The church of St. Mary & St. Edburga is to be found in the centre of the village and has vestiges of Saxon and Norman elements, but predominantly owes its current style to the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries.
It is wonderfully light and airy inside, having plain diamond glass over the majority of the windows, with only small areas of medieval glass still in place at the heads of the oldest lancet windows. There is a legend that the remainder of the stained glass was taken down for protection at the time of the Reformation and buried somewhere around the village, but nothing has so far been discovered.
Within the church, there is a plain medieval font, a beautiful Jacobean pulpit and an enormous 17th century baroque monument to a member of the Borlase family, who built the manor in 1545.
The church of St Mary & St Edburga, Stratton Audley is a member of the Church of England Shelswell group of parishes. Visit www.shelswellparishes.info
For information concerning the Parish Magazine click here.
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Latest information as at 08 October 2021
The next service in Stratton Audley is 9.30am Holy Communion on Sunday 24th October and then on Sunday 31st October we are holding a special Benefice Service of Holy Communion for Climate Sunday. This will be at 11am and is very much open to anyone from across all the parishes of the benefice. Full details of all our services can be found on the usual link http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php
The Benefice is holding a Service of Commemoration of the Departed in Finmere Church on Sunday 31st October. All are very welcome to this service to remember loved ones who have passed away, either recently or longer ago, but please note that the service is at 4pm not 6pm. If you would like us to remember someone by name in the service then do let us know (whether you can attend in person or not).
‘Little Lambs’ continues in Stratton Audley Church on Wednesday mornings (10 – 11.30am). There is no need to book – just turn up with your under-5s. We have play, music and stories and can now serve refreshments for both adults and children.
Shelswell Youth Group has started meeting on alternate Friday evenings (7-9pm) in Fringford. The next meeting is on Friday 22nd October – For more details, including the venue, contact Yvonne curate@shelswellparishes.info
For adults who may be looking for an opportunity to get out of the house, we have ‘Shelswell-by-the-Sea’ Holiday at Home. This will run from Monday 18th– Wednesday 20th October in Hethe Village Hall (10am – 3.30pm) Fun, food and companionship plus an outing.
Latest information as at 12 August 2021
We are pleased to say that a regular pattern of services in church has now resumed with the lifting of Covid restrictions. There is generally a service of Holy Communion in Stratton Audley at 9.30am on the fourth Sunday in each month. There is also a 6pm evening service of Compline which usually alternates between Stratton Audley and Godington on the first Sunday of each month. There may be occasional variations to this pattern so you can check the latest information on the Shelswell Benefice website at http://www.shelswellparishes.info/services.php
For those who would like to continue following worship at home, we are livestreaming a service every Sunday at 11am. You can find this live on our Facebook group ‘Shelswell News’ or later on YouTube (search for Shelswell Parishes)
Alice, our Rector, writes as follows regarding the measures we have in place to keep everyone safe at our services.
Hymns: we will start to sing these within our services.
Hand sanitiser: we will continue to offer this at the door and before Holy Communion
Masks: the ministry team will wear masks inside the church, except when sitting in their seats or leading worship. We would encourage you to wear a mask when entering and leaving the building, but you may, if you would like, take it off once seated. (Or keep it on, your preference).
Social distancing: when inside the church, we would encourage you to ensure 1 – 2 metres between you and anyone else that you are not on close terms with, both when seated and when moving around the church or talking with others.
Communion: for the time being we will continue as we have been doing. So communion will be brought to you in your seats. We will not yet be reintroducing the common cup but will receive bread only. The person presiding will wear a mask both to prepare the table and to distribute the bread. The bread will remain covered during the prayer of consecration.
Sharing the peace: for the time being, we will continue to share the peace non verbally – by waving, nodding, smiling, bowing – but not by shaking hands or hugging.
Refreshments: these can now be served at the end of a service, outdoors if it is at all possible. We will ask that the person preparing them does so after sanitising their hands and whilst wearing a mask. Cups and plates will be thoroughly washed afterwards.
And with all of this, please be very sensitive to others who may be feeling much less confident about the lifting of restrictions than you. They may not tell you directly that you feel too close to them, so you will need to use your best observational skills – someone stepping or leaning away from you is a sure sign!!
And if you are one of those feeling less confident, please take whatever measures you feel you need to. Most of us are not very good at saying ‘I’m sorry, would you mind moving a little further away’, but there is no shame in doing so! Neither is there any shame in wearing your mask throughout the service, not taking part in the singing, or not accepting any refreshments.
Previous Covid-19 Advisory notes for 2020/21
2020For the time being Sunday morning service will be available on line. Find it on Facebook Shelswell News Group or YouTube Shelswell Parishes channel from around midday onwards. It will actually have been recorded (rather than livestream) to try and get round some of the technical issues they have been having with the signal needed for livestream.
The Christmas Service in Stratton will be 10am Family Communion on Christmas Day and 11.15am in Godington on Christmas Day There won’t be a ‘live’ Carol Service as people aren’t allowed to sing, but we will be putting out an online Carol Service for the Benefice at 6pm on Sunday 20th December (on Shelswell News Facebook Group and Shelswell Parishes YouTube Channel) This will have been recorded in advance in Stratton Audley Church. For those attending please read the guide below.
Guidelines – a summary
- Reserve your seat – phone 01280 848192 or email admin@shelswellparishes.info
- Wear a mask
- Observe social distancing of 2 metres
- Use the hand sanitiser when you arrive and before receiving communion
- Listen to hymns, hum along, but don’t sing
- Follow directions given about where to sit, receiving communion, and how to leave
- There will be no socialising from one household bubble to another.
Full guidelines, together with details of when our churches are open for private prayer can be found on the website: www.shelswellparishes.info
1st June 2020
The church is now open and has already welcomed a number of visitors. Several villagers have volunteered to help for just 10 minutes at around 5pm, to complete a very short list of checks and use a light anti-microbial mist spray on some specific areas of likely contact. However, a few more volunteers would be welcome and if you would also like to help, then please email jacquelinefox@aol.com . If anyone has any flowers that they would like to have displayed in the Church then please take them along (there are vases by the tea point).
From the 4th July, churches are allowed to open for services and weddings for up to 30 people, but at this early stage no plans have yet been published as to how this might work in Stratton Audley.
The church is taking feedback on the type of services and activities that people would like to see in the future, because during lockdown they have been using some new internet based services. If you would like to participate in a questionnaire about future services please contact admin@shelswellparishes.info
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Due to Coronavirus, the church in the village is now closed until further notice (April 2020). You are welcome to visit the graveyard to pay your respects as normal.
In these extraordinary times it has been decided not to print and distribute door to door the Shelswell News but to provide it electronically via the following links.
The June issue is available by opening: Shelswell News June 2020
The May issue is available by clicking here
For the April, copy and paste the following link into your browser:
http://www.shelswellparishes.info/documents/Shelswell%20News%20April.pdf
To visit the Shelswell Group of Parishes website click on this link:
http://www.shelswellparishes.info/mag.php
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Whilst Alice is continuing with services available through social media you won’t be surprised to learn that there is no information this month regarding our individual Church activities, except to mention the heart-warming sound of Jeremy ringing a bell in Church at 8pm on Thursday evenings in support of the clapping for the NHS and all carers. People have mentioned how uplifting it is to hear the sound of the Church bell once again.
Although the news nationally is absolutely dire there have been examples locally of the wonderful care and consideration shown by many, many people who are looking out for others. This has been shown in the offers of help from people who were once strangers (but who are now regarded warmly as friends) who are helping with regular shopping trips, delivering medicines and even organising the collection of gardening items.
On behalf of all beneficiaries –
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR CARE AND CONSIDERATION
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Latest News Latest news Latest News
IMPORTANT NOTICE
In view of the Church of England’s decision to suspend Church services there will consequently be no service on Easter Day (nor for the foreseeable future). This will mean that, for the first time in over 30 years, we will be unable to have our lovely display of Easter lilies at the altar of Stratton’s Church to commemorate loved ones. This has been a wonderfully uplifting sight, organised for all those years by Alison Howson and Gill Harper. They and we are truly sorry that it cannot be done this year but maybe next year …..Meanwhile the Church will be open daily for personal prayer but not for large gatherings. The door handles and light switches will be disinfected daily
In default of having Church services the following is a prayer which you might wish to use
Loving God
We pray for all those who are suffering because of the coronavirus,
May they know your healing power.
When we are afraid for ourselves and our loved ones
Give us your strength and courage.
When we feel alone and isolated,
Reassure us with a sense of your presence.
Give wisdom to those in authority
And may our community work together for the good of all.
We give thanks for those who care for others
And ask you to bless them in all they do.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, healer and physician.
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STRATTON AUDLEY CHURCH MOTHERING SUNDAY, March 24th
9.15 – Communion Service
10.45 – Benefice Family Service
CHURCH ELECTORAL ROLL
Those with an interest in the life of the church in the village may wish to join the Church Electoral Roll in order to be eligible to vote at the up-coming Annual Meeting. To be eligible to join the Church Electoral Roll, you must be baptised and reside in the parish. If you live outside the parish, then you need to have habitually worshipped in the parish for a period of at least six months. Anyone wishing to join the Roll will find forms on the table at the back of Church and they should be returned to Dorothy Howarth at 12 Cavendish Place. Completed forms should be received before the date of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting which will take place on 4th May
“ENGAGING PRAYER” 5th March – 10th March
Our curate Yvonne is arranging a series of prayerful activities which will be held in Stratton Church on the above dates. Refreshments are available. Full details are available at the front of the magazine.
THE TEA POINT
People who have used the tea point in the last few weeks will have noticed that the whole area has been improved, with new cupboard doors, the cupboards themselves lowered so that they are more accessible, the sink relocated to provide better space and the panelling on the south wall repaired and improved.
The PCC would particularly like to thank Roger Cross and his team for all the work they have undertaken and to thank the Parish Council for providing the funds to do this. They would also like to thank Roger for repairing and strengthening the floor under the back pews of the north aisle. This has been needed for several years and it will now no longer be necessary to rope it off to prevent its use.
More work is planned to re-plaster and paint the whole of the south wall and it is anticipated that this will commence from the end of March/early April.
PARENTS INPUT NEEDED PLEASE
Stratton Audley Church members are really keen to be able to organise events for young families in the village (and beyond) and with this in mind would very much like to invite you to come to PCC meetings to help us!
The Parochial Church Council (full name) meets at the moment every 2-3 months for a couple of hours in the evening. The items discussed not only involve looking at the workings of the Church and the upkeep of its buildings but also the social events. Which is where, as a younger person, we would really value your input! Having young children yourself or young nieces and nephews you would be able to make a difference in the planning of any functions.
If you would like to come with a friend that would be great as, ideally, we would love to have two or three people to join us!
If you have any questions you are more than welcome to give me a call on 07813514399 or alternatively email me on jacquelinefox@aol.com
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STRATTON AUDLEY AND GODINGTON CHRISTMAS SERVICES
STRATTON AUDLEY CHURCH
“Carols by Candlelight” Service – Sunday 15th December at 6 pm
Crib Service – 4pm Christmas Eve
Christmas Day – Family Communion Service at 10am
Please note that there will be no midnight service on Christmas Eve this year.
GODINGTON
“Carols by Candlelight” – Friday 20th December at 7pm
It is hoped that anyone in Godington who would like to attend a service on Christmas Day will join the congregation in Stratton Audley
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT IN STRATTON AUDLEY
15th December at 6pm
Why not let the true spirit of Christmas start here with a service of traditional carols and readings to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. For a short while get away from the worries of how you are going to feed all the people who will be turning up at your home and the presents you still have to buy and get back to WHY the Christmas season is actually celebrated.
CAROL SINGING AROUND THE VILLAGE
‘Tis the season to be jolly?!’ This is a very difficult sentiment for the homeless people living on the streets to sign up to. Would you like to join us for one night only,
Carol Singing around the village?
The date is Tuesday 17th December starting at the Red Lion at 7.00pm.
If you would like us to knock on your door, but don’t like answering the door at night then please give us your phone number and we will give you a ring as we are coming near to your home. If you are going to be out but would still like to contribute please put your donation through our door. All of the donations will be delivered to
Homeless, Oxfordshire before Christmas.
The phone number to ring is Tony 07813513753 and our address for donations is 14 Cavendish Place.
Ps We are establishing a drop off point for items of warm clothing, bedding and toiletries to be taken to O’Hanlon House in January. More details to follow.
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Read the report for the PCC for 2016/17 by clicking on this link:
Parish Church Report and Accounts 2018
Stratton Audley and Godignton 2016 ReportandAccountsfortheParochialChurchCouncilrevised [583017]
PREVIOUS NEWS
STRATTON AUDLEY AND GODINGTON SERVICE OF COMMEMORATION OF THE DEPARTED
Sunday, 3rd November, 4pm Stratton Audley Church
This Sunday, being the closest to All Saints’ Day, is the opportunity to hold a special service to commemorate all those who have died, particularly those for whom funerals have been held in the benefice over the last two years. We expect there will be many family members of those who are being commemorated who will wish to light a candle in their memory
REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN STRATTON AUDLEY
Sunday, 10th November at 10.45am
The service this year will be held on Sunday November 10th at 10.45am. We hope to be joined once again by members of the Parish Council.
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Previous News
HARVEST FESTIVAL – GODINGTON
Sunday, 6th October – 11.00am
The Godington Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 6th October @ 11.00am
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CHRISTMAS 2018 SERVICES IN STRATTON AUDLEY
“Carols by Candlelight” Service – Sunday 16th December at 6 pm
Crib Service – 4pm Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve Midnight Communion at 11.30 pm
Christmas Day Family Service at 10.45pm
GODINGTON
“Carols by Candlelight” – Friday 21st December at 7pm
It is hoped that anyone in Godington who would like to attend a service on Christmas Day will join the congregation in Stratton Audley
CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT IN STRATTON AUDLEY
16th December at 6pm
Why not let the true spirit of Christmas start here with a service of traditional carols and readings to celebrate the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. For a short while get away from the worries of how you are going to feed all the people who will be turning up at your home and the presents you still have to buy and get back to WHY the Christmas season is actually celebrated.
CAROL SINGING AROUND THE VILLAGE
Following on from last year’s really well supported band of Carol Singers we are going to have a repeat performance on Tuesday 18th December! All of the money collected will go to the homeless in Oxford who were really appreciative of the money donated last year.
If you are a little nervous about opening the door at night, then we could phone you when we are a couple of minutes away? Also if you aren’t going to be in but would like to give a donation then please pop it through our door.
Any carol singers (children welcome) who would like to join in are very welcome! The more the merrier! We will be meeting at the Red Lion at 7.00pm.
If you have any queries please either ring me on 01869 278584 or drop your donation in to Timbertops, Cavendish Place.
Happy Christmas
Jackie Fox
RAFFLE AT HILL VIEW FARM
In addition to selling wonderful items in the Christmas Sale at Hill View Farm in Poundon on November 2nd and 3rd, there was also a raffle, the winners and winning numbers of which are shown below –
66 Jean Winter
184 Adam Harper
55 Paddy Hall
2 Nicky Lane
108 Caroline Goss
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Previously…………..
REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN STRATTON AUDLEY
Sunday, 11th November at 10.45am
The service this year will be held on Sunday November 11th at 10.45am. This will be the 100th anniversary of the Armistice in WW1 and we hope to be joined once again by members of the Parish Council.
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PREVIOUSLY………
RIDE AND STRIDE
Many thanks to all those who sat at the Church in Stratton to welcome the riders taking part in this fund-raising challenge, particularly those who stepped in at short notice. It was most unusual to have the welcoming people sharing the Church with those who were setting up for the evening’s Proms event. The early rain may have resulted in fewer visiting riders than usual but the funds raised will be warmly appreciated by Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust and the individual Churches who receive half the sponsorship monies.
Jeremy Adams was the only rider from these two parishes and will shortly be hoping to catch up with his sponsors.
HARVEST FESTIVAL – GODINGTON
Sunday, 7th October – 11.00am
At Godington the Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 7th October @ 11.00am
GEOFF HOWSON
Sadly Geoff passed away on the 28th of August in Cherwood Care Home where he was cared for wonderfully by the staff. His burial has taken place but there will be a service to celebrate his life in Stratton Church on Monday October 15th at 2.30pm. The family would like to thank everybody for their support, letters and cards and also to thank the willing people who made sure Alison was able to see him by offering lifts to Cherwood.
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PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS
OXFORDSHIRE HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST
RIDE AND STRIDE
September 8th
This year’s Ride and Stride will be on September 8th. Anyone in this parish who is interested in enjoying this challenge and who would be prepared to raise funds for OHCT and for this Church through sponsorship can obtain an entry form from Roni Howarth at 12 Cavendish Place or on 01869 277694. The OHCT have frequently provided financial support for maintenance and rebuilding projects in Stratton Church.
In order to welcome visiting riders and walkers to the Church we would be grateful for people to volunteer to sit in the Church for 1-hour periods, between 10am and 6pm in order to authorise visitor’s sponsorship forms and to offer refreshments. Anyone able to help should contact Roni as shown above.
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MEN’S BREAKFAST – STRATTON AUDLEY CHURCH
Saturday, September 22nd 8.15 for 8.30 breakfast and 10am finish
Following on from our successful first men’s breakfast, our next meeting is now planned.
All men are welcomed to come and enjoy a full English breakfast and have the opportunity to meet with others in an informal setting. Our speaker this time is Gwilym Mason Evans, who after a spell in the RAF has had a career in Motor Racing, working for teams such as Benneton, Ford/Cosworth, Simtec, BAR/HondaF1 and BrawnF1. He has also been involved with David Brailsford , helping build new trucks for Team Sky Cycling. He has recently been involved in a Christian based racing team in Classic Formula Ford. This promises to be an interesting talk.
The cost is £10.00. We need to know the numbers by 14th September at the latest for catering purposes, please.
Please either email or phone
Tony Fox 07813 513753 Email:- tonysfox@gmail.com
Andrew Cotton 07768 903579 Email:-andrewmcotton@live.co.uk
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HARVEST FESTIVAL – STRATTON AUDLEY
Sunday, 23rd September – 10.45am
Decorating the Church in preparation for Sunday’s Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday 22nd September from 10am and lots of help would be most welcome.
Whilst welcoming flowers to decorate the Church window sills, it has been decided that in place of the usual fruits and flowers as offerings for the Harvest we would like to suggest that people bring packaged or tinned goods which can be donated to the Bicester Food Bank. We hope the “Friends of the Fabric Fund” will join us for this service, which will be followed by a bring and share lunch.
HARVEST FESTIVAL – GODINGTON
Sunday, 7th October – 11.00am
At Godington the Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 7th October @ 11.00am
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PREVIOUS EVENTS IN STRATTON CHURCH
Sat, July 21st Olwen Lintern-Smyth Trio, popular classical music in Church
7.30pm. Wine and nibbles, admission £10 per person
Sat, Sept 8th “Last Night of the Proms” supper in Church at 7.30 pm.
2-course meal and wine £20 per person.
Bright clothes to be worn to celebrate the end of Summer
CHURCH BELL-RINGING GALLERY
The new bell-ringing gallery in the Church has finally been built, providing much needed storage space beneath it for Church and village equipment. The Village Hall Committee (now disbanded) has transferred all its funds to the PCC as a major contribution towards the building costs of the gallery, as approved at the Open Meeting held on 16th July 2016.
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NEW RINGING FLOOR IN CHURCH
We are pleased to be able to report that work to install the new ringing floor in the church tower began after Easter, and by the time you read this the work should be nearing completion.
Roger Cross has undertaken the work to plans drawn up by architect, Alan Frost, and approved by the Diocese. Drilling into the walls of the tower to install the RSJs to support the new floor was interesting in what it revealed about the tower’s construction. Whilst Roger was braced for a stern task in drilling into the stone of the North wall of the tower, he found that in fact the drill sank quite readily into much looser stone than he was expecting. It seems that this part of the church is probably not as old as had previously been thought.
With the metalwork in place, the supporting timbers and floorboards were installed very quickly, with a hatch provided in the middle of the floor so that the bells can be lowered for remedial work at any time in the future.
And once the new floor was usable, Jeremy set to work to adjust the bell ropes so that ringing could be undertaken from the new floor. The ringers gathered in the new ringing chamber for the first time on Sunday 15th April to ring for the evening service. As I write, access is by ladder only, but shortly a new staircase will be constructed and there are also plans to move the boiler from ground level to the new ‘first floor’ allowing for maximum storage space below.
Funding for the work was provided from the monies held, over many years, towards a possible Village Hall. As this project was no longer considered viable, an open meeting of the village made the decision some time ago to direct the funds towards work to make the church more suitable for general community use. This additional storage space will help considerably towards that goal.
If you would be interested to see the new ringing chamber and improved storage facilities then do just ask Jeremy (Tel: 01869 277471) and he would be happy to show you round, once the area is safe to receive visitors.
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Previous News
EASTER DAY
1st April
The service on Easter Day will take the form of Family Communion at 10.45 in Stratton Church.
After the austerity of Lent, we anticipate having many flowers in Church. Anyone intending to put flowers on the window sills in Stratton’s Church should put them in on the Saturday morning, after the prayerful and contemplative Good Friday.
EASTER LILIES OF REMEMBRANCE
In Stratton we usually have a large display of lilies at the altar in remembrance of loved ones. If you would like to make a donation towards the lilies please contact Alison Howson (01869 277213) as soon as possible and let her have the name(s) of those to be remembered. These names will be displayed on a list alongside the flowers. Each remembrance stem will cost £3 and, once again, any surplus monies will be donated to Sobell House Hospice. If anyone who usually contributes wishes to be left out this time please let Alison know in good time.
NOTE The work to install the new ringing floor in Stratton Audley’s Church tower is due to start after Eater.
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PALM SUNDAY
March 25th
There will be the usual Morning Service at 10.45am
MAUNDY THURSDAY
29th March
There will be an ‘Agape’ meal for the benefice in the Church at Stratton at 7pm. This will be in the style of the meal which was held in Stoke Lyne last year and further information is available at the front of the magazine.
GOOD FRIDAY
March 30th
There are no services in Stratton but services in other parishes are shown in the timetable at the back of the magazine.
EASTER DAY
1st April
The service on Easter Day will take the form of Family Communion at 10.45 in Stratton Church.
After the austerity of Lent, we anticipate having many flowers in Church. Anyone intending to put flowers on the window sills in Stratton’s Church should put them in on the Saturday morning, after the prayerful and contemplative Good Friday.
EASTER LILIES OF REMEMBRANCE
In Stratton we usually have a large display of lilies at the altar in remembrance of loved ones. If you would like to make a donation towards the lilies please contact Alison Howson (01869 277213) as soon as possible and let her have the name(s) of those to be remembered. These names will be displayed on a list alongside the flowers. Each remembrance stem will cost £3 and, once again, any surplus monies will be donated to Sobell House Hospice. If anyone who usually contributes wishes to be left out this time please let Alison know in good time.
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CHRISTMAS SERVICES
“Carols by Candlelight” Service – Sunday 17th December at 6 pm
Crib Service – 4pm Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve Midnight Communion at 11.30 pm
Christmas Day Family Service at 11 pm
GODINGTON
“Carols by Candlelight” – Friday 22nd December at 7pm??
It is hoped that anyone in Godington who would like to attend a service on Christmas Day will join the congregation in Stratton Audley
CAROL SINGING
For one night only!!
Villagers of all ages are invited to join in carol singing around Stratton Audley in Tuesday 19th December. We will be meeting at 7.00pm at The Red Lion.
For many years over a couple of nights we used to sing carols but were slightly put off because of the extremely cold weather – which in itself was a bit sad because we were collecting for the night shelter. So with more determination and a couple of extra thermal layers we are going to do this again FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY and the collection will go towards the work of the Homeless in Oxfordshire.
Please come and join us. We look forward to seeing you
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STRATTON AUDLEY AND GODINGTON – REMEMBRANCE SERVICE IN STRATTON AUDLEY
Sunday, 12th November at 10.45am
The service this year will be held on Sunday November 12th at 10.45am and we hope to be joined once again by members of the Parish Council.
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OXFORDSHIRE HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST RIDE AND STRIDE
September 9th
This year’s Ride and Stride will be on September 9th. This is an ideal opportunity for people who are cyclists and horse riders, etc, to visit Churches in the region which will all be open on the day in order to raise monies for OHCT. Anyone in this parish who is interested in enjoying this challenge and who would be prepared to raise funds for this worthy cause through sponsorship can obtain an entry form from Roni Howarth at 12 Cavendish Place or on 01869 277694. The OHCT have frequently provided financial support for maintenance and rebuilding projects in Stratton Church.
In order to welcome visiting riders and walkers to the Church we would be grateful for people to volunteer to sit in the Church for 1-hour periods, between 10am and 6pm in order to authorise visitor’s sponsorship forms and to offer refreshments. Anyone able to help should contact Roni as shown above.
HARVEST FESTIVAL – STRATTON AUDLEY
Sunday, 24th September – 10.45am
Decorating the Church in preparation for Sunday’s Harvest Festival will take place on Saturday 23rd September from 10am and lots of help would be most welcome.
HARVEST FESTIVAL – GODINGTON
Sunday, 8th October – 10.45am
At Godington the Harvest Festival will be held on Sunday 8th October @ 10.45am
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STRATTON AUDLEY AND GODINGTON
SONGS OF PRAISE
Sunday 11th June @ 6pm
Following a very full weekend of Open Gardens and to celebrate the completion of recent rebuilding work at the Church there will be a Songs of Praise service in Church, which will include a visit by the Archdeacon and
lots of well-known hymns.
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PREVIOUSLY
CHURCHYARD TIDY-UP – Saturday, 25th March
On Saturday 25th March Jeremy Adams, Churchwarden, will be organising a Spring Tidy-up of the churchyard from 10am onwards and he would really appreciate your help! If you can bring tools for trimming and tidying then that would be helpful as well. Coffee and cake will be there to help things along. Even if you can only come for a short time then do drop in. As they say – many hands make light work.
Any queries ahead of the day, ring Jeremy on 01869 277471.
MOTHERING SUNDAY – 26th March 2017
Mothering Sunday will be observed in Stratton Audley with a special service involving children, with the usual Informal Service at 6pm
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday, 26th April – 7.30pm
This is advance warning that the APCM meeting will take place in Stratton Church at 7.30pm on Wednesday April 26th, at which we will be appointing Church Wardens and reviewing the Church year. All are welcome to attend.
BOWLS
We will be playing short mat bowls in Stratton Audley Church on Monday 6th March at 2.45pm.
No experience necessary, just turn up and have a cup of tea and a bit of fun.
This event is not organised by the church but independantly by local residents.
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RECENT PAST NEWS
NEWS UPDATE JAN 2016 – It’s now official – we have our new Rector
The new Rector of the Shelswell Benefice, Reverend Alice Goodall, was officially installed on Tuesday 19th January 2016 by the Bishop of Dorchester and the Archdeacon of Oxford, in the Church of St Mary and St Edburga, Stratton Audley.
The church was packed with dignitaries and parishioners from all the villages within the Benefice and the ceremony was a great celebration with refreshments in the Church after the service. Alice was welcomed by everyone and looks forward to her time as Rector with great enthusiasm.
A THANK YOU
The PCC would like to thank all those who take their place on the many rotas which keep the Churches so well maintained and such a welcoming place to visit; the cleaners, flower arrangers, providers of refreshments for services, readers, organists, meeters and greeters and those helping to keep the Churchyards in such good order by taking part in the mowing. Many, many thanks.
But how can YOU help? In Stratton Audley we have a goodly number of people who are prepared to help on the rotas but, inevitably, numbers are reducing as people move away. If you would be able to assist – probably around once every 6-8 weeks – we would be very grateful. If you are not currently a member of the congregation then you might like to help with the flowers, cleaning or mowing of the Churchyard which helps to keep the Church such a vibrant feature of YOUR village, but if you are a member (or are likely to become a member) of the congregation then an offer of help with the additional elements of refreshments after the service or meeting and greeting before the start of the service (or even occasionally reading a lesson!!) would be much appreciated. If this appeals to you please contact Becky on 01869 277471.
In addition to the above, the PCC and the whole congregation, would like to thank the bell-ringers, who give up their time – usually twice a week – to rehearse and then ring for services. The pealing of bells is a uniquely English tradition and really helps to lift the spirit prior to a service.