News Archive

“More Tea Vicar?” - September 2011

Dear Friends,

Some of you have seen me out walking in Billericay recently and have wondered what I’ve been up to. If you saw me with a huge rucksack on my back then you could be forgiven for wondering where I was going and what was inside! I’ve been training for Walk West Dorset and by the time you get to read this the walk may be underway. I will be in West Dorset with about 100 others, mainly men but a good number of women too, working with local churches by joining in with their evangelism for 9 days. I will be based in Maiden Newton – about 8 miles from Dorchester – from Friday 16th through to Sunday 25th September.

Through Faith Missions (TFM) have been organising Walk Missions since 1989 and I have been involved in three (Roby in Liverpool 2001, Walk Wessex 2003 and Walk Jersey 2004). Subsequent health issues made it difficult to join other walks but I’ve now decided to take on the challenge. The walks are primarily about talking to people about our faith in Jesus. We will walk into Maiden Newton (having been invited by the local Church) as a team of ten and other teams will visit towns and villages nearby. Each member is allowed to take £3 a day in order to buy someone a drink, but apart from that we take no money, no credit cards and no mobile phones. We will live for 9 days by faith, relying upon the local church to feed us. In the meantime we will be busy going out two by two talking to people in pubs, at organised events, and on the doorstep. We will preach in the Churches where the Rector Graham Perryman is responsible for 16 village churches. Yes, just how does he do that?

The organised programme is huge, but I have listed a few key dates and times when I and the team would especially value your prayers:

Please will you pray for me, for the team I am serving with, for the churches in the Melbury Team (Maiden Newton and the surrounding villages), and for the local people we will meet and share the gospel with?

…and now for something different. What follows next is a letter from Gill Hinton, a member of Christ Church, and District Commissioner for the Guides:

Rainbow and Brownie Leaders Urgently Needed

Unfortunately due to Girl Guiding's policy on the age limit of Guiders leading units it is necessary for two of our long term Guiders to retire from their Unit Guider roles, one in November this year, and another at the end of next year. As both Guiders have been running their units as lone Guiders with parent helpers, this means there are no trained Guiders to take over, which will result in the units closing if no new leaders are found. This will be a great loss to the district as the units have been running for 29 and 36 years respectively. Also, our Rainbow unit is under threat of closure as the current leader will be taking over the running of a Rainbow unit in her new home town of Maldon next July and although we do have someone willing to do the Leadership Training, she will only take over the running of the unit if she has an Assistant Guider to help.

It will be a great shame to see these units close if new leaders cannot be found as both young girls and adults will be missing out on the exciting and challenging experiences as well as friendships that Guiding has to offer.

Ideally it would be great to have two trained Guiders per unit to share the leadership role so if you are at all interested in helping and would like to know more about what is involved in running a Rainbow unit (5-7 years) or Brownie unit (7-10 years) then please speak to the church office. No previous experience is required, just the desire to help young girls grow in confidence whilst learning new skills and learning about the world around them and of course to have lots of fun!

Thank you,
Gill Hinton, District Commissioner

Looking ahead to the new Term don’t forget we have a Ladies Breakfast Alpha Course starting on Thursday 22nd September, and a good number of us are heading off to High Leigh in Hertfordshire for the Church Weekend away at the end of September. Then, on 15th and 16th October we have our Harvest Festival celebrations which will include a meal, a barn dance, and a Scarecrow Making festival!

With every blessing,
Warner

Revd Paul Carr writes in the Billericay and Wickford Gazette

I’m sure that many of you, along with me, were shocked and dismayed with the scenes of rioting and criminality on the streets of our nation at the beginning of August. Resulting in scenes, which some commentators suggest, have not been seen in London since the ‘blitz.’ These events have left huge amounts of damage in their wake, and not just physical: the emotional, psychological and spiritual damage is high, too.

But what has happened to bring us to this crisis point? What seems to be coming through ‘loud and clear’ is that many in our nation are blaming a lack of: morality; social ethics and community cohesion; alongside government cuts; unemployment; and the breakdown of family life as being major causes. Whatever the reasons, they cannot be excuses. The symptoms that something is badly wrong are obvious. However, the riots are not the only recent examples of theft and greed. And perhaps it is not such a surprising consequence, therefore, that a moral vacuum in some parts of our society seems to have prompted a ‘me’ first, consumerist culture, overriding a caring concern for others.  And we have seen, have we not, an unpleasant glimpse of the default position to which society inevitably returns when its moral imperatives have been sidelined.

It has been enlightening to read the comments of politicians and social commentators alike, as they reflect on recent events.  As I write this article, the Prime Minister has said that he is committed to beginning a “social fight back” now that the security response has been announced. David Cameron attacked “moral neutrality” and relativism, where bad choices were explained as merely “different lifestyles” and continued: “We have been too unwilling for too long to talk about what is right and what is wrong.  We have too often avoided saying what needs to be said - about everything from marriage to welfare to common courtesy.” Strong words indeed.

But what are we to do about it? Justice must be done, and be seen to be done. However, the problems will not be solved by the judicial system alone. Some of the answers may emerge from political, economic and social debate. But within those conversations I suspect there may be little recognition of the relentless erosion of Christian values in this country that has taken place during the lifetime of successive governments.

So how do we rectify the problem, recognising that no government has been able to put forward a credible non-Christian moral framework?  That is not to say you have to be a Christian to be moral. That is, of course, not true - just as Christians do not have the monopoly on charitable works and benevolence.  But where, I ask, is the alternative to the Ten Commandments, even though no other moral code has had such widespread influence? Where are the ethical building blocks for life that can replace the Beatitudes and the New Testament’s teaching about the values of love, peacefulness, compassion and care for one’s neighbour?

There is no doubt that Christian insights about justice and respect; discipline with mercy; and the knowledge that everyone is redeemable, are of proven worth and relevant to any intelligent exploration about how we can become a better society.  “Without that sense,” wrote A.N.Wilson (in his Saturday essay in the Daily Mail on 10th August) “Human life falls into absolute chaos, anarchy, and unpleasantness.” He goes on to argue, quite convincingly, how: “The events of recent times have shown the enormous value of a living religious faith.” The journalist Melanie Phillips, never one to shy away from ‘telling it like it is,’ writes on her website: “The solution is to be found when our nation, once again, allows Biblical values to shape our morals; ethics; legislation and law making.” 

But adopting Biblical values, in themselves, are not enough.  The solution runs much deeper and affects matters of choice as well as faith, as we put into practise the words of Jesus from Mark’s gospel 12:29-31, when he said: “... love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength ... [and] love your neighbour as yourself.”  Without doing this, our society can only become more broken than it already is.

It seems to me that what we should not be doing, at such a time as this, is sweeping Christianity under the carpet, believing that it has no value in our society.  Indeed, much of what has been published in the press, and spoken in the public arena, suggests the exact opposite to be true.  So, may I suggest, to those of you who may be looking for answers to the troubling questions about the meaning of life and faith, that the Alpha Course, which starts on Sunday 18th September at Saint Mary Magdalen’s in the High Street, is the ideal opportunity to enable some of those questions to be answered (contact alpha@billericaychurches.org for further details).

And lastly, but certainly not least, we continue to pray. We pray for our Nation; for those in Government and for Members of Parliament. We pray for those people who have lost their businesses, homes and, in many cases, everything.  We pray for our Police, Fire and Emergency Services.  We pray for those involved in the looting and rioting. We pray for the rebuilding of trust; forgiveness; and reconciliation in broken communities. We pray that parents, guardians, godparents and grandparents, will take a greater share of the responsibility in nurturing our children and young people. We pray that everyone, from the youngest to the oldest, will play their part in establishing a better future for all. And we pray that God will do something supernaturally wonderful, in restoring our nation, as a result of events this summer.

Revd Paul A. Carr, Team Rector

The New Bishop of Bradwell

John Wraw, currently the Archdeacon of Wiltshire, will be our new local Bishop from early 2012

Buttsbury Infants Role-Play Weddings Thursday 7th July 2011

What fun we had! Children, teachers and parents alike had a great time as Year 2 children visited Christ Church. The children had spent a few days learning about weddings and marriage in different cultures and they had spent a lot of time getting ready for role-play weddings at their local Church. Everyone dressed up for the occasion. There was a bride and groom and bridesmaids morning and afternoon. We walked through a wedding service, played the famous Bridal marches, sang songs the children sing at school, and even had a fantastic wedding cake in the Buttsbury colours made by Les and Val Sheppard. At the end of each ‘service’ there was a very interesting question and answer session, and then confetti was thrown outside. The Buttsbury photographers were kept very busy, and two short videos have been produced as a keep-sake of a really excellent day. We hope that this could be repeated in future years so watch this space!

Tom Loh’s Ordination Day - Sunday 3rd July

On Sunday 3rd July 2011 our new Curate (Trainee Vicar) Tom Loh was ordained at Chelmsford Cathedral, followed by a welcome Barbeque in the Rectory Garden on Laindon Road. ChristChurchTV was on hand to snap some photos and video

Praise in the Park - Sunday 26th June

On 26th June Churches together in Billericay gathered for the annual praise in the park in Lake Meadows. There were different denominations of churches there including: Methodist, Baptist, United Reformed, Church of England and Roman Catholic.

Reverend Paul Carr the team rector of the Billericay and Little Burstead team ministry lead the worship and Tom Loh the Team Curate preached for the first time in Billericay. He made a great first impression and we have high hopes for him as he comes into his new job learning under Paul Carr. When Tom was asked how his first Praise in the Park went he answered, “Yeah it was great, it has been my first event here in Billericay, it was Marvellous. I always love seeing Christians out together and it gave me warmth in my heart today. I liked that we were worshiping out in the open.”

Praise in the Park is also about showing the community something about what the church is and to have a chance to hear some of the things we sing and say. When Gary Bott was asked what makes Praise in the Park special he answered, “The sun, the weather and being with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ to worship together. Also it’s great seeing people that we don’t normally see on a Sunday morning and also I hope that the community will see the Church in a different way.” 

Matthew Pidgeon

Verity’s Fundraising Car Wash

On the 14th of May we washed 23 cars and sold hundreds of cakes in order to help raise funds for Verity's mission trip to Uganda as part of a YWAM 'Year For God'. During the time in Uganda Verity will spend 12 weeks trining which includes Bible based lecture training where she will learn about practically involving God in everyday life as well as mission. The second part of training is outreach work where the team will be out in the local community helping churches run outreach and spreading the word of God within the community. The second half of the year is called the placement phase, this is work in one of YWAMs many projects, this could include a pre-school, running youth outreach through sports and music or helping disabled or children suffering from HIV/AIDs. This is a very exciting opportunity and Verity would like to thank all those who have supported her through this event

Verity Butt

Jacket Potato Lunch
Thursday 12th May 2011

About 90 people enjoyed some very tasty Jacket potatoes with delicious fillings at Christ Church on Thursday lunch time, 12th May. Local teachers, members of our local community, friends and relatives supported the work of Schools Ministry Billericay (SMB), paying for lunch and also buying some incredibly scrummy cakes too. SMB do wonderful work in the schools of our town teaching children about the Bible, the life of Jesus, and the message of the Christian faith. You can find out more on their website:  http://www.smbbase.com/

Thank you very much to the team of ladies from several local churches who helped make this a success, raising well over £400 for SMB and serving great food to our community

Narnia Day - Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May 2011

We had a fantastic time watching all three Narnia films, finishing with over 60 people enjoying the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Graham Deall made a wardrobe and a lamp-post and Carol Cockcroft’s team decorated the church with 50 metres of fake snow plus a lovely picture of Lucy with Mr. Tumnus. Our local Ice Cream man (Frank) had a long queue to his van. Sean and Sue Gilbey served delicious pop-corn and local band Nightshift entertained us during one of the intervals. Watch this space for the next film to be shown at the Christ Church Film Club

Showstoppers Holiday Bible Club

Between 18th and 21st April Christ Church hosted a holiday bible club. 40 children aged 5 to 11 enjoyed a great week of fun, song, dance, snacks, Bible stories and learning about Jesus. See below the following pictures of some of the work produced for some snippets of video:

Phil Sheldrake

Jesus said: “The saying ‘one sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labour” (John 4: 37-38).

There’s a type of bamboo in Asia which grows to amazing heights and at amazing speeds - sometimes as much as 20 metres in six weeks! However, before that growth spurt, the seed lies in the dark beneath the ground for up to 5 years. Those farmers who make a profitable living from the bamboo would have given up long ago and changed crops if they didn’t know that plenty was going on beneath the surface despite the fact that there was no outer, visible sign to encourage their perseverance. Every bit of watering and waiting, praying and persevering, is worthwhile.

At the age of 14 Phil Sheldrake was invited by a school friend to attend an event called Festival ’89.

The event was being held on Sun Corner in Billericay and hosted by the preacher J. John. That night, Phil came to find a personal faith in Jesus. With his best friend, Phil attended Pathfinders and other Youth groups here at Christ Church. A member of the staff team here a man called Ron Bradford was instrumental in Phil’s growing faith, and Phil himself takes up the story: “I won’t say I was the finished article at this point. Who is? The pressures of adolescence kept me on the fringe of church from 16 to 18; yet I still attended youth club and the occasional Sunday service. What I will say though, is that the patience and love shown through the members of Christ Church was priceless. I didn’t have a family who loved and spoke to me about Jesus; but here in Billericay there were people who did. At university I got hooked into a loving Church that gave me opportunities to explore leadership, develop skills and talents, make mistakes, celebrate success and be discipled.”

“After college, I went out into the world and worked in various places in my early 20s …later studying Theology, Music & Worship at the London School of Theology. I then went on to become Music Director of a church in Central London, and then worked for three years alongside the songwriter and worship leader, Graham Kendrick … I look back at my early teens and thank God that there actually were a set of people bothered to take an interest in my life. In their own small way, they set me on my big adventure in Christ. Don’t underestimate what might sometimes feel insignificant input into the lives of your teenagers - both compliant or unruly! I was an unruly one, and look what you did for me.”

Those words were published on the Christ Church website in January 2008. They’re still there. Phil is married to Abigail and they have 2 children, Elijah and Keziah. They are now coming to the end of their time in Bristol, with Phil’s Ordination training finishing in early June, after which Phil will become Curate at St Faith's, Maidstone

Facing the Canon: Jackie Pullinger

J.John is doing a series for UCB (channel 586 on Sky) called Facing the Cannon. Warner found this event and got the tickets. On St. Valentines day we travelled to St Andrews Chorleywood. J.John is a very entertaining and Godly speaker. We have recently run his 'Just 10' series at Christ Church and it was very well supported. The 'Facing the Cannon' series interviews a number of well known Christians. Today it was Jackie Pullinger. Wikipedia has an outline article about her, but to get a better idea of why she's famous read her book Chasing the Dragon. It was one of the first books I read as a young Christian. Jo and I have seen Jackie once before, and we both looked forward to hearing from her again.

She told some her story, mainly the beginning. At the age of five she had already decided to be a missionary, not that she had any idea what a missionary did. After graduating, she was advised by a vicar to get on a boat and see where God told her to get off. That was Hong Kong, which she'd seen in a dream. She started work among the poor and eventually among the drug addicts in the Walled City. Many of the heroin addicts were freed of their addiction. They pray and are prayed for and do not suffer withdrawal. She tells of her early attempts at speaking in tongues saying she just felt silly and didn't feel any different afterwards. It helps you to get more in tune with God and you don't really notice that happening. She speaks constantly about God's kindness. After loosing her husband of seven years she speaks of Gods kindness to them both, and to her for allowing her to have seven years with him. By God's kindness she has been shown that this is not a lost generation of Christians. There are young people out there quietly doing mission away from the spotlight and the Christian press. That is the tone of her conversation.

I'm naturally a sceptic, I struggle to believe in the hype, the latest greatest invention or discovery, miracles that people say have happened. I'm always looking for the alternative explanation. It's hard to remain sceptical when there's a lady sitting talking about it in a matter-of-fact way. There's no hype with Jackie, seemingly no agenda, although she does love telling people about Jesus by her own admission. She just sits there and talks about her experiences like I talk about my bus journeys. Except with Jackie God's kindness shows. In Sunday's sermon (13 Feb) I asked "if God is bigger than us and inside us does he show through?". I had no idea that I would be given such a clear demonstration of just how God shows through.

If, like me, you've ever thought there must be more to the Christian life than you're experiencing right now, here is a superb example of what that more may look like. There is more - lots more, always lots more. I know that because it's in scripture - the reading I've just preached on (Ephesians 3:14-21). I have seen it too because I have seen Jackie and listened to her story. Of course, I'm not five and I've never felt called to be a missionary. In my life it will look different - but not that different.

After the show was recorded there was a word in tongues, and an interpretation. Somewhere in that I heard the words "Its not too late". It's never too late - that's the exiting news for me as I prepare to pass five for the eleventh time. That's the exciting news for us all

Pete Fisher

The Last Game at Markham’s Chase Leisure Centre
Sunday 27th March 2011

It was a sad day, but we enjoyed ourselves. Due to a new leisure centre nearing completion at Gloucester Park in Basildon, Markham’s Chase Leisure centre is now being knocked down. The Christ Church Men’s 5-a-side teams played their last game on the last business day for the centre on Sunday 27th March. ChristChurchTV cameras were on hand to capture some of the highlights, including an incredible slow motion save by temporary goal-keeper Paul Hunt. At the end of the game the staff very kindly donated 3 footballs to Christ Church as they were otherwise going to be disposed of. As for the future, we’re now looking for a new venue, and there is always room for more players. For more details contact Paul Hunt

Red Nose Day - Friday March 18th 2011

We had a whale of a time in the Church Car park for Comic Relief 2011. The rain came down, the Vicar’s red hair spray leaked down his face, passers-by were treated to cake with red nose shaped jam, and there was a lot of laughter. We raised £111 for Comic Relief, and at the same we enjoyed a lot of fun with people from our local community. In the evening we even managed to get a photo of the new Bishop of Chelmsford wearing a red nose. Thank you Bishop!

Fairtrade Fortnight - March 2011

Liz Fisher, our Fair-Trade coordinator, was instrumental in setting up shop (along with bunting!) in the Christ Church Car Park on March 8th and 9th from 8.30 until 9.15am - serving pancakes (particularly Tuesday), toast (with chocolate spread) and Geobars, tea and coffee.
Her team were also there on the afternoons of March 9th, 10th and 11th from 2.45 until 3.45pm where we served fairly traded tea, coffee, juices, chocolate and cake.
The video includes an introduction from Liz plus chocolate tasting and a couple of funny out-takes!