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exploring questions about
life...
to join us, or find out more,
ring 01992 579935
or go to
www.missiondeadoralive.com
EPPING FOREST ANGLICAN
CHURCHES
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God the Sender, send us.
God the Sent, come with us.
God the Strengthener of those
who go,
empower us that we may go with
you
and find those who will call
you
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
AMEN
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the deepest source of mission
“MISSION has its origin in the heart of
God. God is a fountain of sending love. This is the deepest source of
Mission. It is impossible to penetrate deeper still: There is mission
because God loves people.” -David Bosch-
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 want
to send us an email?
click here... |
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 At
7.30pm on
Saturday evening,
we're holding a series of parties through the Deanery to celebrate
this week of Mission and all that it has meant to us... |
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the mission
in detail.... |
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Come and join us
in the Epping Forest area as we explore questions about life from all sorts
of angles and in all sorts of contexts.
dead? or
alive!
is a mission run by the Anglican Christian churches in the Epping
Forest area.
The mission runs from
24 April - 1 May
and there's a packed programme. [details]
Everyone is
welcome and we hope that you will find something to suit you amongst
the various events on offer... |
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The
Mission began on Sunday 24th April with a Service of
prayerful preparation at St John’s Church, LOUGHTON
The
service centred around
Taizé Prayer - a pattern of worship using song, prayer,
bible reading and silence - lead by The Rev'd Genny Tunbridge (Precentor of Chelmsford Cathedral).
Taizé Prayer is a special form of ecumenical worship which
originates from the
Ecumenical Taizé Community, set up in the village of
Taizé by
Brother Roger in 1940 - initially to provide a welcome
for young people fleeing persecution during the war. Since
then it has grown into a worldwide Community dedicated to
Peace and Reconciliation. Many have
gone to Taizé to find a haven of peace in a fragmented world
and the worship devised there has been used throughout the
world. Its music is especially well known.
At this
service representatives from each Church were given a
special candle which was taken back to each of the churches
in the Deanery to form a focus for prayer in the coming
week.
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 Flyover!
Sadly, the
Bishop was unable to fly over the Deanery as planned, due to
poor visibility, but he taxied down the runway at great speed
and got to meet the people at STAPLEFORD airfield. |
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 The
Box
Later in
the morning he visited EPPING and stopped in at THE BOX
- a new social space and drop-in centre for young people in
Epping which is due to open on the High Street in the next few
weeks. It's being made possible by the KOINONIA YOUTH
TRUST (a group of local Christians who have been fund-raising
for the last 6 years). Please keep the Trust in
your prayers as they set up this valuable new resource.
If you want
to know more about the initiative or feel you may be able to
help in some way, please
email us... |
 Next
came a tour of the Deanery on to the
Exploration Special
- a Routemaster bus kindly donated
for the occasion. The bus stopped at various places in
the Deanery and people were able to board and meet the Bishop
for a chat.
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 EXPLORATION
SPECIAL Timetable |
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11.00
- 11.30 |
EPPING
- STOP
Bakers Lane (St John’s
Road end), near the car park |
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11.30
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EPPING
- WALTHAM ABBEY
Journey time - approx 20 mins |
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11.50
- 12.20 |
WALTHAM ABBEY
- STOP
in front of Waltham Abbey by shops |
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12.20 |
WALTHAM ABBEY - LOUGHTON
Journey time - approx 20 mins |
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12.40
- 13.10 |
LOUGHTON
- STOP
St Mary's Church car park |
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13.10
- 13.40 |
Visit
to FAMILY CARE |
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13.45
- 14.15 |
SAINSBURY'S
- STOP
Sainsbury's car park |
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14.15 |
LOUGHTON - BUCKHURST HILL
Journey time - approx 10 mins |
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14.45
- 15.20 |
BUCKHURST HILL
- STOP
St
John's Church car park |
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15.20 |
BUCKHURST HILL - CHIGWELL
Journey time - approx 10 mins |
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15.30
- 16.00 |
CHIGWELL -
STOP
St
Mary's Church Rooms car park |
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16.00 |
CHIGWELL - EPPING
Journey
time - approx 30 mins |
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 Keynote
Address
On Monday
evening Bishop
David give a keynote address at a gathering in CHIGWELL
SCHOOL HALL - as at Loughton, there was a great turnout;
including members of local
councils and key people in the community had been asked
along.
Bishop David addressed
the issues raised by the Mission theme -’Exploring
questions about life’ with an emphasis on how they
affect our community life. His talk centred on the idea
that 'you can't keep a good God down - He keeps reappearing
in all sorts of surprising places'.
And
afterwards the chance for wine, cheese, music and fellowship -
the music supplied by Chigwell School Flute Quarter; Davenant
School String Quartet and Epping Forest Band. |
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 Bereavement
Service
On Tuesday
evening St John’s, BUCKHURST HILL, was the host
church for a special ‘Bereavement Service’ - Life &
Death: A celebration of Joy.
Bishop
David preached a message of hope in this
Easter Season.
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 Off
to work on the Central Line...
On Thursday
morning from 6am to 10am we held a mission to the CENTRAL LINE.
A ‘travel card’ about the Mission plus a small tract, was
offered to commuters as they left for work along with a sweet
or a muffin!.
During the morning, Bishop
David also rode up and down the line talking to commuters. |
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 Healing
Service
On Thursday
evening at WALTHAM ABBEY we held a very moving special service of
prayer for healing, where we also offered the Ministry of
Anointing and
Laying on of Hands with Prayer.
Dr Rory
McCrae spoke interestingly and movingly about the healing
ministry in the church.
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 Focus
on Youth
Friday 29th, CHIGWELL YOUTH
CLUB hosted an open evening for young people in the Deanery
Churches. Bishop David was there and later he will join Youth
for Christ workers in LOUGHTON as they engage in unattached
youth work in the town. |
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 A
Celebration of Mission!
On Saturday 30th April,
we held Guest Nights in five different venues: BUCKHURST
HILL, LOUGHTON, THEYDON BOIS & EPPING in celebration of a
week of mission.
There was
food, music and chat on offer and one of the Mission Team gave a short talk.
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THEYDON BOIS, St Mary's
Church Centre - Bishop David Hawkins (Bishop of Barking & leader
of the week's mission events)
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EPPING, St John the Baptist -
The Rev'd Toni Smith & Dennis Rayner (Toni is Vicar of St
Winifred's, Chigwell, and Dennis, also from Chigwell, is an
experienced missioner)
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LOUGHTON, St John the Baptist
- The Rev'd Stephen Dinsmore (new to the Chelmsford Diocese -
with particular expertise and responsibility for mission
development at parish level)
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BUCKHURST HILL, St John the
Baptist - Canon Roger Matthews (Chelmsford Diocesan Mission
Officer)
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 Gathered
up in Praise
The Mission Week reached
its climax on Sunday afternoon, May 1st. At 4.00pm at DEBDEN
Park School Bishop David spoke at a Service of Praise.
 People
brought picnic food to share with others to end the week on a
note of festivity and thanksgiving to God... |
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Opening
Service