Sheila Maxey enjoys a Church reunion

It is 20 months since Brentwood United Reformed Church closed. Last Christmas I received an email from C who, with her husband and son, moved away from Brentwood about two years before the closure. She and her family had been at the heart of the church family. She was an elder, ran the junior church and edited the church magazine. She wondered, in her email, if they could meet up with some ‘survivors’ from Brentwood?

I took the idea and ran with it, and on Sunday 23 February we gathered for afternoon tea.
Of course, we had no building – but Ingatestone URC, which had been part of the same pastorate, and is where I now worship, hosted us. The church secretary set out tables, with flowers on each one. He welcomed us with mugs of tea, which he replenished throughout the event. He even took some lovely photos – but he never intruded…

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This is an extract from an article published in the Issue 3 – 2025 edition of Reform

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