From 5 November to 2 December churches will be closed except for broadcasting acts of worship and individual prayer. Attendance at services is sadly not permitted. Please join us every Sunday online, on YouTube or Zoom. (See below for details).
The services are scheduled to coincide with the minutes silence at 11AM.
All CYF meetings are taking place on Zoom or YouTube in November. NB to Ark! – you need some craft equipment for this Sunday. Select the event below for details.
9AM Online Heritage Service (BCP) on YouTube (pre-recorded)
9AM Busbridge Classic on Zoom and YouTube (broadcast live)
10.15AM Busbridge Contemporary: Conversations from the Couch on Zoom and YouTube
Go to What’s On and select the event to join the meetings on Zoom.
Rector’s Reflections… Simon Taylor: Lockdown II: You have such beautiful feet.
Please read the message from Simon about our calling in the winter lockdown, and everything that’s going on away from church. It’s got some crucial info about Sundays in the next month too…
Our worship pastor Lisa Olsworth-Peter also blogged earlier this week: Find your own Song. (Lisa would have us all in a Gospel Choir so here is something to listen to as you read on: Glory Glory Hallelujah London Community Gospel Choir.)
Dudley and Alan have been writing to those in the Mens Matters group with an invitation to Zoom over breakfast tomorrow to discuss “lockdowns, the death of democracy and anything else that takes their fancy…” and Penny’s weekly PrimeTime blog can be found on the home page too.
Some of these “thoughts” go out on facebook, instragram and Twitter. For those that use social media: Are you following BHC Godalming?!
Worship at Home
Your worship leaders have selected these worship songs for you to bring you some comfort as we begin our next lockdown. These are free to listen to, but you need to register for a Spotify account: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3s8sufAl0KllESKKM9nHxJ
National Month of Prayer & National Day of Prayer this Friday 13 November
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are calling the nation to unite in prayer during the second lockdown. The following link from the Church of England website included the Archbishops’ letter to the nation, and gives very specific and helpful daily focus’ for prayer during November. They have also made this coming Friday a national day of prayer which we are awaiting further details about.
To support this, a reminder that Morning Prayer takes place on Zoom at 9AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays. ‘Listening Prayer’ continues to take place on on Monday mornings at the slightly later time of 8.45-9.30AM on Zoom.
Winter lockdown Prayer Vigil – Sign Up here
As previously planned, on Saturday 14 November we call our Church community to join us in a 12 hour prayer vigil to pray for families in our community and across the nation affected by the pandemic.
For those that have lost loved ones
For those who have lost employment and are struggling financially
For protection for the vulnerable
For relationships that are under extreme pressure
For those that cannot again see their grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren due to the 2nd lockdown
For those families coping with mental health illnesses
Prayerfest 0-30 in 60 will cover the 5-6pm hour to pray for our own Children, Youth and Families, CYF ministry, the schools in our local area. CYF and members of Ichthus will cover 6-7PM. You can sign up HERE to take an hours slot to pray in your own home, or on a walk. If you would like to pray with people you can join us in the BHC Public Prayer Room for one of the 3 Zoom sessions: 8am – 9am | 12midday – 13:00 | 17:00 – 18:00.
The Bridge Magazine – Nov-Dec edition out now
Your copy will be dropping through the letterbox shortly, with thanks as ever to our road stewards. You can also read this, and past editions online HERE.
We send our love to Chris Rothwell, whose mother Gillian died on 24th October. Please hold Chris and his father in your prayers, together with Katie and the boys, and the wider family.
We have been saddened to hear of the death last Friday (30th October) of Christine Blanchard. Christine was a longstanding resident of Hambledon and also well-known to the church family in Hambledon. We send our love and prayers to her son Michael and the wider family.
BHC certainly made the most of our pre-lockdown freedoms, with 4 services at Hambledon and Busbridge on Sunday, and two Light parties. FUSE in the Busbridge Junior School felt quite poignant, especially while loudly clapping, and silently praising to the re-written lockdown verse in “This little light of mine”.
All Souls Service
Replacing our usual Memorial Service with an online version, making it one of our morning services, and with minimal people in church, gave the whole occasion a very different feel. It was strange not to be able to welcome people who have been coming for years, as well as some who have been bereaved more recently. However, the astonishing response seems to indicate that it was – for this year at least – the right thing to do. It also seems that many more people were able to access it online than would have been able to travel here to attend in person, as well as sending it to far-flung family members who watched wherever they live. 230 people have seen it and we remembered 126 people by name, which is also something of a record.
Whatever part you played – whether it was publicity, creating the online link, setting up the church, flowers, lighting nightlights, welcoming, sound and a/v, live-streaming, music, preaching, clearing and cleaning afterwards – thank you!
Thanks also to all of you who prayed. The messages I have received since yesterday seem to indicate that your prayers were very effective, so this comes with my love and thanks to you all. Margot Spencer.
Youth Light Party 2020
My Prayer – Light Party activity
Prayer Activity at the Explorers Light Party
The DJ at the Explorers Light Party
Comfort & Joy Exbitions – Your lockdown project!
Might you have some more time and a need to challenge and express yourself creatively during lockdown?
With a shortage of opportunities to gather people all at once, our key community event for Advent and Christmas will be the “Comfort & Joy” Exhibitions at Busbridge Church and Hambledon Church – open to anyone to get involved and contribute creative works loosely on the theme, and to visitors from 7 December. We’ve adopted the Church of England theme for Christmas 2020 (which you can read about here) and are calling on church members and the local communities to make it your own.
If you would like to find out more, contribute something to either exhibition, or encourage a local friend or group to produce something, please contact Lisa Olsworth-Peter. We want lots of community involvement and visitors at both churches! BIG Advent Stars made by Rob Hewlett will be lighting up at both churches at 5PM on Advent Sunday, 29 November.
Christmas Eve Drive In “Bling your Car” at Godalming College!
Thanks to those that have volunteered to help on Christmas Eve. There will be a planning meeting on Zoom on Monday 16 November at 7PM. If you can help on Christmas Eve, please contact Patrick Samuels who is leading the team of organisers, ASAP. We need people to help on the evening but also those who can help plan and organise now. Sound and vision is covered, but we need people to take responsibility for or help with lighting, staging, stewarding, costumes and nativity characters…
Outward Giving & Outreach
The Busbridge&Hambledon Church Christmas £ Appeal will be in aid of the Trinity Trust Team. Take a look at their web site to find out about TTT’s great work with young people in the Godalming area. More information and how to give will follow in advance of Mission Sunday on 13 December.
We will again be supporting BESOM this Christmas through by preparing hampers for delivery to families in need. Unfortunately the Taylors’ jolly hamper filling party won’t be possible this year, so the Outward Giving team are working out how, what and when. Please be ready for instructions!
The BHC ladies group coordinated by Nicky Hemery are liaising with the Godalming Community Store and hope to be able to give out Meaningful Chocolate Real Advent Calendars to bless community store clients before 1 December. Each calendar is £3.50. If you would like to contribute to the fund to buy a calendar, please contact Nicky Hemery.
Churches Together in Godalming will not be able to run their usual Christmas lunch this year, but there may be many people who are on their own with families unable to visit them. We are hoping to put together a list of volunteers who would visit anyone on their own on Christmas Day, with a small gift and card. We would go in pairs and not enter people’s houses. If anyone would like to volunteer to join us, please contact Gillian Martin (martin2ls@btinternet.com) or if you or anyone else would like a visit, please contact Gwen Wheatman (gwenwheatman@hotmail.co.uk).
Pack of ten of 2 designs with envelopes for £4. The cards say Happy Christmas inside! Contact the church office to place an order.
Click Here for What’s on this week and beyond. It’s all in the calendar and more details for each event can be found when you select it.
To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org or call Lisa Olsworth-Peter on 01483 421267.
Listening prayer is available mid-week.
