National Day of Reflection
On Tuesday 23 March we will pause and remember the many people who have died during this pandemic – each one missed by family, friends, neighbours and colleagues.
Let’s take time to reflect on our collective loss, reach out and show the millions who are grieving that they are not alone, and pray for them.
St Mary’s Church will be open for personal prayer on Tuesday from 11 am to 4pm – please come to be still, reflect and pray. At 12 noon we are invited to stop and be still, wherever we are, whatever we are doing. We will toll a bell at St Mary’s at mid-day to remember the many people we have lost and to invite everyone to pause and pray.
Please join us.
Download a special prayer postcard…
God of Love,
As we think about all that has changed this year,
help us to trust that you are always with us.
As we remember those who have died,
help us to trust they are at peace with you.
As we reach out to others with kindness and care,
may hope shine out in every heart and home.
Amen
(The National Day of Reflection is organised by Marie Curie and supported by The Church of England.)
Christmas Eve: Christingle Crib Service at 4.00 pm
Our Christingle Crib Service is when Christmas truly begins! A service for all ages with the famous orange. This year we are going online to make sure there is a place for everyone! In our service we give a special welcome to babies born in 2020!
St Mary’s Church closed for the next weeks
We have entered another and potentially even more dangerous phase of this pandemic as the new variant of the COVID virus is spreading rapidly in the South East. It would be disastrous not to make every effort to protect people at this time, especially as we are so close to a mass roll-out of the vaccines.
We have therefore decided to cancel our services at St Mary’s Church on Christmas Day and then for the next two Sundays. We weren’t going to have a service on the 27th anyway and we won’t have one at St Mary’s on the 3rd of January either – although there will of course be one online. We will then review our plans and give you an update.
The Leadership Team of Denham Parish Church
To watch the complete Rector’s Update on this matter, please click here…
All about our Christmas online services…
Community Carol Service: Sunday 20 December, 4pm
Watch our beautiful Community Carol Service (again) – now available to stream. Favourite carols, lots of contributions from our community, virtual choir, special guests! If you’ve enjoyed watching it, please share the link widely.
All about Christmas in Denham: https://www.denhamparish.church/christmas/
Advent Prayer: Mon to Fri 6pm
From today, 6pm we are inviting you for Advent Evening Prayer from Monday to Friday for 15 minutes.
A Day of Prayer leading into Advent
Advent is a time of waiting and preparation (it literally means arrival).
On the Saturday before Advent Sunday, we are setting aside time to pray – from 7am to 9pm.
You are invited to spend one hour during the day in silence, worship and intercession to bring the needs of our world before God.
Sign up for our prayer day
Please click here to sign up for one hour during the day..
Hourly slots can be booked by more than one person, so please pick the time that suits you best.
Download a prayer guide to lead you through 60 minutes of prayer
Click here to download the guide…
(Of course you can use this guide to set aside time for prayer any time during advent.)
Wherever there is the grace of God, human beings pray. God works in us, for we know not how to pray as we ought. It is the Spirit of God that incites us and enables us to pray in a fitting manner. We are not skilled to judge whether we are worthy or capable of praying, or whether we have sufficient zeal to pray. Grace in itself is the answer to this question. When we are comforted by the grace of God, we begin to pray with or without words.
—Karl Barth, Prayer
Marking Remembrance Sunday: “We will remember them.”
Due to the national lockdown coming into effect on Thursday, 5 November, there will be no Remembrance Sunday Service at St Mary’s Church. Please join us for our online Remembrance Service at 10.30am.
However, our online Remembrance Sunday Service this coming Sunday at 10.30am WILL go ahead! Here are two ways in which you can take part in the remembering this year:
Make a Poppy Tree
Make a poppy (weather-proof, please) and attach it to the netting around the yew tree in front of St Mary’s Church (please bring a peg, too). There are many creative ways in which you could make a poppy. For inspiration, you may want to watch this video…
If you attach your poppy before Saturday morning we can include it in the pictures of the tree in our online Sunday service.
“We will remember them”: Join a chorus of voices
We are inviting you to record a short video of yourself, saying “We will remember them”. We will then combine all the faces and voices for our response on Sunday (at our online service). Please spread the word and send your video to rector@denhamparish.church by the end of Thursday.
Should your video be too large to email, please use wetransfer.com.
(By sending us a video you give permission for it to be used online.)
Whether you can contribute in these ways or not, do join us for our ONLINE Remembrance Service this Sunday at 10.30am and spread the word. You will find the service here on our website at www.denhamparish.church/blog.
There will be a short wreath laying ceremony on Sunday at the War Memorial in the churchyard. However, due to government restrictions, we can only accommodate community representatives laying a wreath, members of the armed forces, uniformed organisations or veterans. If you qualify, please register beforehand by contacting our Rector on email (rector@denhamparish.church) or leave a phone message (01895 834733). We are planning to record this short ceremony onto video to show it on Armistice Day.