Your February magazine is out now. Inside you will find a farewell to Lesley and Alan, news about the vacancy, events including our Snowman Drive – the seasonal equivalent of a beetle drive (well, it’s too cold for beetles) and a free Valentine’s Barn Dance. We also explore where Valentine’s Day comes from and what is this thing called love.
There’s also news about the latest Farnham Poetry Competition which the parish runs as part of the Farnham Literary Festival. This year the theme is friendship, so why not celebrate your friends and give it a go.
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The Farnham Poetry Competition is returning, run once more by the parish as part of the Farnham Literary Festival which runs this year between March 1 and 10.
This year, the theme is friendship and adults and children alike are invited to write a poem on friendship: what it means to us, who our friends are, why we like them, why friends are important, anything to do with friendship.
There is a children’s competition, open to under-16s, and an adult one and all poems should be sent by email to poetry@badshotleaandhale.org or by post to Farnham Poetry Competition, St Mark’s Church, Alma Lane, Farnham, GU9 0LT, to arrive by 5pm on Friday, February 23.
The children’s poetry competition is being judged by poet Coral Rumble and the adult one by poet Linda Daruvala. The competition is free to enter and there will be prizes for the first prize-winners and runners-up in both categories. The winners will be announced at the poetry final evening on Saturday, March 9, at St Mark’s Church at 5pm, when there will also be an open mic for anyone to share their poetry, and the two judges will also perform their work.
Linda DaruvalaCoral Rumble
Stella Wiseman, who is leading the organisation of the competition, said: “We are so pleased to be running the competition again. There is a huge amount of talent out there exhibited by people of all ages and backgrounds and I am really looking forward to this year’s entries and to see what people make of the theme of friendship. We chose it because friendship is vital to our wellbeing. Humans are social beings and we need each other. I think this is something that lockdown emphasised for us all and we are still living with the effects of those months. So let’s celebrate friendship this year!
“We are delighted to have our old friend Coral Rumble back again to judge the under-16s entries and to welcome Linda Daruvala to judge the adults. They will both be performing at the poetry awards evening on March 9 at St Mark’s and are well worth seeing live.”
We’ve not seen much of the snow, but you can still create a snowman or two at our Snowman Drive at St George’s on Saturday, 24th February at 5.30pm.
This is a seasonal variation on a beetle drive and is a fun way to cheer up a dark winter evening. Create your snowman by rolling a die, then move move from table to table.
It’s £5 to enter, £2.50 children. Bring your own snacks and drinks. If you want a fish and chip supper this will be available for £10 but you must book ahead for this. Please also let us know if you are coming even if you don’t want supper as this will help us judge numbers. To book and/or order food, contact Kris by Wednesday, 21st February: warden.stgeorges@badshotleaandhale.org
Rt Rev’d Dr Christopher Herbert, former Bishop of St Albans, will be giving a talk at St John’s on Friday, January 19th at 7.30pm on ‘The life and times of Bishop Charles Sumner (1790-1874)’ and will be selling his new book there: Building Jerusalem – The Life and Times of Charles Sumner, Bishop of Winchester 1790-1874. Signed copies of the book will be available for £13.00 (cash or cheques only).
Charles Sumner founded both St John’s and St Mark’s and is buried at St John’s. Hale was in the Diocese of Winchester at the time that Charles Sumner was bishop. In fact, the Diocese of Guildford didn’t exist then, but was formed in 1927 from part of the Diocese of Winchester. Bishop Sumner lived in Farnham Castle and founded St John’s in 1844. He then gave land for St Mark’s to be built in 1883 as a daughter church of St John’s, and locals built the church using flints from the nearby common to build the walls.
Charles Sumner also founded Hale School in 1874 as the Bishop Sumner Anglican School.
Bishop Christopher Herbert was Vicar of The Bourne in Farnham between 1981 and 1990, then Archdeacon of Dorking until he was appointed Bishop of St Albans in 1995. He returned to Farnham when he retired in 2009 and he spends much of his time writing and lecturing.
Bishop Christopher has established himself as a respected and sought-after lecturer in the fields of Christian art, spirituality and the ethics of end-of-life care. In each of these areas he lectures across the UK and in Europe. He is a visiting Professor in Christian Ethics at the University of Surrey. The parish is fortunate to have him giving a lecture on Bishop Sumner, so book the date in your diary. To find out more, email news@badshotleaandhale.org or call 07842 761919.
Who exactly is Jesus? The Christmas season celebrates his birth of Jesus of Nazareth, but who was that Jesus and why is he so important that we remember him 2,000 years after his birth? This is the sort of question which will be raised in ‘Questioning Faith’, a series of five Wednesday evening discussions which will take place in Hale, starting on January 3rd.
Questioning Faith is being run by Lesley Crawley, and anyone who is interested is invited to come to The Rectory, 25 Upper Hale Road, each Wednesday at 7.30pm from January 3-31.
Anyone who has questions about God, the Christian faith, church, or anything about the meaning of life, is invited to join in for 90 minutes of discussion every Wednesday evening. The sort of questions raised on Questioning Faith courses include What about the problem of evil? How should we read the Bible; what kind of literature is it? What is faith? Why go to church? What is the nature of God? Who is Jesus? What is prayer?
No question is too small, too daft, or too controversial to ask, and everyone is welcome whatever their beliefs. After the course there will be the opportunity to be confirmed into the Anglican Church at Easter in Guildford Cathedral, though this is, of course, optional.
For further information about Questioning Faith contact Rev’d Lesley Crawley on 01252 820537.
There have been carols galore across the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale this Christmas, with more to come in the next few days.
So far, there have been three carols services, one at each church, and two outside gatherings at which carols were sung with gusto. One was on Monday, 18th, in the grounds of St George’s, under the lit trees, and the second in the new Hale Chapels Garden in the cemetery opposite St Mark’s.
The garden was opened in July this year and blessed by Bishop Christopher Herbert, and has been created using stone and many original features from the old chapels of rest in the cemetery which had fallen into disrepair. The flower beds have been planted with varieties of trees and plants which appear in the Bible and the end result is a peaceful garden which invites reflection and calm.
It was less peaceful on Wednesday, 20th, as around 70 people from across the community, including the Mayor and others from the council, sang with gusto as Rev’d Lesley Crawley led the singing, accompanied by Bob and Lesley Shatwell on violin and recorder, and Margaret Emberson on keyboard. Those three also played at St George’s on Monday.
Afterwards most people headed for St Mark’s for mulled wine, hot chocolate and mince pies provided by Jeanne Sanders.
It was agreed that, like the St George’s outside carol evening, this should become a regular event.
The next chance to sing carols will be at our crib services at all three churches on Christmas Eve: 3pm at St John’s; 5.30pm at St George’s; 5.30pm at St Mark’s; Plus a special Toddler Crib Service at 3pm at St George’s.
There will then be Midnight Mass at St John’s and St George’s at 11.30pm on Christmas Eve, and Christmas morning communion services at all three churches: 9.30am at St John’s; 10am at St George’s; 11am at St Mark’s.
We can never have enough carol singing! After Christmas there will be a chance to enjoy carols you may have missed at Christmas.
What are your favourite carols? Would you like to hear them sung? Vote for them and the favourites will be sung at St George’s on January 13th from 2pm.
To vote, download the form below, or pick one up at the back of church, or put the name or names of the carols on a piece of paper with your name and £1 per vote per carol, in a sealed envelope and give to your church warden by Sunday, January 7th.Â
You can vote multiple time for one carol or vote for as many carols as you want. Cheques can be made payable to Badshot Lea and Hale PCC. Even if you don’t vote just come and join the singing on 13th. It will be followed by tea, cake and a raffle.
Join local residents and the Mayor of Farnham for Community Carol Singing in the new Hale Chapels’ Garden on Wednesday, December 20th at 7pm. This will be followed by hot chocolate and mince pies at St Mark’s, just across the road.
The Hale Chapels’ Garden is on the site of two former chapels of rest for the Hale Cemetery. These had fallen into disrepair and the garden, in the centre of the front part of the cemetery, has maintained many of the chapels’ original features and has been planted with trees and plants which appear in the Bible.Â
On Sunday 10th December our youth minister Michelle Chapman explained to the congregation at St Mark’s what the Christingle service was all about, with the help of Rev Dave Camp.
Come and sing your favourite Christmas carols around the tree outside St George’s on Monday, December 18th, at 6pm.
Join in with all the familiar Christmas carols – Hark the Herald, O Little Town of Bethlehem, While Shepherds Watched and many more – to celebrate the coming of God to earth in human form in Jesus Christ.
We will go inside if the weather is too wet.
Serving the Villages North of Farnham: Badshot Lea, Hale, Heath End & Weybourne
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 