Dear Friends,

The daffodils are up and we are looking forward to Mothering Sunday. This is a good time to show our love and appreciation for the mother figures in our lives and this Sunday we will have a small gift for all the ladies in our Church for the children to give out. Simon Taylor is leading services at Busbridge and has asked that you come prepared with the name of an important female in your life. Hambledon will be honouring mothers at 10am, and the Messy Team will be providing organised chaos at the Village Hall at 4pm which will be just the ticket for Mums who have been spoilt will flowers, lunch and good behaviour all day (we live in hope…). Easter approaches too, and there’s a few events to note, sign up for and offer to help at. Please read on!

Sunday 19 March: Mothering Sunday

Pray for power
Reading: Ephesians 3:14-19

Busbridge

9.30AM Contemporary Service [Holy Communion]
Busbridge Church & online
Led by: Simon Taylor | Speaker: Philippa Baker
Children’s groups meet from 9.20am
The Ark (years R-2) in Busbridge Village Hall, Crèche & Tiny Tigers in the Old Rectory and Explorers (years 3-6) in The Hut

11.15AM Classic Service
Busbridge Church & online
Led by: Simon Taylor | Speaker: Philippa Baker

Hambledon

10AM Morning Worship
Hambledon Church & online
Led by: Hilary Pettman | Speaker: Simon Willetts

4PM Messy Church
Hambledon Church & online
Led by: Simon Willetts & the Messy Team

Special things about Services on 26th March

9.30AM Contemporary at St Peter & St Paul’s - Take 2! The next trial of the Busbridge Contemporary Service at St Peter and St Paul’s will be on 26th March, with children’s groups using Moss Lane. We are grateful to the school for accommodating us, and look forward to making the most of the opportunity to grow children’s activities on Sundays and throughout the week across Godalming. Thanks to EVERYONE for their support, grace and patience as we try out the new venues. The Contemporary service will be followed by the Choral Eucharist, starting at the later time of 11.15AM than its usual 10am. Thanks to those who worship at St Peter and St Paul’s for their flexibility.

6PM Hambledon Choral Evensong for Passiontide. A choir is gathered and rehearsing for the Passiontide Choral Evensong. These services take place at Hambledon at key times in the church year. All welcome. The service will use the Book of Common Prayer.

Also, as usual, on 26th March:

10AM Hambledon Morning Worship
11.15AM Classic at Busbridge
6PM Busbridge Evening Service [Holy Communion]
followed by the 4th session on Gifts of the Holy Spirit*.

*Thanks to everyone attending the Holy Spirit ministry training evenings and to John Valentine for his excellent input. If you came along last Sunday expecting it to be about speaking in tongues then we’re sorry. We changed the order to release John to be elsewhere for another event and that’s why we covered how we do things here and healing ministry. Come along to the next session for the work of the spirit in the gift of tongues.

Coming Up:

See the events coming up next and look up dates further ahead in the full calendar.

Notices

Take a look at the list of events and services for Palm Sunday to Easter Day on the web site and collect a handout from church this Sunday.

It helps if you sign up to the big events where there’s catering involved: The Good Friday Hot Cross Bun Adventure, and the Easter Garden Service on Saturday 8th. (You can use the MyChurchSuite app or the Easter web page to sign up).

Hot Cross Bun hospitality team needed for the Good Friday Walk
This year the church family walk is from Hambledon Church to Busbridge Church where the multitude of thirsty hikers will arrive at the Old Rectory in need of tea and a hot cross bun. We need a team who are willing to forgo the walk, and organise and serve the refreshments in the Old Rectory. If you can, please let Vic know in the church office.

A reminder that the BHC Easter Appeal for SALCET is now underway. It was great to hear from Chris and Maggie Jagger at services last week, and for details about the charity’s latest work in El Salvador, Uganda and Kenya - and ways to give - please read the Outward Giving Easter update.

Keep it up! The Transformed Life Lent podcast for all 4 churches joining Godalming Minster has a new episode available every week day in Lent. Why listen? It uses the great devotionals by Dave Smith which run alongside the sermon series on Sundays, and the home group bible studies.

Godalming Minster March Headlines:

The Godalming Parish PCC and Busbridge and Hambledon PCCs met on 13 March 2023 and approved the following proposals:

• The service pattern for the 4 churches in the Godalming Minster. A final schedule of Minster wide services has been developed and is now agreed by all three PCCs. The schedule accommodates the needs of most congregations and provides for stability and growth. Inevitably compromise is required by the Sunday morning Choral and Contemporary congregations and this is genuinely appreciated. The pattern of services is as shown in the March Update. The focus so far has been on establishing the timing of specific services. Holy Communion services for the Contemporary service at 10.30am will be added shortly. The service pattern will begin in January 2024 for a trial period of 12 months, dependant on completion of the SPSP church re-ordering. It is anticipated there will be one off contemporary services held in SPSP during the 4Q 2023.

• The 2023 Minster Budget for communications and media, and new Contemporary music equipment at SPSP.

• The Parish Scheme to legally consolidate the parishes and charities, which will now go to Bishop Andrew for approval.

• Godalming Parish PCC also approved the proposal and budget for the temporary re-ordering of St Peter and St Paul’s.

For fuller details about the points above, and news from the Minster Leadership Team, please read the full update. For the background and more details about the transition process, see Godalming Minster.

God’s Trees: What might Noah’s Ark have been made of? Why did King Solomon import so much cedar to build his temple? Where to frankincense and myrrh come from? What was Christ’s cross made of? Prime Time is hosting a fascinating talk on at 2.30pm on Friday 24th March by Professor Julian Evans, author of God’s Trees. Tea and cake provided after. If you’d like to come, RSVP to Penny Naylor by 21st March, or sign up on ChurchSuite. Lifts to church can be arranged too.

Please note that the Yew Tree Café will be closed for annual maintenance next weekend 25-26 March. That’s right - our wonderful café has been open for a year on 23rd March! There’s a birthday article in the Mar-Apr Bridge magazine, but do pop into the Yew Tree Café this week to wish the team a happy 1st anniversary, and thank them for their excellent service!

Get Involved

Book donations for St Mark’s Church: St Mark’s would like to start a library and is looking for donations of good Christian books. So many different groups use the hall, so any books about Christian faith for seekers, books about suffering and the problem of pain, autobiographies of Christians would be much appreciated. Perhaps Christian children’s books? We want it to be modern readable material which will be accessible for those who want to find out more about christianity or to deepen what faith they have. There will be a box at the back of Busbridge church labelled “Books for St Marks” for the next few weeks. Any questions please feel free to contact me on eashingstubbs@aol.com.

Church newsletter delivery St Mark’s mission is to reach out to the local community to raise awareness of the Church and all it offers. St Marks Church is issuing a Spring Newsletter to the area around the church in March and if anyone could help deliver, that would be good. There will be teams going out if you want to go in pairs. To sign up or to know more information please contact Sheila on sheila.samuels@bhcgodalming.org.

Nominations are invited for representatives to Godalming Deanery Synod, for the next three year term which runs from 1st July 2023. We are allowed four representatives from Busbridge and three from Hambledon. Elections will take place at the APCMs on Sunday, 21st May. You need to be over 16 and on the electoral roll to stand but do not have to be a current PCC member (you would automatically become a member of PCC if elected to Deanery Synod). The Godalming Deanery is made up of fifteen parishes from the local area and provides an opportunity for lay and clergy representatives to discuss issues which are common to the local churches. The nomination form can be found here: https://www.parishresources.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/DS-Nom-2020.pdf and should be returned to the Church Office.

Elsewhere

Bishop’s Lent Appeal 2023 - The Turkey-Syria Earthquake and those suffering deprivation in Guildford Diocese AND Hearing Aid Clinics
Work of the Bishop’s Fund is wide-ranging, but one of the recipients is the Hear Hear project that enables the BHC Hearing Aid Clinics. Penny and Sophie Bessant were recently interviewed for the promotional video: https://youtu.be/iuxeNYG0lUI

Godalming Baptist Church Life Issues talks: See the full 2023 Life Issues programme.
To book a place contact Sally Pollard-pollard3@hotmail.co.uk or tel-01483-428646.

For news from all the other local churches, see:
Churches Together Link Up - MAR 2023

Don’t forget about…

Simon’s sabbatical 11th April-15th July 2023
3rd time lucky! Simon Taylor will be taking a twice postponed sabbatical this year from Easter to July. (Stipendiary clergy are given a sabbatical every ten years, and Simon’s was postponed in 2020 due to Covid, then again in 2022 due to the Minster evaluation.) He leaves the leadership of the benefice in the capable hands of Simon Willetts, supported by Margot Spencer, the wardens, clergy and staff team. Minster plans will continue to develop.

While Simon is away, his plans involve some walking (The SW Coastal Path) and prayer, time with his leadership coach and spiritual director, reading, a visit to Simon’s spiritual retreat home (Storrington Priory, Chemin Neuf charismatic catholic Order) and some research on St Ignatius and the Jesuit Way of Life.

Please pray for Simon as he prepares for a restorative break from ministry, and for those he leaves in charge. The MyChurchSuite app. It’s the easiest way to check dates, rotas, church emails, look up church members and sign up to events (without having to enter your details again and again!). Contact the Church Office if you’ve lost your login details or would like to request an account.

Join the Electoral Roll - As we approach the Annual Parochial Church Meeting in May, this is a reminder that we’d love you to join the church electoral roll if you are not on it already. Go to Membership.

Mid-week Prayer Gatherings

Reflective Prayer Mons at 8.45am online.
Busbridge Morning Prayer Weds at 9am online.
Hambledon Morning Prayer takes place on Wednesdays at 9am. All welcome.
Busbridge Saturday Prayer Meeting + PrayerFest 0-30 8-9am 2nd Saturdays of the month [11th Feb]

***Send prayer requests to prayer@bhcgodalming.org***

Groups & Activities

The Men’s Group meets for breakfast at 8.15am on the first Saturdays of the month. See the calendar event for details.

Hambledon Coffee Morning and Hearing Aid Clinic takes place 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 10.30am.

The 2023 Prime Time programme for Jan-Jun is now available, and the next event is the Talk on God’s Trees on Friday 24th March. For all events and details, see Prime Time.

The 2023 Nexus programme is now available, and the next event is a talk on 30th Mar is about Life on Thursley Common. For all events and details, see Nexus.

Busbridge and Hambledon Churches are open daily for private prayer.

The Yew Tree Café at Busbridge Church is open 8.30am-4pm weekdays in term time, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays, and 10am-4pm during school holidays.

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.