CHRISTMAS EVE
11.00pm MIDNIGHT MASS by candlelight
at St Luke’s Matfield
Please follow the printed Order of Service
MoW, Celebrant,
Preacher & Intercessor Revd Andrew Axon
Isaiah 57: 7-10 Valerie Armstrong
Gospel: John 1: 1-14 Keith Jones
Chalice Administrator Pauline Middlewick
Matfield Hymns:
592; 588; 363; [Communion 658 & 59]; 534 omit vv 4 & 5.
11.00pm MIDNIGHT MASS by candlelight
at St Mary’s Lamberhurst
Please follow the printed Order of Service
MoW, Celebrant & Preacher Revd Roger Bishop
Intercessor Richard Dilworth
Isaiah 52: 7-10 Ann Tutt
Gospel: John 1: 1-14 Michael Richardson
Chalice Administrators Michael Richardson
Ann Giles
Lamberhurst hymns: 521; 523; 330; 479.
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CHRISTMAS MORNING
9.15am FESTIVAL EUCHARIST & CRIB SERVICE
at St Mary’s Lamberhurst
Please follow the printed Order of Service
Ministry of the Word Revd Roger Bishop
Celebrant & Preacher Revd Andrew Axon
Intercessor Julia Cruse
Isaiah 9: 2-7 Jill Harris
Gospel: Luke 2: 1-14 Mark Cynk
Chalice Administrators Daphne Huggett
Ann Giles
Lamberhurst Hymns: 479; 148; 745; 266.
11.00am FESTIVAL EUCHARIST & CRIB SERVICE
at St Luke’s Matfield
Please follow the printed Order of Service
MoW & Celebrant Revd Roger Bishop
Preacher Revd Andrew Axon
Intercessor Sally Seymour
Isaiah 9: 2-7 William Cunningham
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14 Val Armstrong
Chalice Administrator Patricia Stevens
Matfield Hymns:
559; 39; 534; [Communion 357 & 59]; 289.
This Week
Tuesday ST STEPHEN
Wednesday JOHN, APOSTLE & EVANGELIST
Thursday THE HOLY INNOCENTS
NEXT SUNDAY
CHRISTMAS 1 31st December 2017
10.00am CLUSTER SERVICE
at St Mary’s Lamberhurst
Our Churches look wonderful – At this special time of year our churches are made to look even more beautiful by the Flower Guilds. Many others have helped with brass and church cleaning, candles and crib, Christmas trees and Christingles. We also thank all who have played the organ for us during the year, and Keith and the members of our robed choirs and St Mary’s All-Age choir for the work they put into preparing for worship at Christmas.
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Very Many Thanks – To Pimms of Matfield for their extremely generous donation of the beautiful Christmas trees to both St Luke’s and St Mary’s.
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Church Calendars for the first three months of 2018 are available from the back of your church today.
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Please Note – There will be no coffee served after the Christmas morning services, and there will be no midweek Communion service this week.
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Prayer Requests - Your church is here for you to support you in your ups and downs of life. If you have any concerns that you would like us to pray for please fill in a slip available from the back of the church and put it in the box provided. You may also submit a prayer request via the website – there is a link on the front page.
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Prayer Tree at the back of St Mary’s Church - There is a supply of labels and pens so do please write the name of someone you wish to remember or someone or something you would like us to pray for, and hang it on the tree.
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Festival of Christmas Trees - Many thanks to Ann Tutt for organizing the wonderful Festival of Christmas Trees at St Mary’s, and to all the village societies who have come up with such clever ideas. Do take a moment to look at them all, there are several in the Chancel as well as in the porch and in the main part of the church.
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Carols on the Green - A good crowd of people braved the cold to sing carols on Matfield Green outside the Pavilion last Monday. Many thanks to Love Matfield who provided wonderful refreshments of mulled wine and mince pies, and to Ed Watts who accompanied on the keyboard. The collection for the Children’s Society raised £160.
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Next Sunday, 31 December – at St Mary’s Lamberhurst
Next Sunday there will be a Cluster Service starting at 10.00am, when St Mary’s will welcome people from St Luke’s, All Saints’ Brenchley and St Margaret’s Horsmonden. There will be no service at St Luke’s.
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Service Times - Each week we send an email to everyone in our congregation for whom we have an email address, advising when and where the services are on the coming Sunday. If you have not given us your email address but wish to receive this information, please let us know by contacting
Please pray this week –
For the world which God so loves. That as Jesus Christ was a true gift from God so may there be real generosity between neighbours
For Her Majesty the Queen and all the Royal Family.
For our Archbishops and Bishops, for the clergy and staff of Rochester Cathedral, and for Reverend Andrew, Reverend Roger and our Ministry Leadership Team.
For all who attend our two parish churches over the Christmas Festival, that we will respond with heart and mind to the story of our Saviour’s birth.
For those required to work over the Christmas season – in hospitals, through our transport networks, for the emergency services, the police, the armed services.
For a generous response to world poverty from the western nations.
For all children and young people; for families that cannot be together, and for those who will be alone over Christmas.
A safe journey for all travelling over the Christmas period.
For the homeless and for refugees; for those charities working with the homeless over the Christmas season, for Salvation Army hostels and CRISIS UK.
For the volunteers who give their time to the Paddock Wood Community Food Store, giving thanks for all who give donations.
We pray for all who are ill, for those in hospital, for all with long standing illnesses, and for those in care homes, especially members of our church family who are unable to worship with us.
For all who have died recently, that God will be with the bereaved as they face the Christmas festivities without their loved ones.
For all who have died as a result of violence.
That this year will bring a new determination for peace across the world.
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Books and soft toys for small children to play with during the services are available from the sidesmen
Enlarged copies of our Midnight Mass service and Hymn Books are available from the sidesmen.
Loop systems are installed for the hard of hearing.
Please SWITCH OFF mobile phones during services as, even on silent, they interfere with the sound system.
LAMBERHURST MATFIELD
ST MARY ST LUKE
CHRISTMAS DAY
25 December 2017
Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 2: 10-11
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Welcome to our Church and fellowship. If you are a visitor or a newcomer please introduce yourself. We pray that God will bless us in our worship together. Please take this pew notice home with you and keep it for your prayers and reference.
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This week the Parish Office will be open on Thursday 28th December only. Messages may be left on the answerphone [01892 890256]
Alternatively you may contact the Vicar, Revd Andrew Axon on 01892 890688
the Associate Priest, Revd Roger Bishop on 01892 833232
or one of the Churchwardens, at Lamberhurst Julia Cruse [890237] or Andrew Kerton [891230], and at Matfield Tom Trinder [724059] or Alex Cunningham [724481].
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Websites
www.stmaryslamberhurst.org.uk and
www.stlukeschurchmatfield.org include the weekly pew notice
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Reverend Andrew and Reverend Roger send you all their very best wishes and every blessing for Christmas and the New Year.