Author Archive Perry Childs

St John’s services and St Mary’s services (29th September update)

 

Sunday services at St. Mary’s

Sadly, St. Mary’s still cannot be safely opened for public worship in compliance with the current guidelines but I am delighted that we have re-started broadcasting a morning communion service online from St Mary’s at 9am each Sunday. Follow the link to our Facebook page to join us live or on delayed viewing.

Sunday services at St. John’s

We have held a number of 11am communion services on Sundays at St. John’s. These have been very much enjoyed by those who have been able to attend, despite being for a limited number of people and subject to restrictions to ensure safety. If you would like to join us for a future Sunday it is necessary to book in advance so that seats can be arranged and allocated to individuals and households. We have now tried to make this a little easier to do (please see “How to book” below). I apologise for any inconvenience but I assure you that we are only doing what we have to do to comply with government regulations and to keep you safe! We do hope that you will want to join us for worship.

What will happen in the service?

The service will be a spoken service of Holy Communion. We will use the words that we usually use at a St. John’s communion service. The distribution of communion will be of the bread only and will be done differently from our normal practice (this will be explained at the service). There will be a sermon and prayers but, sadly, we are not yet permitted to sing. Children are welcome to attend as members of a household but we regret that, as yet, we will not be able to make any special provision for them and they will have to stay in their designated seats. (We are very sorry not to be able to offer more for children but please do use the wonderful St. John’s Kids sessions available on our website!).

How to book:

Please book by email to cchopkinson@aol.com during the week but before the weekend of the Sunday when you wish to attend. Alternatively telephone 01268 542156 and leave a message, stating your name and phone number very clearly! Places will be limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis (but priority will be given in future weeks to any who are unable to get a place for a particular Sunday).

Restrictions.

We do hope that you will want to book in and join us but please be aware of the following restrictions:

• You cannot attend if you or anyone else in your party have had or are having any symptoms.
• People who are designated in the government’s vulnerable group are strongly advised not to attend.
• Whilst we are doing everything we can to make the church COVID secure and therefore as safe as is practicable, we must advise anyone over 70 years of age that it is an increased risk for them to attend and you must consider this risk when deciding to attend.
• It is now mandatory (by law) for all those people attending worship to wear a mask and all members of your household must remember to bring a face mask with them. We cannot allow anyone in the building who is not wearing a mask.
• Contact details will be stored and, if required, made available to the government Track and Trace system. All details will be held according to GDPR and you will be asked to sign consent to this upon arrival.

We are very sorry that we are unable to offer more in our churches at this time and we hope that it will soon be possible to gather together more freely for worship and fellowship. In the meantime, I want to pay tribute to all those in our community who have been offering support to one another during lockdown and to invite you once again to make use of the various resources and opportunities for fellowship offered through our website at www.langdonhills.net.

Rev. Colin Hopkinson

ONLINE AMP AND APC MEETING

ONLINE ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS AND
ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Sunday 25th April at 7pm

All resident in the parish and on a Register of Local Government Electors are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of Parishioners (AMP) at which we will be appointing churchwardens for 2021/2022. This will be followed by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM – where only members on the parish electoral roll can vote) at which we will be appointing PCC members for 2021/2022.

I HAVE NOW RECEIVED GUIDANCE from the Diocese on how proceedings should be managed to enable this meeting to proceed online, including the process for nominations and elections:

• If you wish to attend please email stjohnsca@gmail.com and Nikki the Parish Administrator, will send you a Zoom link together with instructions on how to use the link to join the meeting.
• Nikki will also send you electronically the agenda and minutes of the 2019 AMP and APCM together with the reports that have been submitted for this year’s APCM. At the APCM, in addition to the Rector’s Annual Report, there will be presentation of reports on the activities of the church, submission of the electoral roll and presentation of financial statements and a report from the Treasurer.
• If you wish to see a copy of the revised electoral roll please ask specifically for this and a copy will be sent to you.
• At the AMP there will be elections for 2 parish churchwardens. If you wish to stand for election as churchwarden please contact Nikki urgently at stjohnsca@gmail.com because there is a form that must be completed and submitted prior to the meeting.
• At the APCM there will also be elections for deputy churchwardens at St Mary’s and St John’s; and members of the Parochial Church Council. If you wish to stand for election to any of these posts please send an email to the PCC Secretary at stjohnsca@gmail.com, clearly stating which post you wish to stand for and including the names of a proposer and a seconder who are themselves on the church electoral roll. (Please ensure that the proposer and seconder will be at the APCM so that we can confirm their consent).

For further information please contact :

Nik (Churchwarden

Email: nik@langdonhills.net.

Three Initiatives you may wish to join

I am delighted to commend to you three new initiatives for our church which seek to respond to issues of critical importance in our time:

1. The Environment
2. Mental Health
3. Race

I am very grateful to Paula Sofowora who has offered to gather those who feel called to respond to these issues. Please read her letter below for further information. If you would like to participate in our thinking and/or action in any of these areas please contact Paula at  psofowora@yahoo.com.

Blessings

Colin

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Hello everyone,

I hope you and your families are well and healthy, and that you are enjoying the summer weather.

I am writing to share 3 exciting, initiatives with you which I have been thinking and praying about for several months. They support some of
the five marks of mission which had been developed by the Anglican Consultative Council since 1984.  Since then, the marks of mission have been widely adopted as an understanding of what contemporary mission is about. The marks were adopted by the General Synod of the Church of England in 1996 and many dioceses and other denominations use them as the basis of action plans and creative mission ideas.

I would like to know your views on the matter and if you would like to get involved.

ECO CHURCH

CofE Mark of Mission 4: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.

Eco Church is A Rocha UK’s award scheme for churches in England and Wales who want to demonstrate that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.

A Rocha UK is a Christian charity working for the protection and restoration of the natural world, both as a response to the biblical mandate to care for the earth, and as a demonstration of the Christian hope for God’s world.

The vision is to create a vast network of churches as local centres of creation care in the community – shining beacons of hope for a brighter environmental future. The  vision was endorsed by the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams speaking at the launch of Eco Church at St Paul’s Cathedral in January 2016 and the idea is to ensure that environmental concerns become ‘embedded more deeply’ in church culture.

Please visit the website : https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/ and view the survey questions which I propose that we complete as a church. The result will highlight areas that require attention and form the basis of our action plan. We will also start collecting points towards an Eco Church Award. The more we do , the more points we collect. There is a video presentation which will be posted on the website for those of you who would like further information.

Charity starts at home though so I would like to encourage everyone to consider the Buildings and Lifestyle section of the survey in relation to your respective homes and places of work.

Action:

• Survey to be completed. PS and CH;
• Expressions of interest in working party to PS;
• PCC Decision regarding any proposals.

MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING

CofE Mark of Mission 3:  To respond to human need by loving service.

CofE Mark of Mission 4: To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.

We may not collectively have the expertise to delve too deeply into mental health and wellbeing but I feel called quite strongly to show love to vulnerable brothers and sisters in our church and community.

I was thinking of a monthly drop in session at St Johns. Activities could include the following :   Film night, Zumba, Games night, Arts and Craft, Curry night or a guest speaker on relevant topics of interest. These are just a few suggestions but I would welcome feedback from the congregation and especially those who might benefit from the service and or have first-hand experience of a need in this regard, and what a solution might look like.

I would like to compile a handy fact sheet which will include important information to sign post vulnerable individuals to the correct professional services and contact details. Suggestions as to what else should be included in this guide would also be appreciated.

Action:

• Expressions of interest and feedback to PS;
• PCC Decision regarding final proposals.

 

LET’S TALK ABOUT RACE

CofE Mark of Mission 4: To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.

Several non- black friends and colleagues have reached out to me following the death of George Floyd and subsequent global BLM movement that gathered momentum.

The Rev’d John Townsend of Holy Trinity, and St Michael, Rayleigh has produced a helpful Bible study called “Let’s Talk about Race” comprising three sessions (Session One: black and immigrant in the Bible; Session Two: all one in Christ; and Session Three: compassion and justice for all).

Racism is an evil and unjust structure of society. We are called as Christians to love our neighbours as ourselves and racism is an affront to this commandment and to God. I believe this resource would be a helpful and practical study guide that will help facilitate difficult but important conversations that need to be had as a church at home and in the wider community.

I would like to canvas the congregation’s interest in a study group talking about Race, using this resource.

Action:

• Expressions of interest and feedback to PS;
• PCC Decision regarding final proposals.

At this stage I am consulting to see what people think. Please email psofowora@yahoo.com if you are interested in any of these 3 initiatives or if you have any feedback or comments.

God bless, stay safe and kind regards,

Paula

All Age Service – Sunday 9.00am

Join Natalie Collins and friend on Sunday 3rd May – 9.00am

A service for young and old.  Great songs to celebrate and give worship to our Lord

Make sure you have your craft bits ready!

Follow this link to find it on our facebook page

 

Maundy Thursday – Zoom Communion Service from the Rectory

Maundy Thursday  9th April 8.10 pm

The service will come from Colin and Christine’s home.  Colin has decided he will do a short communion service on Zoom at 8.10pm on Maundy Thursday to remember the Lord’s Supper.

For those who would like to join the service please send an email to Colin and he will forward you the link and details on how to connect.  For those who have done Morning Prayer using Zoom it will be the same invitation link.

If you would like an order of service follow this Link   We will use a shortened version of this service.

Holy Week at Home

‘Holy Week at Home’ is a collection of resources to help you worship at home during Holy Week.  We hope that there is something for everyone. The wide range of materials, for each day of Holy Week, includes prayers, liturgy, videos, music and activities for all ages.

Please share your own activities, pictures and reflections on social media and when using Twitter or Instagram please use #HolyWeekAtHome.

Follow this link

https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/holyweekathome