Activities Week December 25 Day Time AM Activity Time PM Activity

Sun 10:30-12:00 Christmas Celebration

Tue 13:00-14:00 Crib Trail

Activities Week January 1 Day Time AM Activity Time PM Activity

Sun 10:30-12:00 Morning Worship

Thur 19:30-21:30 West Kent Debt Advice

Service to VEC Rota Date Leader Speaker Coffee Welcome Sound

Desk Chairs Communion

Dec 25

The Prior Family Sally Stiven

James Wickham

James Davis

n/a

Jan

1

Mike and

Hester Fletcher

Stan

King

Glenda Newholm

Angela Gardiner

Belinda

Edmett

James Wickham

Kim Tainio

Kevin

Brown

Stan and

Becky King

Jan 8

Max

and Sue Sinclair

Stan King

Richard

and Liz Atkins

Merrie Reynolds

Sam

Fletcher Stan

King

Stephen Prior

Iain Hemington

Jan 15

David Garrett

Chris Stiven

Jan and Phil Wiles

David Tyler

Paul

South Joe

Byles

David Owen

Ivan and Lianne

Krynauw

Jan

22

Stephen

Prior

Stan

King

Merrie Reynolds

Rachel Lankester

Pauline

Knight

James Davis

Joshua Davis

Glen

Tainio

Maureen

Lewis

Office hours from 3 January 2017.Tuesday, Friday 9:00-3:00

Office contact details 01732 469833 or office@vec.org.uk.

Pastor Stan King, stan@vec.org.uk, 07899 335909

Office Christmas Closing: The office is closed from 23 December – 3

January.

http://www.vec.org.uk/

In the name of the Lord Jesus welcome to VEC

December 25 10:30 Christmas Celebration with the Prior family

January 1 2017 Morning worship 10:30 ‘Looking back, looking around, looking forward’

Speaker Stan King

VEC Vision

We seek to be a loving family

devoted to the Father

transformed by the Spirit

and graciously drawing others to Christ

Coming Up at VEC

This Week: Christmas Day celebration 10:30. This is being led by the Prior

family.

Crib Trail: Churches Together in Sevenoaks are once again encouraging

churches to display their nativity scenes on 27 December from 13:00-16:00 so people can circulate amongst the churches visiting the variety of displays.

Lois Davis has agreed to take the lead on hosting people with mulled wine and treats. If you could volunteer to help Lois with an hour during the

afternoon of the 27th December, please contact her directly. James Davis is running a competition to cover all the sites hosting the crib trail. James says

‘I have produced a 1:25000 scale map with all the churches and businesses

marked on the map and the challenge will be to visit as many of these churches and businesses in the 3 hours either on foot or by bicycle. If all

churches and businesses are visited then the fastest travelling time counts. Ideally people will be timed using STRAVA and then emailing me this after

the event. If people do not have STRAVA then I will have A4 paper sheets

that can be signed by the churches. There has to be a min 5 minute stop at each church but competitors can stop longer if they so desire - only travelling

time between churches will count in the competition time. Those competing in the competition would start and finish at Vine Evangelical Church (Hitchen

Hatch La, Sevenoaks TN13 3AT) and competitors could start anytime

between 1:00 and 4:00pm but must finish before 4:00pm (penalised at 1 point per minute late)

Next Sunday: January 1, morning worship 10:30. Looking back, looking

around, looking forward, speaker Stan King

Prayer Gathering: There will be no gathering on December 26. The next one is on January 8 at the home of Stan and Becky.

Dates for Your Diary: Church family meeting after the morning service

January 29.

Alpha 2017: We are offering a new Alpha course on Friday nights, starting 20 January, running for 9 weeks. A meal will be provided each night. We ran

this in the autumn so that you could have confidence to invite your friends to Alpha. Please pray about asking your neighbour, friend or colleague to this

course. If you want to help out contact Stan King (07899 335909). Promotional material is available on the sound desk

6th Form Alpha: There is a notice in the entrance hall about this initiative

starting January 17. This has come from an initiative by Churches Together

in Sevenoaks and District. Please pray for those who will come and if you know any 6th formers who would appreciate an invitation please let Stan

Know.

VEC Community

From Mike and Jenny Moore: ‘Jenny and I arrived in Curry Rivel on 26th

November, two days after we were due to move. The removers arrived on

time but didn’t have enough room for everything so they took the remaining items the following day. The logistical challenges of moving the contents of a

house into a property half as large are considerable so when we arrived at our new home it was barely possible us to get in; there was so little space!

But we now have a functional kitchen, a habitable living room and I have a

compact but usable study from where I am sending this. Thanks are due to the patient removers who managed to squeeze everything onto the vans.

Grateful thanks are due also to our wonderful friend Lynda Edmonds, who took time off work to be ready for the removers at this end. My amazing

sister-in-law Lorraine, in spite of being on pain-killers, worked until 3.00am to help us be ready for the removers. My brilliant brother Kev, along with

Lorraine and Lynda, worked until midnight at this end rearranging furniture

and a gazillion boxes just to make it possible for Jenny and me to get through the front door when we arrived on the Saturday. What stars we

have as family and friends! For reasons best left unsaid, although the furniture went on the Thursday

and Friday, Jenny and I didn’t drive down to Somerset until Saturday

morning after two freezing nights in an empty house without beds (don’t ask!). I set off at 9.00am on Saturday in order to see my sister-in-law and

my brother before they set off back north, leaving Jenny to set off when she was ready. About ten miles from Curry Rivel, I get a call from Jenny’s phone

and a guy with a South African accent informs me that Jenny is at Cobham

Services on the M25 where she has pulled in for a break. She has discovered that when she locked the door of our former abode and deposited the keys

through the letterbox, she left her handbag in the house. She needs a drink (no, not ‘a drink’!) and possibly fuel to get her to Somerset but has no

money! Suddenly, out of nowhere, two angels with South African accents show up to help her. After she has had something to eat and a cup of tea

and has slept, the manager of the service station fills her tank and lends her

twenty quid. It’s enough to make you believe in the innate goodness of humanity! Curry Rivel is a beautiful little village that sits above the Somerset

Levels, providing fantastic views. We are so blessed to be here. A couple of weeks ago I walked the two miles to Langport, where I discovered a cosy

little coffee shop with shabby chic tables, a really comfortable sofa, some

easy chairs and with music from the late fifties, sixties, early seventies and some jazz. I hung out there for about 45 minutes and read while enjoying a

perfect cappuccino. It was wonderful. I’m tempted to move my study there!’

Mitchells, New Numbers: Please amend your directory, Sue

07856210969, Annabel 07932077184.

December 2016

Trinity School Prayer Update – January 2017

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12

As we continue in the school year we are thankful for:

• The school Christmas Service which parents attended and where the students performed wonderfully • The end of term celebrations and the chance to reflect on advent on Christmas • Our dedicated staff and volunteers who have worked hard to give the students many opportunities • The chance to celebrate the students achievements and values in our end of term assemblies

We also ask for your prayers for:

• The new school term and all the trips and activities coming up • Assessment week and especially the year 10’s first Pre-Public Examinations • The ‘Grill a Christian’ event organized by our CU which they can invite their friends to • A new start at the beginning of 2017

We really appreciate all your prayers for our school; please let us know if we can pray for you, your churches and your communities in any way. God Bless, Alice Dunstall Chaplain

THE UNITED SERVICE FOR THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

“CROSSING BARRIERS; RECONCILIATION

– the love of Christ compels us “ (2 Cor. v14-20)

SUNDAY 15TH JANUARY 2017 at 3.30pm St Thomas’s Church, 12,Granville Road,

Sevenoaks TN13 1ER (Please note this year’s Service will be in the afternoon)

2017 is a significant year for the Christian Church, as it will be 500 years since the Lutheran Reformation. The Service on January15th begins a year of commemoration, celebration and reconciliation and has been written by the Christians of Germany. Singers from all churches are warmly invited to joi n the united choir. Please make this known to individual singers, as well as to members of your choir. The hymns, songs & chants are straightforward, including for example ‘ Sent by the Lord am I’ and ‘Longing for Light’ There will be a short rehearsal which will begin promptly at 2.45pm on Sunday 15th January, led by Angela Simmonds. We should be grateful to have approximate numbers of singers a week before the Service, hopefully attracting some less experienced, alongside those who are used to regular choir singing. Please let Valerie Ruddle – details below.- have numbers of singers by January 8 th. Copies of the music will be sent as soon as numbers are known. Dress – informal. We do hope this will be an act of worship which everyone feels they can join in. Tea for the Choir and all the congregation will follow afterwards.. All enquiries please don’t hesitate to contact ; Pat Harman tel; 01732 453902 Email bobandpat.harman@gmail.com Isobel White tel: 01732 461694 Email ctsdadmin@sevmail.co.uk Valerie Ruddle tel; 01732 450355 Email valruddle7@hotmail.co.uk

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2017

Sunday 15th January 3.30 p.m.

“ Crossing Barriers - Reconciliation” - prepared by the Churches in Germany

United Service

at

ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY 12 Granville Road, Sevenoaks

TN13 1ER

Speaker: Revd Canon David Kitley

United Choir

Retiring collection for Sevenoaks Counselling Service Daily Prayers: Monday 16 th January, 8-9pm ( Silent prayer ) St Thomas’ RC Tuesday 17 th January, 2.30pm The Drive Methodist Wednesday 18 th January, 10am St Luke’s CofE Thursday 19th January, 10am St MaryKippingto nCofE Friday 20th January, 10.30am St John the Bap tist CofE Saturday 21st January, 10am The Drive Method ist Sunday 22nd January,6.30pm - St Nicholas Parish C hurch (as part of the Evening Service)

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