Mission Sunday

In aid of the Bible Sunday
& Hampers for local families.

The BHC Advent Album

Week 2 of Advent: This week Prime Time made light work of 300 + Christingle kits over sherry with the Rector; Muddy Church last Sunday planted a wild flower garden and lit a special Advent candle made out of the stem of a parasol mushroom - with a blow torch….; More displays were revealed on the Advent walk and CYE gap students visited to help spray all the nativity costumes with fire retardant solution. If you have any pics to share from activities at either church or in the community, please send them in.

Please use the Christmas Services link below to go to the Advent & Christmas section, and get to the heart of Christmas.

this Sunday 12 December

Open to the heart of Christmas: purpose found
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-10 / Luke 1:26-38

We welcome Gareth Davies, Church Engagement Manager, from the Bible Society at Hambledon, and we’ll be hearing about the work of the Bible Society during the 9.15am and 10.30am services at Busbridge. Please read the letter to Busbridge&Hambledon Church from Gareth Davies HERE.

9.15AM BUSBRIDGE Classic Service [Holy Communion]
Leader: Maggie Jagger
Speaker: Margot Spencer
Busbridge Church & Online

9.30AM HAMBLEDON Heritage Service
Leader: David Jenkins
Speaker: Dudley Hilton
Hambledon Church & Online

10.30AM BUSBRIDGE Contemporary Service
Leader: Patrick Samuels & Mark Williams
Speaker: Margot Spencer
Busbridge Church & Online

4PM HAMBLEDON Messy Christingle
Hambledon Church

UPDATE - 10 December 2021
In the light of the recent changes to government advice and legislation, people are once again required to wear face coverings in services. Hand sanitiser is available in both churches for those that wish to use it. Holy Communion is celebrated in one kind by each congregation once a month (at a service in the benefice each Sunday.): Holy Communion Sundays. We are sharing Communion in one kind only - i.e. bread (wafer) - for the foreseeable future. We shall review this from time to time, as circumstances change and regulations permit.

ALSO FOR MISSION SUNDAY: CHRISTMAS HAMPERS
We have requests from local schools and organisations for 56 hampers for families and households in need this Christmas. Next Tuesday 14 December is the deadline for donations for hamper boxes (Christmas paper covered cardboard fruit trays, easy to collect from the front of Sainsbury’s), and luxury goodies to go in the hampers. The Outward Giving team also needs volunteers to deliver the hampers between 15th and 18th December. Please contact Shelagh ASAP if you can help, and bring donations to Busbridge church this Sunday. To donate to the Christmas Appeal for the Bible Society, please go to the Giving page.

Next Sunday: 19 December

Dawning joy at the heart of Christmas: our response
Readings: John 1:1 and John 20:28

10AM HAMBLEDON Combined Service
Leader & Speaker: Simon Willetts
Hambledon Church & Online

10.30AM BUSBRIDGE Combined Family Carols
Leader: Margot Spencer
Busbridge Church (NOT online)

6PM BUSBRIDGE Carol Service
with the Busbridge Christmas choir
Busbridge Church and online

7PM HAMBLEDON Carols by Candlelight
with the Hambledon Christmas choir
Hambledon Church and online

The Notices

Tom and Debbie Jones would like to invite anyone who is interested in helping out on future Family Life courses at BHC – including the Pre-Marriage and Marriage Courses – to join them for coffee after the Contemporary service in The Hut at Old Rectory on Sunday 12 December, where they can give you further details of the courses and ways in which you could help.

AFTERNOON CAROL SERVICE hosted by Prime Time: The first of the carol services will be at 2.30pm on Monday 13 December at Busbridge Church. We are looking forward to a performance by children from Busbridge Junior School during the service too. Mulled wine and mince pies will be served afterwards and all are welcome. A lift is needed for a much loved church and prime time member to come to the service. Please contact penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org if you can help.

CHRISTMAS EVE family candlelit services at 3.30pm, 4.30pm and 5.30pm are Busbridge are now fully booked, but do keep checking the events for spaces to come available due to cancellations. We are aware that peoples plans are likely to be changing, so please let us know if you can’t make it, or use the link in your confirmation email to cancel. We will provide an update in the next fortnight if the situation changes.

There is no need to sign up for any other services over Christmas. Please do wear a face covering!

Nexus: We’re really pleased that our Charity Quiz went to so well last Saturday!  Many thanks to all those who joined us on Zoom to make it such a great evening.  Alan Betts and Dudley Hilton put together an excellent Quiz for us, once again!

Especially, we’d like to thank you for your generous donations to our Just Giving page, whether you took part in the Quiz or just wanted to support our fundraising efforts for Phyllis Tuckwell.  It was very kind of you all and we’re delighted to announce that we raised £1,082.50, including Gift Aid.  That’s a fantastic amount to support the work of the marvellous local hospice care team at Phyllis Tuckwell, and we’re sure it will be very much appreciated. Thanks again. For more information, please contact Janet Harvey on janetmharvey@btinternet.com or Kate Kaye on katekaye2@btinternet.com or find us on www.bhcgodalming.org/groups

All things happening for Advent and Christmas can be found HERE including the link to book Christmas Eve services at Busbridge. There’s separate pages for the Walking Advent Calendar, Advent Reflections, and Christmas Giving (Hampers and the Christmas Appeal for the Bible Society).

The Bridge would like to thank Nikki White and John Kimbell who are stepping down from their role as road stewards in Busbridge Lane and Leithfield Park. Our very grateful thanks go to both of them for all their help over many years.

A warm welcome to Michelle Collins and Joanne Weston who have kindly offered to take over the Leithfield Park patch - much appreciated. This does leave a vacancy for 21 houses at numbers 1-26 Busbridge Lane if anyone thinks they might be able to help out? Contact Cathy at editor.atthebridge@gmail.com

The Bridge Magazine—looking for an new editor and treasurer. 

We have two very important vacancies in one of our key local mission and outreach activities.  Do please contact Vic Hicks if you would like to find out about these roles.  The role of Bridge editor is paid, and could be shared with a deputy editor.  Click the link for details.

Current Editor Cathy Brook will be stepping aside at the end of December after sending then Jan/Feb issue to print.  Lesley Reeves will also be ending her tenure as treasurer so we are looking for someone to take on the accounts (advertising income and printing costs) for the Bridge in the new year too. 

The Nov/Dec Issue of the Bridge is available online HERE, including Christmas events and services at church.

Yew Tree Café seeks Assistant Manager - the ad and job spec for this role will be available next week, but do contact Karen Hart via e: yewtreecafe@bhcgodalming.org if you want to find out about it.

NEW YEAR OPPORTUNITIES

Alpha in 2022: The next online course is starting 11 January so please use Christmas as an opportunity to consider it for yourself or inviting others. Mark Puddephatt will be hosting a pop up house group for 3 weeks. It’s a ‘no obligation’ chance to try out being a small group and all the good things that come with it. As Mark says “There is no down side”. As we grow as a church family, Small Groups are the best (and only way) to look after, feed and nurture members of the family and we’ll be looking at that more in the new year. Contact Keith Harper or Mark Puddephatt via the church office if you are interested in more info on either Alpha or trying a small group.

FINAL reminder: BUSBRIDGE JUNIOR SCHOOL APPLICATIONS

If you are thinking of submitting a church application to Busbridge Junior School for September 2022, please visit the Busbridge Junior School website and familiarise yourself with their admission criteria (‘About Us’, ‘Admissions’). If you meet the criteria, email catherine.garner@bhcgodalming.org for an information sheet. The deadline to submit the supplementary info form to the church office is 10 December.

Coming Up NEXT:

See the list below or look up dates further ahead in the full calendar. Select the event for details and the location (online or on site).

church family news

Some of you may remember Jo King, who was a member of our congregation for several years. Jo died on 6th November and there will be a Thanksgiving Service in Busbridge Church this Friday, 3rd December at 11.30 a.m.. All who knew or remember Jo are very welcome to attend as we celebrate her life. Please pray for her family and many friends - for God's comfort and peace for them all.

We were deeply saddened to hear of the death of Muriel Campbell on 21 November. She has been a faithful, active and lifelong member of Hambledon Church and village and her presence will be much missed. A service will be held in Hambledon Church on Thursday 9 December at 2.30 p.m., to which all who knew and loved Muriel are welcome. Please pray for Ion and the whole family, that they may be sure of God's peace and comfort.

Please Pray for

• Park Road and road steward Anthony Field and Frances Morris

• Lane end

• Those working in medicine.

ELSEWHERE

Churches Together in Godalming and District is looking to increase the number of lay church representatives. There are three meetings a year and the opportunity to get involved in Churches Together events as and when you are able to do so. It's a great way of getting to know our fellow Christians in the other local churches and they're a very nice, friendly bunch. Interested? Have a chat to Margot Spencer or drop an e-mail to margot.spencer@bhcgodalming.org

We are very pleased to be able to run the Churches Together Christmas lunch again this year, subject to any changes in the Covid situation. It will take place at the Baptist Church Godalming on Christmas Day. Guests and volunteers are invited now. Please see the letter to guests and volunteer form below.

Christmas lunch letter to guests

Christmas lunch Volunteer form

See Churches Together Link Up - December Issue for news from around other churches in and around Godalming.

Busbridge and Hambledon Churches are open daily for private prayer.

PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM AVAILABLE

To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org  or call Lisa Olsworth-Peter on 01483 421267.
Listening prayer is available mid-week.