Taking action next week

We've been putting together the leaflet to hand out and use at the First Sunday Thing next Sunday. In it we are providing a link with two websites people might want to follow up. The first is for Action of Christians Against Torture because people might want to use their scheme to send Christmas cards to those in prison. The link is http://www.acatuk.org.uk/. The second is for Operation Christmas Child because people might want its guidelines about how to put together a shoebox of gifts in the first two weeks of November. It is http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/.

Get ready for Christmas

Our next First Sunday Thing on 1st November will be based on the way in which we get ready for Christmas. Among many stalls for those arriving before or at 10.30 we'll offer how we prepare the Advent Ring rather than just how we buy chocolate bearing calendars. We'll offer stillness in the Lady Chapel rather than just the busy rush to be ready. We'll offer Action of Christians Against Torture's scheme to send Christmas Cards to those in prison rather than just to those we know. We'll offer preparing a prayer to hang on our trees rather than just decorations. And so on. We'll bring all these things together by 11.00 for a simple short act of worship.

More St Francis

And this is the version of St Francis which people got to take home after the First Sunday Thing last week.

Celebrating Francis

We enjoyed our celebration of St Francis' Day this morning. He didn't look like this, but this is one of several of the young people who came who did.