Parish Magazine December 2016

50p

Our regular monthly events include:

Every week: Tuesday Meet and Make 2 - 4 pm St Andrew's Centre Saturday Coffee Morning at St Andrew's Centre

First week of the month Thursday Mothers Union - Quiet time (from 11-45 am) followed by lunch and meeting Saturday Coffee Morning in St Catherine's Hall

Second Week of the month Wednesday Coffee Morning in St Mary's Church Hall 10 am - 12 noon Third week of the month Wednesday Mothers Union - 7:30 pm Meeting at St Catherine's Hall Thursday Prayer and Meditation - 2 pm St Catherine's Church

Fourth week of the month Wednesday Coffee Morning in St Mary's Church Hall 10 am - 12 noon Thursday House Group - 10 am at 2 Adam Way Saturday Men's Breakfast - 8:30 am (always last Saturday of the month) (not in March)

Supporting Basildon Women’s Refuge

Due to lack of space; Please only take items to St. Andrew’s Church on the last FRIDAY (or as near as possible) of each month; then they can be taken to the refuge. If you are unable to take our offering to St. Andrew’s then please do pass it to one of your Church Wardens or your Priest.

Advent Reflections

Monday 8 pm at St Mary's Church

‘Preparing a Place’

Is your tree up? Have you got all the presents yet? Are they wrapped? Written and sent all the Christmas cards? Sorted out who is going where and doing what each day of the holiday? Ordered the turkey? Made the cake and pudding? Stocked up the wine cellar? Got the TV Guide so you don’t miss those favourite films…….?

It’s a mad, mad time as we rapidly approach Christmas, or at least it is out there in the world at large. How do we prepare properly amid this cacophony of to-do lists and seemingly endless shopping?

Advent is a season of joyful hope, anticipation, preparation, waiting. I suppose you could look on it as preparing a party for a special very person’s birthday; for Jesus Christ, Our Saviour.

CHECKLIST FOR PARTY

Clean the house

Invite guest of honour

Invite other guests

Buy a gift

Organise catering

Organise entertainment

First of all, we might want to think about cleaning the house up for our important visitor. Although there is not the same sense of the requiring penance in this season as for Lent, it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give some thought to what separates us from God. We don’t know when the long–awaited reappearance will happen and Jesus did warn his followers to be ready, to have their houses in order. A bit of a spiritual clean up wouldn’t go amiss.

Then there are the invitations. The guest of honour certainly needs an invite. Now is the time, amidst the bustle and noise, to find oases of quiet in which to connect with God, through prayer, and to ask Him to enter our hearts.

There will be special reflective services on Monday evenings in St Mary’s throughout Advent. If you can’t make these and want to join in other corporate prayers then there are all the usual opportunities:- Morning Prayer daily, Taizé on the second Sunday, Prayer and Meditation on the third Thursday, Prayer Group on the first Monday. Or just make time at home for a few extra minutes of quiet with God.

Other guests need an invite too, and it may be the only time of year they get to meet our special visitor, so we let them know when and where they can meet Him. We mustn’t be afraid to remind people just whose birthday it really is and proclaim the good news.

What to get for the person who has everything? Well, He wants US. In return for the many gifts that we are given by God, the best gift we can give is the gift of ourselves, our ‘presence’, and to let Him use us in the best way possible; to show His love for others through us. Our generosity towards those in need isn’t just a Christmas thing but at this time of year people who go without, whether materially or spiritually, feel it more deeply. Is there someone who is lonely? Is there someone who is struggling? What can we do to help? Can we be Christ for them?

We all know that parties need good food. How can we be nourished through this season? Perhaps a little more feeding on His Word, reflecting on the stories from the Bible which go with the season? Perhaps partaking in worship, in Holy Communion, maybe midweek as well as Sunday, to provide our spirits with the sustenance we need when the world around looks crazy and the dark nights draw in and bring a chill?

As for entertainment, why not enjoy a good sing of all those old favourites. Make sure the date of the Parish Carol Service and the Christmas Eve and Day services are in the diary and we can all join together to praise and greet the special guest that we invited. We can sing ‘Joy to the World’, and because we are well prepared we won’t worry if He does come again!

‘Joy to the World, the Lord is Come! Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare Him room, And heaven and nature sing!’

Have a fruitful Advent as your prepare a place for the King! Sue

CHRISTMAS SERVICES

Wickford and Runwell Team

DECEMBER

Tuesday 13th 3:30 - 6 pm Messy Nativity at St Andrew's Church

Sunday 18th 6:30 pm Parish Carol Service at St Andrew's Church

Saturday 24th 2 pm Crib Service at St Mary's Church

2 pm Christingle Service at St Catherine's Church

3pm Christingle Service at St Catherine's Church

4pm Christingle Service at St Catherine's Church

5pm Crib Service at St Andrew's Church

11:30 pm Midnight Mass at all three Churches

Sunday 25th 9:30 am Eucharist at St Andrew's Church 9:30 am Eucharist at St Mary's Church 10:30 am Eucharist at St Catherine's Church

(All weekday services continue as normal!)

Wickford and Runwell Mother's Union

INVITATION Our evening meeting, on December 21st, Is “CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT” this will be in St. Catherine’s Hall at 7.30pm. I know that this is a very busy time of year but we do hope that some of you will be able to join us there to sing some of our favourite carols and enjoy a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie!

Jeannette

Look forward to seeing you there

CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT CHRIST CHURCH

FRIDAY 9TH DECEMBER , 7.30.PM

ALL WELLCOME

DONATIONS TO CHRISTIAN AID

RUNWELL PARISH COUNCIL - an invitation to the residents of Runwell

18th December at 3 pm Carols around the Christmas tree

with mince pies! at Runwell Village Hall

A perfect way to warm the vocal chords for later that eveing!!!

Wickford and Runwell Youth

Our parish youth group meets every month. We enjoy a variety of activities ranging from visiting Base Jump at Rayleigh, going ten pin bowling, to enjoying a South African style BBQ. Every other month we meet for “Bible & Crisps” an opportunity to reflect on the Bible while we share crisps and snacks. The group is open to anyone aged from 9.

WARY group activities 2016 / 2017

DATE

TIME EVENT

Sunday

11.12.16

3:30pm – 5:00pm Christmas bible study & party

Sunday

08.01.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Activity – TBC

Sunday

12.02.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Bible & Crisps

Sunday

12.03.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Activity - TBC

Sunday

09.04.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Bible & Crisps: Easter

reflection

Sunday

14.05.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Activity – TBC

Sunday

11.06.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Bible & Crisps

Sunday

09.07.17

3:30pm – 5:00pm Summer BBQ

The meeting point for activities and venue for Bible study sessions will be 27 Blake Hall Drive, Shotgate, SS11 8XA unless alternate arrangements are made prior to an event. Contact: Marina Bailey: 078007 60975

EQUALITY (Information for kids)

Equality is a key thing that I personally think should be respected more and should be a thing that everyone puts his or her efforts towards. It covers many areas; racism and sexism; whether it is women, men, religions or anything, everybody should be treated as the human they are, the human who is just as important as anyone. Many people are not treated as they deserve to be all because of a news story or an article’s way of putting things, the view spreads and people’s life can be changed they could be both verbally and physically hurt. Although progress has been made in both equality and justice there is still lots more to be done, and just slightly adjusting our everyday actions would make life be something to enjoy a lot more. I am not saying the world should be absolute peace because no one can live like that but disagreement should stay as a discussion and debate and not turn into a war.

Martha Simpkin

Saturday 5th

St Andrew's Church and Centre 2 - 4 pm

THE (KNITTED) ANIMALS WENT IN TWO BY TWO ......

Meet and Make once more display their amazing skills and creativity. Mr and Mrs Noah, the Ark, the Rainbow and all the animals (and birds, and reptiles) are destined for Wickford CE Infant School.

100 club winners

1st. R. Feldwick 2nd. J Pocock 3rd. D. Taylor

TEA, CAKE, AND NOAH'S ARK ...........

It's now an institution! Once again, 'Bettie's' Christmas bazaar and teashop took over St Andrew's on a Saturday morning in November. The youth group and their adults waited at table, the cake stall practically overflowed, Matt revisited his jazz hands at the piano, the raffle had the longest list of prizes ever, and you could also chance your arm at the Bonus Ball

and the lucky dip. Meet and Make offered wonderful crafts - and of course the amazing Noah's Ark. A morning to welcome old friends, take time to chat, to browse, to listen and to play. Thank you to everyone who took part: we raised some money (nearly £500) but more importantly,

we enjoyed ourselves with friends old and new . . ..

From our registers:

St Catherine's Church Baptism October 16th Emmie Jobyna Alice Tebble Alice Matthews Funerals October 10th Joyce Clement

St Mary's Church

Baptism October 23rd Ellie Hawkins

THE GATEWAY PROJECT

The harvest donations this year have been good. However we are still in need of the following items:

Tinned fruit Tinned meat

Custard Milk

Coffee

We urgently need carrier bags - large long life ones!

The Gateway Project is Wickford and Runwell's major ecumenical project

ST. MARY'S CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

Many thanks to Alan Jones for

heading up the formidable

organisation that helps create

the Christmas spectacular for

St Mary's Church at the

Village Hall.

Choirs from Runwell Pre-

school, Wickford Juniors and

Runwell Primary School took the stage to lift us. Santa arrived

with a crew of well dressed elves, the many stools were bedecked

with attractive stuff and the kids games were free!

What more could you want?

The folk arrived and the

atmosphere was fab . . . . and the

exhausted crew who finished the

day all felt that they'd had fun!

Thank you.

Santa and his helpers:

Just so as you know!

Christmas is fast approaching and the call will be for peace on earth and goodwill!

But is peace really what Jesus had in mind?

Is the arrival of homeless refugees really what we welcome? Jesus, the off-spring of that couple who turned up to be turned away, cries out to us to challenge the world that still treats such people shamefully. 2016 has been a complex year, with complex politics and social twists.

Even more than before the media has span stories that are not worthy, on the whole our leaders have not covered themselves with glory and our society has become more divided.

I have been shocked by the blatantly racist comments I have heard (and I am not easily shocked). I have witnessed the scapegoats being harassed and harangued.

We must, for the sake of our world, speak up. Together we can make a huge difference. Just consider the foodbank. Together, we Christians, have created a place where the really needy can be fed. Together we have stepped into the inequality and have done something to stop the gap.

Imagine what a difference we could make if we all spoke up when we witness bullying, when we see racism, when we hear people mocking the afflicted!

At Christmas we remember the moment the Body of Christ was born into our world. Maybe now is the time for us to inhabit the world as that Body of Christ. Jo

Please make this survey available to anyone who you believe might be a 'young carer':

Would you like to have

your advertisement here? Cost = £26.00 For 12months.

Please contact the Editor for more details

The Chichester

Old London Road, Rawreth

RESTAURANT & FUNCTIONS

Dinner-Dances

Civil Wedding Receptions

Family Sunday Luncheons

Private Parties for

Anniversaries, Birthdays,

Christenings, Clubs,

01268 561234

www.thechichester.co.uk

Would you like to have your advertisement here?

Cost = £26.00 For 12months.

contact the Editor for more details

Advertising in the Magazine is simple. Just send the advert to delfgou@live.co.uk or contact Fr Jo on the number on the inside cover.

Charges for 2016: £26 small size - £40 large size - £75 half page per year The magazine is also found on our Church website increasing the circulation

PIANO TEACHER

Has a few vacancies for pupils

BEGINNERS TO ADVANCED

Adult beginners very

welcome

Please telephone:

MARGARET ROWAN ALCM LRAM

on 01268 734589

CARTER.& WARD

OF WICKFORD LTD. Builders

Construction House, 82 Runwell Road,

WICKFORD, Essex SS11 7HJ

Telephone: (01268) 733421

(01268) 766485 (Site Sales Office)

www.carterandward.co.uk

SUTTONS CARPET FURNITURE CENTRE

HIGH STREET, WICKFORD. Phone: 733497 FOR ALL YOUR HOUSEHOLD NEEDS

Carpets & Vinyls - Flotex 21 - Cushionflor - Lino,

Kitchen Utensils - Cutlery - Garden Tools, Decorative Chinaware and Glass - Tableware,

ROYAL DOULTON and ROYAL ALBERT Large stocks of Doulton and Feswick Figurines

HALL’S A wide range of Pet &

Garden supplies.

Specialists in

Wild bird

Products.

01268 732093

71 High Street, Wickford

S. Carter & Son Independent Family Funeral Directors

& Monumental Masons Serving the Community since 1840

32 London Road Wickford, SS12 0AN

Telephone: 01268 733108 Email: scarterandson@gmail.com

Website: scarterandson.co.uk Funerals carried out in all districts

Would you like to have your advertisement

here? Cost = £26.00 For 12months.

Please contact the Editor for more details

CHELMSFORD TREE SERVICES

• TREE REDUCTION OR REMOVAL

• HEDGES TRIMMED

• STUMPS REMOVED

• LOGS FOR SALE

• LOCAL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

FULLY INSURED & PROFESSIONALLY TRAINED

FOR A FREE, NO OBLIGATION QUOTE CALL US ON:

Office – 01245 403 009 Mobile – 07811 241 605

WICKFORD AND RUNWELL TEAM MINISTRY

CLERGY Jane Freeman St. Andrew’s Church 734077 Norbert Mutuku St. Catherine’s Church 733147 Jo Delfgou St. Mary’s Church 732068 Matt Simpkins 765524 Sue Wise (available Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday) 07941 506156 Reader John Knowles P.C.C. Vice-chairman Pam Petts 734183

Secretary Sian Simpkins 765524 Treasurer Yvonne Branson 458778 Electoral Roll Officer Pam Petts 734183 St Andrew's Churchwarden Val Bryan 561446 Churchwarden Marina Bayley 424899 D.C.C. Secretary Marina Bayley 424899 D.C.C. Treasurer Mike Gibson 734293 Hall Lettings Reg Warne 766749 St Catherine’s Churchwarden Richard Feldwick 733362 Churchwarden Andrew Morl

D.C.C. Secretary Sarah Randall D.C.C. Treasurer Steve Lissenden 763670 Hall Lettings St Mary’s Churchwarden Val Harris 571933 Churchwarden Lyn Bear 421685 D.C.C. Secretary Coral Upham

D.C.C. Treasurer John Skinner 456892 Hall Bookings Alan Jones 765360 Linda Payne 732033 Mothers’ Union Enrolling Member Jeannette Cardnell 452309 Parish Magazine Editor Jo Delfgou

FOR INFORMATION ON GIFT AID AND PLANNED GIVING PLEASE CONTACT CHRIS BEAUCHAMP ON 762205.

SUNDAY SERVICES

St Andrew's 9:30am Sung Eucharist 6:30pm Healing Eucharist (on 3rd Sunday)

St Catherine’s 8:00am Holy Communion 9:30am Family Worship 11:00am Sung Eucharist 6:30pm Evening Prayer (Sung Evensong 4th Sunday)

St Mary’s 9:30am Sung Eucharist 6:30pm Taizé (2nd Sunday)

WEEKDAY SERVICES

Monday 9:00 am Morning Prayer at St Catherine's

Tuesday 9:00 am Morning Prayer at St Andrew's 7:30 pm Eucharist at St Mary's

Wednesday 9:00 am Morning Prayer at St Catherine's 9:30am Eucharist at St Catherine's 10:30 am Eucharist at St Andrew's

Thursday 9:00 am Morning Prayer at St Mary's 10:00 am Eucharist at St Mary's

Friday 8:30 am Morning Prayer at St Andrew's

Saturday 9:30 am Morning Prayer at St Catherine's (on the first Saturday of the month)

OFFICE HOURS

St Andrew Saturdays 11:00 - 11:30am in the Church

St Catherine Mondays 7:00 - 8:00pm in the Church St Mary Mondays 7:00 - 7:30pm in St Mary’s Hall

Articles for the next Magazine to the Editor by 15th of the month

Thank you - email: delfgou@live.co.uk

And our website: http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/index.php