St Mary’s Autumn 2017 Good News Update

St Mary’s Autumn 2017 Good News Update

This Autumn 2017 edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine, is reproduced below (together with additional material from various notices), use the links to the stories & news items.

No More Toast Crumbs in the Butter!

I am officially an ‘empty nester’ as Continue reading “St Mary’s Autumn 2017 Good News Update”

St Mary’s Summer 2017 Good News Update

St Mary’s Summer 2017 Good News Update

This Summer 2017 edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine, is reproduced below (together with additional material from various notices), use the links to the stories & news items.

Relationship Not Rules

I have become more and more aware recently that the Christian faith is far more about having a relationship with God than it is about following a set of rules.

I used to feel that the Christian faith was a set of ideals Continue reading “St Mary’s Summer 2017 Good News Update”

St Mary’s Easter Good News Update

Happy Easter
Easter Day Service
Sunday 16th April @ 11:15am

St Mary’s Easter Good News Update

This Easter edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine, is reproduced below (together with additional material from various notices), use the links to the stories & news items.

Happy Easter

Easter is a wonderful time of year as we celebrate the time when Jesus rose from the dead, proving that God’s power of life over death, light over darkness and hope over hopelessness, is real. It is a time to celebrate and give thanks for all that God has done for us; which is undoubtedly easier to do as the days lengthen and the temperature rises. Continue reading “St Mary’s Easter Good News Update”

St Mary’s Good News Valentine’s Update

Valentine’s Day – Tuesday 14 February
We love because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19

St Mary’s Good News Valentine’s Update

This Valentine’s Day edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine, is reproduced below (together with additional material from various notices), use the links to the stories & news items.

Continue reading “St Mary’s Good News Valentine’s Update”

St Mary’s Appeal & News Update

Messy Church

St Mary’s Appeal & News Update

This update includes a number of items including Messy Church report, notice of a funding appeal, being launched to avoid running into a deficit in coming years, and news of upcoming events.

Messy ChurchMessy Church

Last weekend’s Messy Church was great fun and featured a mini pantomime with the story of the Three Wise Men, together with lots of fun activities for children and grown-ups alike! Thank you to our Messy Church team who put so much effort into preparing the services.

The next Messy Church will be on Sunday 14 February.

Upcoming Events

Senior Citizens Lunch – Satrday 16th January

Our next Senior Citizens’ Lunch will be on 16 January @ 12.45pm. If you would like to come or can help with food etc. please contact Murray Harlow on 07989 720256.

Joint 3 Parishes Sunday Worship Service – Sunday 31st January – 9.30am @ St Mary’s, Langham

St Mary’s will be joining folk from the churches from Great Horkesley, Langham & Boxted on Sunday 31 January to worship together at a joint service @ St Mary’s Church in Langham. If you would like a lift, please contact the parish office on 243683.

Wings for Worship Workshop – Saturday 6th February 9.45am-4.00pm @ St Mary’s

St Mary’s is hosting a deanery wide course designed to equip lay people to take a more active role in public worship. The course is open to everyone at St Mary’s as well as other churches in the Colchester area. Please let Dorothy Chadborn have your contact details if you would like to attend: [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].

Other Diary Dates

At St Mary’s

  • Tuesday 12 Jan – 11am village Communion
  • Tuesday 12 Jan – 8pm Home Group @ Richard & Dorothy’s House
  • Thursday 14 Jan – 9am coffee morning; 8pm PCC meeting
  • Saturday 16 Jan – 12.45pm Senior Citizens’ Lunch
  • Sunday 17 Jan – 11.15am Communion service with baptism of Ruby Tomlinson
  • Thursday 21 Jan – 9am coffee morning; 10am Rachel’s Home Group
  • Saturday 23 Jan – Marriage Preparation Day in the church hall
  • Sunday 24 Jan – 9.30am Morning worship
  • Wednesday 10 Feb – 8pm Ash Wednesday Communion Service
  • Tuesday 16 Feb – 8pm Lent Group in the church hall, then 23/2, 1/3, 8/3 & 15/3
  • Sunday 27 Mar – 9.30am Easter Sunday Communion Service led by Geoff Read

Elsewhere

  • Sunday 17 Jan – 8am & 9.30am Communion, St Mary’s, Langham; 11.15am Morning Praise, St John’s, Great Horkesley
  • Sunday 24 Jan – 8am HC @ All Saints, 9.30am HC @ Boxted, 11.15am Family service @ All Saints GH

Sunday Bible Readings

  • Sunday 17 Jan – Luke 4:14-21 – Jesus preaches in Galilee.
  • Sunday 24 Jan – John 4: 19-29a – Jesus talks to a women at the well.
  • Sunday 31 Jan – Luke 2:22-40 – Mary & Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple

Funding Appeal

The following appeal has been issued by the St Mary’s Parochial Church Council.

What gives?

St Mary’s is dependent on regular giving and donations from its members and supporters. We do not receive any external financial support and we are spending more than we receive.

Our main expense is the contribution we make to the costs of our Diocese. In recent years, St Mary’s has benefitted from a reduced “parish share” as we have not had our own vicar. This year, we expect to pay our full share. The PCC also wants to support Mandy’s ministry to help grow our church and we are planning to fund a new administrator position to help her focus on her ministry.

This means we expect to spend nearly £10,000 more this year than we received in 2014!

We have approved changes to the use of our reserves which mean we don’t expect to run out of general funds until 2017….but that’s just two years from now!

We will be talking a lot about giving over the next 2 years and explaining how we receive and spend God’s gifts. The PCC wants to encourage an £8,000 increase in annual regular giving by 2017. So, whether St Mary's Appeal by the PCCyou’re a long-time member, new member, village resident or visitor, we are asking you to prayerfully consider your personal financial commitment to the continued, healthy life of this church in West Bergholt.

Thank you.

St Mary the Virgin PCC

Ways to give?

St Mary’s is dependent on regular giving and donations from its members and supporters. We do not receive any external financial support.

Regular giving

Most members of the Church give by standing order.

Gift-Aid allows us to claim back tax already paid on the gift. This means that every £1 gift-aided is worth £1.25 to the Church.   If you already give by standing order or want to do so, please consider regularly the amount you give. Standing order forms are available in the Church.

If you are a UK taxpayer, please gift-aid your donation.

Sunday collections and donations

There is a plate, a donations box and white gift aid envelopes in the church for one-off donations.  If you pay tax, please complete and sign one of these envelopes and put your donation inside – then we can claim tax back on these gifts too.  Please don’t use these envelopes without signing them – it means you haven’t understood what they’re for!

Non-taxpayers

Even if you don’t pay tax, we can claim tax back from the Government!  There’s just no need to fill any forms. Please don’t give £50 notes! We cannot claim the tax on a single gift of more than £20.

Other

Perhaps you can help with fund-raising, helping to explain church finances or with book-keeping. Your help does not need to be just financial.  For further information, speak to our Treasurer, Jon Wilson, or a member of the PCC.

St Marys’ Notices – 11th October 2015

st-marys-imagesSt Marys’ Notices – 11th October 2015

Events for the next week:

  • Monday 12 October – 4.45pm Children s’ confirmation class at the Rectory, West Bergholt
    Tuesday 13 October – 11am Village Communion service at St Mary’s, West Bergholt
  • Tuesday 13 October – 8pm Home Group @ Pat & Roy’s
  • Wednesday 14 October – 7.30pm Adult Confirmation Class at the Rectory, West Bergholt
  • Thursday 15 October – 9am Open house in church; 2.30pm 5T’s in church hall
  • Thursday 15 October – 10am Rachel’s Home Group
  • Saturday 17 October – 9.30am-4pm – PCCs Away Day at Assington Hall
  • Sunday 18 October 11.15am Holy Communion led by Mandy Elmes

Services in Langham with Boxted & Great Horkesley

Sun 18 October –  8.00am BCP Communion at St Mary’s, Langham; 9.30am Morning Worship, St Peter’s, Boxted; 11.15am Morning Praise, St John’s, Great Horkesley

Sunday Bible Readings:

  • Sun 18 October – Mark 10: 35-45 – Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.

Latest News

Congratulations to Dorothy Chadborn who was licensed as a Pastoral Assistant yesterday at Chelmsford Cathedral, following her successful completion of the Diocesan Pastoral Care Course. In case you are wondering what is the role of a pastoral assistant, the following is a definition from the Diocesan web site:

“Pastoral Assistants are those in whom the Church has discerned special gifts for ‘pastoral care in the church and wider community. They are not people who know all the answers. But they are men and women of prayer; people who reflect on the dilemmas of modern life in the light of the Bible and Christian tradition, and people who want to communicate to others the message of Christ through caring action”.

Our prayers are with Dorothy as she begins her new role.

Messy Church – well done to Caroline Finlay and the Messy Church Team for another great service this morning on the theme of the Rugby World Cup. Lots of children had fun decorating (and eating!) rugby ball shaped biscuits, making puppets and taking part in a quiz. There will be no Messy Church in November as St Mary’s will be joining in with the Village Remembrance Service at the Orpen Hall on 8 November, so the next Messy Church will be on 13 December, when we will have a Messy Nativity!

Christmas Shoe boxes – thank you to everyone who has signed up to complete a shoe box or donate particular items. Completed shoe boxes need to be brought to church or to the parish office by Sunday 1 November, but if you are donating individual items, please could we have them by Sunday 18 October to allow time for making them up into complete shoe boxes. If you need labels for your boxes, there are a few left in church and in the parish office.

All Saints Day Service – Sunday 1 November @ 9.30am – Rev Paul Norrington will be leading and preaching in a special service on the theme of ‘gifts for the building up of the church’. Mandy will staying with us at the end of the service because she no longer has to rush off to take another service on the first Sunday in the month. Everyone is invited to stay for coffee and cake after the service and there will be a chance to discuss the Mission and Opportunity Fund.

Reminders:

Tools with a Mission – thank you to all those who have already donated their unwanted tools. The tools will be collected on 23 October, so there is still time to bring them to the parish office or Richard Chadborn if you haven’t yet had chance to look through your garage.

Dates for Your Diary

  • Sunday 8 November – 10.45am Village Remembrance Service at the Orpen Hall – please note there will be no Messy Church at St Mary’s that day (apologies for the error in the Good News Magazine).
  • Sunday 29 November – 11.15am Joint Service at All Saints Church, Great Horkesley, led by Mandy Elmes

Best wishes
Liz Dixon, on behalf of St Mary’s

Skip to content