You may have noticed that the lights outside the church are still up. This is quite intentional, and they will stay in place until Candlemas (2 February). In the darker part of the year, they offer a welcome sense of light and continue to symbolise the light of Jesus revealed in the Epiphany season.
Thank you to Peter Sait for the wonderful photo.

On Sunday 4 January we start a new sermon series where we will be unpacking The Gospel of Mark.

Here is the schedule of readings:
4 January
Mark 1:1-13
Who is Jesus?
11 January
Mark 1:9-20
Called and Sent
18 January
Mark 1:21-34
Authority Like No Other
25 January
Mark 1:35-45
Compassion that Transforms
1 February
Mark 2:1-17
A Forgiving, Welcoming Jesus
8 February
Mark 2:18-3:6
New Wine: A New Way of Life
15 February
Mark 3:7-35
With Him, To be Sent
22 February
Mark 4:1-20
The Sower
1 March
Mark 4:35-41
Jesus in the Storm
8 March
Mark 5:1-20
Set Free to Follow
15 March
Mark 5:21-43
Jesus’ Tender Care
22 March
Mark 8:27-38
Who do you say I am?
29 March
Mark 11:1-11
The King who Comes in Humility
5 April
Mark 16:1-8
Astonishment and New Beginnings

SUNDAY 14 DECEMBER
5pm Rock ‘n’ Carols

THURSDAY 18 DECEMBER
8pm Festival of Carols & Readings by Candlelight

CHRISTMAS EVE
3pm & 4.30pm Children’s Carols & Christingle
11.30pm Midnight Holy Communion

CHRISTMAS DAY
10am Christmas Day Carols & Communion 

From Sunday 12 October, we will be hosting Alpha Youth during our 4pm service in place of the usual sermon. All ages will meet together  during this service.  Alpha Youth gives young people a space to explore their questions about life, faith and purpose. It has been designed to help them engage with the core ideas of the Christian faith in a way that is relevant, accessible and engaging. We also believe this will be a valuable opportunity for the whole church family. It offers all of us the chance to grow in faith—whatever stage of life we are at—and to support our young people as they explore theirs. For further details contact Teri-Anne:
teri-anne@hampton-church.org.uk

On Sunday 15 June we start a new sermon series where we will be looking at the Book of Leviticus.

Here is the schedule of readings:
15 June
Leviticus 1:1-9
Called to Draw Near
22 June
Leviticus 11:1-8, 41-47
Clean Hands and Pure Hearts
29 June
Leviticus 16:1-10, 15-16, 20-22, 29-30
Atonement and Mercy
6 July
Leviticus 19:1-18
Be Holy and I am Holy
13 July
Leviticus 26:1-17
Blessing or Curse?

On Sunday 27 April we start a new sermon series: Being Church: Living as the body of Christ, where we will be looking at the five key principles of church life at St Mary’s: Come, Pray, Join, Serve, and Give.

Here is the schedule of readings:
27 April
Hebrews 10:19-25
Come: Let us Draw Near
4 May
Acts 4:23-31
Pray: They Raised their Voices Together
11 May
Acts 2:42-47
Join: Devoted and Together
25 May
Romans 12:3-13
Serve: One Body, Many Gifts
1 June
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
Give: God Loves a Cheerful Giver

In the lead up to Easter we will be looking at The Gospel According to Matthew. Running for eleven weeks, this series will take us on a journey through Jesus’ life and teaching, culminating in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and the joy of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Here is the schedule of readings:
9 February
Matthew 1:1-17
The Family of God
16 February
Matthew 4:12-25
The Kingdom is Near
23 February
Matthew 5:1-16
The Upside-Down Kingdom
2 March
Matthew 5:38-48
The Call to Radical Love
9 March
Matthew 6:5-15
The Lord’s Prayer
16 March
Matthew 8:23-34
The Power of the Kingdom
23 March
Matthew 22:1-14
The Invitation to the Banquet
30 March
Matthew 18:21-35
The Heart of Forgiveness
6 April
Matthew 22:34-46
The Great Commandment
13 April
Matthew 21:1-17
The King Enters His City
20 April
Matthew 28:1-10
The Risen King

Following on from the success of last year's 24-7 prayer event, we will be doing a similar event this year - this time for 6 days! As a church family, we will commit to praying for 24 hours a day, for 6 days from 9 to 15 March. Lots more details to follow, but please do save the date!

The Bishop of Kensington, Bishop Emma, will be coming to St Mary’s on 26 January to preside at our 10.30am Confirmation & Holy Communion service.

On Sunday, 5 January, we start ‘What is Church’?, a short sermon series for the New Year.
Here is the schedule of readings:

5 January
Matthew 16:13-20
The Rock

12 January
Ephesians 4:1-16
The People

19 January
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Communion

Our friends at MTV Youth Hampton have just taken part in the Grim Challenge, running through four miles of thick, glutinous mud, waist-high water and bone-chilling conditions to raise money for MTV Youth.
This was all part of The Big Give Christmas Challenge: if MTV Youth can raise £2,500 then The Big Give will double it, making a whopping £5,000! The donation link is now live until 10 December, so if you would like to
sponsor the team, go to: https://donate.biggive.org/christmas-challenge-2024
and type MTV Youth Hampton in the search box.