Church Matters Priory Church of St Laurence, Blackmore St Peter & St Paul Church, Stondon Massey April 2019 Donation 50p Services - April 2019 St Peter & St Paul Church, Priory Church of Stondon Massey St Laurence, Blackmore Usually at 11.00 am Usually at 9.00 am Rainbow Corner 11.00 am Sun 7th April Holy Communion Inspire Family Service with Morning Prayer Baptism APCM after service Sun 14th April Holy Communion Holy Communion Palm Sunday Book of Common Prayer Common Worship Mon 15th April 8.00 pm Night Prayer (St. Peter & St. Paul) Tues 16th April 8.00 pm Prayer Stations (St. Laurence Wed 17th April 8.00 pm Stations of the Cross (St. Peter & St. Paul) Thurs 18th April 6.30pm Maundy Thursday Passover Meal Followed by Holy Communion (St. Laurence) Fri 19th April 2.00pm Last Hour at the 10.00am All Age Worship and Good Friday Cross Walk of Witness Sat 20th April 8.00pm-12.00 Midnight Easter Vigil (St. Laurence) Sun 21st April 8.00am Son Rise Service 11.00am Holy Communion Easter Sunday and Breakfast 9.00am Holy Communion Sun 28th April Holy Communion Sung Holy Communion Book of Common Prayer APCM Bring and Share Lunch Morning Prayer - 9.30am Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Priory Church of St. Laurence Copy deadline for May Issue Friday 12th April. Editors Sue & Andrew Watley, Tel: 01277 824854 email: [email protected]. To advertise contact Jill Griffiths or the Editors (Churches/Reg. Charities: free) Rates are: Black/white Full page £110 per year (10 issues), ½ page: £55 per year. Black/white single page £15, half page £10.Colour page £20, half page £15. Church Web Site The link to the site is: http:/www.blackmorechurch.org.uk/ Sending copy to us then send to John Hughes as well. Priory Church of St Laurence Blackmore and St Peter and St Paul Stondon Massey Rev’d Sam Brazier-Gibbs , The Vicarage, Church Street, Blackmore, Ingatestone, Essex CM4 0RN Telephone: 07894 948867 Email: [email protected] Reflections from Rev’d Sam Dear Friends The four Gospels in the bible tell of this As I write we are in the 2nd week of lent story, of Jesus being crucified, dying and it seems to be passing very and being buried, and on the third day quickly! appearing to Mary and the disciples We are looking forward to Mothering alive again. Sunday, that day when we remember The cartoon above depicts Thomas, all who have mothered us, that may not one of Jesus disciples having a bit of a necessarily be our birth mother but rant, because he is the disciple that another who has loved and supported from the time of Jesus resurrection to us as we have grown, and now we are this day is known as ‘Doubting journeying towards Holy week where Thomas’. The cartoon makes the point we journey through Jesus’ last days that we don’t call Peter ‘denying Peter’ before his crucifixion, Easter a time for or Mark ‘run away Mark’, then why eating chocolate but also a time when should he be labelled as ‘Doubting we remember the death and Thomas’. resurrection of Jesus. Was Thomas a failure because he 3 doubted? I suppose it would be easy Instead of calling Thomas a doubter for us to scold Thomas for his doubt, perhaps we should make him an for his lack of faith, but when we do so, example, for Thomas was a man who we may identify with him, for we too had a deep and abiding love for Jesus, may have moments of doubt. And that and for those in need. He was a man of doubt can touch us in all areas of our great courage; being brave in the face lives, not just the area of faith, we can of great adversity, and he was not a doubt if we are in the right job or the man to shy away from asking of himself right relationship, or if we are buying or those difficult questions. selling something we can have doubt I hope you have a very blessed Easter, that we are doing it at the right time or enjoying lots of chocolate with friends for the right price. and family, and if we have doubt We can look at doubt and see it as a maybe we should take Thomas’ negative thing, however it can be example, really look for Jesus, ask the viewed through the lens of positivity, difficult questions and, when we find because doubt causes us to ask him, fall to our knees as he did and questions of ourselves, to double- proclaim “My Lord and my God.” check ourselves, to re-asses our lives Your friend and Vicar and the direction in which we are taking. Sam Chelmsford Cathedral - Holy Week and Easter Services Palm Sunday Sunday 14th April 8.00am Holy Communion 10.30am Sung Eucharist with procession of palms 3.30pm Music and Readings - An invitation to be still in the Cathedral Holy Week Monday 15th, Tuesday 16th, Wednesday 17th April 7.00pm Reflections with Bishop Stephen Cottrell Maundy Thursday Thursday 18th April 7.45pm The Eucharist of the Last Supper followed by the Watch Preacher: The Bishop of Chelmsford Good Friday Friday 19th April 12.00pm Preaching of the Cross. Preacher: The Bishop of Chelmsford 2.00pm The Good Friday Liturgy 5.15pm Evensong Easter Eve Saturday 20th April 7.00pm Diocesan Confirmation Service - The Bishop of Chelmsford Easter Day Sunday 21st April 8.00am Holy Communion 9.30am Parish Eucharist 11.15am Festal Eucharist (sung) led by The Bishop of Chelmsford 3.30pm Festal Evensong 4 News from the Diocese Getting together to pray for our nation Right Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford has joined the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in calling for communities to join together in conversation and prayer as Brexit discussions reach a pivotal point. Bishop Stephen encourages churches in East London and Essex to mark the 29 March by joining in a national prayer initiative of five days and to host informal café-style meetings over the weekend of 30 March to bring together people of all standpoints and encourage open discussion. Bishop Stephen said: Brexit will be a cause of celebration for some and lament for others, but one thing is clear - we can no longer continue to define one another by how we voted in the referendum. The time has come for communities to come together to serve the common good, in our nation and in our relationship with the rest of Europe.” “Whether or not it yet becomes the day on which the UK leaves the European Union, 29 March will be a significant moment in the national consciousness”. Ecumenical church leaders in Essex and East London are gathering for prayer on Thursday 28 March. Bishop Stephen will be at Chelmsford Cathedral at 9.00am on Saturday 30 March. All are welcome to join him. The Right Revd Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford has written a letter to all clergy in the Diocese of Chelmsford asking them to consider hosting a tea-and- prayer drop in session in church on or around Saturday 30 March. Resources are available at churchofengland.org/together Bishop Stephen, Chelmsford New Zealand: The Bishops’ response 15th Mar 2019 The Bishops of Chelmsford Diocese have issued the following message in response to the New Zealand terror attack. On behalf of the Church of England here in East London and Essex we offer our deepest condolences to our Muslim sisters and brothers after the horrendous events in New Zealand. We are devastated by this evil act, and offer those grieving and injured our love and prayers." +Stephen Chelmsford, +John Bradwell, +Peter Barking, + Roger Colchester 5 Family News Happy Birthday To Anthea Gray, Kerry Allardyce, Andrew Smith, Margaret Laing, Debbie Thwaite, Richard Thwaite and anyone else celebrating a birthday in April. Congratulations Baptism 7th April - Max Lenny Smith (St. Laurence) From the Registers Baptism 3rd March - Max and Ernie Ennis (St. Laurence) Burial of Ashes 17th March Valerie Wells It was with great sadness that we learnt that Miriam Lee of Church Street, passed away on Tuesday 19th March. Our thoughts, love and prayers go to David, Robert and Alex. Baptism celebration of Max and Ernie Ennis 6 Reflections . In your prayers this month please remember . Thoughts at Eastertide We pray for Rev Sam. Rev Stewart, Anthea, our Church Wardens Stuart, When our faith Sandra, Jan and both our PCCs. stands at the grave, We give thanks for the opportunities to grieving discover more of our faith through the for a stone that's rolled away, Lent Course and our journey towards Easter. Bless Christians across our forgive us. world as they celebrate Easter. We pray for Max’s family as they bring When our faith him for baptism. is short of We pray for the people of Christchurch understanding NZ and especially the Muslim families though the truth is there to see, who have suffered loss or been hurt by forgive us. the atrocities in the Mosques. We pray for the people of Utrecht whose lives When our faith, were shattered by violence. We pray for families who have lost loved ones beset by doubt, sees through violence on our own streets. no further We remember in our prayers the than an empty tomb today, people of Mozambique and their forgive us. African neighbours whose lives have been devastated by the recent cyclone. Bring to mind We pray for all who are suffering the cry of Mary, hardship through war, famine, and ‘I have seen the Lord!' natural disasters across our world.