St Mary’s Update – 1st October 2018
St Mary’s Church update for 1st October provides listings of services and other events and news. This update includes IGNITE! Youth Service, changes to the Good News Magazine, Christmas Shoe Box Appeal & more.
IGNITE! Youth Service
St Mary’s youth group, Wired, together with young people from the Langham and Boxted churches, will be leading a celebration of lively and informal worship and interactive activities on Friday 5 October at 7.45pm at St Mary’s, West Bergholt. Hot chocolate served on arrival!
Changes to the Good News Magazine
We have decided to stop producing the Good News Magazine (see below) after Christmas as it is quite time consuming to put together, and we now have so many other ways to keep everyone up to date with news and events such as electronic newsletters, our new website and our Twitter and Facebook pages. Folk who don’t have access to the internet will have the option of receiving a paper copy of the newsletters.
Christmas Shoe Box Appeal
We are launching our Christmas Shoebox Appeal for 2018! Thanks to your generous contributions last year, we were one of about 30,000 churches around the world sending out shoeboxes to children living in poverty.
Simple gifts such as gloves, soap, toothbrushes, colouring pencils and toy cars can make such a big impact and there are some truly humbling stories on the Operation Christmas Child website: www.samaritans-purse.org.uk.
Thrilled
Stories such as Jaki, an orphan in Guatemala, who was absolutely thrilled with a toothbrush after having to share one with 10 other children for years; and David in Romania receiving a toy car instead of his usual orange, which was all his family could afford each year. The Appeal provides shoeboxes to 17 countries across Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.
Each box is offered to children as part of our Christian faith, as an expression of God’s love and care, but the boxes are given unconditionally to children of all faiths and none. The volunteers distributing the boxes are carefully trained to ensure that information about the Christian faith is only offered if community leaders welcome it; contrary to some claims in the media, there are no strings attached for the children and communities receiving the boxes.
What to do
Please do give generously if you can as a small shoebox really makes a big impact. Please see the Noticeboard page for details on what to put in your shoe box. There are also information leaflets, empty shoe boxes and pre-made shoe boxes available in church and in the church office. You can take your gift-filled shoebox to Liz in the church office anytime up until Thursday 15 November (opening hours are weekdays except Weds 9am-1pm) tel: 01206 243683.
Messy Church
Join us for informal worship, songs, stories and fun activities for all ages, followed by refreshments in the hall on Sunday 14th October at 9.30 am! This month’s theme is The Armour Of God. All Welcome!
Praise on 4 Café Church
Join us for coffee and croissants, informal worship and an interactive talk at our Praise on 4 Café Church. All welcome on Sunday 28th October at 9.30 am. There will be separate activities for children and young people.
Good News Magazine Oct & Nov 2018
Services & Other Dates
All events are at St Mary’s unless stated otherwise. Kids’ Church is our new form of Sunday school for children.
Sunday 7 October | 9.30 am | Communion |
Communion at St Mary’s, Langham | ||
10.00 am | Morning Praise St John’s, Great Horkesley | |
Tuesday 9 October | 8.00 pm | Home Group (contact Michael Foster on 01206 241022) |
Sunday 14 October | 9.30 am | Messy Church |
Communion at St Peter’s, Boxted | ||
11.15 am | Communion at All Saints’ Great Horkesley | |
6.30 pm | Evening Prayer (last before winter break) | |
Sunday 21 October | 8.00 am | Communion at St Mary’s, Langham |
9.30 am | Family Service at St Mary’s, Langham | |
10.00 am | Morning Worship at St John’s Great Horkesley | |
11.15 am | Communion | |
Tuesday 23 October | 8.00 pm | Home Group (contact Michael Foster on 01206 241022) |
Sunday 28 October | 8.00 am | Communion at All Saints’ Great Horkesley |
9.30 am | Praise on 4 Café Church | |
Communion at St Peter’s, Boxted | ||
11.15 am | Service 4 All at All Saints’ Great Horkesley | |
Sunday 11th November | 10.45 am | Remembrance Sunday in the Orpen Hall |