| Volume 15 No. 8 | Friday 17 January 2025 |
The Friday ThoughtThis Sunday’s gospel is the story of Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine at a village wedding feast. The story is recounted in John’s gospel but he does not use the term ‘miracle’ for what happened but rather the word ‘sign’: ‘Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.’ There are another six signs throughout John’s gospel, and it is almost as though John is laying out a treasure hunt, and inviting us to find each of the clues and ultimately their meaning. Can you find the other six signs? The first sign we are told reveals ‘glory’, the glory of God. So step by step John tells us something more about this glory of God as revealed in Jesus. For John it is not so much the actual changing of water into wine that is important, but rather who it points to and that is the person of Jesus, God’s presence in the world bringing about transformation and renewal. In this Epiphany season it is the glory of God as revealed in Jesus that we celebrate. The transformation of water into wine takes place during a wedding, a celebration in which the whole community would have been involved. So right at the heart of ordinary life something extraordinary happens because of the presence of Jesus. And the extraordinary in the midst of the ordinary is what makes Jesus’ disciples believe in him. In our everyday lives, which can seem at times so mundane and ordinary, if we have open eyes and ears of faith, we can glimpse God bursting through the ordinary with something extraordinary. It may be a word spoken, a gesture, a moment of pregnant silence, a look or a glance, or even during a service in church. One of the great gifts of faith is that there is more than we see or hear in the world around us, and with the antennae of faith we can be led into a deeper awareness of the presence of God in all that is around us. In this Epiphany season may we become more aware of the glorious presence of God in our everyday lives, strengthening and enriching our faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. ‘Loving God, we catch glimpses of you when we least expect it. And sometimes we don’t. Blink, and we miss you. Ah well, you can’t win them all. Better luck next time. It’s just as well that the earth is full of your presence, so that every meeting is a new opportunity, a fresh encounter with you.’ Advent Readings from Iona, Wild Goose Publications 2000
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Church news & notices Sunday 26 January
St Peter’s Pie Party 2025Come and share lunch with the St Peter's family at our Pie Party on Sunday 26 January in the Court House, 12:30 for 1pm. Everyone is welcome. Sign up to bring a shepherd's pie (meat or vegetarian) or fruit pie/crumble to feed about 4 people and if you are coming on your own feel free to pair up with a friend and bring something between you. Please note that everything needs to be pre-cooked so we just have to reheat things. We will provide salad to go with the savoury pies, and cream to go with the fruit pies and crumbles. If there is anything you can't eat please let us know so we can make sure there is something for you. Bring what you would like to drink and we will provide glasses. If you'd like to come just sign up at the back of St Peter's on a Sunday morning or email Rachel. Deadline for signing up is Wednesday 22 January 2025. Contact:  Send an email to: Rachel Below
| Sunday 2 February at 9:30 am
CandlemasAt Candlemas, we commemorate the presentation of Jesus at the Temple, "a light to lighten the Gentiles". Part of our tradition on this day is to pray a blessing on the candles we use in church over the coming year, but we are also inviting everyone to bring a candle from home to be blessed at the 9:30 Eucharist, reminding us that the light of Christ comes in to our homes as well. If you don't have any candles at home, don't worry, there will be small candles for the congregation to light as well. | Fr Stuart’s Sabbatical – Extended Study LeaveEvery ten years, clergy are offered the opportunity to take a three month period of Extended Study Leave (ESL). In 2010 I took an ESL, at the heart of which was a 350-mile pilgrimage from Iona to Lindisfarne. I was supposed to take a second ESL in 2020, between leaving Edmonton and coming to Berkhamsted, but the COVID lockdown meant that that had to be cancelled. I'll be on ESL until Monday 24th March. In the event of a pastoral emergency you can contact the Team Rector, Fr John Russell, or our Associate Priest, Fr Ben Brady. All other enquiries can, in the first instance, be directed to Robin in the church office. Services will be led by my clergy colleagues, Anthony, Margaret, David, Chris and Ben. I'm grateful to all the aforementioned for their help. At the heart of the ESL I'll be making a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Columba, from Gartan Lough in Ireland up to Iona off the coast of Mull. If you're interested in my perambulations and reflections you can follow them via the websites below. Please do keep me in your prayers as I will be keeping you in mine. Fr Stuart Contact: Send an email to: Fr John Russell  pilgrimscairn.blogspot.com/
| Treasurer vacancyWe now have a vacancy for a treasurer to look after the finances of St Peter's Great Berkhamsted. If anyone would like to put themselves forward for this voluntary role, or to find more about the responsibilities, please contact the churchwardens. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mike Below, who has worked so hard to keep the parish's financial affairs in good order over the past couple of years. Contact: Send an email to: Carolynne Charman | Walsingham Pilgrimage 2025This year's Pilgrimage will take place from Friday 6th June until Monday 9th June. The cost for full board will be £258.75 or £182.00, if you need to come home on the Sunday afternoon. In addition to a few group services, taken by Fr David, we also join in the Shrine services, processions etc. However, we have plenty of time to socialise together or with others and also to explore the charming medieval village with its ruined abbey and grounds. It is not obligatory to join in all the services. Download the file shown here for a brief history of the Shrine. For more details, please contact: Contact: Send an email to: Philippa Seldon | Bluesky St Peter's is now on Bluesky, the social media service which is gaining popularity as a rival to Elon Musk's Twitter. You can add the Bluesky app to your phone and sign up for free.
If you're a Bluesky user, follow St Peter's at: bsky.app/profile | Lunar expeditionThis week, three of our parishioners went to St Albans Abbey to see the Moon! This is a special art installation inside the Cathedral - a giant 7-metre (23-ft) inflatable model of the Earth's Moon hanging in the nave. Philippa Seldon was most impressed by the display - "It is amazing, beautiful and moving!" The Moon is free to visit during normal opening hours, and a number of events are planned with the Moon as the centrepiece. The Museum of the Moon is there until 15th February and is well worth a visit! www.stalbanscathedral.org/Pages |
Schools news  Victoria School 2025 tour dates
At Victoria School we have just put together our tour dates for families with children who are going to be starting Nursery in September 2025. We would love to have you visit and these are the dates below: - Wednesday 8 January at 9.15am-Nursery and Reception
- Thursday 30 January at 9.15am
- Tuesday 11 February at 9.15am
- Wednesday 26 February at 9.15am
- Tuesday 11 March at 11.00am
If you would like to book a tour please visit our website or call the office: Contact: Send an email to: Victoria School office www.victoria.herts.sch.uk/ | Collective worship at Victoria SchoolOne of the aspects of school life is we have lots of external people come to visit our school. This week we welcomed Reverend Pye who we invited to audit our collective worship. He liked that our worship linked with the Sunday worship in the church. When in collective worship the children were all engaged and there was an atmosphere of spiritual reflection. He also spoke to our Spiritual Ambassadors who talked about what they enjoyed about collective worship with the children saying it was a time to get the school together, listen to Bible stories and have time to reflect on the messages, thinking about how that links to what they can do in their everyday lives. When asked what could be improved one of the children replied 'it is good already' as they felt the school had worked hard to make worship an important part of the day. We found the visit really productive and it has given us lots of ideas on how to develop our collective worship even more. Mrs Lisa Freeman
Head of School, Victoria CE Infant and Nursery School | 
The Castle Federation is the governing body responsible for our two Church of England schools in Berkhamsted
www.castlefederation.org
More about our schools:
www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/about/schools
 Diocesan news
Friday 24 January at 7:00 pm
St Albans Cathedral Burns Supper & CeilidhSt Albans Cathedral is hosting a Burns Supper and Ceilidh to mark Burns Night. Celebrate the Bard of Ayrshire with haggis, poetry, and take part in possibly the longest Stripping the Willow (in Britain's longest nave). This event will be raising funds for work with children and young people in the St Albans Parish. Tickets: Table of 10 people £450, individual tickets: £46 - book by email: Contact: Send an email to: St Albans Cathedral ow.ly/XRYW50UCG8j |  | The Parish of Great Berkhamsted is in the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans |
www.stalbansdiocese.org St Albans Cathedral:
www.stalbanscathedral.org
 Church noticeboard
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Berkhamsted community news & events Saturday 18 January at 8:00 am
Prayer BreakfastThere will be a prayer breakfast at the Parish Rooms of St Mary's Church, Northchurch. All welcome. | Thursday 23 January at 6:30 pm
Cemetery volunteers’ social evening The Friends of St Peter's volunteers who look after our historic cemetery on Rectory Lane invite you to a social evening at the Mad Squirrel Brewery shop on Berkhamsted High Street. Come along to say hello and enjoy a drink with the team! If you're thinking of something new for 2025, consider joining the Rectory Lane Cemetery team - there are lots of opportunities for gardening, adopting a grave, helping with biodiversity, genealogical research or even tour guiding. Whether you want to volunteer or just want to pop in to say hi, everyone is welcome.
| Saturday 8 February
Puttenham Quiet DayYou are invited to another Quiet Day at Puttenham. "Preparing for the Journey" will be led by Venerable Jo Kelly-Moore (Dean of St Albans), who will give two talks on the subject and lead a discussion. There will be space for reflection in the morning and afternoon. Holy Communion will be at 12noon followed by a soup lunch. Please book your space online: Contact: Send an email to: Tring Team Parish www.tringteamparish.org.uk/news | Friday 14 March at 7:00 pm
DENS Quiz NightOur local homeless charity DENS are holding a quiz night at John F Kennedy Catholic School, in Hemel Hempstead. Come and test your knowledge with a night of challenging trivia questions whilst supporting the wonderful work of DENS in Dacorum. Does anyone want to get a St Peter's Church team together? It's £13 per person to enter, teams of 6-8 people. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start, everyone is invited to bring their own food. To register your team please visit: www.dens.org.uk/quiz | High Street traffic scheme
Various new property developments planned in the town are to be accompanied by changes to the road layouts and traffic flow, including Chesham Road and Swing Gate Lane. Dacorum Council have helpfully provided 191 documents on their planning website for public consultation. Of particular interest may be Appendix 11.13 a4251: High St - Lower Kings Rd - A416 Kings Rd mitigation, which proposes banning right turns from the High Street onto Kings Road/Lower Kings Road. You can view the full set of proposals and offer your constructive comments online at the link below (login required to submit comments). The closing date is Tuesday 21 January 2025. tinyurl.com/yhmfbun2 | Hawridge & Cholesbury School governors wantedAre you interested in serving as a foundation governor for Hawridge and Cholesbury CE School? This is a small school just 3 miles away from Berkhamsted, over the border in Bucks, but they would welcome applicants from Herts (some of their pupils live in Herts). Foundation governors form part of the link between a church school, the local church community, and the wider church. They have a special responsibility to ensure that the distinctive character of the school as a Church of England school is ?preserved and developed' ? i.e. that the school is recognisably Christian. There is an expectation that foundation governors are committed Christians, but members of any Christian denomination are welcome. If anyone is interested or would like to find out more please contact: Contact: Send an email to: Sue Walton www.hawridge-cholesbury.bucks.sch.uk/ | Town Councillor wantedDo you fancy serving as a town councillor? Berkhamsted Town Council is recruiting for a new councillor following the resignation of one of their members. You won't need to stand for election, as the vacancy will be filled by co-option. To apply, please email the Town Clerk - the deadline is Tuesday 28 January. Follow the link below for information on eligibility and details of the role. Contact: Send an email to: Berkhamsted Town Clerk www.berkhamsted-tc.gov.uk/wp-content |
  | Worship with usThis Sunday: 19 January 2025
2nd Sunday of Epiphany |
9:30am Sung Eucharist
You are invited to join us at our main Sunday service
Next Sunday: 26 January 2025
3rd Sunday of EpiphanyMusic this weekHymns: | Anthem: | O Sacrum Convivium - Mark Bonney | | Voluntary: | Noel Suisse - Daquin |
ReadingsIsaiah 62.1-5For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory;and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give.You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married;for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you,and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you. Psalm 96 (vv 1-6)1 Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth.2 Sing to the Lord and bless his name; tell out his salvation from day to day.3 Declare his glory among the nations and his wonders among all peoples.4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; he is more to be feared than all gods.5 For all the gods of the nations are but idols; it is the Lord who made the heavens.6 Honour and majesty are before him; power and splendour are in his sanctuary. Gospel: John 2.1-11On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
 In our prayers this weekAnglican Cycle of Prayer:The Church in the Province of the West IndiesIntercessions | Diocese | ââJustin, Archbishop of Canterbury, âAlan, Bishop of St Albans, â Jane, Bishop of Hertford, and Charles, Archdeacon of St Albans | In our
continuing prayers | Christina Billington, Judith Hill, Douglas Hill, John Malcolm, Denis Beard, Mary Beard, Patricia Cody, Ghullam Mutaheri, Nola Frost, Betty Beggs, Audrey Higginbotham, Teddy Higginbotham, Barbara Conway, Yvonne Hart, Clare Wallington, Barbara Fisher, John King | In our
immediate prayers | Frozan Mutaheri, Peter Kirk, Rosie Gagnon, Charlotte Szypryt, Charlotte de Raucour, Hilary McVitty, Lynne Niven | Weddings
(next four weeks) | | Wedding banns
called this Sunday | | Baptisms
(next four weeks) | | | RIP | Harold Hall, Gillian Hunt, Gwen Scott | | Memorial (year's mind) | Eve Bates, Paul Beard, Stephen Wells, Julie Painter, Audrey Sworder, Ethel Mary Black, James Walter Lee, Mattie Franklin |
 Rotas You can also check future rota dates on the parish website at www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/rotas | | This Sunday | | 19/01/2025 | Epiphany 2 | | | 8.00am Eucharist | | Clergy | President | Fr Ben | | Preacher | Fr Ben | | Reader | Ruth Worboys | | 9.30am Sung Eucharist | | Clergy | President | Fr Anthony | | Preacher | Margaret | | Sidespeople | Uli Grego | Helen Pope | | MC | Mark Grego | | | Acolytes | Chris Clegg | Emma Gosling | | Thurifer | 0 | | | Cruficer | Richard Currie | | | Reader | Sarah Dawson | | | Intercessions | Bev Jullien | | | Eucharistic Ministers | Paul Jullien | Bev Jullien | | Sunday School | 0 | | | Sound | Michael | | | | | | Next Sunday | | 26/01/2025 | Epiphany 3 | | | 8.00am Eucharist | | Clergy | President | Fr Chris | | Preacher | Fr Chris | | Reader | Mike Hart | | 9.30am Sung Eucharist | | Clergy | President | Fr David | | Preacher | Fr Chris | | Sidespeople | Judy Clegg | Chris Clegg | | MC | Peter Matthews | | | Acolytes | Kiril Sotnykov | Hayley Khazaneh | | Thurifer | 0 | | | Cruficer | Will Gore | | | Reader | Hilary Elliott | | | Intercessions | Dagna Horner | | | Eucharistic Ministers | Nicky Evans | Pru Murray | | Sunday School | 0 | | | Sound | Jeremy G | | | | | | |
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