www.wayforwardstebbing.org https://www.wayforwardstebbing.org:443 News for www.wayforwardstebbing.org en-gb Sun, 15 Jun 2025 19:50:29 +0100 Copyright: (C) St. Marys Church 15 More than a building thewayforward_47815 Sun, 15 Jun 2025 19:50:29 +0100 We have lived in Stebbing for 42 years and have worshipped at St Mary’s Church throughout that time. It has been a true blessing—helping us get to know the village and so many wonderful people.

We discovered very quickly that while the church building is a lovely place, full of history and prayer, it is the people who are the church.

The St Mary’s community is genuine, loving, and inclusive—always ready to help others where they can and support individuals and families in times of celebration or sorrow.
The church is a huge part of village life. It brings comfort, hope, and connection, whether you're celebrating or grieving.

As a family, we’ve celebrated baptisms for our children and received a special blessing on our 40th wedding anniversary.
It has been a privilege to see families grow and flourish, and an honour to walk alongside many on their journeys of faith—through all the joys and challenges life brings.

Bearing in mind there has been a church here for over 700 years—hopefully, it must have got something right!

We thank God for bringing us to Stebbing. It’s a very special place indeed.

]]> https://www.wayforwardstebbing.org:443/886/More-than-a-building Heart of our journey thewayforward_47738 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 17:49:02 +0100 When we moved to Stebbing in 1985, it would be fair to say we were rather reluctant churchgoers. This was largely because the parish priest in our previous diocese on the South Coast had refused to baptise our newborn daughter unless we committed to regular church attendance.

So, having made that commitment—and with encouragement from our new neighbours—we began attending services at St Mary’s. At the time, we had no idea of the pivotal role that St Mary’s, and the people we met there, would come to play in our lives in the years ahead.

It has been at the heart of our family’s milestones: baptisms, confirmations, weddings, anniversaries—and now, second-generation baptisms. Just as importantly, it has been a place of peace and refuge in times of trouble.

The fellowship, love, support, and compassion that flow from this place have meant more than we could have imagined.

]]> https://www.wayforwardstebbing.org:443/885/Heart-of-our-journey 50 years of faith, friendship and life thewayforward_47737 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 17:45:49 +0100 I’ve attended St Mary’s Church in Stebbing for nearly 50 years, and I can honestly say it has been one of the great blessings in my life.

Over the decades I’ve seen changes—new faces, different vicars, even renovations—but one truth has remained constant: the church is not the building, it’s the people.
St Mary’s isn’t just where I go on Sundays. It’s where I have celebrated (my daughter’s wedding), grieved (my husband’s funeral), grown, and found strength.

It’s where hands reach out when you are struggling. Where voices lift in song and prayer. Where love is lived, not just preached.
The heart of the church has always been its people—those who show up, support each other, and make faith something you feel, not just believe.

St Mary’s is home—not because of the place, but because of the people who fill it.

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