Wednesday 9.30 am: Holy Communion at St Cedd’s
Friday 10.30 am: Prayers at St. Cedd’s

Next Sunday: 2^nd October 2011 – 15^thSunday after Trinity
10.30 am: Joint Family Worship & Harvest Festival at St. Cedd’s
6:30 pm: Holy Communion & Harvest Festival at St. Mary’s

Parish Notes - 25^th September - 14^th Sunday after Trinity 

Scroll down for Parish Notes from previous Sundays in September

Next Sunday we will be celebrating Harvest Festival at both churches and thinking about and contributing to the work of TEAR Fund. We will be decorating our buildings and with fresh and tinned produce later to be distributed around the parish, to the Salvation Army and to the Women’s Refuge. If you know someone that you would like to give a gift of produce to, please let Susan Hill know 400767. It had been suggested that we should have a joint Harvest Festival this year. Thanks to those who did respond, but Andy did not receive enough feedback from us to give adequate notice of any change pattern of worship. Next year perhaps ………….

 Good news on the tea rota at St. Cedd’s! Thanks to Maud & Kim and June & Roger who have offered to fill slots for the 3^rd and 4^th Sundays respectively. We need help for just 2^nd Sun of the month. It’s a good way to get to know your church family and there will be plenty of people around to show you the ropes if you haven’t done it before, so please don’t hold back – simply have a word with June!

 A couple of weeks ago we were reminded that we are a Fair Trade Church and Sheila Laing, our Fair Trade representative, has sent us this heart warming Fair Trade success story. “Judith Harry is a 37 year old single mum who eked out a living for herself and her daughter by growing and selling peanuts from her mud hut home in Mkanda but because her ‘enterprise’ was so small she was continually exploited by the larger growers and processors. When she became a member of the Fairtrade organisation they helped her and her fellow villagers to band together to be more efficient and to sell their peanuts to Fair Trade wholesalers. This means that Judith is now able to sell her peanuts at a profit which in turn means that she is now able to build a more substantial home for herself and her daughter.” Buying Fair Trade in our weekly shop makes a difference! Thanks Sheila

 Christmas Bazaar this year will be held on Sat November 15^th.

Please put the date in your diary so that you can come along and support us. Better still; why not give some thought towards helping us, either in the planning or on the day! If you have any ideas that you have seen at other bazaars that may help to ‘freshen up’ ours, please pass them on to Val, Thelma, Brenda or David. (If you have an idea, you won’t be roped into putting it into practice so please don’t keep it to yourself!)

Paul Cave from The Lighthouse Seafarers Mission has asked for our help in preparing Christmas gift parcels to seafarers calling at Tilbury and we therefore hope we can all bring along something from the following list: Single pre wrapped toothbrushes, toothpaste, lipsol, soaps, flannels, deodorants, small sizes of shampoo and shower gel, nivea cream, & Christmas cards. Please leave unwrapped because they will be sorted at a central location. For the knitters among us, patterns are available for woollen hats, scarves & neck warmers. There will be a list of the above in both church buildings as a reminder. Gifts need to be in by 27^th Nov.

Funerals

Please pray for the family and friends of those whose funerals have been arranged:

28/09/11 Mrs Mary Bannister of Thorley Road Stifford Clays

30/09/11 Mr Norman Weal of Meadow Road, Stifford Clays

06/10/11 Mr Roy Hawkridge of Hogarth Road, Stifford Clays

September/October Birthdays

22^nd Pat Backhouse; 26^th Anne Symons; 1^st October Iris Terry & Mary Clifford; 2^nd Megan Wood; 3^rd Keira Deighton; 4^th Vic Yeates; 15^th Daphne Collins & Andy Higgs; 20^th Chris Rouse; 24^th Diana Eckworth; 29^th Janet Frampton & Philip Wyatt;

If you would like to add anything to this news sheet, please contact Brenda Smallcombe on 376580 or Brendasmallcombe@hotmail.co.uk

Parish Notes - 4^th September - 11^th Sunday after Trinity 

Just in case you missed the good news last week - on behalf of everyone in our fellowship, we offer heartiest congratulations to Rebecca (Bates) and Abbie (Frampton) on their fantastic GCSE results and also to Avril (Frampton again!) who achieved the A level results she needed and has now left us to continue her studies at Plymouth University. Well done all of you!!

Lunch Club diners will be pleased to know that normal service will be resumed this coming Wednesday 7^th September at 1 pm in the parish hall. Regulars usually let June know if they can’t come and she is grateful if newcomers let her know that they are coming. Please phone June on GT 372225.

A reminder of the work parties that have been arranged for both churches:

Thursday September 8^th at St. Mary’s at 10 am

Saturday September 10^th at St. Cedd’s.

All volunteers – as many as possible please – will be welcomed with open arms!

St. Mary’s will be serving their wonderful cream teas in the afternoon of September 10^th which will be an ideal opportunity to replace all those calories that have been worked off in the morning!

The weekend that June England is organising at Warner’s Norton Grange Hotel on the Isle of Wight with Kirby Coaches on Friday September 30^th – Monday October 3^rd at the very special price of £159 per person has now been confirmed. However, it is not too late to add extra numbers so if you are interested, please speak to June. Incidentally, there are a number of single rooms available – remarkably no supplement!

Weekend of Mission 23^rd to 25^th September 2011

Fri 23^rd 7.30-9.30pm A Celebration of Hope - for adults – there is a sheet to sign up if you are considering going so that organisers can have a rough guide to numbers and we can arrange lifts.

Sat 24^th 6-9pm & Sun 25^th 5-8pm Rock Thurrock - for youth - see flyer don’t forget that there are envelopes in both churches to enable you to make a contribution to the cost of the weekend mission. Most of the £30k costs have been covered but there is a £9000 shortfall which all churches across the borough are being asked to help raise.

Your opinions please - Harvest Celebration Sunday October 2^nd

Usually we have Family Worship at St C’s and an evening Harvest Communion at St M’s. It has been suggested we have a Joint Harvest Communion on Sunday morning and no evening service at St. M’s. Please let us know (via Andy) what you think. 2 questions...

1) should we have just one (morning) service, and if so…

2) where should this be held and at what time?

Also if you know someone that you would like to give a gift of harvest produce to, please let Susan Hill know (GT400767)

Funerals

Please pray for the family and friends of those whose funerals have been conducted during the last few weeks…

04/08/11 Mrs Thelma Opie of Dene Croft Gardens, Grays

30/08/11 Mr Brian Welsh of Collier Court, Crammavill Street

 September Birthdays

2^nd Richard Wood; 2^nd Betty Seeley; 5^th Janet Crossley; 22^nd Pat Backhouse; 26^th Anne Symons;

If you would like to add anything to this news sheet, please contact Brenda Smallcombe on 376580 or Brendasmallcombe@hotmail.co.uk