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Subject: News from the University Church

Harvest gifts

by Dr Sarah Mortimer

Harvest festival always catches me by surprise. By October the blackberries at the end of the garden are a distant memory, and supermarkets make it all too easy to forget the yearly variations of our food. But to mark harvest festival is not only to remind ourselves of the changing seasons and our dependence upon a fragile natural world. Our human harvests are not only of food and produce, important as they are, but also of our work and creativity, of blossoming friendships, of all the ways in which human beings grow and flourish in the world. Harvest-time is an invitation to remember all the good things that we receive from God and from each other, not only physical sustenance, but friendship, love, and all the fruits of creativity, human and divine.

Yet no harvest is ever the work of our hands alone, and this season brings home to us how far we rely upon others, in cycles and systems of interdependence that can be so easily obscured. And it challenges us to reflect on what those systems really look like, and how far our own choices and actions confirm or challenge the practices they promote. Where the world so often prefers efficiency and individual gain, our harvest service gives a glimpse of an alternative model, of gift and community. At harvest we give thanks and praise for God’s gifts, and we commit to sharing them with each other. As a sign of that commitment, food items and clothing can be brought for the Gatehouse (details in the notice below). For through our worship and our offering we set all that we have within God’s kingdom, where God’s abundant creation can be enjoyed by all.

OXFORD HALF MARATHON - THIS SUNDAY

This is to remind you that the Oxford half marathon takes place on Sunday 13^th October 2024. Please click here to see the planned road closures.

This Sunday

8.30am Holy Eucharist - Chancel
Preacher: The Revd Naomi Gardom

10.30am Choral Eucharist - Nave

Preacher: The Revd Naomi Gardom

12noon Sunday Forum - Old Library

3.30pm Choral Evensong - Chancel

This Week

Monday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

Tuesday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

12.45 Canterbury Student Lunch - Old Library

Wednesday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

11.15 Coffee & Doughnuts - Adam de Brome chapel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

Thursday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

13.00 Lunchtime Recital - Nave

Friday

9.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel

12.15 Eucharist - Chancel

12.45 Bible Study - Old Library

Upcoming Services

Special Events

HARVEST COLLECTION -THIS SUNDAY 13TH OCTOBER

There will be a retiring cash collection for Christian Aid’s Gaza Crisis Appeal. To donate online: www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/gaza-appeal. We are also supporting the Gatehouse with donations of goods. The Gatehouse offers a wide range of free services and activities to adults who are homeless, vulnerably housed, on low or no income or simply looking for company and community at their drop-in community centre in Woodstock Road. Find out more: www.oxfordgatehouse.org

SUNDAY FORUM – 12.00 NOON THIS SUNDAY 13TH OCTOBER

We live in a city where lack of access to good food contributes to a 13-year life expectancy gap between Jericho and Blackbird Leys, and in an overheating world on the brink of global food crisis. But every time we gather in church to share bread and wine with strangers and friends, Jesus gives us a vision of a new table fellowship, and a way to live out His risen life. Join us for the first Sunday Forum of the term this Harvest as Chris Leckey helps us to consider how reconnecting with our Lord’s Supper as supper can help the Church in Oxford to live out her eucharistic vocation into food justice for all.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DEATH 5.00PM SUNDAY 20 OCTOBER

Join four eminent historians in the Old Library for a discussion of how attitudes to death and dying have changed through the centuries and across cultures. We will discuss what changing attitudes towards death say about our own values today.

VOLUNTEER FAIR - 3 NOVEMBER - CHANCEL

We are currently looking to increase the number of volunteers who assist with our ministry of hospitality, particularly during the summer months. Volunteering roles range from being a welcomer, to offering brief tours to visitors as a guide, to helping with the maintenance and small conservation projects, as well as flower-arranging and helping to make the church look welcoming and beautiful. Volunteers enjoy a supportive environment with great colleagues. Training is provided and we make every effort to ensure that volunteers work in a safe and secure environment. If you are interested in volunteering and joining our training programme this autumn, please contact Ana-Maria Niculcea, the Volunteer Coordinator: ana-maria.niculcea@universitychurch.ox.ac.uk or why not attend our volunteering fair on Sunday 3 November at 11.45am in the Chancel.

Upcoming Events

Care for Creation - October

Contribute to wildlife conservation. Clean bird feeders to prevent diseases spreading to winter migrants. Install a nest box well before breeding season to provide a cosy retreat for small birds during cold winter nights. Prepare to support more birds next year, with more tips at arocha.org.uk/give-abird-a-home. As you observe the local birds reflect on this verse, ‘I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine.’ Psalm 50:11

From: https://arocha.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ARUK-Eco-Tips-Calendar-2024.pdf

www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk

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Subject: News from the University Church