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 30 March including the readings, prayers and music details, are available to download below:
Sunday 30 March
Fourth Sunday of Lent
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Margaret’s (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, BCP)
6.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
Merciful Lord,
absolve your people from their offences,
that through your bountiful goodness
we may all be delivered from the chains of those sins
which by our frailty we have committed;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for Jesus Christ’s sake, our blessed Lord and Saviour,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Worship & prayer this week:
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 (6 April):
Passion Sunday
8.00am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, 1662 BCP)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Margaret’s (sung, Common Worship)
10.30am – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (sung, BCP)
6.30pm – Choral Evensong at St Giles’ (sung, 1662 BCP)
Parish News
Calling Readers from across the Benefice for Palm Sunday & Holy Week
We are looking for readers from across both churches to take part in the reading of the Passion as part of the Palm Sunday service this year. There are also readers needed for services in Holy Week including another reading of the Passion on Good Friday. If you would like to help please email Sam Schad who is arranging the rotas.
Mothering Sunday Concert
Please join us at St Giles’ Church on Sunday 30 March at 12:00 for a short vocal recital. Music by Faure, Bach, Handel, Elgar, Schumann
Benefice Lent Course 2025: Understanding Baptism
Tuesdays in Lent, 7.15-8.30pm, St Margaret’s Church
The Benefice Lent Group continues Tuesday evening at St Margaret’s. Each session is stand alone so please do feel you can join in anytime. This year we are asking questions about what it is to be human and exploring baptism through the pictures of earth, water, wind and fire. If you would like to join in from home, email associate@stgilesstmargarets.org for the link to the materials.
Holy Week & Easter Card Deliveries
This year we are – like at Christmas time – going to be delivering cards to as many houses in the Benefice as possible inviting our community to join us in Holy Week and Easter. This is a really important task – we want to invite as many people as possible for the most week of our year. If you are able to help with deliveries please email Claire (associate@stgilesstmargarets.org)
A grand planting of the taxus trees!
Saturday March 29th 10.30am. Nicholson’s nursery have very generously donated 8 trees to be planted in the parish room gardens under the rose pergola. This will give extra privacy for clients of the Gatehouse to sit whilst waiting to go in for their evening meal.
Can you help to dig? Please join in if you can, to get all eight trees planted on the above Saturday. It should not be too arduous – eight people with spades, only one hole each! We have two spades so more are needed, if you can bring one yourself that would be helpful.
Gardening Group members please note, we shall not be meeting on the 15th this month, but on the 29th for this special planting occasion.
Jazz at St Giles’: Gabriel Latchin Trio
The next Jazz at St Giles’ concert is Saturday 5th April 7:30pm: Gabriel Latchin Trio. Come and see “the best straight-ahead jazz pianist to appear in the past few years.” (The Guardian)
St Giles’ Choir Tour
St Giles’ Choir will travel to Bergamo for their 11th international tour. 24-29 July 2025. Please contact Nicholas Prozzillo for further details.
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!!)
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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 9th April at 1:30pm with a talk from Head Gardener Kate Burtonwood on Sustainable Gardening at Trinity College. Tickets are £2 on the door.
2025 Oxford Lent Concerts – Queen’s College Chapel. – Tuesday March 25thth and Tuesday April 1st. Choral and instrumental music and contemporary icons. For details see http://www.op.net/lent2025 . Donations to Médecins sans Frontières and the Guideposts Trust. Ring 279120 for disabled access.
St Theosevia’s Study Days
All are welcome to study days at St Theosevia’s Centre for Christian Spirituality, 2 Canterbury Road OX2 6LU. Days are free for students, £5 cash for non-students. Free tea and coffee from 10am. Upcoming study days are as follows:
Friday 25 April: a day on Etheopian Orthodoc Marian devotion.