Community, Parish Council & Village
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with Christmas 2022, and continues with other news including:
We look forward to welcoming you to our Christmas services this year:
Continue reading “St Mary’s News – the Christmas 2022 Edition”
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with the Advent Experience of Posada, and continues with other news including:
Posada originates from Mexico where people dress as Mary and Joseph and re-enact the journey to Bethlehem, travelling from house to house asking for a place to stay (the word Posada means an inn). In recent years, this idea has been modified by churches in this country by sending the figures of Mary and Joseph and the donkey from house to house during Advent.
This year, we are offering the Posada experience in our village. From Sunday 27th November until Christmas Day, figures representing Mary and Joseph will travel round our community from home to home, stopping by arrangement, where there is a place for them and a warm welcome waiting.
Continue reading “St Mary’s News – the Posada Edition”
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with Liz Dixon reflecting on Jesus being “the bread of life”, and continues with other news including:
Then Jesus declared ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’
John 6:35
In an effort to live more sustainably, I decided to try and grow some vegetables in my garden for the first time this year. I made lots of mistakes so the results were very mixed. The broad beans were covered in black fly, the dwarf pea plants produced about 6 peas from 20 plants, and the carrots were very tiny. But I did manage to grow some passable red peppers!
Continue reading “St Mary’s News – Bread of Life Edition”This edition of St Mary’s News starts with a Revd Heather’s Message looking at Goldilocks, and continues with other news including:
Many of you, I am sure, will be familiar with the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. There is something in this fairy-tale which speaks into our very human nature.
Continue reading “St Mary’s News – Goldilocks Edition”This edition of St Mary’s News starts with a report from a pilgrimage, and continues with other news on Licensing of Liz Dixon, Afternoon Tea, Summer Holiday activities and the usual listings of services and contacts.
I have just walked the 74-mile Pilgrimage from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London to Canterbury Cathedral, with about 100 other pilgrims, sleeping on the floors of churches and halls. This took four full days and was a great experience, walking with some of the homeless people, as well as helpers and supporters of this homeless charity.
Continue reading “St Mary’s Pilgrimage for the Homeless Edition”
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with A Year of Jubilee, and continues with other Jubilee events, Licensing of a lay Minister, Prayer Spaces and the usual listings of services and contacts.
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.
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!
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.
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
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!
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.
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!
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!
| 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 |
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with Christian Aid Coffee Morning, announces Jubilee Songs of Praise at the Old Church, updates on Church Heating and Hall and other events and the usual listings of services and contacts.
Please pop along to the Rectory on Monday 16th May, between 10 am – 12 pm, at 1 Church Close, West Bergholt for tea/coffee and cake and lots of fun and fellowship whilst raising money for Christian Aid. This is an event for all the six parishes and all are very welcome!
Continue reading “St Mary’s Jubilee Songs Edition”
This edition of St Mary’s News starts with a message saying “All You Need is Love” and then addresses Easter Services and the usual listings of services and contacts.
We moved house last year, to Great Horkesley, into a house that is smaller. This, of course, meant some sorting out, and giving or throwing things away. We all accumulate ‘stuff’ – things that might come in handy one day, or perhaps have a sentimental attachment. And now, a year later, we can’t even remember the things that we thought were important and that we were so reluctant to get rid of!
This edition starts with thoughts on recent storm damage and then addresses Lent matters and the usual listings of services and contacts.
Dudley, Eunice and then Franklin. In the space of just a few days, storms wreaked havoc in the UK. Power lines were cut, properties damaged, trees fell down, some were injured and tragically a few lost their lives.
On the Sunday after Storm Eunice, and as Storm Franklin gained momentum again, across the six parishes we worshipped in churches which had lost window panes and trees, all whilst hearing the reading from the bible of Jesus calming the storm from Luke’s gospel.
As the storm builds, Jesus is asleep in the boat, the disciples become frantic and eventually wake Jesus up saying ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown.’ In Marks gospel, it says the disciples said ‘don’t you care if we drown?’
Of course Jesus cares, he cares deeply for all of his children, and he gets up rebukes the wind and the raging waters and the storm subsides.
But that doesn’t mean that storms still don’t occur, whether that is the aforementioned physical storms, or the emotional or mental storms that might assail us throughout our lives.
And sometimes, we like the disciples may feel in a place where we want to call out and say ‘Jesus, don’t you care that we are drowning?’ and the answer for us is that of course he cares, he is indeed, as he was for the disciples, in the same boat with them and us. He is always with us. He can’t protect us from every storm, but he is with us through them all.
This month we begin our journey through Lent, as we travel with Jesus to the cross. A stark reminder that Jesus himself had to suffer both spiritual and physical storms in his life. We see his pain and torment in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he cried out, ‘Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.’
Jesus travelled through his own storms, and is with us through ours too. May we trust in him and may God bless you.
Reverend Heather
There are three Lent-specific activities taking place during Lent, a Carbon Fast, Lent Groups and Prayers.
In the Bible, caring for Creation is God’s first instruction to humans. During Lent, an organisation called Climate Stewards is encouraging us to take up the challenge to find new ways to reduce our impact on the natural world and our global neighbours.
You can sign up through the link below to receive weekly emails suggesting easy, medium and harder challenges to try related to the seven weekly themes of:
Rev Heather Wilcox has written a Bible Study Course which be focusing on our Sunday readings for Lent. Our regular Bible Study Groups will meet weekly, from 8th March to 5th April, to study this material and you are very welcome to join the following groups:
Throughout Lent (from Saturday 4th March until Easter) there will be prayer space activities in the Church, changing weekly, to reflect the set Gospel reading for the week. All are welcome to come in and have a look at the prayer spaces and try out some of the simple activities, such as writing in a sand pit something we are sorry for and then wiping the words away to remind us of God’s forgiveness.
One of the prayer spaces will include an opportunity to light a candle and say a prayer for the people of Ukraine.
The church will be open from 9am to 3.30pm each week day and children accompanied by parents are very welcome.
| 6th March | 10:00 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 13th March | 10:00 am | Messy Church |
| 20th March | 11:15 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 27th March | 10:00 am | Mothering Sunday – Praise on 4 Service (also on Zoom) with refreshments served from 9.45am |
| 3rd April | 9:30 am | Holy Communion (also on Zoom) |
| 10th April | 9:30 am | Messy Church |
This edition starts with a wedding themed songs of praise service in celebration of Valentines Day. Other news includes Home Group, World Day of Prayer and 5Ts Fellowship Group. It also, of course, has the usual listings of services and contacts.
February is the month when traditionally we celebrate Valentine’s Day on 14th February. So what better month in which to hold a special Songs of Praise service with a wedding theme! The service will take place on Sunday 27 February @ 6.30pm.
We will be inviting couples who have been married in our joint parishes over the last few years , and also couples planning to be married this year. But everyone from the village is very welcome to attend and enjoy cake and prosecco at the end of the service!
As part of the service, it would be lovely to display a selection of photos from people’s weddings, so if you have a wedding photo you would like to share, please contact Jo, our church administrator , or Rev Heather (contact details on page 2).