2021 NEWS-SHEET welcome Sunday 20th June 2021

Welcome again to this newletter. Apologies for the lateness of this newsletter, life around Lifestreams has been really hectic over this last few weeks, particularly with getting the garden ready at 213 for worship and the start of ‘garden@ lifestreams’ (the official name of what we have been calling the ‘garden project.’ It has been really good to see some more people coming back to the Sunday services ‘workshop’ once a month to encourage others albeit with masks on! We can even share some to join in too. This will be on a Friday morning, time together with a cup of tea/coffee after the while the CoffeeHouse is open. Two birds, one service, now. We also respect that some people stone!! You can join in the fun and fellowship! aren’t ready to return - let me say that I support We enjoyed getting together on a Friday you in this. Hopefully, now in July, the remaining evening for worship at Saint Stephen’s, 213, restrictions will be lifted, though with a rise in cases with the Delta variant I would not be too surprised if the current restrictions are extended again. All we can do is wait and see. I have been encouraged that people are wary of having too many hugs and largely respecting social distancing. We may be getting used to a new way of living.

We are delighted to welcome Bernard and Cornelia as part of the Lifestreams team. Bernard has served two years at St. Mary’s, Prittlewell and to experience another, different on the 11th June, the first in a six week series context, the remaining part of his training will be (weather permitting!!). Darren Middleton lead with us in our busy and varied parish life. our sung worship. Yes we could sing because we were outside! Read more on page 2. Cornelia is an Ordinand in training, studying at See you again next month, grace, mercy and St. (Chuks is one of her fellow students) peace be with you. so this is an equally important time for her Colin development and training. They are a delightful couple and are already Our Bank Details, should you wish to make a making friends and having an impact around donation or switch your giving: the Lifestreams churches. You can read a little Saint Peter’s: a/c name - St. Peter’s Church sort code - 55-50-28 bit about their story on page 4. a/c number - 07117272 Saint Cedd’s: a/c name - St. Cedd’s Church Flowers have re-appeared at Saint Peter’s on sort code - 20-19-97 a Sunday morning. I encourage you all to use a/c number - 23801896 your gifts. Ann, Marilyn and Linda responded by Saint Stephen’s: a/c name - St. Stephen’s Church offering to provide creative arrangements that sort code - 20-79-73 a/c number - 20792705 enchance our worship. They are also running a LIFE AT SAINT STEPHEN’s

Well, there has been an amazing personal donations, that have been transformation over the last few used to start planting the area and weeks! The ground has been some pots to bring some instant prepared and tones of topsoil colour into the garden. imported or moved to make up the We are delighted to have appointed levels of the ground. One Saturday Dawn Gilbert as Project Leader, she in the heat of early June a team will be working part-time, usually We also held the first outdoor gathered to lay the turfs. Not the Thursdays and Fridays. Theere has worship event, which turned out best time of year to do this work already been some local interest to be quite emotional for me and but that’s the reality! A team of and we look forward to welcoming a wonderful celebration of the volunteers got together and laid neighbours, particularly those who goodness of God. over 100m² of good quality grass. are lonely, isolated and need to Then to watering and last week get out into a safe environment, It was sad to say goodbye to it got he first cut, just before the following the worst of the pandemic. both Dilys and Grace over this torrential rain. The grass grew an Dawn is here to be a friendly face past month. Both of them were inch overnight!! so please come along and tell your hugely loved and inspirational, being significant members of Saint We are grateful for grant funding friends. It’s not all hard work in the Stephen’s for many years. They are - which will enable us to purchase garden, it’s there for you to enjoy released into God’s loving arms; and erect the polytunnel, a vital and develop. Please pray for Dawn we pray for their families at will pay element for the project - as well as and the emerging, or should I say, growth, of this project. tribute to them at a later date.

Do you know anyone needing Prayer Board Please pray for: our prayers, or contact from the pastoral team? If so, please contact • Guli Francis-Deqhani, the new Bishop of Chlemsford Bernard, Colin or Andreas 300402 • Our clergy, staff and ministry team - Colin and Vi, Bernard and Cornelia, Stuart, Andreas, Sharon, churchwardens, members of the PCCs and families. • All those who are grieving following the death of a loved one. We pray for the family and friends of people known personally to us. • All those who continue to struggle, for whatever reason, through coronovirus, wherever in the world Please include anyone else who you are praying for especially at this time.

Saint Peter’s Saint Cedd’s Saint Stephen’s Sebastian Page Sharon Judy Jean Bishop-Laggett Doreen Ernie Crump The Studio Project John and Sue Jonathan & Karen and family ....and others on our hearts. Peter Davies For Digital Pioneer Minister For Dawn, Project Leader ‘garden@ Mary Powell LifeStreams’ as she starts her new Austin and George Nesbeth role. Jo Pray for those in the community with Helena mental health concerns to receive all For the building and garden available help and support through projects; for funding for the new Anna the local services provided. building project. Revd Christine Robinson Sam R-H’s Mum Anne Seomore Digital community Jeanette Heidi; Helen; Pennie’s family and friends; Elaine; Christine (and John); Pam Meekins John (and Christine); John and Sue; Trinity; Pam; Meena. Pauline, Jean and Eric (recently Baptised in Care Home) Funding for café project and therefore impact Please do tune in on Thursday Life at Saint Cedd’s or connection with the afternoons at 1:30 on our community is much ‘LifestreamsUK’ channels. greater. In addition, the content, It was amazing to receive the A couple of important now that we can have more than Studio sign, which you can things have taken place at one person on the sofa, is much see in the background over Saint Cedd’s recently. better. We have been able to the last couple of weeks. interview guests, such as Marie The sign was ordered from a Worship Gold, a Southend Council Youth company in Australia, made in Firstly it has been a privilege to and Community worker. Here China and shipped to Canada re-establish a regular communion insights into the impact of the (erroneously!), before it finally service in the church, currently pandemic on teenagers was made it to us. on a Wednesday morning at really profound. Currently we The Lancaster School project 10.00am. It runs on a monthly are looking at each age group, continues. Moyo has painted the basis, alternating fortnightly with exploring the effects of the last ‘office’ or ‘vestry’ and the boys Saint Stephen’s (with two weeks eighteen months, and asking will be making up the panels for at Saint Peter’s). To invoke and how we can help and support sound deadening for the Studio, be aware of the presence of God local people. We have planned bird houses/boxes and more in the community brings back a some sessions about living with planters over the coming months, sense of spiritual aliveness in the Autism as well as interviewing whilst carrying out some of the area. local Councillors and MP. garden maintenance. In addition, we are glad to work in partnership with our friends at the Kings Church to bring worship on a weekly basis on Life at Saint Peter’s Sunday mornings to Saint Cedd’s. The life of the church is about supporting the community as At this moment in time we cannot well as worship. We have been able to work alongside ‘Vivid’ manage this by ourselves and who provide affordable homes but also offer mentoring and we are here to play our part in support to their residents. Phil, who lives locally, has struggled, building the kingdom of God, like many others, through lockdown, being isolated and loss not holding on selfishly to ‘our’ of confidence. He has been busy creating amazing intricate, territory. So from July, you will colourful drawings and we were able to support him for a week see action on Sunday mornings by encouraging him and hosting an exhibition of his work. He and are welcome to join in. We sold several paintings but perhaps the best thing was the raising will see how this relationship of confidence. Members of his family and friends visited and Phil came to church on his own and thoroughly enjoyed the develops in the coming months worship and fellowship. and years. We hope to provide ‘Anglican’ worship Sunday The CoffeeHouse continues to provide a great service to the evenings in due course. local people and often those visiting the hospital. Thanks to new volunteers for sharing in this work. There is always a turnover of volunteers as circumstances change and we are grateful for your time, effort, smiles and skills. We, Saint Peter’s and Saint Cedd’s, have been successful in securing some funding, £3000, from Southend Council against The Studio the losses of revenue due to Coronavirus. This exciting project, I feel, We have welcomed quite a few people obver the last is beginning to take off, for a few months and will arrange, when we are able to hold a couple of reasons. In terms of ‘newcomers’ celebration and welcome event. Some may be technology we have switched interested in Confirmation and I urge you to contact the office to ‘provider’ and are able to register your interest. broadcast to Facebook and We are developing ideas for some exciting children’s work YouTube simaltaneously. This beginning in the summer, utilising the green space at the back means that the handful of viewers of the church. If you want to be involved please let us know via on YouTube are joined by 50-80 Andreas, in the office. viwers on Facebook - our reach WELCOME...... Two suitcases and hope to heaven

have asked Bernard and Cornelia to write a little introduction to themselves for you.....their story Iis much longer, perhaps you’ll get to know them more in the coming months. Bernard writes: don’t think it’s a novelty to say that it’s the hardest thing to write about ourselves. This Itime we try to do it as short as possible. It’s about two people: Cornelia and Bernard. We feel like a kind of two in one or two and a half years in the UK can in a package, as they say in the be described. Then came the country we come from. This time to decide for Bernard and does not mean that we have the time to choose for Cornelia similar personalities or that we (and she is now an ordinand are the same, but that we feel of the Church of ). good being different because We told ourselves that God it strengthens the connection wants us. We have been told between us. that the Church needs us. But In fact, it is a short story of we are still looking to find out being together, but a great joy if people want us or at least if because it happened to be so. It was just a professional they allow us to be useful. collaboration. And so it has We are both convinced that From community to been for many years. But when God has led us to meet and community, between joy, I decided to leave (with a that he has also chosen the hope, disappointments and suitcase and a lot of hope) and way to make this possible: our accomplishments, here we are retire from the Roman Catholic common passion for people. here, at Saint Peter, Saint Cedd Church, the same common Cornelia, a young teacher, I a and Saint Stephen. We know concern kept us close. We young priest: both full of zeal that God wants us as He wants didn’t think we could ever get and the joy of offering or being each one of us. We want to married, but the first red rose with those in need. believe that the Church needs began to prepare the way. And us and we are happy to be with She started a charity project the happy day has arrived: for poor children and their people who are ready to share married in the Anglican Church, their gifts and receive the gifts families. I was considered the by the blessing of a bishop. right man to support her in of others. After all, that’s what And then, adventures, work, it’s all about - sharing in love. setting up that project. And our hopes ... Without planning to meeting took place surrounded serve in the church any more. Cornelia and Bernard Noghiu by the people we loved and Another bishop disturbed our who loved us. peace a little: ‘In all this nothing for God? This is your place. ‘ UPDATES IN BRIEF On the road again. Arrived at 1. PCC meetings are Heathrow Airport, in a cold coming up in July - if August, two small people, you have any questions with two big suitcases, with or issues to raise please huge fears and hopes without let Colin know. knowing why. 2. We sent a welcome Work, disappointments, video to Bishop Guli, providential people, which was received with Bernard leads his first encouragement and stumbling much appreciation. communion at Saint Peter’s blocks: this is how the first 3