THE MESSENGER

MARCH 2015

www.moulshammethodist.org.uk

Welcome to the Messenger with news, views and information about the activities of Moulsham Lodge Methodist Church. We are here to offer Christ’s Life to Our World: Our values:  Respecting the dignity and worth of all  Demonstrating love, forgiveness and healing  Calling out the best in all  Practising integrity of life and faith  Being a safe place for struggle and engagement

Church Information For information about baptisms, weddings and funerals Please contact: Rev Mike Crockett 01245 262595 e-mail: [email protected]

Important Editorial Information

Internet The Messenger will be displayed, in full, on our web site each month. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have obtained the correct permissions when you submit items written by a third person, and that we acknowledge them, or items that include personal contact details or photographs. However, we will always accept Christian names only, or none, for photographs of children. When you send items for publication please ensure they are in Word (A4 size) as an attachment or embedded into an e-mail so I can cut and paste accordingly, as other formats are not easily transferable. Thank you.

From the Editor,

Happy Birthday! Moulsham Methodist celebrates its 53rd birthday on March 1st!

Please note the changed date for the Church Council (page 5)

This edition is thinner than usual because of the lack of items you wanted included!

Please think what you can send for the April Messenger. Personal news, news of your organisation, Lent group thoughts, Easter thoughts and poems??

Editor: Clive Pickett [email protected] 01245 267459

The deadline for items for the April edition is March 17th.

2

Mikes Message

The story goes that there was once a thriving monastery in the mountains of Italy that had now all but ceased to exist. Bitter internal squabbling and dissention had led to its almost total demise. There were but four monks left, living past each other in semi isolation.

One day a passing rabbi knocked at the door of the monastery seeking a place to spend the night. Over supper he asked questions about the history of the monastery and it was not long before the sad tale was shared.

The rabbi was troubled during the night by the story of the failed monastery.

Around the breakfast table the rabbi broke the silence. “Your circumstances kept me awake last night. There was something in the way you all spoke that moved me to pray for you. I fell asleep and in a dream God came to me saying, ‘one of these four monks is the Messiah’.

“I asked which one and God replied, ‘That is for them to discover.’”

The rabbi went on his way leaving the four monks puzzled. At first each one assumed he was the messiah, but as time went by they began to wonder about each other. Soon a strange thing happened. They began to be more respectful of one another, more helpful to each other, more careful to listen to what the others had to say.

Slowly the word got down to the little village that something had changed in the monastery. Villagers started to attend services once more and the monks were more often seen on the streets of the village. Within a few short years the monastery was back to its former vital and loving community.

If we are to link our community to Christ we must first begin to discern Christ in one another. I have had opportunity to sit with many of you now, listening to your life story. The joyful moments, the sadness, the projects, the struggles. I have been amazed at the courage you have shown, the sheer character that has brought you through and that now keeps you going. I am discovering Christ in you and it is humbling and deeply moving for me to see.

We become a congregation of Benediction when we see Christ in each other and address one another accordingly.

Paul says, “Christ in you the hope of Glory.” Colossians 1:27.In the midst of our distress may we discover the Christ in each other and treat each other in that way?

Mike 3 Lent House Groups.

Do be part of one of our Lent House Groups.

Each group will meet four times, the first has now happened but it is not too late to join in others. The four studies are as exciting as they are profound.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make new friends, engage with others and grow in your own understanding of the life God has blessed you with. The studies are Tenderness, Fruitfulness, Hopefulness and Joyfulness, and are drawn from the concluding events of Jesus’ life.

The venues are below,; if you have missed the first one, please contact the host of the meeting you want to join in with just to make sure they have enough seats!

Monday Evenings 23rd Feb; 2nd, 9th & 16th March at 7:30 pm Lorainne and Paul Smith 146 Beehive Lane

Tuesday Mornings 24th Feb; 3rd, 10th & 17th March at 10:30 am Susan and Terry Wade, 83 Linnet Drive.

Wednesday Afternoons 25th Feb; 4th, 11th & 18th March at 2:30 pm Jean Brown, with Peter and Joyce Robb. 556 Galleywood Road

Friday afternoons 27th Feb; 6th, 13th & 20th March at 2pm Varuni Mendis with Mary Fox "Charnwood" East Hanningfield Road, Howe Green.

Live Below the Line!

Jeff’s service a couple of weeks ago challenged me to do something I have been putting off for some time.

I have signed up to the ‘Live Below the Line’ challenge. This will mean that for 5 days, from 27th April to 1st May, I will eat and drink for only £1 a day. The money I raise through sponsorship will go to Send a Cow’s work in Burundi which I am told is the world’s hungriest country.

This is going to be a struggle for me as I like my food, but I am determined to do it and am enjoying looking at the really appetising things one can cook, mainly, it seems involving beans and rice! I’m hoping that I will also lose some weight in the process.

I will tell you more nearer the time, but please consider sponsoring me; I’m aiming for £200 but more would be good.

Thank you!! Jean Brown

4 Wedding news!

Claire Lovelock, a former Sunday School and Girl’s Brigade member is to be married to Jeremy Court on Saturday May 30th at Ingatestone Hall. We wish them every blessing on their special day and on their future life together.

“Spring ?” Important Notice Who puts the clocks in daffodils, Please take note that the That tells them when to grow?

The bulbs in our back garden, Church Council Even pushed up through the snow.

What switches on the bare brown trees, that was scheduled for February 26th has As winter turns to spring, had to be changed to And sprays their branches with bright green buds, Wednesday March 4th Signs of new life to bring? starting at 7.30pm

What tells the birds it’s due to an unfortunate clash for time to sing, accommodation at the church Or time to build a nest, Who wakes the dor- We apologise for any inconvenience that mouse from its sleep, this might have caused. The hedgehog from its rest? All members of our congregation are invited to attend any Church Council In winter months the to share in the the meeting grass stayed green, but in the event of a vote, But didn’t seem to grow, only elected Church Council members But now the cold gives way to warmth, may record a vote. There’s fresh blades from ‘neath the snow.

The dead damp leaves have rotted, Back into the lifeless earth, Providing food and nutriment, To give the plants new birth.

Nature’s clock ticks on for ever, Times the seasons every year, To show that God’s Creative force, Brings spring and sunshine near.

Written by Peter Robb; Jan 2010

5 Latest news…….. THANK YOU!

Chelmsford Foodbank continues to serve those most in need in our city with the generous donations we receive. Thank you MLMC and Gloucester Ave, Co-op for being part of this “Christ in action” project.

However, at present we are inundated with food of all varieties, with estimates of around just over 10 tonnes of food in our warehouse! Presently we are donating around half a tonne per week to clients across the city through our 4 food distribution centres, so as you can see we have around 20 weeks or more stock!

So, in March, to help us cope with our stocks, why not take a break from Take a donating food for just a month! It will not harm those we are trying to donor’s help, but it will help our warehouse staff to move what we have and make room for when you start again in April! holiday! Your co-operation will be greatly appreciated as your donations of food have been for the past two years; thank you. Meanwhile, have a giggle at a recent newspaper article (below) copied from the Daily Mail! (Thank you Peter)

Clive Pickett MLMC Foodbank co-ordinator.

6 Moulsham Lodge Men’s Club

The Vikings – Traders, Invaders, Raiders & Explorers! Steve Mortimer brought an inspiring, detailed and captivating talk to the Men's Club on Thursday 5th February. A wonderfully, illustrated, and interactive talk, as Steve, dressed in his Viking costume, with authentic helmet and sword, took us through the fascinating world of the myths, legends and real history that the Vikings played in formulating and influencing not only our own country, involving the then seven Kingdoms, but so many of the countries, mainly of western Europe.

Their travels, and involvements, as Traders, Raiders, Invaders and Explorers into Scandinavia, Greenland, Iceland, the islands around Britain, and even the overland trade route that they founded through central Europe to the Black Sea and into Constantinople, now Istanbul, was truly remarkable.

Throughout all the Viking marauding travels, there were threads of Christian influence as countries, communities and kingdoms were coerced. committed or converted from the old pagan beliefs to Christianity.

The Talk was enhanced by the display of the brilliant working model of a Viking clinker built longship made by Peter Hancock, which, he explained, had taken three years so far to build and there is still more work to be done! A masterpiece of model engineering and craft! Grateful thanks to Steve, and to Peter for a great evening.

Our next evening will be on March 5th when, after our usual fish n’ chip supper, we shall be taken back through 150,000 years of history! Mike Crockett will be speaking about the history of his own country; South Africa.

Please sign up on the notice board if you are coming to our meeting and indicate if you are joining us for supper; or contact Peter Robb on 01245 250610 if you intend eating.

All men are welcome.

Easter invites

We have printed a card for delivery to each house on Moulsham Lodge estate to invite people to look afresh at Easter.

Some cards will be available in the vestibule for you to give to friends or those who are part of your organisation as well.

Most will need delivering to households; Please can you help during week commencing March 16th when they will be available in bundles for each road, just as you did for Christmas. Thank you.

7 Unity is absolutely essential to reach any kind of achievement.

Unity is needed in families. To have a happy family; you must have unity there. It’s needed in business; employees must learn to get along. It’s needed in government in order for the government to get anything done. Our government can be brought to a standstill whenever the different parties cannot get along. On a sports team; players have to be unified in order to win and just putting guys in the same jersey doesn’t automatically make them a team as you very well know.

But especially in the church, there must be unity for God to be able to work and for the church to become all that God wants it to be.

Unity is a key theme in the Bible. The Bible talks more about unity than it does heaven and hell. It is up to EVERY person to help safeguard the church’s unity. Churches are made up of people and believe it or not, there are no perfect people. So people get into conflict with each other so we need to learn how to deal with it.

4 reasons why unity is important in the church………...

1. Unity is important because Jesus prayed for it. Just before Jesus went to the cross He prayed for His followers. In this prayer Jesus prays for the unity of the church. “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-24

2. Unity is important because we are commanded to make unity the top priority. Ephesians 4:3 says: “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bonds of peace.” One of our primary jobs as Christians is maintain unity and promote peace. Whatever it takes!

3. Unity is important because it is a witness to the world. In John 13:34-35 Jesus said: “By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.” When a church loves each other there is unity and harmony. Guests will walk into the service and say “There’s something going on in here that I want.” Bill Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Community Church just outside of Chicago makes this statement. “If you create a loving community, first time seekers will sniff it and say “I want in.”

4. Unity is important because God blesses the unified church. Acts 2:46-47 says: “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. …

8 Unity is absolutely essential to reach any kind of achievement. cont……….

……….. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” God can’t help but bless a unified church. God is looking for warm fellowships to place new Christians where they can be nurtured. You cannot stop a unified church. God will be able to do so much with us when we are unified!

Editor This article and pictures are copied from a series of web site articles from a web page called Shooting the Breeze.

Copyright does not seem to be restricted and the author is not shown.

I have included it because I believe this is a message for us all at MLMC today.

2nd Chelmsford Girls Brigade

The last few weeks have been very encouraging with some new girls in Explorers and a couple more to start after February half term .

All the girls have been continuing with badge work. The Explorers and Juniors have both been covering a badge about friendships, which have included thinking about being a good friend, how to make new friends, and how to welcome new people into a group.

The Brigaders have been playing a variety of board and card games, which has created a lot of laughter, fun and competitiveness!!

The planned District Young Leaders Training did not take place in January due to a lack of numbers. We hope to run the weekend later in the year. We are off to a weekend camp at the end of February half term, with 6 Brigaders and our 3 top Junior girls, to our usual venue of Guithavon Valley Evangelical Church. Our theme for the weekend is “Penguins”…. full report in the next magazine!

Some of our younger girls will be attending a District Bowling afternoon planned for the end of February. Jacky Wilson, Team Leader.

9 Clare calling

A few days after I had written my last article, disaster struck. The man at the back of us had two trees, which overhung our fence, cut down. Since then, we’ve not had any tits or finches outside our kitchen window, as they used those trees to come and go from. They still appear further down the garden, but I cannot see them so well as I work in the kitchen. As some compensation, I still see the robins, and the blackbirds at the feeders; which is surprising as I think they are both regarded as ground feeders (the blackbird takes a few efforts before he manages to retrieve a few seeds.)

Another subject I’ve mentioned before is the young lads who come to the door with their bag of wares, and who I cannot say no to. I feel they are trying to help themselves, and hopefully I am not being taken for a ride. They are always ex-offenders and as you know I have some sympathy for them. However it is becoming a bit much. One called the other day, and I was able to produce three new oven cloths, a torch and bin fresheners, all of which I have bought but not used since being here in Clare. Eventually I gave him a fiver and sent him on his way. Our neighbour collared Colin and asked him if we had had a caller, because apparently the police want to know if they call. There is a particular bunch, known as The Nottingham Knockers, who have become a nuisance and can be quite abusive and aggressive (not my experience). So how does one know what to do? When Colin checked with the police a few months ago, he was told that there are properly authorised schemes, and as long as they show their ID cards, it should be OK and up to us if we wish to help them by buying something.

My problem is that I find it hard to say no to anyone who calls at the door. The other day a milkman called to see if I’d like milk delivered. I didn’t really, but I said yes. I’d recently had a conversation with Jane about supermarkets selling milk cheaply, especially the very large sizes, at the expense of the farmers, so that was in my mind when I agreed to the deliveries. However, I had to confess, when Colin asked me how much I was paying, that I hadn’t asked! He looked up the source of the milk on the internet, and it appears to be a business which supplies mainly direct-delivery outlets, so hopefully everyone gets a fair price. The problem is that we don’t actually use much milk, and we’ve already had a couple of rice puddings because I cannot gauge how much I want each week!

Colin, as a school governor, is currently on the sub-committee working on the process of recruiting a new head teacher. Last week he had three morning meetings and spent long hours at home checking documents. He says it reminds him of the process he went through as a church deacon to find a new pastor, except that there is so much paperwork and bureaucracy involved this time, so much so that you really need to be a retired person to take on the task. A big responsibility.

Anne Barrable Good Friday Walk of Witness Friday April 3rd Leaves St Luke’s at 0910 or St Paul’s at 0930 Main service outside Shire Hall at 11am Speak Major Mark Sawyer on the theme of CROSS WORDS 10 Where are you?

Just before Christmas, whilst out training for a race she had volunteered for, Christine Pitts ran past a convenience store. A car drew up on the opposite side of the road and a man got out and went over to the shop. There was no one else in the car but as he reached the shop door there was a loud ‘beep, beep’ on the car horn. Looking back bewildered the man became annoyed as he realised his dog had jumped over the seats and was sitting in the driver’s seat banging his paw on the horn!

The dog was desperately telling his master he didn’t want to be abandoned and was trying to attract his attention in the hope he would come back!

Christine laughed, but then the thought came to her: she wondered how often God desperately tries to attract our attention. He has promised to always be with us. He won’t leave us alone while He pops into a shop or busies Himself with something else. But so often we forget all about Him and try doing things all on our own and in our own strength. God longs for us to have a close relationship with Him and is always trying to attract our attention and draw us back to Him when we wander off.

‘His amazing creation with its ever changing scenery and seasons always draws me back to into His presence when I’ve wandered off by myself’, she says, ‘and also the love of family and friends , reading His word in the Bible, and worshipping with fellow Christians.’

But sometimes the only way He seems to be able to grab our attention is by giving us difficult situations to try and cope with; hoping that when we find we can’t cope on our own we will realise our need of Him and turn back to Him. Then we can find we can trust Him for our future. He loves us too much to ever abandon us or let us go!

Taken from Hearing Eye Jan 2015 (formerly the Hard of Hearing Christian Fellowship) Submitted by Malcolm Lees

Derek the Cleric!

Remember him from the old Christian Herald when it was printed?

Andy Robb, Peter and Joyce’s son, has given us permission to print his “Derek the Cleric” cartoons when we have spaces to fill, so here is the first one!

I hope they make you laugh! Thank you Andy

©Andy Robb www.derekthecleric.com

Have a look at Andy’s web page, there are lots of ideas!

11 Christianity in Essex Chapter 6 Ding Dong Danes!

Before we go on to look at the Norman influence on Essex Christianity, we need to understand what happened in the turbulent years after the reign of Alfred the Great; i.e. from 900 to 1066; when the Normans took over.

Alfred never ruled the whole of what we know as England. He had always to contend with the Danes who had conquered eastern England from Buckinghamshire to Essex and right up to Lancashire and across to the North York Moors. Essex up to Cambridge and all of Suffolk and Norfolk was then the Kingdom of Guthrum the Dane. Guthrum wanted all of England and fought hard against Alfred but was eventually defeated when Alfred besieged Guthrum at Chippenham. To bring about peace, Alfred agreed to let Guthrum rule the eastern areas on condition that Guthrum become a Christian. Alfred became his Godfather but hostilities between the House of Wessex (Alfred and his descendants) and the Danes ( Guthrum, and later Canute) raged throughout the late 900s and into the first millennium. The English crown was tossed between the two and the history gets very confusing! It is hard to remember that the Vikings (who were raiders usually after a quick buck) and those who came to settle in England more or less peaceably (called the Danes in history books) were related. Let’s say they all came from the Scandinavians (Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes) rather than from any other European stock.

But for our story we need to concentrate on what happened in Essex. In 2016 we will celebrate a thousand years since the Battle of Ashingdon. Ashingdon in Essex is the reputed site of the Battle, although Ashdon in NW Essex is a contender. But I fancy Ashingdon. Go there in the summer when the views from the hill over the Crouch and Thames estuaries is wonderful. See how strategic a site it was for Edward: in sight of Canute’s camp at another hill nearer the sea; where Canewden is now.

Canute is said to have built the Church (now called St Andrew’s, pictured) as was his custom, to commemorate all those who fell in this decisive battle for the crown of England. He took it from Edward (Ironside) and forced him into a treaty so that Edward’s territory of Wessex would become Canute’s if Edward died first. Did he fall or was he pushed? Legend has it that he was possibly murdered, so the whole of England became Canute’s later that year 1016.

Another story about Canute relates his so-called attempt at keeping the tide from coming in. (pictured opposite from a French painting of c1870) Most historians consider it make-believe in order to give an example of Canute’s acknowledgement that God was greater than all the kings of the earth and to show he needed to admonish his courtiers for their flattery. Several sites have been suggested for this but the one that appeals to me is Creeksea Cliffs just upstream from Burnham-on-Crouch. 55 million years ago that area was at the bottom of a warm tropical sea. Now the Crouch is eroding the banks and you can find many fossils and see some in Burnham’s museum. ………...

12 ……. Chelmsford Museum has a Mammoth tusk found there in 1983. The Ice Age it came from ended about 20,000 years ago!

Because he was both King of England and King of Denmark, Canute held great influence over the Churches in England and Denmark. He was able to obtain many concessions for pilgrims from Pope Benedict VIII. Unfortunately human greed had crept into the Christianity and pilgrims were being charged to pass through foreign lands on their way to Rome.

After Canute, came two sons in succession and then the crown changed hands back again to the House of Wessex. Edward the Confessor, whose father was Ethelred the Unready, was half-brother to Canute’s younger son and succeeded him as king in 1042. During Edward’s pious reign there arose much support for Harold Godwinson who was the son of the Earl of Wessex and a Scandinavian princess. When he died, Edward left no offspring to follow him as king. The Witenagemot (parliament) met in January 1066 and chose Harold as their king. But most of the nobility in Europe wanted the English crown and thought of invading.

Harold had a hard task keeping his short-lived reign intact. He had to raise an army and fight off his Viking relative at the Battle of Stamford Bridge. It’s amazing that he marched 185 miles from London to Yorkshire in only 4 days, taking the invaders completely by surprise. His brother was killed fighting for the invaders. Harold had little time to recover from that battle when he received news of the invasion of the south coast by William of Normandy. He marched south and the battle of Hastings took place at Senlac Hill as we all know on 14 October 1066. Thus ended both the Anglo-Saxon and Danish/Viking grip on England. from that moment England would be a different place.

Yet, as we shall see, Christians continued to live and flourish and the Church continued to grow. Harold was buried at Waltham Abbey in Essex. It is a fine example of Norman architecture; showing us how much the old was stamped out by the new regime.

Wait for it! the Normans are coming! Malcolm Lees.

13 Reginald Heber (1783 – 1826)

Reginald Heber was a clergyman who, after 16 years as a country parson, became the 2nd Bishop of Calcutta. He died a sudden death in India at the age of 42, having written many hymns including a carol which we sang at Epiphany (2015): No 227 in Singing the Faith:

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning dawn on our darkness and lend us your aid star of the east the horizon adorning guide where our infant Redeemer is laid

He was the son of a wealthy landowner. Studying at Oxford he became renowned as a poet. With his best friend he decided to go on a tour of Europe but the Napoleonic Wars prevented him from following the traditional route. So they went through Scandinavia to Russia; travelling 500 miles from St Petersburg to Moscow by sled in the middle of winter! They were amongst the last Englishmen to see that city before its destruction by its own inhabitants in the face of Napoleon’s “Grand Army” 6 years later. After a 3-month stay making friends in Moscow, they travelled south through Cossack territory and witnessed their celebration of Easter Morning “The soft chanting of the choir, and their sudden change at the moment of daybreak to the full chorus of Christ is Risen are altogether what a poet or a painter would have studied with delight” he related in a letter home.

After his father’s death he took over as priest in Hodnet, Shropshire; his father had inherited the estate and the priesthood from a relative and set about remodelling the manor house to suit his wife. While living a comfortable life there he wrote many of his famous hymns including Holy, Holy, Holy and From Greenland’s Icy Mountains. Unfortunately the Anglican Church of that time frowned upon hymn-singing and poured cold water on his idea of publishing his. As yet his Christian faith was still in its infancy: writing to his friend he admitted “Pray for me dear friend, that I may have my eyes open to the truth..”

Writing was his main passion and during this time he published a 15-volume critical study of the life of a 17th Century cleric Jeremy Taylor. Later he was instituted as Dean of St Asaph Cathedral in Wales, just over the border from Shropshire and as Preacher of Lincolns Inn, which required him staying in London for much of each year. He saw this as a way of renewing old acquaintances.

In 1813 he had preached a sermon at a meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society, now known as the Bible Society, which he had helped to form during his University years. He had always been interested in missionary work and was a lifetime supporter of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) and its sister organisation the Church Missionary Society (CMS)

These interests were well known to another of Heber’s friends who by 1822 had become the head of the India Board of Control. In that year the first Bishop of Calcutta died and Heber was asked if he would take on the job. At first he refused thinking the change would not suit his wife and daughter, but he relented and in the summer of 1823 he and his family embarked on the 4-month journey to Calcutta. ………………..

14

………. He set to immediately to continue his predecessor’s work of building a training school for local clergy. He had to make friends quickly to raise money for this and to get the government to grant more land for the project. But soon he was able to ordain the first Indian as a priest.

Sadly, on a tour of India and Ceylon he made the mistake, so it is said, of jumping into a cold bath on an extremely hot day and died probably from the shock! His hymns were published later.

James Edmeston (1791 – 1867)

James Edmeston was born in Wapping the grandson of Rev Samuel Brewer who was a famous non-conformist minister in Stepney. James became an architect and at one time had George Gilbert Scott as an apprentice. Scott designed many public buildings including St Pancras Station and The Albert Memorial but started off building a home for his father who was a vicar in Wappenham Northamptonshire, and then homes and workhouses for the poor. James Edmeston also built workhouses, but is better known for over 2,000 hymns he wrote! One every Sunday, it is said; including No 238 in Singing the Faith:-

Lead us heavenly Father, lead us o’er the world’s tempestuous seas guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us, for we have no help but thee...

He was a Churchwarden at St Barnabas, Homerton and a strong supporter of the London Orphans Asylum. St Barnabas was the church in which my father was baptised in 1901; 34 years after Edmeston was there!

These articles , about writers of hymns we use in our worship, have been written to commemorate the life and work of Mr David Hedgecock who contributed many excellent stories about hymn-writers before he died in 2012. As you may know he was an avid fund-raiser and devoted his life to the service of others.

If you have a favourite hymn or hymn-writer you would like to see mentioned please let me know; I feel my submissions might be getting a bit boring! Malcolm Lees

15

Worship at Hall Street in March

March 1st 10.00 am Mr David Drewett

March 8th 10.00 am Mr Jeff Hosking

March 15th 10.00 am Mr Mike Shelbourne Mothering Sunday

March 22nd 10.00 am Rev Viv Gasteen Passion Sunday Holy Communion

March 29th 10.00 am Mr Peter Robb Palm Sunday

April 5th 10.00 am Rev David Dickens Easter Day Holy Communion

Hall Street, Chelmsford, CM2 0HG Minister Rev Viv Gasteen, Tele: 01245 499028 Email: [email protected]

Weekday meeting Afternoon Fellowship 2.30 to 4 pm each Thursday and alternating weekly between a Bible Study and a fellowship meeting with a speaker.

All are welcome

A message from Maria

Dear Clive,

Sherry popped The Messenger through yesterday and as usual I enjoyed the read, thank you. I was taken by the story on page 16 of the February Messenger entitled “The convert: Why I left Islam to follow Jesus”. To my surprise, in the post this morning, came an invitation from London City Mission who are sending two of their workers to speak in Southend on 'Working with Muslims in East London'.

Nabeel Qureshi writes, ' Is there no one to befriend them, as David befriended me? Is anyone praying for them, as David's church prayed for me? Is anyone loving them as Jesus would, with both compassion and truth? From LCM, Imtiaz Khan writes, 'I facilitate Christian Muslim discussion meetings once a month in which Muslims are invited to come to ask questions about Christianity. I love to do comparative study with our Muslim friends...'

I am letting you know this because if others from the church have had their heart stirred by the magazine article, then this meeting may be the next step. The event takes place on Thursday 5th March at 7.30pm . The church address is 2 Guildford Road, Southend, SS2 5AS and to find out more, the contact is Bob Werrett on 01702 299270.

With love and thanks, Maria Smith.

16 What else happens at MLMC during a usual week?

Monday Friendship Club 2 till 4pm Weekly (over 60’s) Ladies Club 8pm Alternate weeks Games Club 8pm Alternate weeks

Tuesday Ladies Keep Fit 10am Weekly (for over 40’s) Girls Brigade 6 - 9.30pm Weekly Prayer Group 9.15pm Weekly

Wednesday Soaking Prayer 8pm 2nd & 4th Wednesdays

Thursday Prayer Group 9.30 - 10.30am Weekly Coffee Club 10.30 - noon Weekly Art Group 1.30 - 3.30pm Weekly Men’s Club 7.15 - 9.30pm First Thursdays monthly D of E 8 - 9.30pm Last Thursdays monthly

Friday Boys Brigade 6.30 to 10pm Weekly

Sunday The Hive March 8th Music evening with Steve. March 22nd Easter event—bowling with Trinity

For more information and contact details for organisations: www.moulshammethodist.org.uk

MLMC voting day — March 22nd!

After the morning service on Sunday March 22nd there will be an opportunity for members of Moulsham Lodge Methodist Church to vote on whether we continue with the current 10.30 service each Sunday morning or revert back to holding two services, one at 0930 and the other at 11am, from June 1st.

Voting slips will be available for you to tick your preference; but in accordance with Methodist tradition only those who are recorded as members may vote.

Mike is inviting those who attend worship but have not committed to becoming members of the Methodist Church to pick up a form in the vestibule and consider becoming a member so that you can vote on March 22nd.

17 Rota at MLMC for March

Date Flowers Reader Door Stewards

March 1st Mr & Mrs Perry 10.30am Brigades Mrs’s Cleland & Tofts 6.30pm Mrs Cooper Prayer Road: Waltham Glen

March 8th Mrs Hobbs 10.30am Mr Edwards Mrs’s Manson & Dowding 6.30pm Mrs Johnson Prayer Road: Waltham Glen

March 15th Mrs Leach 10.30am Mrs Withnall Mr & Mrs Wade 6.30pm Mr Rook Prayer Road: Waltham Glen

March 22nd Mrs Bazley 10.30am Mr Lees Mrs’s Goodall & Withnall 6.30pm Mrs Johnson Prayer Road: Waltham Glen

March 29th Mr & Mrs Piper 10.30am Brigades Mrs Reynolds & Mr Brown 6.30pm Mrs S Johnson Prayer Road: Waltham Glen

April 5th Mr & Mrs Cooper 8.00am Mrs Goodall 10.30am Mrs Cleland Mr & Mrs Rodwell 6.30pm Mrs Marsh

18 Worship at MLMC in March

Senior Steward Jane Crockett 01245 258809

March 1st Lent 2 Church Anniversary. 10.30am Rev Mike Crockett Parade and Family Celebration Theme: Why be a Christian if you do not follow Jesus? 6.30pm Mr Clive Pickett Meditations on the last words of Jesus Theme: Today you will be with me in paradise

March 8th Lent 3 10.30am Mr John Clemo Morning Celebration Theme: Jesus causing chaos in the Temple 6.30pm Rev Mike Crockett Meditations on the last words of Jesus Theme : A new relationship birthed in Crucifixion

March 15th Mothering Sunday 10.30am Rev Mike Crockett Morning Celebration with Holy Communion Theme: Living to the full all the remaining years of our lives! 6.30pm Mrs Frances Couch Meditations on the last words of Jesus Theme: God forsaken; do you know the feeling?

March 22nd Passion Sunday 10.30am Rev Jean Dane Morning Celebration Theme: To be confirmed 6.30pm Rev Mike Crockett Meditations on the last words of Jesus Theme: Christ’s thirst; and ours. incl. Holy Communion

March 29th Palm Sunday 10.30am Rev Guy Goodall Morning Celebration 6.30pm Mr Jeff Hosking Meditations on Palm Sunday

April 3rd Good Friday 2.00pm Mrs Sue Johnson

April 5th Easter day 8.00am Rev Mike Crockett Early morning Service of Holy Communion

10.30am Rev Mike Crockett Family Service, incl. Holy Communion

6.30pm Mr Clive Pickett & Rev Mike Crockett Evening Service incl. Holy Communion Theme: Peace be with you!

A warm welcome awaits you

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What? An evening of music, coffee and cake. Performances from musicians of Moulsham Lodge Methodist Church and Choir. When? Saturday 9th May 2015. Why? To raise money for STOP THE TRAFFIK. Cost? Donations please!!! All donations will go straight to the charity.

What can you do? Come and watch and donate. Perform in the choir or as an individual.

How can you sign up to be a performer? Contact me on 07905744532 or [email protected] More information to come. Love Anna

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