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Parish of Hitchin

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ORGAN APPEAL

Bible & Discussion Groups

LENT 2008

Spiritual Cinema: There are plans afoot at St. Mary’s to show on selected evenings during the season of Lent a number of films.

These films will be chosen from a broad range, but will have in their own different ways a spiritual dimension.
The intention is that each film will be preceded by an introduction and then followed by an opportunity for reflection and discussion over a glass of wine or a soft drink.
I’ve participated in similar evenings at other churches, and I’m very keen to establish them here at St. Mary’s starting this Lent. Please do come and speak to me to find out more.
Further information, including dates, times and film titles will be published in St. Mary’s Bulletin for Sunday 10th February, and also appear on this web site
Rev Oliver Learmont

Interactive Lent for Young People: St. Mark’s Gospel in Cartoon form
10th February The beginning of the mission
24th February The Jesus secret
2nd March The trial

5.00 pm in Church House for an hour

Led by Rev Steve Wood for 12+
 

Bible Reading Fellowship

Our bible reading is continuing.  We are only a small group but find the daily readings stimulating and a help in our living.  We recommend them to you all.

Jean Green

The Limes House Group

The group meets on the first Wednesday of every month at 8.00pm to enjoy fellowship, a variety of discussions, occasional guest speakers and an annual House Communion.

2005 Report

The Limes House Group continues to meet. We have welcomed a new member this year and continue to enjoy guest speakers at our monthly meetings. Revd Roy Deller enlightened us re the rise and fall of the different denominations in Hitchin. Ken King shared studies showing low churches have celebrated the sacrament of Baptism over the years. Mary Blake told us of her visit to Jordan with Ken Bowler and his party.

We have become a caring closely knit group who enjoy each others fellowship.

Mary Taylor

For further details contact Michael Taylor.

Moving Prayer

This is an initiative of Churches Together in Hitchin, through which we are gaining new insights into the issues facing our community, and offering to God prayers for our town and its people.

For further details contact David Duggan or Mary Martin

Rediscovering the Bible Project

The contextual approach to Bible study is still alive and well in the Parish – even though it is some years now since Pamela Parenzee, who initiated the Project, returned to South Africa.  Members of the groups are still in touch with Pamela, so we hear that she is thriving and we continue to pray for her ministry.

Autumn 2007 Course.  There will be a five week series of Bible Studies, using the contextual approach, on Wednesdays, starting on 10^th October at 8pm.  (Subsequent meetings will be at 17 Maytrees on 17^th and 24^th Oct and at 34 Broadmead on 31^st Oct and 7^th Nov).  We will be looking at the narratives of Jesus' birth in Luke's and Matthew's Gospels.  Anyone is welcome to attend either all, or just some, of the sessions.  Come along for some interesting evenings of fellowship and, not too taxing, study.  Please contact Jill Eve with any enquiries.

In March 2005 two delegates from Hitchin attended a conference in Glasgow, run by the group there and chaired by Revd John Riches of Glasgow University.  The fellowship and discussions were stimulating and the speakers were inspiring.  A highlight was a talk, and subsequent Bible study session, by Gerald West, one of the originators of ‘contextual Bible study’ in South Africa.

In April there was an open meeting to which anyone interested in the contextual approach was invited.  After sharing views, and listening to a report of the Glasgow Conference, it was decided that there was still a need for this type of approach in the Parish and that it was important for the Project to continue; with much the same format as had been used hereto.  However it was recognised that there would only be one or two groups offered per term in the future.  The practice of facilitators working in pairs was confirmed to be good practice.

Following this meeting there were courses of six weekly sessions of study in the summer of 2005 and another in the autumn.  The summer course studied texts relating to the Last Supper and was followed by gathering, at a later date, for an ‘agape meal’ together.  In the autumn, in an attempt to be topical, the texts chosen enabled reflection and discussion on natural disasters.

Five of the original facilitators remain to help out with the courses and, as well, they have been available to lead Lent groups organized by Churches Together in 2005 and 2006.

David Norman