Easter 2026

Easter at the Fishermen’s Chapel

We are so excited to welcome you to our Easter Services! Please read on:

Thursday 2nd April 7.30pm Candlelit reflective Tenebrae service with Holy Communion at The Fishermen’s Chapel.

Good Friday 3rd April – Walk of witness with the cross and thorns through Leigh, starting at Highlands Methodist Church on Sutherland Boulevard at 9.10am, walking to Wesley Methodist Church for hot cross buns and service.

Easter Sunday 5th April 9.30am Holy Communion Family Service at The Fishermen’s Chapel. (The Easter Bunny has promised a delivery of chocolate eggs to be found hidden in the chapel for children of all ages! 😍)

Taizé service

A change for our third Sunday of the month evening service: a Taize service, at 7.30pm.

Our Taizé services are based on the Christian worship practised by the ecumenical Taizé community in France (www.taize.fr). The service involves the repetitive singing of simple harmonised songs, interspersed with readings, prayers and periods of silence.

You’d be very welcome to join us!

Gospel service

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.

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness is now every 4th Sunday of the month, 7.30pm at the Chapel.

An opportunity to take time out to be still.

Please do tell anyone who might find this a helpful session to attend.

Lectio Divina

Every Wednesday evening Rev’d Heather and Clive Johnson ( Interfaith Minister) are offering a time of Lectio Divina.

Lectio Divina is a monastic practice used for Scripture reading and prayer that is gaining popularity among many Christians today. The term roughly translates to “divine reading.” Lectio Divina is not meant as an intellectual study of the Bible, but as a means of communion with God. The practice consists of four parts:

Lectio: First, a person reads a passage of Scripture. This reading is meant to be intentional and slow. Most people will read the focus passage several times through.

Meditatio: Next, the person doing Lectio Divina meditates on the Scripture. This means they ponder over the passage, seeking to hear from the Holy Spirit. They do not analyse the passage, but  attempt to view it from various perspectives.
Oratio: This step consists of prayer. After having read and meditated on the passage, the practitioner of Lectio Divina brings it to God in prayer.
Contemplatio: The Lectio Divina process concludes with contemplation. This is a type of listening or restful prayer. The practitioner seeks to simply sit in God’s presence with God’s Word still fresh on the mind.
It is a beautiful practice that lasts 45 minutes and allows the participants to slow down and be with God as they absorb the Word. Again, each session is stand alone and there is the option to offer minimal participation or none which ever is comfortable.
If you’re interested contact us for the Zoom link.

Join us for a service

Great news – the Fishermen’s Chapel returned to a service every week from September 2023, when Heather was appointed to be our minister. The pattern is now 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: Taizé 7.30pm. Our Taizé services are based on the Christian worship practised by the ecumenical Taizé community in France (www.taize.fr). The service involves the repetitive singing of simple harmonised songs, interspersed with readings, prayers and periods of silence.

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.

New members welcome!

Photo by David Shields. Come and join us – we’ve got plenty of coat hooks!

It’s always great to welcome new members to the Fishermen’s Chapel.

We’d love it if more people joined the Chapel too! To find out how to get involved at the Fishermen’s Chapel and what it means to become a member, please see this page.

To keep up to date with all events at the Chapel please sign up to our newsletter.

Coffee mornings – every Wednesday

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!

Serendipity Sounds sound bath events

Fiona Tudor-Tompkins leads regular ‘sound bath’ Sound Healing Therapy sessions at the Fishermen’s Chapel – check Fiona’s Instagram or our email newsletter or social media for the date of the next one.

Monthly sound bath – general info

There will be refreshments (for a donation) after the session.
Doors typically open 6.30 pm and we start at 7.00 pm, but please check the individual event.
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