All posts by stmarysredbournorg

Charity Fundraising

Could you sow seeds for our Charity Plant Sale?

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Our new Charity of the Year for 2024, Every Drop Counts, is all about helping people in the dry corridor of Nicaragua to grow things through improved irrigation and drought-resistant crops.

Could you help us to raise money for this important work by sowing some seeds for us to sell at our Charity Plant Sale in May?

To help you along, there are packs of seeds you can take away from the back of the church, along with lots of egg boxes which you could use to plant the seeds in.

What we would like you to do:

1. Sow

You could sow your own seeds or cuttings, or a pack from the back of church. You can start them off in an egg box if you like, though they will probably need potting on to something bigger as they grow… how about old yoghurt pots or margarine tubs with holes cut in the bottom? Please try to recycle old pots rather than buying new plastic plant pots!

2. Grow

Look after your plants and keep them growing in pots until late May, and then….

3. Sell for charity

Bring your plants back to church in late May (we’ll publicise the date and where to bring plants to nearer the time), when we’ll be holding a big Charity Plant Sale. Please remember to clearly label what your plants are or we will struggle to sell them!

All plants of any type and size would be so gratefully received for the sale.

Thank you so much for getting involved in this fun project for our new Charity of the Year.

The Charity of the Year Committee

Easter, Lent

Holy Week and Easter at St Mary’s

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You are invited to join us at St Mary’s as we move through the events of Holy Week. We remember the last meal Jesus shared with his friends in the upper room, his prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial, crucifixion and triumphant resurrection on that first Easter morning. 

Join us for any of these services, or simply come in to church, pause and pray. 

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of Holy Week

9.30am – Morning Prayer
7.30pm – Holy Communion

On the first three evenings of Holy Week, we gather for a quiet communion service and a reflection on the example Mary’s sets of living generously in John’s gospel.

Maundy Thursday 

9.30am – Morning Prayer
7.30pm – Choral Eucharist with Footwashing, Stripping of the Altar & Vigil

A service reminding us of Jesus gathering with his disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. We recall Jesus kneeling and washing their feet as an example to us of humble, loving service. He takes bread and wine, inviting each of us to continue this act in the partaking of Holy Communion to remember Him. 

At the end of the service, we process to the Lady Chapel, decorated in greenery to represent the Garden of Gethsemane, and there we sit, pray and watch as we remember Jesus praying, then recalling his betrayal by Judas and arrest. 

Good Friday 

10.00am – All-Age Service – all are welcome as we follow a trail to help us reflect on the journey of Holy Week and what it means for us. 

11.30am – Walk of Witness with Churches Together in Redbourn, starting at St John Fisher Roman Catholic Church on Dunstable Road. We join with Christians from St John Fisher and Redbourn Methodist Church to share in this act of witness, following a cross through the village, hearing readings, prayers and singing hymns. 

2.30pm – Liturgy with Veneration of the Cross and Communion at St Mary’s. We gather for this solemn act of worship, finishing at 3pm – the time Jesus died on the cross. 

Easter Sunday 

6.00am – Dawn Vigil & Ceremonies led by Bishop Robin Smith, followed by breakfast

Our dawn vigil starts in the early light, as we hear readings recalling that first Easter Day.  We bless and light our Paschal candle and carry it into the church as the first light of Easter, representing the light of the risen Christ. We round off our dawn service by affirming our baptismal promises and sharing breakfast together.

8.00am – Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)

10.00am – All-Age Parish Eucharist

All are welcome. 

Lent

Palm Sunday Procession: Sunday 24th March

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We burned our palm crosses from last year on Shrove Tuesday (at the ‘Bash & Ash’ Party)…. now it is time to come and get a new one!

Come and join our joyful Palm Sunday procession from the Cricket Pavilion to St Mary’s as we recall Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. Children will be given small tree branches to wave as we travel and sing, then form an arch with their branches for everyone to pass through as they enter the church.  

We meet at the Cricket Pavilion at 9.15am where palm branches and crosses will be handed out. 

All are welcome to continue with the service in church at the end of the procession if they wish. We have children’s groups and refreshments after the service. 

If you want to simply join us in church for the service, then gather there for 9.30am.