“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth.” – John 14:16-17
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 manager@StGilesStMargarets.org by Wednesday.
Worship & Prayer
Sunday 10 May
Sixth 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 – Taizé service at St Margaret’s (in the Lady Chapel)
Readings and Collect for 10:30am Services
Sixth Sunday After Easter
God our redeemer,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
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.
Amen.
- First Reading: Acts 17.22-31 (NRSV)
- Psalm:
- Psalm 66.7–end (BCP Psalter, St Giles’)
- Psalm 66.7–end (CW Psalter, St Margaret’s)
- Epistle: 1 Peter 3.13-end (NRSV)
- Gospel: John 14.15-21 (NRSV)
Thursday 14 May:
Ascension Day
12.30pm – Holy Communion at St Giles’ (said, Common Worship)
8.00pm – Holy Communion at St Margaret’s (said, Common Worship)
Next 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 (said, 1662 BCP, in the Lady Chapel)
Coming up in May…
Monthly “What’s On” leaflet
Download May’s issue below:
Parish News
Ascension Day – Holy Communion services
Thursday 14 May is Ascension Day, one of the great Feasts of the Church’s year. We will be marking it with a said service of Holy Communion at 12.30pm at St Giles’; and a choral Eucharist at 8:00pm at St Margaret’s.
All are welcome to either service, regardless of your usual church.
Town & Gown 10k This Sunday
If you are driving to church tomorrow morning, please note that certain roads in central and north Oxford will be closed in the morning between 8am and 12 noon, including parts of Banbury Road, Parks Road and St Cross Road, for the annual Town & Gown 10k run.
Click or tap on the map above for a larger version, to see the affected roads.
Christian Aid Week 10-16 May
This year the focus is on combating urban poverty in Nairobi, Kenya. It spotlights the work of local partners, such as Beacon of Hope, in providing tools and training for urban families to grow food, earn an income, and tackle poverty and hunger in informal (formally known as slum) settlements.
Can you help?
We need to deliver red Christian Aid envelopes to around 350 houses in the St Giles’ parish. This can be done any time on Sunday 10 May, say after church, or at any other time during the week. Envelopes, road names and maps are on the church table. Each road delivery should take no more than about 20 minutes.
Christian Aid Sponsored Walk from Bix near Henley on Thames 25th April
We are pleased to say, that to date, the sum achieved from sponsorship including gift aid has raised £1,150. Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors from St Giles’ and St Margaret’s, as well as family and friends.
– Helen Dodd, Christian Aid Rep
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 an event on 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 next Saturday (16 May) at 2.30pm.
Musical Soiree at St Margaret’s
On Sunday 17 May we’ll be holding a musical soiree at St Margaret’s, 7-9pm. All welcome! You can bring a musical contribution (a song, an instrumental piece, a group number, in any genre!) or just come and listen. Light refreshments will be provided. If you’d like to offer a musical contribution please get in touch with Sam Schad so she can put a rough programme together. Thank you!
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:
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)
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.
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.
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 13 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.
Community News
Events for World Fair Trade Day
On the 13thof May at 7:00 pm, the Oxford Fair Trade Coalition will be holding a panel discussion at the Holywell Music Rooms. Called “Unfair Trade Practices in Global Supply Chains – and what we can do about it” the panel will convene a group of experts including Felix Tetteh, a Ghanaian Fairtrade cocoa producer; Stephanie Barrientos, Emeritus Professor at the Global Development Institute, University of Manchester; Alex Nicholls, Professor of Social Enterpreneurship, University of Oxford; and Pauline Tiffen, Editor in Chief, Journal of Fair Trade. Free, but spaces are limited. Register at www.wegottickets.com
On the 15th of May, at Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, there will be an evening aimed towards churches and chaplaincies. “Chocolate: the bitter, the sweet, the difference Fairtrade makes” will feature a light supper; chocolate tasting; talk with Q and A by Felix Tetteh, Ghanaian Fairtrade cocoa producer; and a chance to meet other people who want to take forward the values of justice and mercy in daily life. Register by emailing events@ccow.org.uk. The evening is free, but registration by 12 May is essential, and places are limited.
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.