Category Archives: The 3 Churches Benefice

Coffee and Coping’s new group

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Coffee and Coping Hertfordshire have a brand new group concentrating on addiction in all forms, for concerned family members as well as addicts. This community pastoral care is done in conjunction with the The 3 Churches Benefice.

Addiction is a real and present in our community, and those facing this need help and support. Coffee and Coping strongly believe that creating a strong sense of community, providing a safe space to talk with empathetic listeners, as well as offering practical support, is the way to help.

If you are interested in knowing more, or would like to come along to this new group, please drop in. You don’t need to book – just turn up.

HOPE IN ACTION
Addition, heavy use and concern group

When: Every Wednesday, 17:00–18:30
Where: St Mary’s Church, St Margarets on Hoddesdon Road

STARTS 29th JANUARY

Please help Coffee and Coping raise money to support their outreach work if you can – anything helps so much. You can donate via the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hopeinaction#sharePage.

The 3 Churches Benefice: Warm Welcome Spaces

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Did you know that The 3 Churches Benefice is providing two Warm Welcome Spaces again this winter?

Coffee Morning
The Wilshere Hall, St Andrew’s Church, Stanstead Abbots, Cappell Lane
 9–11am, every Monday

Come and share a cuppa and join in with a fun activity in our warm, welcoming and free space.

Community Hub Drop-in
St Mary’s Church, St Margarets, Hoddesdon Road
10.30–11.30am, every Wednesday

A warm, welcome awaits anyone who needs a cuppa and a chat, practical help or just a safe space for a few hours.

Everyone is welcome! So, please do come along and join us.

The 3 Churches Benefice
www.3churches.net

The mission of Warm Welcome Spaces is to support organisations to open their doors and provide a warm welcome for those struggling to heat their homes this winter. If you’d like to know more, please visit https://www.warmwelcome.uk/ .

The Christmas Journey: The Nativity Story Reimagined

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Have you heard about the very special family event that happens on Christmas Eve in the villages? The 3 Churches Benefice hold ‘The Christmas Journey: The Nativity Story Reimagined’: a service for everyone, young and old, to become part of the nativity story!

Meeting at St Margarets Train Station at 3pm, we journey together like Mary and Joseph, stopping at inns along the way to see if there is any room. Finally, we travel to the stable (at St Andrew’s Church) to find baby Jesus has been born! With singing and readings at each stop, we follow the nativity story, and the kids get to be part of all the action.

Martha (age 6), who has attended every year since it started in 2021, said: ‘It is really fun and exciting. We knock on the doors and see if there is room, but there isn’t, so we have to keep going until we find the stable. Baby Jesus is there and there are lights. It looks really pretty. I love the singing and being with Rev’d Sarah.’

Every year we see the numbers who attend The Christmas Journey increase and there is quite a buzz in the local community in the lead up! This year, we had a fantastic 180 children and adults (not to mention dogs) gathering together at St Margarets Train Station to make the journey to meet baby Jesus in the manger.

As our numbers swell, we are even more conscious of the need for road safety.  As such, we had a greater number of helpers in hi-vis jackets marshalling everyone safely on our journey. Thank you so much to everyone who helped.

We visited inns along the way and, as always, love to see the engagement with the general public as we sing and share the nativity story. Special thanks to The Jolly Fisherman, The Oak and The Red Lion for taking part again this year. We were amazed to see our Innkeeper at The Red Lion dressed for the part – that was an extra treat!

We are really pleased that this special service continues to go from strength to strength and has become a Christmas tradition for local families. It will be on again this year, so make sure to wrap up warmly and join us!

The 3 Churches Benefice

Advent & Christmas with The 3 Churches Benefice

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We have lots on over Advent & Christmas! Why not join us?

Advent Carols
Sunday 1st December
4pm at St James, Stanstead Abbots

Christmas Tree Festival
Saturday 7th & Sunday 8th December
2–6pm at St Mary the Virgin, St Margarets

Carols by Candlelight
Sunday 15th December
6.30pm at St John the Baptist, Great Amwell
and
Sunday 22nd December
6.30pm at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots

The Christmas Journey: The Nativity Story Reimagined
Tuesday 24th December ~ Christmas Eve
Starting 3pm at St Margarets Train Station and ending at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots

Christmas Eve Midnight Holy Communion
Tuesday 24th December ~ Christmas Eve
11.30pm at St John the Baptist, Great Amwell

Christmas Day Service
Wednesday 25th December ~ Christmas Day
10.30am at St Andrew, Stanstead Abbots

You can download the poster…

Christmas 2024Download

We look forward to welcoming you!

Lights of Love Services

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It’s that time of year again when we welcome people to come together at our annual Lights of Love services to remember precious babies gone too soon.

Our Lights of Love services, and other seasonal events, take place across the country every year with readings, music, and candle lighting. They are FREE of charge and for ANYONE to join.

We know that many people find this a challenging time of year. Lights of Love is designed to provide peace and comfort to parents, siblings and anyone else affected by pregnancy or baby loss, helping them to prepare emotionally for other seasonal celebrations in which they are taking part.

Lights of Love Services locally…

You might also be interested in…

Sands Helpline: 0808 164 3332 / helpline@sands.org.uk
The Sands National Helpline provides a safe, confidential place for anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby. Whether your baby died long ago or recently, we are here for you.

Warm Welcome Spaces are back!

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Once again this year, The 3 Churches Benefice are offering Warm Welcome Spaces to those who are in need over the cold winter months. There will be:

* Coffee Morning on Monday mornings, 9–11am at The Wilshere Hall – offering a warm drink and a fun activity!

* The Community Hub Drop-in on Wednesdays, 10.30–11.30am at St Mary’s, St Margarets – offering a cuppa and chat, as well as practical help if needed.

Warm Welcome Spaces will run from 4th November until February half term.

No need to book, just come along. We look forward to welcoming you!

The 3 Churches Benefice

Warm Welcome Spaces 2024Download

The Big Quiz for Tearfund

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Do you like a good quiz? Do you like supporting incredible charities? If yes, then we have an evening of fun for you!

Join The 3 Churches Benefice for an epic evening of poverty-beating, community-building fun! Every penny raised will go to Tearfund, who work tirelessly to fight extreme poverty throughout the world.

WHEN: Saturday 16th November, 7pm at The Wilshere Hall, St Andrew’s Church

DETAILS: £5 per person, Teams of up to 8 people, Bring your own drinks & snacks

Get tickets in advance by emailing peter.melrose@ntlworld.com or purchase (in cash) on the door!

To learn more about Tearfund and the important work they do, you can watch this video HERE or visit their website: https://www.tearfund.org/

The 3 Churches Benefice

Big Quiz for TearFund 2024 PosterDownload

News from St John the Baptist, Great Amwell

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There has been a lot going on at St John the Baptist Church, Great Amwell, over the last few months. Here is a little about what it…

South African Braii

In August, in the lovely summer sunshine, we had a South African braai in the churchyard of St John the Baptist, organised kindly by parishioners Graeme and Paola McSorley. We enjoyed boerewors followed by melktert, washed down with fabulous South African wine.

Visitors come to St John the Baptist

St John’s church has been blessed this year with visitors from overseas. Recently, we have had visitors from America, who can trace their ancestry to Richard and Elizabeth Warren who were married in the church in 1610. Richard being one of the Pilgrim Fathers on Mayflower 10 years later.

Front: Tim Van Leer, Jodie Picoult, Rev’d Sarah Forrest and Eric Nye; Back: Martin Vaughan, Margaret Mellor and Sue Vaughan
Sue and Tom Dietrich

In September, came Sue and Tom Dietrich from Arizona, followed on 3rd October by well-known authoress Jodie Picoult and her husband, Tim Warren Van Leer from New Hampshire. On the same day, Eric Nye, a visiting professor at Cambridge and related to the Warrens, joined us. It was great to welcome them to St John’s and show them round the church and the churchyard.

Richard Mellor, Churchwarden

Remembrance Sunday Services: 10th November

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‘Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life.’ (The Royal British Legion)

Join together this Remembrance Sunday to remember the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, the vital role played by the emergency services and those who have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism.

The 3 Churches Benefice are holding the following Services of Remembrance on Sunday 10th November:

* 9am Remembrance Sunday Eucharist Service at St John the Baptist Church, Great Amwell

* 10.30am Service of Remembrance at Amwell Lane War Memorial, Great Amwell
(this service is outdoors, so please dress for the weather)

* 10.30am Service of Remembrance at St Andrew’s Church, Stanstead Abbots
(starts in the church and then moves to the war memorial outside)

The 3 Churches Benefice

Baby Loss Awareness Week 2024, 9–15 October

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Local Sands supporter The 3 Churches Benefice will be giving bereaved families in Great Amwell, St Margarets and Stanstead Abbotts the opportunity to come together this Baby Loss Awareness Week, 9–15th October.

Sands, the charity that leads Baby Loss Awareness Week, works to save babies’ lives and support bereaved families. The Week is a time for everyone in the baby loss community and beyond to come together, to remember much-loved and missed babies, and raise awareness of pregnancy and baby loss.

This special week is represented by its blue and pink ribbon logo, this image has been the inspiration to create Ribbon Displays up and down the UK, in every community, inviting those who have experienced loss to come together and remember their babies.  

The 3 Churches Benefice is hosting a Ribbon Display outside St Andrew’s Church and opening the church on Sunday 13th October from 2–4pm to support their Ribbon Run, which will take place from 2pm that day. They are putting together a team that plans to walk the 5km circuit from St Andrew’s to raise funds for Sands. Walkers and Runners welcome! To donate, visit the website: https://fundraising.sands.org.uk/s/7321/25326.

The loss of a baby or pregnancy is heart-breaking, and this is happening to families across the UK everyday. During Baby Loss Awareness Week, The 3 Churches Benefice wanted to create a special display to remember all the babies lost, whether recently or long ago. You can add a ribbon to our Ribbon Display on the railings outside St Andrew’s Church, Stanstead Abbots. 

All money raised from the Ribbon Run will go to Sands, so they can continue to support families and reduce baby deaths, by investing in research and championing better maternity care.

For anyone who needs the support of Sands you can find more information on their website www.sands.org.uk . 

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