Sr Hyacinthe Defos du Rau, O.P.
The speaker for our First Friday Fellowship Meeting for February 2024 will be Sr Hyacinthe Defos du Rau, O.P.
Sister Hyacinthe has known community many years, since before she joined the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph in 2000.
She speaks and writes in catechesis, and leads the Dominican Sisters’ apostolate of Faith Formation lay adults and catechists, Light of Truth . She is a gifted communicator of the truths of Christian faith especially with the young, and uses the new media in her work (webinars and podcasts such as Sunday Gospel Podcasts).
Please come and join us as we seek the Lord together. The evening concludes at 10 p.m. with refreshments.
See the Calendar of Events for Friday night speakers on other dates.
Volunteers needed for a Tree Planting Event as part of an ecological project.
Plant Hope! All welcome.
Saturday 18th November 2023, 10am-4pm
We have 420 trees of 7 different types to plant on our land as part of an ecological project – hazel, blackthorn, crab apple, elder, dog rose, and rowan.
How you can help…
We are looking for energetic volunteers please to come and join us planting them out!
If you can’t come, but still want to help, we are collecting 2 and 3 litre plastic bottles and bamboo canes to use as guards and support for the young trees – please drop off with us (see address below) on Tuesdays to Saturdays inclusive, between 9:00 and 5:00 pm.
Join us…
If you can join us, gather for the planting time at:
The House of the Open Door, Childswickham House, Worcs. WR12 7HH (Map)
For more information or to book as a volunteer, please Contact (Silvie) – by email hod@houseoftheopendoor.org or by phone 01386 852 084
We are asking volunteers to please
- wear suitable clothes
- bring a trowel and/or a spade, and gloves
Food will be provided at lunchtime.
Thanks!
PS If you can’t come and want to pass on details, please pass on this web page or the attached poster
Tree-Planting-Event Poster
On Friday November 3 2023 our Friday Night Fellowship Meeting speaker will be Yoofi Clarke. Yoofi coordinates Praise Fest, a Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group in Milton Keynes, and is a member of the Charis service team (CDSC) for the diocese of Northampton.
Last time Yoofi spoke for our fellowship meeting he joined us remotely for an online meeting in 2021, so it will be a joy to welcome Yoofi in person this time.
Our fellowship meeting will be in the Tithe Barn at HOD for those who live locally. All welcome.
(We sometimes post recordings of our Friday night speakers afterwards on our YouTube channel).
See the Calendar of Events for Friday night speakers on other dates.
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Yoofi Clarke serves the Lord as Coordinator of Praise Fest, a vibrant Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group in the cluster of St. Barnabas parishes in Milton Keynes.
He served as a member of the Diocesan Service Team for Northampton Diocese for over five years and was recently appointed as the Coordinator of the new Charismatic Diocesan Service of Communion for Northampton.
Yoofi has been involved in Catholic Charismatic Renewal for over 27 years and desires to see unity in the Body of Christ, and for us to live our faith outside the walls of the church building by developing a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit and being attentive to His voice in our daily activities.
He lives in Buckingham with his lovely wife Pep and their 2 amazing children.
Allegra Mutanda will be our speaker on 27th July, as part of our Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023.
Allegra is a lay woman in full time ministry in the Catholic Church. She is originally from the DR Congo and a native French speaker but has been living in the UK since 1995.
Allegra has extensive experience both in evangelisation and parish ministry having been involved in evangelisation since 2005. For 12 years, she was part of Sion Catholic Community for Evangelism whose charism is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Her primary work there was in parish renewal and missions and in that time, worked with over a hundred Catholic parishes across the UK.
Since 2020, Allegra has been working for the Parish of St Peter and the Winchester Martyrs as their Director of Evangelisation and Leadership where she is helping the parish fulfil its vision of bringing people closer to Jesus Christ in hope and joy.
Allegra is passionate about evangelisation and helping people go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. She says, ‘my own faith grew and developed with the help of so many people along the way and still does. If I can play even a small part in another’s journey of faith, helping them fall in love with Jesus, grow closer to Him, and in their turn, start helping others along that road, then I am responding to my baptismal call’.
Join us if you can – 8pm in the Tithe Barn at HOD for worship, the talk, prayer and fellowship – All welcome.
For those who can’t come in person on the night, we sometimes upload recordings of talks after our meetings to our YouTube channel.
Jamie Price from Elim Limitless will be our speaker on 26th July, as part of our Gateway Summer Youth Conference 2023.
Jamie is the Director of Ministries for Limitless (Elim’s National Youth and Children’s ministry) and on the Limitless Pioneers team, helping churches with no youth ministries, start new youth ministries. He lives in Birmingham with his wife Debs and sons Jude and Ezekiel. In his spare time, he loves to run and read.
Join us if you can – 8pm in the Tithe Barn at HOD for worship, the talk, prayer and fellowship – All welcome.
For those who can’t come in person on the night, we sometimes upload recordings of talks after our meetings to our YouTube channel.
Matt Blair from Gas Street Church in Birmingham will be our Friday Night Fellowship Meeting speaker for June 2023, on the second Friday of the month, June 9th. Matt will speak to us on The Cross.
Matt is Operations Coordinator (GS South) and Associate Student Pastor for
Gas Street Church in Birmingham, which describes itself as “compelled by a Jesus-centred vision to be ‘Light for the City’”.
Matt hails originally from San Francisco, California and is the Operations Coordinator (GS South) and Associate Student Pastor for Gas Street. His assignment since joining Gas Street has been to build up the new Gas Street South location. Since January 2023, he has been working in the Student ministry and now looks after that alongside his Operations role.
Matt has over a decade of experience as a Worship Director and Worship Pastor and over two decades of experience working as a professional actor on stage and screen working alongside household names like Judi Dench and Matt Damon.
His passion is to see people radically transformed by the Holy Spirit and live lives wholly seeking the Lord and His Kingdom. He resides in Birmingham with his wife of 17 years and their two amazing children.
Join us if you can – in the Tithe Barn at HOD for worship, the talk, prayer and fellowship – All welcome.
For those who can’t come in person on the night, we sometimes upload recordings of talks after our meetings to our YouTube channel.
Our guest speaker will be
Alysen Merrill (more about Alysen below)
Alysen will speak on “The call to love in communities of faith“, from Philippians 2.
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind…”
Philippians 2:1-2
Join us if you can – in the Tithe Barn at HOD for worship, the talk, prayer and fellowship – All welcome.
For those who can’t come in person on the night, we sometimes upload recordings of talks after our meetings to our YouTube channel.
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Alysen Merrill is passionate about people, the local church, discipleship journeys, organisational culture and really good curries! She was born in the states and would say it’s been her privilege to live and serve in England the last 18 years, currently being based in Oxfordshire. She desires to be an encouragement to friends and strangers alike and likes to help individuals be attentive to God.
She has worked with numerous churches in England and currently works for a youth charity as well as helping people and teams flourish in her role as a Strengthsfinder coach.
Our First Friday Night Fellowship Meeting for December will have a speaker from the community.
