For a full listing of services in the Bansfield Benefice for Advent and Christmas please see
http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/services/
This year Midnight Mass will be at All Saints' Wickhambrook starting at 11.30pm.
http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/wickhambrook/
http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/services/special/midnightmass.html
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Toy service - 30 gifts donated to children.
A big thank you to all who donated gifts at our Benefice service in Lidgate. We are able to send 30 presents to local children in the care of Bury St Edmunds social services.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Toy Service at Lidgate - 8th December at 10am
Every year on a Sunday in early December we hold our Toy Service at one of our services. This used to be a Wickhambrook church event but now this has expanded to be a Bansfield Benefice-wide event. During the service Children's Christmas Gifts are presented by the congregation at the altar for later donation by the benefice to Bury St Edmunds Social Services.
Bury St Edmunds Social Services are always very pleased with the donations we give them and they tell us that it makes such a huge difference to the children in their care who otherwise would receive either none or few gifts at Christmas.
People who can not or do not wish to attend the service but still want to donate presents can arrange to do so by emailing contact@bansfieldbenefice.org.uk.
We ask that the presents are wrapped and have a label on them indicating whether the present is for a boy or girl as well as the age of the child to receive it.
Please think of others less fortunate at this festive time and donate a present.
Bury St Edmunds Social Services are always very pleased with the donations we give them and they tell us that it makes such a huge difference to the children in their care who otherwise would receive either none or few gifts at Christmas.
People who can not or do not wish to attend the service but still want to donate presents can arrange to do so by emailing contact@bansfieldbenefice.org.uk.
We ask that the presents are wrapped and have a label on them indicating whether the present is for a boy or girl as well as the age of the child to receive it.
Please think of others less fortunate at this festive time and donate a present.
Rector's View - December 2013
Dear friends,
The disaster of Syria's exodus is turned from exposure on our media by the most destructive Typhoon ever seen, decimating home and livelihood amongst the Philippines.
The natural world coupled with our own capacity for self destruction exposes just how fragile our 21st century comforts and securities really are.
Whilst such destructive force would have been far from the mind of the peoples of 1st century Palestine, the fragility of day to day existence such as these disasters have inflicted on so many was not.
Just as the star of our Christmas story, Rome too was in the ascendancy shining bright upon hard pressed peoples across the known world, as she expounded the hope of improved lifestyles by excellence in organisation transport trade agriculture and civil engineering. Not least to Rome's success was the assurance of peace, subjection to Rome quickly enabled advancement and ownership in the structures of the empires governance.
Joseph and Mary however sheltered in the light of a different star, a star which bought nations beyond even Rome's reach to wonder at a new path for this world's hope. For even as today's civilisation is seen to stand on shaky foundations, the breadbasket of Rome was eventually to fail, and, just as today, inter-national enmity came to caste its long shadow over the bright myths of Roman sureties.
Bethlehem's star spoke of the rise of a Kingdom begun not in technology and consumption but in parent and child. The Holy family's struggle for survival is the same seen in this day by hard pressed people's the world over, fleeing oppression and looking for shelter and daily bread.
The Way of our Christmas story's Daystar is the Way of endurance, for the one subjected to suffering and death on the cross is seen again in those who follow the Way of Christ today. Loving as He loved and not for trade or self-gain gives peoples still in this day their hope for life in all its fullness.
Please remember your gift giving for today's poor as those blessed in God's Kingdom, please give generously for all who seek home and shelter this Christmastide.
May all peoples know the blessing of Righteousness and Peace this Christmas.
Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector
The disaster of Syria's exodus is turned from exposure on our media by the most destructive Typhoon ever seen, decimating home and livelihood amongst the Philippines.
The natural world coupled with our own capacity for self destruction exposes just how fragile our 21st century comforts and securities really are.
Whilst such destructive force would have been far from the mind of the peoples of 1st century Palestine, the fragility of day to day existence such as these disasters have inflicted on so many was not.
Just as the star of our Christmas story, Rome too was in the ascendancy shining bright upon hard pressed peoples across the known world, as she expounded the hope of improved lifestyles by excellence in organisation transport trade agriculture and civil engineering. Not least to Rome's success was the assurance of peace, subjection to Rome quickly enabled advancement and ownership in the structures of the empires governance.
Joseph and Mary however sheltered in the light of a different star, a star which bought nations beyond even Rome's reach to wonder at a new path for this world's hope. For even as today's civilisation is seen to stand on shaky foundations, the breadbasket of Rome was eventually to fail, and, just as today, inter-national enmity came to caste its long shadow over the bright myths of Roman sureties.
Bethlehem's star spoke of the rise of a Kingdom begun not in technology and consumption but in parent and child. The Holy family's struggle for survival is the same seen in this day by hard pressed people's the world over, fleeing oppression and looking for shelter and daily bread.
The Way of our Christmas story's Daystar is the Way of endurance, for the one subjected to suffering and death on the cross is seen again in those who follow the Way of Christ today. Loving as He loved and not for trade or self-gain gives peoples still in this day their hope for life in all its fullness.
Please remember your gift giving for today's poor as those blessed in God's Kingdom, please give generously for all who seek home and shelter this Christmastide.
May all peoples know the blessing of Righteousness and Peace this Christmas.
Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector
Friday, November 1, 2013
Rector's View - November 2013
Dear friends,
I remember vividly one of the first primary school assemblies I took, about this time of year. I was drawing oval faces small and large in a great crowd to illustrate the story of Jesus’ ‘sermon on the mount’ his teaching the crowds who gathered to hear his word. What can you see I asked – ‘fireworks’ came the reply and that was the end of my carefully prepared assembly.
November begins with the commemoration of so many people through All Saints', All Souls' and Remembrance. Some such lives burn as bright as fireworks against the darkness of this world’s trials, and others brightly light more personably our own lives by the light of the loves we shared. So the language of our faith story offers encouragement against the lengthening nights, this month closing with the assurance that in crowning our Christ King in our lives, His light will always shine to guide our path in His Way.
My niece at this time is walking the Way, joining the millions of pilgrims who have sought to draw closer to their guiding light, our sovereign Christ, along the Camino, the Way to Santiago de Compostela, shrine of the Apostle St James. Her ‘Twitter’ diary posts are lit by those fellow pilgrims she meets, whether she is able to share conversation with them or not as every tribe and nation meets along the Way is no matter, for her encouragement is that others too share her vision of arrival.
Such truly is the company of our life’s pilgrimage, to be one peoples in crowning our Christ our Saviour joins us to the universal, timeless throng who through the ages follow the Way he taught, that all roads should lead to that Daystar Dawn of God’s Kingdom come. May this month find us all encouraged to know our belonging each to the other all villages and nations, may our fireworks remind us to look for that goodly light, our daystar to lead through our winter’s darkness to that new brightening day of hope, God’s kingdom come.
Your servant in Christ,
Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector
I remember vividly one of the first primary school assemblies I took, about this time of year. I was drawing oval faces small and large in a great crowd to illustrate the story of Jesus’ ‘sermon on the mount’ his teaching the crowds who gathered to hear his word. What can you see I asked – ‘fireworks’ came the reply and that was the end of my carefully prepared assembly.
November begins with the commemoration of so many people through All Saints', All Souls' and Remembrance. Some such lives burn as bright as fireworks against the darkness of this world’s trials, and others brightly light more personably our own lives by the light of the loves we shared. So the language of our faith story offers encouragement against the lengthening nights, this month closing with the assurance that in crowning our Christ King in our lives, His light will always shine to guide our path in His Way.
My niece at this time is walking the Way, joining the millions of pilgrims who have sought to draw closer to their guiding light, our sovereign Christ, along the Camino, the Way to Santiago de Compostela, shrine of the Apostle St James. Her ‘Twitter’ diary posts are lit by those fellow pilgrims she meets, whether she is able to share conversation with them or not as every tribe and nation meets along the Way is no matter, for her encouragement is that others too share her vision of arrival.
Such truly is the company of our life’s pilgrimage, to be one peoples in crowning our Christ our Saviour joins us to the universal, timeless throng who through the ages follow the Way he taught, that all roads should lead to that Daystar Dawn of God’s Kingdom come. May this month find us all encouraged to know our belonging each to the other all villages and nations, may our fireworks remind us to look for that goodly light, our daystar to lead through our winter’s darkness to that new brightening day of hope, God’s kingdom come.
Your servant in Christ,
Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector
Monday, October 21, 2013
World Development News Letter | No.5
This is the fifth World development News letter from the Diocese for 2013 and can be found at the following link.
Occasional News Letter (No.5)
More information about World Development can be found at the Diocesean website
Occasional News Letter (No.5)
More information about World Development can be found at the Diocesean website
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Samaritan's Purse - Love in a box
Collecting for Christmas 2013
Deadline for submission 4th November
Operation Christmas Child is the world's largest children's Christmas project, bringing joy into the lives of underprivileged children since 1990. Last year, nearly 1.2 million shoeboxes were packed with gifts and goodies and sent from the UK to children who need them most in some of the toughest parts of the world, including Haiti. In most cases the shoebox will be the only Christmas present that child will receive.
Our Benefice is again supporting the Shoebox Appeal - it is an excellent way in which we, as Christians, can make a real difference to the lives of very underprivileged children. As we approach Christmas, we give thanks to God for the greatest gift - the gift of His only Son to our world and to us individually. Supporting the Shoebox appeal is a very practical way of giving thanks to God for the gift of unconditional and unending love in Christ, by passing on some of that love to a child who is a lot less fortunate than us.
Please consider supporting the Shoebox Appeal. Information leaflets, containing full details, are to be found at the back of all the churches. Please then pass your completed Shoebox to a Churchwarden for passing on to the co-ordinator. The deadline for handing in the completed Shoeboxes is the 4th November, as they need to be taken to a collection point at the beginning of November.
http://www.bansfieldbenefice.org.uk/benefice/shoebox.html
If you want to know more about Operation Christmas Child then please visit http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/.
If you require details about how to pack the shoebox please visit their How to pack your shoebox page.
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