Colchester Christ Church

News – September 2014

Christ Church Anglican Congregation Vision Statement “Through our worship, mission, nurture and service we want to enable all

people to enter into a living relationship with Jesus Christ”

In this month’s news:

The Rector writes – three vicars and a caravan awning

Jackie’s jotting – Discovery

A brief hello from Matt and Jennie

Prayer of the month

Service of commission

Thank you

Mega makers holiday club photos

Colchester CAP Debt Centre

Traidcraft – why no bubbles?

Fairtrade fresh plum cake

Alpha @Christ Church

Who let the Dads out?

Messy Church

Barn dance and hog roast

Harvest gifts

World’s biggest coffee morning

IJM Advocacy training day

SOLE – Can you hear me?

Christ Church Got Talent

Saturday prayer works

Prayer walking

Operation Christmas child

What’s on

September diary

The Rector Writes September 2014

‘Three vicars and a caravan awning’

Jesus said, “You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom,

keys to open any and every door...” Matthew 16: 19

It is good to be back after enforced

rest and time out with God over the

summer holidays. Thank you to

everyone who shared in bringing the

lead article for Christ Church News.

Long may it continue! I hope we will

read and hear more from the wider

church community.

On Sunday 24th August, I shared

some thoughts about the encounter

between Jesus and Peter as Jesus

asked his disciples who they thought

he was. It was Peter who boldly

confessed, that Jesus was the

“Messiah, the Son of the living God”.

Jesus’ response to Peter was quite

amazing. He said that this could

have only come from Father God,

that by the power of the Holy Spirit,

this revelation had been given to him

and this set Peter apart for his

particular role in leading the church

to come. The response of Jesus is to

endow Peter with huge

responsibility. For Jesus, the

question of his identity was ‘the key’,

which unlocked the opportunity for

his mission to develop and grow

beyond his death, resurrection and

ascension. Jesus knew that Peter’s

was no idle guess but a revelation to

heart and mind that would

ultimately propel Peter into the

leadership of the early church. Yes,

dear Peter, now rocky, the key

holder and rock on which all these

years later we are Christ’s body, his

church.

Jesus then tells Peter directly, “You

will have complete and free access to

God’s kingdom, keys to open any and

every door: no more barriers

between heaven and earth, earth

and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in

heaven. A no on earth is no in

heaven.”

What Jesus was saying to Peter is

that YOU are the key to the Kingdom

of God, what you say and do from

now on will provide the way for

people to come into a new

relationship with God and share in

the wonder and power of Kingdom

life.

At some stage in our Christian lives,

Jesus has asked us that same

question. Who do you say I am?

As Christians, we have come to that

confession, you are the Christ, the

Saviour - my Jesus, my Saviour. And

in accepting this truth for ourselves

we now hold ‘the key’ to enable

others to be welcomed into God’s

Kingdom – everyone! We then carry

this huge responsibility to be a

kingdom building people, sharing the

Easter message, the good news,

proclaiming freedom to all who are

captive and lost. To seek the Holy

Spirit, to know his gifting and power

to heal and to save, and indeed to

welcome the supernatural power of

the Kingdom of God to impact not

only our lives but also all whom we

meet.

It was much later that Peter

challenged the people of the early

church to be willing and able key

holders.

1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts set

apart Christ as Lord. Always be

prepared to give an answer to

everyone who asks you to give the

reason for the hope that you have.

But do this with gentleness and

respect,

Now we all find this a challenge but it

does not have to be so daunting. Yes,

we are the key, the possibility for

others to come to know Jesus but

there are many ways in which we

might be a key to ‘open any and

every door’ and let the Kingdom in.

With this in mind, I end with a story.

Just a few weeks ago, while we were

staying with friends on a caravan site

in Harlech, North Wales, a family

arrived on an adjacent pitch. Peter,

Pat, William, George, and their dog

Milo had come away for a few days

holiday to enjoy Peter’s 60th birthday

present, a brand new caravan. Peter

was having a little trouble in parking

the caravan, so I popped out to lend

a hand.

This initial encounter, so warmly

received was to lead to an

unexpected opportunity to be ‘a key

to open any and every door’. Peter

and his family had no idea as to how

to park, set up their new awning or

do anything associated with a never

used before caravan. But help was

at hand and the ‘door’ was opened

not with just one but a whole bunch

of keys – three vicars to be precise -

Rev’s Rog, Tim and Paul. Gladly we

were received as we set about

putting up the awning, sorting the

gas, water and electric and later in

the week looked after the dog as the

family went out for the day. Over

the few days the family stayed, we

bumped into each other in the

routine of ‘caravanning life’ sharing

easy conversations about our faith

and praying for Peter, Pat, William

and George. They had many

thoughts and questions and we were

able to witness the reality of Jesus in

our hearts as we joyfully enabled

them to have a family holiday

together. “You have made our week

possible and so very special” they

said, “We can’t thank you enough”.

Peter said, “They will never believe

me when I tell friends that I met

three vicars who put up my awning”.

Our prayer for them is that they will

cherish the moment and in time

grow into a new and wonderful

relationship with Jesus. The door has

been unlocked; we pray that they

will enter in.

Brothers and sisters, let us be always

ready to speak, to give an answer to

the hope we have in us and be the

key that unlocks the Kingdom of God

to those he shows us.

Yours ever Paul

Jackie’s Jottings Discovery

My last Jackie’s jottings in March was entitled journey. I am calling this entry Discovery as that is how my life journey panned out over the ensuing months. From April onwards, there were further challenging life curves with further bereavements in the wider family and with friends. My elderly father continued to be in and out of hospital with regular blood transfusions and I discovered that there is quite a difference now when he is in hospital because all the responsibility falls on me. With the added challenges and responsibilities and continued warning signs of disorientation if I did too much, I realised that my background ministry role had to diminish further in order to move forward in my journey of healing and

adjustment. I carried on taking school assemblies during Paul’s absence but I found I needed to avoid the pressure of the busy spring and summer agenda by taking a sort of mini sabbatical. It wasn’t because I didn’t want people to know the Lord because I did and do. But I simply didn’t have any more reserves for ministerial get up and give! Adjusting after bereavement takes so much energy itself. Even quiet prayer meetings had an outward focus and my prayer life at that point was much more about silently and gently putting everything and everyone into the Father’s hands. So with assent I took to the quiet life for a while. But I wasn’t giving up on God, faith and fellowship. Rather it was about finding a way forward that enabled me to engage with God and be in fellowship in a gentle environment that gave me time and space both to detect the Lord’s guiding hand and voice and then, listening to him, follow my instincts of doing what I knew would instinctively help me rebuild the whole of life.

It has been a time of disclosure and discernment that helps me towards re-orientating my life and preparing for future ministry. I rediscovered my love of the contemplative in a way that meets my evangelical faith. I discovered quiet days at Mulberry house, Ongar, and a special place of ministry in Kent for those suffering loss called Beauty from Ashes, as well as sometimes visiting other Churches. I re-orientated myself at home by uncovering old photos and treasured memories; finding the right tools and taking action to maintain the garden and house plus spending some time with family and friends. I have also joined a monthly hospice social group for the bereaved plus working out hobbies –mainly ones that give me much needed gentle exercise and gentle adventure. Part of the rediscovery of myself is that I like little adventures in the open air that help me experience the childlike joy of fun in being in God’s presence, I’d be terrified by anything that burned up

too much adrenaline like bungee jumping or wild water rafting but I am happy to go paddling in a canoe with the occasional nose dive into the water and join in camping with the kids in a non-crawling easy set up tent. A lot of time though is now spent on my own in a world that works in pairs- so I had to think back to what I did as a child and teenager that might fit in my new solo status. I used to ride a bike and drive a scooter. I was very tempted to drive a scooter again as I haven’t been able to ride a bike up a hill for years. However I was instead able to get hold of a power assisted bike that whizzes up hills for me and enables me to explore further afield in a safer way, though I’m not ruling out hiring a scooter for a holiday before I get too old. And God has made it clear that he is in every step with me. Life is not all rosy and doing things can be tough at times, One adventure took me on a bit of an isolated spooky

dark path and I told the Lord I didn’t like being here on my own very much. I then had an amazing moment of consolation when he told me that I wasn’t alone but that he was the pillion rider on the back and we had a quick whizz along on a bit of a desolate day. Some of these things may sound frivolous, especially to those who have been working hard at Christ Church, but they have all been an important part of readjustment and preparation for future ministry. On Sunday we talked about Jesus’ question, ‘Who do you say I am?’ Then we shared about what we had discovered about him. Though Jesus and the Father often revealed themselves by what they did, it is often the character of God: his

faithfulness, his everlasting love and his being with us that are cited in our thoughts and biblical praises. Perhaps it is notable that the Lord Almighty reveals himself as ‘I am, I was’ and I will be’ rather than ‘I did , I do and I will do’ –though that is also true. In the last few months, I have been rediscovering that my essential being and any subsequent doing come first from the core of knowing who I am in Christ. I am a human being first of all. I am deeply loved for who I am before I do anything! Christ has done everything to bring me into intimate relationship with him. I do not need to work up faith but simply make time to get to know him. He then delights in my faithfulness as I learn to simply trust his faithfulness to me. These have not been brand new lessons but I have had to go deeper into them at a time when I can’t be or do in the same way and they (sometimes gradually) bring about a greater sense of rest and a safer place to go when I feel troubled. I have also been much more aware that the Lord is interested in my whole life and wants my whole life to be dedicated to him. Every part of it

belongs to him but it can still be balanced in activity. Even Jesus carved out time for rest though it sometimes got interrupted, When the crowds were looking for him (Mark 1:38) Jesus said, ‘Let’s go somewhere else.’ This has enabled me to know I am allowed to enjoy time out with God in different ways and enjoy him with a greater childlike sense of fun if I am not holding back parts of myself from him. I am also unearthing truths about trusting God’s timing. We came to Christ Church as an enthusiastic, energised pair, willing to try everything to see where the future lay and it was so difficult to find

myself in a totally different place. But I have discerned that it would have been a different time anyway, it’s not the beginning of a curacy but a time to see where to specialise more. Paul and I have been in discussions with Archdeacon Annette about that. Peter had discovered who Jesus was and went on to discover and reveal more about him. We will keep on unearthing treasures as we set our minds to know him more and I suspect that our deeper knowledge of his love and care will be as great a witness as anything else we can say or do.

A Brief Hello from Matt and Jennie! As Matt starts his role as Families & Youth Worker this month, we thought it would be a good time introduce ourselves a little bit! We’re now nicely settled in to our new home in Colchester, especially thanks to the wonderful hamper full of Traidcraft goods, cake, flowers and cards from everyone at Christ Church. Thank you for offering such a warm and generous welcome – it has really encouraged us during this time of change. As we both grew up in Hertfordshire, moving to Colchester has been a move closer to home. Over the last couple of years, we have been based in Hampshire, where Jennie finished her first two years as a new doctor. Meanwhile, Matt has been commuting to King’s College London doing a master’s degree in “Contemporary Ecclesiology” (which basically means “what-people-have-been-saying-about-church-lately”!). We have been married for three years, and since moving we’ve had a new fluffy addition to the family – a crazy kitten called Howie – who has taken up any free time we’ve had left in between unpacking boxes, finishing off a dissertation (Matt) and starting a new job in Chelmsford (Jennie).

Before we got Howie, we spent our free time on other interests, which we hope to get back into! Jennie enjoys swimming training and jogging (normally with Matt trailing behind); Matt generally prefers less energetic activities(!), like playing guitar and piano, chess, and being engrossed in a brain-scratching book (usually of a theological variety). We both love watching a good film together, as well as long walks in the countryside en route to a well-earned pub-lunch. Well, that’s enough about us for now. So what about the future? We are both so excited to become part of the community, to be sustained by its fellowship, and to make new friends to share in life’s struggles and joys. Both of us look forward to being involved in the ministry of the church, especially Matt as he joins the staff team and comes alongside everyone who is (and perhaps will be!) a part of sharing the good news of God’s love with children, young people and their families. We know that many have already being praying for us, and we continue to immensely value your prayers for all that lies ahead. Please pray on our behalf:

Father, provide us with the strength and gifts we will need for every good work you have planned for us; Christ, open our eyes to see your face in all those you call us to bless day by day; Holy Spirit, continue to grow in us faith and humility to trust and receive the blessing of others. Amen.

A couple of pictures:

Youngsters are always ahead of the game when it comes to

technology...

Prayer of the month

He cares for you. Never a single day goes by When God forgets to care for you, Never the sun wakes in the sky Without an answered prayer or two. Never we see the old year end Or welcome in the new, Without Him there to help, befriend In everything we do. Never we see the velvet sky Or watch the evening star alight. Without the knowledge, He's close by To hold us through the night. Never we see the ebbing tide Or watch the sun depart, Without His love to guard and guide And fill each waiting heart.

Never despair, what e'er you do, Never forget; God cares for you. This poem is taken from a booklet I have purchased from the author: Iris Hesselden who has given me her permission to reprint any I choose for our prayer page. Rosemary Currell.

Why no bubbles?

We have had several questions and comments from you on the Clean & Fair range of products – many of which are related to the fact that these products are eco cleaning products. • Eco cleaning products are often more concentrated than the mainstream equivalents. For example, with our handwash and our washing up liquid you only need to use a very small amount. • Why does the washing up liquid not contain as many bubbles as my usual brand? This is because the bubbles don’t actually do the cleaning! You will find that most eco washing up liquids are low foam and our actually has more bubbles than other eco products.

• Our Clean & Fair range is fragranced because our studies of the market show that consumers are generally looking for scented products to enhance the cleaning experience. Remember that we use natural oils, compared to many mainstream brands which use synthetic fragrances. And finally, even though they can sometimes be more expensive than mainstream brands, remember that eco cleaning products are kind to both the environment and people. Many ingredients contained in conventional household cleaners, detergents and soaps are known to have detrimental and damaging effects. Clean & Fair has excellent fair trade and eco credentials.

Fresh plum cake

Delicious as a pudding with cream. This freezes well and improves if kept

for a couple of days in a cool place.

Ingredients

12oz self-raising flour 1tsp salt 1tsp cinnamon 6oz block margarine 3oz Traidcraft muscovado sugar 3oz Traidcraft sultanas 3 eggs 1lb fresh Victoria plums 7oz golden syrup Topping: 2tbs muscovado, 1tsp cinnamon

Method

1. Grease and line an 8 inch round deep cake tin. 2. Sift together flour, salt and cinnamon. 3. Rub flour into margarine and stir in sultanas and sugar. 4. Halve the plums, remove the stones, put aside 10 halves and chop

the rest finely. 5. Beat together the syrup and the eggs. 6. Mix the chopped plums the flour mixture and the egg mixture, spoon

into prepared tin. 7. Arrange half plums on top skin side down. 8. Mix cinnamon and muscovado and sprinkle over the top. 9. Bake 2 hours at gas mark 4 / 180°C / Aga baking oven. 10. Leave in tin till completely cold

Thanks to Fair Trader Kate Harvie for the recipe.

If anyone would like to get involved and help or would like to know more about Messy Church then please contact me. Thanks Katherine Wakefield

September Diary Sunday 7th September 8.00 am Holy Communion in St Mary’s Chapel 9.30 am Morning Worship Traidcraft stall Monday 8th 10.00 am Coffee + Tuesday 9th 9.00 am Morning prayer 10.00 am Time Together 3.30 pm FRoG Club Wednesday 10th 10.00 am Holy Communion in St Mary’s Chapel Thursday 11th 9.00 am Morning Prayer Friday 12th 6.00 pm Crusaders Saturday 13th 10.30 am Saturday Prayerworks 7.00 pm Barn dance and hog roast Ride and stride all day Sunday 14th 9.30 am Holy Communion 6.30 pm Spirit Space Monday 15th 10.00 am Coffee + Tuesday 16th 9.00 am Morning prayer 10.00 am Time Together 3.30 pm FRoG Club Wednesday 17th 10.00 am Holy Communion in St Mary’s Chapel Thursday 18th 9.00 am Morning Prayer Friday 19th 6.00 pm Crusaders

Saturday 20th 9.00 am Who let the Dads out? Sunday 21st 9.30 am Holy Communion 11.15 am Prayer walking 3.30 pm Comissioning service for Rev Paul Norrington as Area Dean Monday 22nd 10.00 am Coffee + Tuesday 23rd 9.00 am Morning prayer 10.00 am Time Together 3.30 pm FRoG Club Wednesday 24th 10.00 am Holy Communion in St Mary’s Chapel Thursday 25th 9.00 am Morning Prayer Friday 26th 6.00 pm Crusaders Sunday 28th 9.30 am Harvest Café Worship Monday 29th 10.00 am Coffee + Tuesday 30th 9.00 am Morning prayer 10.00 am Time Together 3.30 pm FRoG Club

Clergy availability

Please note that Paul is normally not available on Fridays.

Rector:

Rev Paul Norrington (01206) 563478

Curate:

Revd Jackie Sams (01206) 530586

Churchwardens:

Rod Green (01206) 768242

Family and Young People’s Worker

Matt Stemp (01206) 974081

matthewstemp1@gmail.com

Church Office:

Judith Cronshaw (01206) 543178 Liz Bird (01206) 542307

Church Treasurer: christ-church-vestry@btconnect.com

Brian Taylor (01206) 540392

www.colchesterchristchurch.org.uk