Midnight Mass at 11.30pm Christmas Eve and one service at 9.30am on Christmas morning. All very welcome.

A prayer from Morning Prayer this morning:: God of our pilgrimage, bring us with joy to the eternal city founded on the rock, and give to our earthly cities the peace that comes from above; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Carols by Candle-light service on 17th December. The beauty of the retelling of the nativity story for another year. The challenge for this, and every church, is how we interpret the story in our own day as a message of hope, rebirth and healing. May this Christmas be a moment in all our lives of awakening and of welcoming God into our lives, over turning past mistakes, healing wounds of brokenness and of turning towards the source of forgiveness, light and life.

Tonight's Carols by Candlelight

Count down to Candle-lit carols and lessons. Tomorrow evening at 6pm.

Urgent need. An asylum seeking family living and worshipping in the parish are awaiting, and have been waiting for ages, for the Home Office to make a decision about their right to remain in the UK. In the meantime they are not able to claim benefits or to work. They have nothing to live on and pay their rent. Members of some of the congregations have been supporting generously already, but time is going by and we need to widen the circle of support. Donations by BACS to: HSBC, Sort Code: 40-39-12, Acc No. 61429620 Please include Reference: ASFAMILY. Cash donations or cheques payable to Brereton and Rugeley Team Ministry in a sealed envelop please, marked "Asylum Seeker Family” dropped off to 20 Church Street, Rugeley WS15 2AB. Thank you."

The opening prayer at Morning Prayer today: Blessed are you, Sovereign God of all, to you be praise and glory for ever. In your tender compassion the dawn from on high is breaking upon us to dispel the lingering shadows of night. As we look for your coming among us this day, open our eyes to behold your presence and strengthen our hands to do your will, that the world may rejoice and give you praise. Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AllBlessed be God for ever.

The Carols around the Christmas Tree for Lanrick House residents planned for tomorrow afternoon has been cancelled due to the weather. We'll try for another date.

St Augustine’s Church is here for the people for Rugeley. We support EVERYBODY including the vulnerable and those in need. We also exist to encourage everyone to join in, to play their part to strengthen and enrich our community. We also exist as a sacred space, a place that has been prayed in for almost 200 years, and before that in the church that is now known as the Old Chancel since the 10th century. We want everyone to discover the treasure within, the peace the place provides, the space to make sense of life, to discover the still centre of our lives where God can be found. We want to extend what we collectively can do together. To do this we need two things: Firstly, people to volunteer and join us working to support our community. There are lots of things to do, everything from keeping the building open, and welcoming – tea makers and people with listening skills welcome! – to people wanting to support our schools work (Enhanced DBS checks required for Safeguarding purposes). To enquire about these and other opportunities email bandrparish@gmail.com or phone the parish office (leave a message of the office is closed) 01889 574157. Second, we need money to keep the building open, warm and beautiful. We need money to train volunteers, pay wages and salaries of staff. We have just launched giving by text you can give up to £30 per person per day by texting SAUG99 £amount to 70070. You can pay direct from your bank account by BACS. Our bank details are: St Augustine’s Church, Rugeley Sort Code: 30-91-58 Account No. 01360986 THANK YOU!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/09/churches-pioneering-text-giving-encourage-cashless-congregations/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em

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