Weekly Newsletter 6th May
Dear friends,
It’s been a couple of weeks since our last email, so I do hope that you are well. Thank you to everybody who joined us and helped throughout Easter. Our three churches looked stunning and we really were able to joyfully celebrate our Lord’s resurrection. Alleluia!
The excitement continues:
We are delighted to share that from July we will be welcoming a new minister amongst us. The (soon to be) Reverend Jen Green will be joining the benefice as Curate after she is ordained at Christchurch Cathedral, Oxford. Jen is finishing her Theology degree at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and will be moving into the area in the next few weeks. Jen and her family will be with us for around three years so we are very excited about all that they will share with us through their time with us. Do please look out for news items and notices about Jen and her family as we prepare to enthusiastically welcome them to our community.
As promised, things are beginning to ‘ramp up’ a little more now we are able. Alongside our compliment of online bible study groups, services and events and we are pleased to launch a new (in person) home group this week - helping us to think about inspiring characters from the Old Testament. Please see details below if you are interested in joining.
Basildon Jubilee Update: A couple of things to share with you regarding the upcoming Jubilee Celebrations.
1- The previously advertised events on the Thursday and Friday are now being rolled together into one celebration on Thursday 2nd June and have changed venue. There will now be a beacon lighting event held at Hillfields Farm from 7:30pm. With a Bar and BBQ. (This is no longer at The Red Lion).
2 - We have the possibility of a free shuttle service on Saturday 4th June to collect villagers from St Stephen’s Church and/or Teneplas Drive and shuttle them to the Recreation Ground. It would be helpful to know whether there would be a demand for this service. It would likely run from 11:30am-12:15pm, and then 5:30-6pm. If this would be of use to you in Basildon, please do let me know so I can arrange some details. Thank you.
As always, if there is anything we can do or pray for you during this time, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with any one of us.
Hope to see you very soon.
Love and blessings,
Grant
The Benefice Weekly Newsletter
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Services this Sunday
Future Dates & Events
Next week’s services
Prayer Points
Please do continue to pray for Ukraine, for those caught in hostilities, those who are mourning, and for the political situation. Let us give thanks for the refuge we have been able to offer here in the UK and continue to pray for the constraints of bureaucracy to ease so many more families can find safety here too. Lord, Have Mercy.
Please pray for the Local Elections around the UK.
Please pray for the NHS continuing to serve the nation with tiredness and fatigue featuring heavily.
Please pray for HRH Queen Elizabeth II and the Jubilee celebrations this year.
Please continue to pray for those we know and love who are at this time unwell or recovering from illnesses.
Please pray for those within our parishes who have lost loved ones recently.