Moira Pidgeon - London Marathon 2008

I completed the London Marathon in 4 hours 44 minutes and have raised so far £1132 (for the Multiple Sclerosis Society) with more money still coming in!
It is not too late for people to sponsor me, if they wish, at: www.justgiving.com/moirapidgeon. Thank you so very much to everyone who supported me!

Moira

Prayer for Warner and Christ Church

We have been meeting to pray for Warner on a weekly basis – this has been planned week by week, but to give everyone a better chance to plan to attend, the following dates and times have been put aside:

• Every Monday @ 9am in the Church Room
• Wednesday 14 May @ 7:30pm
• Thursday 22 May @ 8pm

We will meet in the Church Room, unless otherwise indicated, and the prayer time is not expected to exceed one hour. Please do try to be present in the Church Room to pray, but if you cannot attend please join us in prayer wherever you are for some or all of the hour.

Yours in Christ,
Peter Fisher
 

Creation Exhibition in St Mary Magdalen

In 2006 there was an exhibition of ten embroidered panels about the creation in Coventry Cathedral. Working with a Christian set designer, an artist and the Deo Gloria Trust the cathedral designed and mounted the set of 10 panels that make up the exhibition as part of the ongoing outreach of the cathedral.

See www.deo-gloria.co.uk/projects_new.php for details

The Creation Exhibition has now been lovingly reproduced as a set of 10 high quality hand stitched banners. And these banners are coming to St Mary Magdalen, Billericay. What a tremendous opportunity this is to welcome people into the church. Based on the Genesis account of creation these screens show that, whatever your view on the "how and the when" of the beginning of our world, God was behind it all. The intense, bright colours help to show the vibrancy and joy of the created world while the story by Paul Field on the first banner puts the images into the context of faith in a loving God. The rest of the banners, also by Paul, give us permission in this busy world to sit back and reflect on God and his creation and simply to enjoy!

The exhibition will be on display from Tuesday 29th April to Thursday 22nd May – and we need volunteers to help man the church and serve refreshments while the exhibition is in place. Please contact Angela Clarke if you can offer some time to help – a whole morning or afternoon or just an hour or two. To satisfy our insurers we need 2 people on duty at all times, so every little helps.

With thanks,
Maralyn Buchanan
 

Billericay Flower Festival

On the weekend of 13th-15th June Churches Together in Billericay are organising a Flower Festival in St Mary Magdelen. The theme for the weekend is Billericay, past, present and future. Please come along

Jazz Evening

At Christ Church, Perry Street in aid of the Christ Church Atrium project

Saturday 5th July
Doors open 7.30pm
Cafe style - bring your own drinks and glasses

Tickets £7.50 from Christ Church Office

New Wine

Several people from the team have been to New Wine summer conferences but we hope that a group from Billericay will be able to go together in 2008 from 26^th July to 1^st Aug at Royal Bath and West Showground. The theme next year will be KINGDOM COME to pray and work with towards God’s kingdom coming to earth, , just as Jesus taught us For details of the conference, visit www.new-wine.org, and select ’Kingdom Come’ under the ‘Summer’ heading.
You can book for a considerable discount on-line if you do so before 31 March 2008. When booking, please state that you are camping with Emmanuel, Billericay so that we all camp together!
 

Weekend Away – 17-19 October 2008
High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts

We have booked 90 en suite places at High Leigh for our Church Weekend Away in October this year. Twin, double, single, and family rooms are available.

High Leigh is set in the heart of the Hertfordshire countryside with 40 acres of lawns, parkland and woodland and is just about an hour’s drive from Billericay.

Those of you who went to High Leigh in 2006 will remember that the Conference Centre was then in the middle of some major refurbishment which has since been completed, and also a new wing of en suite rooms will have been added by October.

Canon Roger Matthews, the Chelmsford Diocese Director for Mission & Ministry, will be leading the weekend guiding us on the link between spirituality and mission. Children and youth workers will be leading the young people’s groups and there will be fun and activities organised for everyone to take part in including the much loved Saturday evening “Stars in His Eyes” hosted by Sally Murphy.

The DCC have been able to approve subsidies for everyone to make the weekend more affordable and the prices including all en suite accommodation, meals and refreshments are as follows:

Adults (waged) £98 (deposit £25) Adults (unwaged) £49 (deposit £15) Children aged 15+ in full time education £49 (deposit £15) Children aged 10 – 14 years £25 (deposit £5) Children aged 3 – 9 years £12 (deposit £5) Children 2 years or under Free

You should by now have received a booking form, but if you have not received one spare forms will be available from the Church office. Completed booking forms together with deposit should be handed to Ann Deall or left for her via the Christ Church office. No bookings will be accepted without a completed form and deposit.

If you have any queries concerning the weekend, do contact one of the organising team. We do hope you will be able to come for what promises to be a wonderful weekend.

Margaret Fowler
Sally Murphy
Chris Davis