This coming Sunday is Father’s Day, so we’ll be celebrating dads, and giving thanks to God for the men in our lives and all they contribute. We’ll also be starting a three-part series looking at the person and work of the Holy Spirit, this week we’ll be in Romans 8, and thinking about the theme of Adoption. Do join us if you can. It’s not the same without you.

Our parent/carer, baby and toddler group for pre-schoolers, called Play & Chat, takes place every Friday morning from 10am to 11.30am during term time and includes stories, songs, and a space to play, chat and make new friends.

On Sunday 22nd June, Ben, Theo and Jess will be holding a cake sale to help them raise money their trip to the Satellites Festival this coming summer. They will be going with a group organised by TW Youth for Christ, and money raised will help transport them and their camping gear! Do come along and support them!

On Thursday 10th July we’ll be having a summer games evening on the fields at Temple Grove, in essence a game or two of rounders! If you don’t fancy playing rounders but do fancy coming along and enjoying a summers evening, perhaps a picnic or similar, feel free to come along anyway…but you’ll need to bring your own chairs / blanket etc. (Please note this event is weather dependent!)

On Mondays, 1.45 – 3pm (term time only) we run a weekly Practising English class. It’s a friendly group, providing people opportunity to practise their English in a conversational setting. If this is helpful to you or someone you know, do let them know. The class is led by Cathie Kitley.

Follow the link on the home page to watch this Easter's baptisms.

Following yesterday’s APCM I’m delighted to let you know that Martyn Root and Cathie Kitley will be serving as Church Wardens for the year to come, and Pippa Watling and Theresa Mui were both co-opted to the PCC in lieu of them completing 6 months on the electoral roll! Once this time has elapsed, they will both become full members of the PCC.

Those gathered were also informed that Meic Williams was brought onto the PCC by the PCC in the period between the 2024 and 2025 APCM's as a vacancy was carried forward.

Those serving on the PCC are:

Martyn Root, Cathie Kitley, Dennis Pearce, Heather Payne, Sarah Farnes, Lynda Howlett, Pippa Watling, Theresa Mui, Catherine Root and Meic Williams

Many thanks to Andy Collins, Morgan Senior, Mike Hobden and Ailsa Hemsley who have all stepped down from PCC roles this year. (Ailsa will continue as the PCC's secretary.)

Throughout 2025 we are gathering monthly for prayer and worship on the first Tuesday of each month.

We’ll meet for about an hour, with approximately 30 mins dedicated to worship and 30 mins dedicated to prayer. This month we’ll be looking back with thankfulness and looking forward with faith and hope!

Do come along if you can!

The Community Larder opens each week on a Tuesday from 11.00am - 12.00pm.

We have a cafe beforehand serving tea and coffee providing a space for people to sit and chat whilst they wait to go in. This normally opens around 10.30am.

Bring a bag plus minimum £5 donation per bag.

For more information on the Community Larder please see: https://www.stphilipstw.co.uk/community-larder

If you have a query, please email: larder@stphilipstw.co.uk

If you would like to give a donation, which will allow us to purchase food and equipment for the Community Larder, please visit our Just Giving page: http://bit.ly/larderdonate

Our youth group meets fortnightly on Sunday evenings beginning at 6pm and is open to all those in school years 7 - 13. For more info please contact Rich.

We’re really blessed to have a good number of young people coming along on Sunday’s. We also have a youth group that meets fortnightly on Sunday evenings (6-7:30pm). We are looking to build the Sunday evening team, so if this is something you might be interested in helping with, do let me know as soon as you can!

The 8am service will take place once a month, on the first Sunday of each month and will alternate between the Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship communion services. The service will last about 30-40 minutes.

CHILDREN & YOUTH
We’re looking to expand our children’s and youth team for September. We’d love to be able to increase what we do on Sunday mornings, and so, might you be willing to lend a hand and get involved. Our aim is for people to only serve once a month. If you’d be interested in joining either the children’s or the youth team, please do speak to Julie re: children, or Catherine re: youth. (For these teams, DBS checks will be required.)

AV
As from September we will need a few new people to join the AV team. (The team that operates the PA system and the projection software.) Full training will be given. Our aim is for people to serve a maximum of one Sunday a month. If interested, please speak to Andy Collins.

Might you be willing to provide (bake or buy) some cakes periodically for after the Church Service. If so, how about joining the cake rota! You don’t need to be the next Paul Hollywood…last time Julie and I did it, we bought doughnuts!!! If you’re willing and able let me know as soon as you can.

If you’re interested in standing for PCC or Church Warden, please can you notify me by Sunday 21st April. You’ll need to complete a form which includes the details of those nominating you. If you would like to discuss what is involved in being on the PCC or acting as Church Warden before deciding, please do get in touch as soon as possible.

Some of you asked if I might send a reminder of the ‘Nine Practices of Jesus’ I mentioned very briefly during a recent sermon. They were, Sabbath, Solitude & Silence, Prayer, Fasting, Scripture, Community, Generosity, Service and Witness. I’d really encourage you to experiment with these practices as you partner with the Holy Spirit in the life-long process of spiritual formation and becoming more and more like Jesus. Start where you’re honestly at, not where you think you should be…i.e. if you don’t usually read the Bible at all each day, begin with a short section from a gospel, or perhaps a Psalm. How about this week, you start with Sabbath, a day of your choosing given over to worship, rest, and the cultivation of joy! (If you want any recommended reads or pointers, do come back to me!)

Every six years we have to completely re-new our electoral role, meaning everyone comes off and everyone needs to re-apply. The electoral roll is the closest thing we have to a membership list. Being on the roll allows you to vote in church meetings and to play a part in the governance of the Church. Being on the electoral roll doesn’t commit you to anything. It’s a formal way of indicating that you consider yourself a part of St Philip’s. The most helpful situation is when the electoral roll closely resembles the actual worshipping life of the church, i.e. when those who worship regularly are on the electoral roll. To this end, on Sunday 16th and 23rd March electoral roll forms will be available. Please do complete one and pop it into the box that will available. It’s very simple and will take about 1 minute! (The forms can also be completed at other times if you're not able to be present on those Sunday's.)

We get together for morning prayer each week, Monday to Friday, at 9am via Zoom. See PRAYER under
ABOUT US in the main menu for Zoom details and words.

All our talks are available as podcasts and can be found here: https://stphilipschurch.podbean.com

At 9:00am every Sunday we have 30 mins of worship and prayer for the life of the church, the nation and there is time to listen to God for the service itself. Do join us if you can.

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