What's On

EASTER EGGS
Thank you to everyone who has given Easter Eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt we have now reached our number. If you have already bought one and have not yet delivered it to the church please bring it up and put it at the back of church. We do not need anymore- thankyou

MURDER MYSTERY
A big thank you to everyone who attended the Murder Mystery evening at the Memorial Hall last Saturday. Well, we finally found out ‘Who Done It’ and the winning table each received a bottle of wine. We enjoyed a well put together play by the Chandeliers, followed by a lovely 3 course meal from Souffle. A total of £2613 was raised for the Holy Cross ‘Raise the Roof Fund, so thank you everyone for supporting the event. 

MAIDSTONE BIBLE WEEK
Monday 13th- Thursday 16th May 7.30-9.30pm                                                                         Venue: The Life Church, Maidstone                                                                                     Admission : Free                                                                                                                      Speakers: Dr Chris Sinkinson & Alistair McKitterick talking about ‘Encountering God’                          All welcome

MICHAEL LAWRENCE
Many of you may know Michael Lawrence from Family Funerals – he and his son are doing a ‘Wing Walk in aid of Blackthorn Trust on Saturday 15th June at Headcorn Aerodrome. If you would like to sponsor him please fill out the form at the back of church.

DETLING PLAYERS
Detling Players present ‘Private Lives’ by Noel Coward on 11th, 12th 13th April 7.30pm Matinee 13th at 2.30pm Detling Village Hall. Tickets £10 in advance £12 on the door 07842169725

MOTHERING SUNDAY FLOWER WRAPPING HELP on Sat 30th 
With a late Easter our usual arrangements for flowers has not been possible but we have now sourced flowers. These do need to be prepared. We usually do this on the Saturday morning before but this year we have Messy Church! We plan to wrap the flowers on the Saturday afternoon at 2pm in church. Because some usual helpers are away and others will have been helping at Messy Church or the Churchyard working party we really need some new helpers this year. If you can help please use the sign up sheets at Church and Memorial Hall.

DISTRIBUTION FOR EASTER LEAFLETS
The Easter leaflets will need to go out the weekend of 7th April. Please sign the list at the back of the church to say which road you are able to do.

MESSY CHURCH - Saturday 30th March
The next Messy Church will be on Saturday 30th March 11-1pm at Holy Cross.                                   Theme: Mothering Sunday
We need help with food – please email Nichola at nicholayouthandchildrenhcc@gmail.com if you are able to provide a cake etc. 

OUTDOOR WORKING PARTY - Saturday 30th March
Hello Everyone, we have had a mild winter at time of writing, and the outdoors beckons! We are once again resuming the Working Party sessions, for the last Saturday in the month, commencing with March 30th. Just before Mother’s Day. This will make the cemetery area neat and tidy before visitors arrive the next day. Could I ask that as many volunteers as possible attend, to give the area a good start to the year. If weather is really wet or there is snow on the ground, then the day will have to be postponed. A little damp, and we will proceed, well wrapped up. Wellies, wheelbarrows, sheers, gloves, etc etc please. We start at 9.30am and usually finish by 12 noon. Thank you in advance  Patricia

ECUMENICAL ENTRTAINMENT - Saturday July 6th
Bob Piggott, who is a member of the Bearsted Area Churches Together committee, has offered to organize ‘An Evening of Village Turns’ on Saturday July 6th at the Memorial Hall in aid of Raise the Roof. If anyone has a song, dance, recitation, juggling act, talented pet, comic routine, scene from a play or anything that might be a suitable contribution to the evening’s festivities, please contact Bob Piggott on bob_piggott@hotmail.co.uk by March 20th .

PRAYER STATIONS - There will be Prayer Stations in church starting from Ash Wednesday

HELP WITH OUR WEBSITES
I would firstly like to say a big thank you to those who support us on the IT side of things, especially keeping our websites up to date. This is not something I am knowledgeable of so your skills are very much appreciated. But I also have a request for everyone else. Our IT team would appreciate some assistance, especially now the New Way website is quite active with weekly blogs, facebook/twitter posts etc. If you are IT competent and able to offer some time your support would be gratefully received. If you would like to fine out more please contact Melissa who can give you some more details. 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Christian Aid is running its Count Your Blessings scheme during Lent. This gives you a chance to use the season to reflect on what you have and to remember those less fortunate. Each day there is something to pray about, take action on or make a donation for as you learn more about Christian Aid’s work. Count Your Blessings leaflets are available at the back of church, but if you want more information, please speak to Helen Judges. 

STEWARDSHIP                                                                                                                             Parish finances are being stretched three ways at the moment.

1. Parish reorganization means that Thurnham no longer contributes to ministry costs. They used to contribute 15% which means that we now have to collect this amount.                                                                             2. Church Council committed to a new  Children and Youth Minister.

3. Major repair work to the roof at Holy Cross which has been estimated at 4/5 thousand pounds.

TODDLER GROUPS

We need extra people to help with tea/refreshments at the Toddlers Group run at Holy Cross Church on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9.45-11.45am – Please email office@holycrosschurch.co.uk  if you are able to help on one of these days – thank you                                                                                                                      

LENT TALKS                                                                                                                          Further Studies in St John’s Gospel. John will continue studies in this gospel  looking at material from the Upper Room and  Resurrection Appearances. Wednesdays 13th, 20th, 27th of March and 3rd, 10th of April.  11am and 8pm at Holy Cross.  The talk will be followed by a period of reflection and a closing act of worship.

BEARSTED CHURCHES TOGETHER – LENT  LUNCHES 2019
29th March – Methodist Church – Speaker from People with Autism in churches
5th April – Thurnham – Speaker from Maidstone  Christian Cancer Support Group
12th April – Langley – Speaker from the Anna Chaplaincy (in partnership with the Heart of Kent
Hospice)                                                                                                                                 Please join us from 12.15pm for a 12.30pm lunch. Our speakers will lead from 1pm. 

SAVE THE DATE                                                                                                                 Diocesan Day of Prayer and Pilgrimage, 7-8 June 2019

ELECTORAL ROLL REVISION
Every 6 years the Electoral Roll for the Parish has to be fully revised; the current roll will cease to be valid and a completely new roll  has to be compiled. This is due this year and the process will start in February and needs to be completed by the end of March. If you wish to remain on, or join the roll, then please complete a new application form. You will find blank forms at the back of church and at the New Way Welcome Table at the Memorial Hall. On completion they may be left in one of the boxes provided in the church or handed to one of the Church Wardens.
In order to be included on the Roll, you must be:
1. Baptised.
2. At least 16 years of age at the date of the Annual meeting (24 April 2019)
3. A member of the Church of England or a church in communion with the Church of England and be resident in the parish OR if not resident, have attended worship in the parish regularly for the previous 6 months.

NEW WAY WEBSITE

Further to our review of New Way we have launched a new dedicated web-site www.newwaybearsted.co.uk including Facebook and Twitter.

PRAYER GROUP                                                                                                                          It has been suggested that across the benefice, and as an ecumenical group we should try to form a Study-cum-Prayer group which would look at and learn about various troubled areas in the world and then pray about them. It would involve people reading a very little about one or two such places in their own homes and then coming together at a suitably agreed time to pray about these areas. It is not to involve any great effort but there is so much going on in the world that is working against God’s Kingdom so that we need to stand against it all and where two or three are gathered together there is Jesus in the midst of them. So there is great power in prayer. For further information please speak to Margaret Doak or call her on MD. 738508 

HOME GROUP IN THE AFTERNOON

For anyone thinking of joining a Home Group, could we draw your attention to the one we have on Thursday afternoons. We meet most weeks but sometimes fortnightly and there are currently 7 to 8 of us. Home Groups are a great way to get to know a small group of people really well and to learn more about our faith and how it works out in our daily lives. Contact Les Smith or Peter and Meryl Ashford.

ADVANCE NOTICE

The next Parish Weekend will be held at Ashburnham Place, East Sussex, from Friday 15th – Sunday 17th November 2019. Our speaker will be Canon Jean Kerr, retired canon for Mission in the Rochester Diocese. Jean led the two-hour meditation at Holy Cross on Good Friday 2017. More details will be available in the Autumn. 

HOLY LAND TRIP

Rhian and John Huggins are organising a 10-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2019, probably starting at the end of April using professional Christian guides. For all who are interested, contact  Rhian on rhianbanham@gmail.com  or Md. 844010

SAMARA AID APPEAL

Latest update can be found here

TALKS/SERMONS

These can be found on Sermons and Talks page of the web-site including last Sunday's at Holy Cross. Click here or select "Sermons and Talks" from the "What's On" menu bar above.                                  

HOMEGROUPS

Homegroups at Holy Cross continue to meet regularly providing an opportunity to enquire about
and discuss our faith and also to meet socially in an informal setting. 

These are the groups running at the moment:- 

  • Every or every other Thursday afternoon - Les Smith (8 members)
  • Every other Monday evening - Julie Osborn (7 members)
  • Every other Monday evening - Ian Clark (5 members)
  • Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday evening - Peter Richardson (12 members)
  • Every Tuesday evening - Jim Gibson (10 members)
  • Every other Wednesday evening - Emma Clark (7 members)
  • Every Wednesday morning (ladies group) - Diana Sandford  (10 members) 
  • Every other Thursday evening  - Juliet Mee (9 members)

All these groups welcome new members. If you are interested in joining a group please contact 

Liz Richardson - 738463