Dear Friends
Thanks to the CYF team and those who came to help run the jolly messy Pancake Party at Brighton Rd this week. They served an estimated 200 pancakes to children and parents, and it was great to see people coming into the church from different schools.
Ash Wednesday followed Shrove Tuesday and many marked the start of Lent with communion and the imposition of ashes at Church Street in the choral tradition.
You can still pick up a Living Hope CofE Lent booklet at church this Sunday, or from the Busbridge Old Rectory, or order your own copy here: ttps://www.chpublishing.co.uk/features/living-hope. Alternatively to follow the sermon series in the gospel of John this Lent, try Tim Chester’s book The Glory of the Cross which has 47 reflections for Lent from the gospel of John. You can order it from the Good Book Company or Amazon.
The Easter events and services are now on ChurchSuite and showing in the calendar (select the filter category for key times services and events), and you can pick up a printed programme at church in the coming weeks.
This Sunday
Topic: Sign 6 - Healing of the blind man
Reading: John 9: 1-41
8am BCP Holy Communion
Church Street
10am Morning Worship
Franklyn Road
10am Morning Worship [HC]
Hambledon
10am Classic Service
Brighton Road
10.30am Contemporary
Church Street
Coffee from 10.15am and children’s groups in the Octagon.
Guest preacher: John Valentine
6pm Evening Worship
Brighton Road
Roots Youth (11-18s) meets in church before leaving for their time together in The Hut.
Notices
Lord for the Years - a talk by the composer, and Prime Timer, Bishop Michael Baughen
On 21st Feb Prime Time hosted a very special Hymns we love event with the composer of the music of the famous 20th century hymn, Lord for the Years. You can watch parts of Bishop Michael’s interview with Jane Tomes on YouTube here: https://youtube.com/live/HpoXd9I_Dfc
Prime Time events in March - the Movie Matinee (15 March) and Tea and Talk with Keith Field (25 March) - acknowledge this holy season of Lent, albeit with the usual hospitality, tea, cake and/or popcorn. To subscribe to Prime Time monthly update e: penny.naylor@godalmingminster.org, or look up event details in the church calendar on ChurchSuite.
Yew Tree Café now open til 4.30pm
The YTC has extended its opening hours to 4.30pm mon-fri during term time to serve those picking up from after school clubs. Do visit anytime between 8.30am-4.30pm weekdays, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays in term-time (9.30pm-4pm in the school holidays). Follow yewtreecafegodalming on Instagram for the latest news and stories - thank you Ian B for a wonderful promotion about volunteering in the café!
Road Stewards needed
The latest issue of The Bridge magazine for Busbridge has just been published, and we are so grateful to the team of road stewards who faithfully collect and distribute the magazine to their neighbours. That’s 1800 copies between them! We are currently looking for people to deliver to Phillips Close, and parts of Brighton Rd, and Hambledon Rd. Please get in touch with Lorna via the office if would like to help.
Coming Up
Nexus 6 March
The Joanna Wildlife Hospital – a new chapter. Talk by Lily Pan and Steve Kirby
The Hydestile Wildlife Sanctuary combined with the Bramley based Joanna Wildlife Hospital following the death of Hydestile co-founder Graham Cornick. Their new joint venture, The Joanna Wildlife Hospital, is now up and running and Lily and Steve will tell us about the vital work they do rescuing injured wildlife and nurturing the creatures before releasing them back into the wild. It should be a very interesting evening.
Do join us at 8.00pm in the Busbridge Old Rectory for drinks and nibbles and a chance to chat to old and new friends before Lily and Steve start their presentation.
All are welcome, including men!
World Day of Prayer
This year’s service takes place on Friday 7 March 2025 at 10.30 a.m., with coffee served from 10 o’clock. Godalming & Farncombe Mothers’ Union is joining forces with the Haslemere branch, and the service will be held at Haslemere Methodist Church, Lion Green, Haslemere GU27 1LD. If you are not sure where it is, go through Haslemere High Street and bear right down Wey Hill towards Shottermill. The church is a modern building on the left-hand side, on Lion Green. The theme is “I made you wonderful” and the service shares the stories of three generations of Christian women from the Cook Islands. This is a warm invitation to join us ‘to become part of the great wave of prayer’.
And here is the link to our fundraising page https://gofund.me/45b22a19
Mothers Union
Mother’s Union next meet on Tue 11 March at 2pm St.Peter and Paul Church Street. The topic is Gunpower Works and Andrew Norris is the speaker.
Alpha
The spring term Alpha is now well underway, but you can sign up or register your interest at any time and we’ll be in touch when the next dates are announced.
The Bereavement Journey
Please register your interest at anytime for the next series of sessions for anyone who has been bereaved recently or some time ago. The pastoral care team would be happy to speak to anyone who wants to find out a bit more, so please do get in touch now. More details.
20 mile walk for Ukraine
It’s not too late to sponsor Ben Rogers and Natalia Maievska who walked the entire River Wey Navigation from Weybridge to Godalming - a lot of it in the rain! Read the story on BBC Surrey
Ben and Natalia are raising funds for Ukraine Mission, a small group of British volunteers from Guildford who have been delivering aid, equipment, and medicine to medics, rescue teams, and civilians in Ukraine since April 2022.
Here is the link to their fundraising page https://gofund.me/45b22a19
Church Family News
A note from the Taylors (sent a couple of weeks ago):
When we wrote our Thank you! note in the notices back in January we were not expecting to send a second one. In the past week we've become even more aware of everyone's kindness, this time for the ever so generous financial gift that has been collected for us since our farewell. So, we we'd like to say a second thank you. We are deeply touched by this. Our prayers continue for everyone and for your future. With our love, Simon, Catherine, Jacob, Luke and Daniel.
We send our love to two members of our church community who have been bereaved recently. Fiona Andrade-Brown’s mother, Rosemary, died last week. Rosemary and Alan were long-time congregation members at Church Street, so are well-known to a number of people there. Please pray for Fiona, her brother David and the wider family, asking God to give them his comfort and peace.
We also pray for Jill Mace, whose brother Philip died this week. Please pray that God will surround Jill and the whole family with his love and care.
What’s on Where
There’s lots going on around Godalming Minster every week, for all ages and stages - always too much to list in the notices!
Elsewhere
SUPPORTING THOSE “LIVING WITH CANCER AND BEYOND” - FROM A RELATIVE’S PERSPECTIVE
Led by Daphne Bleach
Saturday 15th March 2025 10 am – 12.30 pm
(Coffee available from 9.30 am)
at Godalming Baptist Church,
Queen Street, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1BA
* Do you know what to say, and not to say, when someone says “I have cancer”?
* How does a diagnosis of cancer affect someone?
* How we can encourage someone to “live well with cancer”?
* What help and support is available to patients and their relatives?
* Living beyond treatment - the “elephant in the room”
* Who is there for those when no further treatment is available’?
Daphne is a Care Companion, offering help and support to families and those who are dying as they approach end of life. Following her talk in 2024, Daphne will lead another informative and sensitive talk about how to come alongside and support those living with cancer, to help all of us make the best of the precious time we have together. Daphne Bleach is a Christian, whose nursing career spans over 40 years.
Please reserve a place, with payment of £7, by contacting Sally Pollard
email: pollard3@hotmail.co.uk, tel: 01483 428646
by Friday 28th February
Following Jesus
Mid-week prayer gatherings take place in the Zoom Online Prayer Room (8.45am Mon / 9am Wed), and at Godalming Minster Hambledon (9am Wed) and Franklyn Road (9am Mon and Tue). Vacancy Prayers are 1st Weds of the month around the Minster. Please check the calendar.
If you would like to join a prayer gathering online, please use the link to the online prayer room on Zoom with passcode: 2025.
Small groups meet in homes to study the bible, pray and journey together.
New members are invited to join an existing group, or form their own group.
To find out more and connect with the right one for you, contact Rev Hilary Pettman. e: hilary.pettman@godalmingminster.org.
Loving People
The Hub at Franklyn Road provides a free lunch and time to socialise every Tuesday from 12-2.30pm. Open to all in the area, and across the Minster. (Donations of homemade cakes are always welcome.)
Prime Time for older people meets every Monday at 10.30am in the Yew Tree Café for a coffee drop in. For all events and details, see Prime Time.
Nexus meets on the 1st Thursday of the month, with talks and activities for church members and the community. More about Nexus.
The Men’s Group meets for breakfast at 8.15am on the 1st Saturdays of the month. See the calendar for details.
Busbridge Coffee Morning takes place on 1st Wednesdays of the month at 10.30am in the Yew Tree Café.
Hambledon Coffee Morning and Hearing Aid Clinic takes place 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 10.30am.
The Bereavement Café takes place on the last Tuesday of the month, 2.30-4pm in the Busbridge Old Rectory.
Hearing Aid Clinics run at the Busbridge Old Rectory on 2nd Fridays of the month from 2.30-4pm, and at Godalming Library on 3rd Mondays of the month from 10.30am-12pm.
The Yew Tree Café at Godalming Minster Brighton Road is open 8.30am-4pm weekdays in term time, and 10am-2pm on Saturdays, and 9.30am-4pm during school holidays. There’s wi-fi and power for those that want to work, and Prime Time hosts a drop in session for anyone who’d like a coffee and a chat every Monday from 10.30-11.30am.
CYF activities for 0-18s include term-time Toddler Groups, The Youth Café and Friday Night Social, as well as Sunday groups and seasonal events.
Get Involved / Join a team
We're passionate about people feeling like they're a part of our church family and one of the best places to do that is as part of a team.
No matter your age or experience, there's a team that you can join, serving alongside others and getting to know people better in the church. You can find out about all our opportunities to serve and offer your time and talents on the Join a Team page.
Don’t forget about…
MyChurchSuite is an app for members of Godalming Minster 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 Minster Office if you’ve lost your login details or would like to request an account. See more instructions.
PASTORAL CARE & PRAYER MINISTRY
Can we pray for you?
***Please send prayer requests to prayer@godalmingminster.org***
If you, or someone you know at church, are in need of support and care, please contact Sandra Wilkin via the Minster office, or e: pastoral@godalmingminster.org.
To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@godalmingminster.org or call 01483 421267.