Readings: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 & Mark 13:32-37
9.15AM BUSBRIDGE Classic Service
Leader: Keith Harper
Speaker: Peter Shaw
Busbridge Church & Online
9.30AM HAMBLEDON Heritage Service
Leader & Speaker: Simon Willetts
Hambledon Church & Online
10.30AM BUSBRIDGE Contemporary
Leader: Chris Garner & Patrick Samuels
Speaker: Graham Sopp
Busbridge Church & Online
4PM HAMBLEDON Messy Church
Hambledon Village Hall
6PM *** Benefice prayer event for the climate crisis and COP26***
Leader & Speaker: Patrick Samuels and the Prayer Ministry Team
Busbridge Church. This is a whole church Prayer Event which will take place at the 6pm service. ALL church members warmly invited and encouraged to come. There will be an opening time of worship followed by a short thought from Patrick. We will then disperse to 3 prayer stations set up around the space and be encouraged to pray into 3 focus areas Air, Water, Earth. We will close the prayer event with communion and sung worship.
Please note: Hand sanitiser and face coverings are available in both churches for those that wish to use them. Holy Communion is celebrated by each congregation once a month (at a service in the benefice each Sunday.): Holy Communion Sundays.
Communion UPDATE - 15 Nov 2021
In the light of the continuing rise in Covid infections, coupled with people's desire for caution, we have taken the decision to revert to offering Communion in one kind only - i.e. bread (wafer) - for the foreseeable future. We realise that this will be disappointing news for some of you, but hope that you will bear with us as we try to navigate our way safely through what is still a very uncertain situation. We shall review this from time to time, as circumstances change and regulations permit.
ADVENT SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Seeing the heart of hope: Vicious Cycles Broken
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5
9.15AM BUSBRIDGE Classic: Taizé for Advent Sunday
Leader & Speaker: Philippa Baker
Busbridge Church & Online
A reflective service with music and quiet spaces to prepare for the season of Advent which will take place in the nave of the church.
10.30AM BUSBRIDGE Contemporary
Leader: Mark Williams
Speaker: Simon Willetts
Busbridge Church & Online
4PM Advent Evensong
With benefice choir.
Hambledon Church
6PM UNPLUGGED
Led by the Youth Team. With lighting up of the Advent heart.
Busbridge Church
The Notices
Lisa’s farewell. Lisa’s last Sunday is 28 November when she will be leading worship at the Busbridge Contemporary service and Unplugged. If you’d like to contribute to a leaving gift for Lisa, please send a cheque to the church office, or transfer to the Busbridge PCC bank account by Friday 19 November.
This week Ben Ford joined the staff team as Worship Pastor (part-time) and will oversee music and worship at Busbridge&Hambledon over Christmas and the coming months. Ben will be introduced in services from 21 November.
Anto is delighted to announce the appointment of Ed Sherwin to the role of Children’s Worker Assistant. Ed will be working with the Children, Youth and Families team (CYF) on a part time basis until July 2022 and will focus on the delivery of 4-11s children’s work. Ed has grown up in the church family so don’t be surprised if his face is familiar (photo to follow next week). Let’s give Ben and Ed the usual warm BHC welcome.
PCC News
The PCC met last week and discussed a sense that we need to shape our church life around mission and looking outwards and how people might lead this and get involved. The church finances were reviewed including an update on whether the financial shortfall to run our existing mission and worship was still around £40,000. The great news was that there’d been a fantastic response and we’re now looking to cover around £25,000. The PCC felt that we should be explaining about finances more regularly and how finance fuels Christian mission and presence locally and that we should be explaining the quiet works of mission that we undertake without fanfare. There is a space for one more Christian governor of our church school (see Anto for more info). We’d like to look at Christian ecology and our stewardship of resources. Recent staff and volunteer leadership changes were looked at, including welcoming Ed Sherwin (interim children’s work young person) and Ben Ford (part time worship pastor).
Planning for CHRISTMAS!…
Living Advent 2021
The CofE Christmas theme for 2021 is “At the heart of Christmas” and Busbridge&Hambledon will be incorporating this message in it’s Advent and Christmas events. The creatives among us (in this instance Dawn O’Toole, Will Godwin and friends) have produced a large heart of foraged wood to go on display in Busbridge churchyard throughout Advent. Look out for the final installation from 28 November.
Walking Advent Calendar
Thanks to all those that volunteered to make the Walking Advent Calendar this year. We were fortunate to have too many volunteers (what? never!), and many new addresses on the walk. The map will be available before 1 December, and distributed to pupils at Busbridge Infant and Junior Schools. We can’t wait to see the beautiful creations throughout Advent!
Daily Advent Reflections
‘But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.’
Luke 2:19
We know that Jesus is at the heart of Christmas as the theme and logo from the Church of England remind us this Christmas. In the run-up to Christmas many have found it helpful to spend time reflecting on what this really means for us, our family, our friends, our community. Many Christian organisations have produced reflections to help us. Why not take advantage of one of these this Advent and Christmas:
From the Church of England there are Advent Reflections from 29 November – 24 December by the Archbishop of York as well as two other bishops – Reflections for Advent. The booklet of these reflections can be obtained from Church House Publishing at £3.59.
At the heart of Christmas is full of stories and meditations by the two Archbishops covering the period from 24 December through to 6 January. Again, this booklet can be obtained from Church House Publishing at 80p. For further details see chpublishing.co.uk/Christmas.
The Church of England also has other activities and resources as part of its theme of AtTheHeartOfChristmas. These include an online family Advent calendar, daily Christmas activities and details of events. Search churchofengland.org/AtTheHeartOfChristmas
Tearfund will send out Daily Advent emails which will include a variety of items each day of Advent including scripture reading, stories, poetry, prayer and music. In their advertising information they comment so much better for your soul than a chocolate calendar! Sign up at www.tearfund.org/forms/advent-email-sign-up-form
Please join us for the online Christmas Charity Quiz on Saturday 4 December at 7.30pm! Nexus will be raising funds for the wonderful local hospice care team at Phyllis Tuckwell. Our brilliant quizmaster duo will be with us again. Alan Betts will be masterminding the setting of thought-provoking questions and delivering these in his inimitable style; and Dudley Hilton will oversee the amusing graphics, the technical stuff and score keeping!!
To join the Quiz, please make a donation to Phyllis Tuckwell on www.justgiving.com/PamelaDaltonWilliams
It’s vital that you ‘Show’ your name, even if you ‘Hide’ your donation amount. This makes it easier for us to track who wants to join our Quiz!! Please Gift Aid your donation, if you can!! Once you have donated, please email Janet Harvey by Monday 29th November, on: janetmharvey@btinternet.com, so she can organise teams and breakout rooms. All are welcome – the more the merrier! Encourage your family and friends to join you and let’s make it a fun evening to start our Christmas celebrations. We look forward to 'seeing' you on 4th December.
Other things happening in Advent and Christmas can be found HERE including the link to book Christmas Eve services at Busbridge.
MISSION: The November Outward Giving Update is about the Guildford Besom. It thanks Busbridge&Hambledon Church for it’s support and has some great examples of how the money we’ve given has enabled care and ministry to vulnerable people moving into new homes around Guildford.
The Outward Giving team needs new members urgently, to oversee the outward giving and work with our mission partners. To find out about the work that the OG team makes happen on behalf of Busbridge&Hambledon Church, please see the Outward Giving page.
Waverley have offered to help resettle some Afghan refugees. The churches response is being coordinated by the Diocese but the BHC home group led by Julia Stubbs is the contact point in Busbridge. If you have anything to donate please contact Julia Stubbs (eashingstubbs@aol.com) or Sarah Black (sarahblack536@gmail.com) or there will be a box at the back of church on Sunday.
The first family who are arriving this week have 2 young children .
Things they need for the family are :
-household items, food parcels, toiletries etc
-clothes and toys for a boy aged 2 and a 4-year-old girl.
-any household electricals have got to be new, for health and safety reasons.
Most families have arrived with very little and would be very grateful for anything our church can do to help support families to resettle here in the UK.
The Cellar Camino Café urgently needs volunteers on a Wednesday morning, 9 to 1, to cover a staff shortage. They are enormously grateful to those from BHC who help out on other days of the week. If enough people volunteer the workload should not be too arduous or too frequent. Speak to Shelagh Godwin or contact the Cellar direct. Mark Puddephatt and members of his house group would be willing to talk about the joy of serving for this local church mission partner.
The Bridge Magazine—looking for an new editor and treasurer. It is with huge gratitude and appreciation (and more than a little regret) that we share that Cathy Brook, who has been editor of the Bridge for 6 years, will be stepping aside at the end of December. Lesley Reeves will also be ending her tenure as treasurer. This leaves 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 editor is paid, and could be shared with a deputy editor. More details about the roles will be available next week.
The Nov/Dec Issue of the Bridge is available online HERE, including Christmas events and services at church.
Movie Matinees are back! and the next one is on 27 Nov in Busbridge Church. Hosted by Prime Time, open to all.
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.
You may remember that an attendee of the Pre-Marriage Course presented the church with a fig tree recently. We have been advised by one of our knowledgeable, green fingered congregants that, for the first year at least, the fig should be sheltered from frosts and should overwinter in a greenhouse. If anyone has room for a visitor in their greenhouse until spring, we would be most grateful (it’s still in its pot). Please contact liz.gorst@bhcgodalming.org if you can help. Many thanks.
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
We have been deeply saddened to hear of the death of Edna Atkins. Until she moved away in November of last year, Edna had lived and worshipped in Hambledon for sixty years. A service to give thanks for Edna’s life will be held in Hambledon at 11.00 a.m. on Thursday 25 November 2021. All who knew and loved Edna are very welcome to attend. Please wear something red, which was Edna’s favourite colour. The service may be live-streamed and details of the link will be available from the church office nearer the time.
Please pray for Edna’s family, that they may know God's peace and comfort surrounding them all.
All who knew Pat Hilton are warmly invited to the long-delayed Service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for her life, which will take place at 3pm on Saturday 20th November in Busbridge Church, followed by refreshments (also in church). Dress code – “Glad rags, not sad rags”!
For those unable to be there, the service will be live streamed on YouTube, where it will also be available to view subsequently on “catch-up”. Please contact Dudley if you would like the access details when they are available. Please be praying for Dudley, Robert, Catriona and the wider family. It has been a particularly long wait to celebrate Pat's life and they will be grateful for all your prayers.
Please Pray for
All those who attend the annual benefice Memorial Service on Saturday 6 November, that they might find comfort, and give thanks for our bereavement team and pastoral assistants as they care for those who have lost loved ones.
Please continue to pray for the COP26 conference in Glasgow from 31st October - 12th November. At this significant time for our country and the world we must unite in prayer.
Park Road and road steward Anthony Field and Frances Morris
Lane end
Those working in medicine.
ELSEWHERE
We offer our prayers and support to staff, pupils and parents at Busbridge Infant School following it’s recent Ofsted Inspection. Please watch a message from Head Teacher, Darren Heatley outlining plans to respond.
http://www.busbridge-infant.surrey.sch.uk/website/ofsted_reports/63957
Waverley Abbey Trust (CWR), based in Waverley Abbey House Farnham. We are primarily a college offering Christian counselling training and Spiritual Direction courses. The catering is an important part of the students experience and we are currently understaffed. It's a great job for youth who may be looking for part-time work between studies or at weekends. Or for anyone looking for a full-time position of this kind. There are both full time and part-time opportunities. The job descriptions, person specifications and main terms of employment are available from Iain Jones. Iain.jones@waverleyabbey.org
See Churches Together Link Up - November Issue for news from around other churches in and around Godalming.
Catch up on News from other areas
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.
