Christmas Season at Abbeygate Two

The DNA Missional Communities have been celebrating the Christmas season joyfully already! House Churches are flourishing in Highwoods, Horkesley and Riverside;  Footballers improved their performances on last season with two wins and a draw; Abbeygate Two has proved to be a flexible and significant resource for building community amongst a range of different groups over the last two weeks.

• Little Lights saw a large group of Mums and pre-schoolers sharing Christmas music and stories
• Primary agers held a Christmas party last Monday and rehearsed a Nativity procession
• Maths Club finished its first term in style last Saturday
• Barn Church (teenagers) did an extra session to try to practise for the carols entertainment
• Synergy  (20's/30's) had movie, games and food in various spaces
• Internationals invited plenty of new people and enjoyed menu items from various chefs
• Thursday nights have seen the last sessions of Synergy Alpha Course and the first sessions of Swahili Marriage Course

Please check the times of Christmas worship events

Sunday 23rd December (No morning worship event!)

4pm DNA Carols
5pm Shared meal
6pm Entertainment


Christmas Day 25th December

10am Christmas Communion (please note earlier time!!)


Sunday 30th December

10.30 am Morning Worship

Sunday 16th December

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday December 16th at Abbeygate Two, 10.30am, for Advent worship. Luke 1 is the E- 100 reading of the week, but DNA Trustee Gary Seithel will be speaking and raising some discussion from Romans 12, 1-13.

Peace!

Question Time!

Saturday morning is the football tournament at Leisure World. 3 soccer pitches have been made available free of charge by Leisure World, for a six-a-side tournament and  8 teams have registered. The outcome will be to raise funds for a Mission  Trip to Moldova in February 2013.

This Sunday, December 9th, we will meet for worship at 10.30am  

Abbeygate Two, 9 Whitewell Rd, Colchester, CO2 7DE.

Worship will include the dedication of baby Franky, (Tony Francis' grandson)

This week there will be a Question Time panel discussion based on Matthew 1. Please have a read through and make a note of some questions to ask.

HEALTH WARNING! The first half of this chapter may cause drowsiness- do not attempt to read whilst doing something important and do not listen to the reading while driving!

Sunday 25th November

DNA Worship event will take place on at Abbeygate Two at 10.30am. The theme will be based on The Prophets with a close look at The Call of Jeremiah; check out Jeremiah chapter 1, 1-10. This will be the last in the Old Testament readings from E-100 series.

International Christian Fellowship is at 12.30pm at 18 Hereford Drive. Vietnamese food and an Italian guitarist on the menu this month, together with a Bible based talk and discussion.

Barn Church will be on at 5.00pm at Abbeygate Two for young people of secondary age.

The December Calendar will come out next week via email with information about all the mission units and communities for the next month.

You're Invited!

Friday night is film night at Abbeygate Two! Faith like Potatoes is on at 7.30pm.

Saturday morning is football at Shrub End at 10am vs Bethel- a mid-table clash

On Sunday, the Thursday night Alpha group will be away in the country on a day of discovery about the Holy Spirit.

This week our E-100 readings come from Psalms 23, 51 and 103; also Proverbs 3 and 16- well worth a read.
Our 10.30am Sunday worship will feature some of the Psalms, with Janie Beales leading a special focus on Ps 23, which concludes with news of a feast. So we will share communion as we move into a shared meal. If you can stay, please bring something to share for lunch.

November 4th

Sunday November 4th will feature hustings for the election at 10.30am worship at Abbeygate Two! 

Read up on the candidates Samuel, Saul and David in the book of 1 Samuel.

Worship will feature 4 elements:

Thanks and Lament- praise led by Dave Watson and prayers 

Create and Play- a team quiz and a mock election

Seek and Reflect- with Enoch Kunarajah's thoughts on qualities of leaders in 1 Samuel, in the E-100 series

Send and Engage- being sent out in the power of the Spirit after receiving Holy Communion

The Signing of the Lease!

DNA Chairman of Trustees Tim Rose prepares to sign the Lease for Abbeygate Two with Treasurer Viv Critchley. David Beales witnessed the signatures for Hollie Stringer of Prettys Solicitors, Chelmsford. The lease is for an initial term of one year beginning on November 1st.

Brookes return to Missouri!

Nick and Sydni Brooke will be heading back to Missouri next week having completed two years  in Colchester.They expect to be back here next April- all three of them! So we'll get to pray with them to send them off with blessing this Sunday, October 28th at teh 10.30 worship event at Abbeygate two.

Sydni has been reading the Book of Ruth, which is part of the E100 readings this week, so she will be sharing some of her reflections about that. Should be good!

International Christian Fellowship will meet at lunch time- Phone Enoch 07969 210 284 for details.

The Community formerly known as Barn Church will meet at 5pm at Abbeygate Two. Phone Isaac Lasky on 07429 553 244.

The lease on Abbeygate Two should be signed next week, committing us for the next year to rent the building. In the mean time, on behalf of the Church Council, Patrick Ramazani is forming a team to raise funds with a view to purchasing Abbeygate Two within the next twelve months.

The week!

It's been an interesting week of new activities! Here's a brief review of some of them...

Monday morning saw the DNA Playgroup in action...
Tuesday evening was the first ever iCafe2...
Wednesday evening a team hosted a stall at the university...
Thursday was the first of the new Alpha series...
Not to mention a bunch of house groups, prayer events and meetings to establish the lease for Abbeygate Two...
Plus all the stories from work places, homes and leisure activities; stories of joy and grief, magnificent defeats, glorious failures...
... and the football team remained top of the league!

Sunday October 14th

Continuing the E-100 series, this week's interactive talk will be led by David Beales, who will be our guide through the extraordinary story of Moses.
Dave Watson will lead worship music. Children's ministry (for ages 2-11) will take place during the talk!

Please join us at Abbeygate at 10.30am!

Essential 100, Sarah Ramazani, October Calendar

The Essential 100 books have arrived! If you ordered one (or two) please bring your £5 when you collect.

We'll meet for worship on Sunday at 10.30am at Abbeygate Two, 9 Whitewell Rd, Colchester, CO2 7DE.

Nick Brooke will lead some worship songs; the Ramazani family will bring Sarah, born on 15th September, for dedication- get ready to sing, dance, sway and clap in celebration thanksgiving.

Sydni Brooke and Jess McCarty will stir us up to pray  and will lead us into Holy Communion.

Janie Beales will take the children's session and Isaac Lasky will share his thoughts on The Story of Joseph, from Genesis 37-50- the next stage of the E-100 series.

Here's the Calendar for October: