Lisa Olsworth-Peter: Worship when you wake? Are you mad?

When you wake what is the first thing we do? Pop on our slippers? Make a coffee? Watch the news?

What if the first thing we did was worship the Lord?

Now you will probably be thinking, “oh come on Lisa who worships the Lord at 6am? I can barely open my eyes when I get up how on earth could I summon the energy to worship!”

You would be right in thinking that! To suddenly start singing the words of 10,000 reasons or Thine Be The Glory would indeed be a bit of a stretch even for the holiest of people!

What if I told you that simply uttering the words, ‘Lord I give you this day’ is worship!

• To thank God for the warmth of the carpet under your feet.

• To thank Him for the freshly brewed coffee or tea or even the fresh running water from the tap!

• To take a breath and thank Him for giving us life!

This IS worship!

 We so often think that worship begins when the band strike their first chord or when we begin to sing! Well if that’s the case God has been starved indeed in these last 10 months!

Worship is music and singing but it is not limited to this! Music and singing is one of the many gifts and blessings that God has given us and we should be thankful every day for it but there are many ways for our bodies, our hearts, our minds and our souls to worship God.

Let’s start by being thankful!

Tomorrow when you wake, thank God for the day and dedicate it to Him.

It’s like turning on a running tap the rest will just flow from there!

https://open.spotify.com/track/34plEFbj6nBMG7esY9rzim

https://youtu.be/FYMjO9mL0Tw

Lisa Olsworth-Peter
Music Worship Pastor

“Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts” Colossians 3:16

Mental Health course run by Busbridge&Hambledon Church

The next online Hope in Depression course is starting soon. This free 6 week mental health course has been run by churches nationally since 2003.

Could the course be right for you or someone you know?

The Hope in Depression course is a 6-session course for people experiencing mild to moderate depression and or anxiety and those supporting anyone that is suffering. During the course attendees will hear personal stories and receive practical information and skills that have been clinically shown to help alleviate depression and anxiety. A range of mental health professionals will share information that people can utilise for their own recovery and self-care. The information in the course may not be applicable to those suffering more complex mental health issues, or who are suffering severely, therefore we regret, to comply with ethical guidelines, and we may not be able to admit those guests. The course is run in a warm, caring, confidential, and encouraging environment.

See https://www.bhcgodalming.org/hope-in-depression for more info, and to register.

Christmas Services Update 22 December

We are delighted to offer everyone a choice of online services on Christmas Day, and limited access to worship in person.

Please join us online from 9am for the traditional Carol Service recorded in Hambledon for Christmas Day, and at 10am for the contemporary family benefice service which will be broadcast live from the Old Rectory, Busbridge.  Go to:  https://www.youtube.com/bhcgodalmingonline.

Following Saturday’s news we feel we have no option but to ensure people’s safety and to stand alongside our own and nearby local communities by asking people not to gather to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. There will be no live-congregation gathered at Hambledon Church on Christmas Day.  The Christmas Eve nativity trail has also been cancelled in Hambledon.

The Christmas Eve Drive In Carol services at Godalming College are going ahead, and a restricted number of those who signed up early to the 10AM Christmas Day services at Busbridge and Hambledon will be invited to the 10AM online broadcast service from the Old Rectory. We wish to prioritise those who are alone and not online.

On Christmas Day, there will be a Benefice Said Holy Communion in one kind (15 mins) at Busbridge Church at 9AM, primarily for those not online and alone. Booking required and numbers are limited. If you know someone this applies to, please help them book here.

If you know anyone who is not on the internet or isolating, please give them the number for the Daily Hope telephone line: 0800 804 8044.

In case of a pastoral emergency, contact the church office on 01483 421267 to find out which member of clergy is on call over Christmas and New Year.

Finally, you may be interested to read the latest Rector’s Reflection: Worship over Christmas and in the New Year.

With our prayers this Christmas,
The two Simons
Rev Simon Taylor and Rev Simon Willetts

Mens Matters with an invitation to breakfast

Another month, another lockdown! When will it all end? Will it all end?? One answer might be “On December 2nd – it’s written into the legislation, innit?”; another might be “This year, next year, sometime,….”!  Meanwhile, on t’other side of The Pond the wheels seem about to come off the car of Democracy while Trump and Biden wrestle for control of the steering and gear selector.

Uncertainty seems to be the only game in town at the moment and, while some uncertainty is natural and healthy, like so many things in life too much can lead to problems.  Sadly one thing that is certain at the moment is that we can’t meet up for our (in a former life!) traditional “light but perfectly formed” brekkie, with Alan B’s unforgettable porridge; instead we are doomed to Zoom…

To which end here is the link for Saturday’s Virtual Breakfast, kicking off at 09.00 and ending about 40 minutes later:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/79603567340?pwd=aFd3SHl0WWVvOHBEeFVncXFNU0NxZz09

(This should take you straight into the meeting, but just in case you need them the Meeting ID is 796 0356 7340 and the Passcode B4t0CN)

So set your alarm for 08.55 on Saturday morning, make yourself a good, strong coffee (or potion of your choice) and join us at 09.00 as we discuss lockdowns, the death of democracy, and anything else that takes our fancy…

Keep safe!

Dudley (for Men Matters)

Greetings. I hope that you are managing to put a brave face on the difficulties that now face us. Many of us felt optimistic and resilient during the first Covid phase in the Spring but it is clear that the second lockdown will test our fortitude even more. 

The encouragement of others is a central tenet of our Christian faith and most of Paul’s New Testament letters can be seen in this light. So on behalf of our men’s fellowship in Busbridge can I offer you the thought that we will of course overcome and that we will be able again to meet in fellowship.

Our Christian faith was made for times like these and each of us will be challenged in different ways. All things can and do work together for good for those who love God. The second half of that verse from Romans adds ‘to all those that are called according to his purposes’. We do hope that whatever situation you find yourself in that you will still be able to feel that you are part of God’s purposes and plans.

Alan B for Mens Matters

Simon Taylor: Lockdown II – You have such beautiful feet

This is an exciting time. Yes, you heard that right. Excited, not to be locked-down but because we’re ready to provide worship, teaching and community through Lockdown II. It is about having beautiful feet. Everyone else probably has scarred and scared, worried and worn feet. Yours my friend are… beautiful. You are a person of the beautiful feet.

Did you know that you have beautiful feet? Now, honesty, how are your feet doing? What state are they in?

As a follower of Christ you have beautiful feet because your feet carry you to the places and people that God has prepared for you to do his mighty works (Ephesians 2:10). This is what we are about in Lockdown II and though our feet and hearts are worn and scarred, we know that “As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:15

Tim Davies’ has beautiful feet. His work on cameras and tech in recent months has put us in good place to be creative for the Gospel. We’re deeply grateful to Tim and we were recently able to show this thanks with a card and a little something else as a token of our appreciation. Tim is now taking a well-deserved break and Jacob Taylor is currently helping us to take things forward.

We’ve got beautiful feet for the Gospel because our online ministry is growing and we would love to open up an opportunity to be part of the team that are shaping it. You’ll be helping reach several hundred people a week! Last Sunday’s services have been viewed nearly 500 times.

We’ve got beautiful feet that mean the Holy Spirit takes us to proclaim peace and salvation (Isa 52:7). God takes us to people and places where he knows we can make a good difference.

From Nov 15th we’ll be offering a fantastic array of worship:

·         9am Recorded Heritage BCP on youtube

·         Live Classic and Contemporary ZOOM Livestreamed, Classic at 9am, Contemporary at 10.15am

·         Contemporary taking a ‘conversations from the couch’ format and including breakout rooms, video clips and live discussion

·         Classic and Contemporary services also live on youtube (but you won’t see faces on that one, so better on zoom!)

·         A ‘highlights’ version of Classic and Contemporary on youtube from that evening onwards

·         Youth and Children’s ministry will continue online.

We’ll also be posting short video blogs from time to time, so do join/subscribe to our youtube channel

We’re asking Home Groups to meet on zoom or similar for coffee on Sundays and if you’re not connected or haven’t folded into a home group then this is your chance. Email simon.willetts@bhcgodalming.org to be connected right now. it is a chance for the people of beautiful feet to gather together in fellowship.

Our online ministry is currently allowing us to reach 100’s of people who currently cannot attend Church physically, people who are shielding or quarantining for health reasons, our young people who have gone off to University but can’t get access to their Christian Unions or join Churches, families during a time when gathering for children’s ministry is compromised. It’s also for those that are exploring Church and the Christian faith but who aren’t ready yet or don’t want to attend in person.  

We know that our online ministry is making a difference. Did you know that there is a night-time ‘spike’ in when people connect? We’ don’t know who, but we do know that there is a regular ‘spike’ of people tuning into our soundcloud past-sermons on the website, often at around 2-3am. We’re offering a Gospel message that helps people sleep! (Psalm127:2).

We have the ability to reach a whole community of people with the gospel but we need your help to do it. Right now, over the next 3-5 weeks, we need you!  We want to build a team of beautiful feet people who enable this ministry to happen. You don’t need any prior skill – you really don’t. You can be 10 years old or 100. Age is no barrier.

We are not just looking for operators we are looking to form a team that will shape the future of this ministry and take Christ’s love into people’s hearts and homes. You’ll be the people of beautiful feet who carry the good news (Isa 52;7) This team will consist of the following roles;

- Visuals laptop operators

- Sound operators

- Someone to monitor and host the zoom call (and laptop) so that we can invite participation from our community

- Point the camera people

- Vision mixing operator

For each role full training will be given but the first and only requirement is that you have feet that might look worn to you, but as you engage in this Gospel mission, you will have beautiful feet.

Please contact Dave Preece, Simon Willetts, Frances Shaw, Jacob Taylor or Simon Taylor and get those feet moving!

Lisa Olsworth-Peter: Find your own song

“My heart, O God, is steadfast; I will sing and make music with all my soul”

— Psalm 108: 1

How can we worship God through music? 

What music speaks to your soul? What genre awakens your heart?

For my husband it’s a Rachmaninov Piano Concerto, for me it’s Gospel, for my son it’s rock music. We are blessed with so many genres of music to choose from, choral, rap, orchestral, rock, blues, gospel, electroacoustic, folk I could go on….

Worship is connecting our heart to His, it’s praising Him, thanking Him, loving Him and doing all of this while being real with Him.

So here’s your challenge…

1.    Find a piece of music that stirs your heart.

2.    Thank God for this music, for the people who created it, the musicians and singers that brought it to life, for the gifts that He gave them.

3.    Allow the Spirit of God to move through the music and bring you into a place of Worship.

If you take on the challenge and would like to share your experience, I’d love to hear from you

Lisa Olsworth-Peter
Music Worship Pastor
lisa.olsworth-peter@bhcgodalming.org

·         Worship is not just singing

·         Worship doesn’t require a song with a beginning a middle and an end

·         What is your song?

·         Worship is kindness to all His people

·         Worship is devotion

·         Music as teaching

·         Music as love

Paul urged the Ephesians (and us) to “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:18-20 ESV)

Andy Spencer in Black History Month

For a number of years October has been designated as Black History Month with articles, exhibitions, and resources detailing aspects of the history of black people. This year, with all that has gone on since the death of George Floyd, it is particularly pertinent.

As Christians it is important that we understand racism, our part in it and how we can expose and eventually eradicate it. As part of our response, the PCC has set up a group to help lead our response.

One of the lessons we as a group has learnt is that we need to educate ourselves first before expecting someone from BAME background to do it for us, so we can understand the different shapes of racism and then listen to those who have experienced racism first hand.

This month national television has produced many programmes to help us and there is a wide selection of books and articles. Last week in these notices we invited you to take a look at the Black History Month Annual Magazine. https://issuu.com/sugarmediaandmarketing/docs/blm_2020_4oct .

A book which has caused a bit of a stir recently is Ghost Ship by an Anglican priest A D A France- Williams who takes a critical look at Institutional Racism and the Church of England. When reading it I was struck particularly by the following comment.

I read an article the other day from a woman living in an overwhelming white area and she said, ‘I am drowning in whiteness.’ She was talking about all the micro-aggressions she has to experience on a daily basis like people touching her hair or asking ‘where are you really from?’ or telling her ‘you’re very articulate. You don’t sound black.’ Everyone has a responsibility, particularly Christians, to examine their church spaces and their community spaces and ask the questions: if a person of colour walks in here how would they experience us? Would the church be somewhere they could feel safe, for example show up with natural hair and not have everyone come over and start touching it? Or would they try our church for a couple of weeks and just get exhausted by having to interact with us and not come back?

Has this anything to say to us in Busbridge and Hambledon where 97% of the local population is classified as being white according to the 2011 census?

Andy Spencer
Busbridge and Hambledon PCC group on the Response Racism and Cultural Bias in the local church.

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

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

Andy Spencer: A thought for Father's Day

I always associate Father's Day with the London to Brighton Bike Ride which is usually on the same day. I think I've done it three times, including once on a tandem with a partially sighted colleague as stoker (not steering!). It was a great feeling, if not a little scary, coming down the hill into Brighton with the weight of two blokes helping us to break the speed limit easily.

The bike ride is in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Little did I know that quite a few years after those cycle rides, I would be undergoing open heart surgery. Eventually after quite a few weeks getting over the operation and engaging with all the rehabilitation exercises, I felt like a new man with a new heart.

Talking of hearts, fathers and mothers are at the heart of the family and these weeks of lockdown, while stressful at times, have bonded families together. Fathers who used to leave the house as the children were just getting out of bed and not returning until after the children's bedtime, could now be at the heart of family life. It will be interesting to see as we come out of lockdown if some of these advantages cannot be kept, as working from home for some might become the new norm. Will there be a new heart beating in the centre of family life?

The bible has much to say about our hearts. If you have a spare half an hour or so, Google all the references to 'heart' in the Bible and just see for yourself. For now though a reference from Ezekiel 11.19.

“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead.”

— Ezekiel 11: 19

So on this Father’s Day when we think especially about fathers, a question for all to ponder. How is your heart?

Is it a sad heart, a tired heart, a loving heart, a heart for others?

Are there times though when it is a stony heart and you feel very selfish and unloving?

Remember when you bring all that is in your heart to God in prayer, he can remake that heart into a loving, beating and tender heart and it doesn’t need a four-hour operation just a conversation with God.

Frances Shaw: Save the date!

So with joy and anticipation I saved the date – for a significant birthday party, for a wedding anniversary celebration, for friends coming to stay, for other outings and trips.  Now of course they’re all postponed – or in some cases we like to think postponed, but really they are cancelled. So my diary now has lots of things crossed out, with not so much to go in, or even pencil in relating to gathering together, or meeting for a coffee; just lots of question marks.

I noticed in our reading for last Sunday, Pentecost, the disciples had gathered ‘all together in one place’. Gathering is important to us. We can refer to the words in Matthew where Jesus says, ‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them’. Sometimes this sentence is used in a bit of a jovial way, or as a sort of apology, when only two or three people turn up at a meeting - Jesus is there anyway. The context in Matthew’s gospel could well be one of persecution, when to ‘gather’ was quite dangerous, and this provides a very different focus for these words.

I really do miss gathering on a Sunday at church – not just to meet people, to see friends, to share, and to care, but gathering with a purpose – to worship and engage with God. Our BHC online services are great – wonderful, imaginative and encouraging to faith, but I do miss ‘going to church’. Maybe this is something to do with physically going, moving from one place to another, putting myself in the ‘right’ place. Trying to engage with God at my desk, in front of a screen, my work screen, just isn’t the same for me.  This is more to do with me than the nature of the product.

Half of me is hanging on to get back to some sort of normality – that is, the way we were and did things before. The other half is telling me to ease myself gently into recognising that actually we aren’t going back to how things were before – and I find that hard.  It’s also hard because we don’t yet know what our ‘new normal’ kind of church gathering will look like, and that’s unsettling. It will be the same, but different – same buildings, but used in a different way.

Although the end may seem tantalisingly close, there won’t be a big celebration party. The natural world will recover, and there are already signs of a greener planet, with new life, in its broadest sense emerging. We will be able to gather.

God is still there – save the date.

Jill Johnston acknowledging Pat Hilton's valued contribution as a Pastoral Assistant

Following the very sad loss of Pat Hilton, I would like to acknowledge Pat’s very valued contribution as one of Busbridge and Hambledon’s  Pastoral Assistants. For many years she was a very faithful member of the classic service pastoral team always willing to contact people and be there to listen and help whenever necessary. We are a very close group as PA’s and dearly miss her friendship, wise and thoughtful insights, her depth of knowledge from years working as a nurse, also volunteering at Send prison assisting Lesley Mason and earlier working as a Samaritan.

Her deep faith, kindness and compassion shone through in all she did, never complaining about her own illness and right up to 10 days before she died was still ringing other people to offer pastoral care, at a time when she would have been the more natural recipient of such care.

Thank you Pat for being the person God made you, we all miss you.

Clare Haddad: Connected by a big heart

Although many of us have not gone very far, if anywhere (!), for two months the Coronavirus Lock Down means that we find ourselves in a “different place.”  Of course the pressures on some of our brothers and sisters have been enormous as they are locked down in a big family twenty/four seven.  All those meals to put on the table, all that extra washing and cleaning, let alone home schooling: that must be very demanding if not exhausting. Others with serious health issues find themselves “shielded” on their own or with one other and very dependent on family,  neighbours and the local authority to get  shopping and prescriptions.  I do hope that if that is your situation that you have relaxed into being a VIP and adjusted to being confined to your house and garden “for the duration”.  Ten days before the lockdown I phoned our daughter at university to explain that she was unlikely to be able to come home for a long time. I am proud that she has been able to cope well and we enjoy our phone chats. God bless children and young people with patience and resilience and ways to experience His joy!

Early on journalists and others stressed the imperative of having fairly strict routines: almost as if we might lose the plot without routine. I was amazed by the industry going on in our road with large deliveries of shingle, turf and compost arriving to different houses in the early weeks. I think there was then, but less so now, an element of displacement activity where people threw themselves into big gardening or DIY projects to blot out the worry if not fear that the invisible threat of Covid-19 brought us all. We have prayed for some people known to us who have been hospitalised and very sadly not all of them have recovered but mercifully most  people we know have remained well. Being so far unscathed makes social distancing, virtual church and lack of freedom to plan forward strangely surreal.

For me, once the urge to clean the house every day diminished, I have had little routine apart from a daily long walk around our village, greeting and chatting to people at a distance. Acquaintances have become friends, cakes have appeared out of nowhere and my banana bread and flapjack have got new takers (always untouched post oven). There is a definite enlivening of the community and a breaking down of barriers between people of different generations.  I strongly believe that God is in these new friendships and the greater personal  inter-dependency. Two things stand out as moving me profoundly.. These are the well supported weekly Clap for NHS staff and Carers and the VE Day 75 years  front garden parties with neighbours sharing at a distance their photos and family stories of the Second World War. Although we need to be two metres apart when outside our homes we are actually becoming closer.  One of the latest pictorial messages from our Government  shows two people spaced by  two opposed arrows marked  “Stay 2 metres apart”  but  where the arrows meet there is a  big heart. We can read this as love for one another and also as God loving us all in the midst of the pandemic. May we all find comfort in messages and signs of love and kindness and mutual support at a time where handshakes and hugs are on hold for the moment.

THE BIG WAVE!

The Big Wave
You too can have your moment as a YouTube star!

We’d love to see as many of you as we can waving to us in our service on Sunday 24 May. To do this is simple!
Film a 1-2 second video of you waving.  We won’t broadcast names, portrait or landscape is fine, Dave can work with different formats (we think).  Send it to david.preece@bhcgodalming.org by 10am on Thursday 21 May.

Simon Taylor: BHC Mk11 - What might the future look like? Join Ed O-P for Pioneering the Future Church next Monday

What will church look like after lock down? Will it go back to how it was or will it reshape in some way?… 

We are beginning to ask the question ‘what might the future look like’? for us as a Christian community. There is much to go back to but there is also much to reflect on for the future. This is about lessons to be learned in areas such as leaning of God, laying down that which became redundant, living faith for tomorrow, and being a learning as a community under Christ. You might call it ‘BHC MkII’.

Explore this with Rev Ed Olsworth-Peter on Monday 11 May at 8pm as he leads a discussion on Pioneering the Future Church.

Ed is the National Pioneer Development Advisor for the Church of England and will share insights, experience, theology and discussion around innovating the New Normal of Church exploring how to listen, adapt, experiment, inhabit and persevere.

To join the zoom meeting, use the location link above and enter password 2020 when prompted.

Why Pray? Prayer in these unusual times - Andy Spencer

It has been said by Army chaplains that

“there are no atheists in foxholes.”

The first thing that needs to be said is that there are no experts with prayer, only people who have tried it in different ways and found it helpful. Most people who pray don’t always find it easy and some really struggle with it.  There is no one way to pray. Someone has wisely said – pray as you can, do not pray as you can’t.

So why pray?

It‘s just so natural, we do it all the time, particularly if we are in a challenging situation we, whether we have faith or not, send up a prayer of help. It has been said by Army chaplains that there are no atheists in foxholes.

Just recently in the worldwide Global Connections concert for the world, one of the theme tunes ‘The Prayer’, sung by Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, Andrea Boccelli, John Legend and Lang Lang contained these words:

I pray you'll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don't know
Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way

Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we'll be safe

I pray we'll find your light
And hold it in our hearts
When stars go out each night
Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
We ask that life be kind
And watch us from above
We hope each soul will find
Another soul to love

Another song from the same event was entitled ‘Soon you’ll get better’. This song written and sung by Taylor Swift contained these words:

Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too.

Yes, in desperate times and situations, we feel the need to reach out, to share the pain, to ask for help. It seems natural to pray to a higher authority, someone outside of ourselves. For most world faiths, prayer is important.

The link below will take you to a short cartoon clip entitled ‘Why pray?’ We hope you find it helpful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVHUx_EJnUs&feature=youtu.be   tps://youtu.be/QVHUx_EJnUs

On the same website (https://www.24-7prayer.com/), there is plenty of information on how to pray, as well as resources and tools for praying in the midst of the coronavirus crisis

You also might find the video on the following link helpful: https://practicingtheway.org/pray/week-one

If you would like to talk more about prayer and praying having watched the above videos, you might like to join a zoom meeting in a couple of weeks’ time.

If interested email church.office@bhcgodalming.org

Rev Andy Spencer

Mid-week 'thought of the day' from Simon Taylor

Dear all,

It is heart-warming to know how much you are all caring, sharing, supporting, praying, worshipping and growing in fellowship in Christ. We’re hearing more and more stories of church members connecting together in new ways. We know that many of you have welcomed a call from a home group leader and the response to ‘would you like to fold in to a home group’ has been amazing. Thank you once again to our home group leaders. You play a crucial role in the leadership of BHC as we head into the future.

We’re gradually expanding the faith, teaching, worship and fellowship that we can offer online. We’re doing this because we think that our church family might be doing these online things for a while to come. We’re offering some online short-courses and one off practical faith events; we’d encourage you to be part of them, partly to bless those who are putting such effort into them for all of us.

We’d like to give particular thanks this week for Matt Toombs. Matt and the Explorers team create an incredible weekly ‘padlet’ for the young people. The work behind it is phenomenal. Also, a quiet thanks to Jacqui R and all the wonderful saintly supporters who are caring for many in and around Hambledon, Hydestile, Enton and beyond. Do pray for these people.

We’re beginning to turn our thoughts to what ‘normal’ life, worship, faith and fellowship might look like in the months to come and even further ahead too. Like much of the UK exploring how life might be changing; we’re asking what “BHC MkII” might look like under the Holy Spirit’s leadership. Some research has been started into this and you can read an interesting theological and practical article which has been forwarded to us by Rev Catherine McBride.

https://www.dur.ac.uk/digitaltheology/ewo/sections/

What can we return to? What have we learnt God is growing afresh and which we need to explore further? What can we set aside as we live together for the Kingdom of God and look forward to Christ’s Return? If you’ve got thoughts, do send an email to Simon and Simon.

In the love of Christ,

Simon

Simon Taylor: Connect & Fold in (ii)

The Communion of Believers: Connect and Fold in

No-one Left Behind 1 Thess 5:11 (Msg paraphrase of Scripture)

We’ve written to most members of our church family in the past few days. A letter or email has gone to anyone who does not currently enjoy the spiritual fruits and social benefits of being part of a midweek small group in our church community.

If you didn’t get your email or letter, part of which is copied below, please let the church office know because it means we’ve missed you off and we’re really sorry for this. We want everyone to be connected and fold in to our extended Christian community at this important time. It is a symbol of our shared spiritual communion with Christ until the time when we can celebrate Communion as the gathered body of believers, together again.

A communion of believers expressed in different ways

We know that we are part of a great church family. We see this week by week as we live, laugh, cry, worship and do so m any things together.

Some of you are connected by getting the church notices; others by having the time to worship at key times in the church year like Remembrance, Easter, Christmas and Harvest. Perhaps you are part of the toddler group or Nexus, the Hambledon Coffee Morning or Ladies’ Breakfast. Many of you are connected into being the church family in so many ways and you worship at one of the congregations.

Connecting afresh in unity with one another and in Christ through the Holy Spirit

At this unique moment we are inviting you to connect in another way. It is for everyone’s good and about showing Christian care. It is a connection which over 200 of the church family are already part of. It is a midweek small group. It is called this because it is a smallish group of people who get to know one another, support each other, read the Bible and live life together. It is sometimes called a home group because it meets in a home.

It is vital that we are connected together as a church in new ways at this time. This is so that we can ensure our network of love, care and concern is strengthened for the good of all. You may be fine, in a house with many others but there are people in our church family who long for a fortnightly phone call right now. Your joining in could be about what you can give in Christ as much as that which you can receive.

Christian leadership

There are nearly 30 small home groups. They are led by great people who have been checked and selected by the church. These are people the church cares for, trusts and supports in their own faith and lives. We ensure that the home group leaders are well known in the church family and we meet together to pray and learn together. Our home group leaders are leaders in our Christian family of BHC.

Part of the Mystery of Christ’s Church past, present and future

Thank you for being part of a most wonderful, amazing and beautiful church family of Christ at this time. Thank you for your prayers and support as we all support one another.

Everyone needs a bit of care… Contact, Connect, Fold in

Everyone needs a little bit of care. Everyone needs ways to grow in understanding Scripture, faith and belief. Everyone wants to be part of a great family. We’re inviting everyone to be part of the home group network for the next few months. You can choose not to – just let the church office or the home group leader know. Or you can choose one of the following:

OR

Anto Ficatier: 5 Tips for parents in isolation with a teenager

5 TIPS FOR PARENTS IN ISOLATION WITH A TEENAGER

Anto Ficatier, Youth Minister at Busbridge & Hambledon Church

1. Acknowledge their feelings on a frequent basis
Teenagers are at a funny crossroads when it comes to feelings. They have the verbal ability to share what they experience but at the same time they tend to think (especially boys!) that it is really lame to externalize what they go through emotionally. In times of crisis like the one we are facing now, it is fundamental to make sure you acknowledge your teenagers’ feelings.

So together with your teenager, map out all the different feelings he/she has experienced recently. Complement it with a tool called a “wheel of emotions”. I personally like to use the one created by Robert Plutchik’s (find it here on Wikipedia), but I’m sure you can find other ones. Print it (big format) and pin it somewhere in your house. Make a mental note to look at the wheel with your teenager on a frequent basis

2.Keep up with the routine.
There’s no denying that your teenager is unsettled by this “new norm” of being confined at home all the time. We are all experiencing it, but teenagers are more sensitive to this due to their discomfort at processing feelings. This is perfectly normal. Don’t worry if it takes a little for your teenager to adapt to confinement.

But in this time of deep uncertainty, it is even more important to give your teenager a sense of routine, with a daily schedule of recurring activities that happen at the same time each day. Waking up in the morning, doing school work, eating meals with the family, exercising, and going to bed: try to keep those as “normal” as you can. A healthy rhythm of life will help your teenager to gain motivation. Your parenting skills will obviously be tested (sorry about that!) and your teenager might fight back when you try to set boundaries and put a healthy routine in place. Don’t give up, and be positive in your approach. Discuss the matter with your teenager. Try to make a list of ten special “weekend treats” you could start implementing, that would certainly cheer him/her up!

 3.More screen is not the answer
I’m reading more and more alarming studies coming from the US regarding screen time and teenagers. There is a huge rise in social media participation and gaming. Some would say this is perfectly normal because teenagers are at home all the time now. I say we should not fall for this easy solution and fight back. Since when does being at home mean being on our phones all the time?

With the mass-spread of virtual schooling, and virtual youth activities, your teenager is already spending way too much time on a screen. There is absolutely no need to add to these many hours of necessary screen additional hours on the phone or gaming. As tempting and easy as it is, more screen is not the answer. You will end up with a grumpy, hyper, and passive teenager. What to offer instead? The answer is not easy and requires tapping into your teenagers’ creative heart. Together sit down on the couch and list all the activities your teenager would like to do. Painting? Reading? Writing? Learning? You name it. Make suggestions without imposing anything. Try to get your teenager to find something on his/her own. Do not ban gaming and social media completely. It’s good for your teenager to keep in touch with friends and it’s ok to game a bit, as long as it is done in the right setting. Have your “family tech rules” ready. Haven’t written these rules yet? Now is the best time to do it!

4. Help them stay connected
In our current environment, it is really easy to be overwhelmed with everything that is happening in the world and go back to “survival mode”, whatever form it may take. Your teenager will be exactly the same – if not more. For some teenagers “survival mode” literally means going into emotional hiding and waiting for things to get better. So it is really important for you, parents, to help your teenager stay connected with the outside world and avoid solitude.

The best way to do so is to map out the different social groups of your teenager and check which ones he/she is in contact with. Football friends, family members, church youth group, boy-scouts..? Do you know when and how often these groups meet in this new age of isolation? Don’t forget to include in your map the family members your teenager would like to get in touch with. You might find out – to your surprise! – that Uncle Bob emerges from the brainstorming. Organize a phone call with Uncle Bob straight away! One last note: remind your teenager that Snapchat (and other social media) is not the best way to authentically share with their friends. A phone call or a video chat is a much better platform to express their feelings.

5. Invest in their spiritual life
I was on the phone with my great-uncle this week. He was telling me about WW2 and how he still remembers the long queues to buy food. In times of crisis, we are stripped away from our jobs, health, wealth, comfort, food, social relationships and many more things. It awakens deep questions about the meaning of life. Covid-19, like WW2, is a historical moment that your teenager will remember forever. You might not notice it yet, but it will undeniably have a lasting impact on him/her. Your teenager is processing everything and has on his mind many existential questions.

Start to listen to these questions. Don’t dismiss them because you’re too busy. Take them seriously. Help your youth to find answers to these questions. Now is perhaps the best opportunity you’ve ever experienced to share your own faith with your teenager. It might feel awkward at first, but your teenager craves to connect with you on a spiritual level. If you are yourself wondering about God in this turbulent time, that’s great! Why don’t you and your teenager explore what it means to be in relationship with God together? “Ask, and you will receive” said Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. We are going through tough times. Your teenager needs to spend time learning about God and be comforted by Him. You can make it happen!

Notes:

Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions

Article from Glossy about social media participation

Article from Polygon about gaming

Simon Taylor: Contact, Connect, Fold in

Simon writes for the weekly notices:

Heavy artillery
This Palm Sunday, thank you for all your acts of kindness and signs of Christ’s love across this church family and in the wider community. Your presence makes a difference. Your prayers change the spiritual atmosphere. The Rt Revd Graham Cray called prayer “the heavy artillery of spiritual warfare”. I am hearing stories of people who have rarely been to church but who have prayed in the past two weeks.

Contact. Connect. Fold in
Over the next week or so every member of this church family will be contacted by us. I don’t know how many you think that might be but if you add up all the adults involved in Nexus, Ark, Explorers, WOW, Prayer Ministry, who have asked for this church email weekly… it is over 650 adults. We’ll contact you about inviting you to be connected to a key person who lives in your neighbourhood. It is about folding into a closer Christ community. It is a way to stay close whilst we are apart and to know the bonds of Christian love at a time such as this. If this isn’t for you, then you just need to reply to the email (next week). We expect most people will be wanting a little bit more connection and community; you may have it in spades yourself but I can promise you that if that is the case, you have something to share with Christians near you who need some of it. Share it and fold in with others!

Hope in dark times
If you’re looking for some hope, do read Simon W and my articles on the church website. Do check the youtube channel out and listen to our sermons from the past two weeks.  (Also available on the soundcloud).

Thanks
There are too many people to thank. Today we’re celebrating Lorna Sherwin, Cathy Brooke, Penny Naylor, Jackie Rooke and others who are spearheading our community response team. Pray for them.

Coffee?
This is why we’re asking everyone to join the 10.30am and 4pm coffee rooms once or twice a week. You might be fine, but others there may need to see your beautiful face. Do it for them.

Simon Taylor
Rector of Busbridge&Hambledon and Area Dean of Godalming
A Deanery Family Encouraging, Enthusing & Equipping one another in Christ