Category Archives: St John’s Church

Art, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Celebrate St George’s Day with Mayors and Music

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We will be celebrating St George’s Day on Sunday, April 25, at both St John’s and St George’s, with visits from two mayors, the Army Cadets and members of Alder Valley  Brass.

Cllr Alan Earwaker, Deputy Mayor of Farnham, and cadets from Surrey Army Cadet Force – Farnham Unit – will join the congregation at St George’s, at 10am for a family-friendly day service including drama and flags. One of the cadets will raise the flag in the churchyard and part of the service will be outside so that the congregation can sing and plant St George’s Day flags.

St John’s will be welcoming the Cllr Penny Marriott, Mayor of Waverley, and some Scouts, who will raise the flag, for a service at 9.30pm. Again this will be suitable for all ages and there will be singing outside and the planting of St George flags. Members of Alder Valley Brass will playing before the service and for the part of the service that will be outdoors.

Over at St Mark’s, the congregation will be celebrating St Mark’s Day from 11am with an emphasis on creativity. Bring along with you something to be creative with – your favourite pens and pencils, clay, paints – whatever you would like.

Everyone is welcome at the services which are Covid-secure. Masks must be worn in the churches.

Church Buildings, Churchyard, Prayer, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Churches open for prayer and reflection

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Following the death of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on Friday morning (April 9), the three churches in the Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale will all be open this week from Monday to Friday for people to come in and light a candle, pray or just sit quietly. There will also be black ribbons available to tie in the churchyards as a sign of mourning and reflection.

The churches are St George’s, Badshot Lea, GU9 9LD; St John’s, Hale Road, GU9 9RP (park in the layby near Daniele Sicilian Restaurant); and St Mark’s, Alma Lane, GU9 0LT.

Because of Covid-19 we are unable to have a physical Book of Condolence but if you wish to sign one, there is an online one here: https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip

You can also do so by scanning the QR code here:

A copy of the QR code will be available in the churches.

If you need support or further information, contact admin@badshotleaandhale.org or call 07842761919.

Picture of Prince Philip copyright: Press Association

Prayer, Services, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church, support

Prince Philip 1921-2021

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Our sincere condolences and prayers are with Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family, as they mourn the loss of His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh.

There will be services at all the churches this Sunday: 9.30am at St John’s, Hale Road; 10am at St George’s, Badshot Lea; and 11am at St Mark’s, Alma Lane.

There will be an opportunity to light a candle and tie a black ribbon in the churchyard afterwards.

The churches will also be open next week for private prayer and lighting candles.

Because of Covid-19 we are unable to have a physical Book of Condolence but if you wish to sign one, there is an online one here: https://www.churchofengland.org/remembering-his-royal-highness-prince-philip

You can also do so by scanning the QR code here:

If you need support or further information, contact admin@badshotleaandhale.org or call 07842761919.

Picture of Prince Philip copyright: The Press Association

Church Buildings, Easter, Giving and Fundraising, magazine, Services, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

The April Magazine is out

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Our April magazine is out now, full of Easter hope, news, plans and offers by our wonderful, loyal advertisers.

Inside, along with the joy of Easter, you will find information on our plans for growth and how we want to serve our community better, you’ll find encouraging news about vaccinations, courses about faith, a ‘cycle ride’ from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for the church and for research into dementia, a piece about Pamela who has led the choir at St John’s for the past decade, and much more. (Miaow! Don’t forget me – the Church Cat).

Please read, share, respond, contribute. Let’s tell more people about all that this parish has to offer. And if you’d like a printed copy, let us know.

You can find the magazine here:

April 21Download

The cover price of the magazine is £10 for the year which pays for the editorial costs. We would be grateful if those accessing it online would pay £1 an issue. You can pay by clicking on the button below:

Please Pay here

Easter, Lent, Prayer, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

A journey through Holy Week

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Join us online and in person as we travel through Holy Week, from Palm Sunday, which recalls Jesus entering Jerusalem in triumph yet riding on a donkey, through the events which led to his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday

There will be Palm Sunday services in all of the churches tomorrow (March 28):
St John’s, Hale, at 9.30am;
St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am;
St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am.

Services in church in Holy Week

From Monday to Good Friday we will have the following services in church:
March 29, 7.30pm: Holy Monday Meditation – St John’s;
March 30, 7.30pm: Holy Tuesday Meditation – St John’s;
March 31, 12pm: Holy Wednesday Service – St Mark’s;
March 31, 7.30pm: Holy Wednesday Meditation – St John’s;
April 1, 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday Service – St John’s;
April 1, 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday Service – St George’s;
April 2, 9.30am: Good Friday Liturgy – St John’s;
April 2, 11am: Good Friday All-age Service – St Mark’s;
April 2, 2pm: Good Friday Hour at the Cross – St George’s.

Online services

The following online services will be available on Facebook and the website:
April 1, 7.30pm: Maundy Thursday;
April 2, 9.30am: Good Friday;
April 3, 8pm: Holy Saturday;
April 4, 10.30am: Easter Day.
For the services, click here.

Easter Sunday in church

Please also join us for Easter Sunday services in the churches followed by socially distanced Easter Egg hunts:
St John’s, Sunday, April 4, at 9.30am;
St George’s, Sunday, April 4, at 10am;
St Mark’s, Sunday, April 4, at 11am.

Each day there will also be extracts from our online Easter drama, Company on the Road, on YouTube and Facebook.

May you feel blessed as you journey through this week.

Picture by Duncan Sanchez on Unsplash.

Giving and Fundraising, St John's Church

Cycling virtually end to end for the Church and Dementia research

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Farnham man Paul Eggleton (pictured below) has started his ‘cycle ride’ from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for both the parish and Alzheimer’s Society, but without leaving his house.

On April 1 he started the ‘journey’ on his exercise bike, ‘travelling’ about 20 km a day, so the 1,550km will take him approximately 10 weeks. Today, April 11, he reached Dingwall and will be in Inverness tomorrow.

He was also on the radio this morning, talking to Emily Jeffery of BBC Radio Surrey, and you can hear him at 3:45:45 here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09c8k8y

This is a peculiarly lockdown-style fundraising event. Paul says: “I started to use an exercise bike and thought this would be a good way of getting fit and raising money for charity, as we can’t actually get out and do much at the moment.

“I chose the two charities because I see Alzheimer’s as one of the biggest challenges for an aging population and finding a cure would immeasurably improve life for older people, and the St John’s Church tower has crumbling stonework which comes from being nearly 200 years old. It’s a lovely north Farnham landmark and we want to preserve it.”

Paul has set up a fundraising page and will divide all the money raised between Alzheimer’s Society and the fund for restoring the tower at St John’s. To make a donation visit https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/paul-eggleton-1

He is also tracking his progress on Twitter (https://twitter.com/EndVirtual).

Children and Youth, Coronavirus, St John's Church

Farnham Heath End reflects at St John’s

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This week we welcomed students from Farnham Heath End School to St John’s on the National Day of Reflection on March 23, when they tied ribbons in the churchyard and lit candles in the church in memory of all the people who have died in the past year and in support of those who have been bereaved.

Eight students visited the church on behalf of all students in the secondary school on the day which marked the first anniversary of lockdown.

Leo, a year eight student, said: “It is important to remember that this disease has claimed so many lives and left so many families distraught. I don’t know if we took all the right actions to minimise the loss of life. If this was ever to happen again we should remember these times and try to learn from them.”

Dan Conquer, assistant principal at the school, said: “A year ago we could not have comprehended the loss of life on the scale we have seen and so many families affected. Our students were very reflective as we all considered the events of the past year. Being at the church was a really poignant opportunity to mark that. Our thanks go to St John’s for organising this event.”

St John’s was also open for the three days from March 21 to 23 so that people could visit to tie ribbons on the trees and light candles inside in memory of those who have died.

Coronavirus, Pastoral Care, Prayer, Services, St George's Church, St John's Church, St Mark's Church

Yellow ribbons and prayer for National Day of Reflection

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A National Day of Reflection is taking place on March 23, the anniversary of the start of the first lockdown. The parish is marking the day by offering special services on the Sunday before – March 21.

At the services there will be a chance to reflect on the year and in particular to remember those who have died during the past 12 months. There will be prayers and yellow ribbons for people to tie in the churchyards in memory of those who have died. Many who have lost a friend or family member will not have been able to attend the funeral service, making the process of grieving more difficult.

Lesley Crawley said: “On March 23 it will be a year since the start of the first lockdown. We had no idea then how tough it would be or that a year on we would be in our third national lockdown.

“It has been a time of great anxiety and for many great grief as they have lost family and friends and may not even have been able to attend their funerals. The church is there to offer support and one way is through our services which we hold both in person in the churches – we have Covid regulations in place – and online. You don’t have to believe in God to come in and seek peace and comfort – the church is for everyone.”

The church services on March 21 will be 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 a service on the website from 9am.

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

Mothering Sunday

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Everyone is welcome at our Mothering Sunday services this Sunday – March 14.

There will be services in each of the churches – and daffodils for mothers and other special women in our lives – as well as online.

The services in the churches are at 9.30am at St John’s, Hale; 10am at St George’s, Badshot Lea; and 11am at St Mark’s. The services are Covid secure, but please follow all guidelines.

An online service will be here from 9am and on Facebook from 10am.

Mothering Sunday is not just about mothers but about the love of God too, as Lesley Crawley explains: “Mothering Sunday is a chance to say a special thank-you to mothers, grandmothers and other important women in our lives who have given us love and support. It also reminds us that we have a loving God who cares for us more deeply than we can ever begin to imagine.”