News & Events

Girls Brigade Awards Evening  Helen and I would love to invite you to our awards evening on Tuesday 8 July, 6.30pm - 7.30pm. This is a great opportunity to come and celebrate the achievements of the girls and find out what we have been doing over the last year. We would love to see you there if you are able to come.

Church Checkers  No, not a new board game, but people who are familiar with running a coffee morning who are prepared to pop down to church at around about 9.30am on a Saturday to check that the coffee morning organisers know what to expect and what to do; especially that cakes are covered, pricing is consistent, and that they know how to work the coffee machines and dishwasher, as well as to advise about putting money (notes) in the drawer and not leaving them in the bucket.  Regular coffee morning organisers do not need this service, it is more for those charities that only do one or two coffee mornings a year, so there aren't too many dates, but at present we have a need for a Church Checker on 16 August, 30 August and 20 September.  If you could help with this, please let Alison know.

Holiday Bible Week  Thank you everyone who has collected egg boxes for me - I now have enough.  Please can you now collect toilet roll inner tubes & glass ramekins from Gu and other desserts   Please can these be put in the cupboard in the corner of the Oasis Lounge.  Thank you for your support.  Karen

Good News for Everyone (formerly known as Gideons)  You are aware of the life-changing effect of reading God's Word.  You want people to have access to God's Word.  How do you do that?  At Harefield Church, Burgoyne Hatch, Momples Road, Harlow, CM20 3EH at 2.30pm on Saturday 5 July there will be the opportunity to learn about Good News for Everyone.  We deliver the Word of God, free of charge, to schools, hospitals, prisons, hotels, funeral parlours and wherever we can.  Free refreshments and a talk from our guest speaker, Roger Grange (Havering branch) on his trip to Peru.  Just turn up!  You may find an opportunity to serve God.

EmPower - District Gathering of Lay Folk  Our next District gathering of Lay folk is on Wednesday 9 July at 7.30pm via Zoom.  The meeting is open to all lay folk, whether voluntary or paid, at whatever level (Church, Circuit, District) - for more details and/or to register, email DDE@BEHDistrict.org.uk.  The recently appointed Vocational Flourishing Officer, Corin Pilling from the Connexional team, will be sharing ideas about wellbeing.  Do consider attending this Zoom meeting - it is good to meet with others in the same position!

Mission Planning Day  Although we now belong to the Herts & Essex Border Circuit, we retain ecumenical ties to the four URC churches, and a joint Growth Planning Workshop will take place on 12 July from 10am to 3pm at St Andrew's Church, The Stow, Harlow, CM20 3AF.  Lunch will be provided.  Please let our Circuit Administrator, Stephen Asante, know if you would like to attend on haebcoffice@gmail.com or 07597109819.

Toilet Twinning  You can probably drink a glass of water, wash your hands or go to the toilet without it turning into a life-or-death situation. Yet dirty drinking water, unhealthy hygiene and unsafe sanitation cause the deaths of 1.4 million people every year and over 1000 children under the age of 5 every day.  Toilet Twinning funds hygiene education via community-led workshops and sources local materials for families and communities to build their own toilets.  Our accessible toilet at the front of the church is twinned, but we would like to twin our other toilets too.  It is a one-off donation of £60 to twin a toilet – is this something that you could fund?  If you would like to help us twin our toilets, please go to https://toilettwinning.org/product/twin-a-toilet-today, choose a white certificate and use BS Methodist Church at Stage 3, Personalisation.  Feel free to choose any country you like, and ask them to send a frame at Stage 4.  If you do not have access to the internet, please speak to Frieda, who will be happy to help you arrange this.

Book now!  The Mayor of Bishop's Stortford, Cllr Richard Townsend invites you to his Charity Games Night on Saturday 15 November at 6.30pm at the Bishop’s Stortford Social Club, 104 South Street, Bishop's Stortford, Herts, CM23 3BG.  The event and raffle will be in aid of DKMS (www.dkms.org.uk) and Bishop’s Stortford Thirst Youth Café (www.thirstcafe.com).  Please come and join us for an Informal Evening of Live Music, Table Tennis, Foosball, Darts, Pool, Snooker and Games, with a Caribbean Buffet and a Welcome Drink.  Tickets are £25 and can be obtained from mayor.secretary@bishopsstortfordtc.gov.uk or on 01279 712142.  The Mayor hopes you can join him!  See flyer sent last week.

Do you like gardening?  We are looking for someone (a volunteer) to take responsibility for the flower beds outside the front of our church.  At the moment it is an ad hoc affair by one or two people who don't really have the time to do as much as they might wish.  If you are interested, please speak to Pat, who will be happy to discuss the flower beds with you.

Saffron Walden Bible Focus event on Saturday 20 September:  Alasdair Paine will be speaking on the theme: The Need of the Hour, with two talks at 2.30 and 5.00pm and tea in between. There will be a parallel children's event for 5-14 year-olds, with age-appropriate activities on the theme of science as a gift from God.  A flyer is attached giving more information about this free event.  Please register by 8 September if you wish to attend.