How Great Is Our God
Our 2025 Memory Verse
Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me. Psalm 66:16 NIV
Thank you to:
- All who were involved with The Vision Day.
- Those who designed, bundled and are delivering the Christmas leaflets.
Prayer for Peace in Ukraine and Israel Gaza/Palestine
St Nicholas’ Church will be open for prayer for peace between 9:30 and 10:00 on Mondays December 8th and 15th, but not Mondays 22nd and 29th. It will be open again on Monday January 5th.
If in doubt because of the weather phone Joy (625545).
Parish Christmas Appeal
This year we are supporting the Tear Fund Humanitarian Project for Ukraine.
Millions of people in Ukraine are still struggling because of the ongoing war. Many people are homeless and have no food or anywhere to go.
TearFund mission partners are working around the clock to provide support such as food, bedding and temporary accommodation. Our giving this Christmas will help to meet some of these needs.
Please put your donation, either cheque (made payable to “TearFund”) or cash, into a TearFund Emergency Appeal envelope. These are on the table at the back of St Nicholas’ Church. Then place your envelope in the Donation box.
However, if you wish to Gift Aid your donation, will you please write your details on the form which is part of envelope, before putting it in the box.
Thank you.
The Mission Team
Prayer Meeting Sunday 7th December after the service
We are experimenting to find a good time to meet and pray for the Parish. In December we shall try having our prayer meeting immediately after the service, once we have collected coffee and tea! If this time is not suitable, please let Mark have suggestions of any other time you might be able to pray once a month. It would be good to have more prayer meetings. No one has mentioned anything since the last update.
Uphill Village Academy – Monday 8th December
Please pray for Year 2 of Uphill Village Academy as they come to St Nicholas for their Christmas performance. Pray for Mark to have opportunity to speak to parents and carers. We need a couple of volunteers please to serve refreshments from 1:45 p.m.
St Nicholas' Christmas Tree Festival
Friday 12th and Saturday 13th December from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
We need helpers to serve refreshments and welcome visitors on both days; also if anyone would like to make a cake, that would also be welcome.
Gail and Cheryl
Mark adds: The Christmas Tree Festival has brought in a lot of people in previous years and it is an ideal opportunity to come alongside people, talk to them and invite them to the Christmas services and perhaps more as the Lord leads. Please make sure this event has lots of prayer and if you can help in Church please put your name on the list at the back of Church as we need people to be around.
Please pray for Mark as he presents the nativity to PreSchool as part of the festival on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Broadoak Academy – Tuesday 16th December
Pray for Broadoak as they have their Christmas celebration in St Nicholas and for Mark as he has a short slot to present the Gospel and the chance to speak to parents and carers afterwards. We need a few volunteers please to service refreshments from 6:45 p.m.
Carols on the Bournville – Thursday 18th December
On Thursday 18th December from 3.30 to 4.30pm, members of St Andrew's Church will be carol singing by the shops near the Healthy Living Centre. They would love it if people from St Nicholas and St Barnabas were able to join them. Everybody welcome!
Epiphany Buffet - Saturday 10th January
This will be at 1pm in St Nicholas Church. £10 per person. Tickets available nearer the time.
Keeping St Nicholas Clean
We need more people on the cleaning rota so that those who keep our church clean and tidy do not have to do it more than once a month. Please contact Duncan if you would like to volunteer.
Lynn
Messy Church
Messy Church will be starting again on 4th February, and the planning team have already met to think and pray about how we move forward.
They have identified the following needs:
- More people to join the team in general. We need more than the number required each month to cover holidays etc.
- More folks who are able to do food preparation. We have simplified our end of session meal to be something like baked potatoes or hot dogs in the winter or sandwiches in the summer, so it shouldn’t be too onerous.
- Anybody prepared to come to help to move chairs before and after the sessions?
- Please can everybody pray for the new start, that families will return and new families will join us, to learn about Jesus.
Services
Sunday 7th December
10:00 a.m. – Holy Communion live and by zoom from St Nicholas
Advent 2
Romans 15:4-13 Matthew 3:1-12
Wednesday 10th December
10:30 a.m. Holy Communion live and by zoom from St Barnabas
Advent 3
John 5:31-40
Sunday 14th December
10:00 a.m. Morning Worship
Advent 3
James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11
Wednesday 17th December
10:30 a.m. Holy Communion live and by zoom from St Barnabas
Advent 4
1 Samuel 1:1-20
Sunday 21st December
10:00 a.m. – Holy Communion live and by zoom from St Nicholas
Advent 4
Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-25
6:30 p.m. – Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Nicholas
This service will not be available on zoom.
Wednesday 24th December - Christmas Eve
10:30 a.m. Carol Service live and by zoom from St Barnabas
Readings are from the Nine Lessons and Carols, not printed here.
4 p.m. Pop Up Nativity in St Nicholas
Please pray lots of people will come along and take part and for conversations about the Lord.
11:15 p.m. Midnight Communion in St Nicholas
Acts 13:16-26 Luke 1:67-79
Thursday 25th December – Christmas Day
9 a.m. Quiet Holy Communion from The Book of Common Prayer
Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-14
10 a.m. Holy Communion live from St Nicholas
Isaiah 9:2-7 Luke 2:1-14
Sunday 28th December
10:00 a.m. – All Together Service live and by zoom from St Nicholas
Theme to be announced
Wednesday 31st December
10:30 a.m. – Quiet reflective service live and by zoom in St Barnabas
Christmas 1
Philippians 2:1-11
Sunday 4th January 2026 –
10:00 a.m. - Holy Communion live and by zoom from St Nicholas
Celebration of The Epiphany
Ephesians 3:1-12 Matthew 2:1-12
The next Parish Update will be produced on Friday 2nd January.
Please pray:
Joan Bailey - Joan is finding it hard, understandably, being in a lounge where none of the other residents are able to carry out a conversation. She continues to show her kind nature and is befriending the new resident sitting next to her. She needs our prayers.
Ann Butt
Rene Eaton - keeps well in her Care Home, which is beautifully decorated for Christmas. She sends her greetings to the Church Family and wishes she could be with them. Remember, she is 100 years old!
Joan and Peter Glover
Malcolm and Edna Hunter - Edna thanks everyone for their prayers, which are a great comfort. Malcolm, who has dementia, is becoming more and more frail which of course saddens Edna who is finding it difficult to see her husband fading away. Malcolm however remains a gentle, caring and happy person.
Edna is undergoing tests at St Michael's Hospital to see if she is a suitable candidate to have an operation to restore, or partly restore, her hearing.
Angela James
Ada Keeley
Louise Howarth – Louise had a bad fall and has been in hospital.
Audrey Howell - Audrey has had a fall and damaged her leg. The ambulance came out and the paramedics provided antibiotics, but she is feeling quite low after this. Pray it may heal quickly.
Paul and Barbara Lewis
The Madeleys
Stella Middleton
Lynn Pack
Gwen Purnell
Mac Reid
Jo Scott
Diana Thomas – pray for Diana’s granddaughter Esme who has been very ill.
Peter and Val Tullett
Joy White
Gill and David Willis - David has Parkinsons. Gill and David are coping well at the moment and David manages a short walk each day, weather permitting. Ongoing prayer is always welcome.
St Barnabas Church - Please continue to pray that the Diocese will find the remaining funds needed to employ the lay Pioneer Minister to be based at St Barnabas Church.
Prayers for Mission
Pedro Santos as he seeks the Lord regarding his future ministry.
The Clarkes
Heather Johnstone - It was good meeting up with Heather again. She spoke well in church, her sales went well and we all enjoyed lunch together in the Church Hall. Her car had broken down outside the Stars’ house on her arrival, so she was here until Tuesday when she took the train back to London. She came back on the Saturday to pick up the car and went to Hereford for a Church visit there on the Sunday.
Pray for Heather's Church visits to Birmingham this weekend and Bedford next weekend, and that she has no more breakdowns.
Pray for an urgent audiology appointment before she leaves and time to get hearing aids or whatever she needs.
She flies to South Africa on December 17th to visit her brother for Christmas. She returns to Tanzania on January 14th.
Please pray for peace in Tanzania. A protest is called for January 9th, Independence Day, and the people are scared.
CMS mission partners Alison Giblett, Anya and Pastor Valery in Kiev – please pray for continued safety, emotional and physical strength and wisdom how to use resources to help the many people in need, especially over Christmas.