All Saints' Day and Halloween

The Church uses All Hallows' Eve, (Halloween) to prepare for All Hallows' Day, (All Saints' Day) on November 1st. Traditionally, a vigil was held when worshippers would prepare with fasting and prayers to celebrate the Saints.

There is a Songs of Praise Service at Rempstone at 6pm on Sunday 1st November and everyone is invited.

Compass Magazines. N.B. Compass Annual Subscription will be collected when your December issue is delivered at the end of November. The cost for 2010 is £2.80. If you don't already receive a copy and would like to, please let us know and we'll add you to our list. The monthly magazine gives the services and times for all the churches in our Benefice and news of church events.

Remembrance Day Parade and Service - Sunday, 8th November at 11.55am. This year the Parade and Service will be held in East Leake at the War Memorial opposite St Mary's Church. Please support the Poppy Appeal to help our Servicemen and women and to honour the memory of those who have given their lives in the service of their country.

PUT YOUR CLOCKS BACK TONIGHT!

Don't forget to change your clocks by turning them back one hour, preferably tonight, Saturday, or you'll be too late for church in the morning! Don't panic though, because you'll get an extra hour to wake up! This time of year is a time to think of others before you start planning your Christmas present shopping. We know there are plenty of people out there struggling to cope, but there are always more people in a worse situation. At least we have not suffered from disasters like some. Please give a thought to making someone else happy this Christmas. It will make you happy too. Please help our Christmas Shoe Box Appeal - 'Operation Christmas Child'. If you have a shoe box packed with lots of small goodies for a needy child, please bring it to church tomorrow or any day when there is a service. Please DO NOT leave it in the church if there is no-one to receive it, though. The deadline for receiving the gifts is November 22nd, so you have plenty of time. If you need details of what to include, there is information at the back of church, or check on http://www.operationchristmaschild.org.uk/.

Being together

During this week and next the schoolchildren and teachers will be taking a break, and parents will be juggling their work commitments and the opportunity to be with their children. Whether you're visiting museums or fun events, or just walking through the fields or parks, having fun with the dead leaves or collecting them, it's a chance to 'chill out' and enjoy each others' company.

On Sundays, and during the week we gather at church for the same reason - to be together, praise God and thank Him for all he's given us. If you haven't been for a while or are new to the area, come along on Wednesday's Service at 10am or Friday to the Coffee morning, or on Sunday, you'll get a warm welcome. In two weeks there will be a special Coffee morning combined with a Charity Christmas Card Event Nov 6th at 10am.

There are groups for children and young people, as well as plenty for the adults of all ages. We're a friendly bunch and love to meet new people. You may even meet someone who can help with your problems or even change your life! They call it 'networking'. Wherever you have been, you will always met genuine, helpful and friendly people at church.

Autumn preparations & we need YOU!

The frosty weather is on its way! The weekly churchyard rota of teams, have been getting the churchyard cleared up ready for winter. If you can spare an hour or two helping out it would be much appreciated as the leaves fall. Equipment is provided.

The Garden of Remembrance needs constant tidying up. This is always a very labour intensive job and we give our thanks to the few who tend their loved ones plaques who help us out by tidying up those adjacent.

Our rotas always need more volunteers to help maintain St Mary's: flowers, brass cleaning, cleaning, churchyard.

Those with particular skills are always in demand too e.g. electrical, plumbing, carpentry, DIY, organisers, admin & IT.

We also need members who would be willing to participate in the various services too: children's leaders, bellringers, readers, intercessions, and musicians to name but a few.

This week is Leicestershire schools Half Term starting on Monday, 19th Oct. Nottinghamshire Half Term starts one week later.

If you listen to the radio, have you tried Premier Christian Radio on DAB radios?

One World Week

St Mary's is part of the Churches Together group in the East Leake community. This next week they will meet for the One World Week Supper in St Mary's on Wednesday, 14th at 7.00pm. The speaker will be Diane Skerritt, the Diversity Officer for the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham, who will talk about the Rainbow Project, which works with refugees and asylum seekers. The One World Week Service will be held on Sunday, 18th October at the Baptist Church, East Leake at 6.00pm. St Mary's Mothers' Union will meet in St Mary's on Monday, 12th Oct at 2.15pm, when the speaker will be Revd Kim Goh.

If you haven't been able to attend one of the Harvest Services yet, there is still one more in our Benefice being held this Sunday, 11th Oct. at 6.00pm at West Leake Church. They'll be pleased to see you.

Please note: The Abbot Club boat trip has been cancelled until the Spring.

Tsunami, typhoon and earthquake.

Please remember in your prayers, those who have lost everything, their homes and many members of their family in the terrible tsunami in Samoa, typhoons in the Philippines and earthquakes in Sumatra. They need our help too, so please support the charities.

On Sunday Rempstone Church held their Harvest Service on a beautiful sunny day. We are fortunate that our harvests have been good this year, but we need some rain now as the soil is dust-dry.

This next weekend West Leake Church holds their Harvest Celebration.

St Mary's was host to a group of visiting bellringers on Saturday, so the bells you heard was not for a wedding this time. St Mary's has an enthusiastic Bellringing group who ring the bells in other churches too. They are always looking for new people to join them, so if you would like to learn, come along on Friday evenings at 7.00pm.

This week at St Mary's:

*Wednesday - Choir practice at 7.15pm

*Thursday - Music Group practice at 7.30pm

*Friday - Bellringing practice at 7.00pm

Please note: There is a new Jo Jingles group for mothers and toddlers now meeting in St Mary's Hall on Mondays at 1.45pm.

Celebrating older people!

Tomorrow, Friday there will be a special service at Southwell Minster at 2.45pm to celebrate older people and the service will be followed by afternoon tea. Funds are being raised to help children but we should treasure our older people too.

A barbecue was held last month to raise funds for the Toy Box Charity for street children overseas and £140 was raised. Everyone who attended enjoyed perfect weather that evening and had a good time with lots of good food. Many thanks to Colin and Brenda for arranging it.

Information about the annual Shoe Box Appeal is now available at the back of church. All you need is a shoe box to cover with Christmas wrapping paper and to fill it with small items to brighten a child's Christmas, who may not receive any other gifts.

The Abbot Club will be meeting tonight, 1st October at 8.00pm in the Nags Head Pub, and no doubt will be making last minute arrangements for their Canal Boat Trip on Saturday, 10th October.

Don't forget:

*Rempstone Church's Harvest Festival Service and tea at 3.00pm this Sunday.

*Sunday Sanctuary is back this Sunday too at 5.00pm in St Mary's Church.