The year has a natural ebb and flow to it, not only the seasons but also our activities. With Spring Cleaning and summer holidays past. Then in the September we start the season on thanksgiving with harvest festivals and harvest suppers. This flows gently into month of October and the season of thanks giving continues but with a different emphasis. We move from giving thanks for the world in which we live to giving thanks for the people we have shared the world with. The two major Christian festivals for this are ‘All Saints’ and ‘All Souls’. At All Saints we give thanks for those whose Christian lives have inspired us and others. Recently mother Theresa was beatified and made a Saint in the Catholic church for her work. She is a shining example of a life lived for others, yet there are many many unsung saints who do not reach earthly recognition, but will be seen by our heavenly Father and by those around them.
The church too recognises that every person is important and loved by God and so remembers the souls of those departed this life, but not forgotten at the service of ‘All Souls’. Everyone is invited to come and remember and give thanks at this service or if you cannot come to have the person or persons remembered by name for you. If you need help or transport please let me know and we will do our best to help. In the service there is an opportunity to light a candle for those we give thanks for and to receive a gift of a small holding cross made from Olive wood to take with you. The service moves around the villages of the benefice and this year will be at All Saints church, Croughton on 30th October at 6pm.
If you would like your loved one remembered by name please give their name to rev Shemil or myself or write it in the lists in church.
In October we are starting a series of informal gatherings called Cupper and Chat, they meet in peoples’ houses around our five villages of Aynho, Croughton, Evenley Farthinghoe and Hinton-in-the-hedges. The Gathering lasts about 1 hour depending on how long people want to stay and talk or the tea and coffee lasts. This time we will be exploring the sayings of Jesus known as ‘the beatitudes’ such as “Blessed are the pure in Heart for they shall see God”. The sayings are called the Beatitudes because they all start with the work blessed, the Latin for which is ‘Beatus’. We see the root of this word used in the Beatification of Mother Theresa before her canonisation (formal recognition of her sainthood) which took place on 4th September. In the bible all Christians are referred to as saints because we are all loved and blessed by God. Sign up sheets for Cuppa and Chat in Church or let rev Shemil or rev Simon know.
If singing is your thing, rather than talking, then come and join the Choir at Aynho or the BFC Benefice Festival Chorus. Both are looking for new members, young or old, good singers or not so. Aynho Choir sings each Sunday at Aynho. The BFC Chorus rehearses for two or three occasions each year and so just comes together for about 10 weeks before the service. This year we will be singing for the start of Advent at the end of November so will gather for two months on Thursday evenings 7:30-8:30ish. Come along and join us. For more information please contact
Simon Dommett.