 sung) | | 18:00 | Littleworth
Evening Worship CW | | 10:00 | Longworth
Palm Sunday Procession & CW service | | 18:00 | Charney Bassett
Evening Worship CW | | 12:00 | Longworth
Benefice Communion followed by lunch | | 12:00 | Charney Bassett
Benefice Communion followed by lunch | | 17:30 | Lyford
Holy Communion (Said 1662) | | 19:30 | Buckland
Maundy Thursday Agape | | 12:00 | Charney Bassett
An Hour Before The Cross | | 14:00 | Pusey
An Hour Before The Cross | | | |
| » | Buckland
St Mary the Virgin
| | » | Charney Bassett
St Peter
| | » | Faringdon
All Saints'
| | » | Hinton Waldrist
St Margaret of Antioch
| | » | Littleworth
Church of the Holy Ascension
| | » | Longworth
St Mary's
| | » | Lyford
Grange Barn
| | » | Lyford
St Mary's
| | » | Pusey
All Saints' Church
|
|
 |
The United Benefice of Cherbury with Gainfield was set up in late 2003. It is part of the Deanery of The Vale of the White Horse, in the Achdeanery of Berkshire within the Diocese of Oxford. The Benefice consists of seven churches: Longworth, Hinton Waldrist, Buckland and Littleworth situated along the A420 from Oxford to Faringdon and Charney Bassett, Lyford and Pusey lying to the south of the A420.
The Benefice is currently in an Interregnum awaiting the post of Rector to be filled. The Associate Priest is the Revd Joy Hance living with her husband Nick in the Vicarage at Buckland. Services are also taken by Meg Terry, the Licenced Lay Minister and Tony and Sue Wales who are also licenced to distribute Communion by Extension (Sue) and preacher (Tony).
Daily Prayer may be found on:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/dailyprayer
| | | The Churchwardens are delighted to announce that the Revd Neal Phair has accepted the appointment as Rector of our Benefice. Neal is at present serving as Chaplain of the Dublin Institute of Technology, having previously been Rector of a group of rural parishes. His date of induction will be announced as soon as it has been agreed.
Please pray for him and his wife Lucy and baby daughter Emily, as they prepare for their move to the Benefice. | | Jeremy Twynam has been elected Lay Chairman of the Deanery Synod. Further details concerning this appointment will be posted as soon as possible. | When you read this the Church will be in the season of Lent. Part of the philosophy behind giving up things for Lent is fasting. Fasting is not the same as dieting though. Its purpose is to clarify the mind and direct the will and enable us to meet with God. For the Jews of the Old Testament fasting was associated with particular occasions. It meant going without food and drink for a period of time, not merely refraining from certain foods. It was directed towards securing help and guidance from God. So they would fast when in mourning, before a great undertaking, after humiliation in battle, for intercession, in time of danger, and at times of repentance.
However the act of fasting needs protection against the implications of magic, masochism and the search for exaggerated self-denial and also from the idea that fasting will automatically gain the faster a hearing from God. The Old Testament prophet Isaiah declares strongly against this. Fasting by itself and without right behaviour is in vain. Isaiah's words from God are revolutionary: fasting is meaningless if our behaviour towards one another is restrictive and oppressive. Rather than doing without he wants us to be active in social justice. During the siege of Jerusalem the Hebrew slaves had been released only to be reclaimed by their masters. So God tells them to loose these chains of injustice, and to set the oppressed free. They are to care for others. Instead of going without food they are to share it. They are to offer shelter, clothing, and to treat their own relatives with respect. If they do all this then God will redeem them and good things will come to them. So it is not so much about giving something up but taking something on. All our Lenten fasting and giving-ups are futile if they are not accompanied with some action on our part.
A modern translation of this passage from Isaiah reads like this. God says: "This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I'm interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families. Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage. Then when you pray, God will answer. You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am.'" (Isaiah 58:6-12 The Message)
So this Lent we could take something on. We could pray for those who are oppressed, we could pray for them every day during Lent. We could actively seek out someone we know to be in need and give them something of ours. Or get involved in the organisations that campaign for a better world. Perhaps instead of giving it up, why not buy chocolate from fair trade companies? Each one of us can decide for ourselves what is the fasting God requires of us this Lent and then we can enjoy the promised rewards.
With best wishes Joy Hance
| All children are invited to this special Children's service at St Mary's Church, Longworth,
on Friday 2nd April at 10 am. There will be singing, storytelling, activities and hot cross buns.
More information from Joy Hance 01367 870618 | You are all invited to these Benefice services during Holy Week as an opportunity to remember the things that happened to Jesus after his entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday until his Resurrection which we celebrate on Easter Day
Mon 29 March 12.00 Longworth Holy Communion followed by lunch.
Tues 30 March 12.00 Charney Bassett Holy Communion followed by lunch.
Thurs 1 April 7.30 Lyford Holy Communion 1662
Thurs 1 April 7.30 Buckland Agape*
Fri 2 April 10.00 Longworth Children's Good Friday Service
Fri 2 April 12.00 Charney Bassett An Hour before the Cross.
Fri 2 April 2.00 Pusey An Hour before the Cross
*Agape is an informal service re-telling the story of the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples.
Please see Weekly Notice Sheet for more details. |  UNITED BENEFICE OF CHERBURY WITH GAINFIELD
In addition to the Lent Course on Prayer which Bishop John Pritchard is leading on Thursday evenings in Faringdon there will also be a Set of Five Bible Studies on St John's Gospel by Paula Clifford and Bishop John Pritchard SCHEDULED ON DIFFERENT DAYS AND TIMES. See Diary page for details.
The studies are designed to explore the five components of the Oxford Diocese's Living Faith vision. They are based on Sustaining the Sacred Centre, Making Disciples, Making a Difference in Society, Creating Vibrant Christian Communities and Shaping Confident, Collaborative Leadership.
You are invited to either or both of these two courses during Lent.
More information from Joy Hance 01367 870618.
|  Often we think about Lent as a time for giving things up - but that's not really its primary purpose. I like to think of Lent as a time for growth - growth in faith, growth in depth, growth in understanding.
Lent can be a good time to think about our priorities - what are the things that really matter - and giving our attention to these things. I wonder what our priorities would be?
Our new Bishop of Oxford, Bishop John Pritchard, has set a very clear priority at present, and that is the priority of PRAYER - or as he puts it - "Sustaining the sacred centre". He wants to encourage us to "deepen our enjoyment of God, and to recognise God's presence in everyday life".
Is he right - is this really a priority, when we are all so busy and have so much to get done?
I think he is. Prayer is not about achieving something, getting something done - or persuading God to do something! It is above all about altering the whole way we look at life. It transforms our attitude to life, and makes us see the whole of life differently - a bit like the change from an overcast day to a day full of sunlight.
Bishop John is coming to All Saints Faringdon in March to lead four evenings on "Making Prayer Real":'
Thurs 11th March - 19.45 -Praying through the day
Thurs 18th March - 19.45 - Stretching out prayers
Thurs 25th March - 19.45 - When the well runs dry
Plenty of Parking available in local Car Parks only. To assist with transport, most local Churches will be providing transport - apply to your Wardens for further information. All the churches in Faringdon and in the nearby villages in the Vale are involved and are supporting this - and members of any church - or none! - are very welcome to join us.
It would be helpful to on behalf of Churches together in Faringdon & Deanery of the Vale of White Horse have a rough idea of numbers, so if you are expecting to come, could you please either phone our Church Administrator on 07824-757757, or sign a list if one is provided in your church. But do come anyway, whether you've done so or not! |  The Parish Profile is now available to download.
To read this document via a large PDF file, click on 'Parish Profile'. It covers concise and up to date information on the Benefice of Cherbury with Gainfield and each of the seven parishes within the Benefice.
WARNING - the download file is just over 5mb and may take a few minutes to download! | | | Christian Aid - Longworth Branch
Life and Death Matters
GIVING IS ALSO WHAT WE DO
RWMT Minibus
Church Choir, Gainfield
The Tesco Free Bus Service
The Village Diner
| | click here to read these news articles. |
|
|
| 14:00 | LENT COURSES 2010
The Vicarage in Buckland | | 20:00 | APCM
St Peter's Church, Charney Bassett | | 12:15 | The VILLAGE DINER
The Memorial Hall, Buckland | | 19:30 | Whist Drive
Reading Room, Littleworth | | 19:45 | BISHOP JOHN COMES TO Faringdon
All Saints' Church, Faringdon | | 19:30 | Benefice Fellowship Group
The Lamb and Flag, Longworth | | 19:30 | Blaenavon Male Voice Choir
St Mary's Church, Buckland | | 14:00 | LENT COURSES 2010
The Vicarage in Buckland | | 19:45 | BISHOP JOHN COMES TO Faringdon
All Saints' Church, Faringdon | | 10:00 | Spring 'Bring & Buy' Sale & Coffee Morning
Charney Bassett Village Hall | | 10:30 | Coffee Morning
The Vicarage, Buckland | | 08:30 | Men's Breakfast
Carswell Country Club | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | 09:00 | Christian Aid Week
Throughout the Benefice | | | |
| click here for more events. |
|
