Enjoy this service, especially for toddlers.
All God’s Creatures got a Place in the Choir
There were barks, there was a lot of laughter, there may have been a couple of small accidents, and there was a lot of celebration and blessing at our three Pet Services on Sunday, October 3rd.
Thank you to everyone who came and brought their dogs, their pictures of pets and their cuddly toys, or even dressed in leopard print with a unicorn horn. There was a noticeable, but eminently sensible, lack of cats, but people brought photos of pets who really wouldn’t have dealt well with the dogs.
There was barking, wagging and a lot of enjoyment of pet treats and all the dogs, pictures and cuddly toys came forward for a blessing.
This was also a celebration of the blessings that pets can bring to us and an acknowledgement that God is the God of all – scaly, furry, smooth, two-, three-, four-, five-, six-, eight, 10-, many- and, yes, one-legged things. Snails are God’s creatures too!
As the hymn we sang says:
“All God’s creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low and some sing higher,
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they’ve got now”.
Thanks again to Castle Vets for sponsoring the services.
Woof!
Sunday Service – 3rd October
Below is the Sunday service, first, here are the notices:
Notices
Giving
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.
Service
Your October magazine is out!
The latest parish magazine is out, full of information about what is going on in your community here in North Farnham, and reflections on life and faith.
This month we consider generosity, particularly generosity of spirit, and celebrate the joy of the recent Confirmation service in the parish. There’s a collection of clothing and other items for refugees, a campaign for a new cancer centre, the return of Messy Church, an invitation to take part in the Big Draw and in a pet service and a reflection on the fact that pets are good for us. All these, along with local community news, local businesses and ideas, prayer and reflection, if you click below:
Music for Matti
Matti was born with a rare genetic disorder which means that he has dialysis every night and is waiting for a transplant from his mother. He is only six.
His family have made a video in support of Matti and to say thank you to Southampton Children’s hospital. There is a Just Giving link too for the hospital. https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/music4matti
Please hold Matti and his whole family in your prayers.
Church asks victims and survivors to speak
Are you a survivor or victim of church-related abuse? Could you help the Diocese of Guildford to learn from the past and protect the future?
The Diocese of Guildford is currently reviewing all its records, across all 162 parishes, to ensure that all safeguarding concerns and allegations have been identified, reported, and appropriately actioned. Critical to this, is the voice of survivors and victims. The Diocese of Guildford wants to listen to and to learn from your experiences and ensure that your voices are heard throughout this review process.
Coming forward
Anybody who would like to give information or make disclosures about church-related abuse is asked to contact Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor, Jackie Broadfoot (jackie.broadfoot@cofeguildford.org.uk or 07918 559387).
Support is available
The Diocese recognises that coming forward may be extremely difficult and dedicated support has been set up for you. Two confidential listening services have been set up, for those people who have experienced church related abuse but who might want to talk through their experiences and feelings before taking any next step. To find out more about the support available visit www.dioceseofguildford.or.uk/about/safeguarding/past-cases-review-2-(pcr2)
Building the safest community we can
Bishop Andrew, Bishop of Guildford, said: “It is important we do everything we can to make our churches the safest places they can be. Safe means different things to different people but this review will help us to ensure that the concerns reported to our churches have been dealt with properly, and the care taken and the support given is of the high quality that people rightly deserve. We have learnt from a previous review that that survivors and victims’ voices are critical, and I would urge you to come forward.”
Sunday Service – Harvest 26th September
Below is the Sunday service, first, here are the notices:
Notices
Giving
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.
Service
Coffee, cake, Kitty and the Big Draw
Fancy a cup of coffee with Kitty? Milroy that is. Join us at St Mark’s on Thursday, October 7, 10.30am-12.30pm, for coffee, cake and art and take part in The Big Draw.
Morning coffee and art will be resuming at St Mark’s, once a month, on the first Thursday of each month and the first one will coincide with The Big Draw Festival. Artist Philip Ryland will be dropping in to give us some guidance. Admission is free and you don’t have to book.
The Big Draw is a charity dedicated to raising the profile of drawing as a tool for wellbeing, thought, creativity, social and cultural engagement and runs The Big Draw Festival, the world’s biggest celebration of drawing.
While you are at St Mark’s spend some time admiring the Kitty Milroy murals in the church, our recently restored and nationally celebrated murals painted 100 years ago by local artist Kitty Milroy.
Collection for Afghan Refugees
Farnham Help for Refugees is holding a collection at St George’s Church, Badshot Lea, on Friday, October 8, 2.30-7pm, to support refugees, in particular those who have fled Afghanistan following the take-over of the country by the Taliban.
They are asking for winter clothes for men, women, children and babies, along with shoes, toiletries, baby goods, cleaning supplies, tents, blankets, sleeping bags, mobile phones, laptops, tablets and supermarket vouchers. See below for a full list.
Financial donations are also welcome. To donate, please bring cash on the day or donate via https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/sponsoraboxfh4r
Picture by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid on flickr.
Harvest!
Come and celebrate the fruits of the earth and share with others at our harvest festivals on Sunday, September 26.
The services are at St John’s, Hale, at 9.30am, St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am, and St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am. There will also be an online service here on the website and on Facebook available from 10am.
Please bring non-perishable food to church to share with Farnham Foodbank. Currently the Foodbank is in desperate need of tinned hot dog sausages, tinned stewed steak, tinned minced beef and fruit jam.
Rev’d Lesley Crawley says: “Harvest is a time when we not only celebrate the gifts of God’s earth, but think of others who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. This is a growing reality in Britain today, even though we are one of the most economically developed countries in the world. Obviously we want to give to help alleviate this need, but the church is also there to challenge and ask questions about why this should be the case and what we can do about it.”
Photo by Elaine Casap.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 