Christmas starts with Christingle
August 2015
N E E D TO K N OW
I S T O R I E S I A R E A U P D AT E S I E V E N T S N E A R Y O U
Arc hdeacon’s View By Ven Martin Webster, Archdeacon of Harlow I GREW up in Hornchurch in a small suburban house built between the two world wars. This house had one of those long but thin gardens full of all sorts of trees and nooks and crannies. Near the house there was a low wall with what was intended to be a small flower bed in front. Somehow or other I took this over as my play and junior engineering area. Here I would spend hours and days in the summer playing with the earth, bucket and spade, cars and any other material I could lay my hands on. I reckon I was about three or four years old. I was told long afterwards by my mother that when asked what I was doing, my answer was always ‘menting’, I think a plagiarism of cementing. What I remember emotionally was a wonderful time of experimenting, building, then reusing again and again. I had created a place to discover the wonders and properties of the world and my budding abilities were given full reign to discover their limits. This playing and exploration did not threaten the rest of the garden as the resources I used were all reusable and easily assimilated back into the life of the garden. Later of course I climbed its trees, built dens and generally owned the rest of the garden. But I never lost the sense of wonder and joy and delight in that CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
Bring the kids to light a candle for Christ’s birthday
Bishop taken for a ride
christmasstarts.com
Story: NB Page I
www.chelmsford.anglican.org
Primary schools hit high notes for The Great Big Sing in Chelmsford Cathedral
Christopher Barker honoured for commitment to Parish Share
Page 3
Page 3
■ Mission Oppportunity Fund helps four projects: page 4 ■ Cycle of Prayer: centre pages