Today’s service led by John Evans:
Don’t Forget Dad!
There will be a celebration of dads on the website for Father’s Day, Sunday, June 21.
Normally there would be Father’s Day services in the church buildings, but lockdown has made this impossible, so instead the parish is holding an informal service online, available from 9am.
“At the service we will be celebrating the role of fathers,” says Lesley Crawley. “We will have a father explaining what it means to him and children talking about their father. We will also remember that all of us have a loving Father in heaven, and recognise that not everyone has had a father on earth that was good or safe or present.”
Amazing Grace
The hymn Amazing Grace was written in 1772 by John Newton (1725-1807) and published in 1779. The most familiar tune used these days is New Britain, composed in 1835 by the American composer William Walker.
John Newton worked on board slave ships for many years and it was during a storm at sea that the first steps of his conversion to Christianity occurred. However, he stated that he was truly converted some time later. He became an Anglican priest in 1764 and an abolitionist in the 1780s and campaigned against slavery thereafter.
Amazing Grace
Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!
Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.
Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.
The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.
The hymn is used for A Song for Farnham.
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A Song for Farnham
Here is A Song for Farnham! This parish and other churches across Farnham have joined forces and voices to sing Amazing Grace.
As well as this parish, St Andrew’s Church; St James’, Rowledge; St Joan of Arc; The Spire Church; and Farnham Vineyard have sung a verse each.
The hymn is a favourite of many and was written by a former slave trader, John Newton, who eventually became an advocate for the abolition of slavery.
Lesley Crawley explains why the churches have decided to sing it: “The churches in Farnham wanted to make a song to lift spirits now that some people have been locked in for three months and many face uncertainty as to when it will end for them. We chose Amazing Grace – written by a slave owner who saw the error of his ways and found God even though he considered himself beyond the pale given his previous life. It speaks of God’s unconditional love and grace in our lives, no matter how we feel about ourselves.”
Listen to A Song for Farnham on social media and at www.badshotleaandhale.org and other church websites from Sunday, June 21.
BCP Evening Prayer – 14th June
This Evening’s BCP Service
Black Lives Matter 2
Why are we protesting about something that happened in the USA? This video has some answers to that question:
The Shape of the church of the future
Today the sermon is all about the shape of the church of the future – you can watch it here.
We have asked a few people for their opinion and included parts of these videos in the sermon:
Sunday Worship – 14th June
Hello and welcome. Below are the services, and four sermons. In addition, one of the sermons is about the shape of the church of the future. You can listen to Pamela, Simon, Bob, Maxine and Stella on that subject here. First here are the notices:
Notices
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. I have updated the Children’s Page with Jacqui Searle’s assembly.
Favourite hymns We will be including in the services a “Favourite Hymn” slot for anyone who would like to take part – if you have a favourite hymn then please video yourself explaining why it is meaningful to you and send it to Lesley or Alan.
Happy Birthday
We have two big birthdays to celebrate this week:
Sylvie is 80 today – 14th June and we are having her favourite hymn – Great is thy Faithfulness
Diana is 90 on 17th June
Happy Birthday!
Join the Lockdown Art Club
Resources
Here are the resources for adults at home this week.
Here are the resources for families at home this week.
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Sermons
All- Age drama from Stella:
Lesley and Alan’s reflection with vox pops from others:
John Evan’s Friday Service Sermon
Bishop Jo’s Sermon:
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. I have updated the Children’s Page with Jacqui Searle’s assembly.
Favourite hymns We will be including in the services a “Favourite Hymn” slot for anyone who would like to take part – if you have a favourite hymn then please video yourself explaining why it is meaningful to you and send it to Lesley or Alan.
Happy Birthday
We have two big birthdays to celebrate this week:
Sylvie is 80 today – 14th June and we are having her favourite hymn – Great is thy Faithfulness
Diana is 90 on 17th June
Happy Birthday!
Join the Lockdown Art Club
Resources
Here are the resources for adults at home this week.
Here are the resources for families at home this week.
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Sermons
All- Age drama from Stella:
Lesley and Alan’s reflection with vox pops from others:
John Evan’s Friday Service Sermon
Bishop Jo’s Sermon:
Interfaith friendship and facemasks
We now have some cloth face masks for people in the parish, thanks to the work and generosity of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association, Lajna Ima’illah UK, in response to the health threat posed by Covid-19.
The churches and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which has its central mosque in Tilford, have been developing close links over the past year and we support each other where we can, so when Lajna UK contacted us last month to ask if we would like face masks we eagerly said yes. If you would like one, let us know.
“Our friends in Lajna UK have been so very generous in giving these masks to us,” says Lesley Crawley. “We are delighted to be continuing to build links with the Ahmadiyya Muslims who have a great heart for the community. We worship a loving God and follow many of the same values, in particular that of love for all people. Thank you again to our sisters from the local Lajna UK and we look forward to spending more time with you after lockdown.”
Ismat Sana, the Aldershot president of the Ahmaddiya Women’s Association, says: “Covid-19 is a new experience and we realised that there was a shortfall in PPE for those that needed it the most. Humanitarian work is massively important to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as a whole and something our Women’s Association, Lajna UK, is already passionate about, so we decided to purchase materials and make PPE as a way of assisting our hardworking local community members.”
The Aldershot branch of Lajna UK will be taking part in the Farnham Flower Festival which you will be able to find on this website over the weekend of June 27-28.
If you would like a face mask would you also be willing to video yourself catching a face mask and then throwing it on to the next person? Here Stella Wiseman is caught on camera maintaining social distancing while delivering a mask to Bob Shatwell. Video yourself and send the results to revd.alan@badshotleaandhale.org. Thanks!
Flower Festival goes online
Our Flower Festival is going online this year and you will be able to find it here on the website over the weekend of June 27-28, with the theme of A Celebration of Summer Flowers.
Last year’s inaugural Farnham Flower Festival was held at St John’s Church, and another was planned there for this year but lockdown put paid to that. Nothing daunted, we are taking the festival online and have invited the whole community to get involved – schools, community groups, churches and other faith groups, businesses, artists, craftspeople, individuals, and even two local gin companies which use flowers in their gins. Farnham Town Council is also submitting an entry to what promises to be a colourful and uplifting celebration.
We will be displaying photographs and videos of wonderful displays of flowers and floral art and craft. There will be music too and we know it is going to be a lovely weekend of colour reflecting the creative gifts of our community.
It’s not too late to get involved. If you would like to submit a picture or video of a floral display or a piece of floral art or craft, send it to us before the end of Monday, June 22. If you join our Lockdown Art Club, don’t forget the theme is flowers and we’d love your art too. Then visit us online over the weekend of June 27-28.
Pictured: Floral display from Therapies Through Nature which takes place at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. Therapies Through Nature is taking part in the festival.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 