Sunday 7th December 2025 – Services at Shaugh Prior, Bickleigh, and Glenholt

St Edwards, St Mary’s & St Anne’s welcomes you.<!–

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Parishes of Bickleigh and Shaugh Prior

Contact: admin@bspchurches.co.uk

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SERVICES IN OUR PARISHES

Sunday 7th December 2025

St Edward King & Martyr, Shaugh Prior

09:30am Holy Communion

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St Mary The Virgin, Bickleigh

11.15am Holy Communion

Sunday 14th December 2025

St Edward King & Martyr, Shaugh Prior

09:30am Holy Communion

6.30pm Carol Service

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St Mary The Virgin, Bickleigh

11.15am Holy Communion

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St Anne, Glenholt

4.30pm Carol Service

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Life in our churches and communities

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COMING IN 2026 …

This is a 10 week course to look at our faith, ask questions and help us think about what we believe. It’s great for those new to thinking about faith – but also a great refresher for those of us who have been round the block a few times too! We will start with a simple lunch then watch a video and split into groups for discussion. If you might help us with hospitality – making/serving lunch/ washing up, or would just like to come along then please sign up!
If you can bring a friend with you to find out more, think what a difference that could make for them! Who might you bring along? be praying for them now!

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QUIET SPACES

Waiting Reflection, 28th November 2025, St Mary’s Plympton

Thanks to everyone who came to St Mary’s, Plympton where we discussed and shared the theme of ‘Waiting’.

Judy reflected on her recent time in hospital and her recover. Here is part of her reflection.

As time went on I realised that this was precious time – time for pondering in the waiting. People often asked if I was bored. But it was anything but boring. Through God’s grace, somehow, right from the beginning, I had not felt afraid – I was simply able to let go, and let God. I truly believe that this time of waiting was part of my gentle recovery, and I felt a very real sense of God’s presence each day – which sustained me in the waiting
Although we might wish to focus on waiting – in the light of Advent and Christmas, we may also find it helpful to look deeper – into our own experiences. our thoughts, our delights, and even our fears of waiting. And so, as we enter this time of stillness and quiet this morning, may we trust that the Holy Spirit will guide us – in all sorts of ways – in the stillness and silence this morning, and through our own ongoing times of waiting.

Rev Judy Greenfield
More info www.quiet-spaces.co.uk

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VOLUNTEER NEEDED – COMMUNITY MARKET

We are looking for a new volunteer to help co-ordinate and organise the Community Markets in 2026, as the wonderful Karen has decided to take a step back due to additional personal responsibilities. If you are interested in the role or want to find out more about it, please let Karen or another member of the Friends of Bickleigh Parish know. Karen can be reached at skikarg@gmail.com.

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Weekly Activities

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New Online Prayer Group

Each Wednesday Rev Jo and Frank will be holding a weekly prayer meeting via Google Meet (video call via your computer’s browser, a bit like Zoom), at 9:00 to 09:30am to pray for one another, our churches, ministers and volunteers. If you are interested in joining the meeting, please get in touch for the link details.

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Please note there will be no Games Club on Friday 5th December as there will be a Christmas Decorations Workshop in aid of the Friends of Bickleigh Parish

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Regular giving

Thank you to all of you who are donating to our churches! Have you considered setting up a regular donation to support the life and maintenance of our church communities? Please consider a single or monthly donation.

Donate now for Bickleigh Parish / Donate now for Shaugh Prior Parish.

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Prayer lists

Those in need of our prayers
Pauline, Julie, Sophie, Karen, Richard, Judy, Mo, Jacquie, Valerie, Avril, Shirley, Mike, Eileen, Pam, Baby Reggie and his family, Maureen M.

Pray for the Souls of the Recently Departed
David May

Those whose year’s mind occur around this time
Alexander Stinchcomb, Robert Lusk, Laurie Hunt, Netta Shearman, Patricia Chambers, Christine Roberts

Those whom we love and see no longer and those who have no-one else to pray for them

+Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord
and let light perpetual shine upon them

May they rest in peace
and rise in glory

(please email admin@bspchurches.co.uk with updates to the prayer list)

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Sunday, 7th December 2025

2nd Sunday of Advent

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The Collect

O Lord, raise up, we pray, your power
and come among us,
and with great might succour us;
that whereas, through our sins and wickedness
we are grievously hindered
in running the race that is set before us,
your bountiful grace and mercy
may speedily help and deliver us;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
to whom with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honour and glory, now and for ever.

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Readings

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Isaiah 11. 1-10

¹¹A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. ² The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. ³ His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; ⁴but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. ⁵ Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
⁶The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.⁷ The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. ⁸The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. ⁹They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
¹⁰On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

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Romans 15. 4-13

⁴For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. ⁵May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, ⁶so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
⁷Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ⁸For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, ⁹and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, ‘Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name’; ¹⁰and again he says, ‘Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people’; ¹¹and again, ‘Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him’; ¹²and again Isaiah says, ‘The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.’ ¹³May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is the word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

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Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

Matthew 3. 1-12

³In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ²‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ³This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’ ⁴Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, ⁶and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
⁷But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Bear fruit worthy of repentance. ⁹Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. ¹⁰Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
¹¹ ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹²His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, O Christ.

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Post Communion

Father in heaven,
who sent your Son to redeem the world
and will send him again to be our judge:
give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming
that, when he comes again,
we may be ready to greet him
with joyful love and firm faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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Sunday 7th December 2025 – Services at Shaugh Prior, Bickleigh, and Glenholt

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