On Sunday, 13^th April, Palm Sunday, we began a moving walk through Holy Week. After enacting Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the Sunday morning Family Service, two days later we met at Orsett Church for a Taize Service on the Tuesday evening. Taize is a Christian Community in France and their worship is well known for the singing of chants or short songs, which are repeated, again and again. The Taize Community says, ‘Using just a few words they express a basic reality of faith, quickly grasped by the mind. As the words are sung over many times, this reality gradually penetrates the whole being. Meditative singing thus becomes a way of listening to God. It allows everyone to take part in a time of prayer together and to remain together in attentive waiting on God…’ We had a lovely time as we rested in the presence of God and during which prayers for healing were offered to anyone who wished to receive this ministry.

On Maundy Thursday, I went to Chelmsford Cathedral for a special Holy Communion Service when ministers of the church are invited to renew their vows made at ordination or licensing. The oils that are used for healing, for baptism, confirmation and ordination are also blessed at this service. The morning was made even more special by the presence of a group of Iranian Christian refugees who were sat just behind me and who were welcomed by our own Bishop, herself a refugee from Iran. It reiterated to me how fortunate we are in this country to be able to live without fear and to be able to worship freely. It also reminded me of the privilege of being part of a worldwide worshipping community.

In the evening, we remembered the last supper that Jesus shared with his disciples before he was crucified.  We did this at Horndon Church by holding a Holy Communion Service with foot washing – something Jesus did for his disciples on that evening, reflecting his servanthood and humility.

On Good Friday morning we moved to Bulphan Church for Stations of the Cross when, using pictures drawn by Revd Max, we walked the journey of Jesus to his crucifixion. In the afternoon we joined together in a walk of witness around the village when we shared Bible readings, hymns and songs as we retold the Easter Story. And we arrived back at Bulphan Parish Room to share hot cross buns.

Our Easter Day service was at Horndon Church on Sunday 20^th April, when we celebrated the joyous resurrection of Jesus, and it was lovely that 4 young people received Holy Communion for the first time. After the service there was an easter egg hunt around the churchyard.

The good news is, Easter is not over yet. The Easter season lasts for 50 days, culminating in the day of Pentecost when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. If you didn’t manage to get to church during Holy Week or Easter, do come along and join us as we continue to celebrate the joy of the resurrection.

Thank you to everyone who has worked hard to make Easter special in our churches.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

On 16^th March, we held our Annual Church Meeting, (APCM,) in Orsett Church after the 10am service, when we received reports of all that has been happening at Church and in the Parish over the past year and I would just like to share one or two highlights.

It was a busy year in the Parish and thank you, so much, to everyone who works hard to enable things to run smoothly. Thank you to Revd Max, our Wardens, Assistant Warden, PCC and Action Groups, our Musicians, our Finance Team, our Parish Administrator and everyone who works hard behind the scenes. Thank you, too, to all, those who work so hard to keep our churchyards under control and help in maintaining our buildings.  It is impossible to thank everyone individually but please know that your hard work and commitment to our vision of ‘Knowing and Sharing the Love of Jesus in the Church and Community’ are greatly appreciated and you are all very much in my prayers as together you serve God.

Felicity Tarbard has decided to step down from being on the PCC, and Ron Porter has also decided to step down. Between them their years of service amount to over 60 and they have included time spent being Warden and Assistant Warden as well. We are hugely indebted for all that they have both done and hope that they are able to have a little more time to spend with friends and family.

At Church, we always endeavour to be a welcoming place for everyone for everyone and the PCC has been working hard to consider how we might develop our ministry of hospitality further to ensure that people of all backgrounds and abilities are catered for.

This year, David Ferguson, who has been our Church Architect for many years retired and we are very appreciative of his many years of service. John Bailey, from Thomas Ford and Partners, who has been working with the PCC recently on a number of projects has now been appointed by the PCC as our new Church Architect and we are grateful to John for agreeing to undertake this role. Thank you, also, to Diane Moorse who has stepped down from her role distributing the Hobnob. We are very grateful for her many years of service and to Sharon Long who has kindly taken this role on.

As I write this, we are moving closer to Easter. Some of you will have been following the Living Hope readings and reflections produced by the Church of England and Easter itself is a story of Hope – Hope in the risen Lord Jesus who is available for each one of us if we invite him into our hearts.

The following prayer is the prayer written for Holy Week as part of the Living Hope resource.

Dear God,

thank you for the outpouring of love

we see in Jesus’ cross and resurrection.

In this most transformative of all weeks,

help us to discover afresh the life-changing hope

of Good Friday and Easter.

Amen

There is plenty going on at church at Easter and you are welcome at any or all of the services.

I look forward to seeing you soon and wish you a blessed and joyful Easter.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

In January, the PCC met for the second of two ‘Away Days’ to continue to pray about and discuss how we might further develop the welcome and inclusivity we offer as a church.

We thought about what we already do well and which areas we could improve upon, and we made a list of short-term and long-term objectives. Some were concerning how we relate to one another, especially those who are new, or unfamiliar with church, some concerning practical things we can do to make worship more accessible to all and some concerning the use of our buildings

In order to fulfil these objectives requires the gifts of a team of people. It requires all of us. Together, we are the body of Christ, called to work together in unity. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians 4: 11-12 tells us

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

And in Romans 12: 4-8, we are told,

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Underpinning all of this is a love of God, a love which we are called to share with one another.

I am sure that many of you heard the news a few weeks ago, when Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, of the Washington Episcopal Church, in the name of the love of God, asked Donald Trump to have mercy on the underprivileged.

When Bishop Mariann was interviewed and asked why she did it, she said that she wanted to present a vision of what unity can look like and acknowledge our common humanity. And I believe that is the Jesus we are called to worship and represent. A God of love who welcomes all.

Bishop Mariann had some negative feedback. And working to present the love of God, whatever gifts we have isn’t always easy. But I believe it is what we are called to do.

To know the suffering caused by division,
To see our sin
And to hope beyond all hope.

Please be assured that you are very welcome in all of our churches, but if there is anything you feel we can do to make you feel more comfortable, please do let me know.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

Rector’s Reflections

It was a privilege, on the third Sunday in January to lead, in addition to our morning services, a 4pm Refresh Service at Horndon Church, followed by a 6pm Discovery Bible Group at Orsett Churches Centre.

Our Refresh Services are informal acts of worship, with contemporary worship songs,  and give people an opportunity to share. On this particular occasion, our theme was the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the contributions were many and diverse with much to give thanks to God for as well as many things to think about on the subject of unity and what it means for us as a church both locally and globally.

The Discovery Bible Study Group, which is a joint venture with the Wellcome Church, was on the theme of  the Temptation of Jesus and the Bible passage was Matthew 4:1-11

The Temptation of Jesus

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written,

“One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’

Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you”,
    and “On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’

Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

“Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.”’

Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The pattern for Discovery Bible Study is that the passage is read and re-read several times and involves retelling it in our own words. We think about what it says about God, Jesus or his plan, about people, what it might say to each one of us and what we might tell other people as a result of this. And we had some great discussions about the different temptations we all face in our daily lives and how praying, spending time drawing close to God, and familiarising ourselves with the scriptures, as Jesus did, can help us to resist temptations.

I really recommend coming along to Refresh or the Discovery Bible Study Group. All are welcome. No previous knowledge is necessary, and both are held on the third Sunday of the month- Refresh at 4pm at Horndon Church and Discovery Bible Study at 6pm at Orsett Churches Centre.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

Happy New Year to you all!

Thank you to everyone who worked hard during December to ensure that all our Christmas services and events ran smoothly. And thank you to those of you who came and shared in worship. It was lovely to see you. Please do remember that you are always welcome at any church service at any time of the year.

We were, of course, privileged to be able to celebrate Christmas without fear for our lives. Ironically, and sadly, for many of our brothers and sisters living in the Holy Land, this would not have been the case.

You may have noticed that the carol ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ was  omitted from our services this year.  Out of respect for our brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, many of whom are living in fear, it just felt insensitive to sing ‘O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie…’ when that is currently far from being the reality.

I have, for the past two years considered including, in one of our services, an alternative version of ‘O Little Town’ which was shared with me on a clergy training day, the lyrics of which reflect the current situation. I decided against this, recognising that people do want to come to church to celebrate the joy and glory of the birth of Jesus at this time.

However, I would like to share those words with you now and ask that you might use it as a prayer for those living in fear in the Holy Land, as we move forwards into 2025.

1.O sad and troubled Bethlehem, we hear your longing cry for peace and justice to be born and cruel oppression die. How deep your need for that great gift of love in human form. Let Christ in you be seen again and hearts by hope made warm.	3.Amazingly and lovingly Jesus the child has come and, brought to birth through human pain, makes broken hearts his home. He comes to comfort all who weep, to challenge every wrong and, living with the weak and poor, Becomes their hope, their song. Words by Wendy Ross-Barker
2.While morning stars and evening stars shine out in your dark sky, despair now stalks your troubled streets where innocents still die. And Jesus, born of Mary, whose love will never cease, feels even now your pain and fear, longs with you for your peace.

I will continue to pray for peace in our world as we journey forward into another year and I wish you all a peaceful and joyous 2025. May God bless you all.

Sue