This page contains the Parish newsletter for February2012, details of Church support, Hall Hire. House Group and Hullbridge Scouts.
Click on sidebar to access links.
St Thomas’s Vicarage,
93, Ferry Road,
Hullbridge
Essex, SS5 6EL
01702 232017
My Dear Friends,
It’s always surprising how God works things out, but we often only see this as we look back. We begin to see the pattern in what has happened and see God’s fingerprints all over the place! This is what the Parables of Jesus are mostly about and if you understand them in this way you . The difference from what was expected is partly this – there would be no force, no imposition of Jewish institutions, however good, no privilege or discrimination, instead we should ALL love our enemies, become God’s children and dare to stand up for what is right with only God’s weapons of truth and faith and goodness and love. And we can do this BECAUSE God has the power to change and strengthen His faithful people through the grace and forgiveness and example of Jesus. So the Kingdom of God is not something abstract, or pie in the sky or purely personal and private, it is in fact Heaven on Earth and Jesus is God’s Agent in making the change. Jesus is the Son who has the power to make us all, whoever we are, into sons and daughters of the living God.
Now this is a threat to all the established authority and vested interests on Earth so no wonder they got together and killed Jesus, but He lives and is continuing through us the bringing in of the Kingdom. And not just through us but through all people of good will and faith that there is a God who can bring about change for the better!
In my musings on all this and on our current situation I have been given to understand that I have played my part in your story, which is about to change, aget a whole new insight into what Jesus was saying and doing. I have been reading Tom Wright’s new book while on sick leave and it’s been a revelation, although it fits with what I have discovered and researched over the years.
Jesus is announcing the reality of something that the Jews had longed for ever since the exile of 586BC, the restoration of the Kingdom in which God is King. For all those years the Jews had looked forward to a situation in which God took up His rule of the Jews and the rest of the world too. God would throw out tyrants and criminals and bring justice peace and healing to individual people and to the nations. In His parables and His actions Jesus is announcing that this process is already beginning – God is here, God is in charge and everything will be put right. BUT, it may well be very different to the way you thought God would do this. So Jesus says ‘ If you have faith and understanding you will join me in working with God to transform human life and history in every respect’. And Jesus went around healing the sick, teaching what life is actually like when God is King, rather than pretenders like Herod and Tiberius, and even showing power over creation itself. Above all, Jesus said, God can change the situation by changing the hearts of people, especially sinful and lost people so that they become pure and wise and brave
s is the story of the Reed family. Together we have healed divisions, shared the Gospel, found out what it is like to work with another Parish, and tried to minister to the wider community. Now we all need to move on in our different ways, but all of us still working for the Kingdom.
THANK YOU FROM THE HEART FOR ALL YOUR LOVE, SUPPORT AND PRAYERS FOR ME AND MY FAMILYOVER THE YEARS WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER IN HIS SERVICE.
May God continue to bless you richly with all the gifts of His grace.
Harvey
Retirement.
A subject much in the news at the moment for all kinds of reasons, not least WHEN people can retire and how they manage financially.
I reach 65 on February 28th 2012 and will retire the next day as I have completed over 41 years service in the ministry, so the new rules which delay clerical retirement until 68 years, do not apply to me. The unusual, though not unique feature of clerical retirement is that you have to move away from the community you have been serving, in case there are conflicts with the succeeding Incumbent. Also, in our case we can’t afford to stay in Essex anyway, so we are moving to Kessingland in Suffolk, where we have had lovely holidays for twenty years now.
Linda and I will very much miss all of you after over 16 years together and we regard you all as friends, not just parishioners, so do, please, keep in touch and come and see us if you are in Suffolk at 117 Lloyds Avenue, Kessingland and we will show you why we like it so much!
I will not miss the paperwork and the meetings and the worry of responsibility one bit and look forward to time spent with Linda and to new ministry in retirement helping the hard pressed clergy of Lothingland Deanery. I will also do some travelling with Linda in the camper and might build a model railway in my spare time!
Do come to the party on February 18 at St Thomas from 2-5 and join me at the Altar on my last Sunday on the 19th. There won’t be much time on the Sunday – as usual, but Linda and I hope to have a chat with everybody on the Saturday. Suzanne and Louise will also be there and they are moving too of course, to Hackney, where they are buying a new flat near a cinema: they love going up the pictures! God Bless you all. With love, Linda and Harvey, Suzanne and Louise
Please contact Beryl Soane on 01702 231555 for further information.
SMALL CHANGE JAR (and other schemes!)
Just a little reminder of what this scheme is all about. It started in March 2001 when we were busy raising funds for the toilets and then for the driveway. We have continued the scheme since then as a small way of raising funds for the numerous miscellaneous items that are required by the Church.
What we ask you to do is to put your small change (1p, 2p, 5ps.) into the jar which is on the small table in the entrance hall on Sundays. As you can see from the running total of cash collected in this way, the pennies really do mount up – and hopefully no one feels the pinch in their pockets!
Many thanks to the people who have supported us over the years in this way.
There is another similar scheme which a few of us still contribute to – we save 20ps in a Smartie box (problems now getting Smartie boxes so any small container will do). This scheme goes even further back, to before the Rev. Harvey’s time – when we were saving to repair the roof! A full Smartie box will contain £14.00!! And again if you put just one coin in each day you hardly notice it! If anyone feels they would like to join this scheme please do so – you simply give the money to Beryl Soane when your container is full – and if you pay tax let her know as it is then possible to claim Gift Aid on the donation.
Yet another on-going fund raising initiative that we run is The Birthday Scheme, which has been in existence since 2003. To join this Scheme you register your interest with Linda Reed who will ask for your address and date of birth. When your birthday comes round you will receive a birthday card from St. Thomas’ plus a ‘Birthday Gift Envelope’. The gift envelope is then returned to church with a donation enclosed. The amount donated is entirely up to the giver.
Beryl Morriss
COFFEE MORNING
A Coffee Morning is held from 10.30am till 12.30pm on the last Saturday of each month throughout the year – with the exception of November (this month we usually hold our Christmas Fair) and December.
The March Coffee Morning is run by the Gentlemen of St. Thomas’ . This is always a special coffee morning and as well as the usual stalls we have a cake stall and a raffle – so please do your best to support our men folk – you will be pampered by them!
Beryl Morriss
HARP (HOHELESS ACTION RESOURCE PROJECT)
This is a Project which we have supported for many years (since 1993). We ask each member of the congregation (or friends of St. Thomas’) to donate one tin of food per month. These items are then taken each month to HARP in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff. There is a box under the large table in the church entrance hall for these items. They can also be left at The Council Office in Ferry Road (next door to the Opticians and opposite the Co-op).
The Centre provide food parcels for people in Bed and Breakfast accommodation and also cook lunchtime meals at the Centre for the homeless at greatly subsidised cost. All donations are very gratefully received.
We also send toiletries and bedding as the Centre provides washing facilities and the bedding is useful for the Night Centre in Southend.
TRAIDCRAFT STALL
St. Thomas’ hold a Traidcraft Stall on the second Sunday of each month following the Sunday service (which finishes at approximately 10.45am) when it is possible to buy a great many Fair Trade goods.
 |
