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Welcome to our weekly benefice newsletter. If you’d like to be notified by email each week, please click or tap here to sign up.
Items for next week’s notices can be sent to vicar@StGilesStMargarets.org by mid-day on Friday. (Please note that, until our new Benefice Manager begins in August, we may take a little longer to respond!)
Worship & Prayer
Sunday 17 May
Seventh Sunday After Easter
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – Parish Eucharist at St Margaret’s (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, Common Worship)
3.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
6.00pm – BCP Evening Prayer at St Margaret’s (said, in the Lady Chapel)
Readings and Collect for 10:30am Services
Seventh Sunday After Easter
O God the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
we beseech you, leave us not comfortless,
but send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us
and exalt us to the place where our Saviour Christ is gone before,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
- First Reading: Acts 1.6–14 (NRSV)
- Psalm:
- Psalm 68.1–10 (BCP Psalter, St Giles’)
- Psalm 68.1–10 (CW Psalter, St Margaret’s)
- Epistle: 1 Peter 4.12–14; 5.6–11 (NRSV)
- Gospel: John 17.1–11 (NRSV)
Next Sunday (24 May):
Pentecost
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – Parish Eucharist at St Margaret’s (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, Common Worship)
3.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
6.00pm – Contemplative Prayer at St Margaret’s (in the Lady Chapel)
Coming up in May…
Monthly “What’s On” leaflet
Download May’s issue below:
Parish News
Try Being a Chorister – at St Giles’ or St Margaret’s!
If you or your child have ever wondered about becoming a chorister, there are some upcoming opportunities to try it out with no obligations!
St Giles’ Choirs are holding our event TOMORROW (Saturday 16 May) at 1:30pm for children aged 6 to 18. Note that you must register for a place for your child, which you can do by simply emailing choir@st-giles-church.org.
St Margaret’s event is for adults and children, and is on Sunday 7 June at 2pm. No registration required, though it would be helpful if you could email choir@stmargaretsoxford.org beforehand to let us know you’re thinking of coming.
Note that both events are free – why not try both to see what each has to offer?
SAMMYs Music and Crafts
St Margaret’s monthly SAMMYs afternoon takes place on TOMORROW (Satuday 16 May) at 2.30pm.
Musical Soiree at St Margaret’s Cancelled
I’m afraid there’s been very little interest in the musical soirée scheduled for Sunday 17 May, so we are going to call it off.
However, there will be a young people’s concert at some point in June or July, on a Sunday morning after the service. Watch this space, and contact Sam if your young person would like to take part. More info coming soon.
Sam Schad
Benefice book group
The next meeting of the benefice book group is on Wednesday 20 May, 7.15pm at St Anne’s; and we are discussing Small Boat, by Vincent Delecroix.
For more information, contact Siân Grønlie (curate@stgilesstmargarets.org)
In memoriam Peter Ward Jones
Last month the funeral service of Peter Ward Jones took place in St Giles’. Four pipes in our new organ – spelling BACH – will be dedicated to Peter. To find out more, or to contribute, please click or tap below:
Phil & Jim School Fête
Phil and Jim School’s Summer Fête takes place on Saturday 6 June from 12-3pm. As usual, St Margaret’s Church will be running the book stall: can you help by either staffing the stall for an hour (or even half-hour), or by donating good quality children’s or adult books that are likely to sell?
Please contact Eva on eva@stmargaretsoxford.org.
Jazz at St Giles’: John Law and Jon Lloyd
The next Jazz at St Giles’ concert is Saturday 20 June at 7:30pm: John Law and Jon Lloyd, who present Jazz Spiritualities: “Naissance”. After that, JASG will return in September.
For sale for church funds
These are large and of quality terracotta. I can deliver to your home address as necessary. – Helen Dodd, St Giles’ Gardening Group
Memory Café
Our next Memory Café will be on Wednesday 27 May. If you know someone who might enjoy or benefit from coming along, or if you’d like more details, please contact St Margaret’s Parish Community Worker, Tricia Brant, on 07776 595456 or at triciabrant@stmargaretsoxford.org.
Youth Pilgrimage 2026
Booking is now open for the 2026 Youth Pilgrimage to Worcester Cathedral from 10-14th August. Spaces are limited so please contact Eva for more details.
Changes to Evening Services
Changes to Evening Services at St Giles’ and St Margaret’s
There have been recent changes to the evening services at both St Giles’ and St Margaret’s.
At St Giles’, the Evensong services have a new starting time of 3.30pm in the afternoon, as is common in many Cathedrals and larger parish churches. The hope is that this will allow more of our young choristers to be able to participate, without such a late finish on a school night!
At St Margaret’s, we have a new rolling programme of quiet, contemplative services at 6.00pm:
- First Sunday of the month: Said Holy Communion according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (in the Chancel)
- Second Sunday of the month: Taizé service, using chants from the Taizé community in France (in the Lady Chapel).
- Third Sunday of the month: Said Evening Prayer according to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (in the Lady Chapel).
- Fourth Sunday of the month: Contemplative prayer / Christian meditation (in the Lady Chapel).
As with all of our services in the Benefice, anyone from either church is very welcome at all of the above.
Community News
What’s On at Wycliffe Hall
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a major priority in our Benefice as we work together to keep everyone in our community safe. It is often said safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, thank you for the part you play. If you are concerned about a person’s or activity’s safety in our community, please contact our Parish Safeguarding Officers (details below) or the Diocesan Safeguarding Team (details below). We are greatly helped by many volunteers, thank you for your time, including for completing required DBS checks, safeguarding training and safer recruitment forms.
St Margaret’s Church PSO Becca Rose: safeguarding@stmargaretsoxford.org
St Giles Church PSO Lorraine Desai: safeguarding@st-giles-church.org
Diocesan Team 01865 208 295 safeguardingreferrals@oxford.anglican.org
Out-of-hours: Thirtyone:eight on 0303 003 1111 for confidential advice, guidance and support.