By the time you receive this edition of the magazine we will have celebrated Easter Day and I hope you had a joyous and blessed time. Thank you to everyone who worked hard to get the churches ready for the Easter Services.  The Easter Season, however, continues for 50 days, culminating in Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Christ, with Ascension Day being celebrated 10 days before that.

May the glory
and the promise
of this joyous time of year
bring peace
and happiness to you
and those you hold most dear.
And may Christ,
Our Risen Saviour,
always be there by your side
to bless you
most abundantly
and be your loving guide.

– Author Unknown

We are also looking forward to our Annual Church Meeting, the APCM, which will be on Sunday 28^th April, following our 10am Service at Horndon Church.

If you are on the Church Electoral Roll, please do try to come along to this meeting and if you are not on the Electoral Roll, you are all are most welcome at the 10am Service and, indeed, any another service at Church. We would love to see you.

I believe that every person is created with gifts and talents with which to serve God and it is when we share those gifts and talents that we can work together effectively to share the Good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Ephesians, Chapter 4, it says,

It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. He did this to prepare all God’s people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ.

With the APCM approaching, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all the people in the Parish who work together to this end. We think of Revd Max, the Churchwardens, the PCC, the Parish Administrator, the Treasury Team, the members of the Action Groups, the Musicians, those who offer hospitality, provide pastoral support, keep the churchyards looking so good, read, preach or lead prayers, get the churches ready for many different services, lead the children’s work, take minutes at meetings, or who serve God in any other way.  All that you do is greatly appreciated.

I look forward to seeing you soon. Take care and God bless,

Sue

Recently, I went to  the cinema to see ‘One Life.’ It is a very moving film based upon the true story of Sir Nicholas, ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World War II, rescued 669 mainly Jewish children from the Nazis. In 1938, Nicky visited Prague and found families who had fled the Nazis in Germany and Austria, and who were living in desperate conditions with very little or no shelter and food, under threat of Nazi invasion. Winton put himself and others at risk as they undertook this bureaucratic and complicated operation to rescue these children.

This film reminded me of the story of Corrie ten Boom. Corrie and her family helped many Jewish people escape from the Nazis during the Holocaust in World War II, by hiding them in their home. They also put themselves at great risk. The family were subsequently caught, and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Eventually, Corrie remained the only survivor in her family, her sister and father having lost their lives in order to save the lives of others. Corrie’s most famous book, The Hiding Place, is a biography that retells the remarkable story of her family’s efforts and how Corrie and her family held on to their faith and shared the good news of Jesus with others during their time  of incarceration.

Similarly, on the current Alpha Course, we heard the story of a Polish Roman Catholic Priest called Maximilian Kolbe who, because he had no dependents, volunteered to take the place of family man, Franciszek Gajowniczek in the starvation bunker at the German death camp of Auschwitz, and who later died of a lethal injection. The result of this was that Gajowniczek spent the rest of his life going round the world telling the story of what Kolbe had done for him. And, in 1982, the Pope described Kolbe’s actions as ‘a victory like that one by our Lord Jesus Christ.’

As we approach Easter, let’s remember that just as Kolbe died for Gajowniczek, and others such as the ten Booms and Kolbe, risked or sacrificed their lives for the benefit of others, Jesus died on the cross for each one of us. He did this because of his great love for us and to enable the bad things we have thought, said or done in our lives to be forgiven and to allow us to continue in our Christian journey, free from guilt and shame.

So, this Easter, let’s celebrate what our risen Lord Jesus has done for each one of us. In the words of a song by Noel Richards,

You laid aside your majesty,

gave up everything for me,

suffered at the hands of those you had created.

You took all my guilt and shame,

when you died and rose again:

now today you reign,

in heaven and earth exalted.

I really want to worship you, my Lord.

You have won my heart and I am yours

for ever and ever; I will love you.

You are the only one who died for me,

gave your life to set me free,

so I lift my voice to you in adoration.

Taken from Scriptures: Psalms 18:1, Acts 2:33, Philippians 2:7, John 1:10-11, 1 Thessalonians 4:14

Copyright: © 1985 Kingsway’s Thankyou Music

Take care and God bless and Happy Easter!

Sue

Dear Everyone,

As we enter February, our Church Council, the PCC, will be going to Mulberry House, in Brentwood, to pray and consider how we, as a church, can continue on our journey to be as inclusive as possible. So With this in mind, we welcomed the Revd Mike Nelson, from Twydall in Kent, to one of our morning services in January to speak to us about his church’s journey to become an ‘Inclusive Church.’

The ‘Inclusive Church’ statement says,

“We believe in inclusive church – a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate.

We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.

We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.”

Whether or not we are a member of ‘Inclusive Church,’ it is important that our doors are open to all and that each person who walks over the threshold feels welcomed, loved and valued. That means we are called to love our neighbours, especially those who don’t look like us, think like us, speak like us, pray like us or vote like us. Jesus loved everyone without exception. In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’

And so that is what we, as Christians, are called to do.

In the Parish, we try hard to be as inclusive as possible and really do hope you feel welcome when you come along to church, or to church activities, although we recognise that we may not always get it right. So, if there is something we could do to make your experience of church more comfortable or welcoming, please do  let me, one of our wardens or a member of the PCC know.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

With love and prayers,

Sue

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope you had a lovely Christmas Day. And thank you to churchwardens, musicians and everyone else who worked so hard to enable Christmas services to happen in the churches, and beyond, in the community. Your help and support was greatly appreciated.  We are, of course, still in the Christmas Season and will be holding a carol Service at Horndon Church on Sunday 7^th January at 4pm, at Epiphany, when we remember the wise men finding and presenting gifts to the baby Jesus. Please do come along if you are able.

Later on, in January we will be running another Alpha Course in conjunction with the Wellcome Church.

The course will be held on Sunday afternoons at 4pm, at Orsett Churches Centre, each session lasting approximately an hour and a half. Everyone is welcome to come along. It would be helpful to know in advance if you would like to come so that we know how many booklets to order.

‘Alpha is a series of weekly sessions where you can explore the Christian faith in an open-minded and welcoming environment. There’s no cost and no pressure. Just lots of great conversation and space to think.

Each session includes some light refreshments, a short video and a time of discussion where you can share your thoughts about what you’ve heard. Whatever questions you have got, you can ask them at Alpha.’

Anyway, as we move into 2024, you may like to use this prayer:

Heavenly Father, as we face the challenges of the coming year,

grant us strength and courage.

Help us to rely on your mighty power and to find our refuge in you.

May we be steadfast in our faith, knowing that you are our rock and our fortress.

Amen

Take care and God bless,

Sue

December has come round once again, and Advent has begun. There are many ways that we can all prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. And I would, at this point, like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has enabled church events to happen smoothly throughout the year and to those who are working hard to make this Christmas special. You can find details of our Christmas services further on in the magazine and I look forward to seeing you at some of them.

I am very conscious, however, as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, that many of our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land are facing a very different reality from the one that we are living and we all long for a time of peace. I am, indeed, praying for a ceasefire.  We sing ‘O Little town of Bethlehem how still we see thee lie.’ Yet how far from the current truth can this be?

Thousands of people have been killed and over a million displaced after the escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.

1,400 Israelis have been killed and 5,400 injured. Israeli civilians, including women and children, have been forcibly taken.

In Gaza, almost 10,818 Palestinians have been killed and 26,905 have been injured. Airstrikes have caused widespread destruction of homes, schools, healthcare facilities and telecommunication installations.

Hospitals already at breaking point have been destroyed, and over a million people have been displaced. Food supplies, fuel supplies, access to water and sanitation, and schools have been drastically affected.

So, as we make our preparations for Christmas, let’s not grumble because we don’t get our favourite carol, but be thankful for the freedom we have, to celebrate in the way that we do.  Moreover, let’s be mindful of those in parts of the world where the fact that they are alive today is a gift they can’t take for granted tomorrow.

Please do especially keep the people of the Holy Land in your prayers.

Longing for a world of peace

Where all are treated equally

Where all can recognise their worth

Where all can live with dignity

Where all can join hands with neighbours

Whether Muslim, Christian, Jew

And find a way to live together,

Making Holy Dreams come true.

Garth Hewitt. (From the Song Holy Town)

I will continue to pray for all around the world to know the peace of the Christ Child this Christmas.

With love and prayers,

Sue