Advent begins - December 1st.

Advent - what does it mean? The word means 'coming' from the Latin word 'adventus'. It is used in the Christian church for the season of the coming, or birth of Jesus of Nazareth. This is when we really get excited about Christmas. The Nativity story tells of how He came to be born in Nazareth and what happened on the day He was born. This is what Christmas is really about, and it's certainly a time for celebrations. Watch for the story throughout December on the blog, if you've never heard or read it before. Events for this coming week are:

• Tues 2nd 7.30pm Taize Service at Roman Catholic Church
• Tues 2nd 7.00pm Emmaus Group in Church - Final session.
• Thurs 4th 8.00pm Abbot Club meets at Nag’s Head
• Sun 7th 2.15-3.45pm All Stars Christmas Party in Church

Come along and join us in all the exciting events running up to Christmas and beyond. Preparations are already under way and the church is a hive of activity. Are you ready to welcome Jesus into your home and your life?

You don't know how? He's just waiting to be invited - that's all you have to do. He really can make a difference to your life wherever you happen to be.

The blog is back!

This week we had a snowy taste of Winter! Thankfully, it didn't last long for those of us who like to get around easily. Having lived in a snowy climate, it's not as much fun as you'd think.

We have lots of updates on our events and all the forthcoming Christmas Services to give you. You can also find all the details in your December Compass magazine which should arrive through your letterbox in the next few days, and on our website.

First of all, the Boys and Girls Brigade Concert at the beginning of November, was very much enjoyed.

The Christmas Card Fair on 7th Nov. was a great success too and brought lots of new faces into the church.

Check out our website.

Please check St Mary's Church website for further details of all the events happening in the next few weeks. The website can be found by clicking the link on the right or on http://www.east-leake.co.uk/stmarys.html. It gives all information on:

• our weekly services and meetings,
• who our groups are, including those from the Uniformed Organisations,
• forthcoming events in November and beyond
• news items
• Photos gallery from our events and our Re-ordering
• Links to the Calendars for the church and the Hall
• and more......

Special events are also listed on the East Leake Village website 'Events Guide'.

Events and changes.

Please note: The National Boys and Girls Brigade Choir Concert will be held on Saturday, November 1st at 7.30pm in St. Mary's Church and not the Methodist Church, East Leake to accommodate the numbers attending. The concert will raise funds for urgent building work needed on the Methodist Church and towards the Brownies' Pack holiday.

Also, all young people please note that the 'Altern8' event planned for October 31st at St Mary's has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

The Christmas Charity Card Fair and Coffee Morning planned for Friday, 7th November is still on at St Mary's. There are some very beautiful hand made cards for sale. Come along and buy your Christmas cards and have a coffee and chat. If you haven't seen the new interior of St Mary's, this is your chance. You will also be able to order a CD of photos taken during St Mary's Re-ordering, which might make an ideal gift for Christmas.

Remembrance Sunday, 9th November, 10.55am. The parade and service with the Royal British Legion, young people's uniformed organisations and other groups taking part, will be held this year at Gotham. There will be a 9.30am celebration of Parish Communion at St Mary's, to include a short Act of Remembrance.

Don't forget!

Don't forget to turn your clocks back on Saturday night! The nights are getting darker now. Time to be more watchful for people crossing the roads.

Sunday, 26th October, 6pm. The Churches Together service for One World Week will be at St Mary's Church. The theme is Fair Trade.

Operation Christmas Child - if you have been preparing a shoe box of gifts for poor children in Romania, don't forget that they're due back in church by Nov. 2nd.

Friday, November 7th There will be a Coffee Morning 10.00-12.30pm, in St Mary's Church with stalls selling Charity Christmas Cards and Advent Calendars. Contact Ann on 852885 if you would like a stall or further details.

An item for your diary: The Borderlands Choir (a combination of choir, worship band, drama group and production team, from the 12 parishes in the South Notts Cluster of Churches) will be performing the musical 'The Promise' at 7.30pm on Saturday 13th December at St Mary's Church. It will also be at St Lawrence's Church, Gotham on Saturday 20th December. Admission is £5 (children are free), including a free glass of wine or juice. Further details and tickets are available from Steve on 856202, Janet on 853553 and Sue on 820252 The leaves are falling fast and our churchyard teams are working hard to keep it looking good. New helpers are always welcome. Just come along any Saturday morning. For those who have volunteered to assist with moving seating in St Mary's, there will be a brief meeting after the 9.30am service this Sunday - but not to move chairs!

Sunday's Baptism

Yesterday, we welcomed the family and friends of Sophie, for her baptism at our 9.30am service. Her big brother, Oliver helped too. On Saturday, about 24 people who had attended a Cursillo in the past, met at St Mary's for an Ultreya (meetings held after the Cursillo weekend). Cursillo is a Spanish word meaning 'Short Course' and supports and encourages Christians in their lives. If you would like to know more about this group, please contact Maureen or Jan. Please note: Sunday Sanctuary will not be meeting during the Half Term holidays. This applies to all the uniformed groups too, who meet in the Hall. The holiday is this week for Leicestershire and next week for Nottinghamshire.

Banquet in Heaven

The congregation containing many families, were invited to share in a 'banquet' on Sunday at the Worship Together service, just like the banquet that welcomes us in heaven. There were lots of happy hymns to celebrate what God has given us and how much He loves us. Our curate, Claire Goode and Gill Sprake led the worship. The music was led by the St Mary's Music Group using hymns from the book written by our own John Sprake.