Dear AllWell, the sun has arrived this week – Yippee – I feel like I have been holding my breath and waiting for this week for so long.I do not sit out in the sun particularly, but seeing it and feeling it on my face makes me so happy.For this next 10 days we are being called to follow ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ a worldwide wave of prayer which has spread to over 172 countries around the world.We are being called in this 10 days – 9th to the 19th May to pray and wait for the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit, praying for 5 people we would dearly love to come to know Jesus Christ.The resources can be found both at the back of St James, High Wych and St Mary’s, Gilston – both churches that are open every day between 9.00 am and 4.00 pm for quiet pray.Please help yourself to the resources and pray for 5 people, your friends, or family, that you would like to draw closer to God through this time, pray also to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit anew in your own lives. God hears us when we pray.The Alpha course has started well but can still be joined next Wednesday at 8.30 pm without losing anything from the content, (please contact me for the online link invitation), after that it is wait until the next one we run. The Alpha course helps you to understand a little more about the Christian faith and gives you a safe space to ask questions – no question is too small or too large, that we will not benefit by discussing it together.Please read our Welcome sheet for all the events that are happening through the rest of May and June, enjoy the sunshine.Should you want to talk to me – my contact details are on the bottom of this e-mail.Every blessingAlison
Dear All I cannot believe we are in May…….I was so happy on Wednesday 1st May as at our first gathering for Wednesday Welcome we were able to open the hall doors and some of us sit outside. It was lovely and warm with no coats!! For our first session we had a good number of people join us to eat cake, chat and get to know each other, it was lovely with a good variety of ages with us. Our next Wednesday Welcome will be on 5th June 2024. Don’t forget we meet to pray online every Tuesday morning at 9.30 am:- Online prayer sessionsTuesday mornings at 9.30 am – link below https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09Meeting ID: 845 5790 0182 Passcode: 640464 And it is not too late to join in with the Alpha Course, here is the link:- Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/81553868122?pwd=TC8vSWdDYVJVMzIyTDI4ZGMwQ3J2Zz09Meeting ID: 815 5386 8122Passcode: 246665 Thy Kingdom Come This year it was agreed at PCC that we would join the global wave of prayer calling all Christians to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know the love and peace of Jesus Christ. We invite you to take part in this from 9th May to the 19th May 2024, where we commit to pray for five people we know to come to know Jesus, along with churches from over 85 different denominations and traditions in over 172 countries around the world. In praying ‘The Kingdom Come’ we all commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities. Resources will be available on Sunday at the back of church to help you with this and this will be the focus of our prayer meeting on Tuesday. You might want to be thinking about the 5 people you would truly love to come to know the love of Jesus in their lives before you begin praying for them on the 9th. Looking forward to meeting you again soon. This Sunday we have our BCP said service at 8.00 am and our Family service with breakfast at 9.30 am. Every blessingAlison
Hi EveryoneI seem to have been in baptism week this week, which is lovely and I’ve been able to hold a few babies I have spoken to three families who want baptism and I have another 2 who are coming to see me in the next couple of weeks. We are looking at baptizing both adults and children and the hope is that these new families will find their home in our Family Service once a month on the first Sunday of the month. For your information, our Family service starts at 9.30 am in St James, High Wych with breakfast, followed by a more informal, family friendly service which runs for about 45 mins to an hour. There is always a children’s activity and we love having the children with us, we usually get the instruments out to make lots of ‘joyful’ noiseIf you are exploring faith and have questions about the Christian faith, or just curious to find out what the Alpha course is, we will be running our Alpha course again from Wednesday 1st May through to 5th June so that you and/or your friends can join us. We will start at 8.30 pm so that all children could be in bed! Alpha is a video led, introduction to the Christian faith that lasts for 6 weeks – we do it online, so no need to find babysitters and we finish the course with a get together at the Rectory where we meet face to face. Here is the link for you to click on the night.Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81553868122?pwd=TC8vSWdDYVJVMzIyTDI4ZGMwQ3J2Zz09 Meeting ID: 815 5386 8122 Passcode: 246665Our Bible study – The Bible Course finished on Wednesday night and was thoroughly enjoyed by the many of you who came.The last session spent a little time with Revelation and I thought you might like to watch some of the videos that the Bible Project have put together. They have done one for each book of the bible I believe so you can watch whenever and whichever you want. This link takes you to Revelation:-https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/revelation-1-11/Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday.Every blessing Alison
Dear AllIt has been a ‘get back’ to the routine of our week this week as a community - school is back, toddlers is back, normal working patterns restored, the prayer meeting was on again. Toddler Mums and Grans have been telling us how much they had missed our baby and toddler group, Jimmy’s over the holidays. I had missed Jimmy’s too. Two weeks seemed like such a long time.Our routines help us though don’t they to be ‘ok’ when the world around us is going mad, personally or otherwise. The weather is going crazy, sunshine, wind, torrential rain and hail (all in one day – Monday 15th) and I woke up this morning to see that Israel have retaliated and bombed Iran, and conflict continues in Gaza and between Russia and the Ukraine it feels as if the world is whirling into insanity around us…. and this reminded me of a piece of scripture…“Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire….test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil and may God himself, the God of peace sanctify you through and through”. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22So, hold on to what is good and avoid every kind of evil and God will be with you. I hope you can see God working in your life in the small every day kindnesses you give and receive, the people who listen to you and who you listen to, and pray, pray continually. If it would help we have an online prayer meeting every Tuesday morning at 9.30 am (e-mail for the link) and remember, St James, High Wych and St Mary’s, Gilston are open every day for private prayer. I am available if you want to talk anything through, please use the contact info below.Every blessingAlison
Good morning to you allI am hopeful it maybe a sunny morning for you, wherever you are.I have been at Launde Abbey for a couple of days and it has been very wet, windy and cold so I am really happy to see a bit of sunshine outside my window today.As the Easter holidays draw to a close and school, Jimmy’s toddler group, and other groups that you maybe involved with start up again , I hope those of you who have had a rest or been away are feeling refreshed and looking forward to the new term starting. As many of you know I go into High Wych school on Tuesdays for Collective worship and I am looking forward to seeing all the children again. I’ve also missed seeing our lovely Toddler team for the last couple of weeks and our lovely toddler families, who are all fast becoming friends.We have something new that we are beginning to plan and advertise and which I would like to give you more information on.It is going to be called Wednesday Welcome. The idea has grown from delivering ‘small bags of kindness’ at Christmas to our elderly neighbours in High Wych, Gilston and Eastwick who live alone and getting to know them a little. We would like to offer them somewhere to go and some lovely people to meet up with.We are very fortunate to be able to hold it in a well-appointed venue; No 2-32 Mabey’s Walk in High Wych, CM21 0HN that has been offered to us by our local housing association. It is well decorated with lovely new furniture, is warm and has great kitchen facilities. There is parking available near the building. We are planning to run Wednesday Welcome every month on the first Wednesday of the month from here. The hope is it will create an inviting space to gather, meet new people, eat cake and do things that will be interesting and stimulating. Our first session is on Wednesday 1st May and this week leaflets will be going out to invite all the neighbours in that area, who are over the age of 55 and around during the day. I would like to extend the invitation to all our residents of High Wych, Gilston and Eastwick, for those who have elderly family members who would enjoy some company. Each session will run from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm and we hope to meet you there. If you would like to be involved from the very beginning and help shape what we will be doing at these sessions please come to this first one where we will be asking what things you would like to do. We do see this as a space that will evolve and be shaped by the people who come.We have a great team already and if you would like to join the team to help, just let me know.We have two services this Sunday one at St James High Wych at 9.30 am and another at St Mary’s, Gilston at 11.15 am, both services are followed by refreshments and by a time of getting to know each other better. It would be lovely to see you there.Also, this is a reminder to book your tickets for the Racketeers concert that is happening next Saturday at Gilston and Eastwick Village Hall from 7.30 pm. The Racketeers played at the Scarecrow Festival in the summer and this is your opportunity to see them again. You can reserve your tickets (£10 per head to include a ploughman’s supper and your first drink) by e-mailing myself or Christine law on christine.law2@btinternet.comLooking forward to seeing you again soon.Every blessingAlison
Good morningI have been away in Norfolk for a few days with Paul and I am looking forward to seeing many of you tomorrow at either our early BCP service at 8.00 am or the Family Service – breakfast at 9.30 am with a gentle start to the service at 10.00 am.You may feel that Easter is over, all your chocolate may have been eaten but we actually celebrate Easter for 50 days (7 weeks) after Easter Day as we remember the many occasions where Jesus appeared to his disciples before his Ascension into heaven and the gift of the Holy Spirit given to us at Pentecost.With this in mind, we will be looking at two different accounts of Jesus appearing to his disciples this Sunday.May God bless you this week with joy in your hearts, even if circumstances may be difficult.I hope you have put your fridge magnet in situ so that you can remember and learn:-Romans 15:13‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllAs you read this we are midway through Holy Week. Tomorrow is our Maundy Thursday service taking place at St James at 7.30 pm - this year, as last, we will be washing hands not feet.Good Friday sees us worshipping through Messy Church from 10.00 am to 12 noon at St James, and the Last Hour at St Botolph’s church, Eastwick 2.00 pm to 3.00 pm taken by Judith Denton.Easter Saturday sees us at St Botolph’s Church, Eastwick for Messy Church again from 10.00 am – 12 noon (may I remind you that St Botolph’s does not have any toilets).Also happening on Easter Saturday is our Easter Vigil of readings, poems and prosecco around the fire (weather permitting) this will take place at St Mary’s from 7.00 pm onwards – please bring a chair, a rug and a torch so that you can enjoy this time together. (Also, a reminder there are no toilets at St Mary’s).Our Easter Sunday service will take place at 9.30 am at St James Church, this will be a Family friendly Eucharist with a craft activity at the back of church for children.I hope I see most of you at one of these services and may I wish you all a Happy Easter. May we invite Jesus to share in your celebrations as you remember with joy all that he has done for us.Your PriestAlisonPS I will be out of the parish from Monday 1stto Saturday 6th April but be back for the BCP and Family Service at St James on the 7th April.Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Good morning everyoneWell, here we are on the cusp of Holy Week.Our service tomorrow (Palm Sunday) will follow the pattern of the service you have used in the past. The plan is to process around the church all holding our Palm crosses as we sing our hymn. I will also be using the dramatized reading of the gospel so come prepared to be of good voice for crowd, priests, passers-by, soldiers.I will also need someone to play Pilate and Jesus. So please let me know if you would like to do this.As we go into Holy Week there are a few things I want to highlight:-We are holding the Easter Vigil on Saturday (30th) at St Mary’s, Gilston at 7.00 pm.We are asking you to come with something to sit on, something to keep you warm and a torch.The plan is to sit together, around the firepit, read some of the set readings interspersed with poems and prayers, which we will all take part in.We will then all go into church to light our candles from the Easter Candle and sing a final hymn together. Rosemary is going to provide Prosecco if you would like some as we spend time together remembering. Hope you can make it as I feel this will be a very special time for us.We will be having a lot of contact with the school this week as I am in with Nursery, Reception and the RE council on Monday, I will be leading collective worship in the school on Tuesday, and also the school will be in church on Wednesday for their Easter Service. Please pray for the children, the parents and the teachers as they go into Easter, and for the hope that many children will come to our Messy Church sessions at St James on Good Friday or St Botolph’s on Easter Saturday.This year also we will have the opportunity and privilege to talk about Easter with our toddler group, each child will receive an age appropriate Easter story book and stickers and of course a little bit of chocolate, so please pray for our wonderful team on Thursday morning.As you may have picked up on the news the Princess of Wales has been diagnosed and is being treated for cancer. Please pray for her, her family and also King Charles as they face this difficult time together over the next few months. The Church of England has issued a prayer specifically for the Princess of Wales:-Gracious GodWe pray for the continued recoveryOf the Princess of Wales,For her husband, and for her family.Grant to them,And to all who are affected by sickness,Faith, hope and the knowledge of your love,Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.My hope and prayer for us all this Easter is that we will grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus, enjoy being together and sharing the Easter story with so many.Let us hold onto hope this Easter, regardless of what is happening in our world. Let us remember our Romans 15:13 scripture:-‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’.See you very soonAlison
Dear AllEaster is approaching so quickly, with lots of planning happening as we speak. I hope you will be able to make the Messy Church briefing by Janet on Sunday after the service – 10.45 am at St James. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered for this amazing ministry. As you know we are trying this at St Botolph’s, Eastwick for the first time on Easter Saturday and I am hopeful that the children who live there will come. Peter is planning to cook hot dogs – he is a bit of a whizz at this😊This Sunday we have Glyn Barker coming to preach to us and I am really looking forward to hearing him. Glyn as well as a reader for Holy Trinity, Hertford Heath is also the Finance Director for St Albans Diocese. He was a great colleague when I worked there and I am looking forward to welcoming him on Sunday and hearing what God has put on his heart for us.I have been visiting funeral families over the past week or so and was able to deliver some of the primula’s we had for Mother’s Day. They have been so appreciated.These small acts of kindness that we can do for our neighbours are just one of the ways we can be an encouragement and a comfort, so thank you for all those who visit others.Hopefully, I will see you on Sunday. If you need a conversation or a cuppa just drop me a line or ring me.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllI am writing this and the sun is streaming into my office window – so much so that I have had to close the curtains so I can see my computer screen!! I am so looking forward to Spring finally arriving.It is so good to see so many of you at our weekly Bible study on Wednesday evenings as we journey through the big story of the Bible together or at the online prayer meeting on Tuesday mornings. It is really encouraging to see us growing in knowledge, wisdom and prayer. At our prayer meeting we are giving the needs of the world and our own villages to God on a regular basis. There is room for everyone to join us online for prayer(should work, life, allow) – see the link on the Welcome Sheet, it would be good to see you there.As you may know Cath has been teaching us how to sign the Lord’s Prayer in Makaton sign language. Here is the link so that you can learn it at home - https://youtu.be/fSs4w9M-i9sAs you may also know Cath is going off on sabbatical at the end of March and so we will need someone to take her place in signing the Lord’s Prayer in our Sunday services. If you are able to learn this and to offer your skills that would be most helpful.Our Family Service last week was a huge success and we need to give special thanks to Kate for her catering for the breakfasts, etc. We had 36 adults and 7 children, with 4 people asking for baptism. This is all so encouraging and please do continue to pray for this service that it continues to develop and grow to welcome more new families into our fellowship.We also had the Community Dog Walk last Sunday at which we welcomed 11 adults, 2 children and 9 dogs for the walk and coffee and cake afterwards, great thanks to Joy and Alison and the café/cake team for providing all that we needed for this event to be such a success. We were able to connect with people we did not know in our community and people really wanted to know when the next one was and so we have put another one into the calendar for Sunday 28th April 2024, if you would like to be there.Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday when we celebrate Mothering Sunday.Every blessingAlison
Yesterday I saw snowdrops and a few cowslips as we move from winter into spring. The birds were singing and the sun was warm on my face and I felt my heart lift at the thought of longer days and not having to walk Bean in the dark in a dayglo jacket so I can find her when she is off the lead!!We are journeying towards Easter, to all those joyful times of longer days, warmer evenings, not perhaps as much rain and mud, being able to get out in the garden, the allotment or play in the park, long dog walks, time off school, time off work, spending special time with our families and friends, all on our horizon. We have so much to be thankful for. We have already had our Pancake Party and our Ash Wednesday service to mark the beginning of Lent, and……Our next dog walk leaving from St James Church, High Wych will be Sunday 3rd March at 2.30 pmHowever, as we journey towards Easter with all our services to look forward to we are experiencing Lent, that journey that is of personal self-reflection as we journey with Jesus as he walks towards the Cross, asking ourselves - where do we fall short? what can we do that is better? Who can we help?, etcThis year I am asking you all to think carefully about taking on the Lent Challenge as our way of giving thanks for all that we have and for serving others who are struggling at this time. There are many ways we can do this, here are 3 different ways we can do this (see below):-2024 The Lent ChallengeDuring the 40 days of Lent we may give things up – to fast – from sugary or fatty foods, while others choose a well-loved treat, social media, alcohol, or TV the idea being that we remember Jesus’ time in the wilderness when he went without and we are called to give more attention to God, in prayer and reading the Bible.We are also called during Lent to remember those worse off than ourselves and there are so many ways we can do this. We can give our money to charity, maybe sending help to children in Gaza who are struggling without food and basic necessities:-Children in Gaza crisis appeal - UNICEF UK – (follow this link to financially give).Or you may consider using the Count your Blessings project that helps you work through Lent thoughtfully, giving to the poorer countries around the world who are dealing with the onslaughts of climate change and poverty:-count-your-blessings-2024-v1.1.pdf (christianaid.org.uk) – (follow link to download the 40 days challenge – printed out at back of church (St Mary’s) for you to look at)Or you may want to look closer to home and take up the Lent Challenge for our own area. We are committing to give generously to the Pop-Up shop during Lent, focussing on a particular area of food/household products each week as follows:-Week 1 - we focus on bringing soft drinks for that week.Week 2 – cans of food.Week 3 – dried goodsWeek 4 - Cereals or household products.Week 5 – chocolate (small Easter eggs)Week 6 – Special Easter food This will call us to sacrifice some of our wealth but it will benefit others who are struggling. The church (St James, High Wych) or (St Mary’s, Gilston) is open every day from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm for you to bring food and place in the box provided, and we will make sure this food gets to the Pop-Up Shop. Or if this is difficult for you, you can give the Pop Up Shop money directly at:-Barclays Bank – Account Number 60797029 – Sort Code 20 36 98Account Name: Sawbridgeworth Congregational ChurchMy hope for each one of us over this Easter period is that we will say this prayer:-Father, help me to live each day to the full,Being true to You, in every way.Jesus, help me to give myself away to others,Being kind to everyone I meet.Sprit, help me to love the lost, Proclaiming Christ in all I say and do. Amen.I leave you with our Bible verse for the year to encourage us to find the joy in each day that we are given.Your PriestAlisonRomans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dear AllAs you can see from the Welcome sheet there are quite a few different events on the horizon for you to be involved with.First of these is the Quiz Night on Saturday – I believe there are still some spaces left if you want to get involved.We also have a dog walk leaving Eastwick on Sunday at 11.15 am if you are interested in bringing along your dog/or not – the dog is not compulsory.You will be pleased to know that during our PCC meeting last night the Bible Course – Study books turned up – phew.If you have signed up to come tonight, I am really looking forward to journeying through Lent with you as we look more closely at the Bible and I have a few extra guides if you would still like to come. Please also bring your Bibles tonight. See you at 7.30 pm.😊Saturday 24th February is the second year anniversary of the Ukraine/Russian conflict. I am putting together a prayer station for you, which will be in church for Saturday and Sunday – please pray for this conflict that is ongoing. Our prayers are very much needed.Hoping you can find joy in your day, despite the rain.AlisonRomans 15:1313 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dear AllIt has been a busy week – I feel like I have seen some of you every day, thank you for all you do and the things you have been involved with in just this week.Thank you to all those who came online for the prayer meeting on Tuesday, all who helped at the Pancake Party at Gilston and Eastwick Village Hall, The Ash Wednesday service yesterday and Jimmy’s toddler group today.As we head to the weekend we are now in the season of Lent and so I attach the information about our Lent Challenge for this year, copies of this will be printed onto the back of the Welcome sheet too.The information to join for the prayer meeting on Tuesday is on the Welcome sheet and next Wednesday the Lent Study starts at the Rectory – first session Wed 21st February – at 7.30 pm – looking forward to seeing all those who have signed up for this. The study guides have been ordered so we are ready!Every blessingAlison
Dear AllHow are you all?I feel that as we approach this season of Lent we are on that journey towards Easter and all that means as we once again discover the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The joy of celebrating Christmas is behind us as we begin our journey to the Cross.And I wonder, how are you going to journey through Lent this year? Are you a person who gives things up like alcohol or chocolate, or fasts from tv or technology as is your tradition or do you do something positive that benefits others as you journey through Easter.I have been pondering this and as well as our Bible Study that will take us through Lent, which is:-The Bible Course – (please sign up if you want the study guide. Join me at the Rectory every Wednesday at 7.30 pm through Lent and beyond – see the Welcome sheet for more details and the sign up list at the back of church). This course will give us an amazing overview of the whole Bible and where everything fits into the story of God.If you would like a positive impact on our world - I am attaching the Christian Aid – Count your Blessings resource that you can use throughout Lent, ultimately raising money towards world poverty. You can access it here….count-your-blessings-2024-v1.1.pdf (christianaid.org.uk)Or perhaps you would like to do something practical that benefits our own local community? For instance; how about if we commit to giving generously to the Pop Up shop during Lent – here is my suggestion:-Week 1 we focus on bringing soft drinks for that week.Moving on as follows:-Week 2 – cans of food.Week 3 – dried goodsWeek 4 - Cereals or household products.Week 5 – chocolate (small Easter eggs)Week 6 – Special Easter food This will call us to sacrifice some of our wealth but it will benefit others who are struggling.We are also able to celebrate Pancake Day with the children in our community with our Annual Pancake Party at Gilston and Eastwick Village Hall on Tuesday 13th February from 3.00 – 5.00 pm – we are looking for people to help with this, so please drop me an e-mail if you can help on that day.As to our services - we begin our Lent journey with our Ash Wednesday service next week on 14th February at St James at 7.30 pm and will continue through to a glorious celebration on Easter Day.My hope is that during Easter our journey will benefit others and ourselves as we learn more about ourselves, more about the story of God and turn to the light of Jesus Christ carrying it out into our world.Your PriestAlisonRomans 15:13 ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit
Dear AllWhat a full week, thank you to the many of you who are journeying together through Lent with our Bible study – The Bible Course. It is really lovely to have you all at the Rectory on Wednesdays. As we move closer and closer to Easter, we have a taste of it this Sunday in our Family Service, as this is the only opportunity to celebrate and remember Easter with our Family service congregation. Don’t forget you are all welcome to come to this service and we will be starting with breakfast at 9.30 am and starting the service gently at 10.00 am, which will last for about 45 mins to 1 hour. If you are taking part in our Lent Challenge this week we will be providing dried goods for the Pop-Up shop, please place in the green box by the font.We are celebrating the World Day of Prayer tomorrow at St James at 10.00 am, we are hosting this service this year using the service that has been prepared by an ecumenical group of Christian women from Palestine, the land in which Jesus was born, ministered and died, where the Christian faith began and is rooted. It is also an opportunity to come together to pray for the situation in the Holy Land at the momentWe also have a community dog walk starting from St James this week on Sunday 3rd March at 2.30 pm, please come and walk with us if you can, or come and eat cake from 3.30 pm😊Don’t forget every Tuesday morning we now have an online prayer meeting where we can join together to pray for our whole Benefice. The link is on the Welcome sheet, but here it is if you are looking for it:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09Meeting ID: 845 5790 0182 Passcode: 640464Wishing you rest and joy in your every day.Your Priest, Alison
Dear AllAs we look forward to Easter we have a few things to mark the beginning of Lent:-A study course (see details below), our annual Pancake party and our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday 14th February in St James church at 7.30 pm.Some information for you that I could not fit on the Welcome Sheet:-We are starting our Lent Course and will be studying The Bible Course which will give us all a rich overview of the Bible as a whole and how it all fits together. Helping us to get The Big Picture. There will be a study book for you to look at the back of church and a sign up sheet so we can order the study books at a cost of £5.00 per head.Each session is video led and using the study book with questions. We will meet in the Rectory at 7.30 pm and there are 8 sessions which will take us beyond Lent slightly and so the dates are as follows:-21/2/2024, 28/2/2024, 6/3/2024, 13/3/2024, 20/3/2024, 27/3/2024, 24/4/2024, 1/05/2024Also, may I draw your attention to the 2 events that are happening in February:13th February 2024 – Annual Pancake Party at Gilston Village Hall (see attached flyer) – 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm. I know some of you helped to make this event a great success last year and I would ask, if you can, to volunteer again this year and let me know if you can help with set up, or during the event or tidying away.24th February 2024 – The Quiz Night – see the flyer attached. We would value your support for this event by drawing a team together and coming to have some fun.Tuesday morning 9.30 am – prayer meeting (this link remains the same every TuesdayJoin Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09Meeting ID: 845 5790 0182Passcode: 640464Every blessingAlison
Dear AllI hope this e-mail finds you all well.This Sunday we will be celebrating Candlemas – the presentation of Christ in the Temple, an important event in the church year calendar.It is our last look back at Christmas before we turn our eyes forward to Lent.Church Family NoticeMichael Sykes’s funeral has been booked for Thursday 8th February at 11.30 am, if you would like to be with us. If you want to sing with the choir please let Janet Bellingham know.Tuesday morning prayer – 30th January at 9.30 amJoin Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09Meeting ID: 845 5790 0182Passcode: 640464
Dear AllAs this cold weather bites I hope you have been able to keep warm. At Jimmy’s baby and toddler group today the hall committee had made sure it would be lovely and warm for us all. We had lots of lovely returning families plus another 2 new families. What a great team we have, thank you to all of you who are involved with this very valuable ministry, and for the time and effort you put in behind the scenes. Margaret and Amanda are currently knitting us a picnic for the children to play with!!As we look forward Lent begins very early this year with Shrove Tuesday on 13th February and with our Ash Wednesday service on 14th Feb – I know that this is Valentine’s Day but if you are able and would like to we will be having our service at 7.30 pm in St James, High Wych.There is no prayer meeting this next Tuesday as I am away on a training course. So I will not be in the parish on 23 – 25th January 2024.I look forward to seeing you all very soon.Every blessingAlison
Dear AllHappy New Year to you all, I hope to see many of you as the weeks progress at our services, in person or online, or other community events.A bumper week of information - I attach for you the Welcome sheet, the readings- (to include the Psalm this week as that is going to be relevant to my sermon), the information about the Feast of Epiphany blessing and the Epiphany prayer (in case you weren’t in church to pick one up), also included below is the link for the Online prayer sessions on Tuesday mornings at 9.30 am and the Zoom link for the Alpha course for yourselves and/or your friends.As this year begins there already seems so many things to be involved with and give thanks for.We have a great team on our PCC’s and with our churchwardens we are very fortunate, please remember to pray for them.We have had amazingly well attended and generous services over the Christmas period – raising over the whole Benefice £600 each for the Winter Night Shelter in Bishop Stortford and The Children’s Society - £1,200 what a great amount of money to be able to donate. Thank you for all those who gave so generously.My car is currently full of Nativity dressing up costumes, a crib and a baby Jesus!! As I work out what to do with them until next year.Our Baby and Toddler group, Jimmy’s returns for the first time tomorrow after Christmas, which I know myself and the team are really looking forward to.On Sunday I am hoping to have a couple of you talk about the call that God has on your life that you would be prepared to share with us in church, please let me know if you would like to do this.Remember our memory verse for the year:-Romans 15:13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.That is my prayer for you as we go through this week, through this month and through this year.Every BlessingAlisonTuesday morning online prayer meeting at 9.30 am. Zoom meeting link Topic: Virtual Prayer MeetingTime: Jan 9, 2024 09:30 London Every week on Tue, 4 occurrence(s) Jan 16, 2024 09:30 Jan 23, 2024 09:30 Jan 30, 2024 09:30Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/84557900182?pwd=MDhIR2ZBSFc4RXdxWW4zL3FJRGx0dz09Online Alpha – starts next Tuesday – we would love to have you join us if you are able – it is very gentle and would be a great opportunity to invite friends to if you want to.The idea is we explore the following topics:- Is there more to life than this?Who is Jesus?Why did Jesus die?How can I have faith?Why and how should I pray?Why and how should I read the Bible? After these 6 video led, discussion based sessions (which last slightly more than 1 hour) we will meet in person at the Rectory for a Sunday afternoon tea on 25th February 2024 – more details nearer the time.Please come and perhaps take part also before you ask your friends if you are unsure. It gives you a great opportunity to talk about your own faith and strengthen it, or to find out what having a faith in Jesus is all about. We will run another opportunity for this after Easter.Zoom link:-Rev Alison Jackson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Alpha CourseTime: Jan 15, 2024 19:30 London Every week on Mon, until Feb 19, 2024, 6 occurrence(s) Jan 15, 2024 19:30 Jan 22, 2024 19:30 Jan 29, 2024 19:30 Feb 5, 2024 19:30 Feb 12, 2024 19:30 Feb 19, 2024 19:30 Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/83006394181?pwd=Ni9manlXS0pHQzVoMkRwbWNydEhYdz09 Meeting ID: 830 0639 4181Passcode: 684033