Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of co-leading a course in Thurrock Deanery called ‘Living in Love and Faith.’

It is a five-week course aimed to help Christians think more deeply and reflect upon questions of identity, relationships and sexuality. Each of the five sessions explores a particular topic. These are:

• Learning Together
• Identity
• Relationships
• Sex
• Life Together

An opening reflection about learning together is followed by two sections of teaching, time for discussion and a Bible study. The sessions all end with an invitation to reflect on our learning, bringing it to God in prayer.

During the five weeks we have heard stories of people in a variety of types of relationships and stories of others who have chosen to live a life of celibacy.

The great thing about this course is that people have come along prepared to listen and to understand those who perhaps hold a different viewpoint from them, or whose sexual orientation is different from their own. And the overarching theme of has been that of respect and an acknowledgement of God’s love for each one of us.

This course has been put together by a Church of England working group in recognition that some people from the LGBTQ+ community have been hurt, or have even been turned away by others. Those of us who have been involved in the course have had the opportunity to respond to the C of E at the end so that the Anglican Church is able to discern how best to move forward on matters of identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage in a loving and sensitive manner .

If you didn’t have the opportunity to attend this course, the resources and videos are free and available online and I encourage you to have a look at them. You can find them by going to Living in Love and Faith | The Church of England  Interestingly, during the time we were running this this course, I came across a book called Running to Resurrection by Clark Berge, A Franciscan Friar, whom I met when I was recently on retreat. It was about his life journey, part of which included his acceptance of himself as a gay man created in the image of God. It is very well written and well worth a read.

As we approach Easter, we remember that Christ came for and died for all. This includes those who are like us and those who are very different from us.

I look forward to seeing you at some, or all, of our Holy Week services and our Easter Service, details of which can be found later in this magazine.

Grant to your people, good Lord,

The spirit of unity,

That we may dwell together in your love,

And so bear to the world,

The ointment of your healing and the dew of your blessing;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Take care and God bless,

Sue

During Fairtrade Fortnight, at one of our services, people were invited to pray the Fairtrade Covenant Prayer. Several people have since asked for it, so I have decided, this month, to share it. It is below with the words of introduction which were used.

Sisters and brothers, God calls us to action on behalf of the poor. Let us, then, make a covenant with each other and with God to respond to his call in everything we do, and wherever Christ leads us. To take up this covenant means that we are content that Christ directs us and that Christ alone is our reward. Christ calls us to fairness and justice in many different ways. Some ways are easy and require little effort or personal sacrifice, but others are difficult and will mean us having to change what we buy and where we shop, and to go without ourselves. Some ways will bring us praise from those around us and win us admiration, but others may bring criticism and make us unpopular, when we raise our voice for the voiceless, when we call for justice for the poor. Some ways we will find interesting and absorbing and will play to our natural strengths, but others we will find tedious and a chore. In some of these ways we may please both Christ and ourselves; in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves. Yet we know that we have the power to be able to act in all these ways because Christ inspires and strengthens us, and because we know that he has no hands or feet on earth but ours. If justice is to be done, it is we who are called to do it. Therefore, let us make this covenant with God our own, giving ourselves anew and relying on his promises and his grace. Loving Lord, since you have called us through Christ to share in this covenant, we will take on this duty with joy. For whatever we do for the least of our sisters and brothers, we do it for you. We are no longer our own, but yours.

I am no longer my own but yours.

Call me and open my eyes to the injustice around me, the unfairness around me and the poverty around me; call me to dare to change my lifestyle, my habits and my outlook for you.

Call me to strive for fairness and justice in everything I do, not just in words, but in actions; not just locally, but globally.

Let me change myself for you, and so change the world for you.

I freely and wholeheartedly commit myself to this duty, knowing that in everything you will give me your inspiration, strength and grace.

Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours. So be it.

Let this covenant now made on earth be fulfilled in heaven. Amen

As we  enter Lent, may I encourage you to use this prayer, if you feel able.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

On 21^st February this year, Fairtrade Fortnight begins, when people come together to share stories of the people who grow our food and drinks, mine our gold and who grow the cotton for our clothes.  Often these workers are exploited and underpaid. During this fortnight we are encouraged to consider the impact our spending has on other people.

As a church we have committed to using Fairtrade tea, coffee and sugar and we try to use Fairtrade biscuits when we can source them. At the moment we only seem to be able to get Fairtrade biscuits from Traidcraft but, perhaps, if we all write to our local supermarkets to request that they stock more of these biscuits, we might be able to be agents for positive change. It certainly worked with bananas several years ago.

In 2019, Fairtrade launched a campaign to enable a sustainable future for cocoa farmers by providing  them with a living income and, therefore,  an ability to cover all their cocoa farming costs  and their basic human rights,  such as a nutritious diet, children’s education and healthcare.

The Fairtrade Foundation says,

‘The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us more than ever how interconnected we are globally. This interconnection is at the very heart of the Fairtrade message and is where your role begins. You are part of the Fairtrade movement, and you have the power to drive long-term change, not only with your shopping choices but with your support in spreading the message.

Fairtrade not only ensures a fair wage for the producers but it also has a positive effect on climate change. Speaking about their work in this respect, the Fairtrade Foundation, say:

Fairtrade is about social, economic and environmental justice. These are built into our standards and drive everything we do. A root cause of the inability to adapt to and mitigate climate change is poverty. More money in the hands of farmers is needed if they are to adapt and survive the climate crisis. Choosing Fairtrade fights for improvements in producers’ livelihoods with collective strength through co-ops and their bargaining power, the protection of a Minimum Price and Fairtrade Premiums.

During Fairtrade Fortnight, this year, we have the opportunity to engage with the online Festival, ‘Choose the World you Want’ which you can find by going to Fairtrade Fortnight – Fairtrade Foundation It encourages us not only to share the Fairtrade message but to keep up the pressure on those who  will be attending the COP27 in Cairo next year.

Last year’s festival saw campaigners, shoppers, students and businesses come together in a show of support for the farmers behind our food on the front line of the climate crisis. From online panels to bake-offs and coffee mornings over 50 virtual events took place as part of our virtual festival, with supporters sharing the power of Fairtrade and what needs to happen next to ensure farmers and workers are put front and centre of conversations on how to tackle the climate crisis.

I would love to hear of anything you decide to do for Fairtrade Fortnight. Please do send in any reports or photos for the website or magazine.

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

Happy New Year!

So what are your hopes for 2022?

We are beginning the year in the church by uniting our three churches to become the Ecclesiastical Parish of Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan, which means that instead of having three Parochial Church Councils we will have one PCC as we work together to serve God in our three villages and beyond. This means that on Sunday 30^th January, after the morning service at Orsett, we will be electing the members of the new Church Council at a special meeting to which all those on the electoral rolls are invited.

To mark the beginning of this new era in our church governance, Bishop Guli, who was appointed to serve as the Bishop of Chelmsford last year, will be joining us at our service on 9^th January, at Orsett, at 10am to pray for us. She will also be baptising two children who we will be welcoming into our church family and she will be blessing the work of our local farmers as we will also be celebrating Plough Sunday.

The observance of Plough Sunday, on the First Sunday of Epiphany, goes back to Victorian times, but behind it there is a much older observance, associated with the first working day after the twelve days of Christmas.

Although the nature of farming has changed over the centuries, Plough Sunday is generally seen as a way of celebrating farming and the work of farmers. It is an opportunity to cherish the land and human labour, and to remind us all of our dependence upon it and upon God. You are all invited to this service, where will give thanks, in particular, to our local farmers and pray for them.

Every good and perfect gift comes from you, O Lord.

For fertile soil, for the smell of newly-turned earth

we give you thanks, O Lord.

For keen cold frosty winter days and nights

we give you thanks, O Lord.

For the tractor’s hum and the gleam of a cutting edge

we give you thanks, O Lord.

For the beauty of a clean-cut furrow and the sweep of a well-ploughed field

we give you thanks, O Lord.

Blessed be you, Lord for all your gifts to us.

Amen.

The Arthur Rank Centre

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care and God bless,

Sue

Sue

For Christians, the time before Christmas which we call Advent, is a time to prepare for the coming of Christ. God prepared for the birth of Jesus through the words of the prophets, many of whom lived in simplicity to show that they were waiting for God to fulfil his promises. Mary and Joseph, Elizabeth and Zechariah, Anna and Simeon are examples of God’s faithful people who waited in joyful and humble trust.

As we prepare for the coming of Christ, I offer some prayers from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne which you might find helpful in your devotions as you prepare, this Advent, for the coming of Christ.

Prepare my mind, merciful God, For the wonders of your mystery. Prepare my heart, loving God, For the joy of your presence. Prepare my spirit, awesome God, For the blessing of your wisdom.	Jesus teach me how to love, how to live in your presence. Jesus teach me how to live, how to pray in your will. Jesus teach me how to pray, how to rest in your embrace. Jesus teach me how to rest, how to be in your world. Jesus teach me how to be, how to love your way.
Show me your ways, Teach me your paths, Grant me the courage To follow you Wherever you lead The faith to seek you, In all things In all places In all the people And the wisdom To accept That I need you.	May love be my reason And love my desire. May love be my purpose And love be my fire. May love be my burden And love be my strife. May love be my comfort and love be my life.
Pause…breathe slowly… Invite God into the moment. Pause…breathe slowly… Listen to the whispers of the Spirit. Pause…breathe slowly… Follow the examples of Jesus	On the wars and rumours of wars, Shine your light. On the poor and the oppressed, Shine your light On the lies and the deceivers Shine your light On the disasters And terrible things, Shine your light. Lord, help me to serve. Lord, help me to be your light.
Each day throughout Advent, write down three things. One thing that makes you feel joyful, one thing that you are thankful for and one thing that you are helpless about. Tell God about them. It may help to have three pebbles and a small cross. And as you think of the things, place them at the foot of the cross.	Shine your light on my path, May I follow your way. Shine your light on my darkness, May I know your love. Shine your light on my face, May I reflect your glory.

I look forward to seeing you over the Christmas period.

Take care and God bless,

Sue