Welcome to our weekly newsletter for the benefice. If you would like to be notified by email each week, please sign up using the form at the bottom of this page.
If you have any items for next week’s notices, please send them to manager@StGilesStMargarets.org by Wednesday.
Pew Sheets
The pew sheets for our services on Christmas Day, including the readings, prayers and music details, are available to download below:
Sunday 5 January
The Epiphany (transferred)
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – St Margaret’s Parish Eucharist at Phil & Jim School (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, Common Worship)
6.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Next Sunday (12 January):
The Baptism of Christ
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – St Margaret’s Parish Eucharist at Phil & Jim School (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, Common Worship)
6.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
Parish News
2025 Youth Pilgrimage
This year we are excited to announce that we will be taking our Benefice Youth Pilgrimage to St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire. We will be taking the train together through South Wales and staying in a beautiful Youth Hostel that has been booked just for us. The dates for this adventure are 4th-8th August. Please talk to Eva, Lucy, Claire or Siân for more details. All welcome (as long as you are in school/college Years 8 – 13!!)
BachStreet’s back!
The BachStreet Boys – former St Giles’ Choral Scholars Harry Gant and Roshan Hall and colleagues – return to St Giles’ on Friday 10 January at 7:30pm. Our young a capella group of choralists perform works for unaccompanied voices before they go back to their studies at University.
Jazz at St Giles’: A Child’s Christmas
The next (non-sold out) Jazz at St Giles’ concert is Saturday 11th January 7:30pm: A Child’s Christmas, an evening of Jazz inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem.
New electoral roll for 2025
In 2025, all Church of England parishes wipe their electoral rolls blank, and everyone who wants to be on one needs to apply or re-apply. Both St Giles’ and St Margaret’s are starting the process a little early, from today.
If you’re not sure what an electoral roll is or why you should be on it – or if you do know and just want to re-apply – use the buttons below:
Benefice Magazine
The latest issue of the Benefice Magazine is now out: please download it using the button below. If you would like to have a look at a paper copy there will be a handful in each church, but to save paper do browse digitally or leaf through the paper copies in church and return them!
Phil & Jim Parking
We do not have access to the school car park on a Sunday morning, unfortunately, so please park respectfully on the nearby streets.
Help out at St Margaret’s
St Margaret’s could do with a few more people to do readings, lead intercessions and help with after service refreshments, now that we are having our “own” services again. Any level of commitment is appreciated, even offering to take a slot just once or twice a year is welcome – and of course you can swap dates or be replaced should your plans change! Please send details of your availability for January and February 2025 – or any questions you might have – to Frances Bagnall-Oakeley. A big thank you to all those who have already been in touch!
Little Fishes
Little Fishes will resume on Friday 10 January (still at the Vicarage while the church is closed).
Browser Extension to Raise Money
Raise a free donation for St Margaret’s Church, Oxford when you shop online via #easyfundraising. Add the extension to your browser and whenever you shop online with one of 7,500+ easyfundraising’s partners they will make a donation to us! This includes Tesco, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, Argos, Trainline and more! If you’re not supporting us on easyfundraising yet, now’s the perfect time to get involved.
Diocesan News
Winter issue of Pathways is here
The latest issue of Pathways, the Diocesan magazine, is out now – you can pick up a paper copy from church or download it from the Diocesan website below:
Community News
Tea & Talks
This series of Tea & Talks at the St Margaret’s Institute continues on Wednesday 8th January at 1:30pm with a talk on Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath from Marion Turner, the university’s Tolkien professor and authority on Chaucer. Tickets are £2 on the door.