This weekend’s Bible reading:
John 11:1-45 (p 1077)
Some news about Charlie:
After much thought and deliberation, Charlie has come to the difficult decision that she will need to finish her curacy elsewhere after her family moves to St Albans in July, and diocesan authorities have agreed with this. The journey to UBSMS from their new home would be around 50 minutes each way and, much as she would dearly love to see her curacy through to its conclusion here, she has realised it would not be sustainable. Her last Sunday will be 9th July.
First Sunday of the month:
We are delighted that, as part of the new arrangements described last week, Jenny Boot will be taking over organising the music for the first Sunday of the month. Jenny has wide experience in leading worship in other churches. The style will include both traditional and contemporary, often accompanied by her husband Joe but also other musicians in the benefice. We hope that everyone can come and support this; no-one is intended to be excluded.
Lent course on Wednesday evenings 7.30 pm at All Saints:
We have been running a course on Wednesday evenings throughout Lent: Christians Foundations for Today, focussing on our Christian foundations and how they work out in our lives day by day. This week’s session will be the last.
Stainer’s Crucifixion 26th March:
On Sunday at 6.30pm in St Mary's our benefice choir with other chorister friends will be singing Stainer's The Crucifixion. This is a moving meditation on the Passion with hymns for all to sing as well as music for the choir and soloists. It is a special way to continue your Lent journey as we move towards Holy Week and Easter. Please come along and bring someone who would enjoy sharing this time of worship with us. It will last for about an hour. There is no charge. A retiring collection will be taken for the musical outreach of our benefice.
Pop-Up shop 26th March:
The pop up shop will be in St Mary's after the 10.30 service this Sunday. The fair trade items now come from One World Shop since Traidcraft went into administration. There will be various food items for sale and The Real Easter Egg will be available for £5. The pop up shop also has Christian gifts, second hand Christian books and there will be some Easter cards there too. You can also order items from Marion at any time and the website will be displayed. All profits go to the Buntingford Foodbank.
Little Angels on 31st March:
On 31st our toddler group will hold its Easter party, starting at 10:30am with an Easter Egg hunt in the churchyard, and then inside for hot cross buns and hot chocolate. Any small one is welcome, with his or her grown-up.
Braughing with Standon Mothers' Union:
Everyone is invited to a Lent lunch which starts at 1pm on Wednesday 29 March in the Church Hall, Braughing. There will be no charge but donations to cover expenses will be welcome. Please contact Diane Moss on 01920 821130 by Sunday 26 March if you would like to come, to ensure we have enough soup.
Congratulations to Jo M:
After a very long route of 7 years study, retakes of GCSEs in Maths and Science, HNC in Childhood Studies, Jo has graduated with a BA Honours (First Class) in Business and Management as part of a Degree Apprenticeship. She just has the final Apprenticeship element to finish in April and she will have completed a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship with Chartered Manager status. Our congratulations to Jo, and thanks to God for his strength supporting her through this challenging journey.
Ringing honours for Standon:
On 18th March, the Bishop’s Stortford District held their Annual Striking Competition at Great Hormead, followed by a business meeting where a special announcement was made. Philip Pudsey-Dawson learnt to ring at St Mary’s Standon in 1998 and was taught by Trevor Chapman. Philip was a regular participant in the Tuesday night practices and was always there for Sunday Service ringing.
He rang on 1st January 2000 to celebrate the Millennium and on the morning of the opening day of the London Olympics in 2012 and was always a member of our Tower Quiz team. Philip made a beautiful plinth for our District Call Change ringing trophy to support a brass bell donated by one of the ringers from another tower in memory of her husband.
As Philip, sadly, is no longer able to ring, the District made a decision that they would like to nominate him to become a Life Member of the Hertford County Association of Change Ringers in recognition for the services he had made to ringing both at St Mary’s and in the District. Philip and Angela came along to our meeting to hear the announcement and it was lovely for Philip to catch up with his old ringing friends.
As a footnote, the team that represented Standon in the Striking Competition (who are the ringers who come and ring on a Sunday) came a very respectable 3rd!
A visit from Pilgrim Cross, (formerly Student Cross):
This is a walking pilgrimage that walks to Walsingham during Holy Week. The London leg of the pilgrimage will be walking from Epping to Walsingham and hopes to stop overnight on 1st April in Standon. They carry with them a wooden cross and they will leave it in St Mary’s overnight into Palm Sunday. They have asked if anyone would like to meet them for prayer during the Saturday evening; if you’re interested, please speak to John.
APCMs and Electoral Roll Revisions:
The season for the Annual Parochial Church Meetings (APCMs) is almost upon us. Before the meetings there will be a formal revision of the Electoral Roll in each church within the Benefice; look out for notices outlining the timetable for this in each church.
The Electoral Roll is completely renewed from scratch every 6 years, next due in 2025. This year the review is really just a tidying up of the roll. If you are already on one of our Electoral Rolls you don’t need to do anything unless you wish to be removed or you have moved and not updated your contact details, in which case you should contact your Electoral Roll Officer directly or through the Churchwardens.
With the upcoming APCMs now is a good time to join the Electoral Roll of any of the churches within the Benefice. Each Roll is published/displayed within the relevant church for the two weeks immediately before their APCM; no new names can be added during this time. Being on the Electoral Roll allows you to attend the APCM, have your say and play a part in how the church is run. It is also an important declaration of support for your church, an assertion that you are a member of the church and/or committed to the church's presence in the local community. So many good things stem from the life of the local church and we want to serve the wider community in the best way that we can.
Paper copies of the enrolment form are available at the back of the churches. Completed forms should be handed to one of the Welcomers or Churchwardens who will make sure it is passed on to the appropriate Electoral Roll Officer.
Lent Appeal:
Once again, we are appealing this Lent for our mission and ministry locally. As we travel through Lent, we remember all that God has done and given to secure our salvation; please pray about what and how he is asking you to give in gratitude.
Website:
Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The benefice page can be reached through: www.ubsms.org.uk. Please visit it to see the range of information there.
Services for the next few weeks
Midweek services each week:
Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine's
Wednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary's
Sunday services:
26th March 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
6.30pm Stainer's Crucifixion, St Mary's
2nd April 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's
10.30am Morning worship, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
9th April 10.30am Easter holy communion, St Mary's
16th April 8.00am Ante communion, St Mary's
10.30am Morning worship, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
23rd April 10.30am Family worship, St Mary's
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
6.30pm Coronation choral evensong, St Mary's