WELCOME
to the Benefice of Flitton, Pulloxhill and Silsoe
in Central Bedfordshire - part of the Diocese of St Albans.
A Christmas Message
from Rev Simon and Rev Louise
Our historic churches are situated in the heart of their communities, and we seek to be a living heartbeat of faith here. We follow Jesus and we want to share the good news of his love with all.
If you live in Flitton, Greenfield, Pulloxhill, Silsoe, Wardhedges and the surrounding areas, we are your local church, and we are here for you. We also extend a warm welcome to visitors from further afield.
We provide regular services of worship and prayer, and we offer opportunities to learn about and practice the Christian faith. We welcome people of all ages and from all walks of life.
Our local schools are very important to us and we are blessed to work closely with the teachers, staff and children.
The website is packed full of useful information from Sunday Services, activities and events, and helpful advice for those seeking baptisms, weddings and funerals.
Whether you are new or a regular member of the churches or community, we are glad that you are here, and we hope that you find what you are looking for.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance
Rev Simon and Rev Louise Moore, Vicars
01525 643478 RevSimon@3churches.uk RevLouise@3churches.uk
Around the Benefice 3 to 11 December
Sunday
4 December
Silsoe 9:30am – Holy Communion with Rev Anne Barker
Flitton 10:30am – Morning Worship with Gillian Kern
Flitton 4pm – Christingle with Rev Simon and Rev Louise
Pulloxhill 11:00am – Christingle with Rev Simon and Rev Louise
Sunday
11 December
Flitton 10:30am – Holy Communion with Rev Simon and Rev Louise
Silsoe 3:00pm – Carol Service with Rev Simon and Rev Louise
Pulloxhill 6:00pm – Carol Service with Rev Simon and Rev Louise
SPOTLIGHT
Dear Friends
I have just made a quick count of 20 Christmas events and services on top of our normal Sunday pattern in the Benefice that will take place in Advent. We all know that this is a busy time for us all and our diaries can take on a juggling act!
One of the journeys I have been on and continue to travel is to enjoy the moments of this day and what it brings rather than seeing December 25th as a workload finishing line in the Christmas race. Ok I do have a plastic folder for each service, but this is just to keep organised and avoid too much confusion as one event melts into another.
The opportunity of Advent is that we are invited to stop and reflect rather than to start and react. It isn’t easy and if Louise and I have a slightly frazzled look about us, it’s more because we’re learning the pattern and language of our first Benefice Christmas than anything else. Could you do a few things to help us? Please pray for all those involved in the shaping of the next three weeks. If you can, do provide practical support and always encouragement.
Consider who you might invite and to what over this time, there is something for everyone and at Christmas despite our age we become time travellers to a shared wonder and awe. Pray about who you could invite to our Alpha course, an introduction to the Christian faith with a meal, talk and chance to chat, starting on January 11th (www.alpha.org). Christmas has God’s signature all over it, little wonder that the first Christmas had a star as a witness.
Come and join the journey through Advent to the Christmas celebration and bring others with you. This echoes the theme of the second Sunday in Advent as we consider the prophets who help in preparing the way for our Lord.
With our Love and Prayers
Simon and Louise
Please also remember in your prayers
Those who have recently died, including
Joan Austin
Stephanie Maddox
and the family & friends who mourn them
Those who are ill
Alice Butler
Janet Buttery
Alex Culley
Jonah Darbyshire
Kara De Napoli
Peter Dickens
Jo Harris
Martin Keighley
Stella Lawton
Belinda Ledgerton
Noah Martin (great-grandson of Liz & Dave Coulson)
Joan Preston
Brenda Treby (Liz Shortland’s mother)
Please also pray for
All the staff and residents at Taymer Nursing Home
We congratulate and pray for
Benjamin Worley and Esther Harris-Hines
who will be married in Pulloxhill Church on Saturday 20 August
We welcome
Jake & Ava Blackwood
and Oscar Swain (Silsoe)
Olivia Carr (Flitton)
who were baptised on Sunday 25 September
If you have someone you would like our Congregations to include in their private prayers during the coming week, please email virtualvicar@3churches.uk by Friday of each week. Their name will then be shown here for the coming week and on the Pew Sheets for the services in church.
The common shared vision of the Benefice is
“Growing as beacons of Christ’s light in our communities”
and this supported by a set of values across all three churches:
Welcome Prayer Community Worship Friendship Christ centred
Each of the three Churches has their own specific opportunities and challenges but by working together and offering an appropriate range of worship options, the Benefice is able to deliver its vision and values and meet the needs of its congregations.