Over 150 people attend Deanery Day

Our thanks to everyone who attended, assisted, planned or presented at our Deanery Day on 11th October. The overwhelming comment afterwards was that the seminars and workshops were useful, as was the opportunity to network - and to eat lots! We are indebted to the St. John's Team who were so helpful to us in the months beforehand, as well as on the Day. Many have asked to see the PowerPoint presentations and other material - visit our Deanery Day page for those that are available. There's be another Deanery Day next year - put Saturday 17th October 2026 in your diary, for something similar but different!

Taize service in Wivenhoe

On the evening of Sunday 2nd November, there will be a Taize service - a peaceful 45 minutes of chants, prayer, meditation and silence. The perfect way to end a weekend remembering All Saints and All Souls. There are more details at www.stmaryswivenhoe.org. The service begins at 6pm; all are of course welcome.

Revd Tony Rose to move on

Reverend Tony Rose and his wife Rosie will soon be leaving Colchester, as they are moving to Edinburgh to be near their son. This means they will be leaving the city where Tony has served faithfully for decades and where Rosie has assisted him in countless ways, across church, retired military veterans, charitable church, Christian agencies and wider ministries. Tony’s impact remains deeply felt; we thank him so much for all he has done in our Churches. Their final Sunday at St James the Great Church, East Hill, will be on Sunday 2nd November. 

Revd Belinda moves on

Revd Belinda Kerins, Curate at St. Stephen's Church, New Town - and our Chapter Clerk of course - has been appointed Vicar of St. Peter's, Laneside, in the Diocese of Blackburn. Laneside is in the Rossendale valley, between Blackburn and Manchester. Belinda has made quite an impact in our Deanery, and we pray that she and the people of Laneside will be as blessed by her as the Deanery of Colchester has been! Thank you, belinda, for all your ministry with us.

Care for the Carers

The next meeting of Essex Mind and Spirit takes place on Thursday 13th November from 12:30pm to 2pm at Colchester Evangelical Church, CO3 0PU. The topic is 'Care for the Carers' and the speaker is Tim Warren, Lead Clinical Psychologist based at the Kingswood Centre in Colchester and also facilitates the support group for families of in-patients in Colchester and Clacton. As ever, bring your own lunch, but drinks are provided. A donation of £1.50 would help cover the costs. Let them know you're coming by emailing hilaryplatts@googlemail.com or ringing 07503 791968.

Building Healthy Organisations and Churches

That's the title of a Day Conference being held at St. Michael's Church in Martlesham Heath on Saturday 1st November. It's organised and presented by the Association of Christians in Counselling, and as you'll see from this poster the day is going to be packed with information and advice. Book in advance on 01473 217694 or conact@inspirecounselling.org.uk

This month's Newsletter from the Mustard Seed Team

The regular Newsletter from the Diocese's team of Children's & Youth Leaders has just been published, and can be read here. The leader article is by our own Matt Williamson (featured at Deanery Day!) and there's information about a host of events and training opportunities for both leaders and young people, plus pointers to interesting reading and useful resources. Even if you personally aren't involved in work with young people, we encourage you to read it and be amazed and thankful for what's going on!

Silent Disco at St. John's!

Colchester Collective, the gathering of our Church youth groups, are holding a Silent Disco at St. John's Colchester on Sunday 19th October from 6pm to 8pm. Food will be provided, as will activities and games - and there'll be worship too. It's for young people in school years 7 to 13, who must be accompanied by at least two leaders from your Church who have been through a Safer Recruitment process in line with your Church's Safeguarding policy. It should be a great evening, so encourage your nominated person to gather details of your young people and book in by email to colchestercollective@gmail.com.

What is God calling you to?

That's the simple title of the Colchester Area Vocations Day, which takes place in our own Deanery - at St. Andrew's Church, Marks Tey on Saturday 8th November from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Please use this poster to encourage people from your Parish to come along - it's so vital for the future of the Church that we hear how God is calling people into all kinds of ministries. It's a morning to meet with like-minded people and join in discussion, workshops and reflection to help discover with the Lord how He can develop our unique gifts for His service.

Revd Harry Boreham RIP

It is with a heavy heart that we report the death of Harry Boreham, a kind, gentle and loving pastor and a loyal servant of the Lord and His Church; yet rejoice that he is promoted to glory. He died on 29th September in Freda Gunton Lodge after a long illness. Having served in the Dioceses of Canterbury and St. Edmunds & Ipswich, he held Permission To Officiate in our Diocese in his retirement from 2005 and supported a number of Churches in our Deanery. Please pray for his widow Rosemary and for all of us who will miss him. His funeral will take place at St. John's Colchester on Tuesday 28th October at 2:30pm.

Jo Jeffery ordained Deacon

We are delighted that Jo Jeffery was ordained Deacon in Chelmsford Cathedral on Sunday, 14th September. Jo has worked with young people and families in our Deanery for many years, being a Families Worker in the Kings Ridge Parishes and Chaplaincy Enabler with CYO (Christian Youth Outreach). Jo is serving her curacy at Christ Church and St. Botolphs. Please pray that Jo will experience the power of the Holy Spirit as she embarks on this new phase of her ministry.

Stef Jones ordained Deacon

It is wonderful that Stef Jones took the important step into Ordination as Deacon on Sunday 14th September in Chelmsford Cathedral. Stef has lived and worshipped in Colchester all her life, serving the local Church and local community in so many ways - including work as a City Pastor and Girlguiding Leader. As Stef now prays for the Lord's guidance on the next steps in her life and ministry, please pray with her that she will be empowered by the Spirit now and in all she does, serving at St. Mark's and Luke's.

Fr Jeffrey ordained in St. James the Great

The Ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Fr Jeffrey Sheldon Graham took place in the Church of St. James the Great, East Hill on 27th September, followed by a reception at the Pilgrim Centre - but followed most importantly by his first Mass of Thanksgiving - a Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit on the following day, offered in thanksgiving for his ordination and for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Church. May the Spirit continue to empower Fr Jeffrey's ministry.

Colchester Churches Charitable Trust - grants for Church building work

This autumn, is your PCC turning its thoughts to the needs of the Church building - either to do Quinquennial repairs or make improvements? Do remember that the Colchester Churches Charitable Trust can donate up to 50% of the cost of a project up to £10,000 for each Church building - so if you've not claimed already, surf along to colchtrust.org.uk

A bumper programme of events in St. Botolph's this autumn

The musical season at St. Botolph's has started, and many organisations are holding their autumn concerts in the coming weeks - Lexden Choral Society on Saturday 8th November; Colchester Choral Society on Saturday 15th November; St. Botolph's Music Society on Saturday 22nd November; Colchester Symphony Orchestra (wind & brass) on Saturday 29th November; Colne Endeavour Band present Carols for All on Sunday 30th November at 2:30pm; and Colchester Choral Society present 'Here comes Christmas!' on Sunday 7th December at 4pm. Click on the Societies' names for more information and to book.

Free Training Courses being rolled out for all Parishes!

Christian Youth Outreach (CYO) are ready and excited to be hosting four training opportunities for churches within the Colchester Deanery. CYO are committed to equipping, encouraging, and enabling churches to deliver chaplaincy within local schools. These free courses are:

Schools Ministry 101 - all you need to know about schools and the educational context today, the what and why of school ministry, and best practice; and

Chaplaincy, Mentoring & More - the nuts and bolts of CYO's chaplaincy framework, key skills for mentoring, Playground Pastors, and ideas to keep things going. 

Booking is essential. Links to more details of the courses, dates, and locations are below:

Schools Ministry 101: St. Mary's, Wivenhoe, 15th November  and St. John's, Colchester, 28th February

Chaplaincy, Mentoring & More: St. Mary's Wivenhoe 24th January and St. John's Colchester 21st March

And these Powerpoint slides will also introduce the courses to your congregations. Sign up now - see you there!

Catalyst Course for children's and young people's leaders

Matt Williamson has sent us details of the Catalyst Course, run from Ridley Hall in Cambridge but with locally-held sessions, which is an excellent course for new or developing leaders of young people in our Churches. All the information is on the document here; do pass it to any in the Parish whom you think can benefit, and contact Matt to know even more and to sign up.

2026 Parish Share figures are out

The Diocesan Office have now sent out year's Parish Share figures, and most Parishes will see an increase of just under 3%. That's despite stipends and salaries being budgeted to increase by 4%, plus the effect of the rise in Employers' National Insurance. We ask that parishes respond to mail@colchesterdeanery.org.uk by Monday 13th October, so that we can report the Deanery position to the Diocesan Office.

'Here am I, Lord' - Evangelism 101

That's the title of a Zoom-based course, designed to help people build confidence in living out God's calling. It started in October, and continues on Saturdays 15th November and 17th January, and it's run by Steve Norris and Martin Roscoe. The attached poster will surely generate interest - to find out more and book in, contact steve.norris.reader@gmail.com or martin@andyanneandmatt.org.uk.

SHAPE - an excellent nurture course

Our Area Mission & Ministry Adviser, Phil Ritchie, is looking again at the SHAPE course - that stands for Spiritual gifts; Heart's desire; Abilities; Personality; Experience. If you'd like to consider this as your next nurture course,, all materials can be downloaded for free here; and why not email Phil - he'll be delighted to hear from you.

Friendship Line - A listening ear in Lexden

St. Leonard's, Lexden have recently set up a Friendship Line, and it's not just for their Parishioners. Anyone who feels they need someone with whom they can have a friendly chat, or would like someone to listen to their concerns, will feel more positive after a time of sharing. The Parish will be happy for you to put up this poster on your noticeboard. More information from the Parish Office on 01206 575565 or Revd Maggie Whiteman at maggiew234@gmail.com.

Churchwardens - help is at hand

Are you a Churchwarden, or would you like to be more supportive of your Churchwardens? The Diocesan website has a wealth of information on Churchwardens' duties and responsibilities, training and support material (including YouTube videos) to guide us in this important role. It includes pointers for building works, actions in a Vacancy, being a Trustee, and much more. Surf to www.chelmsford.anglican.org/churchwardens and be encouraged!

PCC Wellbeing Toolkit

The wellbeing of Church leaders and members has been high on the list of the Church of England's priorities since Covid, and a PCC Wellbeing Toolkit was introduced to our Clergy and Lay leaders in a recent seminar. PCCs may find helpful to review it together, and involve the Church membership. It is offered to you to use as you see fit; download it from here.  May it bless you!

Lexden Bereavement Support Group

This Group, a resource available to all Parishes, is run by three Lay members of St. Leonard's, Lexden, all of whom are retired registered nurses with experience and extra training in loss and bereavement. A new course of six fortnightly sessions begins soon for those of any faith or none missing a loved one who died recently or longer ago. For details or to book a place phone Margaret on 01206 547803 or email bereavement@stleonardslexden.org.uk.

To add news items to this page, email us at mail@colchesterdeanery.org.uk