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Christmas Eve Services

25th December News and Notices

St Giles Church News and Notices

A weekly on-line update to keep you informed

Friday 15th January 2021

HOPE AND PROMISES

10am with Ali Wagner and Maggie Kelly

Bible Reading: Matthew 11: 25-30

Talk: Come to me and find rest

11am Call to prayer - join us after the morning service to pray

Zoom Meeting ID: 886 0781 8293 Passcode: prayer321

7pm with Ali Wagner and Maggie Kelly

Bible Reading: Matthew 11: 25-30

Talk: Come to me and find rest

7.45-8.15pm Coffee, chat and catch up on Zoom (all welcome) Zoom Meeting ID: 816 7271 1469 Passcode: gather123

JOIN US ONLINE

https://stgilesnorthampton.online.church/

JOIN US ONLINE

https://stgilesnorthampton.online.church/

Families at St Giles are looking at the topic of ’I will give you rest’

The activities and resources have been included in the covering

email to this news sheet.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

The Big Church Read in Northampton

It’s a joy to do things together and we can do just that beginning in February as we read, study

and learn together. Beginning on 1st Feb, we invite you to come

together with other Christians in Northampton in the Big Church

Read. “All things new" is now available to buy from St Andrews at a

bargain price of £7.99+£1 P&P.

Please don’t buy from Amazon or Eden books! St Andrews have

invested in the promotion and publicity and are providing the

recordings and study materials free of charge and have offered this

reduced price to Northampton churches.

Please go to https://thebigchurchread.co.uk/allthingsnew/ where

you can sign up to receive the weekly email, study notes and video links which we will be using

each week. We urge you to put your order in this week so that the book arrives in good time.

COVID/Firebreak

At this time, we have decided not to reopen the church and the centre for public worship and

midweek gatherings and activities. We are continuing to keep the situation under review and

will be discussing it further at the PCC meeting on Monday 18th. Please do pray for that meeting

as the PCC considers various matters relating to church life including COVID, the budget etc.

We rejoice that some of our congregation have already received the vaccine and we pray for

all who are involved in this massive vaccination programme. We urge you to be vaccinated if

you are in one of the priority groups. And please, please pray! If you can, join one of the regular

Call to Prayer sessions as we bring our nation, its citizens our NHS staff and the other so-called

‘heroes’ to God in prayer and intercession.

We urge everyone to be vigilant, to stay safe, to obey the rules and stay at home unless you are

going out for a permitted purpose.

I sought the Lord and he answered me, he delivered me from all my fears. Ps 34v4

2021 News and updates

Staffing at St Giles in 2021

Over the next month, we want to keep you fully informed about St Giles finances and we plan

We wanted to share the news that Maggie has decided to step down from

her staff role as Assistant Minister. Maggie was appointed to this role in 2017

following Peter Scott’s departure and has been involved in a wide range of

ministries including Seniors, Homegroups, Courses, Leadership Development

and 1-1 mentoring.

Maggie is stepping back from the role from 1st Feb to devote more time to

family and to the mentoring and coaching which she has been doing in

recent years. We would like to invite you to contribute to a ‘leaving gift’ in recognition of what

she has done and you can do this by sending cash/cheque to the office marked ‘Maggie

leaving gift’ or use the “My Giving” option in My ChurchSuite. When you select Donate, you

can choose Maggie’s leaving gift from the dropdown menu.

As a licensed Lay Reader, Maggie will continue to be involved in Sunday worship in leading

and speaking. She is not leaving St Giles! David and Alison, Church Wardens

Any items to include in the news sheet must be received by the church office by Thurs 9am.

2021 News and Updates

St Giles Prayer Diary

This week, in our cycle of prayers, we are praying particularly for: Ruth and Izaias, Crime2Christ, Sue and Pete Jefferson

Sunday is 17th January 2021 is being allocated as Well-being Sunday- a

day for looking at how we might enhance our well-being. January can

be a difficult time of year after the excitement of Christmas and New

Year, Christmas bills are coming in, those resolutions may be wearing

thin and the short days, long dark nights, poor weather can reduce our

motivation and energy levels. This year we have additional anxieties

with the prospect of more Lockdowns, more isolation and economic

uncertainty with the impact of both COVID and Brexit.

Recognising and identifying our own personal mental health needs is so

important and thankfully it is becoming easier to talk about more

openly. Being proactive and putting in place positive strategies to

cope is vital for our emotional and mental wellbeing.

If you are struggling, particularly at this time of the year, you are not alone and we encourage

you to seek some help or support. Click here to view our website which has some helpful

resources. Further information and support can also be found here.

If you would like to talk to a member of the pastoral prayer team or need some prayer support,

please do get in touch with the church office and we will forward your name and contact

detail on.

Let’s keep the conversation going about mental health...

Budget and Finances Update

In 2020, our income and expenditure were radically different to

what we budgeted for in November 2019. Our regular income has

reduced by a significant sum each month as a result of the

pandemic and people’s changed circumstances. We had to

cancel our much-trailed 20 for 2020 stewardship campaign and

therefore didn’t receive the ‘boost’ to giving we had hoped for.

Nonetheless due to people’s sacrificial giving and an unexpected legacy gift, we have ended

the year with a small surplus which has been a huge but welcome surprise!!!

As we look forward to 2021 (yes we are looking ‘forward’ with hope and confidence) we have a

projected deficit of at least £40K i.e. the planned expenditure, which includes some very careful

savings, still exceeds our planned income. This is challenging but not beyond us.

In the coming weeks, we’ll share further details of how we can come together and rise to the

challenge. On our website https://stgilesnorthampton.org.uk/giving you can read about different

ways to give and contribute to the ministry and mission here.

St Giles Men

On Tuesday 19th Jan there is the Big Takeaway at

7.30pm. An online event from Christian Vision for

Men aimed at sharing the gospel. The event is

available on Youtube and facebook. Click here

for more information.

On Friday 5th February at 8pm St Giles Men Quiz

Night. Zoom details are on ChurchSuite. No need

to book, just turn up!

You will find more information on ChurchSuite.

Any items to include in the news sheet must be received by the church office by Thurs 9am.

What’s On...

Our Youth and Children’s Groups are changing!

This term we are changing our provision for youth and

children, moving our work back to being on a Sunday. All of

our groups are currently on Zoom. Further details are on

ChurchSuite. For zoom details for any of these groups, please

email Beth: beth@stgilesnorthampton.org.uk

We need two male leaders to help us provide a group for the

boys in our youth group. This group will run for 40 minutes

every Thursday evening. The programme and resources will

be provided. Please contact Beth for more information or if

you are able to help.

MySpace Reception - Year 4 Sunday 3pm

Link Year 5 - Year 8 Sunday 4pm

Youth Church Year 7 - Year 13 Sunday 7pm

Just Girls (Girls only) Year 9 - Year 13 Monday 7pm

Zone (Boys only) Year 7 - Year 13 Thursday 7pm

For parents of under 5s

You and your children are

invited to join in with a short

zoom singing and Bible story

time with Jo on Tuesday

mornings at 11am.

Contact

jo@stgilesnorthampton.org.uk

for the zoom details.

A reminder to come together to pray and call out to God

on Thursday evenings (8-8.45pm) and Sunday mornings

(11am). We can pray for one another, our church, our

nation and its leaders and for the wider world. Both are on

Zoom (Meeting ID: 886 0781 8293 Passcode: prayer321)

There’s no need to sign up. Just sign in and come ready to

contribute.