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Starting a Course

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Whilst some of us are busy working, looking after children and struggling to get by, others may be climbing the walls with too little to do.

Would anyone like to take part in a virtual house group after Easter?  Or would anyone like to run a virtual house group after Easter?

Please let me know if you are interested, and if so which days/times of day you could make, and which course(s) you are interested in.

There are numerous courses becoming available:

https://www.uspg.org.uk/resources/study/

https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/explore-the-bible/the-bible-course/?source_code=92713_t1&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-04-03%20%20Newsletter%20%20Stream%20The%20Bible%20Course%20online&utm_content=2020-04-03%20%20Newsletter%20%20Stream%20The%20Bible%20Course%20online+CID_c0c7183c2527aab33bba70648aaaa9d5&utm_source=Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=The%20Bible%20Course

Greenbelt have recordings of many of their talks over the years: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/talks-archive/.  We could listen to one of these and the meet virtually to discuss what we have heard.

Some of these courses are free: https://ntwrightonline.org/courses/.

 

I may add further courses as they become available!

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

 

Coronavirus, Lent

A different way of experiencing Lent

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Life seems very strange at the moment. Some of our parishioners are still working, some of them are working for the NHS and are working extremely hard so that the rest of us receive the care and attention that we need if we are ill. Many are suddenly finding that they have to work from home and others suddenly find themselves with no work. Those of us who are retired and over the age of 70 are being advised to self isolate especially if we have underlying health problems. None of us is supposed to be socialising; we can only go shopping for food or medicines and even if we go out for walks we have to keep our distance from all those we meet. As Archdeacon Martin said in the daily bulletin from the diocese of 31/03/20 “We are currently walking though uncharted territory. The terrain is rough, unlevel and hard to negotiate and the destination is unclear.”

To me the fact that all this is happening during Lent is making me feel that this year we are all experiencing Lent in a way we have never experienced before. We may not be fasting in the sense of giving up chocolate or whatever we usually “give up for Lent”. We are fasting in a completely different way. We are not able to take part in one of the Lent groups. We are not able to attend a church service. We cannot even go inside the church and pray privately. We are all experiencing the sense of deprivation, the sense of being without something that is precious to us. We cannot meet our friends. Many of us live alone and although we may not feel lonely in the way some elderly people who have no family and no friends feel lonely, we are experiencing a sense of isolation. It is also in a way quite claustrophobic and can cause a sense of panic as you wonder when this will all end. So it is a period of fasting but it is more like the experience Jesus had when he was in the wilderness. In a way we are all in a form of wilderness. We have never experienced anything like this before and it is frightening.

In amongst the fear and sense of isolation, there is goodness – people are communicating with each other, they are phoning or sending emails – checking that everyone is alright. People are offering to get shopping for neighbours and friends and generally being supportive. I am witnessing a sense of neighbourliness and caring that is growing. So out of that wilderness is coming love and caring.

In Alan’s sermon on Sunday he referred to the question of suffering. Jesus never told us it would be easy if we followed him. There was no expectation that we would be free of suffering. If people who were believers found themselves free of suffering and pain then everyone would become believers but for the wrong reason. They would only believe because of what they would gain. There is no love in that, no real indication of a real faith. It would not necessarily create a very pleasant world. Jesus taught us that we should love one another. Real love is not free of pain. When people suffer pain other people become more caring. So out of pain and suffering comes love and caring. God knows about pain and suffering and when we suffer, when we feel pain then God walks beside us. Maybe you have experienced this – I certainly have. I realise that I may be accused of over-simplifying the question of pain and suffering but I hope it makes you think about it.

Pamela Marsham

 

Picture by Arto Marttinen on Unsplash.
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Holy Week

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During Holy Week this year you might like to watch one of these.  The first link starts a new tab in your browser in full screen, the pictures play as they are.

In addition we will be posting services at 6:00pm Mon-Thur evenings.

Mon-Wed they will be Compline, with a meditation and silence.

Thursday it will be similar to a Sunday post.

We will also post at 9:00 and 12:00 on Good Friday and 6:00 on Holy Saturday and 9:00 on Easter Day.

Jesus of Nazareth

This is six hours long, but with YouTube you can remember where you stopped and then go forwards to that point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=50IiF1rTTGQ

BBC’s The Passion

First broadcast a few years ago, it is in two parts, both around one hour 15 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=zIPib0mGN4E

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=zxGp7e5LgXU

Here are someone else’s ideas for Holy Week: https://www.pickingapplesofgold.com/holy-week-reflections-resource

Also, you might like to do something creative; I would like to put up a collection of other material from yourselves. I have already received a poem and some photos of nature. If you would like to write something, make something, photograph or video something you have made and send it to me please do. Instructions on how to get it to me can be found here: https://badshotleaandhale.org/2020/03/29/future-services/

Launde Abbey are offering a free online Holy Week Retreat.  Details here: https://laundeabbey.org.uk/laundeathome/holy-week-2020/

Graham Everness from St Paul’s, Dorking, has put together the following material for Holy Week: Mark These Words 1-8.

There is also a challenge for Holy Week below; a simple framework which should take you just seven minutes in each of these seven days. It comes from the Diocese of Guildford’s Lent course and you can find details of the Gospel readings and the challenges for each day. Click here.

  • Light a candle and, next to it, place the object suggested as a symbol of your own journey to the cross. Many of us continue to light a candle in our windows at 7pm. You might do it at the same time – or 7am if that suits you better!
  • Read the relevant text from Matthew’s Gospel.
  • Be still. In Psalm 4, the psalmist prayed ‘stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart within your chamber and be still’.
  • Be challenged. There is a little practical challenge each day.

Wintershall will be livestreaming through their Facebook page at 12 and 3pm on Good Friday. You do not have to be a Facebook member to see it, it is open to everyone. It includes pre-recorded clips of rehearsals from their Passion Play 2020, clips and interviews from the other cities and towns taking part in the One Good Friday 2020 project.

Coronavirus

Take your anger to God

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We could have predicted it – along the lines of the stages of grief identified by Kubler-Ross – but our nation is no longer in Shock (and denial and action and elation) at the implications of COVID-19. The newness of lock-down is fading and there are all sorts of signs that we’ve moved to the Anger phase: where frustration and irritation and anxiety come to the fore. When there is anger it can get directed almost anywhere – not just from Wuhan to Westminster – and, with more serious consequences, to our nearest and dearest at home and even within ourselves.

Might I urge that as Christians we take the anger to God? It’s significant that in the Bible’s handbook of prayers – the Psalms – the most common form of Psalm is the lament (approx. 1/3 of the whole Psalter!). A lament is a prayer that arises out of a situation of pain or injustice – individual or corporate – where the frustration and anxiety and anger is poured out to God. Take a look at Psalm 13, 25, 31, 86…  It might be prompted by a locked church or a wifi failure or a sick friend …  it doesn’t matter – God knows, God understands and God longs to hear about it from you.

Lament is not a pretty form of prayer – it’s usually anything but polite! If you have an empty room you could shut yourself in to voice it aloud; alternatively you can write a version of your own ‘psalm’. Whatever the form or circumstance, God longs to hear what’s real… and when our complaint is directed to God, then it can become an act of faith. Unworthy as we are, we turn to the God who creates and redeems, who alone finally sorts the mess!

Bishop Jo,
Bishop of Dorking

Coronavirus

My Pet Peeve – Outrage

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I was thinking that one silver lining to the Coronavirus cloud would be less outrage on social media and in the tabloids – something that I find really gets me down. I thought that we would be free of this for a while because we’d all be thinking about looking after each other. What I mean by outrage is the annual cycle: “Climate Change is clearly false as we have snow”, outrage about Easter Eggs (eg being in the shops too early), outrage that we can’t fly the St George’s flag around St George’s Day, summer holidays being spoilt for some reason (traffic, foreigners), peak annual outrage around Remembrance and poppies, outrage around Christmas being spoilt for some reason (probably secularisation or Muslim people).

Then when there is a lull in seasonal outrage, this gap is filled in by outrage about a particular group – the group changes slowly over the years but in recent decades has included: youths with hoodies, benefit scroungers, migrants, single mothers, gay people…

The thing is I was wrong. It is true that people have given the weather and Easter eggs a miss this year but it has been replaced by outrage about panic buyers (particularly toilet roll buyers), in addition to outrage about youths who are breaking the rules about social distancing, and also theft and daylight robbery with respect to hand sanitiser.

In my slightly delirious state, whilst beginning to recover from Coronavirus, I tried to unpick why my pet peeve is outrage. Why do I find it so intolerable?

I think there are two reasons. The first is it creates division. After 911 there was extreme outrage about Islamic extremism that caused such destruction and loss of life. But the outrage in turn caused hate crimes against anyone who looked like they might be Arabic in descent (I know of Christians with Indian descent who had to leave the States because of this). Outrage is a form of tribalism – to be in my gang you have to agree with me and share my outrage, or risk expulsion. Given that I have spent much of my life being the outsider, I find it painful to see a process that magnifies difference and exclusion.

The second reason is that outrage can be self-righteous; the rhetoric seems to be that the people who hoard toilet rolls are beyond the pale, scum of the earth, I would never do such a thing. There is a distancing once again. I immediately start thinking: “Really? Have you never done anything selfish? Have you never acted unwisely out of fear? Have you never fiercely wanted to protect your children like a ferocious mother bear?” Surely we are all sinners, none of us are clean. Sometimes I feel the outrage is suspect in “the lady doth protest too much” way – when we express outrage, are we covering up a fear of our own shortcomings?

Also, I find outrage so un-British. I am secretly proud of being part of a race who use understatement and wit to communicate. Whilst it is endlessly frustrating to my American and German friends, I am unapologetic. I love the jokes about Brits and our maximum anger level being expressed in the term “a bit miffed”. Outrage really messes this up for me. I like to think that civility is an important part of our national identity.

But of course, I am a hypocrite – I am fine with outrage when I agree with it – outrage about inequality or prejudice or cruelty is fair game as far as I am concerned. And outrage creates social change. The outrage against the behaviour of Harvey Weinstein has almost certainly redrawn the moral map about what behaviours are acceptable from a man in power towards women in without power, and that has made life a little safer for women.

In Galatians 5, Paul explains how to live well in the Spirit. Verses 18-23 are below, but I have edited out the debauch sins as I think they can be distracting:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I am open to the idea that there is occasionally a place for outrage in our society, but I also think it needs to be tempered with love, forbearance, kindness, gentleness and self-control. Let us all ask the Holy Spirit to grow these precious fruits within us during this stressful time.

Lesley

 

Picture by Pintera Studio from Pixabay 
Baptism, Coronavirus

What is Happening?

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During these extraordinary times practices of the church which have happened for 2000 years have been suspended.  These notes are to try to summarise the current situation.  This is a risky business, as so much is changing so quickly – consequently whilst I will summarise the situation as at 31/3/2020 I will also include links to Church of England, or Diocesan pages where the latest information may be found.

Communion

People from different households may not gather for any services.  Therefore only those households which include a priest can have a communion service.  The regulations requiring a second person to be present have been suspended at present.  Others watching the service remotely may receive Spiritual Communion.

CofE Guidance: https://www.churchofengland.org/media/20028

Guildford Diocesan  Guidance: https://www.cofeguildford.org.uk/docs/default-source/coronavirus/priestly-practice-in-a-pandemic.pdf?sfvrsn=bb330032_0

Baptisms

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches#na

Emergency baptisms can take place in a hospital or at home, though subject to strict hygiene precautions and physical distancing as far as this is possible.  Other Baptisms may not take place.

Funerals

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches#na

Sadly, funerals may now only happen at the Crematorium or at the graveside.

Memorial Services can be held once the current crisis is resolved.

Weddings

https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches#na

Sadly, there can be no weddings in church buildings until further notice.

Clergy are not permitted to solemnise weddings at other locations.

 

 

Picure by Richard Croft.
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How to use Teams Video Conferencing

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When you are joining a “Teams” meeting you will get an email with a link to the meeting looking something like this:

Teams Email

You should click on the link to the Teams Meeting and then the screen at the top of the page will appear in your browser.

You have a choice as to which of the three options you should take; unless you have a badshotleaandhale.org email address the bottom one is ruled out.  You can then continue to use your browser (the top option, and easiest) or download the Windows application.  This will take a little longer, but will then perform better (they say).

Sign in annotated

Once you have done this, you will be prompted to type your name and “Join as a Guest”, which you click on, and then to “Join Now” – click on that button.  You may be prompted to allow your microphone and video to transmit.

At the end of the meeting, hover your mouse over the picture and click the red telephone to leave.

Sign out annotated

If you are using a phone then you need to download the Microsoft Teams App from the appropriate store.  This will work similarly, but slightly differently!

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Using Zoom

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We will be using Zoom for some meetings over the coming weeks, and whilst you don’t have to do much to use it there are somethings that you have to do, so here are the instructions.

Windows Computers

  1. You will receive an email with a link to the meeting, which you should click on.  It will look like this:
    https://us04web.zoom.us/j/444644926?pwd=TDBMeXdveXRINktNZlBCbE8yR2Vsdz09
  2. The first time that you do this you will be prompted to download some software, which will probably start automatically
  3. Screen
  4. You should then run this to install the software to receive the meeting
  5. You will be asked if you want to allow Zoom to install the software – this screen may not appear on top of other things on your computer but will appear at the bottom of the screen as a yellow and blue shield.  Switch to that message and allow it to update your computer.
  6. Then it will prompt you for your screen name, which is what people will see you being called.

You only have to do all this the first time.

Smart Phones

You will need to install an app from one of the stores before clicking on the link – probably called Zoom Cloud Meetings!

Services

Future Services

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Worship has developed over the years into the form that it has, but now we are temporarily unable to meet there are other ways to express our faith.

Please let me know whether you would like a live service that lots of people can join and join in.  Unfortunately we don’t think the technology is up to this for large numbers.  We are however experimenting with smaller numbers.

Many of you will have seen the service for 29th March.  For future services I would like to enable more people to contribute.  So…

If you have only a telephone with no special features …

Alan can record any comments you would like to make over the phone.  Please call the Rectory and arrange a time to do this.  It will involve calling Alan on his mobile – and a number will be provided to do this.

If you have a smartphone/computer with camera and microphone

If you would like to record a video or sound; make something and take a picture of it; write some prose; share something you found on the web – whatever you have found that has fed you spiritually; please send it to Alan to pull it together.

Large files can be sent to Alan via https://www.filemail.com/

If you don’t know how to use the computer to do this

  1. Click on the magnifying glass at the bottom left of the screen.
  2. Search for Camera (or Voice Recorder if you just want to record your voice)
  3. Click on the Camera App option/Voice Recorder Option
  4. Click on the Video button on the right hand side of the screen so that it is white.
  5. Click on it again to start videoing
  6. Click the red square to stop videoing.
  7. Open File Explorer and then Camera Roll – you should find the video you have recorded there.  (Sound is in Documents/Sound Recording).
  8. Use FileMail, TransferXL or PCloud (works better on mobiles) to select a video and send it to Alan.

Using a mobile/tablet

  1. Record the video – turn your device to landscape mode – it gives a bigger picture.
  2. Use PCloud to select the video and send it to Alan.

Screenshot_20200420-113703

“Click Here” to attach a file.

Screenshot_20200420-113724

Click on Files

Screenshot_20200420-113817

Find the Video and click on it.

Screenshot_20200420-113829

Fill in Alan’s email address: revd.alan@badshotleaandhale.org and your own and an optional message and click SEND FILES.

I look forwards to receiving lots of material.

Serving the Villages North of Farnham: Badshot Lea, Hale, Heath End & Weybourne