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June - July 2015
Rochford Methodist Church is a member of Southend and Leigh Circuit, part of the Beds,
Essex & Herts District
The Newsletter of
Rochford Methodist Church
77-79 North Street
Rochford
SS4 1AD
www.rochfordmethodist.org.uk Join our Facebook group and keep up to date with what’s happening
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Rochford Methodist Church matters
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Dates for your diary: June 8 Circuit Meeting at Thundersley 13 Hannah Bucke’s Testimony Service, Leigh Wesley, 7.30pm 14 Thorpe Bay Methodist Church 70th Anniversary 14 Mini Glyndebourne, Madam Butterfly by Puccini. A concert
performance with professional soloists, to be held in Benfleet - see further details inside.
20 Quiz Night at Rayleigh Methodist Church, 7.30pm. More info from Caroline Warrey (01268 770333).
28 Picnic in the Park Garden at 8 Dalys Road, Bring your picnic and share some time with us. Friends and family welcome.
July 18 Say goodbye to Bryan and Credwyn Tolhurst at a Barbecue and
Barn Dance. Eat, dance or sit and chat, it’s up to you. Hadleigh Methodist Church, 6pm.
25 Open day at Westerley, 1 Winton Avenue, Westcliff, lots of stalls, and refreshments. All money raised goes to the Residents Fund.
Sunday Services There are no evening services, except where shown.
June 7th Jean Pickering Worship for All at Belfairs, 4pm 14th Colin Turner 21st Local Arrangement 28th Rev Phil Warrey(S) Rev Phil Warrey at Rayleigh (includes Messy Church), 4pm July 5th Jane Fulford 12th Local Arrangement 19th Sue Sigfrid 26th Rev Phil Warrey(S)
Correct as at 25th May 2015, but subject to change at short notice
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Dear Friends,
As I write this article we are still in the season of Easter, and it is good to reflect on the meaning of the season.
I had a good Easter, and I hope you all were able to have a good Easter too.
Using the Lenten Cross liturgies at Rayleigh and Hockley helped us to prepare for Easter and consider all that Jesus suffered and endured on our behalf. Our Maundy Thursday service this year was very moving, and quite challenging, who are we like, how have we fallen short of the glory of God.
We had a good service at Rayleigh Baptist Church, and we left there clutching our nails, having reflected on the crucifixion and having worshiped in a reflective way. In the afternoon I took 2 services reflecting on the Passion narratives, one at Canvey using the Mark readings, and the other at Hockley using the Matthew readings.
Holy Saturday gave us an opportunity to reflect on the emptiness that the disciples must have felt after Jesus had left them.
Easter Sunday was excellent, with a joyous Early Easter Morning Communion at Hockley, fully cooked Easter Celebration breakfast at Rayleigh, and a Celebration of Easter at Rochford, when we could taste and see that the Lord is good, and we made Easter Garden Stone rolled back scenes, with Jammie Dodgers, Rich Tea biscuits, green icing glue, chocolate stones and sprinkles for flowers.
It is good to celebrate Easter, to celebrate new life, and a fresh start for us all. After
To see this full size and in colour, you will need to logon to our Facebook group or go to http://buff.ly/1HySCDE
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One comment we have heard several times is that Rochford Methodist Church should do ‘more publicity’. What does that actually mean to you? Perhaps we do need better publicity (we are well-meaning amateurs, after all) but if you have any ideas, could you please let a steward know?
To give a flavour of what we already do, the outlets we usually use are our church magazine, the weekly notices, our Facebook group, our website and the ‘A-frame’, not to mention leaflets, posters for special occasions in our windows and notice boards, as well as personal invitations.
We did ask for a volunteer to take on the task of a publicity person, but nobody came forward. Could it be you?
all, we are a forgiven, redeemed people, children of God, with a promise of love, forgiveness and a place forever in our Heavenly Father’s love. Officially we are allowed to celebrate Easter for 6 weeks. So keep on celebrating God’s love.
As we move forward, I feel that we are being challenged to look carefully at our spirituality, our discipleship and our mission. In the reading we had today at Rayleigh’s Communion (John 6.30-35), we were reminded that Jesus is concerned about feeding our spirituality and our wellbeing as much as he is over feeding ourselves physically. Let’s try and move forward, putting our trust in God, putting aside some of our worries about buildings, fields, money, membership, and look at our own discipleship, and feeding ourselves, filling ourselves up spiritually, so that we are like the people in the adverts that have had their 3 shredded wheat! If we are filled up spiritually, if we are right in our discipleship, if we are ministering to others, then we have the spiritual armour to be able to better deal with buildings, membership, finances, and any other worries.
As Methodists, we are good at food, and feeding people, and we are good at celebrations. So let us keep on celebrating, and let us keep feeding ourselves, fattening ourselves not just on chocolate, egg and bacon flan, custard creams and pot luck, but also in feeding each other up spiritually the “Grammar”, scripturally, prayerfully, worshipfully and in good fellowship with others. [I am sure Police will have a field day in that paragraph, but you know what I mean!]
Every Blessing,
Phil Warrey (Rev)
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As you are aware, this year marks the end of Bryan Tolhurst’s ministry as he moves into retirement. He and Credwyn leave us in July to move to Chatham, and the Circuit will be holding a Farewell Barbeque and Barn Dance on July 18th at Hadleigh Methodist Church. All members of the Circuit (which includes YOU) are invited. It starts at 6pm and if you only want to sit and watch, then that’s fine; the main thing is to be there. Your only other chance after that to say goodbye is on 19th July at Thundersley at their 10.45 am service.
Bryan’s replacement as Superintendent Minister is Rev Peter Moorhouse and we will be welcoming him and his family at a service on Saturday 5th September at 3pm at Thorpe Bay Methodist Church. Pete comes from Hale (Cheshire) and joins us from East Oldham, where he has also been a Director of The Salt Cellar Christian Restaurant and Resource Centre as part of the Methodist community outreach in the area.
We haven’t had the opportunity to have Mo Wills lead a service at Rochford, but she too will have left the Circuit at the end of May. Mo came as a probationer minister and during the probationary period both the minister and the Methodist Church will ‘test’ the vocation. She says that she has been struggling with her sense of vocation, and particularly whether God was actually calling her to be an ordained minister or to another kind of Christian service. So that she can reassess this, she has asked to suspend her probation for a year and the appropriate Methodist committees have given the necessary ‘nod of approval’.
We pray that God be with Bryan, Peter and Mo (and their families, of course)as their circumstances change at this time and trust that they will succeed in their lives and work.
Hannah Bucke has been all through the hoops of Methodism and will be ordained (or ‘received into full connexion’, as Methodism calls it) at the Conference in Southport with her ordination at Chester Cathedral on 28th June.
Elizabeth Kirova returns from maternity leave in July and we are asked to keep her, Zoran her husband and baby Stephanie in our prayers.
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On Saturday 23rd May a group of us, mainly members of our Pilgrims Way working party, went on an Awayday with Rev Phil.
We only went as far as Old Leigh, to the Fishermen's Chapel (previously New Road Methodist Church)
The aim of the day was to start working towards the production of a 5-year plan for our church. This is good for us to do and will be passed on to our new Superintendent Minister when he joins the Circuit in September, to give him an idea of what is going on in Rochford.
We began with a short act of worship in the church, a very old setting with music for hymns provided by very modern technology – Phil’s iPad.
We moved into the room used now as an office with lovely sea views. We were not there to enjoy these but to listen to Phil’s introduction to the day. We then divided into three groups, taking it in turns to write comments under various headings, such as what are our good and bad points to see where we agreed, or disagreed. We had a chat about all of them!
We agreed that we are a welcoming and caring congregation but recognised that the first thing that has to happen is for folk to be brave enough to come in to meet us.
In 2022 we will celebrate 200 years of Methodism in Rochford. Will we still be in our present building / might we sell it and buy/ rent other premises? If so, where? Will the church close completely with insufficient people and funds to maintain it? What can we do to safeguard our future?
These were such big issues to try and imagine, but we must make some sort of plan.
As the bicentenary is in 7 years time we decided to have a 7-year plan (not 5) as this will be a huge landmark in Rochford’s Methodist society.
We ended the day with a short communion service, followed by lunch together.
Rev Phil is to summarise all our comments and discussion and produce more paperwork for us to discuss in about a month’s time. From this we will try and come up with a plan of action to present to the Church Council.
If you want to make suggestions to help this process please write them down and pass on to a steward. If you haven’t don’t worry – just pray, it can only help.
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At our service on 17th May (our Church Anniversary), a short period was set aside for each of us to write a Psalm. The ones in the Bible are by different people, expressing different personal emotions - praising God, expressing shame, weakness, etc. Some are songs of joy, some are prayers for forgiveness and healing. Our psalms follow similar patterns.
After the service, those who wished to gave their psalms to be pub-lished. No names were given, so they are all anonymous. They are in no particular order.
If any strike a chord with you , please feel free to use them in a quiet moment as a personal prayer or celebration of your own.
If you feel moved to write your own to add to the collection, feel free to send it to Dave. Like those in this collection, all items will be anonymous.
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Praise the Lord for his faithfulness.
Despite hardship, fear and concern, I choose to Worship Him alone.
Even when it is hard to see how His will is being achieved, I choose to wor-
ship Him alone.
I know that God is with us always. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
I will reach out to you and the Lord on Anniversary Sunday.
I will bless you in your presence. Amen
O God, we have strayed from your ways of goodness.
We have thought only of ourselves
Now we are reaping our deserts.
Give us the way to come back into your path and please and praise you
again.
Father we praise you
We praise you for those who founded our church.
We praise you for those who have kept it alive
- in good times and bad.
We praise you that our church remains here in Rochford.
We praise you for your unceasing love to us
We thank you for loving those we find difficult to love.
We pray you guide us in our thoughts and ways
to work your work and do your will.
Most Holy God
When life is hard
I lift my eyes to you.
Although I do not know your ways
I know your love is true.
When I cry to you, you hear
my solemn heartfelt plea.
For you are there beside me Lord
I know you’ll comfort me.
Sometimes I fail to understand
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why life can be so tough
But when I feel your presence near
My Lord, that is enough!
We come to worship God,
to meet our friends,
to support one another,
to ask for help in times of trouble,
to give thanks for all the wonders around us,
to offer our help to others,
for inspiration,
to say sorry
to give thanks.
God give us strength to get over this
and bring good health back.
With your blessing PLEASE
A Psalm of Thanks
O Lord thank you for years
O Lord thank you for each other
Thank you for the joy you help us bring to each other
We join together Lord to give you thanks and praise
We are happy to be your followers in Praise.
Praise the Lord for all the Ways
That he does guide us throughout the Days
And helps us through our daily life
As we face sorrow and strife.
It is with our love for him
That keeps us going and singing a hymn.
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Help us keep the faith
when times are difficult and
we and friends have worries.
How is it that those who
keep the faith and those who do not
have to suffer in equal measure?
Even though we do not understand
we will keep the faith because
you are faithful to us and you
have a purpose that we do not know.
Lord, we come to praise you
To worship you together.
We know you will be with us
You will hear us and answer our prayers
In your own time.
Accept our praise,
Accept out thanks,
Accept our confession of our failings.
Remain with us at all times
as you have for generations past
And will for generations to come.
We praise you . . .
I exult you oh my Lord.
You have blessed us with fellowship and learning in this place.
Day by day we realise the greatness of your Spirit.
We thank you O Lord for your goodness to us.
We are your servants and we love and praise you.
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Glory to God for
Sending Baxter, Beehag and bringing
Bad hair days
You are a just God
Who walks with us through perils
And gives us joy as the sun goes down.
Praise to the Methodist
Rochford , United Kingdom
And blessings of God in your son Jesus. Amen
Lord, you led me here amongst your family.
Let me be part of your church and live as you would want,
Making new friends along the way and serving others
Thank you Lord for giving me the strength and courage to overcome my
problems.
Difficulties and problems had seemed unsurmountable at the time, but
looking back I see
You had a plan for my life, and thank you Lord for seeing me through.
My belief in your love has made me stronger to face the future and I know
you are always with me
Whatever the future may hold
We praise you Lord for the world around us.
For Friends, Neighbours and loved ones.
Give us the Wisdom to do what is right and to Praise you always.
Praise to the Lord in all we do and say.
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Mini Glyndebourne
Madam Butterfly
by Puccini
A concert performance with professional soloists to be held at
Langelinie, 221 Vicarage Hill, Benfleet, SS7 1PG
on
Sunday 14th June 5.30pm - 9.30pm
Tickets are £10 from Marilyn Robinson 01268 759704 and Richard Reeves 01268 751393
Arrive any time from 5.30pm. Drop off your passengers (and your picnic!), take the car to the free car park on Reeds Hill Farm and then enjoy the garden or start your picnic. At 6.30pm take your seats in the marquee for the first act of the opera. The "Long Interval" at 7.30 is the chance for eating and drinking, returning at 8.30pm to the marquee for the second act which will end around 9.30pm. Stay a little longer to enjoy the evening or send the driver to collect your car from the free car park on Reeds Hill Farm and come up to the house to collect your guests.
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225g (8ozs ) butter, softened 225g (8ozs) light muscovado sugar 3 large eggs 100g (4ozs) chopped walnuts 100g (4ozs) sultanas 325g (8ozs) self-raising flour 2 level tsp baking powder 400g (14ozs) cooking apples peeled, cored and grated 1 level tsp ground cinnamon.
1. Preheat the oven to 180° C/ Fan160° C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease a round deep 23cm (8in) cake tin, then line the base with non-stick baking parchment.
3. Measure the butter, sugar, eggs, chopped walnuts, sultanas, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and beat for about 2 minutes until thoroughly blended.
4. Spoon half the mixture into the prepared tin then spread the apple and ground cinnamon in an even layer on top, spoon the remaining mixture on top, level the surface then sprinkle generously with light muscovado sugar and extra walnuts.
5. Bake for 1¼ - 1½ hours, or until the cake is well risen and golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar when cold.
You probably don’t really need to be told, but you should use only grammes or ounces, don’t mix them.
‘Quality controlled’ at a recent church meeting and voted ‘delicious’. Margaret was asked for the recipe - and here it is.
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June 7 Sheila Webber 14 Sue Edwards 21 Helen Willson 26 Pat Rubidge
July 3 12 Val Dobbin 19 26
June 6 Bruce & Carole Glendenning 13 Judy Garner, Maureen Whalley, Jan Willson, Tasha Morrison 20 Dave & Val Dobbin 27 Colin & Margaret Rayner July 4 Bruce & Carole Glendenning 11 Judy Garner, Maureen Whalley, Jan Willson, Tasha Morrison 18 Dave & Val Dobbin 25 Colin & Margaret Rayner
If you are willing and able to join in occasionally (or regularly) please have a word with Val.
All the cleaning does not have to take place on a Saturday afternoon, although some jobs can only be done once the dancing school have finished at 1.45pm. Any support would be appreciated.
If you want to get involved please see Margaret Rayner.
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Just to prove that Sudoko isn’t a number puzzle - it’s a logic puzzle!
Go from ‘Start’ to ‘End’, passing through the three aspects of God
Following the usual rules for Sudoko, each line, each column and each block of 9 squares must contain JUST ONE of the letters from the word ‘BLOCKUNIT’. Hidden in the shaded block is a word from the Bible which relates to the word you are working with..
Clue: Genesis 6:15
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The next planned publication date is 2nd August 2015. Articles, etc, should be with Dave
by 19th July please.
Articles preferably by email, floppy disc or typed with a good DARK original - but
handwritten items still welcomed
© 2015 Rochford Methodist Church Any original material may be freely copied so long as full acknowledgement is given to Methodist. Talkback In addition, an original copy of the publication in which the copied item appears must be supplied free of all charges to the Editor at the address shown. These conditions will also apply to any other publication that may use the copied
Rochford Methodist Church matters is published on behalf of Rochford Methodist Church. Opinions expressed in this newsletter may not be those of the Methodist Church.
Minister: Rev Phil Warrey 259 Eastwood Road, Rayleigh, SS6 7LF Tel: 01268 770333
email: [email protected]
Editor: Dave Dobbin, 130 Ashingdon Road, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1RR (01702) 544096
email: [email protected]
Sunday 11.00 am Morning Service
Monday 2.30 - 4.30 pm Women’s Fellowship (Sept - May) 7.00 - 10.00 pm Alcoholics Anonymous
Tuesday 9.00 - 12.00 Cosy Toes Toddler Group 3.00 - 7.30 pm Hildale School of Dancing ** 8.00 pm Wesley Guild (Oct-Apr)
Wednesday 7.00 - 10.00 pm Alcoholics Anonymous
Thursday 9.30 - 11.30 Music Dreams (for 0-2 years) ** 3.45 - 7.30 pm Hildale School of Dancing** 7.30 - 9.30 pm Table Tennis
Friday 9.45 - 10.45am Diddi Dance (pre-school dance classes for boys and girls)
Saturday 9.00 am - 1.45 pm Hildale School of Dancing **
The premises are available for use outside the above times. Contact Margaret Rayner on 544252 for more information.
** Term time only
Our House Group meets each month in a different place each time, usually on the last Wednesday of the month. Look in the weekly notices for confirmation of the dates and venues.
