Category: Church

Advent Jesse Tree

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We’ll be using a Jesse Tree to help us to explore Advent this year.

What is a Jesse Tree?

A Jesse Tree is a way of preparing for Advent by journeying through the stories on Jesus’s family tree.  Each day of Advent, we’ll read a Bible story about someone on Jesus’s family tree and hang an ornament symbolizing the story on your Jesse Tree.  As you decorate your tree, you’ll see how God prepared for Jesus to be born through many generations.

Where does the Jesse Tree come from?

The Jesse Tree tradition is rooted in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Jesse was the father of David, Israel’s greatest king.  And Jesus is descended from the line of David.  He is the branch God promised would grow from Jesse’s family tree.   Each symbol represents a story from within this family tree and a step toward the birth of Jesus.

How do I join in ?

We’ll be posting a Jesse Tree video every morning of Advent on our Facebook page, either as part of Morning Worship (10am on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays) or as a small stand-alone video (9am on Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays).

To join in, you’ll need your own small tree upon which to hang your decorations.

Download your Jesse Tree ornaments here.

Download our Advent Morning Worship Service Leaflet here.

To find more Jesse Tree material, click here.

UK Day of Prayer

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Friday 13th November has been designated a UK day of Prayer. We are asked to weave listening and sharing into the daily routine of life.

Gill spoke a lot on this in her Morning Prayer video, which can be re-watched below.

The suggested schedule Gill talks about can be read on the Evangelical Alliance website here :-

https://www.eauk.org/what-we-do/prayer-centre/uk-day-of-prayer-november-13th-2020/suggested-schedule-for-the-uk-day-of-prayer

In Memoriam

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Our memorial service planned for Sunday afternoon 8th November had to be cancelled due to Covid-19. However, you are invited to lay a stone under the Old Oak Tree in the grounds of St Catherine’s Church, in memory of a relative, friend or neighbour.

On-line resources during Coronavirus

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We are aware that many seek spiritual nourishment during this time of Coronavirus when we are unable to attend Church services together.  This may be especially important for those self isolating.

We continue to meet together on-line in a variety of ways, primarily through Facebook and Zoom.

Immediately below are our most recent videos. Please scroll to the bottom for more resources.

Advent Course – Wednesday 25th November

 

Morning Prayer – Tuesday 24th November

 

Morning Prayer – Monday 23rd November

 

Sunday Service – 22nd November

 

Morning Prayer – Friday 20th November

 

Morning Prayer – Thursday 19th November

 

Morning Prayer – Wednesday 18th November

 

Videos

All our Morning Prayer & Sunday Service videos can be found here

Our videos for the young or young at heart can be found here

All our Afternoon Reflection videos can be found here

Our Thy Kingdom Come Evening Prayer videos can be found here

All our Bible Reading videos can be found here

All our Daily Office videos can be found here

All our Soul Music videos can be found here

Other Resources

All our downloadable resources, including our ‘At Home’ service booklet, can be found here

In addition to videos, further study material has been emailed or delivered. If you want this and haven’t already received it, please contact us at info@stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk .  If you have a friend who’d like this, but does not have access to the Internet, please contact us.

If you wish to join us for our Zoom Coffee meetings, please find the details at the end of our Sunday services, or email us at info@stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk

A lot of announcements and links to additional material can be found on our Facebook page.

Last updated Sunday 1st November 10:00 am.

Originally published Monday 16th March 9:00 am

Church Activities and Coronavirus

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St Catherine's ChurchThis page is regularly updated.  Please return regularly to read the latest situation.

The Coronavirus Pandemic has changed all our lives.  As lockdown returns, our recently emerging pattern of Sunday services and other midweek gatherings is affected again.  

  • From November 5th there will be no services in St Catherine’s Building until further notice.

During these difficult times, we continue to explore how to be a different kind of church, and how to both keep in contact and provide practical help.

We encourage you to :-

  • Join our live-streamed video services via our Facebook page .  We have a Sunday morning service video as well as a weekday live streamed ‘At Home’ Morning Prayer  service.  All start at 10am.  Please download a Morning Prayer service booklet from here.
  • Keep in contact via email, social media or telephone with each other.  If you are not already in one of our ‘Virtual Groups’ and wish to be included, please email us.

Please refer to this page for Practical Help if you are ill or isolated.

Please refer to this page for Spiritual Help during this time.

Church Activities

With the return of lockdown, all Church Activities will cease to meet physically from Thursday 5th November.

This includes, but is not limited to the following

      • Sunday Morning Services
      • Mid-Week Services in church
      • Café Siena
      • Tuesday get Together
      • Friday Friends
      • York House communion
      • Calcot Cuppa
      • Mothers Union
      • Tots Praise
      • Cornwell 0-5s Play Group

At this time it is not known which activities will re-start at what time.  Please check back on this web site or our Facebook page for further details.

Other Hall & Church Users

Some groups, such as St Catherine’s Pre-school, have a specification exemption from lockdown.  They may continue to meet,  in a strict Covid-secure environment.

We have contacted the people booking the Hall or Church to discuss the additional requirements that the latest government guidance puts upon them and the practicality of whether their groups may continue to meet.

At this time we do not know when any particular church centre users will restart their groups.  Please check with them for further details.

Also note:
To reduce the chance of cross contamination, the centre is being operated in two halves – Church and Hall.  Please use the north, car park entrance for the Church, and the south, road side entrance for the Hall.

 

Last updated 31st October 11:45 pm.
Originally published 16th March 9:00 am.