Your February magazine is here, full of news and what’s on this month.
You can download it here:
Category Archives: Prayer
Join our contemplative prayer group
There is a contemplative prayer group meeting in the parish every Wednesday at St Mark’s Church from 3-4pm.
Contemplative/centering prayer is a silent form of prayer which can take place alone or in a group. The person or people praying remain silent and usually repeat in the mind a word or phrase such as ‘Maranatha’, an Aramaic word which means ‘our Lord, come’, or ‘our Lord has come’, depending on where the emphasis is placed. Some people prefer to use an image rather than a word.
The idea is that the word or image centres the mind and encourages it not to wander or flit from thought to thought, as human minds usually do, but instead just to be as we are in front of God. We don’t ask anything of God, we simply are there.
On Wednesday afternoons a group of us sit together in St Mark’s and spend 20 minutes in this form of silent prayer. We then drink tea, eat biscuits and chat.
It is a time of peace and stillness and highly recommended in this furiously busy world.
Anyone is welcome to join us.
Your February Magazine is here
Christmas is probably a distant memory for most of us, but Christmastide actually ends on February 2, which is known as Candlemas and is 40 days after Christmas Day. It’s also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, when the baby Jesus was presented in the Temple. Traditionally that is the last date for having Christingle services which is why you will find the two parish ones advertised in this month’s magazine.
Alongside this in the magazine is an update on the vacancy, details on fundraising for the tower at St John’s,information on our poetry competition (part of the Farnham Literary Festival), news, events, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
To download your magazine, click on the button above.
The Practice of Contemplative Prayer
Would you like to deepen your understanding of God, understand more what God might be calling you to, hear God inside you? If so, join us in an exploration of Contemplative Prayer.
Reverend Stella Wiseman will be running a short course on contemplative prayer this Advent, on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm at St Mark’s, beginning on December 3rd.
Also known as centering prayer, contemplative prayer is a way of bringing ourselves before God in stillness. It is similar to mindfulness practice in that you take a word of short phrase —Maranatha is a good one, or Jesus, or Divine Love – and repeat it slowly in your mind as you breathe in and out, returning to the word or phrase as your mind wanders (and it will) while you sit in silence. You do not sit and think about what has been or what will be, but just are there in the present moment, in the presence of God.
There will be a short introduction and reading at the beginning of each session and then we will spend time in contemplative prayer before a short reading at the end. If you’d like to know more, contact Stella on 07842761919 or email at revd.stella@badshotleaandhale.org
Your November Magazine is Here
The November magazine is here and this month you can find out about All Souls’ and Remembrance, what it means to different people and why some wear red poppies, some wear white and some wear both. There is a piece about our new series on contemplative prayer, information from Hive Helpers, plus the Badshot Leader and the Church Cat who has something to say about not putting people in boxes.
There are also events, reports, news, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
Happy reading!
All Souls’ services – to remember those we have lost
If you have lost a close friend or family member and would like an opportunity to remember them and light a candle for them, we are holding ‘All Souls’ services’ this weekend. These simple services of music, prayer and reflection will take place as follows:
St John’s, Hale (near the Six Bells roundabout) on Saturday, November 2 at 4pm; St Mark’s, Upper Hale (next to Tesco Express) on Sunday, November 3 at 11am; and St George’s, Badshot Lea (opposite the school) on Sunday, November 3 at 5.30pm.
During the services you will have the opportunity to light a candle in memory of the person or people you have lost.
If you would like any support following the death of a loved one, please contact Rev’d Stella Wiseman, 07842761919.
Your October magazine is here
The October magazine is here and this month you can find out how Bishop Sumner is linked to Farnham Rugby Club, check out what priests wear in church, and discover joy with the Church Cat.
There are also events, reports, news, prayer and, of course, our dedicated advertisers who keep us going. Please do consider using their services.
Happy reading
Pray for peace
In response to the deepening divisions in the world and fear of conflicts escalating, there will be an interfaith gathering for women to pray for peace in Gostrey Meadow, initiated by the parish and the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Women’s Association, on Sunday, September 22nd at 2.30pm.
We invite all women, whatever your faith, to join us to pray for peace and greater understanding between nations, cultures and communities. Apologies that this is just for women, but this is in order to respect the Ahmadiyyah women’s culture. Please let us know if you have any questions and if you plan to come, by phone to 07842761919 or by email to revd.stella@badshotleaandhale.org.
Vacancy update
For those of you keeping track of our recruitment activities, you will know that the closing date for second round of advertising for the post of Rector of Badshot Lea and Hale was in early August. I am disappointed to report that we had no applications, although I have to admit that I am not totally surprised as most parishes take a year to 18 months to fill a vacancy because of the shortage of available clergy.
We will embark on the third round of advertising soon with a view to interviewing in early January and having someone in post just after Easter 2025. Especially with this type of role, it is about finding the right person at the right time in their ministry and we continue to pray that God will send us the right person at the right time.
I am pleased to report that the team managing the parish during the vacancy has settled into a sound routine and are ready for a long vacancy should that be the case.
That is not to say that we have not had our challenges, including Rev’d John Evans being unwell for so long. He is now on the road to recovery and leading our services again. We have also realised that Rev’d David Camp needs the support of an incumbent to complete the remaining two years of his training. While we will be sad that we will not see as much of him from September, we are fully supportive of his move to Frensham as the right decision to help him along his ministry journey.
The news that the tower at St John’s is in a worse state than we thought adds another challenge to just doing the normal. Click here for details of fundraising.
My thanks to those across the parish who are pulling together to help us deliver business as usual to the best of our ability. If anyone feels that they can help contribute please contact either Stella or me.
Dave Walter
PCC lay vice-chair
Your September magazine is here
We are heading for autumn which means it is Creationtide and time for our September magazine.
It’s a bumper month with lots going on: Creationtide, Harvest, a Scarecrow Drive, the Autumn Craft Market, a concert and cream tea in memory of Frances Whewell, a brand new clothing bank and café, an interfaith prayer event and the first of our Pet Services, as well as all the normal groups, events and services.
Inside you will also find news and reflections on what has been going on recently.
So sit down, relax and happy reading.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 