Each week, we publish Pew News - a short bulletin with service information, notices, and updates. You can view or download the latest editions below:
Sunday 15th February 2026 +
The Second next before Lent
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service there are activities and learning for primary school aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group. We particularly welcome all those who have come to support Jason as he is baptised today.
Notices
Shrove Tuesday 17 February from 4pm
All are invited to a Pancake Party on Shrove Tuesday. Many thanks to Judith for her hospitality. She says, ‘come at 4pm and it will be over when the pancakes are finished’. The party will be at 38 Ambleside Close, GU14 0LA.
Ash Wednesday 18 February 10.30am and 7pm
Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes will take place at 10.30am and at 7pm. Both services will last less than an hour. These services are suitable for people of all ages and all are welcome.
Lent Groups begin next week 24 and 25 February
We will be having two Lent Groups. One will meet each Tuesday beginning on 24 February at 11.00 at 126 Reading Road. This will be followed by a soup and bread lunch. The other will meet each Wednesday beginning on 25 February 7pm for 7.30pm at 24 Winchester Street. We’ll finish by 8.30pm. Please sign the sheets at the back of church so that we know how many to cater for. The topic of our Lent study this year is ‘How to read the Bible’. ‘What’s the difference between the Old and the New Testaments?’, ‘why does there appear to be so many contradictions in the Bible?’, ‘what has the angry God of the Old Testament got to do with the loving God of the New Testament?’ These and other questions will be explored over the course of five weeks. All those participating in either group should bring their Bible. If you haven’t got one and would like to borrow one please speak to Dianna.
The Children’s Society
Please note that the Box Secretary role for the Children’s Society has been passed from Jacqui Nicol to Sherona Hood with immediate effect. Many thanks to Sherona for taking over this responsibility. Jacqui will continue to take an active part in all other aspects of fundraising for the Society and take the opportunity of thanking the congregation for their ongoing Sherona and Jacqui would like to thank the congregation for their ongoing support.
Andrew, Bishop of Guildford
Bishop Andrew has shared with all in the diocese that he has been diagnosed with incurable and inoperable cancer. The diocesan statement, along with a link to Bishop Andrew’s letter, can be found on the diocesan website https://www.cofeguildford.org.uk . Please pray for him, his wife Beverly and their family at this difficult time.
Open Church
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Come along for a cuppa and a chat. All are welcome.
Readings for next Sunday 22 February The First Sunday of Lent
Genesis 2.15-17, 3.1-7; Romans 5.12-19; Matthew 4.1-11
Today’s Collects and Readings
Collect
Almighty Father,
whose Son was revealed in majesty
before he suffered death upon the cross:
give us grace to perceive his glory,
that we may be strengthened to suffer with him
and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
New Testament 2 Peter1.16-21;
For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Gospel Matthew 17.1-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’
Post Communion Collect
Holy God,
we see your glory in the face of Jesus Christ:
may we who are partakers at his table
reflect his life in word and deed,
that all the world may know his power to change and save.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Sunday 8th February 2026 +
The Second Sunday before Lent
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service there are activities and learning for primary school aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group.
Notices
Holy Communion this Wednesday
There will be Holy Communion Wednesday at 10.30am. All welcome.
Lent is upon us
Lent is traditionally a time when Christians focus particularly on self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, almsgiving. To aid study and exploration of faith we will be having two Lent Groups. One will meet on Tuesdays at 11.00 at 126 Reading Road. This will be followed by a soup and bread lunch. The other will meet on Wednesdays at 7pm for 7.30pm at 24 Winchester Street. We’ll finish by 8.30pm. Please sign the sheets at the back of church so that we know how many to cater for.
Shrove Tuesday 17 February from 4pm
All are invited to a Pancake Party on Shrove Tuesday. Many thanks to Judith for her hospitality. She says, ‘come at 4pm and it will be over when the pancakes are finished’. The party will be at 38 Ambleside Close, GU14 0LA.
Ash Wednesday 18 February 10.30am and 7pm
Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes will take place at 10.30am and at 7pm. Both services will last less than an hour. These are suitable for people of all ages and all are welcome
Open Church with Crafty Coffee
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Bring your handicrafts or just enjoy a a cuppa and a chat with others. All are welcome.
Readings for next Sunday 15 February Sunday next before Lent
2 Peter1.16-21; Matthew 17.1-9
Today's Collects and Readings
Collect
Almighty God,
you have created the heavens and the earth
and made us in your own image: teach us to discern
your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy
Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Genesis 1.1-2.3
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.
And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
New Testament Romans 8.18-25
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Gospel Matthew 6.25-34
Jesus said, ‘Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you -you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed, your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Sunday 1st Februsry 2026 +
The Presentation of Christ
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service there are activities and learning for primary school aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group.
Notices
Parish Plan
The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is developing a parish and church plan for the next 5 years and invite every member of St Mark’s to contribute to the development process. Please complete one of the Parish Plan Development leaflets and put in the basket at the back of church or post through the church letterbox in Reading Road. Any questions please to Dianna, the churchwardens or members of the PCC.
Red knitting wool needed
Carole is leading a small group who are re-doing hundreds of our knitted poppies. She would be grateful for donations of red knitting wool. Whole or part skeins welcome. Thank you for your help.
Holy Communion this Wednesdays
There is NO Holy Communion this Wednesday due to the Funeral Service for Raymond Savage.
Church Open with Crafty Coffee
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Come and enjoy a cuppa and a chat with others and bring your handicrafts. All welcome.
Lent is on the horizon
Dianna will be leading a Lent Group on five Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday 24 February. Thanks to Daryl’s hospitality the group will meet at her home and be followed by a simple soup and bread lunch. There will also be a Lent Group on five Wednesday evenings beginning on 25 February. Many thanks to Marie and Paul for offering their home. Please sign the sheet at the back of the church so that we know how many to expect.
Readings for next Sunday 1 February Second Sunday before Lent
Genesis 1.1-2.3; Romans 8.18-25; Matthew 6.25-end
Today’s Collects and Readings
Collect
Almighty and ever-living God,
clothed in majesty,
whose beloved Son was this day
presented in the Temple,
in substance of our flesh:
grant that we may be presented to you
with pure and clean hearts,
by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Malachi 3.1-5
See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?
For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’. soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.
Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.
New Testament Hebrews 2.14-end
Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.
Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.
Gospel Luke 2.22-40
When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young
pigeons.’
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’
And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’
There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.
Sunday 25th January 2026 +
The Third Sunday of Epiphany
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service there are activities and learning for primary school aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group.
Notices
Parish Plan
The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is developing a parish and church plan for the next 5 years and invite every member of St Mark’s to contribute to the development process. Please complete one of the Parish Plan Development leaflets and put in the basket at the back of church or post through the church letterbox in Reading Road. Any questions please to Dianna, the churchwardens or members of the PCC.
Red knitting wool needed
Carole is leading a small group who are re-doing hundreds of our knitted poppies. She would be grateful for donations of red knitting wool. Whole or part skeins welcome. Thank you for your help.
Weekday Holy Communion Wednesdays 10.30am
From this Wednesday 28 January we will have a Eucharist at 10.30am followed with a cuppa and a chance to catch up. Thank you to everyone who responded about this.
Church Open with Crafty Coffee
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Come and enjoy a cuppa and a chat with others and bring your handicrafts. All welcome.
Parish Breakfast next Sunday 1 February 8.45am
All welcome to a delicious cooked breakfast next Sunday in the Church Hall. Adults £6, children £3. Please sign the sheet at the back of church if you are planning to come.
Lent is on the horizon
Dianna will be leading a Lent Group on five Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday 24 February. Thanks to Daryl’s hospitality the group will meet at her home and be followed by a simple soup and bread lunch. There will also be a Lent Group on five Wednesday evenings beginning on 25 February. Many thanks to Marie and Paul for offering their home. Please sign the sheet at the back of the church so that we know how many to expect.
Readings for next Sunday 1 February The Presentation of Christ
Malachi 3.1-5; Hebrews 2.14-end; Luke 2.22-40
Today’s Collects and Readings
Collect
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Isaiah 9.1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness - on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.?
New Testament 1 Corinthians 1.10-18
Now l appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.
What I mean is that each of you says, 'I belong to Paul, or 'I belong to Apollos, or 'I belong to Cephas, or 'I belong to Christ! Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptised in the name of Paul?
I thank God that I baptised none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptised in my name. l did baptise also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptised anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptise but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Gospel Matthew 4.12-23
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles- the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death, light has dawned! From that time Jesus began to proclaim, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near!'
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake-for they were fishermen. And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fish for people' Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Post Communion Collect
Almighty Father,
whose Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is
the light of the world:
may your people,
illumined by your word and sacraments,
shine with the radiance of his glory,
that he may be known, worshipped, and
obeyed to the ends of the earth;
for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Amen
Sunday 18th January 2026 +
The Second Sunday of Epiphany
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service, there are activities and learning for primary school-aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group.
Notices
Thank you from the Children’s Society
Thanks to the generosity of those who filled and returned the collecting boxes we raised just over £268 for the Children’s Society and their vital work. Thanks to Jacqui for organising the collection.
Parish Plan
The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is developing a parish and church plan for the next 5 years and invite every member of St Mark’s to contribute to the development process. Please complete one of the Parish Plan Development leaflets and put in the basket at the back of church or post through the church letterbox in Reading Road. Any questions please to Dianna, the churchwardens or members of the PCC.
Red knitting wool needed
Carole is leading a small group who are re-doing hundreds of our knitted poppies. She would be grateful for donations of red knitting wool. Whole or part skeins welcome. Thank you for your help.
Weekday Holy Communion Wednesdays 10.30am
From Wednesday 28 January we will have a Eucharist at 10.30am followed with a cuppa and a chance to catch up. Thank you to everyone who responded about this.
Lent is on the horizon
Dianna will be leading a Lent Group on five Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday 24 February. Thanks to Daryl’s hospitality the group will meet at her home and be followed by a simple soup and bread lunch. Dianna would also like to hear from anyone who would like to participate in an evening group on Wednesdays beginning on 25 February. Time and venue to be confirmed
Church Open
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Come and enjoy a cuppa and a chat with others. All welcome.
Readings for next Sunday 25 January The Third Sunday of Epiphany
Isaiah 9.1-4; 1 Corinthians 1.10-18; Matthew 4.12-23
Today's Collects and Readings
Collect
Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Isaiah 49.1-7
Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb
he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he
hid me;
he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he
said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing
and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with
my God.’
And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my
strength - he says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I
will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the
end of the earth.’ Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his
Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of
rulers, ‘Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate
themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel,
who has chosen you.’
New Testament 1 Corinthians 1.1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel John 1.29-42
The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptising with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’
The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).
Post Communion Collect
God of glory,
you nourish us with your Word
who is the bread of life:
fill us with your Holy Spirit
that through us the light of your glory
may shine in all the world.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Sunday 11th January 2026 -
The Baptism of Christ
Welcome
Please stay for refreshments after the 10.30am service. At this service, there are activities and learning for primary school-aged children in the Den. The President will call them forward when it is time to join the group.
Notices
Thank you from the Children’s Society
Thanks to the generosity of those who filled and returned the collecting boxes, we raised just over £268 for the Children’s Society and their vital work. Thanks to Jacqui for organising the collection.
Parish Plan
The PCC (Parochial Church Council) is developing a parish and church plan for the next 5 years and invites every member of St Mark’s to contribute to the development process. Please complete one of the Parish Plan Development leaflets and put it in the basket at the back of the church or post it through the church letterbox in Reading Road. Any questions, please to Dianna, the churchwardens or members of the PCC.
Red knitting wool needed
Carole is leading a small group who are redoing hundreds of our knitted poppies. She would be grateful for donations of red knitting wool. Whole or part skeins welcome. Thank you for your help.
Weekday Holy Communion Wednesdays 10.30am
From Wednesday 28 January, we will have a Eucharist at 10.30am, followed by a cuppa and a chance to catch up. Thank you to everyone who responded about this.
Lent is on the horizon
Dianna will be leading a Lent Group on five Tuesdays beginning on Tuesday, 24 February. Thanks to Daryl’s hospitality, the group will meet at her home and be followed by a simple soup and bread lunch. Dianna would also like to hear from anyone who would like to participate in an evening group on Wednesdays beginning on 25 February. Time and venue to be confirmed
Church Open
The church will be open on Friday from 10.30am to 12noon. Come and enjoy a cuppa and a chat with others. All welcome.
Readings for next Sunday 11 January The Second Sunday of Epiphany
Isaiah 49.1-7; 1 Corinthians 1.1-9; John 1.29-42
Today's Collects and Readings
Collect
Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
Old Testament Isaiah 42.1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
New Testament Acts 10.34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ - he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’
Gospel Matthew 3.13-end
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented.
And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
Post Communion Collect
Lord God,
the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light
discern the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
