Dear AllOn Saturday we celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a Pancake Party at Gilston and Eastwick Village Hall – we had lots of pancakes to eat, some races and the pancake flipping challenge – Paul and Peter did a great job with flipchart, stopwatch etc, and are already planning what they can do to make things even better for next year. I think I over catered on the pancakes and so all that were left were donated to the Pop-Up shop in Sawbridgeworth, so hopefully a few families could celebrate Shrove Tuesday this week because of us.This week has seen the start of Lent 2025 with Ash Wednesday on the 5th March.I was also privileged to go into the school and offer any children who wanted to be marked with the sign of the cross in ash to come to me in their lunch hour.Many children came and I was there for a very long time. I’m not sure my thumb will ever be the same againDon’t forget the Lent Challenge for 2025. – see flyer attached.This weekend we have two services:-9.30 am communion at St James, High Wych and11.15 Communion at St Mary’s, GilstonAnd this Sunday we are also having a Community Dog Walk in Allens Green (see flyer to invite your friends – dogs not necessary) hopefully the weather will be like today and we will be able to sit out in the beer garden of the Queens Head afterwards with our dogs for some relaxation and chat.I look forward to seeing you soon.Every blessing Alison
Dear AllSince I last wrote to you we have had our party – what an evening that was. Thank you so much for all those who could make it, for bringing food and drink to share and for getting to know new people and singing some fab karaoke!! Thank goodness for non-alcoholic gluten free beer (who knew there was even such a thing!!) so that I could still be ok for Sunday worship.This week has been a quieter week as we had no Jimmy’s toddler group or Jim’s café as it has been half-term. The roads have been much quieter and High Wych Road has been repaired – thank you Eric Buckmaster.We are now moving closer and quickly towards Lent. Please check out the Notice sheet for all the things that are happening in March and see the attachments about the Lent Study course and the Lent Challenge for 2025. The Alpha course is moving to a close and we will be talking about what we will do next. I will publicise whatever we decide in case you want to join in with the continuing journey of faith.Every blessingAlison
Dear All The start of the Easter journey with Jesus grows closer each week. You will notice from the attachments that we have been busy planning for Shrove Tuesday with the Pancake party at Gilston and Eastwick Village Hall on 1st March, our Ash Wednesday service 5th March at 7.30 pm, the Lent Bible study course and the Lent Challenge for 2025. We are trying to give you as much notice as possible so that you can put these dates in your diaries and do our Easter Journey together this year. We will also be having Wednesday Welcome at the usual address on Wed 5th March, a community dog walk starting at Allens Green on 9th March at 2.30 pm and our Door Dedication (which was postponed because of Joy’s health) is now back on and will be celebrated on Sunday 16th March at 10.30 am that morning. Before all that though we do have next week as half term. I will be taking Thursday 20th February off work but will be back as normal on Saturday 22nd February. There will be no Jim’s café and no Jimmy’s toddler group next week – so thank you for all the people who help in those teams who hopefully will be having a well-deserved rest. Looking forward to seeing you this Sunday at 9.30 am St James for our Holy Communion service or 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm for our Messy Church session in High Wych Memorial Hall Every blessing Alison
During Lent we are called to give things up that may harm us, like alcohol, smoking, maybe to fast from chocolate or too much social media, or TV – the idea being that the time this frees up you can 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:- Donate to Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis - UNICEF UK – (follow this link to financially give). Or maybe you would like to organise a Lent Lunch or Lent Brekkie and invite people to join you, eat yummy food and donate to Christian Aid and their action against Poverty. Lent Lunches | Christian Aid – (follow this link to find out how to go about it and see all the resources they provide to help you with this). 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 goods Week 4 - Household cleaning 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 at St James, High Wych is open every day from 9.30 am to 4.00 pm for you to bring food and place in the green box provided, and we will make sure this food gets to the Pop-Up Shop.
