Image: I, Davezelenka, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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 12 January, including the readings, prayers and music details, are available to download below:
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)
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
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.
Worship & prayer this week:
Morning Prayer: 8.30am Tuesday-Friday at St Giles’
St Giles’ open for quiet prayer: 12pm – 2pm, Monday-Friday
Evening Prayer: 5.30pm Monday-Saturday at St Giles’
Midweek Eucharist: 12.30pm Wednesday at St Giles’
Next Sunday (19 January):
Second Sunday of Epiphany
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
TONIGHT: Jazz at St Giles’: A Child’s Christmas
The next Jazz at St Giles’ concert is tonight (Saturday 11 January) at 7:30pm: A Child’s Christmas, an evening of Jazz inspired by Dylan Thomas’ poem.
Please note that the first of these three sessions takes place this Wednesday evening (15 January) – please contact Claire below for more information:
Wednesday Eucharists at St Giles’
From this Wednesday (15 January) we will be restarting our weekly services of said Holy Communion at 12.30pm in the Lady Chapel in St Giles’ Church. This simple but beautiful service will last not much more than 30 minutes – perfect to slot into your lunch break!
All are welcome.
Benefice Bible Study
From this Thursday (16 January), a new monthly Bible study discussion group will be taking place at 12.30pm in St Giles’ Church (until 1.30pm), and we will be starting with Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
All are very welcome – feel free to bring your own Bible, or use one of our own!
If you would be interested but this day/time isn’t possible for you, please contact Daniel to look at the possibility of another group.
Benefice Book Group
The Benefice Book Group is meeting for the first time at 7:15pm on 30th January at St Anne’s College. We will be discussing Samantha Harvey’s Orbital, winner of last year’s Booker Prize. The judges said: “Samantha Harvey has written a novel propelled by the beauty of sixteen sunrises and sixteen sunsets. Everyone and no one is the subject, as six astronauts in the International Space Station circle the Earth observing the passages of weather across the fragility of borders and time zones. With her language of lyricism and acuity, Harvey makes our world strange and new for us”.
It’s a short novel, so there’s still time to read it if you haven’t already! If you would like to come, please let Siân know in advance, so that she can organise the right number of cups and biscuits!
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, Claire or Lucy for more details. All welcome (as long as you are in school/college Years 8 – 13!!)
New electoral roll for 2025
Thank you to everyone who has already applied to (re)join the electoral roll of either St Giles’ or St Margaret’s. For everyone else: please note the deadlines (for this year’s APCM) of 16th March (St Giles’) and 9th March (St Margaret’s).
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:
St Giles’ Christmas Reports
Helen Dodd has kindly written reports of both the Christmas Carol Service and jewellery sale – you can read both of them on our website here:
Jazz at St Giles’: Post Bop Jazz Showcase
The next Jazz at St Giles’ concert is Saturday 8th January 7:30pm: Post Bop Jazz Showcase, featuring some of the best young musicians from Oxford University.
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.
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 5th February at 1:30pm with a talk from economist Sir Andrew Dilnot. Tickets are £2 on the door.