Dear friends,
Wow! What a wonderful time of worship the contemporary congregation had a St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Godalming last Sunday. Thanks to all those who came, and the group who set up the tech, the band, the hospitality and the highly inventive children’s zone. (It was no mean feat!) Comments were overwhelmingly positive and we are very grateful for the welcome and support from friends at St Peter and St Paul’s. While the joint church groups continue to work out the journey and timescales to becoming Godalming Minster, we know we can look forward to the next time!
The Nov/Dec church calendar is pretty packed with regular, seasonal and more special events. Do take time to put them in your diary now! Then consider if you can give some time to help. There is sure to be something to fit everyone’s time and talents, most of it is enjoyable and even the more mundane tasks will add a positive glow and balance to your advent season. (There is a link to the Christmas section above and below, and more details of all the events will be added to the web site next week.)
Read on for more of what you need to know, and print the summery attached here:
Remembrance Sunday
13 November
13th Nov - Combined services for Remembrance. 10.30am Hambledon, 10.45am Busbridge
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.
Readings: Matthew 5:43-48
[Part of the sermon series about applying the Beattitudes to Contemporary Issues)
10.30AM Hambledon Remembrance Service
Led by: Simon Willetts
Hambledon Church
Please take care: The Hambledon Car park is getting really boggy and few got stuck this last Sunday. The Hambledon nursery school car park is available for church visitors on Sundays, short walk up the footpath on your right as you exit the car park.
10.45AM Busbridge Remembrance Service
Led by: Margot Spencer | Speaker: Patrick Samuels
Busbridge Church [Please note children’s groups are not running]
6PM Busbridge Evening Service
Led by: Simon Willetts
Busbridge Church
Notices
An event for Ukraine in Busbridge Church - all welcome. (replaces Unplugged, but youth encouraged as there will be young people giving a presentation).
Ukraine Youth Talk—6PM Sunday 20 Nov
The BHC4Ukraine group is proud to host, for a second time, a talk by a group of locally hosted teenagers from Ukraine, about their home and the war from their perspective. The presentation was first shared at the lunch for hosts and their guests in September, and those present found it so poignant that the group have been invited to share it again with a wider audience. This time we are encouraging young people to attend too and there will be Ukrainian refreshments for everyone on arrival. Please support. Signing up is not essential but would help with catering.
Church Family Support Fund
Do you know of anyone who might be struggling to pay their bills in this very challenging time. The Church Family Support Fund is here to help anyone, in the Godalming area, who is in need financially with a one off payment . All details about the fund and an application form can be found on the Busbridge church web site, or please contact Jill Johnston on 01483 422194.
Prime Time Tea & Talk: Fire Safety in the home
All welcome to join Prime Time for a talk by the Surrey Fire Volunteer Service, in Busbridge Church, 2.30pm on Monday 14th November. The talk will explain all the FREE services they offer (advice and installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms) to keep homes and people safe.
Warm welcome / Warm Hubs at Busbridge Church and St Mark’s
This winter, Busbridge Church has been registered with the Warm Welcome initiative (see: https://www.warmwelcome.uk/) and will provide a warm hub, open to all, with free refreshments for specific times and events. For example, World Cup England matches will be shown on the big screen, starting 21 November. Several Prime Time events for older people, and the Hambledon Coffee mornings also meet the criteria and we are looking forward to welcoming those who would benefit this winter.
St Mark’s Church and Community Centre provides a warm hub on Tuesdays 1-4pm, offering a soup and roll lunch, tea and cake.
25th Nov. 7pm. Meet the Bishop where World Cup footballs are made! Join us at Busbridge Church for football and to meet Bishop Alwyn of Sialkot, Pakistan. Sialkot is a world leading manufacturer of surgical instruments but right now his diocese is more famous for footballs. The footballs, called Al Rihla balls, used for the World Cup are all made in Sialkot. Al Rihla is Arabic for ‘the journey’. Join us for the football journey and to welcome Bishop Alwyn.
To help with any of these initiatives, please contact Patrick Samuels re. football, Penny re older people’s events and Sheila Samuels re. St Mark’s: curate.godalming@gmail.com.
The current Alpha course has two catering slots to fill before ending on Dec 1st. Are you willing to cook attendees a simple one-course meal? If so, pls contact keith.harper@bhcgodalming.org or sheila.samuels@bhcgodalming.org.
Sermons in the attic
Does anyone have a cassette to MP3 converter, and the time to convert the sermon archive to digital? In his capacity as Office Volunteer, Michael S has come across some potentially priceless heirlooms in the Old Rectory loft. We’d love to be able to share some of the talks from well respected and much loved preachers from yesteryear. Email volunteer@bhcgodalming.org if you can help.
Christmas Choirs —Calling all singers!
Rehearsals for the Busbridge carol service are on: 3rd and 10th December at 4-5.30pm in the Old Rectory, and 7.30-9pm on 16th December. Then 18th December at 5pm before the service. Please let Karen Hart know via the church office if you’re interested, all welcome! For Hambledon contact Alan Harvey.
Mulled wine and mince pies - as important as the choirs for the carol services! Busbridge needs a team of people to organise mulled wine and mince pies to be served after the service (advice available from those who have done it before). Contact: margot.spencer@bhcgodalming.org or church.office@bhcgodalming.org
Yew Tree Café – your café needs you!
The Yew tree is going really well, but we need more great volunteers to help for half a day on a weekly basis (ideally), or once fortnight:
1. to work in the café, serving food and drinks with a smile and a pastoral heart.
2. Bakers to make cakes in the Old Rectory kitchen. All ingredients, clear instructions and equipment provided.
3. Food preparation on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday morning - just a couple of hours to prepare our salads and soups. Recipes and ingredients provided.
All volunteers are given a barista drink and cake as a thank you. You would be joining a great team of people and further enabling our endeavours to reach out to the community with God’s love. If you are interested please pop into the café and talk to one of the managers, or email yewtreecafe@bhcgodalming.org.
Church Family News
A Prime Time member is looking for new homes for a number of fairly large plant specimens: Rubber plants, Canna, Bougainvillea, Ginger plant and Palms. All would need over-wintering in a conservatory or heated greenhouse. They are available on a first come, first-served basis and in return for a donation to BHC.
The plants would need collecting from an address in Busbridge. Please contact Penny Naylor via the Church Office in the first instance or email Penny on: penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org
Coming Up:
See the events coming up next below or look up dates further ahead in the full calendar. Select the event for details and the location (online or on site).
Sunday 20 Nov
Do not judge or you too will be judged
READING: MATTHEW 7: 1-6
9.30AM Busbridge Contemporary Service
Led by: Simon Taylor | Speaker: Simon Willetts
Busbridge Church
10AM Hambledon Morning Worship
Led by: Patrick Samuels | Speaker: Peter Shaw
Hambledon Church
11.15AM Busbridge Classic Service [Holy Communion]
Led by: Frances Shaw | Speaker: Simon Willetts
Busbridge Church
DATES FOR THE DIARY
Regular Events
Busbridge Morning Prayer Weds at 9am online.
Hambledon Morning Prayer takes place on Wednesdays at 9am. All welcome.
Prayer gatherings for Ukraine are now at Hambledon Church at 7.30pm on 1st Tuesdays of the month.
Next Hambledon Coffee Morning and Hearing Aid Clinic is Weds 16th November. All welcome.
VACANCIES
ELSEWHERE
Churches Together Christmas lunch – volunteers are needed to help with the Christmas lunch on Christmas Day at the Baptist Church for anyone who would otherwise be on their own. The form setting out the various roles is attached. We are also still looking for a volunteer co ordinator and so if anyone would be willing to do this, please let Sarah Higgins know (sarahhiggins478@gmail.com). Letter to guests and invitation form are also attached for anyone who would like to come.
Christmas Lunch VOLUNTEER Form
Read the latest issue (NOVEMBER) of Churches Together in Godalming and District Link Up.
Don’t forget about…
Things in the following areas may not make the notices, but the latest info can be found on the web pages:
Yew Tree Café Opening Hours 8.30am-4pm
10am-2pm Saturday. The café will be open weekdays at 8.30am from 31 October.
Busbridge and Hambledon Churches are open daily for private prayer.
PASTORAL CARE & PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM AVAILABLE
If you, or someone you know at church, are in need of support and care, please contact Sandra Wilkin via the church office, or e: pastoral@bhcgodalming.org.
To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org or call 01483 421267.