7.30pm Tenebrae service at the Fishermen’s Chapel. A beautiful reflective candlelit service, where we share in the Lord’s Supper and leave in silence as the last candle, the light of Jesus, goes out into the night. [Facebook event for the Tenebrae service]
Good Friday Walk, Service & Brunch 29th March
9.30am Meet at Highlands Methodist Church for a walk of witness with the cross to Wesley Methodist Church for a service with brunch together.
11am All age celebration with Communion at Highlands, followed by Sunday lunch (All welcome but please book. £5 suggested donation. Contact Heather 07879 232231)
6.30pm Easter Prayer and Praise at Belfairs Methodist Church [All details]
Great news – the Fishermen’s Chapel returned to a service every week from September 2023, when Heather was appointed to be our minister. The new pattern is as follows:
First Sunday of the month: Communion service, 9.30am
Our beautiful family service that includes Holy Communion is for all those who like to deepen their faith in a symbolic way that is steeped in history. We spend time: in prayer; listening to the Bible; having a short reflection from our minister; singing hymns modern and traditional; and sharing the Lord’s supper of bread and wine ( non-alcoholic). Everyone is welcome to join us at the table, however if you prefer a just a blessing or to remain seated that is fine too. To share in the sacraments is a transforming act which is so special – it can give great comfort and peace in our restless and challenging world.
Second Sunday of the month: Gospel service with the Fishermen’s Chapel Gospel Choir and the Monday singers, 7.30pm. Doors open from 7 for refreshments.
Third Sunday of the month: Anchored (our cafe-style service with opportunities to be creative, ask questions, and put our faith into practice). Time change to 7.30 pm, but please make sure you receive our regular emails for details of any changes to this.
Fourth Sunday of the month: Mindfulness, 7.30 pm.
Fifth Sunday of the month (when there is one): United service with other Leigh-on-Sea Methodist churches.
As of 1st September Heather Simmons is our minister at the Fishermen’s Chapel. Heather writes:
Hello! I am the new minister for The Fishermen’s Chapel. For those who have been journeying with me, you will know that I had my Welcome Service at my other church, Highlands Methodist. It was absolutely fabulous – we filled the church with people from the Methodist circuit, district, our choirs, and family and friends; it was truly joyous. A huge thank you to you all who prepared for the service and attended.
For those who don’t know me ~ I have a beautiful 17 year old daughter Georgia Baker who has just started 6th form and I am married to Dave Cooke who is a professional musician. We live in Southend city centre with my sister’s family and our rescue dog Bessie, who is the head of the household.
I have been a professional jazz singer and double bass player for 30 years, and I will continue to do that part-time as well as my ministry. In my role in the Methodist Church I will have pastoral responsibility for 2 churches, and I will begin developing the role of Chaplain to musicians in this area.
My passions are spending time with family and friends, live music/theatre/comedy/arts, cinema and walking in nature. I love good food and I am a vegetarian.
My personal faith is deeply rooted in the doctrine of Methodism which speaks out for: social justice, that all are welcome, the importance of music, a non-hierarchical structure and so much more. I am excited about being able to conduct same-sex marriages and hope that everyone will feel a warm and inclusive welcome in our churches. I am keen to involve myself and our church communities in working together with other denominations and inter-faith groups.
I also love to laugh, particularly at myself!
I look forward to serving my church family and the Leigh community. Get in touch and let me know what we can do to be the church that you need in 2023.
God bless you all,
Rev Hev x
Reverend Heather Simmons
Probationer Presbyter
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It was wonderful to have so many people at the official welcome service for Heather on Monday (4 September) at Highlands Methodist Church, where we were joined by the District Chair, Rev Dr David Chapman. There are some photos below – sorry about the poor image quality.
Good morning! I am very excited to be starting at The Fishermen’s Chapel as the new minister. Before, I say anything else though – a HUGE thank you to our most amazing minister Rev’d Pete Moorhouse who has been a truly fabulous minister. Pete is not leaving us completely as he is Superintendent, but is handing on to me to serve you lovely people. Pete will now be looking after other churches and of course the whole circuit, so we will continue to see him, thankfully. So I begin by inviting you to join me on Sunday morning at 9.30am for our Holy Communion service – all welcome
Fiona Tudor-Tompkins leads regular ‘sound bath’ Sound Healing Therapy sessions at the Fishermen’s Chapel – check this post and our social media for the date of the next one.
The next sound bath
Fiona writes:
Dear Friends
I am very happy to be able to offer you a Rejuvenating and Rebalancing Sound Bath on Friday the 1st of March 2024, especially as we will be entering a wonderful season of Spring on Wednesday 20th March 2024. This is a time of revival, renewal, rebirth, a time of warmth and growth and enjoyment as the days start getting longer, when the flowers bud and bloom and we can spend more time outdoors.
So please join me… .what better way to dust off any Winter malaise than to relax into the healing frequencies that a Sound Bath creates, here in the safe and sacred space of the Fisherman’s Chapel. Feeling relaxed , re-energised, refreshed, with a greater sense of wellbeing and a spring in your step.
Please bring added comfort – a mat, a blanket and cushions for head and knee break if needed. Please contact me to book your space by email or telephone (details below). I look forward to seeing you soon.
Love always
Fiona
Monthly sound bath – general info
There will be refreshments (for a donation) after the session.
The session will be about one to one and a half hours, sound bath with half hour for tea or chai and a chat afterwards.
Please be sure to let Fiona know in advance if you are coming, and bring mats, blankets, and a cushion or two if you need them.
You can find out more and all details below. Any questions – please contact Fiona via the numbers / email address below.
Natural Healing Therapy – Serendipity Sounds
Hello, my name is Fiona. I am a retired Occupational Therapist and a Registered British Assoc and Psychotherapy (BACP) Counsellor.
In my working practice, I provided many Relaxation Programmes, to clients with various Health Conditions. To tailor to individual needs and develop my practice, I began researching into other types of Therapies that would complement the Relaxation and Healing processes. With a strong interest in music, the use of Sound for Healing really appealed, especially as Sound Healing is now being acknowledged scientifically and has been used for thousands of years within different cultures around the world.
Sound Healing is a branch of the Meditative Therapeutic Arts; it is one of the top Wellness trends at the moment.
Sound Healing can be defined as the intentional use of sound to create a vibrational environment which becomes a catalyst in the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual aspects of our being. Sound is used to realign the body’s vibration. These vibrations can also affect your brainwave frequencies
Mark Menolascino, MD explains that “everything in the universe has a vibrational frequency… Those vibrations interact with every cell in your body.” In other words, the vibrations made by instruments or vocals can actually interact with your body’s cells to create specific results: in this case, to encourage healing.
While more research is needed to establish just how effective Sound Healing Therapy can be, so far there is plenty of evidence suggesting it is an effective option to help people suffering from pain injury or stress, reduce low mood – depression and anxiety.
Even without science of sound of vibrations, there’s also evidence that sound baths and music therapy can be effective for healing as it encourages your body into the parasympathetic state, in this state our bodies produce nitric oxide which open blood vessels and increases efficiency of our cells and regulates blood pressure. It helps stimulate the immune system. Sound healing can bring about a balancing and harmonising of the body’s energy systems.
Here at Serendipity Sounds, a selection of sound is created through Crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls, chimes, gongs and occasionally the addition of stringed instruments.
It is excellent for managing stress and improves your overall wellbeing
It is a space where you can come to quieten the distractions of your physical environment
It is a space where you can immerse your whole Self, Body, Mind and Soul
It is a space where you can turn off your Brains distractive thoughts
There will be opportunities for you to attend a variety of venues at Sharon of Scents and Serenity or at the Fisherman’s Chapel in Leigh-on –Sea, or The Bay – Free Spirit Studio in Thorpe Bay. I would love to share this wonderful experience with you and look forward to meeting you.
For enquiries please contact Fiona on: 01702 304479 / 07809153952
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serendipitysounds4u/
Email: serendipitysounds4u@gmail.com
Anchored has returned to the Fishermen’s Chapel. It was brilliant to have so many people at our first event on Sunday 17 September for discussion about ‘gifts’, including a mini cartoon workshop, and a prayer and gift-wrapping activity.
We’re generally meeting at the new time of 7.30 until 8.30 on the third Sunday of the month, (the time being in line with our other services), but please make sure you are signed up to our monthly emails to get the details about each session, as we may occasionally meet at a different time.
‘What on earth is Anchored?’, we hear you ask (especially as the flyer is remarkably vague…). Well, it will be different things different months, but essentially we’ll be exploring Christian faith through creative activities, asking questions, practical action, film, food, and anything else we think of. This month (September), Dave will introduce a short and very undemanding cartoon-based activity, we’ll read the Bible together (nothing too lengthy), have a chat and a chance to ask questions, and Eleanor will lead us in creative prayer. There are also rumours (unsubstantiated) of posh biscuits…
Anchored is suitable for all ages. Do come along, or if you have any questions ask us on our social media pages.
Looking for something different to do this year? Why not join our Fishermen’s Chapel Gospel Choir, singing traditional gospel music at the Chapel? Rehearsals are every Tuesday evening in the downstairs room, 7-8pm. Contact Heather for more details, 07879 232231. There is a new Facebook page for the Gospel Choir here: Fishermen’s Chapel Gospel Choir – Facebook.
Our Gospel services, on the second Sunday of the month, are now taking place in the Chapel once again. The service features the Fishermen’s Chapel Gospel Choir, the Monday Singers, and a time when we share acts of kindness we have experienced. Feel free to arrive from 7 for refreshments, with the service itself starting at 7.30pm.
At Gospel Vespers we will now be collecting donations for Southend Foodbank. See here for the items that they really need (avoid pasta and baked beans!)
We’d love new people to join the Gospel Choir too – ask Heather for details at one of our services.
Our weekly coffee gathering is every Wednesday morning at 10.30am. Come along for coffee, flapjack, and a chat. Over the summer we have been meeting at Belfairs cafe – please see our Facebook page every Wednesday morning or contact us for location info.
If there’s any change to this details will be on our Facebook page. If you can’t see this for any reason please let us know and we can notify you another way. Everyone is welcome – please come along!
Each month at our Gospel service we are setting ourselves a challenge – to do an act of kindness on a particular theme.
For November 2022: Support local makers and artists via our Artisan Craft Market. As this has now passed, why not think about other ways to buy gifts that are good for us and the planet via the Fishermen’s Chapel Gift Guide.
For October 2022: Help someone who is homeless
This could be in an obvious practical way, such as chatting to someone, or buying them something to eat. Alternatively there are some links below that might inspire you:
How can we celebrate Christmas, and give presents in ways that reduce waste, stress, and are good for the planet, our bank balances, and ultimately ourselves?
We were thinking about this question at our recent Anchored service at the Fishermen’s Chapel, and so we pooled our thoughts to come up with the Fishermen’s Chapel Gift Guide.
The Fishermen’s Chapel Gift Guide
We’ve divided our Guide into categories. You won’t be able to do all of them, but hopefully they might spark some ideas!
Food
Food is a great gift, as everyone loves good food, it’s something everyone can use, and it doesn’t clutter up people’s houses. Here are some suggestions we came up with:
Cakes. Suggestions were ginger or fruit cake – make a batch – but could be anything.
Gingerbread figures
Handmade sweets
Chutney. One option is to make it out of whatever you have growing in the garden (this does assume you grow things, I admit). So, for instance, green tomatoes that won’t ripen, or apples from your tree.
Homemade jam and chutney
Homemade sloe gin (OK, yes, we are a Methodist chapel…)
Crafts
The emphasis here is ‘whatever you make, make some of that’ to give as gifts – it’s about using your skills. You won’t be able to do everything here, but some of us suggested:
Knit something. One suggestion: a simple hot water bottle cover, using this pattern. People are using hot water bottles a lot these days, and it isn’t too complex a design… if you can knit.
Flower arrangements, using greenery from the garden, maybe combined with Christmas decorations
Make a wreath using a hanger, and tying lots of pieces of material on. This is one most people could have a go at!
Wreath, made from a hanger and strips of material
A painting you’ve done
Make your own Christmas cards. There are many ways to do this – too many to list. But you could use collage, stamping, drawing, photography, recycle other cards – there are so many options. Alternatively buy your cards from a charity, so they get the profit.
Make Christmas decorations – use your creativity!
Homemade Christmas decoration
Cover things in Christmas paper – jam jars, etc.
Buying local
Buying local crafts means that you’re supporting local people and local businesses, and not buying mass-produced items that have been shipped halfway around the world.
Unfortunately you’ve just missed our Artisan Craft Market, but there are lots of similar Christmas fairs on at this time of year.
Fairly-traded gifts
Buying fairly-traded items means that the people who made the items are being paid a fair price. We mentioned Traidcraft, but there are other sources of fairly traded gifts, such as Oxfam.
Secondhand and charity shops
Presents don’t all have to be new. You might be able to find the perfect gift in a charity shop, either locally or online. Again, Oxfam do a huge range of secondhand items online.
A charity donation
Lots of charities run ‘alternative gift’ schemes, whereby you donate and you get a card telling you what your donation has been able to buy. One example is the Methodist charity (we’re a Methodist chapel, for anyone just finding us!) All We Can – you can browse them here.
Alternatively one suggestion was to donate to a local charity, then make a card to give to the recipient.
Plants
For the green-fingered. Probably not one for this year if you aren’t already growing them, but in future, why not grow plants to give as gifts?
Flower arrangement
Crackers
Over 40 million Christmas crackers are pulled in the UK each year, producing a huge amount of waste. Often they contain plastic ‘gifts’ that are just thrown away. Why not make your own crackers? People will love them. You can get kits that have the cardboard outers, or you could find a template for the cracker body online. Then fill the crackers with gifts people might actually want to keep, devise your own party hats, maybe… and use your joke-writing skills!
Give your time
Someone suggested giving a voucher donating your time, maybe to help them with something. A great idea.
Thank you to Dilys, Eleanor and Matt for the photographs, and to everyone at our November Anchored service for the ideas. Do join us for the next one, in January.
Got more ideas? I’m sure we haven’t covered everything. Add them to the comments section under this post on our Facebook page.
Our 9.30am Communion service on the first Sunday of the month is now taking place in the Chapel once again.
Some other groups and activities are now able to meet in person if they wish – please contact the leader of the group to find out what they have planned.
Our Coffee morning, every Wednesday morning are now back in the Chapel community room at 10.30am. Please keep an eye on our Fishermen’s Chapel Facebook page for any changes to this.
The Gospel Service is now being held in person in the Chapel once again, on the second Sunday of the month, but also broadcast on Zoom. See this page for details, and sign up to our newsletter if you’d like the Zoom link each month.
Mindfulness: We are running ‘Mindfulness, every fourth Sunday of the month, at 7.30pm. If you’re interested please follow Mindfulness at the Fishermen’s Chapel on Facebook and check there for details.
Bible studies take place on Zoom every first and third Sunday. Contact Pete via peter.moorhouse@methodist.org.uk for details if you’d like to join in.
