Category: Church

Palm Sunday – 28th March

Leave a comment

CELEBRATION SERVICE WITH COMMUNION IN ST CATHERINE’S CHURCH, 10.00 am

We are delighted to reopen the church for our first Sunday service this year.

We’ll be following strict Covid secure guidelines, so it will be a spoken service with Face-masks and social distancing required.

As part of the celebration, we are inviting you to gift and bring an indoor plant (rather than a palm branch!) to leave on the windowsills of the church permanently – to celebrate both Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and our entry into the church building once more!  (Please don’t feel you have to do this, though, it is just an idea!)  This will also mark our commitment to being eco-friendly; plant lifeforms growing within the church!

Please book your place via info@stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk

St Catherine’s Church Census

Leave a comment
Church Census Cover

The Spring edition of RG31 – Our Parish Magazine contains a church census form which we’d love you to fill in.

Here’s an explanation from Gill …

In the Old Testament book of Numbers, Chapter 1, we read that in the second year of wandering in the desert, God told Moses to undertake a census. After a whole year of Coronavirus, I thought it would be a good idea to do something similar so that we don’t make assumptions when planning how we “do church” as we come out of lockdown; and to give me a picture of how everyone is feeling about church right now.

Your voice counts, and I would really appreciate it if you would complete and return this form by Tuesday 6th April, either by posting through my letterbox at The Vicarage, or using the letterbox at St Catherine’s Church.

If you’d prefer to post it please use this address:

The Vicarage,
Wittenham Avenue,
Tilehurst,
Reading,
RG31 5LN.

It is important that everyone linked to the church completes a form – but your name is optional, so you are free to say exactly what you think.

Where more than one person in your family attends church, each family member should complete a form – please download additional copies from our website.

Rev Gill Rowell

Please download additional copies from here.

Church Activities and Coronavirus

1 Comment

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 our level of restriction is continually under review, so our pattern of Sunday services and other midweek gatherings are affected again.  

  • The church will be open for private prayer on the National Day of Reflection (23rd March).  Click here for details.
  • Sunday Services within St Catherine’s Church building will resume on Palm Sunday (28th March) . Click here for details.

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

At this time, most of our Church Activities are closed and will remain so while we are at Tier 2 or higher.

This includes, but is not limited to the following

      • 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 20th March 2021 3:00 pm.
Originally published 16th March 2020 9:00 am.

Easter Events

Leave a comment
Click on the image for more details

ALL THROUGH HOLY WEEK (28th March – 4th April)

EASTER TRAIL from St Michael’s Church to St Catherine’s (more details here), all the family can discover the Easter story as they hunt for (pictures of) Easter eggs.

VISIT OUR EASTER GARDEN.  Pre-school and school children are making crafted flowers to add to the garden – and you are invited to do the same!

CAST YOUR BURDENS ON TO HIM, FOR HE CARES FOR YOU (1 Peter 5:7).  An opportunity for quiet reflection and prayer.  Bring a stone, or many stones, and lay them at the foot of the Cross.  The cross will be in a quiet place in the church grounds, behind the corner garden.  You are invited to sit before the cross on the bench for as long as you like (wrap up warm!) and use the opportunity to pray and give your concerns to God.  Do it once, or come daily.  Everyone is welcome.  Please respect social distancing.

ON LINE WORSHIP

10.00 am each week day morning – join us for MORNING WORSHIP.

7.00 pm – Listen to the EASTER STORY told by members of St Catherine’s church, with time to pause for prayer.

PALM SUNDAY : 28th March

10.00 am – CELEBRATION SERVICE WITH COMMUNION IN CHURCH Please book your place.  As part of the celebration, we are inviting you to gift and bring an indoor plant (rather than a palm branch!) to leave on the windowsills of the church permanently – to celebrate both Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, and our entry into the church building once more!  (Please don’t feel you have to do this, though, it is just an idea!)  This will also mark our commitment to being eco-friendly; plant lifeforms growing within the church!

GOOD FRIDAY : 2nd April

10.00 am – ON-LINE WORSHIP for all ages to share the wonder of the cross, and the Easter story.

3.00-3.45 pm – REFLECTIONS ON THE CROSS IN CHURCH.  Gill will lead a guided meditation focussing on different aspects of the crucifixion.  Please book your place.

EASTER SUNDAY : 4th April

6.00 am – On-line SUNRISE SERVICE from Gill’s garden to celebrate the resurrection.

10.00 am – On-line EASTER CELEBRATION

10.00 am – EASTER CELEBRATION WITH COMMUNION IN CHURCH.  Please book your place.

All services in church will follow strict Covid-secure guidelines – thus numbers may be limited to keep social distancing. To book your place, email us on info@stcatherines-tilehurst.org.uk

Bible Course : Jonah

1 Comment

A Walk on the Wild Side

Following the success of the Bible course, we will be running a 4 week course over Zoom looking at the book of Jonah.  We’ll be starting on Weds 24th March at 7.45. Please contact us if you would like to come so that we can share the link with you.

Electoral roll

Leave a comment

An Electoral Roll is a list of those qualified to vote.  As we approach our Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) it is a requirement to update our own church’s Electoral Roll in preparation for that meeting.

What is the Electoral Roll and why might you want to join it ?  The cartoon below may help.

* The PCC of Tilehurst : St Catherine and Calcot : St Birinus regret that the above mentioned Electoral Rock is not available.

If you would like to be added to our Electoral Roll, please contact us.