Connections is a group for over 50s that meet every other Tuesday from 10:00 to 11:30 just come along to St George’s church and enjoy a cup of coffee, some cake and various activities.
All posts by Lesley Crawley
Parish Giving Scheme
If you currently give by Standing Order to Lloyds bank, or do not give regularly, please would you consider signing up for the Parish Giving Scheme? Forms are available at the back of church. This simplifies administration for this parish, gets us the gift aid sooner, and will allow us to shut the Lloyds bank account which levies bank charges on us. Thanks.
Services for the Bereaved
At these three simple services we will be lighting candles to remember those who have died.
- St John’s at 6:30pm on Sat 28th Oct,
- St Mark’s at 11:00am on Sun 29th Oct and
- St George’s at 4:00pm on Sun 29th Oct
Please stay for coffee and cake after the services.
If you would like a loved one remembered at one of these services please bring their name on a piece of paper to the service. For more information contact Lesley on 01252 820537 or revd.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org
Alan’s Lenten Thoughts
Alan is blogging this Lent. If you would like to see all his blog posts please click here.
Re-drawing the map:an arts project
In 1957, a local Hale lady, Evelyn Caesar, produced a pictorial map of the parish of Hale as it was then. She included a wealth of historical material and her legacy is a very attractive document.
Since Miss Caesar’s time, there have been many changes in the Parish: some buildings have disappeared, others have been built. Perhaps the biggest change of all is the alteration to the Parish Boundary itself: we now live in the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale and consequently, we need to re-draw our parish map. This is particularly relevant this year as it is exactly 60 years since the original map was produced!
Our aim is not to produce a particularly accurate map, but to put pictures of buildings, parks and other features that mean something to us (we could even draw our own homes!). We also need plenty of people, dogs and cars to put on the streets. Photos of lots of local buildings and parks will be provided, but if you have any pictures that you would like to draw on our map, please bring them along.
You are needed to help with this project: GOOD LUCK!
Alison Ridgeon
Arts at St Mark’s
NEWS RELEASE
5th October 2017
Arts at St Mark’s as church holds inaugural arts festival
St Mark’s Church, Upper Hale, is holding its inaugural arts festival over the weekend of October 20-22.
The festival, which will include a concert, a ceilidh, art exhibition, arts, craft and music workshop, and a sung service on Sunday morning, has been organised by a group of artists and musicians in the church who were inspired by the wealth of creativity in the parish.
The festival is open to all at no charge and among the workshops on offer on Saturday will be stone-cutting, working with clay, music and an opportunity to redraw the map of Hale in an art workshop.
There will be a concert on Friday evening at 7pm featuring organ music, a ‘Cajun Boogaloo’, Wildflowers choral group, and the rock-a-billy country band Fingersmith and the Rocking Thumbs, and on Saturday at 7pm there will be a ceilidh and a celebration of work from the daytime workshops.
The Sunday service at 11am will be almost entirely sung (including the sermon) and will take place in a church decorated with artwork from Saturday.
Licensed Lay Minister and musician Lesley Shatwell, one of the organisers, will be leading the Sunday service. She said: “I love all kinds of music, but since I have been licensed as a lay minister, I have been wanting to share the variety of religious songs, gospel music and folk hymns; and maybe to see if I could put them together into a completely musical service.
“Creativity was bubbling up throughout our parish and I am not sure who first thought, ‘We could have a festival to celebrate all of this’, but the idea took hold. People offered time and expertise, musicians looked through their repertoire to select the right pieces and suddenly, it is all taking shape very quickly. Admission to the concert is free but donations may be made in aid of parish funds and the century-old organ, known as ‘Emily’, which is in need of refurbishment.
For further details call 07592 571243 or visit http://www.badshotleaandhale.org
Music for the Service of the Word – 22nd October 11am
This service will be largely sung. Many of the hymns and songs will be familiar, but just in case, these are links to most of them. We may not sing them in exactly the same way, but these links should give you a good idea of how they go.
1st hymn: I went down to the river to pray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbgfQ48hWuY
Penitence: Be still for the presence of the Lord
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZugvUQ4m90U
Gloria: Peruvian Usual St Marks way
Collect: 10000 reasons
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtwIT8JjddM
Reading: Turn, turn, turn (based on Ecclesiastes 3 1-8)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ga_M5Zdn4
Sermon: Now is the cool of the day (Lesley solo, acapella)
Creed: Seward (I D Sankey, 1892) Can’t find a link, but it’s very simple
Intercession: It’s me O Lord, standing in the need of prayer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x90HfUJl6eY
Kumbayah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3MiD_U4CHQ
Thanksgiving: Thank you Lord for this new day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njsdfxK9FcQ
Lord’s prayer: Caribbean version from “Come and Praise”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgP0jI5hghU
Peace: Hevenu shalom Aleichem (Jewish chant)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB4RMIWroMY
Blessing: Amazing Grace Usual St Marks way
Dismissal: You shall go out with joy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unWnWSgoSt0
St George’s Church Garden
Our Church Garden has become a bit overgrown. It has been invaded by a multitude of vigorous Drooping Sedge plants which grow rapidly, spread and smother other plants as well as reducing our lawn and borders. Many of the shrubs and trees have become overgrown plus plenty of Sycamore saplings have sprung up which will quickly become trees.
Our Church Warden and other interested members of our congregation agreed that it would be a good idea if we had a Gardening Group to look after the garden. I have agreed to lead the group and plan the way forward to tame the invaders and co-ordinate the work that is needed to be done. The first meeting of the group will be held at 7-30pm on 16th October at The Shepherd and Flock Public House and everyone is invited.
In the meantime we decided to have an Autumn clear up and on the morning of Saturday 9th September a group of willing(?) volunteers assembled and set to. We concentrated on clearing and levelling the borders along the sides of the car park and tidying the chain link fence. We were blessed with warm sunshine and a nice cooling breeze and worked until 1230 achieving weed free borders. During the following week Annie and I finished the levelling. We then laid a weed block membrane on the bare soil and covered it with pea shingle.
The consensus at the moment is that the borders be planted with native wild hedging but more of that later in the year.
Gillian and Kevin have been busy tidying and planting the borders on the east and north sides of the church walls. I recommend you have a look. They have planted some lovely border plants which are in full bloom. Thank you Gillian and Kevin.
Lastly may I ask if anybody knows if any of the shrubs, roses or ornamental trees in our garden were planted in memory of anyone. Please let myself or Jennifer Patterson know if you do.
.
“is that a tiger in the bush? No, would you believe it`s a Rose being smothered?”
Bill Thomas.
Arts at St Marks…
…how it all came about
There’s something creative happening in Upper Hale. Our friends Dave and Helena took one look at St Mark’s and declared that it would be just the place for art workshops and an exhibition.
Musicians had been playing for Sunday worship for a while and there have been concerts held in the past to raise fund for Emily (the organ), to socialise and generally to make music for the pleasure it brings.
I love all kinds of music, but since I have been licensed as a lay minister, I have been wanting to share the variety of religious songs, gospel music and folk hymns; and may be to see if I could put them together into a completely musical service.
Creativity was bubbling up throughout our parish and I am not sure who first thought, “We could have a festival to celebrate all of this”, but the idea took hold. People offered time and expertise, musicians looked through their repertoire to select the right pieces and suddenly, it is all taking shape very quickly.
Perhaps in years to come, when Arts at St Mark’s has grown to the size of Glastonbury or Edinburgh, people will wonder how it all started, but it really was just the spark of creativity which lit up simultaneously in a group of friends and the desire to make it happen for our neighbourhood.
Lesley Shatwell
Reflecting on Art
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend Alan and I always attend a Christian Arts and Music Festival called ‘Greenbelt’. The festival attracts people from all over the country to meet in a field in Northamptonshire, I think there were about 18000 of us this year. The festival inspires me and challenges me, it reinvigorates me and is the place where I most experience the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Come with us next year!!
This year I attended a workshop led by St Martin-in-the-fields which was all about reflecting on art. The piece that we looked at was ‘Christ before the High Priest’ by Gerrit van Honthorst. In the centre is a lighted candle and to the left is a seated Caiaphas pointing his finger accusingly at Jesus, who is standing to the right of the picture, calm and composed. The text that the painting is based upon is found in Matthew 26:57-75.
As we reflected on the painting we were asked a series of questions and I found myself drawn to the image of Jesus, who was bearing so many false accusations and also bearing the anger of the people in the room. I know that I expect God to be able to bear my anger and put up with my false accusations. Particularly when I am tired and hurt I end up accusing God of not being there for me or not caring enough.
We were asked who we identify with in the picture and I found myself identifying with Jesus, as my experience is that people are often angry with me and I too have to bear false accusations. Is I looked at the calmness of Jesus in this situation I wondered whether this is a ministry that we sometimes have to offer to others…. The ability to bear the anger and false accusations of others whilst remaining calm and caring.
I found the experience profound and thought this workshop might be something that we can do in the parish. We might be able to reflect together on art and find that it moves us forward in our spiritual journeys. So I am hoping that I will be able to get a group together to do this in Advent. Perhaps it is something you are interested in? If so contact me – revd.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org or 01252 820537.
Lesley Crawley
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 