This morning’s Bible readings: Acts 14:1-7 (p 1109), Galatians 2:1-10 (p 1168).Huge congratulations to Charlie! Following her ordination as priest at a joyful service on Friday evening, Charlie will preside at all our services this weekend, and the 10.30 service will be communion rather than our usual 1st Sunday morning worship.Standon Flower festival 8th – 10th July: Please come and view the festival over next weekend. Please note that the flower arrangers will be busy in St Mary’s from Tuesday morning onwards. Refreshments will be available in the Village Hall while the festival is on.Tickets for the Standon Flower Festival Gala Evening at 6pm on Friday 8th July are available for £10 from Marion either in person or via email at marionsmith1456@gmail.com.There will be music in church during the Flower Festival. Do come along and enjoy the music and flowers!Friday 8th July 5.45pm The church bells will be rung6.15pm and 7.15pm Rebecca Watts (Harp)Saturday 9th July Organ music for half an hour on the hour: 10am Edward Dodge, 11am Richard Prince, 12 noon Derek Harrison, 1pm Michael Smith, 2pm Marion Smith, 3pm Thomas Stephens, 4pm Huw Jenkins.Sunday 10th July 'Flute cocktail' - a flute ensemble will play music for half an hour on the hour at 2pm, 3pm and 4pm.Join us to sing Songs Of Praise at 6.30pm in church. Hymns and songs chosen and introduced by members of our congregation and sung by us all!SOLID: SOLID is an annual festival for 8-17 year olds that brings together hundreds of children and young people from across the South East of England to discover and worship Jesus while taking part in all kinds of adventure, creative and sporting activities. It began back in 1996 and after going online in 2020, pausing in 2021 it is now back for 2022. The festival is organised by Scripture Union, Red Balloon Foundation, Kick London and the Diocese of Chelmsford and is open to any youth group from any denominational background. Several of our young people are there this weekend; please pray for all who will gather there.Website: Our new 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.Ian and Hanna Spillman retire: Ian and Hanna Spillman have left Kisiizi hospital in Uganda after two long spells of service there as Medical Superintendent and Senior Midwife. Their link with St. Mary's goes back 40 years, to when, as students at ANCC, they worshiped with us and led the youngsters CYFA group. They then got married and went to Kisiizi with Tearfund. During their time a school was established for staff's children and a nurses training centre to enable the hospital to train much needed nurses. Over the years St Mary's have raised money for bed linen, tyres, medical equipment and much more. For many years we sent banana boxes packed with stationary, food, clothing and many other requirements; these days we regularly send boxes of knitted items for new babies. Ian and Hanna came home to work but eventually they were asked to return in 2012. The hospital has grown and covers all medical needs for patients from many miles. Back in the UK they will be working with the Friends of Kisiizi (through whom our donations are channelled), still supporting the hospital. We are grateful that we have been able to follow their work. It has been a privilege to support them and we pray that they will be able to take a break before working in this new role. It would be good if some church members could attend Kisiizi day in the autumn, to support Ian and Hanna.Services for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services:Sunday 3rd July 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 10th July 10.30am Holy Communion, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints6.30pm Songs of Praise, St Mary'sSunday 17th July 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 24th July 10.30am Morning worship, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 31st July 10.30am Morning worship, St Catherine's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
This morning’s Bible readings: Galatians 1:11-24 (p 1168).In verses 11 and 12, Paul writes: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.”Choral evensong 26th June, 6.30 pm: Please join us for our monthly choral evensong service on Sunday. We’re also planning a Songs of Praise service at St Mary's at the end of the Flower Festival, on 10th July at 6.30pm. Please come along and celebrate with us.Charlie’s priesting 1st July: Charlie will be ordained priest on Friday 1st July in a service at St Augustine’s Church, Broxbourne at 6.30 pm. All are welcome and there’s plenty of room, but so we have an idea of how many will be there, please add your name to one of the sign-up sheets at the back of our churches if you plan to attend. If you don’t sign up, and then find you’re unexpectedly free, you can still come!Charlie will preside at all our services on Sunday 3rd July, and the 10.30 service will be communion rather than our usual 1st Sunday morning worship.Strawberry tea 29th June, 2.30 pm: Braughing with Standon Mothers' Union will hold its annual Strawberry Tea on Wednesday in the Church hall, Braughing. This is an open invitation to everyone so please come and join us. Please ring Diane on 01920 821130 or text to 07949 665365 by Monday 27th June if you would like to come, to ensure we have enough strawberries & scones. Donations to cover costs will be greatly appreciated.There will be a Bring & Buy stall with proceeds from this going to the Mothers’ Union project of providing Start up kits for women who are moving out of one of the refuges in the St Albans Diocese. If you have anything to donate to the Bring & Buy stall that will be very welcome.Standon Flower festival 8th – 10th July: In 3 weeks’ time St Mary's will be full of floral displays which will represent the words of Jesus. Lots of people from across the benefice and beyond have been working hard on plans and designs, getting props and looking after greenery in their gardens, so please come and view them over the weekend. Refreshments will be available in the Village Hall while the festival is on. Tickets for the Standon Flower Festival Gala Evening at 6pm on Friday 8th July are now available for £10 from Marion either in person or via email at marionsmith1456@gmail.com.Rotas of all sorts – still more help needed, please: This notice will be rested from the notices from next week, but that doesn’t mean we have enough volunteers. Please consider prayerfully whether you can help. We need help, please, with the rotas for all sorts of tasks in both St Mary’s and All Saints.Giving to our churches: At our recent APCMs you will have seen our financial results for 2021, and you will have heard our treasurers talk of the difficulties we all face in making ends meet in 2022. The statistics suggest that 40% of Anglicans have never been asked to contribute regularly to their church. We hope that doesn’t include any of our members! Information about our financial position has been uploaded recently to our website, but the core message is that without your support we can’t go on as we are indefinitely. Sacombe relies on previous members who have moved away but continue to support the church financially; Little Munden relies on a small number of generous donors who give large amounts as and when they are needed, and Standon is forecasting increasing deficits as we move forward. During Lent, we asked you to consider prayerfully the amount you give to support the work of our churches. Some of us have responded by increasing our giving. Some of us, understandably, aren’t in a position to do that. However, if our church income doesn’t increase, we will need to save costs somehow. If you thought, as you read the Lent information, “I must do something about that,” and didn’t quite get round to it, we ask that you do so now.Cantate concert 3rd July, 5.00 pm in St Mary’s: Tickets for the picnic concert, at £15, £12 (concession), £5 (children) are available from www.cantate.co.uk.Standon Calling 21st – 24th July: If you or someone you know is planning to buy tickets, you can obtain a discount and make money for our local schools! Log in using the special link, and you will receive cheaper tickets, plus our school will receive a commission. The links are:Little Munden School: https://go.kaboodle.co.uk/Little-Munden-Primary-School-SG12-0NRRoger de Clare School: https://go.kaboodle.co.uk/roger-de-clare-SG111TFWebsite: Our new 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 weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30 am Morning Worship & Bible study, St Mary'sSunday services: Sunday 26th June 10.30am Morning Worship & baptism, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints6.30pm Choral Evensong, St Mary'sSunday 3rd July 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 10th July 10.30am Holy Communion, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints6.30pm Songs of Praise, St Mary'sSunday 17th July 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy Communion, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints
This morning’s Bible readings: Acts 13:14, 42-52 (p 1107), Galatians 1:1-10 (p 1168).Sunday lunch at the Star: Our next Sunday lunch will be on Sunday 26th June at the The Star in Standon. If you would like a seat at the table please let Heather know by Monday 20th June.Choral evensong 26th June, 6.30 pm: Please join us for our monthly choral evensong service on 26th June. We’re also planning a Songs of Praise service at St Mary's at the end of the Flower Festival, on 10th July at 6.30pm. Please come along and celebrate with us.Charlie’s priesting 1st July: Charlie will be ordained priest on Friday 1st July in a service at St Augustine’s Church, Broxbourne at 6.30 pm. All are welcome and there’s plenty of room, but so we have an idea of how many will be there, please add your name to one of the sign-up sheets at the back of our churches if you plan to attend. If you don’t sign up, and then find you’re unexpectedly free, you can still come!Standon Flower festival 8th – 10th July: In 3 weeks’ time St Mary's will be full of floral displays which will represent the words of Jesus. Lots of people from across the benefice and beyond have been working hard on plans and designs, getting props and looking after greenery in their gardens, so please come and view them over the weekend. Refreshments will be available in the Village Hall while the festival is on. Tickets for the Standon Flower Festival Gala Evening at 6pm on Friday 8th July are now available for £10 from Marion either in person or via email at marionsmith1456@gmail.com.Open Gardens – thanks to all: We don’t have the absolutely final figure yet, but the Open Gardens event last weekend in Standon and Puckeridge raised around £8,800 for FOSM. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this event and its fantastic financial result.Concert in St Nicholas 2nd July: Great Munden Recreational Garden will present a concert by Royal String Ensemble on Saturday 2nd July at 7.00 pm in St Nicholas Church, Great Munden. Tickets at £20 each are available from greatmundengarden.com. Numbers will be limited, so you are recommended to book early.Rotas of all sorts – still more help needed, please: This notice has been running for some time now, but we still don’t have enough volunteers in some areas. Please consider prayerfully whether you can help. We need help, please, with the rotas for all sorts of tasks in both St Mary’s and All Saints.Giving to our churches: At our recent APCMs you will have seen our financial results for 2021, and you will have heard our treasurers talk of the difficulties we all face in making ends meet in 2022. The statistics suggest that 40% of Anglicans have never been asked to contribute regularly to their church. I hope that doesn’t include any of our members! Information about our financial position has been uploaded recently to our website, but the core message is that without your support we can’t go on as we are indefinitely. Sacombe relies on previous members who have moved away but continue to support the church financially; Little Munden relies on a small number of generous donors who give large amounts as and when they are needed, and Standon is forecasting increasing deficits as we move forward. During Lent, we asked you to consider prayerfully the amount you give to support the work of our churches. Some of us have responded by increasing our giving. Some of us, understandably, aren’t in a position to do that. However, if our church income doesn’t increase, we will need to save costs somehow. If you thought, as you read the Lent information, “I must do something about that,” and didn’t quite get round to it, we ask that you do so now.Afternoon concert St Mary’s, Ware 26th June, 2.30 pm: Richard Prince and Huw Jenkins will perform Arthur Somervell’s ‘Maud’ song cycle and Roger Quilter songs. Admission is free and there will be afternoon teas in the interval.Cantate concert 3rd July, 5.00 pm in St Mary’s: Tickets for the picnic concert, at £15, £12 (concession), £5 (children) are available from www.cantate.co.uk.Standon Calling 21st – 24th July: If you or someone you know is planning to buy tickets, you can obtain a discount and make money for our local schools! Log in using the special link, and you will receive cheaper tickets, plus our school will receive a commission. The links are:Little Munden School: https://go.kaboodle.co.uk/Little-Munden-Primary-School-SG12-0NRRoger de Clare School: https://go.kaboodle.co.uk/roger-de-clare-SG111TFWebsite:Our new benefice website is on the www.achurchnearyou.com platform. The benefice page is:www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7825/benefice. Please visitServices for the next few weeksMidweek services each week:Tuesdays, 9.30am Holy Communion (BCP), St Catherine'sWednesdays, 9.30 am Morning Worship & Bible Study, St Mary'sSunday services:Sunday 19th June 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Holy Communion, All Saints4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 26th June 10.30am Morning Worship & Baptism, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints6.30pm Choral Evensong, St Mary'sSunday 3rd July 8.00am Holy Communion, St Mary's10.30am Morning Worship, All Saints4.00pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 10th July 10.30am Holy Communion, St Mary's4.00pm The Centre, All Saints6.30pm Songs of Praise, St Mary's
This week’s Bible readings:Psalm 8 (p 546), John 16:12-15 (p 1084).Sunday lunch at the Star:Our next Sunday lunch will be on Sunday 26th June at the The Star in Standon. If you would like a seat at the table please let Heather know by Monday 20th June.Charlie’s priesting 1st July:Charlie will be ordained priest on Friday evening 1st July in a service at St Augustine’s Church, Broxbourne at 6.30 pm. All are welcome and there’s plenty of room, but we would like to have an idea of how many from this benefice will be there. There are sign-up sheets at the back of all our churches; please add your name if you plan to attend. If you don’t sign up, and then find you’re unexpectedly free, that doesn’t mean you can’t come!Standon Flower festival 8th–10th July:The date for the Flower festival is near - in only 4 weeks’ time St Mary's will be full of floral displays which will represent the words of Jesus. Lots of people from across the benefice and beyond have been working hard on plans and designs, getting props and looking after greenery in their gardens, so please come and view them over the weekend. Refreshments will be available in the Village Hall while the festival is on.Tickets for the Standon Flower Festival Gala Evening at 6pm on Friday 8th July are now available for £10 from Marion either in person or via email at marionsmith1456@gmail.com.Concert in St Nicholas 2nd July:Great Munden Recreational Garden will present a concert by Royal String Ensemble on Saturday 2nd July at 7.00 pm in St Nicholas Church, Great Munden. All proceeds will go to Essex & Herts Air Ambulance. Tickets at £20 each are available from greatmundengarden.com. Numbers will be limited, so you are recommended to book early!Rotas of all sorts – still more help needed, please:This notice has been running for some time now, but we still don’t have enough volunteers in some areas. Please consider prayerfully whether you can help. We need help, please, with the rotas for all sorts of tasks in both St Mary’s and All Saints.Website:Our new 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, 9.30 am Morning worship & Bible study, St Mary’sSunday services:Sunday 12th June 10.30 am Holy communion, St Mary’s4.00 pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 19th June 8.00 am Holy communion, St Mary’s10.30 am Holy communion, All Saints4.00 pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 26th June 10.30 am Morning worship & baptism, St Mary’s4.00 pm The Centre, All Saints6.30 pm Choral evensong, St Mary’sSunday 3rd July 8.00 am Holy communion, St Mary’s10.30 am Morning worship, All Saints4.00 pm The Centre, All SaintsSunday 10th July 10.30 am Holy communion, St Mary’s4.00 pm The Centre, All Saints
