Praise for the Light Party!

Dear Friends,

We had a full house/church/Old Rectory on Tuesday evening for the first Godalming Minster Light Party! More than 100 little superheroes turned up in force to bounce in church, sumo wrestle in the chancel, make a crafty shield or search light, and hunt for stars to exchange for treats in the OR garden. Batman and Robin led a superhero workout, and there was a brilliant team of volunteers to face paint, help with craft and serve hot dogs. We should probably do it again next year!

"What an incredible evening, thank you so much. Jacob loved every minute, it was fantastic. You are superheroes too! Hope the clearing up wasn't too horrendous!"

"It was a wonderful evening and Isabelle had the best time too!
Thank you very much for organising!!"

"Thanks to all concerned in arranging the Light Party this evening. It was a wonderful event. My two children enjoyed it; Ricky the games, Becky the craft activities in particular."

“I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you, Ben and Marcus for the Light Party. 
The boys loved it and I was blown away by the amount on offer for the children to do and the levels of organisation. It was amazing! Thank you and please pass on our thanks to everyone involved.”

SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER

John 13: 1-3
God with us - Service
In this Sunday’s reading, Jesus gets up from the meal to wash his disciples feet, providing a startling demonstration of master serving servant. We’ll start by asking ourselves when do we need to ‘get up from the table’ and take a practical step to serve others? 

9.30AM Muddy Church
Holloway Hill Recreation Ground
For ages 0-100. BYO cup for coffee. The forecast looks dry, but thankfully it’s still sure to be muddy!

11.15AM Busbridge Classic Service
Busbridge Church & online

10AM Hambledon Morning Worship
Hambledon Church & online

6.30PM Deanery Confirmation Service
St John’s Church, Farncombe
The 6PM congregation will not be meeting at Busbridge on 5 Nov, but are encouraged to attend the Confirmation Service to support our candidates for confirmation. Our youth director, Ben Barnes will be among the candidates, leading by example! Please pray for all those who are re-committing their lives to Jesus this Sunday.

12 November
Remembrance Sunday
GOD WITH US:  SACRIFICE. John chapter 19 v 16b to 27

10.30AM Hambledon Remembrance Service
Hambledon Church & online
10.45AM Busbridge Remembrance Service
Busbridge Church & online
6PM Busbridge Evening Service
Busbridge Church

Notices

Ladies - there’s drinks tonight at the The Pavilion by Howling Owl on Holloway Hill Rec. See you at 7.30pm for as long as you like.

Gents - there’s breakfast tomorrow at 8.15am in the Old Rectory where the national and global events of the last month will be discussed over coffee and porridge. All are very welcome.

Thanks to all those who attended the Godalming Minster prayer gathering on Monday. Chairs in different arrangements around Busbridge Church were used to guide prayers for Godalming Minster to draw in those who have left and those who are not yet part of Godalming Minster (2 empty chairs), for those in the Minster family and our community who are grieving or lonely (a single chair), and for the clergy and those in leadership (a stack of chairs). Please join us for the next prayer gathering which will be at St Peter and St Paul’s 7.30pm-8pm - date tbc, and please continue to pray for God’s blessing and guidance as we countdown to the launch of Godalming Minster on 1st January 2024.

There is now a very simple holding page for www.godalmingminster.org to direct everyone to Christmas events and services, and the existing church web sites. (Development of an exciting new web site for January is getting underway.) If you missed the short presentation at church last Sunday, you can find it HERE.

Busbridge is blessed to have a great team of Road Stewards who deliver The Bridge magazine six times per year.  We are currently looking for a volunteer to deliver in the Monteagle, Westdene and Birchanger area near Summerhouse Road.  This will take less than 30 minutes, so it is a commitment of less than 3 hours per year!  We would also like a Road Steward who could cover for other Road Stewards who are on holiday as required.  Please email David Brockman if you think you can help or want more information at editor.atthebridge@gmail.com.

NEW Hymns we Love - Fridays, 2.30pm, for 5 weeks
With the help of our Anna Chaplain and Prime Time Team member Jane Tomes, Prime Time is starting Hymns We Love - a 5 week series of sessions which uses well-loved hymns to explore the Christian faith.  Each session features a beautifully shot video set in a historic English church, and tells the story of the hymn and the gospel message behind it.  It is a series that has been developed specifically for use in groups of older adults and so is perfect for Prime Time, but may have wider appeal too. All are welcome.

Annual Memorial Service
Each year we hold a Memorial Service to remember friends and family members who have died, either recently or at any time, however long ago.  This year’s service is on Saturday 18 November at 3.00 p.m.  Invitations will be going out within the next few weeks, and there will be spare invitation letters at the back of all our churches.  During the service we read out the names of those we remember and light candles in their memory.  Refreshments are served afterwards and all are welcome to stay.  The service is open to everyone, so please put the date in your diary.It’s not too late to join the Bereavement Journey course, continuing Wednesday 1 November. Please use the link below for details, and share with anyone you know who might benefit.

For those looking ahead further, the dates for Christmas services and events are now available on the calendar, and on A church near you. Some details might get a tweak, but you can at least save the dates. You will be able to pick up a programme in church after half term. Before that there is plenty in the following notices which we kindly ask for your attention!

church family news

We send our love to Sally Morgan, whose brother Michael died in October, and whose funeral took place this week.  Please hold Sally, Owen - who has lost a dear uncle and godfather, and the whole family in your prayers. Please ask for God’s comfort and presence to be with them all.

Many will know by now that Richard Postill, son of John and Jeannie, died in hospital in Brussels on Saturday 21 October.  We send our love to Jeannie on this double bereavement.  Please pray for her, for Richard’s wife Marielle, and for Liz and the wider family, as they mourn the loss of both John and Richard - for God’s comfort and grace to enfold them all.

Liz Gorst’s father Brian died suddenly on 21st October.  Please hold Liz, Steve and James in your prayers, together with Brian’s wider family – pray for God’s peace and comfort to surround them all.

get involved / serving

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.

Coming Up / plan ahead

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

Can we pray for you?

***Please send prayer requests to prayer@bhcgodalming.org***

Mid-week Prayer Gatherings

Busbridge and Hambledon Churches are open daily for private prayer and reflection.

Monday Morning Reflections on Zoom
If you  would like to start your week in quiet reflection over a passage of scripture do join us at 8.45am on Mondays - you will be very welcome. For any further information please contact: Gertrud Sollars or Shan Hallam.

Wednesdays at 9AM:
Morning Prayer at Hambledon Church
Morning Prayer on Zoom

Groups & Activities

Nexus meets on the 1st Thursday of the month, with talks and activities for church members and the community. The 2023 Nexus programme can be found on Nexus.

Ladies’ Drinks takes place every 1st Friday of the month, 7.30PM at the The Pavilion by Howling Owl.

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 Jul-Dec is now available. For all events and details, see Prime Time.

Bereavement Café - The Bereavement Café is for anyone who has been bereaved recently or some time ago and provides a safe and supportive space to come and chat with members of the pastoral care team, and others who have experienced loss. Every last Tuesday of the month in the Old Rectory. More details >>>

Don’t forget about…

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. The instructions which are now on the web site HERE.

Elsewhere

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

WANTED: ACCOMMODATION FOR YOUTH WORKER RELOCATING TO GODALMING
Wanted: self-contained flat or annexe for Christian youth worker (Ola from TTT) from early October. Quiet, respectful and tidy tenant prepared to pay rent in return for own private space. If you have, or know of such accommodation in the Godalming area, please contact andy@trinitytrustteam.co.uk.

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.

Busbridge and Hambledon Churches are open daily for private prayer.