Whiston Parish Church, St Mary Magdalene; Whiston, Rotherham

Welcome

Welcome to the official website of Whiston Parish Church. Situated in the heart of the community, St Mary Magdalene is the parish church serving Whiston Village and the surrounding areas.

The church is now open again for public worship services and funerals. For the next few weeks there will be a spoken Eucharist service on a Sunday at 9.45am, with doors open from 9.15am. The services will be led by one of our two Oversight Ministers, either Revd Karen Skidmore or Revd Toby Gibbons.

If you or anyone in your household is showing symptoms of COVID-19, please do not come to church because of the risk that you pose to others; but remain at home and self-isolate.

These services will be very different from how we worshipped before COVID-19 and so we have drawn up a set of guidelines with the aim of keeping everyone as safe as possible during worship. These guidelines can be found in the section below this article; or on the church Facebook page; and they are available as you enter church. The guidelines are updated whenever the Government issues new guidance.

We hope to resume our previous pattern of worship later in the year as the situation improves, but in the meantime we look forward to welcoming you safely at Whiston Parish Church on a Sunday morning.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . . Love your neighbour as yourself.
There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Guidelines for Church Services

PCC Statement: COVID Procedures from 19th July 2021 onwards

The Parochial Church Council met on 13th July 2021 and decided that, in view of the rising number of cases of Covid-19, the current measures for services at Whiston Parish Church will remain in place until September 2021. This means that masks have to be worn, hand sanitizer used, track and trace complied with; and social distancing maintained. We understand that some people may be disappointed but our priority, is to keep everyone as safe as possible

-Whiston Parish Church PCC

Greetings from Whiston Parish Church on Advent Sunday

Jesus said, “People will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory”. Luke 21:27

Dear Friends Download the latest information:
Prayers for 28th November 2021
Notes of the Readings and Other Resources

Be alert at all times is the Advent message. Be ready for Christ’s coming! We hear Jesus warning us to be ready for that day. So as we look forward to celebrating Christ’s birth at Christmas and make our preparations, we also need to make ourselves ready to receive him. As we do so, we share hope for a new beginning, hope that Christ will break into our lives and point us to a future with God. Advent isn’t then just about a count-down to the arrival of Jesus as a baby at Christmas, it is about being ready for Christ’s second coming. We begin once again a journey towards Bethlehem and also the day that he will come again in glory.

We remain awake and alert as we light a candle and say the Advent collect:

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness
and to put on the armour of light,
now in the time of this mortal life,
in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility;
that on the last day
when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead,
we may rise to the life immortal;
through him who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever,
Amen

We read today's gospel - Luke 21:25-36

We sing:

1) Hark the glad sound! The Saviour comes, the Saviour promised long; let every heart prepare a throne, and every voice a song!	2) You come the prisoners to release in Satan's bondage held; the gates of brass before you burst, the iron fetters yield.
3) You come the broken heart to bind, the wounded soul to cure, to bring the treasures of God's grace, good tidings for the poor.	4) Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, your welcome shall proclaim, and heaven's eternal arches ring with your most honoured name.

We pray:

O Lord our God,
make us watchful and keep us faithful
as we await the coming of your Son our Lord;
that, when he shall appear,
he may not find us sleeping in sin
but active in his service and joyful in his praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

Church Services

Sunday 28th November 9.45 am Parish Eucharist Advent Sunday
Starfish Gang meet in the church room and then join the congregation.

Wednesday, 1st December 2021 10.30am Mid-week Communion

Natter Group

The NATTER GROUP will resume on Monday, 6th December 2021. It will meet in the Parish Hall from 10.30-11.30 am. Volunteers and church-members are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

Little Fishes: The group is now meeting in person every Monday morning in the Parish Hall.

Please pray for this outreach of our church to the community of Whiston, young and old.

Advent Session

Saturday, 27th November 2021 Advent Activity Session for our Starfish Gang, St Cuthbert’s Sunday Club and the joint Youthzone.

Natter Group restarts on Monday, 6th December 2021 10.30 – 11.30am in the Parish Hall.

Advent Course

The Diocesan course called 'Travelling Light' will be run online by zoom at 7pm on Wednesday evenings and in person on Thursdays at 11:00am in St Cuthbert's Church Hall. There are four sessions, starting on Wednesday, 1st December 2021.

Service and Free Concert for St. Cecilia

THIS SUNDAY (28th November) 6.00 pm St. James Church, Clifton, S65 2SX. The concert will feature local musicians and singers. There will be a retiring collection for the work of music in the church.

World Day of Prayer:

The local branch president, Sylvia Jordan, has arranged a coffee morning at Clifton Methodist on the corner of Middle Lane/Lister Street on SATURDAY, 18th DECEMBER 2021 from 10:00am to 11:30am. Any donations of 'white elephants', home baking or raffle prizes would be most welcome. Further information from Colette.

Christmas Services

Saturday, 4th December 2021 St James' - Christmas Tree Festival 11.30 am – 2.30 pm.
Sunday, 12th December 2021 St Mary Magdalene’s and St Cuthbert’s Christingle - 4.00 pm (in St. Cuthbert’s Hall) this will be a café-style service and a table must be booked. Details next week.

Sunday, 19th December 2021 St Mary Magdalene’s Outdoor Nativity - 4.00 pm (see flyer attached for details.)

Wednesday, 22nd December 2021 St Mary Magdalene’s Nine Lessons and Carols - 7.00 pm

Christmas Eve

St Mary Magdalene’s Midnight Mass - 11:30 pm

Christmas Day

St James' - Service at 9.45 am
St Cuthbert’s - Service at 9.45 am
St Mary Magdalene’s - Service at 10.30 am

Sunday, 26th December 2021 Feast of St. Stephen

Mission Area Service at St Mary Magdalene’s Whiston - 10.00 am

Please contact any of us if you need to talk or simply to have a chat.

Rev. Karen Skidmore – Oversight Minister: {tel: 01709 836052} Rev. Toby Gibbons – Oversight Minister: {mob: 07507 524699} Rev. Louise Castle - Associate Priest: {mob: 07768 527467}
Patrick White: (Reader) {tel: 01709 370069} or {mob: 07740 941921} Colette White: (Churchwarden) {mob: 07712 674675} Alan Bradbury: (Assistant Churchwarden) {mob: 07711 691594}	Jan Teale: (Reader) {mob: 07745 560580} Alan Teale: (Churchwarden) {mob: 07803 021201}

Email: whistonparishchurch@gmail.com
Our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WhistonParishChurch/

Take care of each other and remember God is good.

We serve the areas of:

Whiston Village
Grange Estate
Duke-of-Norfolk Estate
Upper Whiston
Morthen
Outlying Areas

Baptisms and Weddings

Church Life

Welcome to Whiston Parish Church

St Mary Magdalene