As I write this, the summer holiday period is drawing to a close. Parents and carers are preparing to send their children to, or back to, nursery or school, some children are moving on to new schools or colleges, or continue to be educated at home; others are preparing to return to university or to go for the first time or to begin jobs or apprenticeships.

As we move into the month of September, let’s all remember to pray for all the children and young people in our three villages, those at nursery or school and those studying further afield. And let’s also pray for our three schools. There are three Church of England Schools in Thurrock Deanery, and they are all in our Parish of Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan. It is a great privilege to have all these three church schools in this area, but it is also hugely important that we support the work they do by praying for the pupils and all the staff who serve in these schools.

We need to remember, too, that there are also many people living in Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan who work in schools or colleges and education, further afield, who need our prayers.

So, on 4^th September at 10am at Orsett Church, we will be holding a ‘Back to School’ Service with backpack blessings where we will pray for all those involved in education, including those about to return to nursery, school or college; both those studying and those who work there. Do come along if you are able to.

As we think about this new academic year, here are some prayers you might like to use.

A Prayer for the New School Year
God of all wisdom, we praise you for gifting us with curiosity and learning. Give to all students, staff, and caregivers a clear sense of your love. May they feel your presence throughout this school year. Guide their choices, their quest for knowledge, and their relationships. Use their successes and failures as opportunities to grow in understanding of who you would have them to be. Continue to shape them, that they may walk in the way of Christ, grow strong in Spirit’s love for all people, and know the complete joy of life in you. In the name of Christ our Great Teacher, we pray. Amen.
Linda Witte Henke, adapted, “From the Vine,” in Marking Time: Christian Rituals for All Our Days, Moorehouse Publishing 2001, p. 63.

A Prayer for Students
Eternal God, your wisdom is greater than our minds can attain, and your truth enlightens our learning. To those who study, give curiosity, imagination, and patience to wait and work for insight. Fill their learning with joy. Help them to doubt with courage. And hold all their days in the love of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Book of Common Worship, adapted, Westminster John Knox Press, 2018, p. 911.

A Prayer for Parents
Loving God, We confess some days the worries of parenthood are as abundant as the joys. Guide us through the valleys, so we may be present for our children in their valleys, until we are all brought again to the the mountaintop. We ask you to bless our children with hearts of compassion and courage, and keep them safe from harm. Fill them with the knowledge that they are loved and beloved. And may we always remember to pray: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen.
Meg Bucher, adapted, www.sunnyand80.org; Reinhold Niebuhr, “The Serenity Prayer”

Take care and God bless,

Sue

I hope that you have all managed to have some time for rest and relaxation this summer. It is so important that we each charge our batteries physically, emotionally and spiritually.

We have had a few changes at church over the past few weeks. Ron Porter, Janet Wilkins and Jackie Wood have stepped down from their roles as wardens and they will, hopefully, now have a chance to recharge their batteries! We give grateful thanks to  them for all their years of service and we welcome Christine and David Mortimer, who have kindly taken on the role of wardens with primary responsibility for Orsett.  

This August, as we plan for the start of the new academic year in September, you might like to consider joining us on our Alpha Course as a way of recharging your spiritual batteries. The Alpha Course provides an opportunity to explore the Christian Faith in a relaxed atmosphere. Its website says:

‘We believe that everyone should have the chance to explore faith, ask questions and share their point of view.

Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. Alpha is run all around the globe and everyone is welcome. It runs online, in cafés, churches, universities, homes—you name it! No two Alphas look the same, but they generally have three key things in common: hospitality, a talk and good conversation.

The Alpha video talks are designed to engage people from all walks of life and inspire conversation. They explore the big issues of life and faith and unpack the basics of Christian belief, addressing questions like “Who is Jesus?”, “Why and how do I pray?” and “How does God guide us?”

The discussion time is an opportunity for people to respond to the talk, hear from others and contribute their own perspective in an honest, friendly and open environment.’

Our Alpha Course will run for 11 weeks, starting on Thursday 8^th September at 7.15pm in the Woolmarket on the High Road in Horndon-on-the-Hill. It will begin with cake and refreshments. All are welcome. If you are interested, please do put your name and contact details on the sign-up sheet at the back of church or drop me an email at rectorsue.hobnob.org.uk. And, if you would like to find out more about the Alpha Course, in the meantime, you can go to alpha.org.uk

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

At the end of June, we enjoyed the annual Feast and Fayre Weekend in Horndon on the Hill. Many people worked hard to make this a special event. At Church, during that weekend, we celebrated the Festival of St Peter and St Paul.

St. Peter and St Paul are both considered cornerstones of the Church. Originally known as Simon, a fisherman by trade, Peter was commissioned by Jesus to catch people, to draw them into faith. St. Peter was one of the 12 apostles, as well as the first pope and founder of the Church. Despite having denied Jesus three times at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, he was used powerfully by God and later martyred, sometime around AD 64 during the reign of Nero.  It is said that when the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, he decided to build a church in honour of St Peter, above his grave. The church is now known as St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.   

St. Paul was also an apostle, responsible for much of the New Testament.  He didn’t meet Jesus but is one of the most important apostles to have spread the word of Jesus. Many of us will know his dramatic story: Saul, a persecutor of Christians, being blinded by a bright light on the way to Damascus, for three days being without sight and not eating or drinking and then being baptised by Ananias. Saul became Paul after he had been converted. He, like Peter, is said to have been martyred.

St Peter and St Paul are celebrated on the same day, on June 29^th and this day is a major holiday in Rome. The pope holds a mass in which he gives a pallium—a special vestment worn over the shoulders—to archbishops appointed in the past year.

Neither Peter nor Paul were perfect, but God was able to use them powerfully to spread the good news of the Gospel to others and to grow and inspire the church. I believe that God can do the same today through us as his followers however imperfect we may feel we are, as long as we are faithful.

Almighty God,

whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul

glorified you in their death as in their life:

grant that your Church,

inspired by their teaching and example,

and made one by your Spirit,

may ever stand firm upon the one foundation,

Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

In May we held our annual church meeting, our APCM. A lot has happened since our APCM last year.

In January Bishop Guli, our Diocesan Bishop, joined us for our Plough Sunday service to pray for us as we began our journey as one ecclesiastical parish, the Parish of Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan. In addition to establishing a new Church Council, we have set up Action Groups to focus on different aspects of our Christian witness and these are going well.

We are pleased, now, to be able to offer communion in two kinds and many of the in-person church activities which were suspended, as a result of Covid, have resumed albeit, in some cases, in a slightly different form and it is great that we can again offer church hospitality with refreshments, at all three villages, thanks to those who kindly volunteer. It is good, also, to be back in the schools and we are looking forward to returning to lead services at The Whitecroft soon.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who serves in our churches in any way, whether it be through ordained or lay ministry. Each act of service, whether up front, or behind the scenes is greatly appreciated by us all and each person known, loved and valued by God.

I would particularly like to express huge thanks to Ron Porter, Janet Wilkins and Jackie Wood who have each exceeded their term of service as a Churchwarden and, this year, decided to step down.  I know we are all very grateful for all their dedication and commitment, having served, between them, a total of almost 60 years and much of what they do, unnoticed. Thank you, so much, Ron, Janet and Jackie for all you have given and enjoy a well-deserved rest!

On the subject of gratitude for service, this month we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and give thanks for her life of service.  The Queen holds the title ‘Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England’. These titles date back to the reign of King Henry VIII, who was initially granted the title ‘Defender of the Faith’ in 1521 by Pope Leo X. When Henry VIII renounced the spiritual authority of the Papacy in 1534, he was proclaimed ‘supreme head on earth’ of the Church of England. This was repealed by Queen Mary I but reinstated during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, who was proclaimed ‘Supreme Governor’ of the Church of England. On the advice of the Prime Minister The Queen appoints Archbishops, Bishops and Deans of the Church of England, who then swear an oath of allegiance and pay homage to Her Majesty. Church of England deacons and parish priests also swear an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign.

I know the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is being celebrated in various ways in Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan. You may like to use the following prayer, from the Church of England, in your personal devotions or as part of your Jubilee Celebrations

Gracious God, we give you thanks
for the reign of your servant Elizabeth our Queen,
and for the example of loving and faithful service
which she has shown among us.
Help us to follow her example of dedication
and to commit our lives to you and to one another,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

After Easter, we spent a week in Snowdonia doing some walking. Whilst we were there, we saw manynew-born lambs and spring flowers in bloom. It was lovely to see new life and the hope that it brings at a time when there is so much despair in the world. But, as I reflected, I was reminded that hope is not just something that we feel inside, it is something that we are called to work for on behalf of others.

As Christians, we are commissioned to care for our brothers and sisters both locally and globally and it can be hard to know how to do this. Recently the Archbishop of Canterbury challenged and raised ethical concerns about the Home Secretary’s decision to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. Our Diocesan Bishop, herself an asylum seeker, has also supported the Archbishop’s comments and sent the following letter to the Home Secretary:

Dear Home Secretary   In this Easter season I am writing to you, both as Home Secretary and as one of the MPs in the Diocese of Chelmsford which I serve, regarding your latest proposals to process asylum cases in Rwanda. You will be aware of the very serious reservations expressed by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Easter sermon. I stand full square behind his comments, and my own lived experience as an asylum seeker makes me extremely anxious about this scheme and its implications. This policy treats the most vulnerable in our midst in a cruel and inhumane way and it is for this reason that I am compelled to appeal to you, even at this late stage, to listen to the voices that are being raised from a cross section of public opinion. Those who find their way to this country, often through treacherous means, deserve to have their cases considered and processed here. To do otherwise is, as the Archbishop says, “sub-contracting out our responsibilities … the opposite of the nature of God, who himself took responsibility for our failures”. In your Times article of the 18th April you suggest that “those institutions that criticise the plans fail to offer their own solutions”. This is to misunderstand the important role of the Church of England, particularly through the national leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the parliamentary responsibilities of the Lords Spiritual. We are not tasked with providing worked out political solutions – that is the job of Government and politicians. But it is our responsibility to point out where there are serious ethical and moral implications arising from Government proposals. I would also want to say that it is disingenuous of your Cabinet colleague, Mr Rees-Mogg, to suggest that the Archbishop “misunderstands what the policy is trying to achieve”. Thoughtful criticism should not be dismissed in this off hand manner. Finally, I want to thank you for your recent tweet with its traditional Easter Greeting. The Christian message of new life in all its fullness which we celebrate at Easter cannot be separated from the reality of lived experience and is exemplified in the way we treat the most vulnerable in our society. In the words of Jesus himself, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Yours sincerely, Guli Francis-Dehqani Bishop of Chelmsford, Member of the Lords Spiritual

I, personally, support the views of both Archbishop Justin and Bishop Guli. Whilst not advocating promoting party politics from the pulpit I do believe that, as Christians, we are called to speak up for injustices as we believe Christ would have done. And, sometimes, this includes challenging political decisions which we believe, after prayerful consideration, to be inappropriate.

Bishop Guli recently came to speak at our Deanery Synod meeting and told something of her own story. This story is recorded in her book, ‘Cries for a Lost Homeland: Reflections on Jesus’ sayings from the Cross’ which you may be interested to read.

Take care and God bless,

Sue