Community, Parish Council & Village
The latest edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine is reproduced below (together with additional material from most recent notices), use the links to the various stories & news items.
St Mary’s Church update for 4th July provides listings of services, bible readings and other events and appeals for support for their stall at Heathlands School Fayre.
Thank you to everyone who made the Senior Citizen’s Lunch on Saturday 23rd June such a success. Murray & Kate really appreciate all your hard work and generous donations of food.
Messy Church – Sunday 10th JulyThis coming Sunday the theme for Messy Church will be ‘Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest’. Continue reading “St Mary’s Update – 4th July 2016”
Cricket Fest 2016Cricket Fest 2016 is a regular annual event from West Bergholt Cricket Club at their ground in Manor Road. Celebrating all things cricket from 6th – 10th July, the Festival features its Family Fun Day on 9th July.
Festival matches include: Continue reading “Celebrating Cricket Fest 2016”
St Mary’s News update – June/July 2016The latest edition of Good News, St Mary’s Parish Magazine is reproduced below (together with additional material from most recent notices), use the links to the various stories & news items.
Do you play Brass or Woodwind?If so, and you can make the time free, why not pop along, bring your brass or woodwind instrument with you, and join in with the West Bergholt Concert & Training Bands on Friday 22nd April at Heathlands School. The Band has been playing music for fun since 1978 and are always Continue reading “Do you play Brass or Woodwind?”
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
BYG Needs You!BYG has been running for over 7 years now, growing in popularity during this time. There are currently over 100 registered members in school years 6 to 10 with each Club evening being attended by between 60 and 70 children.
Although the volunteer list has seen many people come and go over the years, it is the same core of adults that still make up both the Club evening “crew” and the management committee. However after 8 years many of this original group are now looking to step aside.
In addition to the adults, most of the Youth crew, who have come up through the membership, are of a similar age. Some have already been lost to University and over the next 18 months most of the remainder will also depart.
Without an injection of new volunteers – both adult and youth (school year 10 and above), BYG will not be viable and unfortunately will have to close its doors. It is, therefore, necessary to start planning now. By the end of this year a new core of volunteers needs to be in place
If you are interested in helping BYG in any way – ad-hoc or more formally by regular attendance at Club evenings or as a new management committee member – please contact Harry Stone on 01206 241026 or by email: [email protected].
The Queen’s 90th Birthday CelebrationOn Thursday 21st April the Parish Council have organised an evening of festivities & fun at the Orpen Memorial Hall to celebrate the Queen’s 90th Birthday. Kicking off at 3:30pm with a birthday tea, the evening culminates in the lighting of the Queen’s Beacon and a Firework Display.
If the weather’s good why not bring your own Picnic Blanket & Deckchairs! Red, White & Blue clothing is encouraged with a Prize for the Best Fancy Dress.
The full schedule is:
Free of charge admission tickets for the birthday tea are available from Heathlands School, Bluebells Pre-School, the Co‑op & West Bergholt Pharmacy. Please contact the Heathlands PTA directly for tickets for the Balloon Race.
For more details please contact the Parish Clerk on 07726 424419.
Newsbites – Easter 2016 For KidsThe following are a selection of activities, mostly for kids and young people, over the upcoming Easter holidays, enjoy!
Leisure World will be running a full programme of holiday activities including our popular Kids Camp and Base Camp during the Easter holidays. There are extended opening hours for our Leisure Pool and extra Aquafun and Aquasplat sessions in the Fitness and Teaching pools. With fun in the pools, sports, dance and arts and crafts Leisure World can help you keep boredom at bay. More information online.
This Easter you can also join in an Egg-travaganser, search for fairies, build a bird box, learn how to survive in the forest and much more.
The Fenwick Treasure is set to be unveiled to the public at Colchester Castle with an open event on Thursday 24th March 2016. Found underneath the Williams and Griffin store on High Street Colchester the hoard has been dubbed the Fenwick hoard.
The hoard includes: 2 pairs of gold earrings, 1 gold bracelet, 2 gold armlets, 5 gold finger-rings, 1 silver chain and loop, 1 copper-alloy bulla, 1 silver armlet, 2 silver cuff bracelets, 1 glass intaglio, a collection of Roman republican coins, and the remains of a silver pyxis (jewellery box).It is presumed that the hoard was buried during Boudica’s sacking of Colchester in AD 60. Further details on the hoard can be found to the right.
Visitors to the Castle will be able to view first hand a fascinating display of these captivating archaeological finds, which are of international significance. The objects and their stories really bring the vivid tale of the Boudican uprising to life. Find out more here: www.cimuseums.org.uk/fenwickhoard.
Great Notley Country Park’s Sky Ropes will be hosting an Easter Egg Hunt over the upcoming Easter holidays between 25 March until 10 April.
Essex Outdoors is running a ‘five days for the price of four’ promotion over the Easter Holidays. The award-winning Activity Days offer children aged 8 to 16 years old a great way to keep active during the holidays. The activity days cost £30 per child but as a special offer this Easter, Essex Outdoors is offering a fifth day free if four School Holiday Activity Days are booked.
27th March at the Museum of Power, Hatfield Road, Langford nr Maldon CM9 6QA
Our special theme this year is ‘Retro Cars’ featuring all forms of 1950’s – 1990’s transport and classic vehicles. With live music, craft stalls 1950s -1990s transport displays, retro and vintage stalls, nostalgic live music, steam train rides, Steam Pump Tea Room and traditional Ice Cream Parlour.
Adult £6:00; Concessions £5:00; Children five to fifteen: £2:00; Children under five: Free.
More details at Museum of Power website.
Join us for British Science Week at Hollytrees Museum as we celebrate all things clocks! Come along Saturday for activities from how to make electricity from fruit and veg to creating your own crafty clock face! Events are all FREE.
Looking for fun, engaging activities to inspire your family over Easter? Look no further than Colchester Museums. There’s so much to do, from an Eggstravaganza to animal activities, archery, dream catcher workshops and more!
RHS Hyde Hall Easter FunChicks, bunnies and ducklings, interactive story trails, art and craft workshops and the Lindt Gold Bunny Hunt are all part of the daily Easter activities happening on various dates between Sat 19 March and Sun 10 April at RHS Hyde Hall, Chelmsford CM3 8ET.
Neighbourhood Plan Makes ProgressThe Neighbourhood Plan meeting that took place earlier this month resulted in much progress with an almost completed first draft plan. The picture on the right shows the Contents page to give some idea of what to expect when the final report is published (click on it for larger picture).
You will notice that a lot of the the section headings have blank ‘App Buttons’ and, since the plan will impact the children’s future, the NP group are running a competition for the pupils at Heathlands to design what the blanks should be filled in with.
There are 8 categories and these are listed below, there will be a winner and a prize selected for each App Button. The Categories are: