35-Benefice-Newsletter-March-2020
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Benefice of Langelei Welcome to our Benefice Newsletter for March 2020 Benefice Mission: “Our Vision is of a community where Christ has been brought to the community and the community has been brought to Christ. Our Mission as churches in this Benefice area is to maintain sacred spaces, and be flexible, interactive and collaborative with the use of resources.” ere we are at the beginning of The best way is usually in small steps. H another Lent which comes to Rob Greenfield, an American adventurer remind us to make space to receive and environmental activist, uses attention God‟s gift of abundant life. To - grabbing tactics to persuade people to encourage us to make that space, the live more simply and „be the change in church has always urged us to observe our messed-up world‟. He asserts that if the three themes of penitence, self you make one small positive change - for denial and almsgiving. example to turn the tap off when you‟re brushing your teeth - and keep it up for 21 Isaiah 58 reminds us that the goal of days, it becomes a habit. Then make our Lenten discipline is not to be another change, and another. miserable, nor to make a song and dance about our observance to get Did you know the average American ourselves noticed. As soon as we find uses 80 -100 gallons of water per day, ourselves whingeing or even joking with the average European 50 gallons and our friends about coping for forty days the average African 2-5 gallons? That‟s without chocolate, alcohol, or whatever very sobering. He doesn‟t ask us to do we have given up, we are most certainly on the wrong track. anything extreme, just to stop and think, “We have to be It should rather be a matter of the heart, for our and God‟s aware of the origin of the things we consume every day, eyes only. This time of self-discipline is to enable us to such as water, food and energy." examine whether we are indeed living by God‟s ways. Christian Aid challenges us this Lent to „Count your Closely allied to self-denial is the habit of almsgiving. Blessings‟ and „rise up against climate change‟. The Church That is part of our Christian discipleship in all seasons, but of England, too, has 40 day challenges for both adults and even more so in Lent. Again Isaiah 58 reminds us that what children, „#Live Lent: Care for God‟s creation‟. Both can be God really desires is not a sad face but a just heart and ordered through the relevant websites. You will also be practical action to support the weak and change the unjust hearing more in the coming months about a new Benefice structures of society. So we might choose to eat simply and environmental group. give the money we might otherwise have spent to a charity; we might choose to tread more lightly on the earth. May I encourage you to accept the gift that Lent offers, to pause and take stock, and do something positive? Let The conservation of the earth‟s resources is very much God use you. Then when we celebrate Easter we may just at the forefront of our minds at the moment, and it‟s easy to more fully and freely live his risen life. feel paralysed by the scale of the issue. But there are many things we can all do to make a difference, which will have a Rev‟d Lizzie Hood cumulative effect if we all do our little bit. SANTA’S SLEIGH IN THE BENEFICE ach Christmas the Rotary Club in E Hemel Hempstead organises a Santa Sleigh collection around the streets of the town and at various static locations. In 2018 Holy Trinity took part for the first time and trudged up and down the hill in Nash Mills in torrential rain. Last Christmas, the Church was rewarded with a collection on its own patch in Leverstock Green. A team of eight door to door collectors covered most of the village, and with John May on the sleigh delighting the children with a cheerful “Ho-Ho-Ho”, raised over £600. At the Presentation Evening in January, John May received a cheque for £410 from Sir Mike Penning which represented Holy Trinity‟s share of the overall collection. John Walker, Holy Trinity Some members of St Mary‟s and St Benedict‟s congregations took part in the Belswains Lane area on Tuesday 3rd December. A few statistics for 2019 27 local organisations helped with 25 house to house collections 13 static „have a photo with Santa‟ sessions £18,000 taken overall £410 to each local organisation 70 people at cheque presentation evening in January 30 other local charities benefited from the rest of the money last year – soon to be decided for this year Thousands of visits to Santa‟s Facebook page Thousands of visits to his Tracker page Countless thousands of smiling faces put all the above into insignificance! Janet Wright, St Mary‟s Page 2 Benefice of Langelei Newsletter No. 35 - March 2020 Candlelit All Saints church (photo page 2) CONTENTS n November 30th, to coincide with the Christmas From The Team Rector 1 O Lights Festival and switching on the lights in Kings Santa‟s Sleigh in the Benefice 2 Langley village, we held „All Saints by Candlelight‟. Candlelit All Saints Church 2 Contacts 3 From 4pm to 7pm the church was lit solely by Future Events 4 hundreds of tea-lights and villagers were invited to drop Parish Diary 5 in to enjoy the stillness and beauty of the church lit by Special Services and Events 6 flickering candles. Special Services and Events - continued 7 News from St Benedict‟s 8 The church looked beautiful and a large number of Archdeacon‟s Farewell … and a Welcome 9 visitors were welcomed with mulled wine and mince pies Commissioned 9 served just outside the front door. Christmas at St Mary‟s 10 More from St Mary‟s 11 Carolyn Andrews, All Saints News from Holy Trinity 11 Annual Parochial Church Meetings 12 More from Holy Trinity 12 News from All Saints 13 Angels at St Mary‟s 14 Christmas Trees at All Saints 14 CONTACTS Norma Howie 01923 266 596 - [email protected] Benefice Office: Church Lane, Kings Langley WD4 8JS Office hours: Monday 8.00am - 3.30pm, Wednesday 8.00am - 3.30pm Thursday 12.30 - 3.00pm, Friday 11.30am - 2.30pm HOLY TRINITY, LEVERSTOCK GREEN The Rev’d Lizzie Hood - Team Rector Bedmond Road, Hemel Hempstead, HP3 8LJ 01442 264 860 - [email protected] The Rev’d Maxine Howarth - Assistant Curate 07930 522 868 - [email protected] ST. MARY’S, APSLEY END The Rev’d Richard Howlett - Team Vicar London Road, Hemel Hempstead HP3 9ST 01442 767 738 - [email protected] ST. BENEDICT’S, BENNETTS END The Rev’d Richard Howlett Peascroft Road, Bennetts End, Details above Hemel Hempstead HP3 8EP ALL SAINTS, KINGS LANGLEY The Rev’d James McDonald - Team Vicar Church Lane, Kings Langley WD4 8JS 01923 903 531 - [email protected] BENEFICE NEWSLETTER Editorial Team: Jean & Mike Chrisp - [email protected]. Schedule Deadlines 31 May 2020 17 May 2020 6 September 2020 23 August 2020 29 November 2020 15 November 2020 Benefice of Langelei Newsletter No.35 - March 2020 Page 3 FUTURE EVENTS Bishop Michael to visit the Benefice His weekday visits will include time with the Vicar, Church Wardens and PCCs as well as The Bishop of Hertford has indicated that he‟d visiting a local school and one of our outreach like to visit each of the parishes in our Deanery projects. If you would like to consider being this year, both for a Sunday service and for a confirmed at one of these services please further half day in the following week. speak to your local clergy as soon as possible. He will be coming to All Saints on 17th We look forward to welcoming Bishop May, Holy Trinity on 7th June, St Mary’s on Michael and sharing our vision with him. 5th July and St Benedict’s on 12th July and will conduct a confirmation in each, if we have Rev‟d Lizzie Hood candidates. The Art of the Annunciation Joint Benefice Service During my Extended Study Leave last summer I spent a Ever since the Benefice of Langelei was formed ten week in Florence looking at all the wonderful art but years ago we have celebrated our anniversary with a particularly focusing on depictions of the Annunciation to joint Eucharist on the 2nd Sunday of October. Mary. It was fascinating to see the variety of styles and to wonder at the impact of this most world-changing Last year I asked whether you wished to continue message. with this and the opinion seems to be that you value an opportunity to worship together but October may not be I would like to share some images and thoughts with the best time. you, and have decided to offer an illustrated talk on the Feast of the Annunciation - Wednesday 25th March. It So this year we are ringing the changes with a joint will be at 7.30pm at Holy Trinity. Eucharist on Sunday 9th August at 10.30am at St Mary’s, Apsley. Hopefully the weather will be kind to I think I should point out that I‟m no expert - this is a us, as we plan to have a Benefice BBQ lunch „for dummies, by a dummy‟ session! Perhaps we can all afterwards.