December - As always, everyone is welcome to all of our services, informal and traditional

6 December
10am: Children’s Crib and Parade Service @ St Andrew’s
If you’d like to join the Children’s Choir for the service please be at Church at 9.30am
4pm: Christian Aid’s Big Christmas Sing @ Christ the Servant, Abbey Meads 6.30pm: Evensong @ St Andrew’s

13 December
There will be no morning or evening service in the parish but all at welcome at:
4pm: Christingle Service @ St Francis

15 November
10am: Communion & Sunday Club Nativity @ St Francis
At this service we will remember and celebrate five years of worship at St Francis School and welcome Canon John Ware, a former Vicar of Blunsdon.
4pm: 9 Lessons & Carols @ St Andrew’s

24 December: Christmas Eve
4pm: Nativity Service @ St Francis
11.30pm: Midnight Mass @ St Andrew's

25 December: Christmas Day
10am: Christmas Communion @ St Andrew's

27 December
10am: Communion @ St Andrew's

2pm on Sundays @ St Andrew's
29 November, 2pm: Amber Curtis
12 December, 12 noon: Jacob Edds
27 December, 2pm: Thomas Essam

Please pray for all being baptised

Christmas Crafts & Activities

5 December, 10am-12noon @ St Francis

Sadly we have had to cancel this event

Church Cleaning
9 December, 6.30pm @ St Andrew’s

Carol Singing
9 December, 7.30pm @ ASDA

Church Decorating
12 December, 10am @ St Andrew’s

CHRISTMAS FLIERS

Any help with the delivery of Christmas fliers to homes in the parish would be very gratefully received.  Please speak to Tony or Dave.

CHRISTMAS DECORATING

With the building work at St Andrew’s parking is limited!  Please park carefully and if you are early park in the Caravan Park as directed and bring a torch!  Offers of help with parking to Tony please.

It has been an enormous privilege to serve as Vicar of St Andrew and St Francis North Swindon over the past four years and I would like to thank you all for all that you have given to God and his kingdom and church in this place.  Every act of service, ordinary and extraordinary, every moment of prayer, each matters and is special and holy and is a part of the coming of the Kingdom of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  And God’s kingdom is not bound my any time or place, it is universal and eternal.

There have hard and challenging times, for me and for the churches; and I am deeply sorry that I have had to make the decision to leave earlier than I had hoped and prayed.  However there have also been many wonderful times, which are in no way cancelled out by the pain. 

We have seen the church grow and God’s love shared in so many ways, in the lives of individuals and in the community. We have made connections between life and faith; one of my abiding memories will be hearing a member of our congregation talking about a ‘Work, Life, Christ’ balance. 

Please pray for me as I discern where God is calling me next; and I will continue to pray for all of you and for the parish.  Through our prayers, our worship, our loving and out serving, we keep our eyes fixed on God and on his Son Jesus Christ whose birth among us we are preparing to celebrate.

With my prayers and best wishes.