News and notices from across the benefice
The cross inside the church, above the communion table, shows that we all need to keep coming back to the cross of Christ – our relationship is an ongoing thing.
We continually need to receive his help and healing in good times and bad.
It may appear “foolishness” to many, but to those that experience this relationship with God it has the ring of truth.
what might appear foolish to the rest of the world is what we as Christians are baptised into – the suffering of the cross, for without the suffering of the cross then Christ could not have risen.
Corinth, according to the Book of Acts, was one of the more successful of Paul’s churches and yet the picture that St. Paul gives us today is far from rosy:
'It has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters'.
Thank you to all who supported Basildon Open Gardens in any way, the net profit to be shared between St Stephens and the Village Hall, is about £1200. I heard that there was a fantastic atmosphere and everyone enjoyed seeing so many people walking around the village! Someone commented “It went brilliantly with hundreds coming round the village for Open Gardens from Wantage, Tilehurst, Pangbourne as well as the village”.
The Bishop travelled 17 miles by boat on 1 September across Maidenhead and Windsor Deaneries. Then walked around 50 miles from Monday to Thursday across the Deaneries of Bracknell, Sonning, Reading and Bradfield. On Sunday 8th, the team cycled 16 miles or so across the Newbury Deanery from Hungerford to Thatcham and completed the final couple of visits by car.
Bishop Steven will be pilgrimaging round the Benefice on THURSDAY 5th September.
1-2 pm Join Bishop Steven at St Stephen’s for Holy Communion & Lunch in Basildon
Bishop Steven is then continuing his pilgrimage on foot aiming for
3:30 pm at St Clement’s Join Bishop Steven in Prayer in Ashampstead.
TICKETS FOR OPEN GARDENS in advance from Clive Williams on 01491-671631 or e-mail clivewilliams@gmx.co.uk
Tickets can be bought on the day at St Stephens, the village hall or any of the gardens. Cost £6 per adult (children free).
11 Garden owners are participating as in the map above: 6 in the Village/Triangle area; 4 in Bethesda Street/Aldworth Road area and one in Beckfords. Teas will be available at several locations and to add even more variety, there will be a number of exhibition - Art, Photography and Local History. NO dogs please.
The proceeds will be divided between the Church and Village Hall.
The Basildon Horticultural Society are holding their show the day before, so we look forward to an enjoyable and successful Basildon community week-end.
Did you see the TV Series –“The Toughest Place to be a............”?
A London binman with semi-destitue Indonesian binmen in Jakarta;
A Cornish Fisherman in Sierra Leone;
Sussex firefighter in Brazilian forests;
Devon dairy farmer with subsistence cattle farmers in Kenya;
A London Cabbie in Mumbai.
Being in someone else’s shoes is not something we can easily do.
It may be fun, challenging, or exciting, to receive insights into a different life!
Swapping jobs is one thing, how about bodies? How might we fare if we had to suffer the disability of the woman in the Luke's story:
"On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all."
