STAMBOURNE NEWSLETTER
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011

Published and distributed by Stambourne Parish Council No 204

Parish Council Meeting - Thursday 21st July 2011


The latest meeting of Stambourne Parish Council took place on Thursday 21 July 2011 at 7.30pm in the Village Hall, Stambourne. The Parish Council welcomed Sonia Antonioni to her first meeting.

Pavilion - The shelf has now been fitted and a date will be set to clear and tidy the pavilion. Debbie is still pursuing companies who could clean the floor. Apparantly it requires specialist cleaning. The pavilion is available to hire for functions and events. If you are interested in using it please contact me.

Playing field - There are a couple of minor repairs required which will be carried out shortly.


Highways - Inevitably there are various potholes and other repairs required throughout the parish. These will be reported to Essex Highways for attention. The road repairs to Finchingfield Road are now complete.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 15 September 2011 at 7.30pm in the village hall, Stambourne. There being no other matters to discuss the meeting finished at approximately 8.30pm.


Debbie Hilliard
Parish Clerk
Tel: 01440 785629
Email:
Debbie.Hilliard@Duffields.co.uk


St. Peter & St. Thomas Becket Parish Church Barbara Dennis

By the time you read this Summer will be almost over and it will be Harvest time.

I'm looking forward to Harvest in the countryside as I'm told it is a big event and a big celebration in the churches. I have also been told that I won't see the local farmers in Church during Harvest as they will be busy all day, every day bringing in the crops.

I have a picture in my mind of fields of Yellow Corn, and Poppies and Combine Harvesters and am looking forward to seeing the reality of Harvest in the countryside.

In Romford we used to collect non perishables for the local refuge at Harvest time. Items such as tea, coffee and sugar. Many of the people at the refuge were mums and children who had fled the violence in their own homes, sometimes in the dead of night and the only possessions they had were the clothes on their backs. The food items we collected for them were very much appreciated.

In my new post here I have found that the churches and the schools also collect for a good cause during Harvest and that is for The First Stop Centre in Braintree.

First Stop first opened as a Drop In Centre but now their work has expanded to relieve the conditions of those who are homeless, jobless, those who suffer through substance misuse, those with physical and mental health issues and related problems, and those with learning difficulties.

First Stop does this by providing a Drop in Centre, needle exchange, basic skills education and counselling. They are there to serve the disadvantaged in Braintree. By collecting Tea, Coffee, Sugar and other non perishables at Harvest time we are helping them in their work.

The Harvest festival in church is one of my favourite services and I look forward to seeing some of you there, as well as helping First Stop with our Harvest gifts.

01787 237138
revbarbara8@btinternet.com




August and September services at St. Peter & St. Thomas Becket Parish Church

7th August 9.30am - Morning Prayer
14th August 9.30 - Holy Communion
21st August To be announced
28th August To be announced
4th September 9.30am - Morning Prayer
11th September 9.30am - Holy Communion
18th September 9.30am - Holy Communion
25th September 9.30am - Harvest Festival
Stambourne Congregational Church Adrian Burr 07983 656166

From The Chapel



Well the weather has broken in time for summer! Do hope you manage to get a dry break... I am reminded that “it never rains, but it pours”, particularly at the moment when a lot is going on in life. Troubles seem to come thick and fast, and progress on those carefully made plans grinds to a halt as we are busy sorting out problems and issues, caring for those around us and generally feeling the pressure. I write this at a time after the Norway shootings, after the drought in the Horn of Africa, after the phone hacking scandal, after the death of three people I loved and know, after news of illnesses and troubles amoung friends and relatives, after .... Well I could go on but that might make you feel depressed!

For it is when we are in that position we can find comfort in our Lord and Saviour. A book I am reading at the moment talks about our worry, but with “the Spirit of God as a non-anxious presence”. The writer then goes on to explain how sometimes, when something bad has happened, there are those who feed on that bad and talk of its awfulness and the worry and concern we should have and everyone spirals downwards. But then a person who knows about the problems and what has happened and somehow stands above the worry and concern and shines a light of peace on the situation and everything is OK again. The worry is still there but soon all around are at peace with the situation.

That is what we have in our God. One who will stand beside us as a non-anxious presence. He knows all about what is going on, but He can provide us with a peace which we can't understand even as we go through the worry times and the struggles and the difficulties.

If you would like some of the peace try the recipe I was given in an email recently. Just stop and kneel down and give your worry to God. The worry won't go away, but God will stand beside you and allow you to feel His peace. It doesn't have to be complicated or beautiful, or wise or fancy. God will hear you in whatever language, accent, dialect, pitch you choose to use. Just tell Him your worry in ordinary everyday language.

If that's too difficult, then I am always ready to listen and pray for you or with you. What else is there that I can do? I can't take your worry away (though I may be able to help by sharing the burden), but I can help give it to God.

Let God know your worry today!

Adrian Burr, Minister
07983 656166 or 01440 730211

Ortberg, John, the me I want to be, Zondervan, USA, 2010, Chapter 10 - Never Worry Alone.
Stambourne Chapel News

HOLIDAY CLUB 23-25th AUGUST 2011 at the Chapel
Our Mission Spies from the Holiday Club “MISSION RESCUE” will be continuing in the summer through 23rd, 24th and 25th August.... Look forward to seeing the agents again then, as well as new agents ... The club is for 4-11 year olds. Older young people are welcome to come and help! Call for details. 07983 656166.


PEWS
The remaining 3 short and 5 long pews are available for a donation - let us know if you are interested!

MARRIAGE AND RELATIONSHIPS..

Our study for the autumn asks the question “what do you make of Marriage?” It will explore the issues of marriage, from choosing a partner, living together, marriage and living through the later years of marriage, plus all the things that come in between such as the struggles of the highs and lows of our relationship, the question of divorce and separation, and the meaning of love. The institute of marriage was established by God so it's good to know what He has to say about it. If you are interested please contact us, and we will let you know the dates and times of each of the sessions - suitable for all stages of relationships, from singles to mature relationships.

In addition we have Anne and John Smith coming back from Canada to teach on Family Foundations. Ever thought that there are problems that go back generations in your family? Ever wondered why everyone in the family always seems to struggle with the same things? Ever thought “is there something in my background that causes me to think the way I do and so causes me to end up with the problems I have?”

Well this course is for individuals and couples who want to explore such issues and find out how they can break the mould and move out of the generational issues that exist in their life.

We will be starting on a Thursday evening 28th October and continuing on Friday 29th and then meeting again through Saturday 30th. Places are limited as we want to provide space for all to explore and use the wisdom and knowledge of these skilled and well practised teachers. Please contact Adrian to book your place.

BAKERS AND EATERS NEEDED!

Big Bake for Bosnia & Herzegovina 17-25th September 2011

On 3rd September we will be selling cakes and biscuits as well as bric-a-brac for Novi-Most - a charity that the chapel has supported over many years. The children are often orphaned or living in poverty and the charity provides the basics for them as well and helping them to get into education so that they can help themselves in future.

SERVICES AND EVENTS
Services in August and September are at 10:45 and led by our minister unless otherwise stated
AUGUST
7th Communion
14th Dianne Thomson
21st HOLIDAY CLUB STARTER SERVICE,
28th HOLIDAY CLUB CLOSING SERVICE
SEPTEMBER
4th Penny Bloom,
11th Communion
18th Testimony Service,
25th Joint Harvest Service at the Church of England

Children's Church meets every week at 10.45am

EVENTS and activities at the chapel - ALL WELCOME
Every Tuesday 10-12am - Coffee 'N Chat in the Chapel
23-25th August MISSION RESCUE HOLIDAY CLUB
Sat 3rd September - BIG BAKE and sale



St. Margaret's School, Toppesfield PRESS RELEASE

Well what a busy term it has been at St Margaret's.

We said goodbye to Mrs. Naomi Snowdon, who has been Head of St Margaret's for the last five years. She has been a real inspiration to us all and will be missed by children, staff, Governors, parents and the local community. We all wish her well as she takes up her new Headship position in September; her new school are incredibly lucky to have such a great leader.

In honour of Mrs. Snowdon, The Toppesfield School Association (TSA) organised four mosaics depicting the different areas of the school.
The whole school was involved in the design of the mosaics and the TSA worked tirelessly to complete the mosaics with the help of children, parents, staff and the community, ensuring the children's original designs were included in the finished pieces.

These were unveiled by Mrs Snowdon on the final day of the summer term and will be a reminder of the hard work and dedication Mrs Snowdon has given our school during the last five years, ensuring we are in a good position to move forward under the new leadership of Mrs Kim Hall.

We also said a fond farewell to our year 6 children, Alexandra Rendall, Bethany Perrott, Euan Deal, Jessica Human, Saskia Dare and Zoe Clarke. They have been a real credit to our school and we wish them well as they move onto their new secondary schools in September.

It has been a real year of celebrations, from the fabulous Ofsted report to the children's Sats results where every child in year 6 achieved level 5 in numeracy and literacy.

I would like to say a special thank you to all the staff, parents, Governors and members of the community who continue to work so hard to ensure St Margaret's offers the best opportunities for our children and look forward to the coming year.

Kim Hall

DIARY DATES

August

Wednesday 10th, 7.30pm
Stambourne Ladies' Group, Village Hall.
“A talk about Halstead in Bloom”

Wednesday 24th, 11.15am-12.15pm
Essex Police Mobile Police Station, Village Hall


September
Wednesday 14th, 7.30pm
Stambourne Ladies' Group
“A talk about being a Royal Butler”

Wednesday 21st, 11.15am-12.15pm
Essex Police Mobile Police Station, Village Hall

Thursday 15th 7.30pm
Parish Council Meeting, Village Hall

Sunday 25th 9.30am
Harvest Festival, Parish Church

October

Saturday 1st October
Harvest Supper, Village Hall
“Local author Ashley Cooper will speak on 'Harvest Memories'”


Items for the next Newsletter by 19th September please
Steve Platt Tel : 01440 785638 Mobile : 07767 357016
email : me@stephenplatt.com