Category Archives: Services

Services

Sunday Worship

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I am not going to stream a service.  Instead I will curate (not as in a curate) one, picking bits and pieces from all over the place!  The links are all to YouTube and they will open in another window.  Close that window to return here.  Some videos have adverts, but there is usually a button at the bottom right that will skip them after about 5 seconds.

Other services do exist!  the Church of England among others.

Sunday 29th March 2020

Before the Service

Opening Hymn

Welcome

Confession

Gloria

Collect

Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

OR

Gracious Father,
you gave up your Son
out of love for the world:
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,
that we may know eternal peace
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Hymn

Gospel Reading

John 11:1-45  – Alan or Rachel

Sermons

I’m afraid you can have lots of these!

Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

Intercessions

Peace

Hymn

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Hymn

Notices

Please send feedback on this service to Alan.  Also, it is possible that we could hold a live service that anyone with a computer with a camera and microphone can join in along with everyone else.   Is this something that you are interested in doing?  Please email Alan.

Blessing

Hymn

I hope you enjoyed this.  If you would like to take part in a future service by contributing a clip, please let Alan know.  I am trying to follow the rota, but of course there isn’t one for St Mark’s, and not everyone on the rota has the ability to record a video.

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Coronavirus, Services

Sharing peace remotely

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Alan is putting together a service which will be available online for Sunday. We’d like everyone to be able to share the Peace, even though we have to be far from each other physically.

If you would like to, please record yourself saying ‘Peace be with you’ and send it to Alan.

This is straightforward on a smartphone but if you don’t have one it is easy to do on the computer. If it is not obvious where the camera is on your computer, do a search for ‘Camera’ and it will show you where your webcam is. Press the ‘video’ button to ensure you are on video mode, and when you are ready, just press it again to record. When you have recorded yourself, press ‘stop’ (probably the same button you pressed to start it). The video will save to your ‘Pictures’ file, probably in a folder called ‘Camera Roll’, but it should be obvious. Then send it to Alan.

May the peace of God be with us all.

 

Picture by Mateus Campos Felip on Unsplash.
Coronavirus, Services

Church in a new form

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Today – Sunday, March 22 – we will not be able to go to church, or at least not physically. But the coronavirus forcing the suspension of normal worship does not mean there will be no church – far from it. You can enjoy church from the comfort of your own home online. Some are livestreaming and others have recorded services or sermons.

Here in Badshot Lea and Hale, Margaret Emberson will be livestreaming on Facebook at 10am, playing and singing the hymns that should be being sung at St George’s. Find her here.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead first national virtual Church of England service, streaming at 8am on local BBC radio stations and online at 9am. The service, including prayers, hymns and a short sermon, will be broadcast online by the Church of England and broadcast on 39 local BBC radio stations and BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship. It will be on the Church of England’s national website.

Bishop Jo, Bishop of Dorking, has recorded a Mothering Sunday message based on the Gospel reading, John 19.25b-27, in which Jesus on the cross asks the disciple whom he loved to take his mother into his home. You can hear and watch her here.

Michael Hopkins, URC minister at The Spire Church in Farnham, Clerk of General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, and a great friend of the parish, has recorded a service for Mothering Sunday which you can access here.

New Inclusive Church, based in Birmingham, will be live online at 4pm with interactive discussions to follow via Zoom. Join them here.

Finally, churches of all major denominations are marking a national day of prayer and action today, particularly remembering those who are sick or anxious and all involved in health and emergency services.  Everyone is invited to light a candle in their window at 7p.m. on Sunday “as a visible symbol of the light of life, Jesus Christ”. A short act of worship ‘The Light Shines in the Darkness’ is available here courtesy of Fr Craig Huxley-Jones.

 

Coronavirus, Services

Services suspended but the Church is still here

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Public worship in Church of England churches is being suspended in the light of the continuing coronavirus pandemic. but the church is still here and looking at ways we can continue to serve and to pray.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, Justin Welby and John Sentamu, have written a letter to all churches asking them to put public services on hold until further notice. But, where possible, churches will remain open as places of prayer for the community, observing social distancing recommendations.

They urged congregations to be in the forefront of providing practical care and support for the most poor and the most vulnerable during the crisis. And they also encouraged clergy to maintain the ancient pattern of daily prayer and, where possible, the eucharist – live streaming worship if they have the resources to do so.

“Being a part of the Church of England is going to look very different in the days ahead,” they wrote. “Our life is going to be less characterised by attendance at church on Sunday, and more characterised by the prayer and service we offer each day.

“We may not be able to pray with people in the ways that we are used to, but we can certainly pray for people. And we can certainly offer practical care and support.

“Please do carry on supporting the local foodbank and buy extra provisions for it.  Ensure the night shelters wherever possible are kept open. There are many very encouraging schemes happening right across our country in communities to focus on caring for the most vulnerable and do continue to play your part in those.

“Then by our service, and by our love,  Jesus Christ will be made known, and the hope of the gospel – a hope that can counter fear and isolation – will spread across our land.”

They added: “This is a defining moment for the Church of England. Are we truly are a church for all, or just the church for ourselves.

“We urge you sisters and brothers to become a different sort of church in these coming months: hopeful and rooted in the offering of prayer and praise and overflowing in service to the world.”

The archbishops have joined other church leaders in calling for a day of prayer and action this Sunday (Mothering Sunday) particularly remembering those who are sick or anxious and all involved in health and emergency services.

Further information on what the suspension of public worship will mean will be available as soon as possible on the Church of England website. This page will be regularly updated.

The Church will be providing a range of resources to enable people to continue to walk with God at this difficult time. This includes #LiveLent daily reflections, prayer for the day audio and text and Alexa and Google Home smart speaker apps.

In the days and weeks ahead, the Church will be significantly expanding this output with audio of a simple daytime prayer and night prayer service, more video content and some live-streaming, new mental health reflections to support people, and webinars to help churches stream sermons, events and make the most of social media. Read more here.

The aim will be to make as much as possible available in simple downloadable and printable formats for those who can’t easily access the technology.

 

Picture by Tony Mclachlan on Unsplash.

 

 

Events, Services, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Prayer… but not what you might expect

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Join us this weekend as we focus on prayer in many, varied and perhaps unexpected ways.

On Saturday, February 29th and Sunday, March 1st, the three churches in the parish of Badshot Lea and Hale will be offering opportunities to join in different sorts of prayer, ranging from eating pastries to going for a walk, from Welsh prayer, music and cakes to creativity in God’s presence.

The focus is on simply being with God and listening to God, trying to discern what God wants for our churches and community and what our part is in this.

There will be a labyrinth at St Mark’s, Alma Lane, GU9 0LT, and prayer stations in all three churches (St Mark’s; St George’s in Badshot Lea, GU9 9LD; and St John’s, Hale Road, GU9 9RP) and you are invited to call in and pray during the weekend*.

Then join in any or all of the following:

Saturday

9.30am: Pastries and Prayer – Join us for a prayer breakfast at St Mark’s and walk the labyrinth.
10.30am: Guided Mindfulness at St Mark’s.
3-5pm: Welsh prayer, Welsh harp music and Welsh cakes and tea at St John’s.
7pm: Candlelit service of prayer and a vigil at St John’s. Stay for as long as you want.

Sunday

2pm: Prayer walk, starting at St George’s. Walk between all three churches or join in at St John’s from around 2.30pm and St Mark’s from about 3pm.
3-4pm: Prayer and Art and Craft at St Mark’s. Create in the presence of God. Art and craft materials will be available but you are welcome to bring your own – eg knitting, crochet, clay etc
4.30pm: Come to St George’s and join a Benedictine Office of Readings with psalms, prayers, readings and meditation.
6pm: The weekend will finish with Taizé at St John’s.

 

*St John’s will be open from 9am on Saturday until the end of the Vigil and from 9.15am until after Taizé on Sunday. St George’s will be open on Saturday 9am-4pm and until after the Office of Readings on Sunday. St Mark’s will be open on Saturday 9.15am until noon and Sunday afternoon until 4pm.

 

labyrinth

Walk a labyrinth at St Mark’s.
Top picture by Chirag k, Unsplash
Baptism

A baptismal welcome

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We love a baptism and we’ve celebrated quite a number recently, welcoming children and their families into the church. Baptisms take place at all three churches – St George’s, St John’s and St Mark’s – and always in the main service as baptism means becoming part of the whole church and the congregation is an important part of that.

Recently we also had a special celebration of thanksgiving for the baptism of little Lewis who was baptized in Romania but whose family wanted a service here in Farnham too. Baptism families are given a candle to mark the occasion and Lewis’s Romanian one was pretty impressive. Lesley Crawley even prayed in Romanian.

On Sunday Maximus was baptized and, at five years old, was able to declare fervently that he wanted to be baptized and later lead the congregation out of the church, holding his candle before him.

Welcome all.

Pictured top: Families and godparents with Lesley after the thanksgiving for Lewis (far left) and baptism of Lillie-Rose (centre).
Below: Maximus is baptized.
Lewis’s Romanian baptismal candle.
Christingle, News Releases, St George's Church

Celebrate Christingle

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There will be a Christingle service at St George’s Church on Sunday, February 2, at 11.30am and everyone is welcome.

Christingle services take place any time between the beginning of Advent and the festival of  Candlemas on February 2.  The idea of the Christingle – where the story of God’s love and care for the world is told through the symbols of an orange, red ribbon, fruit and sweets and a candle – goes back almost 275 years to a church in Germany. These days it is usually associated with The Children’s Society which exists to help children suffering from poverty, neglect and danger in the UK.

The St George’s Christingle will take place at Worship for All, a weekly Sunday service at 11.30am which is particularly suitable for families with children.

 

Picture by Richard Gillin on Flickr.
Children and Youth, Christmas, Inclusion, News Releases, Social Events, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Special atmosphere and Santa at SHIP party

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Families from Sandy Hill met Santa Claus and showed off their dance moves at a party at St Mark’s on the Monday before Christmas (December 23).

The families, from the Sandy Hill Inclusive Partnership (SHIP), enjoyed a party which included table tennis, pool, art and craft, music and dance provided by the performing arts school Boogie Pumps, and, of course, a visit from Santa Claus who brought gifts for all the children and their parents too.

“It was a really special atmosphere,” said Francis from Boogie Pumps, who led the children in a dance session involving hoops, pom poms, baby sharks and a lot of energy and enthusiasm, while the general consensus among the families was that it was “awesome” and “we’ve been spoiled!”.

More than 100 presents were provided for the children following the annual Farnborough Business Park Christmas Gift Drive, collecting brand new toys, clothes, vouchers, make-up and jewellery for some young people. Members of St Mark’s, St John’s and St George’s churches had also donated enough presents for the SHIP adults to take home a bag of gifts each too.

A big thank-you to everyone who gave so generously, and to everyone who helped put on the party, including Waitrose who provided some of the food. It was great fun and a lovely start to Christmas. We are looking forward to other events with SHIP in the new year.

Christmas, News Releases, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Celebrating on the way to Bethlehem

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The villages of Badshot Lea, Hale and Weybourne were visited last Friday evening (December 20) by a host of angels, as well as a crowd of shepherds, sheep, kings, musicians, donkeys and a young couple in search of a place to rest and give birth to a baby.

They were all taking part in A Journey to Bethlehem, a re-enactment of the Christmas story in which two groups walked from St George’s and St Mark’s to St John’s, playing music and singing carols on the way. Along the two routes they met angels, shepherds, inn keepers and kings and followed a star – and two donkeys, kindly lent for the occasion by Folly Oak Donkeys – until they reached a stable constructed outside St John’s where baby Jesus was lying in a manger.

This was followed by a celebration in the church in which children recounted what they had seen on the journey and Cllr Alan Earwaker, Farnham’s Deputy Mayor, joined everyone in singing carols and playing the kazoo, before the evening ended with prayers, hot chocolate, mulled wine and mince pies.

“This was the first time we had tried A Journey to Bethlehem and what a wonderful celebration it was!” said Lesley Crawley. “It was lovely to see children and adults alike dressed up as some of the characters we read about in the Bible at Christmas, and to see everyone having such a joyful time. We are living in an age of division and anxiety and the story of God coming to earth in the form of a child, born into poverty in an occupied country, is one that can bring us hope and light. We wish everyone that hope and light this Christmas.”