A Prayer for Christmas
Eternal God who made this holy season shine with the brightness of Your light.
Bring us to know the presence of Your Son Jesus Christ in our lives
and to see the radiance of Your heavenly glory
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
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The service on 15th December 2024 is Holy Communion at 9:30 a.m. at St Augustine’s. Everyone is welcome!
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From September 2024 all Benefice Services will commence at 10 am.
PLEASE DO SUPPORT THE BENEFICE SERVICES, ALL WELCOME
Midweek Services at St Augustine's
Please join us for our Thursday 10am Holy Communion Services on the first two Thursdays of the month.
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Coffee and Cakes
Thursday Coffee Mornings are back from 5th September 10am to 12 noon 
Kirkby Church Hall First Thursday every month
Coffee morning all welcome Wednesday 8th January Kirkby Church Hall
Stokesley Town Coffee Morning for St Augustine's Church Friday January 3rd in the Town Hall
Offers of help/ tombola prizes,
please contact Gill Sockett 01642 712432
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Changes to the Family Service
From Sunday May 5th the 8:00 and 9:30am Family Service, on the first Sunday of the month, will be replaced with a single service of Holy Communion at 9:30 am.
All are warmly invited.
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Funeral Service
Mavis Woolhouse RIP
Sadly, Mavis has died aged 89 years. Her funeral will be in St Andrew's Church Ingleby Greenhow on Friday October 25th at 12.30pm, followed by cremation.
Please pray for all her friends and family
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Eric Smith
Eric of Railway Bridge Farm sadly passed away on Monday 30th September.
David, Ruth and Anne thank everyone for their kind words, cards and support.
The funeral will take place at Stokesley Methodist Church Thursday 31st October at 11.00am
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Please follow our churchyard etiquette further down the page.
Thank you for complying with the graveyard rules.
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Advent and Christmas special services at Kirkby:
Sunday 22nd December 7.30pm Service of Nine lessons and Carols
Christmas Eve
Children's Crib Service
4pm Christmas Eve 
What a wonderful start to Christmas for children and their families.
It's a tradition that goes back centuries.
There is a role for every child who is interested, whether it's reading a poem, telling part of the Christmas Story or placing figures and animals round the manger. (For more information and If any child would like to take part in the Crib Service please let Anne Heading or Ros Tomlinson know)
10.30pm Midnight Holy Communion Christmas Day 10am Holy Communion.
Steps Tuesday December 3rd 1.30p.m. in Church Mothers + Toddlers in KCH,
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Dates for your Diary
22nd December: Nine Lessons and Carols.
24th December:
4pm Nativity Service
10:30 pm Holy Communion Service
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Help needed to run the Church Hall
Could anyone, maybe recently retired, like to offer a few hours to the community by joining the small team who administer and run Kirkby Church Hall?
The Hall is an acknowledged asset to the village but needs another person to lend a hand opening and closing the hall for intermittent bookings, keeping an eye on tradesmen, maintenance jobs etc and ensuring everything is kept to a high standard for the many regular users each week.
Contact Anna 712797, Sheila 712321
Christian Aid
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS IN THE NEWSLETTER
Many thanks to all who gave so generously towards the Christmas greetings card which you found inside November's Newsletter. The tremendous sum of £1,560.00 was raised which will be used to help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. Families who have been displaced by war need to forge a new life and financial assistance is vital to purchase basic equipment & essential medicines
CHRISTMAS WINE AND CHEESE EVENING
This is always a fun event and tickets are already available from the usual committee members.
Details are :-
Friday 6th December,
Kirkby Church Hall, 7.30 - 10.00 p.m. Wine bar, Raffle.
Price is £12.50 which includes the first drink.
All proceeds go to Christian Aid.
If you are new to the villages and are not on the ticket list but would like to come then please ring 0164 712458 for further details and we will get tickets to you.
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Kirkby & Gt. Broughton School 
To keep in touch with what's happening in school our website address is http://www.kirkbyandgreatbroughtonschool.uk.org
2.30pm Mon Dec 2nd Christingle in Kirkby School
9.30am Fri Dec 6th Nursery Nativity at Kirkby School.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Kirkby and Great Broughton Church of England Primary School by the then Archbishop of York, a book has been published.
This A4 sized, fully illustrated 76-page publication looks back at life in the school over those 50 years as well as the history of education in the villages and the events leading up to the building of the school.
They are available at the price of £10 from the school or from John Davies davies@brackenway.co.uk
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Parkinson’s Seasonal Sing Along
Wed 23rd October 2.30-4.30pm KCH
Come along with family and friends to listen to One Accord a local guitar group.
Singing optonal!
Refreshments provided free though donatons to Parkinson’s are welcome.
Email sheila.hayton@btnternet.com or phone 01642 712321
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WRAP UP is a project being sponsored by Middlesbrough Erimus Rotary Club for those out there who need a litle extra help.
Please start to save men's warm coats,women's warm coats and warm coats for boys and girls,your donaton could save a life! The sole aim is to provide coats,hats,scarfs and gloves to people who struggle to keep warm in winter months.
The coats will be collected in a donaton box placed in the porch of St Augustne's Church from 19th Oct to 3rd Nov.
Charites to beneft will be Salvaton Army,Nite Light,Doorway Project and downtown schools.
Last year 3200 items were distributed.
Neil Glover is the local co-ordinator tel: 01642 71234
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'The Advent Windows' Trail 2024' 
There won't be an Advent Windows' Trail this year as we have not had enough 'windows' to complete our seasonal trail. We so appreciate the volunteers we did have offers from & were also buoyed by the general positivity of the event. It's a 'timing' thing, as well as a 'numbers' thing- we need window commitments by mid November to make it happen. With your support we will be hosting the 2025 Advent Window Trail – it's a fun event to be part of.
Please keep in touch on: gbkadventwindows@gmail.com
Best wishes for Christmas & New Year
Noelle & Lucy
Kirkby & Gt. Broughton School To keep in touch with what's happening in school the website address is http://www.kirkbyandgreatbroughtonschool.co.uk
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SCHOOL SUNFLOWER CHALLENGE
The Eco Church Team have set all the schools of the Benefice a Spring challenge entitled "Sunflowers from Ukraine”
The objective is two fold:
1. To inform pupils of the value of sunflower oil to our diet and seeds for wildlife.
2. To create an awareness of the young people of Ukraine who have had to seek refuge in a foreign land.
The challenge is to create a Sunflower from a paper plate and to write a short account about Sunflowers.
In May each school will be given Sunflower seeds to grow to see who can grow the tallest Sunflower
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Organist Wanted!
We need a replacement Organist at St Augustine's, starting as soon as possible. There are two, occasionally three, morning services per month; adding in the special services at Christmas, etc., this totals about 38 per year The organ is a Copeman Hart two-manual instrument; it was installed in 1998 and is one of the best in the area. There is a considerable library of both organ and choral music. We understand that a pianist of Grade 4 standard would have the right level of technical competence to be able to transition effectively to the organ.
Please contact Anne Heading for further details
Friday Decenber 6th Xmas Wreath making: (GBVH) To book:07855 366362 £35 pp 10am-12
Dec Wed 11th Festive Soup Lunch (GBVH) 12-2pm
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Our Eco Group Gains Bronze Award
St Augustine's is part of an initiative by the Church of England to Care for God's Earth called Eco Church. The aim is to engage Christians of all denominations with stewardship of God's creation, the earth we all share. At St Augustine's the green team have been working towards achieving the Bronze Standard through interaction with the local community especially the Primary School, increasing the biodiversity of the churchyard and encouraging involvement in green issues in the Benefice. Thanks to all who have supported us in any way as we achieved our Bronze Award on the 5th October. Many congratulations to the Eco Group on the Bronze Award!
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Church Flowers Love Flowers?
We would welcome anyone in arranging flowers once a year.
Please contact Gill Sockett 712432
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Friends of Darlington Memorial Hospital 
Stamps – Francobolli – Timbres – Sellos – Briefmarken – Stampaichean
I am still collecting used postage stamps for the Darlington Memorial Hospital voluntary drivers' expenses
Can you please save used stamps to help fund their Voluntary Car Service. Just post them through the letterbox of 46 Kirkby Lane, opposite Gt Broughton School or leave them in the Church Porch.
Also check their website for cheap postage stamps offer.
Thanks Heather Stamp
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Recycling at Gt Broughton Village Hall
Please use the allocated recycling bins in the entrance hall for stamps and plastic milk bottle tops (only)
Two charities are being supported by these recycling schemes:
Stamps - Parkinson’s UK
Plastic milk bottle tops - Marie Curie (Cancer Care)
Thank you, GBVH Committee
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The Churchyard
The Churchyard is a tranquil, peaceful and welcoming space for all who visit and we encourage the placing of floral tributes on individual graves in memory of those who are no longer with us. However, please do not use glass containers; biodegradable materials are preferable, where possible. Flowers (and their containers) should be removed when they are past their best and we are grateful to those who do this. We ensure that the grass is cut and trimmed regularly during the summer months and a small team puts a lot of effort to keep the whole area tidy and the paths clear of debris. We would only move containers if they obstruct grass cutting. Please could you ensure that any item that does not comply with these guidelines is removed. With many thanks. We are always happy to welcome volunteers to help us look after the Churchyard and keep it in good order for future generations in our parish.
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Kirkby Church Hall
Is there anyone living in Kirkby or Great Broughton with a few hours to spare who would like to join the small (but very friendly) team of volunteers who run Kirkby Church Hall? This is a well appointed hall that is popular with our regular hirers and we are only able to keep the rental charges down because it is administered by volunteers. Duties would include occasional opening up or closing the hall for one-off hirers, being a key holder, helping with Christmas decorations etc. If are interested please contact Sheila (01642-71232
Kirkby Church Hall is available for hire. Contact Sheila 712321
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Church Warden Needed.
The PCC is seeking a churchwarden - if you can serve as Warden then please contact Ros Tomlinson to discuss the role Tel. 01642 711796.
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Electoral Roll
If anyone would like to go onto the Electoral roll of the churches in the Benefice
(through being resident in the parish and baptized), please let Anne Heading know
(Tel. 710045 or e-mail anneheading8@gmail.com ).
Electoral Roll Enrollment Form
Please consider joining the Electoral Roll for our parish, it gives a stake in the local Christian community and supports the wellbeing of the parish church. A person enrolled in this way may vote in our church meeting and is eligible to take on certain responsibilites such as that of Churchwarden. The criteria for joining the Roll and details of who to contact may be found in the Application Document (click on the link below.)
You are welcome to join us! Rev Dr Anne Heading, Vicar.
The BBC continues to broadcast the Sunday service at 8.10 am on Radio 4. In addition, the services, and the wide range of readings and prayers, on the Church of England, Diocese of York and York Minster websites – churchofengland.org dioceseofyork.org.uk/onlineworship and yorkminster.org – continue to provide a spiritual resource and re-assurance.
There are a number of resources both on air and on line which we hope you will find helpful. These include:
- the service each Sunday on BBC Radio 4 at 8.10 am;
- a Hymn for the Day and the Sunday Service from the Royal School of Church Music (www.rscm.org.uk/our-resources/hftd/), to which St Augustine’s is affiliated;
- both the Church of England (www.churchofengland.org) and the Diocese of York(www.dioceseofyork.org.uk), they provide a wide range of readings and prayers of support and encouragement.
The Parish Newsletter for December 2024 and January 2025 has been published and can be accessed here
The Book of Psalms can be a great source of comfort and inspiration; Psalms 16 - Preserve me, O God, 23 – The Lord is my Shepherd - and 121 – I will lift up mine eyes to the hills – are commended.
The Church has a Facebook page - St Augustine’s, Kirkby & Great Broughton - which, like the website, is regularly up-dated