When you walk into a church, perhaps on holiday, you can usually tell straight away if it’s a living building, a place of prayer, alive with God’s spirit, cared for by a loving community, where things happen and God is at work.

Busbridge Church was consecrated on 1st March 1867. This was an era of great Victorian building. The foundation stone for the Royal Albert Hall was laid in May 1867, completed 1871; Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 1858; Charterhouse School 1872. Work on London’s Tower Bridge was started in 1886; opened in 1894 and cost about £1 million.

We have no pictures of our church being built, and have not been able to locate any original plans. Although the building was deemed to be too small in 1911, we are fortunate that it is not a ‘great barn of a place’, dark and uninviting. We are blessed with a rich Arts and Crafts heritage. It may not always be exactly what we would like for space, but I love it. For me, this building is not only physically warm but spiritually warm as well, reflecting a place of prayer and grace; a place where God has been honoured, baptisms, weddings and funerals marked.

This year, 1st March is Ash Wednesday, and there will be a special ashing service followed by an extended time of prayer. Next Sunday, 5th March, we shall be celebrating with a service in church at 10.00, as well as looking to the future with a short ceremony and lunch in the Rectory garden. We will be praying for and committing the whole site to God, and welcoming back many who have found God here and then moved on into different forms of Christian ministry. Do sign up and come. Much has happened in 150 years, the neighbourhood and times have changed and the world is a very different place. Yet the gospel message of Jesus Christ remains the same. Let’s celebrate!

LENT Bible Verse & Text Challenge – Launch from 1st March 2017 for 40 Days – If interested, Text BHC to 60777
Thanks to a generous donation we will be having the LENT Bible Verse & Text Challenge. Thank you to our donor! For those that wish to join the text challenge, the first text will begin on 1st of March and there will be one text a day with a bible verse and a challenge each day for 40 days. If you are interested in receiving the text challenge daily for 40 days, please text BHC to 60777. 

Clean Household Scrap/Junk Needed…for next weekend!
The scrapheap challenge is on…for 5th March! At the 150th Celebration, the children’s and youth ministries need you to keep hold of the following items and drop them in to the collection bin at the back of church: cardboard tubes, shoe boxes, juice cartons, cardboard boxes (small), Pringle tubes, plastic lids and takeaway cartons, egg boxes, plastic 1 litre and 2 litre bottles. Please ensure they are clean! Thanks.

Thank you to the 93yr old gentleman from Nottingham who sent a kind donation for Old Rectory. He’s never been to this church but he’s heard about what is going on and wants to support us.

Women’s World Day of Prayer Friday 3rd March
Godalming is joining in this worldwide day of prayer with a service at St Mark’s Church, Ockford Ridge, at 2pm on Friday 3rd March. The service has been compiled by the women of the Philippines this year. Everyone is welcome. Refreshments and Fair Trade stall after the service. Do come and support this important occasion.
Maggie Jagger (Busbridge rep for WWDP)

Wanted – a person or persons willing to befriend a dog-loving asylum seeker who would like to accompany them on occasional dog walks. Want to know more? Contact Penny Naylor at the Church Office or email penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org.

Nexus
On Thursday 9th March our talk is: “Living Life to the Full with my Guide Dog”.  Helen McCann is an amazing woman who doesn’t let her visual impairment stop her enjoying a full and active life.  She’s even training to run the London Marathon this year in support of Guide Dogs for the Blind!   Come and be inspired by Helen’s story. We look forward to seeing you in the Church Centre at 8.00pm.  There’ll be drinks, nibbles and a chance to catch up before the talk starts.  All are very welcome!

Old Rectory ‘Giving Weeks’ Update
1 week to go to our 5th March Anniversary Service!
Prayer: We’ve had over 20 signups for our days of 24/7 prayer coverage from March 1st – 4th.  We still need lots more help if we’re to secure our continuous prayer coverage. It’s a vital activity for all of us to join in together; think how inspiring and powerful it will be to have continuous prayer from our church for several days?! Remember – this is a virtual prayer room from home, work or travel, just www.24-7prayer.com/signup/9545ad to sign up for a slot to pray wherever you are at that time. We’ll kick off with a whole church prayer meeting in Busbridge Church at 9pm on March 1st after the 8pm 150th anniversary Ash Wednesday service.
Action: There’s just one week remaining in our 8 Weeks Of Giving for the Old Rectory project. A huge thanks to everyone who has contributed to date. Our goal is to have enough funds to have the Old Rectory, start using it and kick off the first part of the renovation work to the Old Rectory, but of course before we can do that we need to reach our funding goals and provide the Taylor family with clear support as they take the big step of moving home. So if you’ve been praying about contributing but haven’t got round to it yet, could we please encourage you to do so soon. There’ll be another chance to give later in the year once we have the final tenders in for of all the alteration works. The next week we’ll know what we have raised and what this means for the future, so join us on Sunday 5th March, 10am at Busbridge Church.

Fundraising without really trying…?
As part of our continued efforts to raise funds for the Old Rectory project it has been suggested that since households do not pay council tax in February and March then perhaps some might consider donating the equivalent amount of Feb or March (or both) to the Old Rectory project?

Marriage Course
A new Marriage Course will be starting in April – there are limited places so if you are interested in attending please email marriagecourse@bhcgodalming.org ASAP. Leaflets with more information are at the back of church or on the website www.bhcgodalming.org/courses.

Celebration Service
Join us for our celebration service in Busbridge Church at 10.00am on Sunday 5th March, with special activities for children. Have you signed up for the lunch yet?? Email 150th@bhcgodalming.org with “service” as your message title, or sign up in the back of church.

please pray for…
· Busbridge Junior and their Head Teacher recruitment team
· Those doing the March Marriage Preparation course
· The first 150th Anniversary Celebration event
· Those facing divorce
· The Alpha course
· Crownpits Lane and their road steward, Lynn Hargreaves
· Huntsman Lane & The Hydons

Have you ever thought of counting the ways in which God showed us his love through Jesus? There were the healings and exorcisms, the patient conversations with the disciples and enquirers, the controversies with the Pharisees and teachers of the law (examples of tough love?), the teachings and stories, the feeding of the 5,000.

Towards the end of his earthly life, John tells us ‘…he now showed them the full extent of his love…’. And what follows is not another healing or spectacular sign, but the Son of God kneeling on the floor to wash his disciples’ feet.

We know that the only people who were expected to wash another person’s feet were slaves (and wives, for different reasons). It is a strange action – very lowly and very intimate at the same time. How does it show ‘the full extent of his love’? It shows a love that is completely willing to serve the other, and it presages Jesus’ death on the cross, where he became the lowest of the low and yet drew us all to himself. Malcolm Guite puts it like this:

“And here he shows the full extent of love

To us whose love is always incomplete,

In vain we search the heavens high above,

The God of love is kneeling at our feet.

Though we betray him, though it is the night,

He meets us here and loves us into light.”

(Sounding the Seasons, Canterbury Press 2012)

A couple of years ago an older lady with a stooped frame walked into church with me. Her name was Dena. Her eyes were failing, her body was quite fragile and she struggled to walk. As she lent on someone else and me she said somewhat wistfully

“I remember coming here in the 1950s. I could bounce into church then. Look at me now, but I can still pray.” She paused and as we entered the church she said “I think I’m nearly ready to go Home.” Later, she shared just how much she used to love chocolate. I think we knew what she meant by ‘Home’.

Fragility
Dena taught me some important lessons that day: that there are different seasons in life, it is worth looking deeply because each one can be celebrated for what it brings and faith in Christ matters. For Dena, this was her season for reflection, preparation and prayer.

Work
Maybe jobs can be like seasons? Some jobs are enriching but others might simply be necessary moments in our lives. Sadly, for some people there can be confusion between what is necessary in life and what is enriching and this can lead to holding on to things that are meant to pass.

As a church and community we are in a season of change in jobs. We’re saying goodbye to Amy and Michael Johnston as they leave behind the ministries in music and children’s work and move back to Northern Ireland. Our Church school is saying farewell to Carolyn Holmes later this year as she leaves after fifteen incredible years and thirty years in education. Our prayers and thanks go to Amy, Michael and Carolyn.

We could try and hold on: keep the school as it has been, look for a mirror image person to replace Amy, fossilise the music in the genre that Michael brought to it. Or we could celebrate that which has been and look to what God has planned for the future.

I’m not sure Carolyn, Amy or Michael are looking for jobs but here are two unique roles to consider. The first sounds so boring with its listing on an advertising website is “Job Number: 1700295”

Why would you even glance at it? But if you don’t glance you are not lifted out of the today and given the possibility of a new tomorrow. Or what about the ‘hay’ job placed in the small ads of a newspaper? You probably smiled and moved on.

Then you glance again. What if the hay-chewing job had benefits so incredible you began to wonder why everyone wasn’t running to find out more? What if your first glance didn’t tell the full story?

And job 1700295? As you absentmindedly click on the link you find yourself at the Mondelez website and there, like Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket, is your dream-come-true! You can become one of only 11 people working a mere 7 .5 hours a week and just between Tuesday and Thursday so you can have a long weekend. The job? A Reading, Berkshire, based Chocolate Taster.

Faith
It is the same with faith. Some people glance and move on; taste a bit but find it inconvenient; smile at its claims but see them as a few quaint values. There wasn’t anything quaint, irrelevant or inconvenient about Dena and her faith. It was like a rod of iron through every part of who she was.

Every time I read the Bible I find that there is more to understand about God. Each time I pray I find myself moving beyond my own preoccupations and into something deeper and wider than I can comprehend. The moment I pat myself on the back I am reminded by my Father in Heaven that another season of life is just around the corner.

Take the story of Jesus’ friend Lazarus (John chapter 11). There he is, dead. He’s very dead and the Bible makes this clear with some horribly graphic information. So, Jesus raises him. We could glance at it and move on – dismiss it. We could give it a bit of consideration in the same way we might humour ourselves about chocolate tasting; ‘could I move to Reading? Do I really like chocolate?’ but dismiss it as slightly inconvenient.

Or we could do as Dena did: consider its merits at a particular time of life. For those in a closing season, it offers more than platitudes: it is Truth that Christ can raise the dead. For those who see Christianity as a value system it offers an invitation into an understanding of reality which takes us into such a new dimension of confidence, love, care, charity and kindness that those around us may begin to wonder what has happened.

So what did I learn from Dena?

I learnt:

·         To appreciate today and celebrate the season of life I am in

·         To remember to look deeply rather than glance and move on

·         Faith in God means being willing to let go when the moment is right to do so

·         That true confidence comes from trust in the Lord who is the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Simon Taylor

Are you a leader, or are you (by and large) happy to be led?

Today, we are invited to look at a familiar story from a different angle. Instead of fretting about Jesus’ refusal to go to Lazarus straight away – when, in fact, his deliberate delay was for a higher purpose – we are looking at him as a leader who does not react as we, or his disciples, expect.

If we had been there, what would our reaction have been?

Would we have struggled to follow his lead, because we did not understand what he was doing? Would we have followed him blindly, trusting that he knew best? Would we have made a conscious (head) decision to follow, even though our hearts said “Whatever are you thinking?!”

For the time being, this story has a happy ending: Lazarus will die eventually, but now he is called out from the tomb and restored to his sisters. This story foreshadows Jesus’ own death, the death of the One who passes through death and comes out on the other side.

Given the current turmoil, both nationally and globally, many people have huge concerns about who we can trust and who we should follow. Indeed, wherever I have been for the last couple of weeks, people have talked about little else!

Sometimes we have to follow our leaders, even when we don’t understand – or agree with – them.

Above all, knowing that prayer works, we need to pray for them.

Celebration Service

Join us for a celebration service in Busbridge Church at 10.00am on Sunday 5th March, with special activities for children. Following the main service there will be a short ceremony in the Old Rectory Garden to mark its future role in Busbridge Church’s ministry, with coffee and anniversary cake. All are very welcome.

This will be followed by a Spring BBQ lunch to which all are welcome, whether or not they have attended the service. To help with planning for the lunch please let us know if you will be joining us by emailing 150th@bhcgodalming.org with “service” as your message title, or sign up in the back of church (Busbridge).

Old Rectory ‘Giving Weeks’ Update…4 weeks to go to our March 5th Anniversary Service

Prayer: this week our focus is on our whole BHC community – we pray that each of us will hear God’s vision for our role in the church, whether ‘big’ or ‘small’.

O.R. is for ALL of us: If you have children, O.R. will provide new dedicated spaces that our toddler and youth teams can tailor for better learning and more fun. If you enjoy a cuppa and a chat (who doesn’t?!), you’ll be able to drop in any time to a proper coffee spot. We’ll have a new kitchen and more parking, so weddings and other events can run even more smoothly. And for all of us, there will be quiet spaces for prayer, group Bible study or reflection.

Latest: The number of people who have listened to the Jan 8th talk about Old Rectory and the vision for 2017 has doubled in the last week, up to 61. It’s great that people are tuning in to that important update, please encourage your friends to do so if they haven’t already.

 150 Years and 75 hours!

March 1st – 8.00pm, Ash Wednesday is the 150th Anniversary of Busbridge Church.We’re calling every member of the church to worship at 8.00pm and/or come at 9.00pm for a whole church 40 minutes of prayer for Old Rectory and the future. This is one of our three whole church prayer gatherings of the year. From the end of the Ash Wednesday Service at 9.00pm we plan to cover the following 75 hours in  24/7 prayer to commit the coming years and future of the church to God’s directing.

We are looking for everyone: individuals/pairs/groups to commit to pray in hour slots from 10.00pm Wednesday (the first forty minutes is for everyone and will be led in church) until midnight on Saturday 4th. (Before the Gift service on 5th).The prayer can be anywhere, so does not mean you have to come to church in that hour in order to pray.
A list will be coming shortly for you to sign up for specific hours, so please check your diary and commit to sign up soon.

Prayer Triplets Caroline Luard has been charged with finding out how many people in Busbridge&Hambledon are involved in prayer triplets/partners. It would be very helpful if you could drop her a quick email if you are in one. 

Concert: On Saturday 25th of February at 6.30pm, the Tilford Bach Society is holding their 2nd Conservatoire Concert in the series. Featuring the Camilli String Quartet from Trinity Laban and playing a variety of music ranging from Beethoven to Irvin Berlin and Cole Porter. Free admission with a retiring collection.

Message from Clare Haddad

Greetings from Guildford! One month in I am enjoying my Local Licensed Ministry training placement at All Saints Onslow Village. The vicar is Beverly Watson who is married to the Bishop.  It is like a big proactive happy and very caring family. The 4.00pm Sunday slot for messy church and Songs of Praise works here. Love to you all. Clare

Space for God

Tuesday 7th February 8.00pm – 9.00pm in church. In the midst of all the busyness of life, this is a time for refreshment and stillness with God. After a short introduction, the hour is given over to quiet personal prayer with some activities on offer to help you meet with God in the quiet.

Volunteers required for church opening at Hambledon

We are planning to open the church on a daily basis from 1st March and will need volunteers to open it by 9.30am and lock it by 5.00pm. If you can help in anyway, even if only occasionally, please phone Jenny Henderson on 01428 682624 and let her know what help you might be able to give. The more volunteers we have, the easier it will be for all of us. Thank you!

Busbridge Junior School has an opening for the post of Clerk to the Governors. If this would interest you please contact the school on 417302 for more information.

please pray for…

· Churches Together
· The Movie Ministry team and their events for 2017
· The Prime Time Wisley trip
· The first 150th Anniversary Celebration event
· The Alpha course
· Beechway and their road steward, Susie Chandler
· High Ridge and Rock Hill
 

How does a good shepherd look after their sheep? The good shepherd allows the lambs to run around knowing this activity will help them become strong. The sheep make their own decisions about where to move around in the fields to find the best grass and to find shelter from wind and rain. The good shepherd does not direct the every movement of each sheep and lamb. They recognise that the lambs have to learn by their mistakes and learn to look after themselves and avoid dangers.

 What the good shepherd does do is protect the sheep. They ensure there is a gate and might sometimes act as the gate. They understand the foibles of their sheep. They look out for danger and will risk their own lives to protect the sheep in their care. They know their sheep and their sheep know them. 

 The metaphor of Jesus as Shepherd is a powerful one with its emphasis on Jesus laying down his life for the sheep. It is a reassurance to know that Jesus is our shepherd who knows us and protects us. But the cororary is that we as sheep need to be deliberate in keeping alert and healthy through exploring, sustaining ourselves, and seeking to look after the lambs in our care. If we want the Good Shepherd to know us we need to continually seek to know him.

As we focus this Sunday on Jesus as Shepherd let us reflect on what being a responsible sheep might mean. How might we explore the way we can contribute to the lives and hopes of those around us? How do we use the freedom to roam to enable us to see opportunities so we can sustain ourselves and others? In the words of Handel’s Messiah ‘All we like sheep have gone astray’ but we all have the privilege and the responsibility to learn from our mistakes and then use the freedoms we have to be the best Christian citizens we can be in our community and nation. 

FROM SIMON TAYLOR…PLEASE READ!
Jesus Heals. This is a defining mark of the sort of active, living belief we have in this local church. Jesus isn’t just an idea, example or morality but is the One who died and rose again – he went through Death because only this allows us the connection with God.

So, where are we in our faith in Jesus who heals? Know you are ticking along but seeking God’s deeper Spiritual Awakening and renewal? Conflicted by seemingly pressure cooker of juggling worship, family, busy lives and deepening faith? Wondering what’s going on about Old Rectory? Heard a whisper about four key areas of church life for 2017 but not sure what they are? Confused about what the Eight Giving Weeks are about as we lead up to March 5th? What’s that date about anyway? Oh, isn’t Old Rectory fully paid for?

Then you’ll be desperate to read the attachment on the church email about our focus for 2017, join the 29 people who have listened to the ‘Resolution Sunday’ talk at www.bhcgodalming.org/talks/ and be part of our four aims for 2017…

The Christian Life • Thinking Small

Expecting More of God • Walking the Talk in our lives 

Hambledon Ladies’ Breakfast, 4th February
We look forward to welcoming Richard Everett to our February breakfast. Richard is a playwright/actor and you can find out more about him at his website richardeverett.co.uk or by coming along to the breakfast! Tickets £8: WSGC breakfasts are always excellent and portions very generous. Tickets will be available from the Village Shop until Tuesday 31 January. If you cannot make it to the village shop please phone Sue Blackman. The next three breakfast datesare Saturdays 6 May, 12 August and 4 November – put them in your diary!

 A note from Guildford Besom
Guildford Besom would like to say a huge thank you for the lovely hampers that were given out at Christmas time. “It was wonderful to see so many people helped including families really struggling to make ends meet, those who have been through family break ups and those coping with disabilities.  Everyone was so very thrilled to receive the hampers – so thank you so much again!”

Volunteers required for church opening at Hambledon
We are planning to open the church on a daily basis from 1st March and will need volunteers to open it by 9.30am and lock it by 5.00pm. If you can help in anyway, even if only occasionally, please phone Jenny Henderson and let her know what help you might be able to give. The more volunteers we have, the easier it will be for all of us. Thank you!

There are still places available for the Prime Time trip to ‘Butterflies in the Glasshouse’ at RHS Wisley on Wednesday 8th February.  If you’d like to go, please get your booking form to Penny Naylor as soon as possible – at the latest by Wednesday 1st February. The cost of this trip is £11.70 – payable on the day. Non-Prime Timers very welcome. For further details or to book a place contact Penny on  penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org.

Road Stewards
A very big ‘thank you’ to Dick & June Higgins who are standing down as road stewards for Ramsden Rd after many years faithful service, and welcome to Ruth Roseblade who has kindly agreed to fill the gap.

 Busbridge Junior School has an opening for the post of Clerk to the Governors. If this would interest you please contact the school on 417302 for more information.

 Interested in sponsoring the Lent Challenge – approx £300?
BHC will be doing another lent challenge around 2 Timothy including Bible readings and a text challenge each day for 40 days. The service will cost approximately £300 and we were hoping to have a sponsor from BHC. If you are interested in supporting this, then please contact Bryan on bryan.silletti@bhcgodalming.org or Catherine McBride – catherine.mcbride@bhcgodalming.org.

 Save the Date – 10th May 2017 – 7:30 – 9:30pm – Alun Hulme – “Be Prepared to Give an Answer” – in Busbridge Church
On 10th May, Revd Alan Hulme, Director of Parish Development & Evangelism Team from the diocese, will be coming to give a seminar on “Be prepared to Give an Answer.” The whole church is invited and we will have nibbles, biscuits, and beverages available at the back of the church. All home groups are being cancelled for this week, so we can all attend and participate in this two hour interactive session. Please put the date in your diary. If there are any questions, then please contact Bryan bryan.silletti@bhcgodalming.org or 01483 421267.

Marvellous Movie Matinee
Not to be missed – it’s a children’s favourite about pets and their secret lives…(hint, hint at the title!). Saturday 11th February, 2.30pm, Busbridge Church. Don’t forget your cushion!

please pray for…

· The Hambledon Ladies’ Breakfast
· Families bereaved over the last month
· The work of The Cellar
· The Alpha course
· Ashtead Lane and their road stewards, Caroline Wright & Jane Tomes
· Heathfield Close and Potters Hill