This Week's News: 17th August 2025
Bishop Rob Gillion joins us this Sunday at St Mary Magdalene WGC, with continuing news of our new Priest in Charge.
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Tuesdays 11am – 1pm · Parish Centre, Hall Grove
Refreshments, friendly faces, and companionship. A warm welcome awaits everyone.
This will be Emma's last service as parish priest.
We will be unveiling a new commission of a painting of St Mary Magdalene by Ghazal, to be hung in the church porch as an icon of welcome as you enter the church. There will also be a chance to pray farewell to Emma, Chris and Rupert.
In order that friends of St Mary Magdalene from across all our partnerships and other churches in the garden city are able to attend, we will be holding our service at the later time of 2pm. This will be followed by afternoon tea.
You are all most warmly invited to attend.
Could you be a friendly, welcoming face at our front door?
We are in need of a few more people to join our team of people who welcome us to church each Sunday. This is a really important ministry, setting new and visiting people at ease, answering practical questions (like" do you have a loo?"), and being the first impression that new people have of the church.
Welcomers need to be able to be at church by 9.30am when they are 'on duty' - the more of us that are able to help, the less often everyone is called on.
Please speak to Emma or a churchwarden if you think this might be a role that you'd like to explore.
Work began this week on a new path which will lead from the car park to the memorial garden, enabling visitors to the churchyard much better access, including for wheelchair users. The path will link with the new ramp emergency exit outside the south east door, enabling a much safer evacuation plan in the event of an emergency. This path replaces the old stepping stones, some of which had sunk into the mud and cracked, and is the latest stage in the ongoing churchyard renovations. Please bear with us as this important work is carried out - we hope you will enjoy the results when it's finished!
Have fun visiting over 600 churches and chapels Raise funds for your local church Help save other churches in Beds and Herts
There are two ways to take part: Get sponsored to visit churches on the day (by any means you fancy!) Offer hospitality to those visiting St Mary Magdalene
For more information: https://bedshertshct.org.uk/bike-n-hike/ Or speak to Janice Fowler.
New Zion Christian Fellowship food bank is open every Wednesday 9-11am. You may drop items in from 8am on Wednesdays at 140 Cole Green Lane AL7 3JE. Please use the food bank based at the back of church if you wish to give items.
Items that are particularly in need currently are:
Heather, Martin, Penny, Craig, Sue, Wendy, Angie, Val, Mark, Naomi, Carol, Peter, Anna, Elsie, Tim, Roger, Azizeh, Anna.
Daphne Humber, Cynthia Day, Shirley Wise, Matthew Fell, Karen Fallon.
God of Mission, Who alone brings growth to your Church of St Mary Magdalene, Send your Holy Spirit to give Vision to our planning, Wisdom to our actions, And power to our witness. Help our church to grow in numbers, In spiritual commitment to you, And in service to our local community, Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
If you would like to request that we pray as a church for someone known to you, please first make every attempt to ensure that they would like to be prayed for by those at St Mary Magdalene. We will be conducting a monthly review of our Prayer List. If there is anyone who should come off the list or go on the list, please notify the churchwardens, Janice and Godfrey.
Bishop Rob Gillion joins us this Sunday at St Mary Magdalene WGC, with continuing news of our new Priest in Charge.
This week at St Mary Magdalene WGC: details of our new Priest in Charge, and the funeral arrangements for Val Sparks.
St Mary Magdalene Welwyn Garden City joyfully announces the appointment of The Revd Dr Ryan Gilfeather as our new Priest in Charge.
St Mary Magdalene Welwyn Garden City mourns the passing of Val Sparks, with further news on our new memorial path.
St Mary Magdalene WGC remembers Val Sparks this week, with an update on the new accessible memorial path now under way.
Ada Wright's baptism this Sunday at St Mary Magdalene WGC, with Revd Emma's farewell service one week away.
St Mary Magdalene WGC: Revd Emma's farewell on 20 July is just two weeks away, and work begins on our new memorial path.
This Sunday at St Mary Magdalene WGC: a joint Eucharist with Ludwick Way Methodists, plus details of Revd Emma's last service.
This week at St Mary Magdalene WGC: the Alban Day festival and our Air Ambulance coffee morning – two community highlights not to miss.