Dear Prime Time member,

It has been half-term this week so I’ve been enjoying a more relaxed and leisurely pace over the last few days.  As many of you are probably aware, I generally don’t work through the school holidays in order that I can concentrate on being mum to Harry when the schools are off.

Of course, for the past three months Harry has been at home all the time, but holiday time still feels a bit special as we don’t have to set the alarm and we’re not fixed to a set routine (although it’s not really possible to vary things much at the moment is it?!)  Harry has reached the age now where school work seems to occupy a great proportion of holiday time and so even this week he’s spent a lot of hours at his desk and in front of a computer screen.

I’ve had some very supportive messages from Prime Time members during lock down; many particularly commenting on how hard home schooling must be.  I actually consider myself very fortunate, because as Harry is now seventeen, I don’t really have to ‘home school’ him.  Luckily in the main he’s quite a motivated chap and gets on with what he needs to do; so apart from the occasional nudge to keep him on task and the daily check to make sure he knows what’s in his diary for that day and seeing if he’s on track to meet homework deadlines, I’m not having to get too involved with school life.

The housekeeping though is an entirely different matter…!  I may not feel as though I’m running a school at home, but running an open all hours café – most certainly yes!  Having a teenage boy at home all the time seems to necessitate an endless supply of food and every time I go into a room, I seem to find a used plate and half-drunk glass of water abandoned there.  It’s ‘brain food’ Harry tells me by way of justification; “it keeps my brain cells working!”  Our weekly shopping bill has risen exponentially since we went into lock down (but happily this is offset by the equally sharp drop in petrol costs from not having to do the twice daily school run!)

I do consider myself very fortunate that I do not find myself in the position of having to home-school younger children.  A number of friends as well as colleagues are needing to, and I’m aware it can be quite a challenge.  Whereas for me, I can view the school closures as something of a blessing.  Not since Harry was little have we had the opportunity to day in, day out spend so much time together.  Just at the point in our lives when we as parents are having to contemplate the reality that in eighteen months Harry could well be living away from home; we find ourselves able to spend extended periods together as a family.  I’m sure that nobody will look back on the pandemic year with fondness, but there have been elements of the enforced change to our way of life that I will cherish, and the time spent with Harry will be one of them.  As the saying goes, ‘Mothers hold their children’s hands for just a little while but their hearts forever’. 

Children growing up and moving towards independence is a challenge that most parents have to face at some point.  It can be a time of very mixed emotions; utter joy as you see your life’s work in this young adult as they prepare to take their place in the world, but sadness too as a chapter of your life (and theirs) firmly closes and you know there is no going back.  As a staff team we are very much facing that challenge at the moment as we prepare to say goodbye this weekend to our Curate Dave Preece.  (A former Curate at BHC used to describe himself as a ‘Vicar with ‘L’ Plates’ if that helps you place a Curate within the church staffing structure!)  Dave joined us in the summer of 2017, ostensibly for a period of three years (although Covid has extended his time with us – another unforeseen blessing of the pandemic, although Dave might view that differently!)

It’s been wonderful to watch Dave develop his skills and grow into his potential.  He has become an extremely valued member of the staff team and a good friend to us all. We will miss him.  Dave has been a great supporter of Prime Time too and we’ve loved welcoming Dave, his wife Hannah and their two young daughters to our events.  They’ve been on trips with us, come to our bowls sessions and of course we made sure that Dave experienced the Prime Time Carol Service.  Personally, I’ve been very grateful for Dave’s technological know-how when setting up for Prime Time events.  Without Dave being on hand, there would have been several events when you would have had no sound and nothing appearing on the screen!  We had all better collectively start hoping that when Prime Time events can resume, that I find someone else around the Old Rectory who can support me with such challenges!

Dave has been appointed Priest in Charge of Saxmundham with Kelsale cum Carlton; a combined benefice (so similar to Busbridge and Hambledon in that regard) in Suffolk, about midway between Ipswich and Lowestoft.  Dave’s last working day with us is this coming Sunday (Feb 21st).  We’re making sure that he works hard on his last day with us as he’ll be putting in an appearance at both the 9am and 10.15 services.  Both will be available to watch on our YouTube channel as due to the current restrictions we are unable to gather in person.  If you remember Dave form some of the Prime Time events he has attended, why not tune in on Sunday morning and see him for one last time?  The 9am Classic service, follows the format of the more traditional Classic service that usually would take place in Busbridge Church on a Sunday morning; while the 10.15 Conversations from the Couch has a rather more contemporary feel.  Don’t be put off by this though; I am usually much more at home in the Classic congregation, but I am really enjoying Conversations on the Couch.  To me it feels as though I’m listening in to a conversation between two friends as they discuss a passage from the Bible.  On Sunday the discussion will be between our Rector Simon Taylor and of course, Dave.  Dave’s wife Hannah will also be putting an appearance; as will their two daughters.  Do consider tuning in as we wish them well in the next chapter of their lives.  Our YouTube channel can be accessed via our website: www.bhcgodalming.org  Scroll down to about halfway down our homepage and you will see a big red rectangle that says ‘YouTube BHC Godalming’; click on that and you will be taken to our You Tube channel where you can click on the service you wish to watch.  (And if you oversleep on Sunday morning, both services will be recorded so you can watch them later in the day!)

When a Curate is placed with us, we are always aware that we only have them for a limited period of time.  As a church, we have a long history of being a ‘sending’ church; which means that we have a tradition of raising people up and sending them out either for ordination or mission of other kinds.  As a church community we do feel like proud parents on such occasions; full of joy for what the future might hold for these individuals but sadness too that our part in their lives is drawing to a close and that from now on, our contact with them may be of the long-distance variety.

On such occasions I am reminded of a line from Proverbs ‘Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice’ (Proverbs: chapter 23, verse 25)  And rejoice we do for Dave, Hannah and their girls and also the benefice of Saxmundham with Kelsale cum Carlton as they have a very fine Priest in Charge heading their way.  As he prepares to leave us, we pray for Dave as he sets out on the next stage of his journey with God and as he journeys on taking our prayers with him, maybe at some point Dave will reflect as Abraham Lincoln once did;  ‘I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me.  They have clung to me all my life’.  Hopefully a little bit of BHC will cling to Dave throughout his life too (in the nicest possible way!)

And before I sign off for this evening; a little reminder that next Thursday afternoon (Feb 25th) we are opening up the BHC Zoom Room for the first of our Coffee, Catch Up and Chat sessions.  The virtual doors will be open between 3.30 and 4pm – do drop in and say hello. 

The direct link is: https://zoom.us/j/9463914833

Or the Personal Meeting ID (PMI) if you prefer to type it directly into the Zoom ‘Join a Meeting’ box is 946-391-4833

Password:  in both instances you will also need to enter the following password: 2021

Maybe see you on Thursday on Zoom…?

Until then, with every good wish,

Penny x

Penny Naylor

Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator