Spring has sprung and our latest magazine is here too with news and events from across the parish. There are reports on what has happened and news of what is to come, along with prayer and reflection.
Click here to find out more.
Picture by Alena Koval.
The funeral of the late Rt Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, who died on March 3 after a short illness, will take place on Monday, March 23, in Guildford Cathedral at midday, and will be live-streamed to churches across the diocese to those who are unable to be at the cathedral.
It has become clear that the cathedral is not big enough to accommodate all those who have said they would like to attend the funeral. Priority will be given to the family and friends of Bishop Andrew; bishops with whom he served in the Church of England and further afield; clergy of the diocese; representatives of different ministries within the diocese and the UK; and representatives of the geographical area covered by the diocese.
A number of seats will be allocated to each deanery so that representatives from each parish may attend. Everyone else is invited to attend on of the live-streamings which, in this area, will be at St. Andrew’s Church in central Farnham. The live stream will be available afterwards on the diocesan website and the cathedral’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Rt Revd Paul Davies, Bishop of Dorking, who will preside at the funeral, said: “I apologise that it will be impossible for us to all gather in the cathedral, but I hope that the gift of technology will enable the next best thing as we gather for fellowship in deaneries, as satellites of the cathedral service”.
Bishop Andrew requested that donations should be made to the cathedral in lieu of flowers, and people are also welcome to sign the physical Book of Condolence at the cathedral or the online book, as well as donate to the Cathedral mission and ministry. You may also send cheques, made payable to Guildford Cathedral, to Guildford Cathedral, Stag Hill, Guildford, GU2 7UP.
Please continue to pray for Beverly, Hannah, Sam, Joe, Lydia and the whole family and Bishop Andrew’s close friends and colleagues.
If you have been affected by this and would like to speak to someone, please contact the clergy.
It is with both shock and sadness that we announce the death of the Rt Rev’d Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, who died peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 3rd, surrounded by his family, less than one month after he received a terminal diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
You can view here the official announcement made by the Rt Rev’d Paul Davies, Bishop Andrew’s friend and colleague and Bishop of Dorking.
Bishop Paul recalled that in his last email to the diocesan leadershiop team, Bishop Andrew had quoted from St Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth:
‘So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, for we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.’’ (2 Corinthians 4:16).
The text of a letter written by Bishop Paul to the whole diocese may be read here.
St John’s is open today (Wednesday) for anyone who wishes to go in, light a candle and pray, and Guildford Cathedral is open today and tomorrow for the same purpose.
Bishop Paul has written a special prayer for anyone to use:
Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for Andrew, our brother and bishop: for his faith and faithfulness to you in life and in leadership. As we mourn his death and commend him to your everlasting arms, give us the same faith, hope and love rooted in the death and resurrection of your son, Jesus.
We pray especially for Beverly, Hannah, Sam, Joe, Lydia and the whole family. Comfort them with your Holy Spirit and protect them in their grief. And bring us, at the last, with Andrew and all your children, to that eternal joy where you live and reign in glory forever, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Details of the funeral will be announced shortly. In the meantime there is an online book of condolence here and a physical book of condolences in the Cathedral.
If anyone would like to speak to a member of the clergy about Bishop Andrew’s death or anything related, details may be found by clicking here. If specific support is required, these links may be helpful: Mind wellbeing resources; Macmillan for information and support.
Join us on Saturday, March 14th, at 4pm at St John’s to say thank-you for the restoration of St John’s tower and the generosity from the community which meant we raised the £32,000 needed for the repairs.
Thank you to everyone who donated, and to those who worked hard to apply for grants, those who put on fundraisers, baked cakes, took part in events and generally helped to ensure that the church could have a safe tower and continue to stand in Hale as a place of worship and welcome for everyone.
Please do join us on 14th at 4pm for the service and for tea afterwards. And once again, THANK YOU!
Spring is the time that beetles start to flourish so St George’s Church is holding a Beetle Drive social evening on Friday, March 6th, from 6pm.
A Beetle Drive involves tables with players, each of whom takes turns to roll a die to try to collect parts of a beetle, which are either pre-drawn or which players draw themselves. To start collecting each player must roll a six which represents the beetle’s body. After that they may start adding parts with each number on the die representing a part of the body. Once a player has a complete beetle they shout ‘beetle’ and the game stops. The person on each table with the most nearly complete beetle moves to a table clockwise round the room while the player who has collected the fewest parts moves anti-clockwise and the game begins again. It is suitable for all ages and is a good way to meet new people.
The Beetle Drive will be followed by supper which can be ordered ahead of time from a selection served by a fish and chip shop or you can bring their own.
Tickets (without food) are £5 or £2.50 for children. Orders and payment will be needed by March 1. Details are available from Kris Lawrence.
The Farnham Poetry Competition has returned and this year is calling for entries on the theme of ‘Peace’. The deadline is looming – it’s on Friday, February 20 at 5pm.
This year Farnham Lions rather than the parish are running the competition, but we are still involved and will be hosting the final at St Mark’s on March 14.
Poems are invited from all ages and can interpret the theme in any way. Examples might be what peace is, how humans can find peace, or experiences of war and peace.
The entries will be judged by age according to four different groups: Up to and including age seven, eight to 11 years, 12-17 years and 18 and older.
The competition is free to enter and there is no limit to the number of entries per person. All entrants will then be invited to the final where the winners and runners-up will be announced. This will be on March 14, at St Mark’s, starting at 5.30pm. Winners will be encouraged to read their poems, and this will be followed by an open mic session.
Poems can be sent to poetscomp@farnhamlions.org.uk or by post to Farnham Poetry Competition, Farnham Town Hall, South Street, Farnham, GU9 7RN. Names, contact details and age (if under-18) should be included but names should not be on the poems themselves as they will be anonymised before being sent to the judges.
The judges are Linda Daruvala for the adult category and Coral Rumble for all three under-18 categories.
This is the sixth year the poetry competition has been run; it started in 2021 as the Farnham Lockdown Poetry Festival and in 2022 became part of the inaugural Farnham Literary Festival where it has found its home ever since.
Pictured: Dolcie, one of last year’s winners, with her mother (left) and Coral Rumble.
St Valentine’s Day is not just for romantic evenings out. Families with small children can celebrate too at a party at St George’s on February 14th between 1pm and 3pm.
The Little Bees Valentine’s Party will involve a disco, face-painting, crafts, a raffle and lots of cake and juice as well as tea or coffee for adults. Tickets cost £5 for adults, £3 for children, or £15 for a family of two adults and two children. All the money raised will go towards buying new equipment for the Little Bees toddler group which runs at St George’s every Friday morning during term time.
Volunteers are needed to help out at the party, including cake-bakers and people to serve in the café. The organisers also need disco lights to borrow or keep, red table cloths, raffle prizes and Valentine’s and bee-themed decorations.
To help, to book tickets or find out more, email Lexi or call her on 07792233477.
Every Monday morning between 9am and 11am at St Mark’s we hold a Clothing Giveaway. It does exactly what it says on the tin – we give away clothes, hundreds of them, along with shoes, bedding, baby equipment and some household goods. We work in conjunction with the Hale Community Centre and there is a free café too with food from the Hale Community Fridge and Cupboard.
The clothes are free to anyone who wants them – there is no need for a referral or to be on a low income, though we know how helpful the Clothing Giveaway is during the continued cost-of-living crisis. We also want to encourage clothing reuse and keep clothes out of landfill. According to Green Heart Collective, in 2019 just 9% of clothing was recycled and 12% reused. Ouch!
The clothes all come from donations kindly given by people and sometimes by shops. Some items are brand new. If you want to donate, please come along on a Monday morning or a Sunday afternoon (1.30pm to 4pm) when we set up. If you can’t manage that or you need us to pick up your donations, just let us know (details below).
We also need volunteers to help set up on a Sunday and run it and/or clear up on a Monday. Please do consider if you can help.
There are more details about the Clothing Giveaway and the impact of the clothing industry here.
To contact us, leave a message here, email Stella Wiseman or call her on 07342508164.
The Sunday morning service at St George’s, Badshot Lea, is now at 10.30am.
Because we are now running Bubble Church on the second and fourth Sunday of the month at 9.30am, we are moving the main Sunday service from 10am to 10.30am. Don’t worry if you turn up early though; you will always find a warm welcome.
Bubble Church is aimed at families with young children (though is engaging for all) and the 10.30am is for all ages. It is usually a communion service though occasionally may not offer communion.
Everyone is welcome at all our services.
We have re-launched Friday Night Games at St Mark’s Church, Upper Hale, at the new time of 6pm to 8pm. There are more changes too as we are alternating the venue with the Hale Youth Centre. Last Friday (23rd) we were at St Mark’s so on January 30th we will be at Hale Youth Centre, then back at St Mark’s on February 6th, at the Youth Centre on 13th and so on.
All ages are welcome at the St Mark’s evenings but the Youth Centre is for ages 11-18.
There are board games, jigsaws, craft, table tennis and pool at St Mark’s plus a meal. At the Youth Centre there is a PlayStation, board games, craft, table tennis, pool and drinks and snacks.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 