May - St Mary`s Church, Hitcham

St Mary’s Church, Hitcham Lane, Burnham
Growing in the love of Christ & sharing His love with others
A member of the Jubilee River Grouping of Churches
May 2016
Alleluia! Christ is risen - He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Dear brothers and sisters,
A time of big change is unfolding for St
Mary’s as you prepare for another
interregnum
and
look
to
the
future.
Change
is
always
unsettling. Letting go, saying goodbye
and moving on is painful, and this
interregnum is coming sooner than we all
expected. But when God is in charge of
the moves, we can rest in his care. He
wants us to know and trust his love. He
knows what we all need. For those who
are willing, he is always calling us on, out
of our comfort zone into kingdom growth.
Change can be disorientating. Here are
four guidelines which will hold us all
steady as we move through this season:
1.
Pray, pray, and keep praying
2.
Trust God to guide and provide
3.
Stay rooted in his Word
4.
Love one another
On Sunday 22nd May, instead of separate
8am, 9am and 11am services, we will have
a special joint service at 10am to celebrate
the time that Nicky & Alan have been with
us and to wish them well in their retirement.
We will be joined at the service by Bishop
Alan and we would like to invite all members
of St Mary’s to attend the celebration.
Nicky, Alan and Bishop Alan would like to
invite you to stay for tea and homemade
cake after the service.
Paul puts it best:
4 Rejoice in the
Lord always. I will
say it again:
rejoice!
5 Let your
gentleness be
evident to all. The Lord is near.
6 Do not be anxious about
anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your
requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will
guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:4-7
With much love and prayers
Nicky
Everyone is invited to a prayer night at
St Mary’s on Tuesday 3rd May.
Our prayer night will be a part of the
‘Thy Kingdom Come, 24/7 prayer’
focussed on the
‘Great wave of prayer’
before Pentecost to pray specifically
for evangelism in our land.
Growing in the love of Christ & sharing His love with others
S
t Mary’s APCM (Annual Parochial Church
Meeting) was held on Sunday 17th April
after the 10am service at 11.30am with 48
people attending.
The following are highlights of the meeting:
Janine Edwards and Simon Bader were both reelected as Church Wardens and all present agreed
unanimously with the appointments.
In Nicky’s absence, Janine gave the chairman’s
address which started “We thank God for this
church and the faithful followers of Jesus who seek
to ‘grow in the love of Christ and to share his
love with others.’ – That should be a phrase that
is recognised by us all now as it was one of the
things that came out of the PCC away days last
year - a new mission statement - and it is printed
on the bottom of our newsletters each month.”
Janine continued that it had been a challenging year
for us with Nicky being ill in the latter stages of the
year, however as Nicky said in her report in the
Annual Review, St Mary’s has grown in many ways
during the year with the PCC and Ministry
Leadership Team and wardens have had to take on
the true responsibility for leading the church which
has been done with much prayer and willing
followers. Janine also thanked Nicky & Alan for all
they have done during the year, even when Nicky
was ill, she has continuously prayed for us all and
Alan has faithfully continued in all his ministries
whilst looking after her.
Janine also thanked all of the willing members of
the various teams that help to keep St Mary’s
running smoothly—however also included that the
Lord always needs more willing hands!!!........
Some of the highlights of the year have been:

New AV equipment in the Parish room

Monthly prayer meetings for the whole church
on the 1st Tuesdays of each month

2 Alpha courses run in 2015 and an agreement
that we will run an Alpha course each year in
September
The year ahead will be a very different year from
the one we thought we were planning for a week
ago, but with God’s help, Rod’s help and guidance,
the help of visiting clergy and very importantly the
faithfulness of our church community, we will trust
in the Lord to guide us through to the next season.
Finally as Nicky has said in her report:We are ALL members of the Body of Christ, and
every member is important and has a part to play.
Some of the most important jobs happen quietly
behind the scenes. So I end with Nicky’s plea to
each one of us:
Leaders and team leaders, see who you can be
inviting to walk and grow with you. Those of you
who are not yet actively involved in some way, or
feel on the edge, or maybe feel there’s nothing
for you, pray and ask God to guide you. Then
take a step of faith and speak to one of the
Wardens, who will help you.
Finally, everyone remember:
we are deeply loved by Jesus, not for what we
may do, but simply for who we are: a beloved
child of God.
Current Churchwardens, Deanery Synod
representatives and members of the PCC and
Ministry Leadership Team
Janine Edwards
Churchwarden, PCC & MLT
Simon Bader
Churchwarden, PCC & MLT
Margaret Woodley
Deanery Synod Rep & PCC
Pauline Poole
Deanery Synod Rep & PCC
Pam Bader
Deanery Synod Rep & PCC
Sue Hoare
PCC
Jacqueline Lewis
PCC
Chris Berry
PCC
Sonia Hart
PCC
Mary Howarth
PCC

Mark Bainbridge
PCC
2015 St Mary’s Church weekend away to Lee
Abbey
Sally Short
PCC

New pastoral team to be formed after a group
from the PCC have attended a Pastoral Care
course
Henriette Watkins
PCC
Jo Trobridge
PCC & MLT
Carol Bader
MLT

We were finally able to complete the heating
in St Mary’s with new boilers and radiators in
the church
Andrea Brokenshire
Secretary
Roger Webb
Treasurer
St Mary’s Church, Hitcham Lane Growing in the love of Christ & sharing His love with others
Lee Abbey, Devon,
Church Weekend Away
Friday 26th – Sunday 28th May 2017.
Have you booked your place yet?
Information leaflets and booking forms are now
available at the welcome desk at St Mary’s.
We welcome Lily,
daughter of Samantha & Carl Dennison
to Baptism on Sunday 17th May
Deposits of £25 are required by the end May to
secure your places.
For those who would like to spread the cost over
the year, can pay monthly by standing order or
bank transfer.
BFG and The Men’s Groups
Roots and shoots
our group for pre-schoolers with parents or carers,
will be starting up again on
Monday 6 June
th
from 10.30am – 12.00pm
in the Parish room.
We will be sharing stories, activities fun and
fellowship, with a Biblical base, to share the early
experiences of life together in God’s family.
will be hosting breakfast on
Sunday 15th May
as part of
Christian Aid week Big Brekkie event.
Breakfast will be served from
8.30am
ahead of the 10 o’clock service.
Request your favourite breakfast items
from Pauline or Mary in advance.
Please feel free to invite friends, neighbours, Mums
or Dads or grandparents with pre–school age
children & we look forward to meeting you.
Contact Pauline 01628 604227 with any questions.
Christian Aid hosts a public meeting on tackling
corruption on Thursday 28th April 7.00 for 7.30 in the
St Mary’s Church Centre, Church Street,
Rickmansworth WD3 1JB.
An evening of entertainment to include live music
from local choirs and a band, with pub style games,
table football etc with a pay bar at Burnham Park
Hall.
Tickets are £5.00 to include entry, nibbles and soft
drinks. Everyone welcome, however we request
under 16’s are accompanied by an adult.
For tickets or more information contact Carrie Pell
[email protected]
The network of anti-poverty charities see tackling tax
dodging (specifically public registers of beneficial
ownership) as one way of tackling corruption. This
meeting aim to mobilise those who attend to
write to / engage their MP on the topic of tax and
corruption.
A representative of one of Christian Aid partners,
Filimeno Santos Ana, who has relevant experience in
this area, is coming to speak .
David Gauke MP has been invited as lead speaker.
Please attend and lend support to this initiative which
is highly topical bearing in mind the recent
disclosures from Panama.
St Mary’s Church, Hitcham Lane Growing in the love of Christ & sharing His love with others
Please pray for:
Nicky our Vicar & Alan: that Nicky continues to be
wrapped in the presence and love of God and to be healed
and refreshed and for Alan as he cares for her.
Prayer evening for the whole church on
Tuesday 3rd May & 7th June at
8.00pm Everyone is welcome
The Churchwardens, leadership team and PCC
at St Mary’s: For good health & wisdom and that they
can continue to support the congregation of St Mary’s.
All of the visiting Clergy: that are graciously helping,
supporting and enabling St Mary’s & the churchwardens
with the communion services
For the lay speakers: as they faithfully prepare for the
services that they are speaking at.
All Small Group leaders: as they continue to support
all members as they grow in the love of God and share His
love with others
All of the Worship and AV teams: that they can
grow in their gifting and faith and fellowship with each other
The hospitality teams: as they continue to faithfully
give a warm welcome & serve the congregations
For many years now a small group of volunteers have been
going to The Resource Centre in Burnham on the 4th
Tuesday in the month at 1.30p.m. First we have a
Communion Service, followed by tea, cake and a chat and
then a sing song. It is lovely to see all the staff and clients
joining in and enjoying themselves. We would love to have a
few more volunteers who have an hour to spare on the 4th
Tuesday of the month. So please speak to either Sandra
Boothroyd or Sonia Hart if you are interested
Small Groups
Monday evening Men’s Groups
Jeremy Howarth
01628 668454
Chris Berry
01628 661073
Tuesday evenings
Simon & Carol Bader
01494 437337
Norma George
01753 526883
Martha’s Open House for ladies at St Mary’s
(except 1st Tuesdays)
Henriette Watkins
01628 668633
& Kathryn West
Thursday mornings
Sonia Hart
01628 605395
Would you like prayer?
Have the services stirred something in
you or prompted questions?
Do you have a prayer need?
Would you like help with your prayers?
The Prayer Ministry Team will be at the
back of the church beside the sound desk
each week after the 9am and 10am
services and would love the opportunity
to pray for you and with you.
T
he Hitcham & Taplow branch
Mothers Union meet at 2pm on
the third Tuesday of each month
in the parish room at St Mary’s
welcoming different speakers each month.
The next Mothers Union meeting is on
Tuesday 17th May when
they will be welcoming
Danielle & Lydia from The
Children’s Centre, Minnecroft
Road, Burnham
If you would like more
information on Mothers Union, please talk
to Jo Eden.
If you have a specific prayer request for our
’Please Pray for’
section, some news, information, article or
something to share with our St Mary’s family,
then please email to
[email protected]
St Mary’s Church, Hitcham Lane Growing in the love of Christ & sharing His love with others
May 2016 Dates for your diary
Date
Time
Event
Sun 1st
9am
Informal Worship Service. With BFG for the children
11am
Holy Communion
Tues 3rd
8pm
Prayer evening for the whole church - everyone welcome
Thy Kingdom Come, 24/7 prayer, focussed on the Great Wave of
Prayer before Pentecost to pray specifically for evangelism in our
land.
Wed 4th
10.30am
Holy Communion & healing prayer
Sun 8th
9am
Informal Worship Service. With BFG for the children
11am
Holy Communion
Tues 10th
7.45pm
Martha’s Open House - ladies evening ‘Transformed Life’
Wed 11th
10.30am
Holy Communion & healing prayer
Sun 15th
From
8.30am
BFG & Men’s groups will be hosting a ‘Big Brekkie’ event before
the 10am service. Come along and support Christian Aid and
have a scrumptious breakfast! Pre-orders taken.
10am
Joint family communion service
2pm
Mothers Union - Danielle & Lydia from the Children’s Centre,
7.45pm
Martha’s Open House - ladies evening ‘Transformed Life’
Wed 18th
10.30am
Holy Communion & healing prayer
Sun 22nd
10am
Whole Church Service with Bishop Alan to celebrate the time
that Nicky and Alan have been with us and to wish them farewell
in their retirement. Service followed by tea and cake.
(please note there will only be the one service on this day)
Tues 24th
8pm
Martha’s Open House - ladies evening ‘Transformed Life’
Wed 25th
10.30am
Holy Communion & healing prayer
Sun 29th
10am
Joint Family Communion Service
Tues 17th
Location
(if not St Mary’s)
Parish Room
Contact Us
Vicar:
Rev. Nicky Pledger
01628 602778
BFG Club & Roots & Shoots:
New email: [email protected] . Pauline Poole
01628 604227
Email:
[email protected]
Churchwardens: Simon Bader
01494 437337
IMPACT Youth Group: Mary Howarth
01628 668454
Email:
[email protected]
Janine Edwards
01628 660965
Worship Group: Carol Bader: [email protected] .
Church Admin: Alan Pledger
01628 602778
Lighthouse: Sue Hoare (evenings only) 01628 666527
New email: [email protected] .
Hospitality Team: Pam Bader
01628 629311
Church phone in vestry
01628 665473
Email: [email protected]
Treasurer:
Refer to Warden
Financial Giving: Alan Boothroyd
Email:
01628 604806
[email protected]
Website: www.stmaryshitcham.org.uk
Church Calendar now available . under NEWS on the website