Transformation Thurrock : St Cedd on board with Rock Thurrock

St Cedd on board with Rock Thurrock

The next Rock Thurrock Prayer gathering takes place next Friday at 7.30pm in St Cedd's Parish Church, Crammavill Street, Stifford Clays (right).

Rector of the Stifford Parish, Rev Andy Higgs is fully behind the Rock Thurrock project. In the past he's been a member of the GSUS Live Core Team when the mobile RE classroom came to the borough in 2005 and 2008 (it's booked to return in Autumn 2012). Andy's also active in schools in the Stifford Clays area and is a keen supporter of the Thurrock Bar'N'Bus project.

So it's appropriate for Rock Thurrock Prayer to take place in a church which bears the name of the first missionary to bring the Good News of Jesus to the East Saxons, St Cedd.

Cedd was a Celtic monk sent from Lindsifarne off the Northumbrian coast to preach to the heathens of what is now Essex. He landed at Bradwell-on-Sea in 653 and a year later built St Peter's Chapel, which Bradwell4

can still be visited. Once a year, on the first Saturday of July, there is a pilgrimage to the chapel - which stands alone down near the North Sea beach - from St Michael's Parish Church in the village (left).

Cedd also planted monastic communities and founded churches at East Tilbury and in Havering. His brother St Chad was Bishop of London. Cedd was 'official' translator at the Synod of Whitby in 664 but died of the plague shortly afterwards at the monastery he founded in Lastingham, Yorkshire.

St Cedd would've approved of Rock Thurrock, and we can imagine him cheering us on from that 'great cloud of witnesses', urging us to pray, pray, pray - and to 'go make disciples'.

At the Rock Thurrock Prayer gathering there will be some worship and we will be praying through the various aspects of the project in creative and imaginative ways. The strands of Rock Thurrock are:

Christian Life & Witness Courses - adult training in June
Community Action Projects - for youth and adults in July
FM419 - youth training in early September
Rock Thurrock Events - presentations of the Gospel of Christ by Wil Graham at Thurrock Civic Hall in late September
Velocity - follow-up course for youth in October and November

In June, Rock Thurrock Prayer really hots up as we will be gathering to pray on each Friday ahead of each week of CLWC's. See the dates and venues below (NB we still need venues in the Autumn).

Rock Thurrock Prayer dates and venues

Friday 3 June - to pray for the following week's CLWC courses - to be led by young people at Grays Methodist Church
Friday 10 June - to pray for the following week's CLWC courses - at Destiny Chapel, Culver Centre, South Ockendon
Friday 17 June - to pray for the following week's CLWC courses at Open Door Christian Centre at the Belmont Village Hall, Parker Road, Grays RM17 5YN (off the London Road, adjacent to Stifford Primary School).
Friday 22 July - to pray for Rock Thurrock (last before summer) at Aveley Christian Centre
Friday 2 Sept - to pray for Rock Thurrock and FM419 course (half-night of prayer) - to be led by young people at Grays Baptist Church
Friday 23 Sept - to pray for Rock Thurrock Civic Hall Events (this comes at the end of a week of prayer & fasting) - to be led by young people VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 30 Sept - thanksgiving event for Civic Hall events (inc. celebration) VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 7 Oct - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses - to be led by young people at Aveley Christian Centre
Friday 14 Oct - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 21 Oct - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses at Linford Methodist Church
Friday 28 Oct - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 4 Nov - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 11 Nov - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses at Aveley Christian Centre
Friday 18 Nov - to pray for the following week's Velocity courses VENUE REQUIRED!
Friday 25 Nov - thanksgiving event for end of Rock Thurrock project (inc. celebration) VENUE REQUIRED!

Christian Life & Witness Courses

Mondays 6, 13, 20 June at Gates of Praise, Grays
Tuesdays 7, 14, 21 June at Fruitful Land, Tilbury
Wednesdays 8, 15, 22 June at Aveley Christian Centre
Thursdays 9, 16, 23 June at Gateway People's Centre, Stanford

To sign up to do a CLWC and find location details of these venues, please follow this link... http://www.billygraham.org.uk/page.asp?pageID=125 or see the article on the left of the screen.

>>> ROCK THURROCK YOUTH NOW ON FACEBOOK! www.facebook.com/rockthurrock

Tim Harrold, 13/05/2011