Join the Friends of St Mary’s at their Candlelit Carol Service
Once again the Friends of St Mary’s Old Church are holding a Candlelit Carol Service in the Old Church. The Friends look forward to welcoming you on Sunday 17th December at 2:30 pm.
The service is free and open to all and there’s now dedicated car parking opposite the church. One of St Mary’s ministers will lead the service & Nicole Long will do the reading.
The Friends are also looking for someone to pump the church organ during the service, so if anyone is interested please contact Nicole Long on 01206 240443
Dress for the weather!
You are reminded that there is no heating, so dress warm, a cushion will also make the service more comfortable. All are welcome.
Return of the annual candlelit service at St Mary’s Old Church
For the first time since 2018, the Friends of St Mary’s Old Church are holding a Candlelit Service in the Old Church. Following the success of their Mulled Wine & Mince Pies event, the Friends look forward to welcoming you on Sunday 18th December at 2:30 pm. The service is free and open to all and there’s now dedicated car parking opposite the church. Reverend Heather Wilcox will lead the service.
In 2019, the Friends were able to hold a Carol service but, because of redecoration works at the time they could not run it by candlelight. Since then, of course, the services have been unable to run due to Covid. So do come along and welcome this annual tradition back to the village.
Commemoration Service for the Late Queen Elizabeth II
There will be a Commemoration Service for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in St Mary’s. It will start at 6 pm on 18th September. It would be great to see representatives at that service from all the organisations within the village. This is a service for the whole community to come together.
A Book of Condolence is open at the New Church from 9am to 7pm each day. Flowers can be left by the flag at the Orpen Hall (no plastic wrappings please).
Old St Mary’s Cancels Event & Updates on Internal Renovations
This month we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with an extra long bank holiday weekend and in villages, towns and cities up and down the land, there will be special events to mark this special occasion.
Over the Queen’s remarkable reign, we can all probably remember several big Jubilee celebrations.
I was five when the Queen marked her Silver Jubilee, I still remember the fancy dress parade where I was dressed up as a 50 pence piece and being given a special commemorative coin from school, which I still keep in a special place.
Lovely Jubbly
For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, I was on a planning committee, arranging a large community event, and, much like the recent error you may have heard about with 10,800 teacups, mugs and plates commemorating the ‘Platinum Jubbly’ … we managed to order hundreds of posters, which to our horror said ‘Diamond Jubliee’ by mistake
But then jubilee is not really a word we come across in everyday language very often, so no wonder it leaves itself open to the occasional spelling mistake.
Yet it is a word that we come across a fair bit in the bible. Biblically it is a year of emancipation and restoration. In the book of Leviticus, the Lord declares that a year of Jubilee be held every 50th year and that it be a special year of pardoning sins. Slaves were to be freed, debts forgiven and land returned to its original owner. So rather radical!
The Character of God
Jubilee, teaches us a lot about the character of God, His mercy, generosity and love of justice. We are reminded that God is our provider. In the same way Jubilee gives an opportunity for all people to display love and grace in a remarkable way and above all it sets people free.
Celebrate & Rejoice
Jubilee then is a fitting time for celebration and rejoicing.
So as we celebrate and rejoice in the Queen’s 70 year reign, we do so giving thanks for her strong Christian faith and witness. For the mercy, generosity and justice she has shown in her reign, and we rejoice and are glad in all that God has given us.
May God Bless you abundantly
Reverend Heather
Jubilee Events
Stalls at Village Festival
On Saturday 4th June, we will have two stalls at the Jubilee Festival on the Lorkin Daniell Field. One stall will have Jubilee themed crafts for all ages to try out; the other will be a books, games and toys stall run by our 5T’s Group (a group that meets each Thursday afternoon to share a cup of tea and a chat – all are welcome). Do come and visit us!
Jubilee Songs of Praise
On Sunday 5 June we look forward to welcoming you to a special Jubilee Songs of Praise Service at the Old Church, either walking from St Mary’s at 5.30pm or joining us at the Old Church at 6.00pm.
Jubilee Leaf Canopy Art Installation
A huge thank you to everyone who has knitted leaves for the special Jubilee Canopy which is being put together on 31th May. The canopy reflects the theme of planting trees for the Jubilee, and the knitted leaves represent every resident of West Bergholt. The leaves will be sewn into netting which will be suspended from the ceiling. Do come in and see it, it will be in place for the next few weeks.
Licensing of a Lay Minister
All are invited to attend a special service on Sun 26 June @ 3pm at St Mary’s Church to mark Liz’s licensing as a Lay Minister. Liz has recently completed three years of part-time training and is looking forward to serving in the parish of West Bergholt.
The role of a Licensed Lay Minister (LLM) is varied and can include leading non-communion services, preaching, teaching, supervision and mentoring of other lay ministries, and taking funerals.
The service will be followed by afternoon tea in the Rectory Garden. All welcome!
Thy Kingdom Come Prayer Spaces
Come and visit the prayer spaces in church from now until 5th June. They are part of the ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ global prayer initiative focusing on the Lord’s Prayer. They also link to prayer spaces in Revd Heather’s other parishes of Great and Little Horkesley, Boxted and Langham, Wormingford and Mount Bures so that you can visit all the churches in a sort of mini pilgrimage!
Services & Other Dates
4th June
Attending Jubilee Festival
5th June
9:30 am
Pentecost – Holy Communion (also on Zoom)
6:00 pm
Jubilee Songs of Praise at the Old Church
12th June
9:30 pm
Messy Church—outdoor service incorporating the ‘Caring for God’s Acre’ Churchyard Wildlife Count. Everyone welcome to join in!
19th June
9:30 am
Holy Communion (also on Zoom)
26th June
9:30 am
Café Church
3:00 pm
Special service to mark the licensing of Liz Dixon as a Licensed Lay Minister
For those services which are also being zoomed, please contact the church office on 01206 243683 or [email protected] for the zoom link.
Our Team at St Mary’s
Priest in Charge: Revd. Heather Wilcox email: [email protected] tel: 01206 240906 or 07503 151715
Last week we announced the plans for a Remembrance Service partially in St Mary’s (socially distanced and limited numbers) with Zoom. The new Lockdown has thwarted that and plans have changed. We also have an update report from the Friends of St Mary’s Old Church with a video presentation to the parish council. First, Remembrance:
Old Church Redecoration Ends at Last – Now Open Daily
Looking pristine!
Having resumed work at the end of lockdown on 26th May, Bakers of Danbury are now completing the interior redecoration of the Old Church. The Friends of St Mary’s are looking forward to seeing more visitors to the restored interior.
The main news item for day 63 is an update on the Old Church renovations followed by a few updates from our government, and some fun at the end. But first, we have a tall story from Annie Neish.
For those of you who are unable to cruise the village she thought you would like to see the Echium Pininana Tower of Jewels flowering beside the fence of the allotment on New Church Road. Several years ago John had one on the plot next to her so she knew it might be possible.
A quick search on Wikipedia reveals this plant is native to La Palma in the Canaries where it is endangered due to habitat loss (Laurel forests). Fortunately, it is being cultivated quite widely in the British Isles and Northern California so should have some resilience.
If the Old Church mediaeval paintings are, as believed, around 700 years old, then we can blame the Plantagenets for its delayed reopening. Apparently, deciding how best to preserve them has become a bit of a headache which is delaying the internal redecoration. Accordingly, the Friends of St Mary’s have revised their event plans for 2020 as follows: Continue reading “Blame the Plantagenets for delays reopening Old Church”
The Churches Conservation Trust has made great progress on internal redecoration work at the Old Church. Mrs Yvonne Henderson’s legacy provided much of the funding for this work. Workers discovered fragments of 3 mediaeval wall paintings; they called in official conservators to assess the paintings which delayed work.
The Friends of St Mary’s unveil 2 new Christmas Cards for you to show off the Old Church to your friends and family. The two on top are from last year, the bottom two are new this year. Sold in packs of 6 for just £3.50, you can buy them from: Continue reading “Friends Unveil Christmas Cards”
