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All Age Worship – Sunday 25 October 2026 at 11.00am – Eucharist – Bible Sunday

St Matthew’s Church – Sunday 18 October 2026 at 11.00am – Eucharist – Twentieth Sunday after Trinity – Luke the Evangelist

Come and join us for all age worship on Sunday 25 October 2026 where we will be searching for treasure and need your help! The Order of Service is below, which you can also download. The Reading Sheet for 25 October 2026 – Bible Sunday is also below. This will be used for the Said Eucharist at 8.00am but NOT for the 11.00am service.

St Matthews Church – All Age Eucharist Congregational RevisedDownload

COLLECT

Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them, to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word; we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

FIRST READING – NEHEMIAH CHAPTER 8: VERSES 1 TO 4A [5 TO 6] AND VERSES 8 TO 12

A reading from the book of Nehemiah,

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate, The told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the LORD had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly,both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

The scribe Ezra stood on a wooden platform that had been made for the purpose; [And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen, ” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.]

So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our LORD; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, “Be quiet, for this day is holy; do not be grieved.” And all the people went their way to eat and drink and to send portions and to make great rejoicing, because they had understood the words that were declared to them.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

PSALM 119 VERSES 9 TO 16

RESPONSE: Happy are they who walk in the law of the Lord.

How shall the young cleanse their way? By keeping to your words. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commandments.

Happy are they who walk in the law of the Lord.

I treasure your promise in my heart, that I may not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; instruct me in your statutes.

Happy are they who walk in the law of the Lord.

With my lips will I recite all the judgements of your mouth. I have taken greater delight in the way of your decrees than in all manner of riches.

Happy are they who walk in the law of the Lord.

I will meditate on your commandments and give attention to your ways. My delight is in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Happy are they who walk in the law of the Lord.

SECOND READING – COLOSSIANS CHAPTER 3, VERSES 12 TO 17

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.

As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

GOSPEL – MATTHEW CHAPTER 24, VERSES 30 TO 35.

Listen to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

Glory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: “The sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see ‘the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven’ with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

POST COMMUNION

God of all grace, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

Amen

Upcoming Events and News

Read our Latest News and see what’s coming up!

There is a Said Eucharist Service on 25 October 2026 at St Matthews Church starting at 8.00am

CHURCHYARD INSPECTION – DANGEROUS HEADSTONES

CHURCHYARD INSPECTION – DANGEROUS HEADSTONES

During the Autumn of 2025, volunteers from St Matthew’s carried out a necessary survey to locate and attach signs to, any gravestone which was found to be dangerous. Our findings have been confirmed by local stonemason, Steve Blackwell.

You will see from the list below, available as a download, of the graves which now have signs attached, indicating that they are unsafe.

The upkeep of individual graves is, of course, the responsibility of the families of the deceased.

If you are someone who has a family member buried in St Matthew’s Churchyard, would you be good enough to read through the list below to check that your loved one’s grave is not amongst those which now carry a sign? In checking the list, it may be helpful to consult the plan accompanying, which divides the churchyard into areas (A – F). Once you have found the area in which ‘your’ grave is situated, names concerned are listed alphabetically under each area.

If you find that ‘your’ grave is mentioned, we would kindly request that you set in motion plans to make good the damage. If this proves impossible, the grave in question will, in good time, have to be laid flat, so that it is no longer in danger of toppling over. If further information or advice is needed, please feel free to contact the Church via the contact details on this website.

St Matthews Churchyard Safety Test Final v2Download

Christmas Day Quiz 2025

Christmas Day Quiz 2025

As part of the Christmas Eucharist, Rev Jenny hosted a Christmas Quiz, which was very much enjoyed by a lively congregration. The winners and losers gathered for a commemorative photo to mark the special occasion!

September 2025 – Newsletter

I’m delighted to be writing my first letter as your new Priest in Charge. First of all, I would like to thank each and every one of you for making me feel so welcome in my first few weeks with you. A special thank you to all the church friends and extended family who came to celebrate my licensing on the 19th of  June.

One of the unexpected joys of moving to live in St Matthews Vicarage here in Buckley has been the garden. My first joy came at the size of the garden – and the fact that it is securely enclosed. My dog, Pippa, loves spending time outside, and it is a delight that I can now let her wander freely in and out as she pleases. The garden is large enough that we can play fetch with the ball and she can run zoomies to her hearts-content.

The second great joy of the garden has come in the unexpected produce I can now harvest and enjoy. Earlier in the season I enjoyed rhubarb, blackcurrants and gooseberries, and now I am enjoying a bumper harvest of apples. From talking to many of you, I know that some of you are also enjoying a bountiful harvest from fruit trees.

As I talk about my garden I am reminded of the blessings we enjoy from God. Although not all the world we experience is safe and secure, God offers us all places of sanctuary where we can rest and reenergise, where we can be free from demands upon us and we can simply be ourselves.

For each of us, those places will be different. They may be our homes, or another place we enjoy. They may be somewhere in solitude or in the company of others. Wherever that place is, it is important to not just enjoy and make the best use of the sanctuary, regularly allowing ourselves to be renewed there, but also to be thankful.

The spiritual practice of thankfulness was introduced to me by a tutor at theological college, who gave me a copy of this book. Despite the cover it is not a children’s book, although it does begin with a story about some children. In WWII many children were left orphaned or homeless. Due to the trauma many were unable to sleep, until someone had the idea to give them a piece of bread to hold. The bread meant that they could sleep securely knowing that they would be able to eat tomorrow.

The book goes on to describe the spiritual practice of thankfulness – also known as the Examen. In essence, the practice of the examen is to spend a few minutes each night before sleep, recalling the part of the day you are most grateful for, and then to recall the moment you are least grateful for.  We then consciously experience the gratitude for the blessings we have received, and look for where God was at work.

As we think about the blessings we are given, the moments of       sanctuary we have and about being consciously grateful for them, we must also remember those who do not have sanctuary, or have much less to be grateful for.  In the week that I write this, I think of the    famine declared in Gaza, with an estimated 40,000 people starving,  and also of many disabled people in this country living with the insecurity of not knowing if their PIP payments will continue – to name just two examples.

Friends, we have much to be grateful for. Whether the practice of the Examen suits you, or expressing your gratitude to God in another way, gratitude is an important spiritual discipline to practice.