Cost of Church Weddings NOT rising in 2013?

Many will have seen the news that the published cost of Church weddings is to rise significantly next year. However, we can say that in Myland it is very unlikely that the cost will rise. Up to now, we have recouped the costs of administration, clergy visits, preparation and other necessary work through an administration fee; Churches across the country have historically approached this in a variety of ways. The published increase is designed to standardise the approach country-wide. Here in Myland, we do not expect it will make any material difference to the charge, or to the Church's finances. If you're thinking of getting married in St Michael's next year, why not contact us to discuss it?

Financial Fraud in Myland

We continue to urge everyone to exercise caution concerning the identity theft which has been taking place in Mile End, through stealing post from letterboxes in the communal areas of flats. However, we can now confirm that an arrest has been made, with one person bailed to appear in court in May.  Councillor Martin Goss recommends a four-step guide to safety:

One: be vigilant - if you see people messing about with letterboxes, take a description and call the police immediately on 999

Two: If your post doesn't turn up for a few days, contact the Royal Mail on 08457 740 740 and check it hasn't been redirected without your consent

Three: Consider registering for Credit Reference searches which can email you every time a credit search is carried out in your name. Various websites offer this service at a low cost, so do an internet search for established Credit Referencing websites such as Experian.

Four: Let Martin Goss know and he (& we) will ensure the local community are aware.

Myland Development Committee formed

Myland Community Council has formed a new Committee  - the Myland Development Committee specifically to deal with issues raised by the proposed and planned developments in our neighbourhood. These include the Severalls Phase 1 and Phase 2 plans for 1,500 new houses, and the "Chesterwell" scheme for 1,800 new houses. It will operate under statutory rules - meetings will be held in public; the Agenda will be published in advance; members of the public can have their say; formal minutes will be published; and the Committee will report formally to Myland Community Council.

The Committee has two purposes. The first is to hear the community’s views, suggestions, thoughts and concerns about the development plans. The second is to ensure that they are heard at every level of the development process. It is hoped that many residents will come along to the first meeting, which takes place at 8pm on Wednesday February 8th at the Methodist Church Hall in Mile End Road. 

"Time to Talk" - Conference report

Almost 1,000 people gathered in Brentwood on 21st January to consider what the Church should be and do - click to read the results, and to hear Bishop Stephen's closing address. We hope the Conference will encourage everyone to "re-imagine" the mission of the Church!

Homes off Nayland Road - the next step

The Mersea Homes Consultation has now completed, and the next step if for the Borough Council to complete a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the affected area. There's lots of information at at www.colchesternorth.co.uk including a "topic paper" on schools and community space.

Lots of familiar faces on "Songs of Praise"

The BBC did Colchester proud - again - on Sunday 22nd January, when Songs of Praise was broadcast from St. Botolph's, compered by Pam Rhodes (pictured); and we saw a number of familiar faces from St. Michael's at the service. If you didn't catch it on TV, it will be available on BBC i-Player here until 21st February.

Martin Goss, Watch Co-ordinator of the Year

We are delighted to hear that Martin, Myland Councillor, champion of local Neighbourhood Watch groups and a tireless worker for the community, has been named Colchester's Watch Co-ordinator of the Year. He says he's surprised but delighted - we're not surprised at all! Well done! If you would like to know more about the Neighbourhood Watch scheme, or are thinking it would be a good idea for your area, contact Martin - he'll be pleased to hear from you. You can email him from here.

Our Mile End Lad is knighted!

From now on, it's Sir Bob Russell - we are delighted to hear that our long-serving MP, who has always been proud of his Mile End roots, has been awarded a Knighthood in Her Majesty's New Years Honours List. As well as being a strong supporter of the town and  Constituency of of Colchester, Bob has continued to support a large number of local causes, charities and initiatives, including being a patron of the redevelopment of Myland Parish Halls. One of the most loyal attendees in the House of Commons, and always determined to speak his mind, you know where you stand with Bob - and he stands with us! Well done, Bob.

Planning Application submitted for the Severalls Development

The latest MasterPlan for the Severalls development has now been submitted to Colchester Borough Council, seeking planning consent. The Architects, Broadway Malyan, have produced plans which include words such as "allotments", "Park", "Primary School", "Community Centre" and "retained woodland" - and you can see for yourself how the residential areas link together with roadways and walkways. Why not log on to the Council's planning portal by clicking HERE, and view application number 112401? You can view the plans, application documents and even responses by members of the public. That means you could comment too!

Christmas attendances break all records

Attendance at our services on Christmas Eve were greater than ever before. We can say what with confidence, because there are no records of there having ever been four services in times long past, and it would need that many to amass the total of 1,041 people who came through the Church door for our services at 3pm, 5pm, 7pm and 11:30pm - which beats last year's record figures. A few years ago, it was rightly said that Church attendances in general were declining; that trend has been halted across the country, and in Myland we have been seeing steady increases for a number of years. However, Jesus' ministry was never about numbers - His love is for each and every individual. So we thank each person who managed to come to Church over Christmas - it was good to see you. And if you weren't with us, we hope you have a very merry Christmas, and a happy New Year from each of us!

Christmas 2011 - a massive "Thank You"!

Happy Christmas everyone - and thank you for a wonderful year! 2011 has been very eventful for Myland, for us as a Church, and of course for the whole country. Amid all the economic troubles and the stresses of modern life, we believe Myland has steadily become a stronger community - and that's certainly true of the Church. Thank you so much for being part of Myland life, where 2012 will certainly challenge us as a community. With the Lord's and each other's help, who knows what we'll thank each other for, this time next year!

Confirmations, December 2011

We were delighted to welcome Bishop Christopher to St. Michael's on 4th December, for a service of Confirmation with Holy Communion. Andrea Appleby, Eleanor Boddice, Kelly Day, Lesley Hindle, Ellie Lane, Elina Lusted and Helen March took this important step on their walk of faith, and we continue to pray for them and their families. Click here or on the picture for a photo of the magnificent seven!

Thank you for the Shoeboxes!

On Advent Sunday, we received all the shoeboxes for the Operation Christmas Child appeal - and piled them high and deep on the altar as an offering to the Lord, with a prayer that they would be a blessing to the children who receive them. We bless you, for yet another record number of boxes filled. As soon as we know where in the world they're going, we'll let you know!

All change for the banners on display in Church

You noticed? Good! All the banners in Church (including the one pictured left) have recently been changed for different ones! They are on loan from our friends at Mile End Methodist Church, who have a particularly successful banner-making ministry. As well as brightening up the Church, we hope that the banners will encourage the many crafty people of St. Michael's to design and make some banners of our own. It's not a simple job - it's a rare mixture of art, craft, dedication and inspiration - but it's very rewarding to see a bright Church with a strong message for all who enter. If you'd like to form a group to make a banner, just have a word with a friend or two, and see what can be achieved!

Sermon for Sunday, 20th November 2011

Our Reader, Colin Turner, preached a typically strong sermon on Sunday 20th November, in our "Big Issues" series - and not surprisingly there's been a call for a transcript to be available on the web. So here it is - click here or on the picture, to go there now.

Get mylandchurch.org.uk on your mobile

Have you seen these splodgy diagram things on billboards and in magazine advertisements? They're called QR codes, and if you've got one of those snazzy new mobile phones that can read them, you could point it at the picture, and it would take you to our new Mobile Home Page, where you can get all the important stuff from our website - including news, the diary, the Service rotas, and a link to the main website you're viewing now. If you're one of the privileged few, give it a try!

Community Engagement Report

The University of Essex was commissioned by Colchester Borough Council to produce a Community Engagement Report, in connection with the proposed continued development of Mile End. The Report has now been published, and is available for downloading from our website.

Click here to download the Executive Summary

Click here or on the blue book to download the Full Report

(Size warning: the full report is 5.1Mb)

Alpha Course, 2011

A good meal, a short DVD, lots of chat and the opportunity to ask those really big questions - that's Alpha at St. Michael's. The course began on 20th October, but if you are interested in discovering more about the Christian faith, or contributing to discussions on the big questions of life over a tasty meal, you could still join us - book in by emailing us.

A Strategy for Mission

The Church, like every organisation, needs to know why it exists and be focussed on the work it should be doing. The Church in Myland exists to worship God and continue the ministry of Jesus in the Parish. How we do that is set out in the document "A Strategy for Mission", which is also available here on the website. Click here or on the picture to read it now.

Colchester United FC: Up the U's!

The Town's League 1 Club is based in our Parish, at the Weston Homes Community Stadium, and we're pleased to support them in all they do to promote Colchester and the local community. We're keen to see the Club promoted too - in more ways than one! Click here or on the badge for more, and the current League Table.

Revd Rosie Tallowin

Rosie, who has been our Community Pastor at New Braiswick Park for almost two years now, became Reverend Rosie on Sunday 3rd July. Her Ordination in Chelmsford Cathedral is the culmination of years of spiritual development and training, and the very start of a new chapter of Rosie's ministry with us. We're absolutely delighted to have Rosie as a member of the Team, and look forward to all that will be achieved in the years ahead.

PrayerNet

There is a small group of people at St. Michael's who set time aside to pray for specific needs of people in and around the Parish. If you would like prayer - for you, a neighbour, or any situation, contact Revd John Chandler who is co-ordinating the PrayerNet.