The Parish of Langdon Hills

1) Chinese Meal

The Men’s Group have enjoyed a Chinese meal at the New Dragon in Southend and had a great time, so we thought we’d give it a try. It’s on Monday 30th June meeting at Laindon Station at 6.45pm. Buffet meal priced at £10.99, buy your own drinks as required. Please contact Gaynor at the Parish Office (01268 490400) before 23rd June if you would like to come along as tables need to be booked in advance. Thank you.

2) West End Shopping Trip, Saturday 25th October. We need to see if we can fill a coach of 49 seats. If we can the cost will be £10 per person. Leave St John’s at 9am and drop off at Harrods in London. Have the day to yourselves to shop where ever you choose and enjoy lunch out. Coach will pick up again outside Harrods at 5pm and return to St John’s. Refreshments will be provided on the journey home.

Sorry but £10 payment needs to be paid by Sunday 22nd June to secure the coach booking as already dates closer to Christmas are getting booked up.

Please contact Nicky on nickylegon (at) btinternet.com or Gaynor at the Parish Office 01268 490400 to purchase a ticket or for more information. Thank you.

The following is adapted from Colin’s sermon on Sunday 26th May 2008.

Being a Christian is meant to change you. It is meant to make you a better person. It is meant to take you beyond the normal standards which the world considers reasonable.

The normal standard is “an eye for an eye” or, more positively, “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”. That is the normal standard of fairness which most people recognise. If you do me wrong I am entitled to some proportionate retribution. You damage my car I’m entitled to compensation; you hit me and I’ll either hit you back or sue you; you say something nasty about me and I’ll spread some gossip about you. On the other hand if you help me out then I’ll help you out; do me a favour and I’ll do you a favour; you lend me your lawnmower then I’ll lend you my hedge trimmer; you invite me to your party and I’ll invite you to mine. Read the rest of this entry »

A summary of a few of the items from our notice sheet:

• Children’s bowling - there are a few spaces left for a trip on Wednesday 28th May
• Pastoral care course - Wednesday evenings from 18th June
• Alpha planning meeting - Tuesday 10th June, 8pm
• Helpers required for coffee at St Mary’s and reading / intercessions at both churches
• Ladies breakfast at St Gabriel’s Pitsea - 2nd August 8.30am
• Exams: please pray for those taking them at the moment

If you’d like more information about any of these please get in touch.

A group from St Mary’s and St John’s is going to Spring Harvest in Minehead during the next Easter holidays. The dates are Tuesday 14th - Sunday 19th April. If you’re interested send a message via the contact form and I’ll put you in touch with Eddy Lee, who is organising it. he needs to know final numbers by 4th June.

THE MENTAL health ward of Basildon Hospital had to be evacuated after a fire broke out.

Full story in the Echo

BASILDON Conservatives increased their majority on the council after the local elections.

Basildon Council election results
Report in the Echo