GM Blog

Author: vick.hicks

  • Sunday 26 July

    Thanks to those who took part in Sunday On the Move last week – it was lovely to see you! The pics show cars at Hambledon Nursery listening to worship; Juliet, Patrick Samuels and Vic at the Prayer Station at St Mark’s (we stood 2m apart at all times, and just stepped in a bit for the photo!) and on the right is the face masked Rector marking out spots in the churchyard for any overflow at the first service back in Busbridge Church this Sunday – all 4m apart. The outside speakers are installed now too.

    THIS SUNDAY

    9AM HERITAGE ONLINE Service on YouTube Click here

    Change is needed in society

    Readings: Isaiah 43:18-19, Micah 6:6-8 and Revelation 21:1-7

    Speaker: David Jenkins

    10AM MESSY CHURCH on zoom: God’s Rescue Plan – the 10 Plagues of Egypt

    (Exodus)

    Leader: Simon Willetts and the Messy Church team

    Equipment you need for the craft:

    An empty toilet roll, green paper, white paper, black pen, glue & sellotape!

    In the BHC Public zoom room, password 2020.

    10AM MORNING WORSHIP at Busbridge Church, overflow in churchyard – Please sign up via the event on the What’s On page, wear a face mask in church. You are welcome to bring a chair in case the church is full, and you are asked to take part outside.

    Theme: Miracles in Mark 1: Through the roof; Mark 2:1-12

    Leader: Margot Spencer

    Speaker:  Gertrud Sollars

    Music:   Ian Beckingham

    The Notices

    Breaking for summer:

    There’s been a lot going on in lockdown, and a few things are taking a break in the summer holidays:

    • 9AM Morning Prayer has moved to TUESDAYS & THURSDAYS only until September.

    • 9.45AM Toddler Sing Along on Tuesdays takes a break in August – the last one is this week 28 July.

    • 7PM THURSDAY LIVE stopped last week for the summer.

    • The next Sunday PrayerFest 0-60 is 27 September.

    What IS on?
    Not everything has stopped, so please check the calendar on the What’s On page week to week.

    The Children’s, Youth and Families work is also taking a break of sorts, but if you are signed up to a group, you will have received a few things to do and take part in. As well as the All Age Online services coming up on YouTube, there’s a Summer Programme for different age groups, the Summer Challenge for Explorers and Pathfinders and teens will have had an invitation to the 3 day, 2 night Discipleship Camp in the Old Rectory Garden. Whaaat?! Ask Anto.Ficatier@bhcgodalming.org for details.

    Coming up …
    On Saturday the Churches Together Prayer Breakfast at 8.30am is followed by the Hambledon Prayer Breakfast at 9.30am. Both are open to all to join in the BHC public zoom room.

    Monday
    8AM Listening Prayer
    7.30AM Hope in Depression

    Tuesday
    9AM Morning Prayer
    9.45AM Toddler Sing Along (end of term)

    Wednesday
    7.30PM Alpha course

    Thursday
    9AM Morning Prayer

    Thursday 30th, Friday 31st, Saturday 1 Aug
    9PM New Wine United – post evening session catch ups    .
    New Wine Breaks out! New Wine is an annual Christian event that a group from our church usually attend, with worship, teaching, ministry, seminars, and a fantastic youth and children’s programme. This year it’s online and free for all to access! Do watch the promotional video, and find the programme and how to access it through this link  https://www.new-wine.org/breaksout.

    One of the joys of real life New Wine is meeting after sessions to chat and share a drink or 2, so we have set up Zoom rooms for after the evening session at 9pm. We can watch the evening session first, then meet to chat about what we’ve heard and share a coffee or wine together. Do join us in the BHC Public zoom room, password 2020.

    NEXT SUNDAY – see the Summer Programme.
    We all back online for the 9AM Heritage Service on YouTube and 11AM New Wine United online worship event.

    Ben’s Bank Holiday walk (108 miles!)
    Many of you may remember that we have been, though it seems like a very long time ago, raising funds to redevelop the Church Centre to make it more community focused. As we look to a future where the structure of worship and mission will be evolving, we believe that a coffee drop in could be even more key, and plans are progressing. To ‘do his bit’ and Ben Rogers is undertaking the challenge of doing a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Church Centre redevelopment. The route he’s chosen is the Greensands Way, taking him from Haslemere to a place called Hamstreet, Kent. It is a 108 mile route which he plans to complete 31st August – 2nd September.

    Ben is asking for sponsorship for this huge commitment, ideally via GoFundMe here

    Any prayers you have to offer would also be a powerful encouragement. If God does speak to in way (word, picture, song) please do forward them to myself at benspets87@outlook.com.’

    But an expedition such as this also needs a support crew, refreshment stops, cheering crowds, chalk slogans on the roads, flags waving etc. If you want to be part of this over the bank holiday weekend, please email: church.office@bhcgodalming.org.

    Outward Giving: 5 Talents
    Listen out….. This Sunday morning Five Talents have been awarded the weekly Appeal slot on Radio 4.  Five Talents works through the Anglican Church in rural areas of East Africa and beyond to establish microfinance programmes which enable those who have no access to financial services to set-up and grow the small businesses they depend on.  BHC supports Five Talents through its outward giving programme and Five Talents was the focus of our Harvest Appeal in 2018.  Do listen out through the link here: https://www.fivetalents.org.uk/bbc-radio-4-appeal (at 07:54, 21:25 and online). 

    Please pray for the work of Five Talents, its trainers and members of its savings groups as they work through the current crisis.  It would also be great if you could share these details of the appeal with friends and family to help the important work of Five Talents become better known.  

    Churches Together Link-Up – August Edition
    Click here for news from all the churches around Godalming.

    Please pray for Please pray for these roads and their residents, and perhaps include them on a prayer walk this week:
    · Monteagle and Westdean and road stewards Guy and Jo Cookes.
    · Hambledon Road and Hambledon Nursery School

    PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM AVAILABLE

    To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org  or call 01483 421267.
    Listening prayer is available mid-week.

    For more information contact Jeannie Postill t 01428 687968.

  • Dear Prime Time – 10 July

    Dear Prime Time member,

    As I set out for the Church Office this morning I had a rough outline forming in my mind as to what I would write about in my letter to you today, but as I find quite often is the case, God clearly had other ideas…!  My journey to the office this morning included a couple of stops to drop off hearing aid batteries.  As I entered the porch of one house, a sign hung up on the wall caught my eye.  It read: “FAMILY – Like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one”. This is a phrase that I haven’t come across before, but it really jumped out of that sign at me.  The analogy is perfect.  Families do grow (and go!) in all different directions, but wherever we are in our lives or in the world, we never lose that commonality, our genetic make-up and family bond – the one thing that all the members of any family have in common.  For some people, it is not their natural family, but a church family or other group that they identify with that they consider ‘family’.  However, the strength of feeling and the emotion is the same.

    You may have heard me say it before, but to me, Prime Time feels like an extended family.  I consider myself so fortunate to be part of it, let alone leading it.  I have the benefit of so many years of experience around me.  I am surrounded by people I know I can trust to guide me and who will offer me the benefit of their life experience.  And with more than one hundred and thirty Prime Time members, I figure that within the membership we’ve probably got most situations covered!  And like an extended family spanning many generations, Prime Time has embraced its younger members; not just my own family but children and grand-children of Prime Time Team members and Prime-Timers alike have been welcomed to events and have been treated quite literally as one of the family. And the way that Prime Time members have embraced the various initiatives that we’ve worked on with local schools speaks volumes about a group of people who wish to encourage and support the younger members of ‘the family’, just as you would do with your own grandchildren.  I’m also aware that you support each other and look out for one another if someone is unwell or experiencing a difficult time, just as you would with a sibling who is at a similar life stage to yourself.  I love it and I think it is one of the strengths of the Prime Time group – welcome to the family!

    We are all children of the same Heavenly Father; maybe He is the ‘root’ referred to in the sign that so grabbed my attention this morning…

    For anyone who attended Monday’s virtual Prime Time Quiz Afternoon on Zoom, you may have realised that for me it was something of a family affair; there were three generations of our family represented at the quiz!  I think I can confidently speak for all of us when I say that we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I know I for one haven’t laughed that much in weeks!  It was lovely to see everyone again – we were able to use the break out rooms so small groups could manage to chat and there were a few Lock-Down hairstyles to be admired!

    Such was the success of Monday’s event that even before the session drew to a close, people were asking when we would be doing it again!  So I have pleasure in confirming that there will be a Prime Time Virtual Quiz – Take 2 on the afternoon of Tuesday 11th August.  I will send out instructions as to how to join this event nearer the time.  We have opted for a different day of the week this time so as not to disadvantage people who may have a regular commitment on a Monday afternoon.  Our Quiz Master Di has pledged to make the questions a little easier next time (but as someone pointed out to me – the questions are only difficult if you don’t know the answers!)

    If you missed the quiz on Monday afternoon (or if you were there and you want to re-live the experience!) I have attached the quiz questions to this email for you to challenge yourselves (or maybe your own family over Zoom at the weekend!)  One attachment has just the questions and one the questions along with the answers, so make sure you open the ‘Questions’ attachment first (otherwise the quiz won’t be very challenging at all!)

    May I wish you a very enjoyable week quizzing those nearest and dearest to you and thank you for being part of our family.

    With every blessing,

    Penny

    Penny Naylor

    Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

  • Sunday 19 July

    THIS SUNDAY

    change begins with us | matthew 25: 31-46

    9AM HERITAGE ONLINE Service on YouTube

    9-11AM SUNDAY ON THE MOVE – a drive around service, in the community. Start at the Busbridge Village Hall anytime between 9am and 11am. Bring your smart phone (Android phones need a QR scanning app – please download beforehand). More details

    Welcome:        Anto
    Speaker:          Simon Taylor
    Reading:          Abigail Hewlett
    Prayers:           Sheila Samuel and friends from St Mark’s
    Music:             Lisa Olsworth-Peter

    11.30AM ‘After service’ Coffee for Busbridge 8am and Classic congregations
    (BHC public zoom room).

    4PM               Tea and Talk with the 2 Simons on zoom
                            Join Simon Taylor and Simon Willets on zoom at 4pm to hear about plans for returning to church in September. In the BHC Public Room.

    4.30PM SUNDAY ON THE MOVE service available on YouTube.

    Please note – contrary to the email, PRAYERFEST is taking a break until September (4th Sunday).

    THE NOTICES

    The summer Break Free programme started last Sunday with a short service in the Old Rectory Garden and continues this Sunday with Sunday on the Move. If you are comfortable at home, the Heritage Online service will be produced on YouTube every Sunday over the summer holidays.

    Please keep checking the Summer 2020 programme page here, as there will be updates and different instructions for each event.

    The Future of Worship Survey – results and what next?

    Here are some findings!

    • 250+ responses in 72 hours! – you care deeply about the future of your church.

    • 74% said their spirituality and faith had become more important due to COVID 19.

    • 60% were keen to attend church services in the building, with an open air option straightaway.

    • 90% indicated an openness to a change in venue if necessary for certain congregations.



    RESULTS & WHAT NEXT

    Find the further analysis and some thoughts on what next HERE and join the zoom meeting at 4PM this Sunday to hear more about plans for September. See What’s on for the event and link to zoom.

    Next Sunday is Messy Church online
    A live service on zoom for everyone at 10am, with activities for the children. We’ll be making something to do with the 10 Plagues of Egypt, and the list of equipment you need is here:

    • An empty toilet roll 

    • Glue or sellotape

    • A piece of green paper roughly A5 size (or colour it in a plain piece.) If you have a colour printer, you can print the attached pdf of a piece of Green paper.pdf 
      Black pen

    • A small piece of white paper (about one inch by two inches)

    OR you can sign up for Morning Worship at Busbridge Church, also at 10am.
    A simple service for all congregations in the benefice of Busbridge&Hambledon, led by Margot Spencer. 

    To maintain a distance of 2m between bubbles, space in church is limited.  If the church is full, sound will be transmitted by speaker in the churchyard too, and the ground has been marked for people to sit or stand 4m apart.

    • PLEASE SIGN UP – Go to What’s On, look down to the full calendar and select the event.

    • To help us cooperate with Test and Trace, you will be requested to sign in to services on church premises.  A welcomer will be on the door to take your name down, but it would help us to anticipate numbers, and be quicker when you arrive, if you sign up beforehand.

      PLEASE LEAVE THE CHURCH AND CHURCHYARD DIRECTLY AFTER THE SERVICE – we regret that it is not possible to stay and chat people after the service.

    • PLEASE CONSIDER WEARING A FACE MASK IN CHURCH. This is not a legal requirement for churches, and seating inside will be amply spaced to ensure social distancing, but for the safety of others, we encourage people to wear a face covering inside.

    New Wine Breaks Out!
    New Wine is an annual Christian event that a group from our church usually attends, with worship, teaching, ministry, seminars, and a fantastic youth and children’s programme. This year it’s online and free for all to access! Do watch the promotional video through this link  https://www.new-wine.org/breaksout

    One of the joys of real life New Wine is meeting after sessions to chat and share a drink or 2, so we have set up Zoom rooms for after the evening session at 9pm. We can watch the session first, then meet to chat about what we’ve heard, and share a coffee or wine together. Do join us in the BHC public zoom room each evening 30th July to 2nd August.

    On 2 August, the New Wine service at 11AM will stand in place of our main online service on YouTube, and we encourage everyone to join that worship.

    ALL EVENTS THIS WEEK 20-25 July, and beyond, are listed on the calendar on the What’s On page.

    We send our love to Jenny Lansdowne, whose father died suddenly on Tuesday (14th).  Please pray for Jenny, Anthony, Owain, Rhys and Gethin, and for Jenny’s mother and sister.  Hold them all up to God, asking for his peace to surround them and give them comfort.

    Please pray for Please pray for these roads and their residents, and perhaps include them on a prayer walk this week:
    · Minster Road road stewards Ruth Bennett, Sarah Black and Nick Moore.
    · Hambledon Park.

    PRAYER MINISTRY TEAM AVAILABLE

    To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org  or call 01483 421267.
    Listening prayer is available mid-week.

    For more information contact Jeannie Postill t 01428 687968.

  • Sunday 12 July



    PRINT NOTICES (pdf)

    THIS SUNDAY

    Our calling | Isaiah  43: 1-13

    What is our calling as individuals, as a church family, as Christians in workplaces, in the community or in a home?

    ONLINE Services on YouTube (Heritage & Main)

    Welcome:        David Preece
    Speaker:          Simon Taylor
    Reading:          Naomi Willetts
    Prayers:           The Jones
    Music:              Paul Ridsdale-Smith

    11AM ‘After service’ Coffee for Contemporary and Hambledon congregations.

    End of Year parties & graduation ceremonies for Tiny Tigers 9AM, Ark 9AM, Explorers 11.15AM & Pathfinders 10AM (zoom details via email from CYF team).

    4PM                   OPEN AIR SERVICE, Old Rectory Garden
                                 Simple worship event. Socially distanced, please sign up here and bring your own chair. Face masks are not compulsory, but we ask attendees to consider wearing them from the protection of others.

    THE NOTICES

    This week’s A Word from is by Margot Spencer – Read more

    Churches and worship—Update

    As we head into the summer, like many churches, we are using this as a chance to experiment and try things to help us prepare for worship in the future.  Thanks to all those who have completed the survey this week – some 250 responses in 72 hours provided some really helpful feedback and ideas, and we are using some of the info to help shape summer worship beyond church walls and in the community.

    Those on the email distribution list also received an invitation to the Open Air service this Sunday at 4pm, to which we ask people to sign up.  Since the invitation went out there has been an update to the instructions:

    • Please bring a chair, there will be space to sit, but no seating will be provided apart from the 2 garden benches which we can reserve for those with limited mobility.

    • Face masks are not compulsory— everyone will be staying at least 2m apart in the garden at all times.  However we ask attendees to consider wearing a face mask for the protection of others.

    If you would like to come to the service, please respond to the email sent on Wednesday or sign up via the What’s On event on the web site here.

    what’s on this Summer?

    Click HERE for the Break Free on Sundays summer programme, and instructions for Sunday on the Move (19 July). Please note the 4PM zoom with the 2 Simons next sunday, and Live Messy Church on 26 July via zoom. Details and instructions for all the events will follow with the notices each week.

    New LLMs
    Keith Harper and Philippa Baker complete their theological and church training on 13 July to become Licensed Lay Ministers.  Do congratulate Philippa and Keith and pray for them. Philippa and Keith have both successfully completed 3 years of  intense ministerial training and been awarded Diplomas of Higher Education in Theology, Ministry and Mission by the University of Durham. In October they will be licensed by one of our bishops, this licensing service having been delayed by the Covid-19 crisis.

    Now they have completed their training in the Diocese and will shortly  become members of the ministerial team of Busbridge and Hambledon. 

    Busbridge Prayer Group, Saturday 11 July
    This month’s Prayer Time is on Saturday 11th July   ( 2nd Saturday of each month) 8-9am via Zoom , where we pray for our leaders and all those who do anything in the churches.  An Hour of prayer either silent or out loud on items that we care about. 

    If you can’t make it, but have something or someone you would like us to pray for, do get in contact with Michael Stubbs: michaeleashing@aol.com.

    Listening Prayer—8am on Mondays
    The Prayer Ministry team invite everyone to an early Monday session to simply listen for God.  Join us for 50 minutes (or as much as you can manage) of listening prayer.  A chance to listen to what God might be saying to you, or our Church community. An opportunity to be still before God with music, a piece of scripture followed by a short reflection and then a time of silence.  At the end there is an invitation to share what God may have said to you if you would like too.  Such a great start to the week. 

    Helpful Habits Too
    The next Helpful Habits Too (please note, this is not the basic course but a follow-on) will be on Tuesday 14th July, on ‘Praying with images’, and anyone who would like to join needs to contact me for the details and prep. To discuss or to register, please contact Gertrud Sollars, e: Gertrud.sollars@btinternet.com.

    HR support requested
    We’ve reviewed how we offer employment support and we would like to hear from anyone who might have expertise in this area and join an advisory group to help the PCC care for its staff team.  To offer to help please contact a church warden.

    Carer wanted 
    Employment opportunity available to provide care support to a Busbridge couple with long standing connections to our church.  Previous experience of care work would be desirable due to the complex nature of this couple’s needs and the post holder must be prepared to carry out personal care tasks. Job share applications considered.  Working hours would be on a rota basis to support the live-in carers to have a break.  The post is for 20 hours a week spread over 5 days, in blocks of approximately 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off.  For further details please contact Penny Naylor via the Church Office or email: penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org

    Alpha Online
    Please continue to pray for participants and leaders.  (Email: david.preece@bhcgodalming.org and find all the details on the web site under Courses.)

    Hope in Depression—course starts 6 July
    Please pray for participants and facilitators on the Hope In Depression course with which starts on Monday.  There is still some room on this course.  This 6 week course was developed by the Hope in Depression charity for delivery by churches, and we are grateful that Simon Willetts has previous experience leading the course and is able to offer the online version to anyone in the local community.  The course is free, and can help those suffering with depression and those supporting them.  The details and the registration form are on the web site, under courses.  Do please pass this onto anyone who might benefit.

    In the community
    Please see the latest issue of the Trinity Trust Team news letter HERE.

    Please pray for
    Please pray for these roads and their residents, and perhaps include them on a prayer walk this week:
    · Maryvale and road steward Jacky Beale.
    · Feathercombe Lane.

    Prayer Ministry team available

    To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org  or call 01483 421267.
    Listening prayer is available mid-week.
    For more information contact Jeannie Postill t 01428 687968.

  • Margot Spencer

    I recently re-read a wonderful, deeply moving book, set in France during World War 2.  It tells the story of a girl who lives with her widowed father.  At the age of six, she goes blind, an apparent tragedy which could fill them both with despair.  But the despair doesn’t last, because “Marie-Laure is too young and her father is too patient”.

    Her world suddenly becomes a maze, but her father painstakingly builds a scale model of their neighbourhood and teaches her to find her way around it.  At first she is frustrated (“I can’t do it Papa!”), but by continually running her fingers over the model to familiarise herself with it, and then going out with her father into the streets, she learns to find her way home from the museum where he works.  Then she learns how to get to the baker’s, by counting her steps and the storm drains, and by learning which way to turn at each intersection.  In time, she learns to find her way around their neighbourhood as well as her sighted friends.

    Later, when they have to flee Paris and end up living with distant family, in St Malo, the process is repeated all over again.  A different neighbourhood, another maze, a new scale model.

    We may feel that we had worked out to how to find our way around the world we used to live in – you know, the one we inhabited until four months ago.  This new place needs to be navigated slightly differently.  Some of the old landmarks are still there, but others have changed; when we reach an intersection, we may have to take a different route to our destination.

    The way we live and work – as individuals, as a church and as a wider community – will never be quite the same again.  But different does not have to mean less good.  Who knows, we may be able to recapture the more leisurely pace we had to adopt at the beginning of the pandemic … finding different ways of doing things and taking time to discover new places.

    Above all, like Marie-Laure, we may find that this new place is not as scary as we thought.  And we may discover a new direction and purpose in our walk with God, who is as patient a Father as hers was. 

    The prophet Jeremiah says this:

    This is what the Lord says:

    “Stand at the crossroads and look;

    ask for the ancient paths,

    ask where the good way is , and walk in it,

    and you will find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)

    Margot Spencer , July 2020

     

     

     

  • Sunday 5 July



    PRINT NOTICES

    This Sunday

    Christian Character | Job 1:1-3, 13-22;

    What is our Christian character as we deal with death and disappointment; as individuals and as a Christian community?

    ONLINE Services on YouTube

    Welcome: Simon Taylor
    Speaker:   Margot Spencer
    Reading:   Jo Cookes
    Prayers:    Simon Willetts
    Music:      Arianna Pisetti & Davide Tavernini

    The Notices

    Available from

    9am    Heritage service (BCP)
    10am  BHC MAIN ONLINE SERVICE

    Tiny Tigers & Ark for children on YouTube too.          

    Churches and worship
    In light of new government guidance, we are looking at how we can offer Sunday worship in our church buildings and we’re grateful to Michael Stubbs, Tim Davies and Mike Hawkey for their work on getting technology into both churches for live streaming in the Autumn. We have two buildings which can each have no more than 20-35 people in them and there are important deep-clean requirements before and after each use. We are keen to avoid a regular ‘pre-booked ticket only’ approach to worship in a church building.

    We believe that the Holy Spirit is asking us to look at how and where we gather to worship and how this fits with us as a mission community for God. We will be able to return to the church buildings once we have worked safety, technology and access out; we are also looking at other ways to gather and celebrate together. 

    With the summer coming, we are going to try some different approaches to Sunday worship. For this next phase, the teaching will be on the theme Recovery, and we are calling the summer programme for Sundays ‘Break Free’ – it won’t all be on YouTube! (A programme with more details will follow next week.)

    A reminder: Busbridge Church and Hambledon Church are open daily from 9.30am to 4.30pm for private prayer and we encourage everyone to pop in.  We have received really positive feedback to the  display to help guide prayer if at Busbridge and there is also info on Why Pray? at Hambledon.

    The Chain of Hope in Busbridge churchyard is growing!  There are some very creative designs painted on pebbles, large and small, and some simple ones too.  We hope this will encourage you to drop in while we cannot gather physically to worship. 

    Church cleaning—Due to COVID-19 precautions, we are having to double bag all our potentially contaminated waste and have to store it for 72 hours before throwing it away. If anyone has any spare supermarket-type bags we could use to line our bins, it would be much appreciated if you could drop them off at the front door of the Old Rectory please. You could tuck them behind the Creative Kindness box so they don’t blow away. Many thanks.

    New LLMs
    We are delighted to announce that Keith Harper and Philippa Baker complete their theological and church training on July 13th to become locally licensed ministers (lay ministers). Normally we’d interview them in church and pray for them. Do congratulate Philippa and Keith and pray for them. They have given two years of their time to for theological study, church placements and residential weekends.  (They will be formally licensed in October).

    Church Family Support Fund
    The stewards of Busbridge and Hambledon Church Family Support Fund would like to send their very grateful thanks to those who have anonymously donated  some very considerable funds to the charity. These have given the fund a substantial boost and will enable the stewards to be able to support more people who are in financial difficulty because of the Covid 19 crisis. Thank you very much.

    Listening Prayer—8am on Mondays
    The Prayer Ministry team invite everyone to an early Monday session to simply listen for God.  Join us for 50 minutes (or as much as you can manage) of listening prayer.  A chance to listen to what God might be saying to you, or our Church community. An opportunity to be still before God with music, a piece of scripture followed by a short reflection and then a time of silence.  At the end there is an invitation to share what God may have said to you if you would like too.  Such a great start to the week. 

    Helpful Habits Too
    The next Helpful Habits Too (please note, this is not the basic course but a follow-on) will be on Tuesday 14th July, on ‘Praying with images’, and anyone who would like to join needs to contact me for the details and prep. To discuss or to register, please contact Gertrud Sollars, e: Gertrud.sollars@btinternet.com.

    HR support requested
    We’ve reviewed how we offer employment support and we would like to hear from anyone who might have expertise in this area and join an advisory group to help the PCC care for its staff team.  To offer to help please contact a church warden.

    A mobile phone has been handed into the church office. Please contact liz.gorst@bhcgodaling.org if you think it might be yours.

    Carer wanted 
    Employment opportunity available to provide care support to a Busbridge couple with long standing connections to our church.  Previous experience of care work would be desirable due to the complex nature of this couple’s needs and the post holder must be prepared to carry out personal care tasks. Job share applications considered.  Working hours would be on a rota basis to support the live-in carers to have a break.  The post is for 20 hours a week spread over 5 days, in blocks of approximately 4 weeks on / 4 weeks off.  For further details please contact Penny Naylor via the Church Office or email: penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org

    Alpha Online
    Please continue to pray for participants and leaders.  (Email: david.preece@bhcgodalming.org and find all the details on the web site under Courses.)

    Hope in Depression—course starts 6 July
    Please pray for participants and facilitators on the Hope In Depression course which starts on Monday.  There is still some room on this course.  This 6 week course was developed by the Hope in Depression charity for delivery by churches, and we are grateful that Simon Willetts has previous experience leading the course and is able to offer the online version to anyone in the local community.  The course is free, and can help those suffering with depression and those supporting them.  The details and the registration form are on the web site, under courses.  Do please pass this onto anyone who might benefit.

    Hello from Prime Time—the next PT event will a quiz and catch up on Zoom on 6 July.  Penny’s weekly mailings to Prime Time members can now be found on the web site under news. 

    Thanks to everyone who responded so quickly to Jenna Brown’s appeal to furnish a flat for someone homeless who needed basic items urgently.  A facebook post, message to small group leaders and word of mouth achieved a miraculous response in 48 hours.  Thank you.  The gentleman moved into his new home on Monday.

    The Bridge is back! Thanks to Bridge editor, Cathy Brook and team who produced the latest edition of the Bridge magazine, and to all the road stewards who will be delivering it safely around Busbridge next week. There’s lots of positive church and community news in this edition, and the online version is here!

    Please pray for
    This item has been absent in the notices for a while, so to cover the parishes in prayer, road by road, and picking up where we left off…this week please pray for these roads and their residents, and perhaps include them on a prayer walk this week:

    ·Maplehatch Close and road stewards Vikki Scarborough and Janet Harvey

    · Feathercombe Lane

    Public Notice: A faculty petition has been filed (wef 3rd July 2020) in respect of the McLaren Grave Marker – details: keith.harper@bhcgodalming.org

    Click here for Godalming Churches Together – July Link Up

    Other News this week – posted on Instagram and twitter

    Welcome to the newest members of the Busbridge &Hambledon staff team! Ben Barnes is the new Director of Youth & Children and Owen Morgan is an Assistant Café manager. Here they are getting straight to their ministries in the Hut and @

    There's a gentle hum of chat and the clinking of teaspoons on china this afternoon, the perfect sounds of a late summer's afternoon. We are so grateful to have the @yewtreetreecafebusbridge in the churchyard and all the café volunteers.

  • Dear Prime Time 26 June

    Dear Prime Time member,

    How are you this Friday afternoon?  A little warm?!  I hope that you’re managing to find ways to stay cool and are able to avoid going outside, at least over the hottest part of the day.  Please remember to drink plenty so as to not get dehydrated in this heat. We certainly wouldn’t want you succumbing to dehydration and heat stroke whilst you’re doing your best to stay at home and shielding from Corona Virus.  I remember having heat stroke when I was a teenager and it was a most unpleasant experience.  I was on a residential school trip and we were staying in a Youth Hostel. Evidently the staff at the Youth Hostel were well accustomed to guests getting heat stroke and on hearing of my symptoms advised my teachers to ply me with Ready Salted crisps and orange juice which the teachers duly did – all day!  As soon as one bag of crisps was empty, there was a teacher at my side offering me another. The prescribed treatment did have the desired effect and the heat stroke symptoms did gradually subside, but it was many years before I could face eating another pack of Ready Salted crisps or drink orange juice again!  However, that is my little nugget of experience gained that I share with you this afternoon – should you begin feeling the effects of this extreme heat; grab a bag of salty crisps and a glass of orange juice – put your feet up and claim that it’s all in the benefit of your health!

    If you have checked your calendar this week, you might have noticed that yesterday afternoon should have seen Prime Time heading up to join our friends at Prior’s Field School for our annual Garden Party.  Along with our Carol Service in December, the Prior’s Field Garden Party has become one of the most popular fixtures in the Prime Time calendar and I know that the staff and girls look forward to it just as much as the Prime Time members do; so it was a huge disappointment to the school community too that yesterday’s event had to be cancelled due to the restrictions still in place to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.  (In some ways I am just a tiny bit relieved that the event couldn’t go ahead – although the weather was glorious yesterday, it was almost a little too nice and we would have had a job on our hands to make sure everyone stayed safe in these extreme temperatures!)

    Although the Garden Party could not take place this year, the school wanted Prime Time members to know that although the school community is currently dispersed – it had not forgotten that yesterday’s event should have been taking place and the staff and girls wanted to do something to try and make up for the disappointment.  Attached to this email is an invitation for you to join the girls in their celebration of VE Day and also for a ‘Virtual Concert’.  Full instructions as to how to view these performances are on the attached invite, but it really is very simple; just pick the one you wish to view and click where it says ‘click here’.  Your computer should do the rest.  Make sure your computer’s speakers are on, grab yourself an ice cream and pretend you are in the Rose Garden at Prior’s Field. The VE Day tribute lasts about 6 minutes, the Musical Selection about 45 minutes after performance It is a real treat and we are so grateful to the staff and girls at Prior’s Field for putting this together for us.  Regulars at the Prior’s Field events will no doubt recognise some familiar faces (and voices!)  It is lovely that Prime Time have been welcomed in to the Prior’s Field family and that we are able to enjoy things like this together.  The girls do see us as ‘extended family’ and they are sharing these performances with you in the way that they would proudly show their grandparents what they have been getting up to. 

    In my email a few weeks ago, I included a verse from  1 Thessalonians (Verse 5: Chap 11)  ‘Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing’.  I make no apologies for repeating myself as this particular verse seems to fit the relationship between Prime Time and Prior’s Field School like no other.  It is a mutually beneficial initiative with learning and understanding of issues affecting different generations taking place on both sides.  Thank you so much for your support of this initiative and now sit back and let the girls of Prior’s Field entertain you for the next hour or so…

    I pray that you continue to stay safe and well over the next week and I’ll be back in touch next Friday when I will include the full joining instructions for the Prime Time Virtual Quiz Afternoon taking place the following Monday (July 6th) so put the date in your diaries now (if you haven’t already!)

    With every blessing,

    Penny

    Penny Naylor
    Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

  • Sunday 28 June 2020

    PRINT NOTICES (PDF)

    This Sunday

    FREEDOM FROM HOPELESSNESS | Galatians 5: 1-12

    Click HERE for the ONLINE Services on YouTube

    Available from
    9AM Heritage Service (BCP)     With traditional liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer and hymns recorded at Busbridge and Hambledon.

    10AM BHC Main Online ServiceThe main act of worship for Busbridge&Hambledon Church with contemporary band-led worship music.

    Both servicesWelcome: Dave Preece
    Speaker: Simon Taylor
    Reading: Faith Guildford
    Prayers: Margot Spencer
    Music: Becky Whiteman

    5PM Prayerfest 0-30 Praying for young people and young  adults.

    This week’s ‘A Word from’ Simon Willetts: What we might learn from the Hambledon Buzzard

    Recent articles you might have missed:  Rector’s Reflection: GOD’S NORMAL: HOW ARE WE TO BE AS A CHURCH FAMILY?; A Word from Andy Spencer: A thought for Father’s Day; and Hello from Prime Time.  These can be found under News on the Home page of the web site.

    What happens on the 4 July?We welcomed the announcement earlier this week that, with the further easing of COVID 19 restrictions, churches will be able to open for worship from 4 July.  A limit on numbers, and social distancing will still be in place, and we are awaiting full details of the guidelines from the CofE next week.  –  There will be an update on plans on the web site, and in the notices next week.  

    Our online worship and events will continue and we recognise that it will be a long time before we can fully return to worshipping together, and things are likely to be  different when we do.  If you have not seen the thinking so far on church in the future, please take a look at the documents by Simon Taylor on the web site under Rescue, Recovery, Renew.

    Busbridge Church and Hambledon Church are open daily from 9.30am to 4.30pm for private prayer and we encourage everyone to pop in. There are notices and images displayed to guide prayer if people wish, and at Busbridge, an invitation to take part in the prayer walk in the church yard and add a pebble to the Chain of Hope. (Have you decorated your link in the chain yet?) We hope this will encourage you to drop in while we cannot gather physically to worship.

    Thanks to those that have volunteered for the rota to open and close the churches. This involves a government stipulated cleaning and checking process to keep visitors safe.

    Prayerfest 0-30 this SundayYoung people and the affects of the current crisis on their future plans, development and emotional health are very much on our hearts and minds at the moment.  All are invited to join Shan Hallam and those involved with CYF ministry to pray specifically for all ages from 0-30 from 5pm on Sunday.

    Listening Prayer—8am on Mondays
    The Prayer Ministry team invite everyone to an early Monday session to simply listen for God.  Join us for 50 minutes (or as much as you can manage) of listening prayer.  A chance to listen to what God might be saying to you, or our Church community. An opportunity to be still before God with music, a piece of scripture followed by a short reflection and then a time of silence.  At the end there is an invitation to share what God may have said to you if you would like too.  Such a great start to the week. 

    COMING UP

    Alpha OnlineThe course got off to a great start last week, and more participants are due to join from next Wednesday.  Please pray for participants and leaders.  The course is open to late joiners too—email: david.preece@bhcgodalming.org and find all the details on the web site under Courses.

    For others elsewhere on their journey, the next Helpful Habits course has been moved to Tuesdays, and will start on 30 June, 8-9pm.  The course involves 3 or 4 stand-alone sessions on different ways of praying.   The first one, will be ‘Praying with my pen’.  To discuss or to register, please contact Gertrud Sollars, e: Gertrud.sollars@btinternet.com.

    Hope in Depression—course starts 6 JulyThis 6 week course was developed by the Hope in Depression charity for delivery by churches, and we are grateful that Simon Willetts has previous experience leading the course and is able to offer the online version to anyone in the local community.  The course is free, and can help those suffering with depression and those supporting them.  The details and the registration form are on the web site, under courses here.  Do please pass this onto anyone who might benefit.

    In the community
    Hello from Prime Time    —the next PT event will a quiz and catch up on Zoom on 6 July.  Penny’s weekly mailings to Prime Time members can now be found on the web site under news. 

    #CreativeKindness. You can find information about how our young folk are spreading light and hope to those who aren’t using the internet and see some of the lovely creations on the web site. Do keep them coming.

    PLEASE PRAY FOR

    This item has been absent in the notices for a while, so to cover the parishes in prayer, road by road, and picking up where we left off…this week please pray for these roads and their residents, and perhaps include them on a prayer walk this week:

    · LATIMER ROAD AND ROAD STEWARD LINDA SMITH

    · HAMBLEDON CRICKET GREEN AND VOLUNTEERS AT THE VILLAGE SHOP.

     

    DON’T FORGET

    If you are not connected in some way and would like to be, please let us know  (e: catherine.garner@bhcgodalming.org).

    The Coronavirus Response team is ready to help those self-isolating— e: coronaresponse@bhcgodalming.org.

    The CFSF is receiving donations AND applications for financial gifts.  Details on https://www.bhcgodalming.org/c19-givingandsupport.  

    If you have anything to post, thoughts, prayers, musings—remember the BHC Together facebook group is yours to do so!

    Prayer Ministry team available

    To contact the EMERGENCY prayer chain, email prayer@bhcgodalming.org  or call 01483 421267.

    Listening prayer is available mid-week.

    For more information contact Jeannie Postill t 01428 687968

     

  • Simon Willetts – What we might learn from the ‘Hambledon Buzzard’

    During Lockdown I have enjoyed watching what I believe to be a buzzard take its regular flight down the valley, over the village green and beyond.  It never ceases to amaze me just how effortless, graceful and serene it looks as it soars.

    Christian Celtic spirituality has a close relationship with nature. Spotting a bird of prey in flight was/is often interpreted as a positive vision for the future. A confirmation perhaps that the pilgrim is on the right path.  It’s easy to see how the Celtic Christians came to these interpretations, imagine how far ahead you can see from the top of a thermal!

    Whatever our belief or spirituality there is much that can be learnt as we reflect on these inspiring creatures. 

    One lesson our humble, Hambledon buzzard can teach us is found in the simplicity of its life.  As serene as their flight might appear as with all nature, life hangs in the balance. In the animal kingdom this balance rests upon the energy expended hunting for food vs the calories their prey provide in return.  Buzzards spend much of their time perching, resting, conserving energy. Furthermore, like other birds of prey they use thermals to minimise the calories they burn whilst they hunt. Perhaps we might suggest they’re working smarter not harder.  I was once challenged by a preacher who said – “life, its creativity, its productivity is normally best when we work from a place of rest rather than resting from a place of work.” The Hebrews understood this well; each day starts in the evening, with rest; the Sabbath is the first day of the week not the last!  It is when we rest that we can reflect. Rest provides us with the head space we need in order to hone our art, deepen our passions and develop our work.

    For some C-19 has meant a change of pace. As I think about society before lockdown, my reflection is simply that we were a society that was driven, competitive, distracted and perhaps even hyperactive. None of these things are necessarily negative but I pause to think what adjectives I might use to describe my hope for the world going forward. Perhaps words like: rest, relaxation, enjoying the company of others, peace, collaboration, might be included in such a list?

    Where then does the balance lie?  The economy of course needs to be rebuilt but to what end and at what cost? Will we simply return to making life evolve around money, ravaging the earth’s finite resources? Will our new identity be built simply on what we do? Or might we perhaps learn to enjoy the gift of the pause in our daily, weekly and annual living; so that we can value ourselves for who we are rather than by what we do. Will we continue to maintain and build on the community love and support so admirably lived out in the life of our village and beyond? Perhaps we can continue to value others for who they are not simply by what they do?  It’s a cliche but after all we are human beings not human doings! Going forward might we be able to take the pressure off, to rest from our incessant productivity? Might we be more ready to stop and perch before we launch into our next flight?

    Lockdown has given some in our global community- the opportunity to think about what is truly important in life.  Many social media posts have been posing succinct questions; what aspects of normal do we want to return to? Which aspects of normal do we wish not to return to?

    Many scientists have been struck at just how quickly the ecology of the planet has shown early signs of recovery because humanity has had to pause its frenetic lifestyle.  In our combat against the virus we have proven in part that humanity can pull together.  So whilst the threat of the virus remains, we should be encouraged by the way in which many have sacrificed their own freedom and rallied to the cause. I see no reason therefore, why our sacrificial rallying needs to stop with the virus.  Should not a positive vision for the future also address our other ‘global’ issues; ecology, racial injustice, human trafficking, abject poverty? Perhaps the sign of the buzzard is that we could be on a positive path to a better future, perhaps if humanity could collaborate around issues such as these – we could even learn to soar!

    May peace be with you and all whom you love.

    Rev Simon Willetts

  • Prime Time Message 19 June

    Dear Prime Time member,

    This week has been a busy one for me and as a result the days have sped past with almost frightening speed.  It doesn’t seem possible that a whole week has gone by since I was last writing to you.  Reflecting on my week so far, I seem to have spent a disproportionate amount of it in meetings on Zoom.  It’s a wonderful tool, but I’m finding it can eat up a lot of time without me really realising it’s happening.  Zoom is a good way to catch up with people though and I know it has been a real lifeline in keeping some of you connected with family and friends during this period of Lock-Down.  Your Prime Time Team got together on Zoom on Monday afternoon this week – it was lovely to see the Team again.  We did talk ‘shop’ – but we did a lot of chatting too which felt great!

    We have had to accept that physically getting Prime Time back together may not be possible for the foreseeable future, both for reasons of social distancing but also acknowledging that many people may choose not to come out until the threat from Corona Virus has passed completely.  With this in mind, as a team we have begun to contemplate the future and how in our post-Lock Down world, Prime Time is best able to support you.  Whilst we acknowledge that not all Prime Time members have access to the internet, the vast majority do – and so we do intend to run some more events and activities online, either on Zoom or recorded for you to watch on the church’s You Tube channel.

    So as a starter, I am delighted to be able to announce that on Monday 6th July we will be hosting a Quiz Afternoon and general catch up on Zoom starting at 2.30pm.  I will send out more details nearer the time, but please do put the date in your diaries.  One of the great things about Zoom is that we don’t have a maximum capacity as we might do in a physical building, so everyone who wishes to join in, is able to.

    As we have been contemplating the future direction of Prime Time, we have also been wondering whether your views match ours?  Has the established format been meeting your needs?  As and when Lock-Down rules are eased sufficiently, do you want us to go back to offering large scale events once a month that you physically come along to?  Or perhaps you feel that you would prefer to remain in the sanctuary of your own home and join events remotely via a video-link such as Zoom?  Maybe with more time to reflect over recent weeks you have concluded that what Prime Time could offer you is learning opportunities and courses, perhaps faith based – but maybe not?  Could we ask you please to spend a little time thinking these things through as the Prime Time Team have done recently and let us know your thoughts?  We can’t promise that we’ll be able to achieve everything on everybody’s wish list, but it would be good to see if any trends or themes are emerging in people’s thinking. This forced pause in our usual activities is a great opportunity for us to reflect on what we do and to make sure that going forwards we are providing what our members want and need.  Obviously if you would like Prime Time to pick up where we left off just as soon as it’s possible and not change a thing – then that’s absolutely fine too – but please do say!

    Prime Time is a key component of Busbridge & Hambledon’s Church’s pledge to address the issue of social isolation and loneliness among the older generation in our local community.  Prime Time has been doing this through the provision of regular social activities which increase the opportunity for people to get out and about and be with others; but as a church we are meeting this need in other ways too – both through our 1:1 befriending service and also our regular Hearing Aid Clinics.  You might be interested to learn that this week has been National Loneliness Awareness Week.  This has been the fourth year that this campaign has been run, so it’s not an initiative that’s come about as a result of Corona Virus; although the enforced social isolation resulting from the restrictions needed to control the spread of the virus and the resultant loneliness experienced by people of all ages, has been widely acknowledged. So this year’s Loneliness Awareness Week has seemed particularly timely.

    I suspect that it might be unrealistic to imagine that none of Prime Time’s 130 plus members have not experienced some feelings of loneliness over the past three months.  We have, through necessity been living our lives in a most unusual way; we’re biologically wired for social contact and that is one thing that’s certainly been missing from our lives since the middle of March.  We all feel lonely at times – it’s a normal human emotion. Loneliness is a perceived mismatch between the quality or quantity of social connections that a person has and what they would like to have and the feeling of loneliness we experience is our signal that we need more social connections.  So perhaps, given the current circumstances where everyone finds that their opportunity for social contact is restricted, a more realistic hope for me to express is that any feelings of loneliness that you may have experienced might have been fleeting and that such feelings have not come to dominate your days.

    As a Christian, my faith and my personal relationship with God have taken on a new significance since Lock-Down began.  Like many others I have found myself praying more, talking to God and seeking out quiet time to sit and think and to listen and to let Him guide.  Music and poetry have been a great source of comfort too.  Early on in the pandemic, one of the Lock-Down anthems was ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in response to Captain Tom Moore’s epic walk around his garden in which he raised millions for the NHS.  That song has enormous significance for me.  My maternal grandmother was a huge presence in my life as I was growing up; she lived in the same village and we spent a lot of time together.  She was a woman of great faith and quiet confidence in the Lord – for someone born in 1914, in terms of her faith – in many ways she was way ahead of her time.  After she died, we found a note that she had left for us, requesting that ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ be sung at her funeral.   “You will think me quite mad” she had written; “I am NOT – when you are a believer you are NEVER alone”.

    It is my grandmother’s certain hope that I wanted to share with you today.  If you have been feeling low, lonely and isolated I pray that you may be inspired by the words of this lady who has gone before, who herself would have been in her mid-80s when she wrote those lines encouraging us all to build a relationship with God so that we can all say that we are never truly alone.  I think Nana would have quite approved of Prime Time, she would probably have been a member had she had that chance – and I’m so pleased to be able to share her legacy with you today.

    If what you have just read has got you thinking or prompted some questions then you might want to consider joining our next Alpha Course which this time is taking place on Zoom and starts on Wednesday evening next week, June 24th at 7.30pm.  Lots of people of all ages have questions about life and faith.  Alpha provides people with an opportunity to explore different aspects of the Christian faith and to discuss their questions in an informal and relaxed atmosphere and many are finding the new Lock-Down prompted online version a less daunting way to get started.  No questions are off limits and no assumptions are made. The 10 week course begins with a ‘no obligation’ introductory session led by our Curate, David Preece.  And during the evening there will be an opportunity to chat with those who have previously done Alpha.

    There is no charge to join us at Alpha and all are welcome to come along and find out a bit more and decide whether it’s something you would be interested in. Lots of people can enjoy and benefit from coming to Alpha…

    ·         If you are new to the Christian faith or just starting to ‘dip your toe in’

    ·         If your friends or family ask you about what you believe and you’re never really sure what to tell them

    ·         If you’ve been a Christian for a long while but have never felt you could ask questions about your faith

    ·         If you’re fairly new to church and want to get to know some more people

    …then Alpha is for you!  If you’d like to join our Alpha course starting on Wednesday next week, please email your interest to: alpha@bhcgodalming.org or complete the form that you will find on our website: www.bhcgodalming.org/alpha   On that webpage you will find further details about the Alpha course, including some videos – one of which I feature in!  (If you’re interested to hear what I have to say about Alpha, the one to click on is the video with the image of a lady sat in front of a Christmas tree).

    Well this has turned into a particularly long email – well done for sticking with it to the end!  So I think I’d better end off for this week otherwise you’ll be at your computer all week reading it!

    I hope you’ve enjoyed my ramblings and that they’ve helped pass another few minutes of your day.  Now go and put the kettle on, I think you’ve earnt yourself a cup of tea.  And perhaps while you’re drinking it, spend a few minutes reflecting on what Prime Time means for you and where you’d like to see it heading in the future. Answers on a postcard please (but an email will do just as well!)

    Wishing you all a peace-filled week ahead.

    With every blessing,

    Penny

    Penny Naylor
    Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

     

    Busbridge & Hambledon Church Office

    Phone: 01483 421267

    Website: www.bhcgodalming.org

     

    (Day off Weds)