Dear Friends

We need your help this weekend to make a last minute trolley dash to fill ALL the gift bags that have been requested for the special customers of The Cellar Camino Café, the Foodbank, and particular families known to our pastoral care team and local church schools.

THIS COULD BE THE MOST VALUABLE & APPRECIATED GIFT YOU GIVE THIS CHRISTMAS!

Packing will take place on Mon 16th Dec from 6pm, at Brighton Road, and helpers are welcome to join us, in exchange for a glass of mulled wine. Please let the office know if you plan to be there.

We do need more goodies for the bags (not boxes this year - sorry for the confusion), but some people have already been very very generous. Thank you! But if you like to wait until the final hour, here’s some ideas:

• Christmas crackers and napkins

• Festive treats: savoury snacks, biscuits cakes and puddings

• Christmas lunch trimmings like stuffing and batter mix, stock cubes/gravy granules and cranberry sauce

• Cupboard staples like tea, coffee, sugar and jam, tin foil, juice and squash

• Toiletries: soaps, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner.

• (We thankfully have lots of chocolates so please hold off on that).

Please drop to Busbridge Church Brighton Road by Monday lunchtime.

ALSO To personalise our Christmas packages we’d love to add a small gift for the children, and we have a list of girls and boys and their ages. The home groups have responded generously to the request to buy 1 or 2 gifts between them, but we have a few more on the list to buy. Please contact Josie via the office if you’d like to buy a gift and she’ll let you know boy or girl and their age.

FINALLY money…we are inviting financial donations to the Christmas Appeal which will be split between The Cellar Camino Café and Skillway Workshop, and female prisoners at HMP Send who we can help buy phone cards for at Christmas. You can find out about all the ways to give here.

People give generously in so many ways at this time of year, but this is our particular mission focus as the people of Godalming Minster. Everyone’s contribution is needed, and can make a real difference in our local community this Christmas. Thank you.

In other news, it’s been a joy and a privilege to host such a lot of school and community carol services across the Minster in the last two weeks - Busbridge Infants, St Hilary’s and Bell House Nursery, Mane Chance, with the Meath and St Mark’s and All Saints still to come. 60 children from Busbridge Junior School also took part in Prime Time’s Afternoon Carol Service on Monday. (That’s no doubt a lot of “Away in a Mangers”!).

There are Minster carol services at all four locations this Sunday and next, and St Mark’s Franklyn Road celebrates 90 years since its consecration next Wed 18 Dec at 2pm. All are welcome to join the congregation and the Bishop to mark this milestone. One of the most fun occasions is likely to be carols at The Merry Harriers next Thursday 19th Dec, from 7pm. It’s outdoors, but the atmosphere will be very warm indeed.

This Sunday

Reset Your Heart: Prepping for More than Christmas
Reading: Luke 3:7-18

9am Choral Eucharist
Church Street

10am Morning Worship
Franklyn Road

10am Classic Service
Brighton Road

10.30am Contemporary Service
Church Street
Coffee and croissant from 10.15am and children’s Christmas parties in the Octagon.

6pm St Mark’s Carol Service
Franklyn Road

6pm Silent Night
A quiet service with prayer and reflection
Brighton Road

7pm Hambledon Carol Service
Hambledon
Due to the storms, the church had a power cut last Sunday so the morning service did not take place. It was lovely to welcome the Hambledon congregation at other Minster services. Today villagers were busy trying to clear a fallen tree on Church Lane to get access to the church. Please check ChurchSuite and the web site for updates in case arrangements need to change for the carol service. Please assume no news is good news!

Look up services for next Sunday and find more information about congregations and service times on ChurchSuite, or the Sundays page on the web site.

Coming Up

December

The Bereavement Café is holding a special evening gathering at 7pm on Tuesday 10 December in the Busbridge Old Rectory. Drinks and nibbles provided. All are welcome, whether you have been before or it’s your first visit.

Events that you need to sign up for:

St Mark’s 90th Anniversary Service Join us for a service to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the consecration of St Mark's Church Wed 18 Dec at 2pm. The service will be followed by refreshments.

Christmas Eve Christingles at 4pm and 5.30pm

Looking ahead to 2025

Simon’s last service and farewell to the Taylor family, Sun 5 Jan at 10.30am
We’ll be saying goodbye to Simon, Catherine, Jacob, Luke and Daniel at the special All in One Service, 10.30am at Church Street on Sunday 5 January 2025. This will be an act of worship, thanksgiving for Simon’s 14+ year ministry and leaving do rolled into one. More details to follow. There will no other services across the Minster that morning, so please save the date. (Normal Sunday services will restart on 12 Jan.)

NB. We would of course like to give Simon a token of our thanks and appreciation at the service, and you can contribute via the giving page, by BACS, cash or cheque.

A summary of the process to advertise and appoint a new Rector, after Simon’s departure on 5th Jan 2025 can be found in the Archdeacon’s Vacancy Newsletter which you can downloaded using the button below.

Stay Curious. Try Alpha.

Would you like to try Alpha? and/or Who could you invite? More details.

The next Weds evening and Thursday morning Alpha courses are in the diary to start on 29/30 January 2025.

The Bereavement Journey

The next 7-week course for anyone who has been bereaved recently or some time ago, will start on Monday 3 February. More details.

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!

Godalming Minster is home to the GCGC, and a few of Minster family will be performing in the Christmas Showcase on 14th December. For tickets e: gcgcinformation@gmail.com.

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: 2024.

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.