Category: Uncategorized

What sort of world do we live in when a child of 8, along with 21 other people, is slaughtered in the name of a religion?

What is the world coming to when the lives of thousands are turned upside down by the aftermath of such an atrocity?

Good as our security services are, they cannot possibly detect every would-be terrorist act. We have to be vigilant too.

At one of our services last week, Ian described his working day and the good conversations he had with colleagues of other faiths and none. When asked for his favourite bible verse, he quoted Micah 6 verse 8:

What does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Those words take us beyond ourselves to our relationships with those we meet day by day and with God. They take us on to our frontline where we put them into practice. While it is natural to seek justice for those directly affected last Monday, we are required to act justly as we seek fairness and equality for all, particularly the weak and powerless.

To love mercy is to show kindness as in love, loyalty and faithfulness to those with whom we have a relationship.

To walk humbly with our God is to love him in the same way he loves us. A tall order, but with his help we can, and together we can make a difference. There is an old Chinese proverb: change the world begin with me.

The ball is in our court!

 

Small things make a difference. Trying to get home from the other side of Guildford when the A3 and all surrounding roads were gridlocked, I decided to sit it out in a café. I had checked the traffic on my phone so often that the battery ran out. Some people at the next table, seeing my frustration, offered me their phone to make a call – probably a small thing to them, but a big thing for me.

Someone called Edward Lorenz coined what is known as the ‘butterfly effect’-  the concept that small events can have large, widespread consequences. The name comes from his suggestion that a massive storm might have its roots in the faraway flapping of a tiny butterfly’s wings.

Apparently this is only the first part of what Lorenz actually said. He went on to say that although science might suggest that any prediction is possible as long as we have enough information, in reality, the larger meaning of the butterfly effect is not that we can readily track such connections, but that we can’t.

We tend to think that the world should be comprehensible, that everything happens for a reason, and we can pinpoint all those reasons, however small they may be. But nature, and human nature in particular, defies this expectation.

We may not think our ‘flapping’ makes any difference at all. On the other hand, it may set off a ‘storm’. God calls us to be faithful and to leave the ‘completion’ to Him (Phil. 1.6).

As Bishop Festo Kivengere once said, ‘I’m just an ordinary Christian. There are no extraordinary Christians anywhere, just ordinary ones saved by an extraordinary Saviour’.

 

A TYPICAL MONDAY MORNING

(Office/school/college/friend’s house etc etc)

 

THEM: ‘Oh hi, how are you? Did you have a good weekend?’

YOU: ‘Oh hey, yeah, really great weekend thanks’

THEM: ‘ ‘Really great’ huh? Why, what did you get up to that was so great?’

YOU: [SQUIRMING SLIGHTLY] ‘Ermm…haha…well…ummm…I spent time with some friends and family and erm…ummm…haha…cough…went to church…cough…’

THEM: ‘You go to church do you? Oh right, never realised you were a church goer! Wow, I mean, that’s good…for you…I mean, so you go regularly?’

YOU: Well, I mean, haha, ummm…well basically we umm…sort of erm….go every now and then yes….’

THEM: ‘Oh right! Wow, so…are you a er…a ummm…Christian then?’

YOU: [PAUSE]… [NERVOUS LAUGHTER] …well…err….ummm…..

…cue ‘Eastenders’ style drum roll

What would you say?

What have you said in answer to this question?

This week…Nicodemus gets a lesson from Jesus in ‘spiritual biology…’

and undergoes massive transformation ending up willing to stand up and stand

out even in the face of opposition.

What would it take for the same to happen to you?

 

Ascension Day Service, Busbridge Church
Thursday 25th May, 7.30pm. All are warmly invited to this service to celebrate Ascension Day.  Our friends from the other churches in Godalming will be joining us and there will be drinks and light refreshments/nibbles served after the service. Please do come and celebrate this important day in the Christian calendar.

Christian Aid Week: 14th-20th May
We will be issuing Christian Aid Envelopes to all Congregations on Sunday 7th, 14th and 21st. Don’t forget to sign the Gift Aid slip if it’s appropriate. If you would like to do a house to house collection there is a sign up sheet at the back of Busbridge Church or contact June Higgins who will coordinate roads. If you would like to raise funds in any other way please let Michael Stubbs know.

Rhiannon Stubbs and Jack Lovell’s Wedding is on the 20th May – we would love to invite those of the church family who know Rhiannon to come along to the wedding at Busbridge church at 2.30pm and to stay for refreshments at church afterwards.

Prime Time trip to Brooklands – Wednesday 17th May
This is a reminder to all Prime Time members that anyone wishing to join this trip needs to return their booking form and payment to Penny as soon as possible please. If you are not a Prime Time member but would like to explore Brooklands as part of a group, places are still available and all are welcome. Further details can be obtained by contacting Penny Naylor in the Church Office or via email: penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org.

BIG Spring Clean – Saturday 10th June
Are you new to Busbridge&Hambledon? Do you want to get to know some different people? Or perhaps you’d like to join in with more at church, but only have limited time. Or maybe you’re a really fun person who just likes to get involved! If these describe you, or even if they don’t, please sign up ASAP for the BIG Spring Clean. WE HAVE SO MUCH TO GET DONE, and cannot do it without a large number of people to help. Come on everyone! Email karen.kinder@bhcgodalming.org.

Father’s Day
…Is on Sunday 18th June and Busbridge Church is celebrating in style. Bring the aforementioned father to a 10.30am special service, run by men, for men. Yorkie bars and bacon butties provided.

Feba prayer meeting
Monday 8th May at 10.30 to 11.30am at 42 Minster Road. Contact Sheelagh Godwin for more information.

2 South Hill
Carol Jones is co-ordinating the decorating of 2 South Hill (where the Gibsons used to live) in preparation for our new curate, David Preece, and his family. She needs (1) people to help her paint (any help very welcome) and (2) a bit of garden tiding and lawn mowing. We only have two and a half weeks to do this in so it is a very tight time scale. Contact Carol ASAP if you can help.

Alan Hulme Event – 10th May
Stepping out in confidence…”Be prepared to give an answer”. All welcome to come to this event with Alan Hulme, Director and Team Leader for Parish Development and Evangelism. This is a 90 minute session aimed at all Christians who want to become more confident in talking about their faith and sharing it with others.
Meet at Busbridge Church at 7.00pm for social, nibbles and drinks, with the talk and discussion starting at 7.45pm.

Nexus
On Thursday 11th May, Maggie and Chris Jagger will tell us about SALCET’s first trip to Uganda last November. In the poor area of Makasa in SW Uganda, they ran medical clinics with Compassion; were involved in setting up and funding equipment for an agricultural project; and provided equipment for a Christian dentist running the Mata Dental Clinic. Come and hear all about the great work they accomplished during their two-week visit!  We meet in the Busbridge Church Centre at 8.00pm and will have drinks and nibbles before the talk starts.  We very much look forward to seeing you.  All welcome!

Noticeboards
There are currently 4 x A3 sized noticeboards across the parish, where we display service times and other special events. We were thinking it would be great to have even more of these… so – Busbridge residents – Would you like your community to know more about what goes on at Busbridge&Hambledon? Do you want to raise the profile of the church in Busbridge? And most importantly, do you have room in your front garden for a sign of your very own? If you’d like to find out more, please talk to Karen Kinder in the first instance.

Blokes’ Biking date change
Please note that there has been a date change to the May outing for Blokes’ Biking. It will now be happening on Wednesday 17th May – all welcome. This group of blokes are all ages, shapes, sizes, biking ability and senses of balance. Meet in the Homebase carpark at 7.30pm. The bike ride is followed by a restorative pint at the Inn on the Lake. Feel free to join in for the pint end of things if you can’t make the cycle.

please pray for…
· Andrew Baker and his family
· John Adams (Hambledon)
· Brian Oxborough, now in Milford Hospital
· Mark Pateman, Penny Naylor, Karen Franks and the Befriending Scheme
· High Ridge and their road stewards, Barbara Hubble and Debbie Scott
· Old Rectory Gardens, Malthouse Lane and St Dominic’s School

 

Does the word ‘evangelist’, for you, conjure up pictures of preachers on soap boxes on street corners, or slick charismatic personalities wooing the crowds at big-stage venues?

Does the word ‘evangelism’ get you really excited or does it send you running for cover? Are you thrilled that we’re about to start a sermon series which will get us thinking about how and where we share our faith or are you thinking “help, get me out of here!”?

If we’re honest, many of us think that evangelists are other people and evangelism is something other people do, in other places – it couldn’t possibly be something that we do, where we are. But what if that’s exactly what it’s supposed to be: not deep theologians or big personalities, but ordinary people…like us, doing ordinary things in ordinary places… like the gym, or the classroom, or the office, or the school-gate, or the coffee shop; talking to our ordinary families and friends about real, ordinary stuff – stuff that happens to everyone, like stress or exams or losing someone or being ill or worrying about the future? What if being an evangelist really means being someone ordinary who simply has some extraordinarily good news for their friends who are going through ‘stuff’?

What if evangelism starts by just sharing your own good news, about how knowing Jesus has helped you through similar ups and downs?

Here’s the bottom line: God can use any of us, anywhere, to be his Good News people. That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.

 

Old Rectory Update
Great News! The Taylor family have completed their family move across the street to the new rectory, so we can press ahead with work to the Old Rectory.  

We have issued an official request for tender to four different contractors, and expect to have their bids by the end of this month. On the financial side, thanks to your generosity we have raised enough money to complete the purchase of the Old Rectory site from the Diocese, however, we don’t yet have enough funds to compete all of our planned building projects to Old Rectory, Church Cottage and the Church Centre. So please keep your standing orders and other giving in place!

Fancy Camel Racing?
Camel Racing Night, raising money for The Cellar café in Godalming, Saturday 20th May, 7.30pm at Wilfrid Noyce centre – a fun evening, £10 per ticket includes curry supper, fully licenced pay bar. Tickets available from Chris or Maggie Jagger, The Cellar or Record Corner.

Space for God – Prayer Event
Tuesday 2nd May, 8.00pm – 9.00pm in Busbridge Church. In the midst of busyness a time for quiet, stillness and personal prayer.

Noticeboards
There are currently 4 x A3 sized noticeboards across the parish, where we display service times and other special events. We were thinking it would be great to have even more of these… so – Busbridge residents – Would you like your community to know more about what goes on at Busbridge&Hambledon? Do you want to raise the profile of the church in Busbridge? And most importantly, do you have room in your front garden for a sign of your very own? If you’d like to find out more, please talk to Karen Kinder in the first instance.

Marvellous Movie Matinee!
Put Saturday 6th May, 2.30pm at Busbridge Church in your diary for this Doctor Seuss classic. As always, bring a cushion – popcorn provided and it’s free to come along. Who can you invite?

Blokes’ Biking date change
Please note that there has been a date change to the May outing for Blokes’ Biking. It will now be happening on Wednesday 17th May – all welcome. This group of blokes are all ages, shapes, sizes, biking abilitie and senses of balance meet in the Homebase Carpark at 7.30pm. The bike ride is followed by a restorative pint at the Inn on the Lake. Feel free to join in for the pint end of things if you can’t make the cycle.

Nexus
On Thursday 11th May, Maggie and Chris Jagger will tell us about SALCET’s first trip to Uganda last November. In the poor area of Makasa in SW Uganda, they ran medical clinics with Compassion; were involved in setting up and funding equipment for an agricultural project; and provided equipment for a Christian dentist running the Mata Dental Clinic. Come and hear all about the great work they accomplished during their two-week visit! We meet in the Busbridge Church Centre at 8.00pm and will have drinks and nibbles before the talk starts. We very much look forward to seeing you. All welcome!

Hambledon Ladies Breakfast
A reminder that the next Hambledon Ladies’ Breakfast is coming up on Saturday 6th May. Our speaker is Hilary Austin and she will be sharing her experiences of working with the Guildford Street Angels. Tickets are available from Hambledon Village Shop or email hambledonbreakfast@bhcgodalming.org.

BIG Spring Clean
The annual BIG Spring Clean is happening on Saturday 10th June at Busbridge Church. Thanks to those who’ve contacted the office to join up – but we still need lots and lots more of you. We have all sorts of indoor, outdoor, gardening, painting, building jobs to do – it’s not all about dusting the pews! We also need people to help organise the scrumptious lunch that is always a highlight of the day. Children (under your watchful eye) are very welcome to join in – a couple of years ago a group of under 11s moved tonnes of earth for us! It’s a fun day and a great way of getting to know others. We need about 70 people to make the day work . Can all the rest of the potential eager volunteers please email karen.kinder@bhcgodalming.org ASAP and join in the Spring Clean fun. Thanks!

 

How confusing… Last week we were being told of the perils of indifference and this week we have to practise it! Confusing indeed – but not quite so much when you allow for their different contexts. Then it becomes apparent that last week’s indifference isn’t the same as this week’s.

Last week was about the “neither hot nor cold” indifference of the Laodiceans, the “so what, I don’t care” approach to life. This week, though, it is used in the context that five centuries ago Ignatius of Loyola (the founder of the Jesuits and one of the spiritual greats) used it when he told us that we should strive for “a complete indifference with regard to all created things”.

This does not negate our responsibility for stewardship of creation, but means that we make ourselves truly free by depending entirely on God, trusting him completely. If we do, what we want – and what others want of us – gets relegated to second place behind what God wants us to do and be.

This does of course mean that we have to start listening to God, and – harder still – acting on what we hear him say. But as Paul said to the Philippians two thousand or so years ago:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

APCM
A reminder that it is the APCM today – following the Hambledon Service at 10.30am (earlier service start time of 10.00am) or following the 6.30pm Busbridge Service. There are hard copies of the APCM report at the back of church or download a copy from www.bhcgodalming.org/apcm-2017.

A note from the Oxboroughs…
Please thank everyone for all their prayers, cards, phone calls and good wishes – very much appreciated. Brian continues to improve in Milford Hospital.  

Hi-vis jackets
A number of Hi-vis jackets have been borrowed from the Church Office. Considerably less have been returned. If you have some lurking in the back of your car/garage/kitchen then please return them ASAP. Thanks!

Squires Lunch
Our next Squires lunch will be on 30th April at the time of 12 noon as usual. If you would like to join us and savour the gastronomic delights of this establishment please let Terry Swanton know by Wednesday 26th April so that he can warn Squires how many will be descending upon them from Busbridge&Hambledon church. Hope you will be able to join us and look forward to seeing you there.

Could this be you?
Would you be interested in leading or co-leading one of our kids work summer sessions in July and August? During the summer we have a mixed age group meeting in the Church Centre and we need a leader and helper to run each session. The dates we are looking for are 23rd July, 6th August and 27th August. If you would be interested and could help out, please get in touch with James (james.ellin@bhcgodalming.org). Thanks!

A reminder that the next Hambledon Ladies’ Breakfast is coming up on Saturday 6th May. Our speaker is Hilary Austin and she will be sharing her experiences of working with the Guildford Street Angels. Tickets are available from Hambledon Village Shop or email hambledonbreakfast@bhcgodalming.org.

“Be prepared to give an answer!”
On Wednesday 10th May, Alan Hulme, Director of the Diocesan Parish Development and Evangelism Team will be leading a 90 minute session aimed at all Christians who want to become more confident in talking about their faith and sharing it with others. 7.00pm start at Busbridge Church, and the evening includes nibbles and drinks. For more information, please contact Bryan on bryan.silletti@bhcgodalming.org.

BIG Spring Clean
The annual BIG Spring Clean is happening on Saturday 10th June at Busbridge Church (for those doubters amongst you, the date was googled and it still counts as ‘Spring’!). “But what does this involve?!” I hear you cry. An excellent question. We have all sorts of indoor, outdoor, gardening, painting, building jobs to do – it’s not all about dusting the pews! We also need people to help organise the scrumptious lunch that is always a highlight of the day. Children (under your watchful eye) are very welcome to join in – a couple of years ago a group of under 11s moved tonnes of earth for us! It’s a fun day and a great way of getting to know others. We need about 70 people to make the day work – so far we have had one, yes one, volunteer. So if your name rhymes with Ricky Lemery, well done to you! Can the rest of the potential eager volunteers please email karen.kinder@bhcgodalming.org ASAP as the job list is growing. Thanks!

4-11s Children’s Leader update…
As you know, Amy Johnston is leaving us this week as our 4-11s Leader and we are yet to fill this full time post! We have interviewed one candidate and decided not to take them further. So we are still looking for someone to come and lead this great ministry. If you or someone you know is interested why not come and chat to James Ellin or pop him an email.

Trekkers Update
Our children’s group in the Busbridge Classic, Trekkers, has a schedule change. After Easter it will be going to twice monthly, on the second and fourth Sundays, with 9th July as the final date before the summer break.

Feba
Feba Prayer Meeting on Monday 8th May, 10.30am to 11.30am at 42 Minster Road. Please take this opportunity to pray for a media organisation with partners and projects in most of the world’s trouble spots. Contact Shelagh Godwin for more details.

Have you booked your tickets yet?
Music in Munstead Soirée, Saturday 27th May, 7.30pm
A black tie event at Tillies, Munstead Heath Road. Tickets are £40 and include a buffet dinner, wine and the evening will be accompanied by the talented young Steinway artist Harry Nowakowski-Fox. To book tickets or for any enquiries contact Clare Haddad on 01403 751677 or email clarehaddad@aol.com.

Midsummer Music at Malthouse, 24th June, 6.00pm – 9.30pm. A relaxing evening of opera, jazz and classics from the West End and Gilbert & Sullivan. Bring a picnic, drinks and something to sit on. Tickets just £22 pp. Purchase online at www.bhcgodalming.org/tickets/malthouse.

 

please pray for…
· Andrew Baker and his family
· The upcoming election
· Brian Oxborough, now in Milford Hospital
· Councillors and all who serve in local politics
· Malcolm Gorick who is struggling in his new life in Taunton
· Heath Lane and their road steward, Rev Simon Taylor
· New Road and Hambledon Park

 

 

When Jesus was on earth, his words and actions were not those of someone who was indifferent to people’s situations. He was filled with compassion for the crowds who came to hear him, for their physical needs and for their healing. In the story of the Good Samaritan, he compares those who are indifferent to the suffering of the man who had been robbed with the Samaritan who helped the man. Likewise on the cross Jesus cared about his mother.

On the world stage today, how can we not be indifferent to what is going on? On a more local level where people are suffering or in need, how can we ignore them?

John Donne wrote that…

No man is an island,
entire of itself,
every man is a piece of the continent,
a part of the main.

Elie Wiesel, who suffered in the Holocaust and saw family members tortured and killed, called indifference a sin.

Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven leaving us to carry on his work of loving and caring for all because now he has no body on earth but ours to do his work. As Edmund Burke said “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Therefore let us not be indifferent to our needy world but seek to know God’s will and be involved in his way forward.