Dear Friends,

We come to the end of Godalming Minster’s fortnight Harvest Festival this Sunday, and so far the schools and congregations have been very generous. Thank you. As Harvest services have alternated with weddings and funerals, we are also very grateful to the Harvest transportation team of 1, Graham!, who has worked faster than an Amazon delivery driver to move the harvest gifts from the other churches to the Foodbank at Franklyn Road after each service.

The Foodbank relies on Harvest and Christmas collections to boost stock levels, and would appreciate any items on the Foodbank shopping list.

The financial Harvest Appeal is for the Church Army and you can look up ways to give on the giving page.

Harvest Sunday

Why does caring for our world matter?
Reading: Psalm 8

13 October

8am BCP Holy Communion
Church Street (St Peter & St Paul’s)
followed by breakfast in the Octagon

10am All Age Harvest Festival
Franklyn Road (St Mark’s)

10am Classic Harvest Festival
Brighton Road (Busbridge)

10.30am All Age Contemporary Harvest Festival [HC]
Church Street (St Peter & St Paul’s)

Hambledon will hold its Harvest Festival at Hambledon Village Hall, with an 11am service, followed by lunch: Hot main, pudding and a glass of wine or soft drink - £10pp. Tickets are available from the Village Shop and at Church Services.

11.45am Farewell Celebration for John and Sue Harkin
A bring and share Harvest lunch at Church Street (St Peter & St Paul’s).
See the notices for details.

6pm Evening Service
Brighton Road (Busbridge)

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. If you are on a rota, ChurchSuite will ping you a reminder by email, but you can also use the ChurchSuite app to check yourself.

Notices

This Sunday, 13th October, is the Harkins’ Farewell celebration lunch, at Church Street, following the Harvest services at all Minster locations. Everyone is invited! John and Sue will be at the Contemporary Harvest Service for their last act of worship at Godalming Minster, but the toasts and thank yous will be saved for afterwards. During the lunch, we will be giving John and Sue a gift of love and gratitude. To contribute to this, please see ways to donate.

If you are coming to the lunch from elsewhere, please note the slight change of start time to 11.45am for the speeches and thank yous for John and Sue. The bring and share buffet will be set up on in the Lady Chapel (in the area right of the altar, behind the band).

Here’s what you need to know for the bring and share lunch!:

What will be provided
Buffet tables laid out to receive the food,
paper plates, cutlery, cups and glasses.
Bread baskets
Tea, coffee and a choice of soft drinks.

What to bring
Something for the buffet for 4-6 people. Here are some suggestions for the uninitiated!:
crisps or savoury snacks
cheese
meats
“antipasti”
sausage rolls
salads such as salad, pasta/cous cous/potatoe/roasted veg
quiche

Puddings: cakes, brownies, cookies, crumble

Join the hospitality team
If you can help organise, set up and and clear up, please get in touch with Sarah Bryans or Vic Hicks e: office@godalmingminster.org.

Help needed at The Hub at Franklyn Road on Tuesdays
12.30-2pm

Now going into its third winter, The Hub serves a free hot lunch for approx 12-20 guests every Tuesday. The team is in need of a few more helpers on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis. Please contact volunteer@godalmingminster.org if you would like to find out more.

Cakes and bakes needed for The Hub, Prime Time and The Bereavement Café

Godalming Minster certainly gets through a fair amount of cake at its many community activities. It’s quite fundamental to the warm hospitality we offer! If you can bake something for any of the ministries above, perhaps on a regular basis, please contact volunteer@godalmingminster.org.

National Week of Prayer 12-20 October

Let’s join Christians across the UK and beyond; to humble ourselves, repent and pray for lives to be transformed by Jesus, and to see a spiritual awakening in the nations. It’s for Christians from across traditions, denominations and communities; joining together as one. For details and ways to be involved see https://www.nationalweekofprayer.uk/.

Archdeacon’s Public Meeting

Mon 4 Nov, 7.30pm at Church Street
The Archdeacon of Surrey, The Venerable Catharine Mabuza will be briefing the parish of Godalming Minster on the process to advertise and appoint a new Rector, after the departure of Simon Taylor on 5th Jan 2025. Everyone who is part of Godalming Minster is encouraged to attend.

Applications for church school places

Attention parents of children in year 2: if you have been a regular member of Godalming Minster for 3 years and wish to apply for a church place at Busbridge Junior School, please contact Jenny Lansdowne for information.
e: jenny.lansdowne@godalmingminster.org.

Coming Up

October

Annual Memorial Service - 3pm on 19th October at Church Street
Invitations have been sent to all those who have had a family funeral at Godalming Minster in recent years, and we extend a warm invitation to anyone who has lost a loved one, recently or some time ago, to join us for this special occasion. To help with our catering arrangements, please sign up online. If you would like someone remembered by name during the service, please indicate when you sign up.  We should be grateful to have the information as soon as possible, please, and by Tuesday 15 October, at the latest. Click here to sign up.

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! See the full Minster Calendar to look ahead to the end of December, including Remembrance and Christmas.

Elsewhere

Sponsored walk in aid of the vulnerable and disadvantaged in our diocese - Saturday 12th October (9am)

Following two successful sponsored walks over recent years, our Bishops Andrew and Paul are inviting you to join them once again on a sponsored Bishops Camino along the Hogs Back to the Watts Chapel in Puttenham and back via the Wey towpath. The  circular route is 7.5 miles (12km) and there will be three prayer stops along the way.

The previous walks have raised over £6,000 for the Bishop of Guildford's Communities Fund, which provides funds for parish projects that help the disadvantaged and vulnerable across the Diocese of Guildford. Bishop Andrew would love your help once again so that the Fund can continue to support deserving community projects. Please follow the link below for more details and how to sign up.

Bishop of Guildford's Communities Fund - Diocese of Guildford (cofeguildford.org.uk)

The next Theology Hub event on 24 October is with Rev’d Prof Jeremy Begbie. Jeremy will give a performance lecture (theology and live music) on the topic of the relevance of the arts for people of faith. This will be an excellent evening for discipleship for your key leaders, for people who have recently done Alpha or who might be interested in looking at theology, and for all who are involved in worship and music.

Jeremy is an academic who speaks in a down to earth way that connects with a range of audiences. You can buy your ticket here:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/theology-and-the-arts-with-revd-prof-jeremy-begbie-tickets-957018988557

Life Issues 2024 - a programme of talks and course run by Godalming Baptist Church.

The last Life Issue session of 2024 is coming up at Godalming Baptist Church on Saturday 19th October 10.00am-12.30pm (coffee from 9.30am).  'Living With Anxious Thoughts' led by Dr Martin Brunet, GP at Binscombe Medical Centre and Dr Jenna McKeown, Clinical Psychologist. 

This promises to be such a helpful and informative morning.  The session will look at all aspects of anxious thoughts including intrusive thoughts and health anxiety and aims to understand where these thoughts come from and how best to manage them. There is no charge but donations much appreciated towards 'The Farncombe Community Garden'.  

Please do contact Sally to book a place-01483-428646 or e-mail pollard3@hotmail.co.uk by Friday 4th October.  Thank you so much for all your support

Following Jesus

Mid-week prayer gatherings take place on Zoom (8.45am Mon / 9am Wed),
and at Godalming Minster Hambledon (9am Wed) and Franklyn Road (9am Mon and Tue). Please check the calendar.

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.)

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.

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.

The 2024 Prime Time programme is now available. For all events and details, see Prime Time.

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.

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.