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A Generous Church
We are fortunate at the University Church in having so many committed volunteers who give generously of their time and skills. In addition to the Church Wardens and PCC, it is the invaluable contributions of all our welcomers, stewards, readers, intercessors, servers, flower arrangers, coffee makers, Sunday school teachers, those who provide the parish lunches, the Grapevine team and others which make our parish the flourishing and outward looking community that it is. To those who fulfil these vital roles, I want to take this opportunity to extend my particular thanks. This Sunday, after the 10.30am Choral Eucharist, there will be an opportunity to find out more about volunteering opportunities at St Mary’s and in the wider community. There will be stalls in the Chancel will lots of information available, so please feel free to browse while you are enjoying refreshments after the service. This is a chance for you to get involved!
I also want to thank you for your financial support of the parish. Our tourist and business enterprises mean that the fabric of our buildings is well maintained and your regular giving allows us to budget sensibly for the whole range of ministries and activities of the parish through the course of the year. Moreover, if you pay income tax, the Gift Aid Scheme allows us to claim tax on anything you may give. We have just updated our website and this means that we have also been able to introduce online giving by Direct Debit (which offers the security of the Direct Debit Guarantee). For further information, please follow this link to our new website: https://www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk/content/ways-giving.
For those who wish to give by other means, there will be an information pack available at the back of church for you to collect this Sunday. It is important to emphasise that our contributions help to subsidise poorer parishes within the Diocese, and the Parochial Church Council has recently made a commitment to support the parish of Littlemore, originally part of our parish. Our support will enable the church in Littlemore to serve the needs of that community, and to be a sign of welcome and hospitality for all.
The Church of England continues to maintain a visible presence in every single community in the country, providing ministry, education, care and service to literally millions of people. All of this has been made possible by the generosity of parishes up and down the country. On average, a member of the Church of England gives £14.96 per week to support this ministry. It is your giving which can make all the difference.
Thank you for everything you contribute in terms of your time, your gifts, your money, and your prayers.
GO before us, O Lord, in all our doings, with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy Holy Name, and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Revd Dr William Lamb Vicar |
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The Week Ahead
This Sunday
Sunday 14 October The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
10:30 Choral Eucharist with University Sermon
Preacher: The Very Revd Professor Martyn Percy 12:00 Volunteer Fair - Chancel
15:30 Choral Evensong - Chancel
Next Week
Monday, Teresa of Avila, 1582 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel 12.15 Eucharist - Chancel
19:45 Moot: The God of Evolution? - Old Library
Tuesday Ridley and Latimer, 1555 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel 18:00 Book Club - The Mitre
Wednesday Ignatius, c107 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel 17:00 Poetry Workshop - Old Library 19:30 #millennials: Social Media - Old Library
Thursday Luke
09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel 12:45 Lunchtime Bible Study - Old Library
21:00 Sung Compline - Chancel
Friday Henry Martyn, 1812 09.00 Morning Prayer - Chancel
12.15 Eucharist - Chancel 18:15 Choral Evensong - Queen's College
Saturday 18:15 Choral Evensong - New College
Next Sunday
Sunday 21 October The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity
10:30 Choral Eucharist with University Sermon
Preacher: Imam Monawar Hussain MBE DL 12:00 The Gospel and the Gospels: Matthew - Old Library
15:30 Contemplative Evensong with Healing Ministries - Chancel
17:45 Choral Evensong - Corpus Christi College Preacher: Esther Brazil |
| | | Moot On Monday 15 October, Dr Bethany Sollereder will explore the problem of animal suffering in nature and how the implications of evolution can be reconciled with a theological understanding of God as creator. Join us with a discussion in the Old Library, 19:45- 21:00. |
| | Book Club
This week sees the launch of the Short Story Book Club. Each week, we will meet at the Mitre on Tuesdays at 18:00 to read a short story by the Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges. Dr AKMA Adam, who teaches New Testament at St Stephen's House, Oxford, will be joining us at the Mitre to talk about Guayaquill.
Every Tuesday of Term (Tuesday 9 Oct - Tuesday 27 Nov)
18:00 - 19:00
The Mitre
The University Church Book Club meets on Tuesday evenings in term time, and is an informal gathering at which we discuss great literature and get to know each other. This term we will be reading Brodie’s Report, a selection of short stories by the Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. One of the most famous Latin American authors, Borges wrote in a number of genres but he is best known for his short stories.
Each week, we invite a speaker to introduce the story and help us think about the issues which it provokes.
16 Oct Guayaquil (pp. 75-83) AKMA Adam
23 Oct The Interloper (pp. 23-28) Ana-Maria Niculcea
30 Oct Brodie's Report (pp. 91-98) Hugh Pyper
6 Nov TBC Mel Marshall
13 Nov The Elderly Lady (pp. 57-63) Andrew Bennison
20 Nov The Duel (pp. 64-69) Esther Brazil
27 Nov TBC Philip O'Neill |
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| | | #millennials
On Wednesday 17 October at 19:30 in the Old Library, Dr Finola Kerrigan and Dr Lisa Thomas give the first talk, 'Understanding Social Media: Young People, Identity and Chance', presenting an interdisciplinary study of how social media is used by young people transitioning to life at university.
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| | | St Mary's Volunteers Fair After the service on Sunday 14 October, there will be a volunteer fair here at St Mary’s. Many members of St Mary’s congregation are already involved with and support voluntary organisations– e.g. Oxford Food Bank, Gatehouse, Christian Aid, prison visiting, Home Start, Parkinson’s Association, etc. If you have been thinking about volunteering and getting involved in supporting the local community, do stay and find out more. |
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