Christmas Services in the Benefice

You know it is getting close to Christmas when the lectionary starts to include Old Testament texts which have found their way into common consciousness...

If like me, you had been searching for a copyright-free image of an advent wreath this week, you would have found it hard to find one...

As a child, I attended a Roman Catholic Primary School where, on a Thursday morning, the local priest would say mass for both pupils and those parents who were able to stay...

Many of you will have been following the distressing news which broke the week before last in respect of the findings of the Independent Inquiry...

Apart from being ‘Armistice Day’, when I will be observing the traditional two minute silence and saying a few words about remembrance...

Our Old Testament reading is attributed to Jeremiah, whose book (in spite of the often negative or pessimistic associations made with his name...

A few weeks ago, I went down to down to Canterbury to give a talk in one of the local churches on the Friday evening.

On the 20th of May 1916, Ernest Shackleton and two others stumbled half-dead into the small Norwegian whaling station of Stromness...

In our Exodus reading today, we see how giving was generated in the ancient Israelites by a stirring of the heart which was inspired by the Holy Spirit...

Today, we celebrate our Harvest Thanksgiving Service, which is the time when we give special thought to all those in need...

James, our Lord’s brother and a leader of the early church in Jerusalem has much to say about the tongue in his epistle reading this week...

In last week’s Gospel reading we saw Jesus criticising the Pharisees, Scribes and Sadducees ...

Today sees the start of the liturgical season of Creationtide which runs from the 1st of September to the 4th of October each year.

In the last two weeks, we have been considering how Jesus repeatedly told the crowd that he was the ‘bread of life’ ...

It is with great sadness that we announce

Many of the events we have been reading about in our Gospel passages for several weeks now took place either in, on, or around the Sea of Galilee

How many times are we inclined to complain during the course of a single day?

It is a great privilege to have Archdeacon Guy Elsmore preaching and presiding at our 09.30 service in Winslow today.

Mays Repair Cafe was a busy one!

Now that the polls have closed and the British people have made their minds up

There is something wonderfully refreshing about our Gospel reading this week

One of my all-time favourite hymns is that written by a former resident of Baltimore, Priscilla Jane Owens

Someone asked me last week how we can possibly know about the events recorded in the Gospels which tell us what happened when only Jesus was present, or when his disciples though present...

People often ask me why the Church of England does not venerate the Virgin Mary to the same extent as other churches do, and I have even been asked if Anglicans really ‘believe’ in her

In our reading from Deuteronomy, we see the origins of the ‘Sabbath’ which was instituted so that the people, their servants, their livestock...

A pictorial Journey through Festival Week.

Come and join in with St. Laurence Festival week to celebrate Church and community together.

Join the Winslow Benefice Repair Cafés in their mission to reduce waste and promote sustainability!

The 23rd Psalm is probably the most popular and most-used Psalm in the Christian Psalter today.

Pew Sheet for Sunday the 14th of April. The Third Sunday of Easter

Pew Sheet for Sunday the 17th of December 2023. Advent 3 – Gaudete Sunday. I always rejoice at this time of the year to read and reflect on the writings of the prophet Isaiah

Join us for St Laurence Church Christingle Service on Sunday 17th December at 5pm.

The Weekly Pew Sheet for November 19th 2023 Kingdom Season 3, Second Sunday before Advent

The pew sheet for Sunday, November 26th 2023 The Feast of Christ the King, Kingdom Season 4 One of the most important and meaningful symbols in the early church was the image of ‘Christ Pantocrator

Advent Sunday December 3rd 2023. Advent 1.

Come and join us to celebrate harvest in the Benefice

Season of Creationtide As Christians we are called to care for God's creation.

Here are some important dates of events taking place in the Benefice over July and early August.

AMAZING to see such an immense delivery to the St Laurence Food Cupboard yesterday.

You are warmly invited to join us this Easter.

Book Group meets on Monday, 24 April, at 6.45pm to chat about Meeting God in Mark by Rowan Williams.

Readings for Sunday 12 March

At St Laurence we have a dedicated Serving Team of eight, both men and women. With some variation of members, the current team dates back 32 years.

Readings for Sunday 5 March

Everything you wanted to know about the Winslow Parish News, the local magazine bringing Church and community together.

Readings for 26 February.

We had a lovely service on Tuesday 21 Feb to mark the licensing of our new rector.

Join us to welcome our new rector, the Revd Dr Stephen O'Connor in his licensing service at St Laurence Church, Winslow.

Readings for Sunday 19 February.

The Flower Group is a team of volunteers, comprising church members and other helpers.

Readings for Sunday 12 February.

Everything you ever wondered about the church bells of St Laurence.

All things musical at St Laurence Church. Could you join us as a junior chorister?

Readings for this Sunday 5 Feb.

What does the Winslow railway have to do with St Paul?

A reflection from Revd Daphne for the Week of Christian Unity.

Readings for the week ahead, starting with the Second Sunday of Epiphany.

We are very pleased to announce the appointment of the Reverend Doctor Stephen O’Connor as incumbent of the Winslow Benefice.

I expect many of you have given up on New Year’s Resolutions – but maybe I can tempt you to a daily one!

Happy new year! Some thoughts for 2023 and readings for Epiphany.

A Christmas reflection from the Revd Canon Alan Hodgetts.

Join us this Christmas!

Although Advent is seen as a season of repentance, just like Lent, it would be a hard heart that doesn’t start to get excited at the anticipation of the arrival of Christmas and all that entails.

We are called in Advent to wait in JOYFUL expectation for what comes next.

What's on this Christmas in the Winslow Benefice.

Compline service Sunday 27 November- all welcome!

If it seems that you are in the middle of it at the moment, talk to someone, talk to God, none of us are alone.

11am Sunday 20 November - Celebrate the new roof at St James' Church!

Join us for the Winslow Christmas fair!

Join us for a Christmas Coffee Morning!

Bring along your broken bits and bobs and let's fix them together.

This week is the last week in the church’s year and as a result we celebrate Christ the King.

Our next Book Group meeting will be on 21 November at 6.45pm to chat about Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene.

A huge thanks to all who donated to our roof appeal.

We remember. God remembers.

To celebrate the last week of Black History Month, St Laurence is hosting a portrait and video exhibition - as seen on ITV News!

The National Churches Trust is delighted to support St Laurence Church, Winslow, with a grant towards the roof repairs.

This week we celebrate Bible Sunday, a day in which the church takes time to celebrate God’s word.

As you will have seen, work is continuing apace on the North Aisle Roof and there is good news.

With Carolyn Schulz, writer of over 10 craft books and TV presenter.

Bring your busted stuff and let's see if we can fix it together!

This week we are celebrating St. Luke, the man who wrote the Gospel of Luke as well as the Acts of the Apostles.

This Sunday marks the beginning of Prisons Week, an annual week of prayer working to see an end to the human suffering caused by crime and imprisonment – for all those affected.

You are invited to the St Laurence Harvest Festival and Bring & Share lunch!

On Sunday we are celebrating Michaelmas, the Feast of Michael and All Angels. It is a major day in the church

Join a harvest festival at St Mary's Addington at 5pm this Sunday 25 September - all are welcome!

Having watched, like so many others, the funeral of the Queen on Monday, I came away with a mixture of emotions.

Join us for a harvest lunch on 9 October!

One of the saddest parts of my role, as well as being the greatest privilege, is getting to sit with the family of someone who has recently died.

When we heard of the death of the Queen, like so many, Sue and I felt such a strong sense of loss.

It is with a deep and profound sense of sadness that we, as a church, join in the praises and condolences at the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

What's on in September?

The St Laurence Food Cupboard has been overwhelmed by the generous donations from the residents of Winslow and would like to thank everyone for all their support.

We have chosen to God call Father. We do so to say something about the nature of the relationship he has with us.

What a strange word with which to begin a sermon! So, what is or was banned?

Thank you all for the amazing response we have had to the Roof Appeal.

August is a strange month...

Thank you for all who have donated so far.

St Laurence Room, Saturday 6 August 10am-12pm - Please do come along and support.

Fridays through summer, 12-2pm, St Laurence Room.

The church remembers quite a selection of people this week.

In the Book of Deuteronomy (15:4) it says that “there should be no poor among you”. Jesus says, “the poor you will have always with you” (Mark 14:7).

In my Confirmation classes about prayer I used to teach the students about A.C.T.S. with which I expect a lot of you are familiar. It stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

This week the church celebrates James the Apostle, patron saint of Spain, Guatemala, Nicaragua, fishermen and, most importantly, Great Horwood’s church.

The Food Cupboard needs the following items this week - thank you!

How do we get close to Jesus? Are we a Mary or a Martha?

On a visit to the Claydon Deanery on Wednesday 13 July, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, visited the Winslow Benefice.

Last week I went to answer questions from Year 5 in Winslow School about prayer.

This Sunday is the Feast of St. Thomas - “Doubting Thomas”. He is an apostle that we don’t know much about, but he does tell us a lot about ourselves.

Last Friday the Church celebrated the Birth of John the Baptist.

Our next Julian Meeting on 4 July will be an in-person gathering at Keach's Chapel.

Saying ‘yes’ is a vital part of our relationship with God, because it means something.

The good news of Pentecost is something that carries on throughout the year because the Spirit pouring out into our hearts is what allows us to flourish.

This week we are celebrating a Jubilee - a Jubilee like no other.

Three-course meal with drinks for £20/head - with a twist!

Join Revd Didier and the Winslow Benefice Book Group on Monday 27 June to discuss Rebecca Stott's In the Days of Rain: A Daughter, A Father, A Cult.

The Winslow Players return! Spend a Saturday evening in style as you witness a brief history of Queens of England in the Winslow Players' first post-Covid production.

Join us in St Laurence Church for coffee and cake, with a raffle, tombola and more!

How do you get on with authority? Revd Mark shares some reflections for Ascension Day.

Join us in St Laurence Church for a cream tea!

Hypocrisy – not practising what you preach – was an accusation Jesus levelled at some religious leaders in his time. Are we guilty of saying one thing and doing another?

Join us from 4-12 June as the St Laurence Festival returns. All are welcome!

We urgently need to raise in the region of £20,000 to repair the North Aisle Roof, where damage to the lead on the roof has resulted in leaking which is only going to get worse.

The Winslow Repair Shop was featured on the Diocese of Oxford website this week. Read the full story and see a snippet below.

As we look around us, what works in our lives and the people around us testify to the love of Jesus?

Revd Didier shares his top tips for saying your prayers.

Congratulations Jo!

An Easter Day sermon from the Revd Daphne Preece.

None of our Holy Week activities were possible without a huge effort from a great array of people and we do not say thank you enough.

Readings for Easter Monday onwards.

Every day this week, we will be journeying with Jesus with a rich variety of services. Why not join us?

Readings for Mothering Sunday.

We have a little Fig Tree – nothing does it bear! Jesus uses the example of a Fig Tree to illustrate a couple of hard sayings.

The question that Batman asks himself is not really very different to that which God asks us: are we willing to bring hope and light into our corner of the world?

Given the appalling mess our world is in, and in particular the horrific situation in Ukraine, what would Jesus do? And what might Jesus want us to do?

The Winslow Lions are collecting for Ukraine. Here's how you can help.

Spring Festival of Voices, 7.30pm Sat 23 April at St Laurence Church, featuring the Morriston Orpheus Choir .

Lent and Holy Week service information for 2022.

I was asked this week by a child whose family owns some chickens, “Why did God make foxes?”

There are still some tickets remaining for this interactive workshop, more relevant than ever in light of recent events.

As I write this, the news from the Ukraine is looking very bleak. It can sometimes seem as though we learn nothing from our past mistakes.

Join us Wednesdays in lent for lunch - all are welcome!

The St Laurence Shop supports the church, local charities and the Winslow community. Could you help?

Join us for our first Creative Communion service, suitable for all ages.

Readings and a reflection for the 14th February 2022.