Confirmations in Stanway, February 2020

Bishop Roger will be presiding at a service of Confirmation in St. Albright's, Stanway on Monday 3rd February next year, at 7:30pm. All Parishes in the Deanery are invited to present candidates for Confirmation at the service; in the first instance contact Michael Topple, the Parish Administrator at office@stalbrights.org

 

Carols in the Park - 7th December

Carol Singing in Castle Park - lots of singing with lots of singers and a short message, takes place at 4pm on Saturday 7th December. Put it in your diary to come along, and encourage others to be there too - and if you'd like to be part of the massed Choir,  Rehearsals will be held this autumn in St. John's Church, Colchester and Kingsland Church on Mondays or Wednesdays, Register interest now to toyin@kingsland.org.uk or ring Toyin on 07958 490 935.

 

CAP Client Blessing Co-ordinator

This is an exciting opportunity to take up a voluntary role in a hugely successful organisation! CAP is Christians Against Poverty, who in the last 5 years have seen many residents of Colchester become debt-free. Blessing the Clients means providing all the practical things, from food shopping to meter top-ups, acquiring furniture and running events. The Co-ordinator role is to do just that - co-ordinate the work of others, not to do everything! Could it be you? Contact the Centre Manager at paulagoddard@capuk.org 07971 308 388 or read more about it on the Role Description here.

 

Lead thefts & thefts from local Churches

We hear that there has been a recent theft from a local Church, both lead from the roof and items from the Church. Please be vigilant,

ensure that items of value are locked away after services and when the church building is unattended. If your church has lead on the roof and there is no alarm installed, perhaps the PCC may consider this to be a necessary acquisition.  Archdeacon Ruth reminds us that she can approve such an installation under List B provisions of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015.

 

Beacon House - one year on

It's a whole year since Beacon House moved to their new premises in Crouch Street, and Administrator Jan Cross is delighted to say that the new facilities have has had a fantastic impact on the marginalised and vulnerable people the Charity serves. Beacon House have produced a short video to showcase the new Centre - it can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/346878452 and downloaded to show on a screen in Church.

 

Youth Newsletter

Dot Salmon, our Colchester Area Youth Adviser, keeps us updated with a Newsletter, so that we're aware of youth events and training for leaders. Click here to be directed to the current issue. But why not sign up to receive the newsletter regularly? In fact, if you click on this link, you can sign up to receive news on any topic of your interest!

  

Colchester's growing population

The Borough of Colchester continues to be the fastest growing Borough in the east of England, and the population has now reached 192,523. A new document showing further forecast population growth has been added to our website's vision page, to assist us in our planning. The statistics do not drill down below Borough level so we cannot know Deanery or Parish figures - but as we know that most of the growth is within the Deanery, we can expect the Deanery population to be in the region of 145,000 - an increase of 19,000 since the 2011 Census.

 

The new Deanery Vision Plan

The Deanery Standing and Pastoral Committee have published a draft Deanery Vision Plan for the decade 2020-2030, which has been sent to all members of Deanery Synod and PCC Secretaries, for review on PCC and response. The Plan, and the covering letter from the Area Dean and Lay Chair, can be viewed and downloaded from the Vision tab of our website.

 

Online grooming: A note from Essex Police

Essex Police are pointing people to a short film: 'Breck’s Last Game' (15) about 14-year-old Breck Bednar who was murdered in Grays by a man he met on a gaming site. The film was made to raise awareness of online grooming and carries an important message – do you really know who your online friends are? The film is being rolled out into schools across Essex with screenings taking place as part of a comprehensive lesson plan designed to raise awareness of online grooming and exploitation. The film has been made with the support of Breck’s mother Lorin LaFave and The Breck Foundation. For more information about how to spot the signs of online grooming and what to do if you’re concerned about a child you know, visit our website:https://www.essex.police.uk/adv…/child-sexual-exploitation/… Our thanks to Revd Julia Murphy for passing this on.

  

A Retreat for your Parish or MMU?

Revd Jackie Sams, part of the Diocesan Spiritual Direction Team and a leader of Individual Guided Retreats at Pleshey, can be available to lead a quiet day or retreat for a Parish, team or MMU. If you would like to explore the opportunity, contact her on 01206530586 or by email at revjackiesams@gmail.com.

 

Sharing equipment

Here's a new kind of 'Parish Share'! One Church in the Deanery recently asked if there's a way of sharing items of equipment, rather than having to hire or buy it. For instance, we know of another Church where there's an easy-to-construct tower which could be loaned out for changing light bulbs etc. What have you got that others could use, and what do you need? We think there's a Biblical principle in this too.... Let us know!