Churches open:
All three of our churches are open as usual. Books of condolence are available to sign and all are welcome to visit.
Special services:
At our communion service in St Mary’s at 8.00 this Sunday we will incorporate special prayers issued by the Church of England for use at this time. At All Saints at 10.30, we will hold a special communion service to remember Queen Elizabeth II, the only monarch most of us have ever known in our lifetimes.
Also at 6pm at St James' Church Stanstead Bury, there will be a special candlelit service of Evensong on the eve of the Queen's funeral. Michael will be directing the choir which will include some of our own singers. All are welcome at the service. The church address is Roydon Road Stanstead Abbotts SG12 8JZ.
Our church bells will ring on Monday along with many others across the country. At Little Munden, they will be rung at around 10.30 am and then again at about 2.30 pm. Sacombe’s will be rung straight after Little Munden’s in the afternoon. Standon’s bells will ring from 10.00 until 10.45.
This weekend’s Bible readings:
Genesis 9:12-16 (p 10); John 5:1-15 (p 1068).
Baptism coming up:
Next Sunday, at 3.00 on the afternoon of 25th September, we will be holding a service of baptism by full immersion in the river! Please meet at St Mary’s at around 2.30, and we will walk across the fields to the river. There will be a short act of worship at the riverside (on the water meadows in Standon) before we all move back to St Mary’s. All are welcome; please come and support Niall and Lisa!
Harvest Appeal:
Our harvest appeal this year will be for our mission partners, the Ellis and McGoldrick families, split 50:50. Catherine McGoldrick grew up locally. With her husband Stephen she trained at All Nations, and they are now serving with WEC International in Burundi with frequent visits to the Congo. They have two adopted sons, Asher & Jacques. Andrew and Samara Ellis were placed at All Saints and St Catherine’s by the College some years ago. They live and work in Harare, Zimbabwe, leading the River of Life church as well as Youth discipleship and Church leaders development. See https://www.riveroflifechurch.co.zw/ for more information on the River of Life church.
Members of the Benefice provide regular support to both families for their work in the Gospel, and this Appeal is to provide them with essential funds for healthcare, travelling, education and general living costs. Please give generously.
Our harvest services will take place on 20th September (at 9.30 am in St Catherine’s), 25th September (at 10.30 am and 6.30 pm in St Mary’s) and 2nd October (at 8.00 am in St Mary’s and 10.30 am in All Saints), but donations may be made at any time. Please use the special envelopes in our churches and put your donation in the collection bag or give it to one of our treasurers or church wardens. Online donations should use the reference ‘harvest’, please.
BGWM is looking for new members:
The next meeting of the Benefice Group for World Mission will be at 2pm on Tuesday 4th October at All Saints. The group keeps up to date with news from our mission partners around the world and supports them with prayer. It brings to our attention particular prayer needs, through the ‘Pray for our mission partners and the world’ section of this sheet, and it makes recommendations to PCC about our regular appeals. They would love to see some new faces joining them. For more information, please speak to Peter A.
Sunday lunch at the Star:
The next Sunday lunch at the Star is on 25th September. Please contact Heather by Sunday if you would like to book a place: 07909 065550, [email protected].
October lunchtime concerts:
Our lunchtime concert season is approaching! This year we have:
Saturday 1st October Bella Cora ladies Choir
Saturday 8th October A musical miscellany with Marion and Michael Smith
Saturday 15th October A10 Strings directed by David Boarder.
Concerts begin at 12.30pm (retiring collection). Lunch (suggested donation £5) is available from 12 noon.
Choir singing in Canterbury cathedral:
Our choir has been invited to sing Evensong in Canterbury Cathedral on Friday 28th October at 5.30pm. This is a wonderful opportunity. There will be a coach travelling to Canterbury, leaving Puckeridge at 10am and returning by about 8pm. If anyone would like to travel with the choir and enjoy visiting the cathedral and hearing Evensong then please speak to Marion.
Website:
Our benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The benefice page is: www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7825/benefice. 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:
18th September 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's
10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
25th September 10.30am All age harvest service, St Mary's
3.00pm Baptism in the river, Standon water meadows
6.30pm Harvest Choral evensong, St Mary's
2nd October 8.00am Harvest holy communion, St Mary's
10.30am Harvest morning worship, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
9th October 10.30am Holy communion, St Mary's
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
16th October 8.00am Holy communion, St Mary's
10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints
4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
At 6.30pm on Sunday 25th September in St Mary's there will be a special service of Evensong for Harvest including hymns, music, prayers and readings. Do join us for this lovely time of worship.