June Letter
What Does Fun Look Like to You?  

Fun looks different for each of us. For some, it’s meeting friends for lunch or heading to the pub together. For others, it’s watching a favourite band perform live, enjoying a peaceful afternoon with a long-awaited book, walking the dog, meeting new people, or dancing the night away. Fun takes many forms — but at its heart, it connects us. One of our core values as a Benefice is Fun, which we define as: “Creating opportunities for people to come together in our community, connect, and enjoy themselves, with generosity and joy as our foundation.” With this in mind, we’ve been creating opportunities across the Benefice for people of all ages to gather, relax, laugh, and build friendships.    

Our monthly Community Dog Walks continue to grow. In May, a wonderful group of us enjoyed a walk together before resting with drinks in the beer garden at The Queen's Head. It was a lovely afternoon filled with conversation, shared adventure, and new friendships — and completely free to attend. Jimmy’s Baby and Toddler Group offers parents, grandparents, and carers the chance to meet weekly, enjoy conversation, and let little ones play with a fantastic range of toys. We simply charge a small amount to help cover hall hire and refreshments. For those aged 55 and over, Wednesday Welcome offers cake, quizzes, music, games, and plenty of chat. It’s become a much-loved space for companionship and community, with just a £1 contribution towards refreshments.    

At the end of March, our Benefice Murder Mystery evening at High Wych Memorial Hall sold out six weeks in advance. Thanks to the fantastic cast members from the Harlow Theatre Company and our wonderful catering team, everyone enjoyed a fantastic evening together. Families continue to gather through Messy Church, Messy Adventures, and our family services at St James’ and St Botolph’s. As a team, we’re always exploring new ways to create enjoyable and meaningful activities for our villages.    

There is still plenty to look forward to this year, including quiz nights and our summer BBQ at St Mary’s, Gilston on 20 June from 5.30pm. There will be games, excellent food, a bar, and activities for all ages — a real celebration of community life.    

Our Scarecrow Festival is also beginning to take shape. This year, the church will become an enchanted woodland, and the village field will be complete with children’s games, live music, good food, stalls, and a rest tent for weary parents and toddlers who need a little quiet space between adventures.    

As a church, we are here to serve our communities with openness, commitment, kindness — and joy. I meet so many people while out walking my dog, so please do stop and say hello. We would love to help you find ways to become part of this growing community of faith, friendship, and fun across our villages. The Bible reminds us again and again of the importance of togetherness and community:
Psalm 133:1
“How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
Romans 12:10
“Be devoted to one another in love. Honour one another above yourselves.”
Hebrews 10:24–25
“Do not give up meeting together… encouraging one another.”

   At a time when television, social media, and politics can often feel dominated by division and negativity, perhaps one of the most important things we can do is continue building communities where people care for one another, live in harmony, and simply enjoy being together. Even in difficult times, joy and connection matter. 
Every blessing,
Alison
Your Priest   
Over the next few weeks at St James, High Wych we are doing work to install a new step free access on the main doorway into the church.  There will be disruption for a little while and so our church will still be open but the entrance will be via the West Door which is round the side, near the side entrance into the school playground. Our hope is that when completed our church will be accessible for all. Thank you – Rev Alison Jackson