Sunday Afternoon Refreshments from the Church Room (Teas from March to October and Soup from November to February) are a very simple but effective form of reaching out to the local community. In most of our Groups there will be someone who has helped at sometime. Could you and a friend or your Group take on this responsibility on a regular basis throughout the year? This might be once a quarter, one Sunday every other month or even monthly. It would be a great help for those who take responsibility for keeping the rota going to know that some Sundays are automatically covered! We also need people who can only offer to do one week each year. Food for thought: if every family in the Parish Directory were able to help, we would only be asked to do one Sunday every two years! However, we have an urgent need for help during September & October - we need someone to help THIS WEEK. Last night a volunteer stepped forward to serve the Teas and two others to help bake the cakes, but a second person to serve would be appreciated. On 19th September we currently do not have a volunteer and we know there are 8-12 ramblers planning to stop for a ‘cuppa’. October Sundays are ALL free at the moment. If you are unable to help on a Sunday afternoon, but could bake some cakes during the week that would be very helpful too. Please contact Maureen or Philip Hargrave 01279 657273 to offer your help or to ask for more information. Thank you.
FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS & MUSIC A big ’thank you’ to everyone for all your activities during the Festival. There was a wonderful atmosphere throughout the weekend. The effort put in prior to the Festival by the musicians, flower arrangers craft fair and fete organisers was greatly appreciated. Bob Payne ADVANCE NOTICE: PARISH WEEKEND, 6TH & 7TH NOVEMBER We have invited Alan Ross to speak at this weekend. Alan is experienced in helping people listen to God and in the prophetic ministry. Book the date and come along – more details to follow. Bob.
“BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY”: SEPTEMBER 26TH
We are privileged to have Charlie Kosla coming to take our 10.30 service on that day. It’s a great opportunity for us to invite people we know who haven’t been to church for sometime to come again. Invitations and prayer cards are available.
HERTS. & BEDS DIOCESAN HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST BIKE ‘N HIKE
Saturday 11th September
Contact Gill Blair-Park (07805 837488) about GAP or Bill Hardy (654176) for more information.
SHINE, JESUS SHINE!
Churches Together Bishop’s Stortford and SHINE! Invite you to an inclusive worship service on Sunday 12th September between 3pm and 5pm at The Charis Centre, Water Lane, Bishop’s Stortford. The service is designed for people with a learning disability but people of all ages and abilities are welcome. Refreshments provided.
For more information please phone 07906997612
GAP
Gap restarts on Sunday 12th September and will be meeting in the St Barnabas Centre not the TCC. GAP is open to all teenagers, year 8 onwards. For more details, contact Gill Blair-Park (07805 837488)
One of the home groups will be hosting a J John DVD evening on Tuesday 14th September! The DVD is “Easter Sunrise” and it is a brilliant, amusing and challenging talk on the significance of Jesus’ death and resurrection – great to see for oneself, but also to invite friends to. We will start the evening with drinks and nibbles at 7.30pm, then show the DVD at 8pm, which will last for about 45 min, and the evening should finish by 9pm. Everyone will be very welcome! Mike West
KNITTING & CROCHET DAY
Saturday 18th September in the Emmaus Centre
We are offering an opportunity to get together to produce items that can be finished in a day and then sent to various charities. We shall knit or crochet clothes for premature babies, for children living in poverty, squares for blankets for elderly people – or if you wish coats for dogs and for bald chickens!
If you want to learn to knit or crochet then people will be on hand to help you.
The cost for the day (11.00am to 4.00pm) is £5. This covers coffee, tea and a snack lunch, plus wool, needles and patterns (but if you want to bring your own wool etc that’s OK).
More details from Lesley Parker or Sarah Rowley.
CRB CHECKS
The administration of CRB checks in St Albans Diocese has changed and has been contracted out to a Christian organisation called CCPAS (Churches Child Protection Advisory Service). Margaret Streets has to relinquish her role as CRB administrator for St James and Milly Arch will soon give up her role as Child Protection Officer. Thus circumstances made the PCC look again at how we do things and who does them in this area.
Responsibility for CRB checks has been taken on by Lesley Parker (lead recruiter), Linda Greenwood (recruiter), and Maureen Hargrave (recruiter to step in when Lesley or Linda aren’t available). At its meeting on 17 August the Standing Committee of the PCC adopted all the necessary Codes of Practice from the CRB and CCPAS to allow us to start doing CRB checks again.
Who should be CRB checked?
All those engaged in a St James activity which means they have regular contact with children and/or vulnerable adults. (If you aren’t sure whether this refers to you, ask one of the recruiters).
How long does a CRB check last?
You could say it has the potential to stop being correct the minute after someone is checked! However, St Albans used to ask that people be rechecked after 5 years: the Charity Commissioners suggest after 3 years. To begin with we will re-check those whose CRB certificates were issued more that 5 years ago: next year we will re-check after 4 years.
What should I do now?
If you have a CRB certificate issued in connection with your St James activities please bring it to one of our Sunday sessions so that one of the recruiters can see it. We will then enter the date it was issued on a password-protected database.
If you don’t have a CRB certificate and need one for your St James activities please ask one of the recruiters for an application form.
What are ISA checks?
These are checks to see if a person is on the ‘Vetting and Barring’ lists of people banned from working with children or vulnerable adults. The introduction of these checks has been suspended until the new government decides how wide it wants the scope of these checks to be.
Confidentiality
The Codes of Practice adopted by the Standing Committee of the PCC ensure the safe handling, security and confidentiality of all information received in connection with CRB checks. Copies of these Codes are available on request.
What does it cost?
Most of the CRB checks that we do will be for volunteers. It will cost St James about £4 for each application (£3 fee + VAT + postage) – and about £5.50 if we have to re-do a form because it has a mistake on it. We all know that we try to keep a tight control on expenditure for admin issues, so we are asking that, if you feel you can afford to, you make a donation towards the cost: however, if you can’t make a donation, we will still process your form in the normal way.
The charge for paid employees of St James currently is £36.
How can I contact the Recruiters?
Throughout September at least one of us will be in the gathering hall in the SBC between the two morning services on Sunday and after the 10.30 service (you should find us to the right of the door into the worship hall). You can also leave us a message in the mail boxes or at the parish office. Or you can contact us at home by email or phone.
Lesley Parker ‘ 501544, email: bidmead2005@yahoo.co.uk
Linda Greenwood ‘ 466712, email: linda.greenwood1@virgin.net
‘GETTING TO THE HUB OF NIASSA’ WITH MOTHERS’ UNION
This September St James MU is joining with St Albans’ MU in providing 50 bicycles for MU workers in Niassa, Mozambique, to help them serve their communities more effectively where transport is difficult. They are also providing 25 of the poorest families with livestock such as chickens, ducks and goats, which will provide the basis of income generating opportunities, as well as sharing the offspring produced with other needy families, thus initiating long term help out of poverty for members of their communities. We hope and pray you will be inspired to join in with us in the following ways: Be aware of how blessed we are in UK with our own cars, bikes and wider transport systems. Pray about how you can reflect God’s blessing to you, through supporting this project.
Sunday 5th, 12th, 19th, 26th September: Bring your loose change to cover an outline of a bicycle. Perhaps you could choose a particular coin (e.g. 20p/10p) and collect them each week to add to the bike. Children, could you share your pocket money/ help around your home to raise something for the project?
Sunday 12th: Church Family Breakfast: 9am – 10.30am. Any profit arising will go to Niassa project
Sunday 19th: MU Cake & Preserve stall. Please come along and treat yourself to cake and jam
Sunday 3rd October: St James’ Harvest Festival. Bob has kindly offered MU the money offering from this major gift day, for which we are hugely grateful. Please give with gratitude to God for His goodness to you. If you can Gift Aid your offering to MU as well, this would be wonderful. Tara will be available to facilitate this.
MOTHERS’ UNIONS MORE SPECIAL EVENTS IN SEPTEMBER!
Sunday 12th: MU enrolment at the 10.30 service. Several ladies have expressed interest in joining MU, please let me know ASAP if you wish to be enrolled during this service. Men welcome to join too!
Saturday 18th: Stroll for the Soul: St John’s Harpenden AL5 1DJ from 10.30am. Bring your friends, family and picnic; have a short prayer walk around the park and then have lunch together.
Tuesday 28th: 7.30pm VIVIEN KITYO former MU president of Uganda, now a MU Trustee and MU’s representative at the UNTIED NATIONS! Vivien is coming to speak at St James! This is a HUGE honour for us and we urge as many of you as possible to come and hear what she has to share regarding the worldwide perspective of Mothers Union. Bring your house group, bring your neighbours! Be surprised at how awesome MU really is! If you need transport please contact me to arrange it.
For more details about any of this please speak to a MU member or contact me on 657307/ jandeanbs@aol.com Many thanks, Jan
