December 2011
Christmas Services

December 2011 - Christmas Preparations

Preparing the Church for the Christmas season - showing the flower arrangers and the specially-made Christmas banners.

December 2011
Advent Services

September 2011 - Harvest Festival

St Michael's welcomed the Right Reverend Andrew Proud, Bishop of Reading who led our service of celebration.

The Church was once again adorned with the Harvest banners inspired by Marie-Teresa Harvey, giving the whole church a vivid display of colour.

The procession shows the Bishop being preceded by the Choir, the Crucifer, the Rector and the Churchwardens.

In every corner and crevice of the church were the many tins of meat, stews, coffee etc that had been donated by parishioners for the Churches in Reading Drop-In Centre (CiRDIC) - see Links to Local Christian sites for more information.

After the service there was a Parish Lunch in the Morlais Room, prepared with culinary expertise by Jackie Chappell and her team - 50 lucky parishioners and the Bishop tucked into a hearty traditional Sunday lunch of roast pork and all the trimmings, followed by fresh fruit salad.

July 2011 - Parish Barbecue

The Rector hosted this event in the Rectory Garden, which was enjoyed by all.  Three sets of cooks made sure that everyone got something from the menu - though Digby (the Rector's dog) could be heard barking for more.

July 2011 - Mothers' Union Coffee Morning

The Rectory garden was the location for the 2011 Mothers' Union Coffee Morning.  There was sunny weather and fine company, and all the MU knitters were available for some of these photos.

July 2011 - Mothers' Union Evening Walk

The MU evening walk took place around the lake near the Fox and Hounds pub in Theale.  Although the weather was not too kind to those taking part, a good time was nevertheless had by all in the pub later on!

June 2011 - The Big Lunch

The Big Lunch took place in the Morlais Room at church, and was part of a nationwide event aimed at getting the community together.  This was a forerunner to next year's event when it will be held to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  Over 40 people joined in the fun and enjoyed an excellent meal.  Many thanks were expressed to Jackie, Dianne and all who had helped in any way, for their hard work in preparing the food and setting a fine table.

May 2011 - Quiz Night

All agreed this was a rip-roaring success.  The questions were set by Claire and Tony Rolley on a Royal theme, in keeping with the times.  The Morlais Room was packed and all were duly fed with a fish and chip supper.  The teams were evenly matched throughout but some were undone by the round on The King of pop questions and lost points for incorrect answers.  The evening finished with The Wisest Fools (led by Sally Cairns) as winners, narrowly beating Cambridge Royal (led by Jo Druce).

April 2011 - Royal Wedding Tea Party

St Michael's celebrated the Royal Wedding with a Tea Party in the Church Hall on 29th April.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and refreshments.

April 2011 - Palm Sunday Procession

April 2011 - Church Cleaning

More than 30 people turned up this year to help clean the Church from top to bottom - a great effort all round.  Many cobwebs were removed and rather a lot of chewing gum stuck to the floor between pews and beneath the pew-seats.  As shown in the pictures, everyone was hard at work and enjoyed gathering together for a refreshing cup of tea and a hot cross bun.

April 2011 - Bell Repairs and Maintenance

During April 2011 the bearing on the No. 2 bell had to be replaced due to wear on one side.  St Michael's bellringers provided some of the labour to reduce the overall costs, whilst the Whitechapel Bell Foundry provided the skilled engineer to supervise the lifting of the bell from the frame and the replacement of the actual bearing.

March 2011 - Lent Lunches

Lent Lunches were a resounding success.  Several times it was necessary to lay extra table places, as parishioners turned up in good numbers.  This year we were supporting Breadline Africa and some £900 was raised for this charity.  All who came and supported these lunches were duly thanked.