Hello from Prime Time!

Dear Prime Time members,

Welcome to your first Prime Time email of 2021!  The year hasn’t started exactly as we hoped has it?  (Although possibly exactly as we feared…)  There’s not been a great deal of sunshine in evidence this week to help lift the mood, so we’re having to get our proverbial ‘little rays of sunshine’ wherever we can find them.  Every one of us will have different things that have the ability to make our hearts sing and even if only temporarily, these things allow us to cast aside our worries and experience a little bit of joy.  It may be hearing a favourite piece of music being played on the radio, perhaps a sighting of a new bird on your bird feeder or maybe certain smells make your heart swell.  At this time of year it won’t be freshly cut grass, but for me – the smell of wood smoke transports me back to a happy place and the winters of my childhood, with my Dad toasting crumpets on the open fire in our sitting room using a particularly long-handled toasting fork!  Due to the current popularity of wood burning stoves, wood smoke is a common smell once more around Godalming during winter-time; so I tend to get flashbacks of charred crumpets quite frequently at the moment!

It’s often those small, seemingly inconsequential things that raise a smile – no matter how fleeting.  It could be a newspaper headline that contains a particularly clever play on words; you may not remember it for long – but just in that moment when it caught your eye, you thought ‘Oh, that’s good!’  But even if it doesn’t stick in your mind for long , it’s effect on your mood, your spirit, can last for a lot longer.

Personally, I’ve found that these ‘little rays of sunshine’ can really help me to get through the difficult days and if we’re honest – we’re probably all experiencing more than the odd one or two of those at the moment; especially when it’s cold, overcast and damp and there really isn’t any other option but to stay indoors.  So, what’s made me smile today?  An email actually; and not a personal one at that.  It was a marketing one, from a retailer of frozen foods that has a shop in Godalming.  Like Prime Time, this company has been sending out regular emails since the start of the pandemic and they often contain quirky little bits of trivia or astonishing undertakings that just somehow appeal to me.  I’m a bit of a trivia magpie and I store up and collect such gems (as anyone who took part in the recent Prime Time Christmas Quiz will no doubt concur – I have a disproportionate amount of slightly random information tucked up both sleeves ready to wheel out at the slightest of opportunities!)

The headline on the aforementioned email I received today was a play on words based on a line from a song; a song which was quite an anthem for my generation when we were in our early twenties. The song lyric ‘I get knocked down, but I get up again’ had been changed to ‘We get Lock Down, but we get up again’  which immediately grabbed my attention; making me smile for the sheer clever-ness and pertinence of it as well as briefly transporting me back to our time living in Brighton in the late 1990s when the original song was released.  But the real gem in that email was at the end where it contained a link to a video, the content of which ties in perfectly with the topic I had intended to share with you all in today’s email.  But as if that wasn’t enough, what really made me smile was that had I not been running somewhat late today and had I sent the weekly email out at the usual time in the late afternoon,   the marketing email would have arrived in my inbox after I had sent out the Prime Time email and therefore I would not have been able to include it as an added bonus to share with you and that would have been such a shame as it really is a bit like the cherry on the cake that finishes everything off.   When coincidences like this occur, it really does strengthen my belief that there is a higher entity controlling the course of things.  It will come as no surprise to you that for me, that ‘entity’ is God and such coincidences (even seemingly trivial ones regarding the arrival of an email) bring me comfort and reassurance that even though I cannot know how a particular situation will end, I can place my trust in God to make things right because He has shown me even in the minutiae of my life that He is with me putting things in the right order and, therefore that ultimately, things happen for a reason.

So, I expect you’re wondering now what the theme of this week’s email was always going to be…  ‘Joy, Hope, Peace and Love’.  If you tuned in, either on the radio or television last week to the annual New Year’s Day Concert from Vienna, these words will no doubt be familiar to you. The conductor, Riccardo Muti, spoke about music being more than entertainment and that for musicians it is more than a profession, it is a mission; a mission to make society better through music.  He went on to say that ‘musicians have in their weaponry, flowers; not things that kill. We bring joy, hope, peace, and love’ and he concluded that this is the ‘message of music’.  Whilst in no way was this a religious occasion or an event rooted in Christian theology, it struck me how strongly these four words are reflected in the Bible.  ‘Joy’, ‘Peace’ and ‘Love’ are three of the nine Fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5, verse 22) whilst ‘Hope’ is what we gained through Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection.

God’s word flows through everyday life without many of us really realising it and part of its enduring strength is its timelessness and continued relevance.  It’s use in our everyday parlance demonstrates how we carry God’s word with us without us really even being aware of it and this alone gives me hope for the future.

My initial thought was to discuss each of the four words at this point, but on reflection – I think my letter to you might begin to read more like a theological essay, so you’ll probably be relieved to know that I’ve had a rethink!  Encouraged by the gem relating to ‘Joy’ that fell into my inbox at the eleventh hour this afternoon, I have challenged myself to try and find something equally as relevant for each of the remaining three words used by Riccardo Muti during his New Year’s day speech and I will share my discoveries with you over the next three weeks.

Today I’m kicking us off with ‘Joy’, having been nudged in this direction by the discovery of the very appropriate video that came my way earlier today.  It also seems very timely though as we have just had Christmas, which albeit a very different experience this year – is traditionally a season associated with joy.  The line so familiar to us from many a school Nativity Play has the chief angel utter the immortal words: ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy’ which is of course a reference to the fact that the promised Saviour has been born.  True Christian joy, is knowing Jesus as our own, personal Saviour – being a beneficiary of His saving work, and receiving through Him the forgiveness of our sins and the consequent peace with God and sure hope of eternal life.

But joy like many things in life is a very subjective experience and we each will have different triggers for this sensation.  Aside from biblical definitions, the dictionary definition of ‘joy’ is: ‘a feeling of pleasure or happiness’.  Although both the weather and the news updates have been gloomy this week, I pray that in spite of all the difficulties we are currently experiencing, you are still able to experience moments of joy, those personal ‘little rays of sunshine’ I referred to earlier.

And if those rays of sunshine are in short supply, hopefully you’ll find one here in this link:

https://www.facebook.com/ClassicFM/videos/watch-this-incredible-beethoven-ode-to-joy-flashmob/2619211171641583/

Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, performed as you’ve never seen it before in the streets of Sabadell in Spain. Surprising, soulful and joyous.

May the coming week provide us all with unexpected moments of joy to sustain us.  And remember “we get Lock Down, but we get up again’ and collectively together, we will.

‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him’ – Romans 15:13

Until next Friday, 

Penny x

Penny Naylor

Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Busbridge & Hambledon Church Office

Phone: 01483 421267

Website: www.bhcgodalming.org

(Day off Monday)

Happy New Year from Prime Time

Dear Prime Time member,

You may well not have been anticipating an email from me this week but I just wanted to pop a brief “hello” into your inbox and to let you know that I’m thinking about you.  The time between Christmas and New Year can be a strange time even in more usual years, but this year there is a risk that this week can feel very flat indeed (and very long…)

With this in mind, I’ve saved up a final treat for you to help while away a little bit more time as the clock creeps round towards the end of 2020 and towards the start of what we all hope will be the year that we can say farewell to the pandemic and all associated restrictions on daily life.  The Comfort & Joy exhibition has been drawing people to Busbridge Church for the past 3 weeks and the hand-crafted exhibits have delighted visitors and have been an inspirational backdrop for those using the church for private prayer.

At the project’s inception, we promised that we would make the exhibition available to all, not just those who were able to come to the church to see it.  A member of our church family is a professional camera man and film maker and he kindly donated his time to film the exhibition and produce a short video so that from the comfort and safety of their own homes, people have the opportunity to view the exhibition.  The link to enable you to view this video is as follows: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNx1UT4lmE0  Please see this as being given permission to sit back and put your feet up for a while!

There is still time to pop along to the church and see the exhibition at first hand.  The exhibition will close its doors for the final time on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd January, so you still have 2 or 3 days left to view it if the video leaves you wanting more…

I return to work on Wednesday 6th January so you can expect to be hearing from me as usual next Friday with the first Prime Time email of 2021. In the meantime, If you should find yourself in need of assistance, then our volunteers remain on standby to help with shopping, prescription collecting or a friendly phone call; so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.  Over the holiday period it would be best to use my mobile number to access such help ( 07766 572934 ) as the Church Office will be closed from until January 4th.  I will continue to answer my phone throughout this period – so please do use it if you find you need to.

New Year’s Eve celebrations are likely to be somewhat muted this evening in comparison to previous years. I debated whether or not to employ the phrase ‘Happy New Year’ as I feared possibly it may be greeted with some snorts of derision given the restrictions we currently find limiting our lives and our enjoyment of them.  However, I do wish you happiness in the year ahead.  I add my prayer to the millions of others that have been offered up across the world during the past year; a prayer that a way forward is found that will enable us all to join together in person once again with our families and our friends.  To allow us to give and receive a hug when only a hug will do and to start creating some really happy, positive memories once again.  Hopefully, with the rolling out of the vaccines, we now have that way forward – although we are going to have to be patient for a while longer before we really can experience the benefits.  So yes, I do wish you a New Year that is happy and filled with hope.

Take care and stay safe and Happy New Year (There – I’ve said it!)

Penny x

Christmas Greetings from Prime Time

Dear Prime Time member,

With just two days to go before Christmas Day, I thought I would send one last quick email to check in and see how you’re doing.  I am very aware that it is likely that some Prime Time members will have had their plans for Christmas significantly impacted by the changes to the Christmas Bubble rules that were announced at the weekend.  Having to change plans at the last minute is never easy, no matter the circumstances – but when it concerns such a focal point of the year for family gatherings, as Christmas undoubtedly is, the realisation of what we’re missing out on can seem particularly difficult to process, especially given the many other losses we’ve also experienced this year.

If you’re searching for something to make you smile today, look no further than our 10 minute take on a Nativity play created by the youngest members of our church family (with a bit of help from their mums and dads!)  It is pure joy – my personal highlights are the donkey that asks “Are we nearly there yet?” and the shepherds going off to search for the baby Jesus in their pedal-powered cars – having stowed their sheep in the back (of course!)

To view what we are calling the Unlocked Nativity, please click on the following link – it should take you straight to it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFx_Gpp3L_Y&list=PLwt7pih05hN73XXlaK5nWZJW60ZAInOty&index=3

We hope you enjoyed our Afternoon Carol Service that went live at the end of last week. As of yesterday evening, it had been viewed 109 times which is amazing – that’s even more than we usually have in church for that service!  If you haven’t had a chance to view it, the good news is that it will be available on our YouTube channel throughout the Christmas period, so you haven’t missed out if you didn’t tune in last Friday. The service has some lovely contributions for everyone to enjoy, including Busbridge Junior School children and the choir from King Edwards School, Witley.  You’ll find it on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1TxJZWR1vI

Due to the increased prevalence of the virus in our local communities – we have reluctantly had to take the decision to cancel some of our Christmas services and activities, as we do not feel it right to be bringing large numbers of people together at this time, even in outdoor spaces.  If you would like to take communion on Christmas Day – there will be a short service in the garden at the Old Rectory at 9am on Christmas morning.  Pre-booking is essential, although priority will be given to people living alone, especially those without access to the internet. So please do share this news with friends or neighbours to whom this may apply and who you think might be interested.  For further details, please go to our website: www.bhcgodalming.org  At the time of writing, our drive-in services on Christmas Eve are still going ahead as planned, so if you have booked to attend these you should still be able to.  However, please do keep checking our website for updates as changes to the guidance are coming all the time.

If you should find yourself in need of assistance over the Christmas period, then our volunteers will remain on standby to help with shopping, prescription collecting or a friendly phone call; so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.  Over the holiday period it would be best to use my mobile number to access such help ( 07766 572934 ) as the Church Office will be closed from Christmas Eve until January 4th.  I will continue to answer my phone throughout this period – so please do use it if you find you need to.

And if your Christmas plans are up in the air, looking a little paired back, or downright disappointing, here's a comforting thought... 

It will be a very different Christmas experience this year, but I pray that however you find yourself spending it, it is enjoyable for you and that the joy and peace of the season is something that you feel able to carry forward into the New Year.

On behalf of the Prime Time Team, may I wish you ‘Merry Christmas’ and thank you for so faithfully supporting all the initiatives we’ve attempted during this very strange year.

Take care and stay safe – I’ll be in touch again soon,

Penny x

Penny Naylor

Prime Time Befriending Co-Ordinator
Part-time - currently working flexibly from home!
t: 07766 572934 (mobile)| w: bhcgodalming.org | Find us on Facebook & Instagram
the Old Rectory, Old Rectory Gardens, Godalming, GU7 1XB

Hello from Prime Time! and your invitation to the online PT Carol Service next Friday

Dear Prime Time member,

 This time yesterday I was at home, sat on the sofa with my laptop in front of me and along with many Prime Time members was singing along with our Music & Worship Pastor Lisa to a medley of familiar Christmas carols and songs.  It was a lovely way to spend an hour and really got me feeling quite festive.  Invariably I come away from Prime Time events having added to my general knowledge – there is always information to be gleaned and yesterday was no exception.  Thanks to our Sing-A-Long carols session, I learnt from Lisa a little of the background to the song ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’.  I’m familiar with the Frank Sinatra version but I had no idea that the song was originally from the 1944 film ‘Meet Me in St Louis’ and was first recorded by the film’s star, Judy Garland.  In the film, the song has quite a melancholy feel which didn’t suit the mood Frank Sinatra was looking for, so the words in his later version are subtly different and a little more upbeat.  However, as Lisa pointed out yesterday – the words of the original Judy Garland version seem to reflect this year’s Covid-restricted Christmas perfectly.  In fact, on reflection, it’s quite astonishing that the music industry has not picked up on this and re-released this song as the ‘Song of Christmas 2020’.

 In case I’ve got you wondering, I’ve attached the words to ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ to this email so that you have the opportunity to consider them yourself at your leisure. And if you’d like a  trip down memory lane, here is a link to the song from the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CreWsnhQwzY  Wouldn’t it be comforting to be able to say with certainty that ‘next year all our troubles will be out of sight’ and that our ‘friends will be near to us once more’?  I really hope that before too long I can say in one of these emails, ‘someday soon, we all will be together’ but for the time being as the song says ‘we’ll have to muddle through somehow’.

I would have to admit, ‘muddling through’ is how I might describe my life over the past few months.  There is no handbook to life in Lock Down, we are all learning how to get through this together and yes, there have been times when I’ve felt that I’ve been doing little more than ‘muddling through’.  If that’s how you feel too, then I hope that’s a little comfort to know that I really don’t have it sussed.  Like you I am just trying to do what I can to get through this period in my life and make the best of the situation.  I know I don’t get it right all of the time; I do make mistakes and take the wrong course sometimes.  But I am also an incorrigible optimist and I pray that when I start singing Christmas carols and songs this time next year ‘all our troubles will be far away’ – well, the Covid-related ones anyway!

To help you ‘muddle through’ this next week, we have a few more activities to help occupy an hour or two.

The big event this week is our annual Afternoon Carol Service which goes live on our YouTube channel next Friday, December 18th at 3pm.  The direct link to this is not available yet, and may not be until Friday morning next week.  As soon as it becomes available, I will email it out to you – although my colleagues have said that they will try and make the service as easy to access as possible and therefore even without the direct link, next Friday you should see it on the Home Page of our website: www.bhcgodalming.org and it also should feature prominently on our You Tube Channel itself: https://www.youtube.com/bhcgodalmingonline So there are a few ways that you can access the service – keep them all to hand and see which works best for you at 3pm next Friday!   The service is totally pre-recorded with contributions from 2 local schools and with readings by a number of Prime Time members.  Do tune in and see which of your friends had their arms twisted to take part!  The service will last approximately 45 minutes, which just gives you time for a comfort break and the opportunity to grab your mulled wine and mince pies before settling back down in front of your computer at 4pm and joining your Prime Time Team for a catch up and chat on Zoom.  We’ll be using the BHC Public Zoom Room for this, which is the one that we used for our recent quiz and also the carol singing session – so the details remain the same as those I’ve given in the last couple of emails.

https://zoom.us/j/9463914833

Password for the meeting: 2020

And if next Friday seems a long way away, our friends at Prior’s Field School have made their recent Colour Cabaret Evening available for us to watch.  This was an eclectic mix of music and prose from Shirley Bassey to Cold Play and William Shakespeare to Just William! But all pieces with a link to a colour of the rainbow.  It was a cleverly put together performance and as we have come to expect from the Prior’s Field Team, very professionally executed.  To watch Colour Cabaret, just click on the colourful image below and it will take you to Prior’s Field’s Virtual Theatre page.  Scroll down past the titles and you will see the same image feature again.  Click on that, settle back and enjoy.  As a Prior’s Field staff member said, “it’s ideal viewing with a cup of tea and a mince pie” and as the weather forecast for next week looks rather soggy – Colour Cabaret, a cup of tea and a mince pie might be a welcome excuse for an afternoon in!

The Comfort & Joy exhibitions are still running in both churches.  You are welcome to pop in at any time to view all the masterpieces and fabulous creations.  Booking is not required, but please do observe social distancing guidelines if you find yourself not alone when viewing the exhibition!  And of course the Busbridge Advent Walk trail continues to have a new house added each day, so there’s always something new to see with that activity!  Further details and our Advent Walk map can be viewed on our website: https://www.bhcgodalming.org/walking-advent-calendar

Phew  - I think I’ve made it to the end of the list and hopefully I haven’t forgotten anything! I hope that these suggestions help fill the days over the coming week and I look forward to catching up with many of you over a (virtual) mulled wine and mince pie on Zoom following Friday afternoon’s service.

You can be sure I’ll be ‘muddling through’ this week along with you.

Penny x

Penny Naylor

Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Hello from Prime Time! 20 November 2020

Dear Prime Time member,

Dear me, what dreary weather we’re having today! It’s the kind of day that when you look out of the window it just makes you want to curl up on the sofa snuggled in a blanket and watch something light and fluffy on the TV!         I hope we don’t get too many days like today as it’s very hard to motivate yourself to get out and about for some exercise when the weather is like this isn’t it?  And let’s face it, going out for a walk is pretty much the only option available to us at the moment.  So if we’re not even doing that, we’re all going to develop cabin fever pretty quickly…  So grab your coat, hunt out your boots and dig deep, make yourself go outside for a walk.  I know it takes a lot of will power and that the easy option is just to stay indoors; I’m someone myself who likes their creature comforts and hate to be cold, so I know the internal struggles of knowing it will do me good to get out but at the same time wanting to stay warm and dry.  I’m confident though that Prime Timers have more self-discipline than I do!

But if the weather turns particularly bad or the ‘easy option’ wins out one day, luckily your Prime Time Team have planned some activities to help get you through to Christmas.  We realise that the run up to Christmas can be a particularly tricky time for some people and this year Christmas could be even more difficult because of the times we’re living through.  With this in mind, we decided to try and run an activity each week for the 3 weeks running up to Christmas – hopefully there will be something for everybody in what we’ve been able to offer.  The fourth week in December is Christmas week, and there will be a lot of services available on our You Tube channel for you to dip into and celebrate the season.  I’ll send you further details of these nearer the time.

I’ll send further details and joining instructions on the Friday before each event.  So next Friday look out for more details about the Christmas quiz.  I also hope to send you details of a self-guided ‘Advent Calendar Walk’ happening around Busbridge in December.  Intrigued?  Make sure you check your email next week to find out more…!

Today’s email is perhaps a little deviation from what you’ve come to expect.  It’s shorter for a start and more ‘newsy’.  That’s firstly because I didn’t want to detract from the ‘What’s On’ information and secondly because I was away from my desk for a couple of hours today attending the funeral of Prime Time member, Betty Towner.  Betty was a long standing member of Busbridge Church and was part of Prime Time long before my arrival on the scene!  Betty had many friends from within the church and also Prime Time and Wednesday Fellowship, and I know you will be saddened to learn of her passing.  But Betty had lived a long and very fulfilling life and she would not wish us to be sad.  Please be comforted by your happy memories of time spent in Betty’s company and of the fun moments and giggles you shared. As the poem read at today’s funeral said, “ …I have only slipped into the next room… I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.  All is well.”

Betty had a quiet yet strong personal faith.  She was caring, kind and generous of spirit and she had the wisdom that 93 years of life accumulates. Members of Prime Time of longer-standing may remember the Christmas video we made back in 2014, in which Betty became the unexpected star with her reflection on the meaning of Christmas.    So today’s ‘Thought For The Day’ comes courtesy of Betty…  “Even if you can give a little back, somewhere along the line, that person’s going to remember and that’s what Christmas means to me”.

So as we approach the season of Advent maybe we can keep the spirit of Betty within us, by each considering what it looks like for them to ‘give a little back…’

Until next week - with every blessing,

Penny x

The Plan for Older People’s Ministry - Autumn 2020

Older People’s Ministry is continuing – but out of necessity it is taking a very different form as the majority of older adults known to us are preferring to limit their social contact in order to reduce the risk of exposing themselves to the virus.  Large group gatherings such as the regular Prime Time events are therefore unlikely to happen for the next six months at least; especially as unlike acts of worship in church premises, social activities such as Prime Time are governed by the ‘Rule of Six’.  The plan for this area of ministry is to continue offering opportunities to engage through the use of varied means; online through Zoom and YouTube,  telephone contact and post.  We are currently exploring the possibility of face-to-face meetings in very small groups if there is a demand and if it is within current guidance.  It is also the hope that we will be able to utilise the newly installed technology in Busbridge Church to offer a live streamed service at key times in the church calendar. Our established befriending scheme is to be given greater promotion and the model of telephone befriending is being added into the existing operation.  All Community Hearing Aid Clinics across the Diocese remain suspended pending further guidance from the Diocese and hospital Audiology departments.  Penny Naylor will continue to respond to all hearing aid related enquiries and offer advice and signposting to anyone who requires it.  Penny can be contacted via the Church Office or by email: penny.naylor@bhcgodalming.org

News from the Prime Time team as they return to the office

Dear Prime Time member,

Did you miss us?  I’m so sorry that there was no Prime Time email last week.  The gremlins had well and truly been at work with the Prime Time email account; so much so that we had to call in the experts and by the time the system was back up and running, it was far too late to begin emailing you.  Many apologies if you spent time hunting through your inbox and SPAM folders looking for the weekly Prime Time missive – hopefully today’s offering will help to fill the void.

The big news this week is that the Church Office at the Old Rectory is now re-open!  (Well – partially…)  Due to social distancing requirements, the whole team cannot be in the office at the same time so we have been split into 2 ‘Bubbles’, with the result that each of us will spend part of the week working from home and part of the week working in the office.  To make life easier for my colleague who was trying to sort out this rota, my day off has been moved from Wednesday and going forwards, it will now be on a Monday.  You will currently find me working from home on a Tuesday and in the Church Office on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

I spent a very pleasurable morning yesterday catching up with our Prime Time Admin Assistant Karen Franks.  Karen has been busy supporting her family throughout lockdown and so, apart from the occasional Zoom call and text message, we haven’t had much contact with her – so it was great to be able to catch up yesterday.  Karen will be returning to work on Wednesday 7th October; initially at least, she will be working just one morning a week instead of the 2 she was doing prior to lock down and Wednesday will be her usual day to be in the office.

Karen is very busy at the moment, helping her eldest son Jack prepare to go off to university for the first time at the end of this month.  I’m sure many Prime Time members reading this will recollect going through this rite of passage with their own children and will understand just what is involved in sending a young person off to university; both in terms of gathering all the required kit and also the requirement for emotional support as the day of departure grows ever nearer. When I left home for university, I remember that I had been told it was a good plan to have your own fridge, so my parents car was laden down with a  small fridge in addition to all my clothes, books and household essentials!  Karen hasn’t mentioned that they’ll be taking a fridge up to Warwick with Jack, but maybe we should ask when we next see her what was the most unusual item Jack felt he needed to take to university!

You’ll no doubt be thrilled to learn that Karen’s son Jack did really well in his A -Levels and was awarded an A* in History and an A in the other 2 subjects he took as well.  Poor Karen and her husband Dave had a bit of a double whammy this summer as their youngest son Alex also took his GCSEs.  Like his brother, Alex was similarly rewarded with some really good grades for all his hard work and Dave and Karen are quite rightly, extremely proud of both boys.   Talking of proud parents, Andy and I couldn’t be more delighted for our own son Harry, as he too saw his efforts rewarded at GCSE level with the good grades he deserved.  Many of you will have had grandchildren also receiving results over the summer and I hope that any young person known to you was not disadvantaged by the necessary changes in this year’s exam system.  I have been astonished by the resilience of this group of young people and their willingness to accept and understand why the changes were necessary and then just when things seemed to be settled, to have to cope with seemingly ever-changing goal posts as exam results day drew near.  For students who were facing exams this summer, their year has panned out nothing like how they would have imagined back in January; and without their usual network of friends and peers to support them, in the solitude of their homes, they have been expected to cope with some pretty seismic shifts in their expectations.

Transitioning from childhood towards independence and adulthood is always challenging, but possibly never more so than this year.  Please do continue to uphold in prayer our young people who have resumed their studies this autumn term and particularly for those who are about to commence their university education and for whom the expectation of university life may nowhere near match the reality of a university education in a world battling Covid-19.  Many university student-life rites of passage that we enjoyed (possibly endured!) are currently not open to them and once again this cohort’s resilience and ability to adapt will surely be tested.

Although none of us can say that we have lived through times like these before, I know that every Prime Time member has faced trials and challenging times during their lifetime – it’s just life; sometimes it doesn’t go according to our plan and this has required resilience and the ability to adapt; just as today’s 18 year olds are finding themselves having to do now.  Sharing stories and suggesting advice on what strategies previous generations have employed in order to get through difficult times is a real gift that advancing age does not preclude you from being able to give.  In fact, advancing age brings more life experience and therefore more wisdom as to how obstacles can be perceived and overcome (or at least navigated!)

"Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?"

If you would like to send a message of support to a local young person who is preparing to leave for university for the first time, then you are welcome to send a note, care of myself at the Old Rectory and through my colleague Anto our Youth Worker here at the church; I will ensure that it finds its way to a young person embarking on a new phase in their life and who may be feeling overwhelmed at times by the challenges that lie ahead.  I can assure you that any message will be very much valued by its recipient.

Now that I am back at my desk, I am more able to turn my attention to the months ahead and together with the Prime Time Team, begin planning the most effective ways that Prime Time is able to support its members and enable you all to stay connected, both with us as a church but also with each other.  With further limits on our ability to socialise a distinct possibility on the horizon, it is making it difficult to see how we will be able to meet together as a group, certainly in the near future – but we have a few ideas regarding ways to stay in touch and hopefully we can begin making these a reality in the not too distant future.  If you have any suggestions of your own regarding activities that we can enjoy together in a socially-distanced way, we would love to hear your ideas; so please don’t keep them to yourself – do get in touch with us and share them.   We love to hear from you!

Although the Corona Virus crisis rumbles on and it feels a bit like ‘same old, same old’; for those of us with school age children and who therefore work along the timeframe of a school year – September marks the start of a new year;  an opportunity for a fresh start when people return,  feeling refreshed and full of energy and ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.  I’m sensing that as an organisation, this church is taking a fresh approach to doing things – both out of necessity and opportunity that the pandemic has brought us and our Older People’s Ministry is being seen as an integral part of this new approach.  I have been very encouraged in recent weeks by the commitment being pledged to our work and this has renewed my energy too.  So hang on to your hats, I’ve been having a few ideas … !

It’s great to be back and we look forward to catching up with you by email, phone or Zoom – maybe a combination of all 3, over the coming weeks.

With every good wish,

From Penny - on behalf of the Prime Time Team

Job to send a message of support to a local young person who is preparing to leave for university for the first time, then you are welcome to send a note, care of myself at the Old Rectory and through my colleague Anto our Youth Worker here at the church; I will ensure that it finds its way to a young person embarking on a new phase in their life and who may be feeling overwhelmed at times by the challenges that lie ahead.  I can assure you that any message will be very much valued by its recipient.

Now that I am back at my desk, I am more able to turn my attention to the months ahead and together with the Prime Time Team, begin planning the most effective ways that Prime Time is able to support its members and enable you all to stay connected, both with us as a church but also with each other.  With further limits on our ability to socialise a distinct possibility on the horizon, it is making it difficult to see how we will be able to meet together as a group, certainly in the near future – but we have a few ideas regarding ways to stay in touch and hopefully we can begin making these a reality in the not too distant future.  If you have any suggestions of your own regarding activities that we can enjoy together in a socially-distanced way, we would love to hear your ideas; so please don’t keep them to yourself – do get in touch with us and share them.   We love to hear from you!

Although the Corona Virus crisis rumbles on and it feels a bit like ‘same old, same old’; for those of us with school age children and who therefore work along the timeframe of a school year – September marks the start of a new year;  an opportunity for a fresh start when people return,  feeling refreshed and full of energy and ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.  I’m sensing that as an organisation, this church is taking a fresh approach to doing things – both out of necessity and opportunity that the pandemic has brought us and our Older People’s Ministry is being seen as an integral part of this new approach.  I have been very encouraged in recent weeks by the commitment being pledged to our work and this has renewed my energy too.  So hang on to your hats, I’ve been having a few ideas … !

It’s great to be back and we look forward to catching up with you by email, phone or Zoom – maybe a combination of all 3, over the coming weeks.

With every good wish,

From Penny - on behalf of the Prime Time Team

Penny Naylor
Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Do you feel Useless? Well you're not!

This week’s Prime Time message is from Shelagh Godwin

Hello, I’m Shelagh, that small woman who is sometimes to be seen seated at the organ at Busbridge or Hambledon Church, but currently restricted to practising on a Wednesday afternoon!

I don’t know about you, but at the beginning of lockdown I felt particularly useless. All the diary engagements I’d been looking forward to were suddenly stripped away in the matter of a week, leaving my calendar empty, except for reminders to take pills and to attend essential if routine medical tests. And then I’d been told that I was ‘one of those people who’. Yes, one of those people who need to take longer cleaning their teeth, attending to their ears, or skin, or keep their tummies in! And all these things take time. And, in these strange times, time is something we all have more of! Many people have spent it doing DIY. I’m not a DIY person. Or gardening: no, I’m not a gardener either. Others have spent it having a clear-out. Or sanitizing their metal door handles EVERY DAY. Boring perhaps! And when it comes to routine, repetitive tasks, I can complain about them. Or I can use them to develop that wonderful spiritual gift of patience, and perhaps pray for people as I do them. That in itself makes it worth while.

At the beginning of lockdown I was thanked by many people for simply staying at or near home. And, what joy it was in the spring to walk along quiet roads, rejoice with nature as I heard birds (yes, even the cuckoo on several occasions), and find out the difference between a speedwell and a ragged robin. Easy, that one, one is blue, the other pink. Finding out these things made me feel less useless, an antidote to being told that because of my age or my health there were things I wanted to do to help others that I couldn’t do. But what joy I have had in having conversations over the phone! (And – yes, I’ll confess, we both do zoom and What’s App.) Jim has been able to sing with one of his choirs, in small groups, in a garden. 

Then there’s the joy of creativity. Many poets and composers and artists have come out of the woodwork as a result of having more time to explore their creative muse. In Busbridge, a new hymn of praise, based on two psalms, is in preparation, and will soon be available on the YouTube services.

But suppose you don’t feel you have anything to offer? Does that make you useless? Most certainly not! I read not long ago, and found much comfort from an article I read about apple trees. Yes, they bear fruit, and often the fruit is eaten and enjoyed. The pips go back into the soil and in time develop into more apple trees, given the right conditions. But what of the fruit that just falls off and lies on the ground? That fruit is also useful, in feeding and fertilizing the soil it falls into. So never despair: you are, in the eyes of God, something of value!

And if you want to sharpen that grey matter, try this link to the August Prime Time quiz!

Answers to the questions posed last week by Di:

• The rowan is also known as the mountain ash.

• Amazingly enough, Edinburgh is west of Bristol.

• The Brothers Grimm wrote Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

As I say when I see people: do take care, and may God bless you.

Shelagh Godwin

Hello from Prime Time!

Dear Prime Time friends,

I am Di the third member of the Prime Time Team, usually to be found with a clip board and checking everybody is on my list.

What a long time it seems now since we all met, the only advantage is I am not being tempted by the lovely cakes. I expect like me you are missing the lively chatter when we all gather.

Since lockdown, like many people who are lucky enough to have a garden, we have spent most of our time tidying and re-organising ours. I always feel closer to God in the garden and thankful he has given us such wonderful weather. At the moment as I type this letter the heavens have opened and mercifully our gardens will get the watering they have needed.

We have tried to be sensible as we worked around the garden and stopped for a cup of tea and a chat. We usually sit on the bench outside the summerhouse which has a view over to the Hogs Back & Guildford. At the beginning of lockdown we could enjoy the birds singing as with less traffic and planes it was very peaceful. When planning our garden we were very mindful of plants that attract butterflies and bees, which have entertained us as they fluttered from flower to flower.

Quite often we are accompanied around by one or all of our cats, Garfield, Smudge & Tootsie.

They all have their favourite sleeping places under bushes to get the shade on hot days.

Once again on zoom we had our second quiz, which was bravely attempted by a small group of Prime Timers. Mostly ladies so where were all you men or is it true we have the brains and the beauty!! We have 4 sets of  ten questions , 2 General Knowledge and 2 of other subjects.

Just to tease you here are a few questions that got the old grey cells working of our quizzers.

1. The Rowan is another name for which European tree?

2. Which Uk city is situated furthest west - Bristol or Edinburgh?

3. Who wrote "Snow White and the seven dwarves" ?

You will have to wait until next week for the answers in the next Newsletter, and no Googling.

I hope you all keep safe and as Dave Allen used to finish his show with "May your God go with you”.

With love & prayers,

Di x

Hello from Prime Time!

Dear Prime Time member

Hope you have had a good first August week and are keeping well. Following on from Olwen, I am another member of the committee - I am Jane!

I am not at all the Prime Time events as work gets in the way!...but I love those which I can be involved with. I recall particularly visits to various gardens including Polesdon Lacey and Ramster when we were blessed with good weather as well!

We are lucky in this part of the country to have such great gardens and it made me think how important gardens, in general, have been for people over the last few months.

They have provided a space for meeting family and friends when we were restricted with indoor visits and have kept a lot of gardeners very occupied, as well as allowing folks to have a go at growing new plants or vegetables. My husband even splashed out on buying an outdoor fire chimney so friends might be able to stay longer into the evening and it was very much appreciated by the grandchildren for toasting marshmallows!

Another garden I really value is a small courtyard at the care home where my mum lives. This means that recently, we can book  an outdoor visit to meet for a short time.

We all know how therapeutic it can be being outdoors, even for short periods, close to nature,  breathing fresh air and hopefully enjoying a little slice of tranquillity.

This week, I ventured further afield to visit a garden near Chelmsford in Essex. It was RHS Hyde Hall, formerly a working farm which was bequeathed by its owners to the RHS in 1993. It was on a smaller scale to Wisley but had a lovely outlook with far reaching views of rolling hills and big skies.

It had an interesting Global vegetable garden with some fascinating facts which I thought I might share!...

• the chemical in a chilli pepper that causes the burning type pain you feel is the same as that from a tarantula bite!

• when Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the potato into England the Queen was served  boiled stems and leaves to eat which were obviously not good and so she banished the potato plant!

• If you made an Apple pie every day for 16 years you wouldn't need to use the same variety twice!!I

On that note, whether you have a garden big enough to sit in or plant pots on your windowsill or balcony, I hope you enjoy the beauty and wonder of  creation.

I will leave you with a famous verse from Dorothy Frances Gurney's poem Gods Garden:

The kiss of the Sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,...
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else in earth.

One last reminder from Prime Time HQ that we are holding our second 'Virtual Quiz' via the magic of  Zoom on Tuesday afternoon next week.  Tuesday 11th August at 2.30pm will see Team member Di Drudge putting us all through our paces once again by making us exercise our little grey cells!  It was great fun last month and so lovely to have the opportunity to catch up with everyone again and there was plenty of time to chat once the quiz had finished.  Di would like to remind everyone to have plenty of paper and a couple of pens or pencils next to your computer as you’ll need to write down your answers.

To join the quiz either go to What’s On and select the event that is at the top of the Featured Events.

Or even easier, click on this direct Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/9463914833

Either way, you’ll need the Password for the event: 2020

You should then find yourself in our Zoom room along with many other of your Prime Time friends!

We do appreciate however that sometimes technology just doesn’t seem to work the way we expect it to, so should you find yourself stuck in front of your screen and getting increasingly frustrated at not being able to join the quiz – do give Penny a call on 07766 572934 and we will do our best to guide you through the process.

We can also invite people who are not on the internet to join the quiz as Zoom offers the facility of being able to telephone in and listen to what’s going on.  If you know of anyone who would like to use this facility, please do put them into contact with Penny and she will let them have the instructions to enable them to do this.

So, if there is nothing in your diary for Tuesday afternoon – why not turn on your computer and give our Quiz a try?  We look forward to welcoming you then.

Hello from Prime Time! - from Prime Timer Olwen Downhill

Dear fellow Prime Timers,

Just to introduce myself, I’m the oldest of the Prime Time Team and can usually be found in a pinny sorting cakes and washing up. Let no-one say I don’t know my place! Penny is having a very well earned break, but don’t worry, she’ll be back at the end of the holidays.

Well, what have you all been up to since lockdown?  How are you all coping?  Is there anything we can do to help?  I expect, by now you are getting fed up with re-runs on television, jigsaws, and guilty feelings through not doing all the jobs you had set yourself to do whilst stuck indoors. For those among us that were going to sort out our wardrobes, you might like to know that a recent survey found that the average numbers of items in a woman’s wardrobe is 103, a quarter of which have not been  worn in the last 12 months! No mention as to men’s I’m afraid. Perhaps one of the Prime Time gentlemen could do a count and let us know?!

It’s been a bit strange here with going from a husband working partly from home to one that has retired! No party, cakes or celebrations after 60 working years.I expect you have all found something similar- Birthdays ,anniversaries,holidays, all cancelled.  And don’t get me started on missing seeing the family and cuddles from the grandchildren. Yet doesn’t God always provide rainbows? Mine have been walking down Salt Lane with no traffic, the absolute stillness in the air at the beginning of lockdown ( a wonderful time for prayer),the way all the flowers looked the best they have ever looked, and best of all the realisation of how many friends I have, sending cheery notes to see how I’ve been.  I was actually fine as soon as I got food sorted ( you see how I prioritise) - which reminds me, if anyone is now having  difficulty getting food, do let us know. I know a lot of deliveries are now stopping.

In the meantime; is your food staying fresh with a weekly shop? A few bits of help from Womans Weekly...

- Stop veg (eg carrots celery, cucumber) going limp by wrapping it in foil before putting in the fridge

- You can help bagged salads keep crunchy by adding a piece of kitchen roll to the bag.

- Put an apple into a bag of potatoes to stop them sprouting.

I asked my friends for any contributions for this letter, and I think you might like the following poem written by a lady who is in her eighties; a friend of my neighbour, Eva Smith. She also does loads of shoeboxes for the Samaritans Shoebox appeal. Impressive!

In the meantime, don’t forget Di’s PRIME TIME QUIZ for Covid Quizzers on 11th  August, on Zoom. It was great fun last time, and the good part is that you can come bottom without anyone knowing... (or even cheat!) Further reminder next week.

Stay safe everyone.

With love and many blessings

Olwen Downhill

ODE BY AN OLDIE (80+)

In years to come, we’ll remember those days When life as we knew it had gone With folk ‘isolating’ or even ‘locked down’

Light through the darkness soon shone.

Each day was transformed by a wonderful sight Bright rainbows in windows  appeared, Created by children- a gesture of thanks And the NHS were much cheered.

We waved to each other from inside our doors, Could not give a kiss or a hug And risk passing on the Covid-19 A contagious and virulent bug.

We walked, close to home, to keep ourselves fit, But distanced, two metres apart, We missed all our friends, and freedom and fun, And the normal things dear to the heart.

Grim news of the thousands fighting for life Made all of our families scared But neighbourliness and selfless acts Proved that the whole nation cared.

We compiled quite a list of things we required And kind folk searched the aisles for each one.

Another week’s needs were met by those deeds, And a long-lasting friendship begun.

At 8 o’clock Thursdays, we clapped the brave staff Who put their own lives on the line To tend all those patients who needed their skills- It could be your loved ones or mine.

The children missed school and familiar routine Their social life dipped down to nil.

Their mums and dads did sterling work

Their new home-school role to fulfil.

But inventiveness came to the fore

And some wonderful outcomes emerged.

The children found talents hidden before.

Fund-raising initiatives surged!

So when, in the future, we reminisce,

We’ll not dwell on the sorrow and pain

But recall once more the supreme acts of love That occurred again and again.

                                                  Laura Thompson 2020

Dear Prime Time - 10 July

Dear Prime Time member,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With every blessing,

Penny

Penny Naylor

Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Dear Prime Time 26 June

Dear Prime Time member,

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

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

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

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

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

With every blessing,

Penny

Penny Naylor
Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Prime Time Message 19 June

Dear Prime Time member,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wishing you all a peace-filled week ahead.

With every blessing,

Penny

Penny Naylor
Primetime Befriending Co-ordinator

Busbridge & Hambledon Church Office

Phone: 01483 421267

Website: www.bhcgodalming.org

(Day off Weds)

Hello from Prime Time!

Hello from PrimeTime!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve found myself getting quite used to the new routine of life in Lock Down and I suspect that I am not alone in this.  There have been a number of reports claiming that large numbers of people are feeling very positive about their new, slower–paced lifestyle and that if we were to keep it up post-lock down, as a nation we’ll be healthier for it.  Hopefully when we emerge from this national crisis we will, individually, feel the need to re-evaluate our lives, to re-assess what is important, what changes do we want to make, what new routines developed during this time of emergency do we actually want to keep up?  Whatever our age, what learning can we take from this experience?

I, like millions of others across Britain and across the world, during April followed with interest the story of Captain Tom Moore’s epic adventure around his garden.  I wonder if part of Captain Tom’s success was down to the fact that his was a story that wasn’t directly linked to Coronavirus?  At that time, whether we turned on the TV, picked up a newspaper, tuned in to the radio or turned on our computers, we are bombarded with details about one news story only – Coronavirus. So as the daily updates following Captain Tom’s progress emerged, it was like a breath of fresh air, a bit of escapism from reality.  For a few minutes we were enabled to think of something other than infection rates and how long ‘lock-down’ would go on for.

Like millions of other across our nation and world-wide, captain Tom was ‘doing his bit’.  How individuals choose to ‘do their bit’ varies from person to person.  Like Captain Tom, some are fundraising, others like the many wonderful volunteers across our local community have pledged practical support for people who are having to stay at home.  While some have used their time to find ways of entertaining us or helping us stay connected online.

What perhaps sets Captain Tom apart is his advanced age.  Our societal norms might have this 99 year old war veteran tucked up safe and sound inside his house in a cosy arm chair recounting stories of how active he was in his younger days.  A commonly expressed observation from people as their numerical age advances is that they somehow feel as though they’ve been ‘written off’, that they are now viewed as having little or no purpose or value to the community around them.  I’ve been leading Prime Time for 7 years now and I would say I think there has been a slight shift over this time in how our nation as a whole responds to the concept of ageing, but Captain Tom has certainly challenged the conventional perception of what many people would assume that someone of 99 would be like or indeed be capable of!

Captain Tom has become a hero, a national treasure and a role model.  A role model for younger generations to aspire to as well as inspire and a role model for his peers; a bringer of hope that advancing age does not inevitably equal a lack of purpose or meaning in life.  I’m not for a minute suggesting that I think all Prime Time members should start up a sponsored event and head out into your garden to see how many laps you can do or how many times you can climb the stairs; rather that in the light of Captain Tom’s achievement you yourself are inspired to believe that you still have value and purpose.  As an organisation, Busbridge & Hambledon Church firmly believe that older people matter and recognise that irrespective of age, people can make significant contributions to the lives of others.  Even in this time of ‘lock-down’ we are working on an initiative that will bring our generations together.  We are calling it Creative Kindness; look out for an article about this particular initiative elsewhere in this edition of The Bridge. On the notice board beside my desk in the church office is pinned a Bible verse:  ‘They will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green’ (Psalm 92, Verse 14).  We also include it in the Prime Time calendar that we send out to everyone every 6 months.  I believe it, the leadership team here at BHC believe it, do you?

One of my favourite verses from scripture is Isaiah 40, Verse 31: ‘… but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint’. This passage makes reference to the natural phenomenon that as eagles age, just before their final demise they grow a new set of flight feathers that enable them to soar like a much younger bird for one last time before their strength fails.  I find this passage so full of hope that as we age, we will be enabled to find meaning and purpose in our twilight years.  That purpose can be realised right now from our armchairs as we sit in confinement waiting for the restrictions on our social activities to be lifted. 

Picking up the phone and ringing someone we’ve not seen in a while, or writing them a note or an email, praying for that person – these are all things that can help bring structure to our day and meaning and purpose to our lives.  It may not quite be in the league of raising £32 million for the NHS but it may change the day for the better for that one person who is the recipient of it, and it will probably brighten your day too.

I think that the verse from Isaiah is a very fitting tribute to Captain Tom, but I would like to end off today by using our new national treasure’s own words that he uttered when he completed his adventure; "You've all got to remember that we will get through it in the end, it will all be right.  For all those people finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away."

Not an especially Biblical ending to this letter I know, but wise words from a man who has lived through much and who unexpectedly finds himself inspiring a nation.

It is my prayer that you find inspiration from him too.

Until next time,

Penny x

Penny Naylor
Prime Time Befriending Coordinator