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Women’s World Day Of Prayer Arlesey Neighbourhood Plan Arlesey & Stotfold Branch The Annual Women’s World Day of Prayer Service is on Friday 6th March 2015 at Stotfold Salvation Army at 10.45am. Captain Alison Stone will be leading the service. This is an ecumenical service written by Christian women from The Bahamas. The theme is Jesus said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you?” Women from Arlesey and Stotfold Churches will WOMEN’S WORLD DAY OF PRAYER be taking part. A light lunch will be served after the service. All are welcome (INTERNATIONAL AND INTERDENOMINATIONAL) to attend. Press Release Jesus said to them: Do you know what I have done to you? Women’s World Day of Prayer is an international, interchurch, organisation which enables us to hear the voices of women, from a different part of the world each year, expressing their hopes and concerns and bringing them before the rest of the world in prayer. th On Friday 6 March an estimated 3 million people, in over 170 countries, will gather to observe the day of prayer, using an order of service written by Christian women from The Bahamas and translated into over 1000 different languages and dialects. In the British Isles alone over 5,000 services will be held. The day will begin when the sun rises over the island of Samoa, and continue until it sets off the coast of American Samoa some 35 hours later. The theme of the service is taken from St John’s Gospel, chapter 13 verses 117, ‘Jesus said to them: “Do you know what I have done to you?”’ and it challenges us to demonstrate the same radical, unconditional love for others that Jesus showed when he washed the feet of his disciples. The Bahamas consists of over 700 islands, scattered over 100,000 square miles in the Atlantic Ocean, only a small proportion of which are inhabited. It refers to itself as a ‘family of islands’ and in the service the needs of the smallest islands are given as much prominence as those of the larger ones. Everyone is welcome to attend the service, men, women – people of all ages. For further information and resources, together with details of services in your area, please see the WWDP website: www.wwdp.org.uk Needs Your Input!!! In 2014, Arlesey Town Council voted to pursue a Neighbourhood Plan. The initial paperwork was put in place last year and the outline for the plan agreed. The next step was to organise a Steering Group to carry this forward. This would include a mix of councillors and residents to formulate the plan. The first meeting of the Steering Group was held on Tuesday 27th January 2015 and was attended by a cross section of residents, some councillors and a representative from Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC). The Steering Group will be meeting regularly to progress the plan and hopefully put this place as soon as possible. Consultations on the plan will be open to Arlesey residents and workers to gauge public feeling and hopefully bring forward ideas to include into the plan. It is a chance to influence what goes into the future of Arlesey and is open to everyone. What is a Neighbourhood Plan? A Neighbourhood Plan is a community-led framework for guiding the future development and growth of an area. It may contain a vision, aims, planning policies, proposals for improving the area or providing new facilities, or allocation of key sites for open space or development. It can cover a wide range of issues including housing, employment, heritage, recreation and transport. While it mu