Community, Parish Council & Village
The following dates listing services and events up to the end of June, have been advised to us by St Mary’s, note italicised services are not in the village. Don’t forget – the collection on a Sunday morning is now being taken during the service just before communion. Continue reading “St Mary’s Update – 10th May”
Local Knitting Club, Knit One Down One, who regularly meet in the White Hart, were the featured knitting club in the recent edition of Simply Knitting. One of the founders, Julie Bennett, was already running an after-school sewing club (Sewcool) when she had the idea of an adults knitting club, another member, Kate Cornes, joked: Continue reading “Knit One Down One Featured”
St Mary’s Update – 2nd MayThe following dates have been advised to us from St Mary’s, note italicised services are not at St Mary’s. Continue reading “St Mary’s Update – 2nd May”
Churches Update – 11th AprilThe following dates have been advised to us from St Mary’s, note italicised services are not at St Mary’s. Continue reading “Churches Update – 11th April”
The April & May edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine, is reproduced below use the links to the various stories & news items:
The word Pentecost comes from a Greek word meaning fiftieth and was the name of a Jewish Festival celebrating the completion of the grain harvest. This festival, also known as the Feast of Weeks, was observed on the 50th day, or 7 weeks, after Passover. However, the festival gained a new significance for the Christian Church when, 50 days after Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion (and 10 days after his ascension into heaven), the Holy Spirit descended in a dramatic fashion on the disciples gathered in Jerusalem for the festival of weeks.
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard them speaking in his own language. (New International Bible, Acts 2: 1-6)
Peter then stood up and preached to the assembled crowd with a new confidence that God had raised Jesus back to life and urged people to “Repent and be baptised, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Some 3,000 people became followers that day, and thus the church was born.
So what does this mean for us today? I found the following quote online which really seemed to sum up the significance of Pentecost:
When you strip it of everything else, Pentecost stands for power and life. That’s what came into the church when the Holy Spirit came down at Pentecost. (David Wilkerson).
Morsheda is a young mother of four living in Bangladesh. She has no land, few assets and no savings.
For Morsheda’s family living on low-lying islands in the Brahmaputra River, floods are a terrifying part of everyday life. Morsheda can’t even count on having a safe place to call home: the single-room, corrugated-iron house she shares with her children has been flooded four times.
I feel very scared of the river. When I look at it I keep thinking “it is coming”.
One year, her humble house filled up to her knees with floodwater. To stay dry, and keep away from the dangerous snakes that now swam through her home she raised her bed up on bricks. But during the night she was woken by a loud splash. In the pitch black, her baby son had fallen into the inky water. He could have drowned in moments.
In a bad year, huge waves crashed against her house, giving her less than an hour to uproot her home and scramble to safety. Racing against time, she gathered her terrified children together and hastily made a raft from a banana tree. At any moment, it could have tipped and plunged them into the swirling waters, but it was their only hope. She put her youngest daughter in a cooking pot and clung to it as it floated in the current.
My children were so scared. My sister was holding them very tightly and we were panicking because my neighbour’s child was washed away.
Morsheda and her children live a precarious life. They know that the floods will come again, and soon. But we can lift our neighbours like Morsheda to safety.
Just £250 is enough for a Christian Aid Home Safety Package. It could flood-proof Morsheda’s home, raising it eight foot on an earth plinth, so that she has a safe place to rebuild, keep livestock and grow crops. It could also buy a goat, seeds and a wormery to help produce compost – all of which will give her a long-term income and a solid foundation for a new life.
If I could raise my house then I would feel much safer living here with my children.
The above story is an extract from the Christian Aid website.
At the time of writing, it is uncertain as to whether there will be a house-to-house collection in West Bergholt this year. As reported in the December edition of Good News, Richard Chadborn is taking a well-earned rest as Christian Aid co-ordinator, having organised the collection at St Mary’s for the past 37 years. However, no-one has yet come forward to take his place, which means that there may not be a door-to-door collection this time. If you feel you could help, please contact Richard Chadborn as soon as possible (tel: 01206 240541).
Side Person DutiesWe have a team of 8 people who take it in turns to act as sides person each week. The duties include welcoming people as they come into church on a Sunday morning and handing out service sheets and hymn books; guiding people to the altar during communion services; collecting the service sheets and hymn books at the end of the service and locking the front of the church. A full list of duties can be found on the notice board in church. You would be one of a pair, one Sunday a month.
There are two things about Easter that I think are really important, and if we don’t get them right we don’t get Easter right. First of all the resurrection is not a happy ending tagged onto a sad story; and secondly, the church is not the Jesus Christ Appreciation Society.
Let me explain. Because those of us who are in the Church know the Easter story so well, we tend to think of the cross as the ‘sad bit of the story’ and the resurrection as the ‘happy ending’. Because we know what is coming, we are always seeing Good Friday through the lens of Easter Sunday. In many ways there is nothing wrong with this, but it can mean we are prevented from being shocked and surprised by the Resurrection. It can also mean that we leap frog over the cross and fail to stop and see the beautiful and painful reality of Christ’s death. So, in my view, it is much better to think of the Resurrection as a new beginning rather than a happy ending.
When Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on that first Easter morning she went to anoint the dead body of Jesus. She was not expecting to find anything else. When the tomb was empty, she assumed it was because people had stolen the body away. The last thing she was expecting was Resurrection. In other words the Resurrection was a surprise: as much of a surprise for people then as it is for people now. It was unimaginable and inexplicable then. It is unimaginable and inexplicable now. It is outside our experience. It is beyond our imagining. But it is the beginning of Christian faith: Jesus really died on the cross, and God really raised Jesus to life on Easter day. Without this the Christian faith is nothing, and Jesus just another good person, and the Church, therefore, just the Jesus Christ Appreciation Society, remembering the good deeds and wise words of our long dead and much loved founder.
But the real story is different. What ended in defeat and death begins afresh with Resurrection. Mary Magdalene encounters Jesus in the garden not as a resuscitated corpse, brought back to resume the life he lost, but as the first piece of the new creation. And this is a new story that we are invited to be part of.
In the risen Jesus we see our destiny and are enlisted to share this with others. Jesus is present to us today as he was present to Mary Magdalene yesterday. We, the Church, are formed by the impact of God raising him from the dead and of his gift of the spirit. More than this, the Bible says that the church is Christ’s body. We are his presence in and for the world today, a new people with a new beginning and a new identity.
+ Stephen Chelmsford, Easter 2016
Our Bible readings for every Sunday are taken from the Lectionary, a table of psalms and readings authorised for use in public worship of the Church of England.
A big thank you to Fiona and her team of volunteers for decorating the church for Easter – the flowers are beautiful!
As a result of the closing of the Fellowship Club which met in the Orpen Hall, 5Ts is now taking place every week at St Mary’s. However, extra helpers to open up and serve refreshments would be welcome. If you can help, please contact Murray Harlow on 07989 720256.
From 1 May onwards, the collection will be now be taken during the Sunday morning service. For those members of the congregation who give regularly by standing order, there will be little cards available which can be put into the collection bag instead of money.
Don’t forget to sign up for the day of training here at St Mary’s with Rev John Ryeland from the Christian Healing Mission on Sat 16 April from 10.15am to 4pm. Please bring a packed lunch and a £5 donation.
The day is being organised by Janet Jones from St Luke’s Church, Highwoods. To book your place, please contact Janet on 01206855459 or via email – [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].
Our Annual Church meeting will be held this year on Sunday 17 April at about 12.15pm, straight after the 11.15am Communion service.
The Annual Meeting gives us all an opportunity to review the past year and to thank those who have contributed to the life of the church. Churchwardens and members of the Parochial Church Council will be elected. We are delighted to announce that Pat Kinzett has volunteered to take over from Dorothy Chadborn as PCC secretary after the annual meeting. However, at least two more sides people are required. This is a very important job – there is a list of full duties on the noticeboard at the back of the church but some of the main tasks are listed below. We will also discuss ‘Where do we go from here?’ and there will be an opportunity to ask questions. Everyone is welcome to the APCM, but only those on the Electoral Roll may vote.
Please stay for a soup lunch afterwards.
After Easter, our home groups will continue on the following dates:
Open House every Thursday morning at 9am in term times .
Fridays @ 7.45pm in the church on the following dates:
Contact Mark for further details (241617).
Please contact Murray Harlow (07989 720256) if you would like to come or can help on the day.
Our next joint service with folk from the parishes of Great Horkesley and Langham with Boxted will take place on Sunday 29th May @ 9.30am at St Mary’s, West Bergholt with guest speaker Nicholas Henshall, Dean of Chelmsford Cathedral.
* BUGS = St Mary’s Sunday school.
Rev Dr Mandy Elmes,
The Rectory, 1 Church Close,
West Bergholt CO6 3JZ
Tel 01206 240906
Mob 07872 649967
[antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]
Liz Dixon 01206 243683
[antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]
Richard Chadborn – 01206 240541
Michael Foster- 01206 241022
Ronnie Seymour – 01206 273579
Richard & Dorothy Chadborn – 01206 240541
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 ChurchLast 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.
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.
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.
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]”].
The following appeal has been issued by the St Mary’s Parochial Church Council.
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 you’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
St Mary’s is dependent on regular giving and donations from its members and supporters. We do not receive any external financial support.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Returning for it’s tenth year, Colchester Borough Council have 2016 free trees and fruit bushes to give away in its popular Trees for Years giveaway. The free plants are available to Colchester Borough residents, community groups and parish councils. Residents can collect up to three plants per household and up to 15 per community group, school or parish council.
Species available this year are:
If you are unsure about which plants would be suitable for your garden, members of the Parks Department will be available to give advice on which plants would be suitable for different size gardens. There will also be a useful pamphlet giving care guidelines, the following is for the 2015 event which has some of this years plants as well:
Trees must be planted on private property. Postcodes will be recorded to monitor the distribution.
St Mary’s News Update 23rd NovemberWithin the coming year we will be working with a larger group of parishes than we are currently. These will be known as MMUs. We have the opportunity to apply for funding for someone to help with our mission – for example this might be a youth or families worker. We would really like to hear your thoughts on what would be most appropriate for our need. Please write your suggestions on the list in church by 13 December.
Taking place on Sat 28 Nov, West Bergholt Methodist Church – 10am-12 midday. Stalls, coffee and mince pies.
Great Horkesley will be holding their Christmas Tree Festival over the weekend of 28 & 29 November at All Saints Church. The church will be open to visit the displays on Sat 11am – 4pm and Sun 1pm – 4pm. All Saints will also be hosting our 5th Sunday united service at 11.15am on Sun 29th November.
Next Christmas Choir Rehearsals – 29th November @ 10am & 6 Dec @ 10.45am
The pupils from Heathlands School will be decorating Christmas trees with gifts for the night shelter and the trees will be on display in the church between 3pm-4pm on Friday 11 December, and again on Saturday 12 December (times to be confirmed).
Three Christmassy news items to report today:
We are holding our special “Christmas Coffee Morning” on Saturday November 28th from 10.00 to 12.00 in the Church Hall, Chapel Lane. Entrance is free and all are welcome. Coffee, tea, biscuits and mince pies will be available. There will be a variety of stalls including Home made cakes and preserves, books, jigsaws, cards and Christmas wrap, bric a brac, mystery parcels and novelty gifts.
The churches in West Bergholt and Great Horkesley, as part of their Christmas preparations, are supporting Mary and Joseph on their journey around the villages.
They will be visiting the various West Bergholt Guide, Brownies, Cubs, Beavers and Rainbow packs in the lead up to the Gift and Parade service with the Uniformed organisations on Sunday 6th December at 11.00am. This will take place in the West Bergholt Methodist Church, Chapel Road and all are welcome to come to this celebration service.
Mary and Joseph will also be visiting other groups/organisations that are happy to offer them hospitality. Their itinerary is still being finalised but it is already known that among others they will be visiting:-
This custom of the figures of Mary and Joseph going on a journey in the local community stems from Mexico where it is known as ‘Posada’. As we welcome the figures of Mary and Joseph we are encouraged to remember those who are homeless and outcast today and to reflect on how we might offer hospitality to others this Christmas. These figures of Mary and Joseph are travelling around West Bergholt and Great Horkesley to remind us of that first Christmas journey to Bethlehem. When they arrived no room could be found for them, except in a stable, but hopefully this year they will receive a warm welcome in the groups that they visit and there will be places for them to stay. They are keeping a diary of their travels which will be available at West Bergholt Methodist Church from their Candlelight Carol service at 6.30pm on 20th December onwards. All are welcome to join us on December 20th at West Bergholt Methodist Church, Chapel Road.
If your group is interested in having a visit from Mary and Joseph and would like to welcome them please contact Andrew Wilks to arrange this (01206 242511; [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]).
Candlelit Carol ServiceOn Sunday December 20th there will be a Candlelight Carol service in the Methodist Church at 6.30pm. There will not be a service at 11.00am or 3.00pm.
St Mary’s News update 15th NovemberThank you to everyone who filled or contributed to a shoe box for Operation Christmas Child. Maree Foster and I delivered 34 boxes to the drop off point earlier this week!
It was wonderful to have Lydia leading our Communion service this morning. Many thanks to Kate, Hayley, Dorothy, Richard , Pat & Roy for putting on a delicious lunch (apologies if I have inadvertently left anyone out!).
The next rehearsals are on 22 November @ 10.45pm & 29 November @ 10am. All new singers welcome!
Great Horkesley will be holding their Christmas Tree Festival over the weekend of 28 & 29 November at All Saints church. The church will be open to visit the displays on Sat 11am – 4pm and Sun 1pm – 4pm. All Saints will also be hosting our 5th Sunday united service at 11.15am on Sun 29th November.
The pupils from Heathlands School will be decorating Christmas trees with gifts for the night shelter and the trees will be on display in the church between 3pm-4pm on Friday 11 December, and again on Saturday 12 December (times to be confirmed).