Our September magazine has just been published full of plenty to read and discover for this coming month.
We kick off with the Autumn Fayre (on Saturday, September 4, at St John’s Church, 12-4pm) then take a look at our new monthly craft market, get ready for Harvest, meet our new Youth Minister, have a think about Living in Love and Faith, and look forward to the Confirmation service on September 19. There’s a message from Anne Young in Cornwall, a huge thank-you to Wendy Edwards who is retiring, some thoughts on the changes ahead from the Church Cat and lots more, including local businesses who advertise and support us in our work.
To read all about it, download your copy below, or if you would prefer a printed version email the editor, Stella Wiseman.
Come and join us at the Hale Autumn Fayre on September 4th at St John’s, Hale Road, 12-4pm.
There will be stalls, games, food and drink – a barbecue, bar, tea and cakes – a grand raffle with loads of prizes, and music. The fayre will be opened by Jeremy Hunt, MP, at 12pm, and Waverley and Farnham Councillor Sally Dickson will draw the raffle at 3.30pm.
Come and browse the stalls – everything from face creams to a bottle tombola, play games, eat, drink and be merry while listening to music by local musicians including two-thirds of Cajun Boogaloo; the Farnborough U3A Ukulele band; Wendy Edwards; Mary Klymenko; Frances Whewell; and Terry Owens, Football Club Ambassador for Aldershot Town and well known for keeping people going with his singing.
Buy a lucky programme and be in with a chance of winning a £50 voucher for Heaven’s Kitchen restaurant; buy a raffle ticket and you could win £100, or a host of other prizes including a £50 voucher for Daniele’s Sicilian Restaurant; browse gifts on the stalls; eat delicious cake or a burger; have a drink, and know that you are helping to raise money to support the church’s work in the community, including the setting up of a new youth hub at St John’s.
The Hale Autumn Fayre will be taking place at St John’s on Saturday, September 4, 12-3pm, and we need your help.
We already have lots of stalls planned, plus a bar, a barbecue and tea stall, and generous donors have given raffle prizes but we need more people to help with running the stalls and donating prizes.
We particularly need items for a bottle tombola – they don’t have just to be drinks but could, for instance, be shampoo or bubble bath – and the regular tombola. We need more raffle prizes and cakes. We also need more people to help on stalls, sell raffle tickets, and generally join in.
If you can help, please get in touch. Contact Stella Wiseman on 07842 761919 or admin@badshotleaandhale.org. You can also bring your donations to the back of St John’s Church or put them in The Ark (the old vestry).
This Sunday (August 8) we are celebrating Pride at all of our three churches and online, here on the website.
Like Pride Month, which takes place in June, it is an opportunity to celebrate LGBTQI+ people in their fullness, to look back on strides toward equality, and to imagine a world where celebration and full inclusion is the norm, not an exception.
Lesley Crawley explains some of the thinking behind this: “Christians have historically punished and ostracized LGBTQI+ people, scripture has been weaponized and the church has contributed to the political, relational and spiritual dehumanizing of LGBTQI+ people. This has resulted in deep pain, bullying and death and rightfully many people have been put off the church forever because of the cruel behaviour of Christians.
“As Christians, we give up a piece of our full humanity when we forgo compassion and treat people as objects worthy of scorn or violence. Pride gives us an opportunity to end oppressive practices and ideology while also becoming more fully human ourselves.
“In these services we repent of the past and we look with optimism to the future. We stand with people who identify as LGBTQI+ and proclaim loudly that all people are loved by God and all people are welcome here.
“We thank God for the immense diversity of human beings and the love God has for us all. We recognise the way stereotypes have limited us all in terms of being able to be truly ourselves. We celebrate love in all its forms and we thank the God of Love that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Please join us this Sunday. There is a service at St John’s Church, Lower Hale, at 9.30am, one at St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am, and one at St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am. And, of course, we are online too: https://badshotleaandhale.org/online-services/
We’re joining in national Thank You Day this Sunday, July 4. People around the country are gathering to show their gratitude to those who have helped us so much over the pandemic and we are holding Thank You services in each of the churches with special visitors from across Farnham.
Join us at St John’s at 9.30am, St George’s at 10am and St Mark’s at 11am.
Among those also joining us will be Alan Earwaker, Mayor of Farnham, and Catherine Powell, Surrey Councillor for North Farnham, who will all be at St John’s; Gemma Ball, head of Badshot Lea Village Infant School, Alex Hayhoe from the Hygiene Bank and Iain McCready from Farnham Town Council who will be at St George’s; and Cathy Burroughs, manager of Hale Community Centre, Daniel Gee, head of content for the Farnham Herald, Alastair Shanks from Right at Home care agency, and Pat Evans, former Mayor of Farnham, who will be at St Mark’s. They will be talking about the community in the past 18 months, the future as they see it and what they are thankful for.
There will be opportunities to express your own thanks and make thank-you cards.
Please join us and say thank you too.
For further information, call 07842761919 or email admin@badshotleaandhale.org
We’re delighted to say that we made our initial crowdfunding target of £4,000 for the new St John’s drop-in Youth Hub.
Thanks to everyone who gave so generously we actually raised £4,580 + an estimated £840 in gift aid from 28 supporters over 42 days.
This will enable us to make the north aisle into a good space for the Youth Hub – we will clear the pews, make the floor level and purchase equipment. You can see more here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/st-johns-project
We are now raising money to fund a community youth worker, so we can provide high quality youth work Monday to Friday each week.
It’s Father’s Day this Sunday, June 20, and we invite you to join us at any of our three churches for a celebration and focus on dads, grandads and other special men who have been important to us in our lives.
Join us at St John’s, Hale, at 9.30am, for a service followed by free brunch, or St Mark’s, Upper Hale, at 11am where brunch will be served during the service, or St George’s, Badshot Lea, at 10am where dads can have a beer after church! Cheers to Dads!
We are crowdfunding to raise money for our new Youth Hub at the St John’s which will be every day after school for 11-16 year olds. Check out www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/st-johns-project to find out what you can get for your money and what we will be doing with it.
The Youth Hub
The hub will be open to all young people and we will be working in partnership with Relational Hub, a national charity which is helping young people thrive. Relational Hub is a proven model of youth and community work, with over a decade of supporting young people.
The Youth Hub will be based on these four principles:
Radical Hospitality – the way you welcome young people;
Everyday Youth Work – daily, consistent drop-in;
Support and Opportunities – developing skills and co-producing projects;
Sustainable Approach – having a long term approach, fundraising and enterprise strategy.
The sun is out and so is the June magazine! This month’s magazine is packed full of news and events about our parish which isn’t confined to the villages we serve locally – lovely though they all are! Being online has allowed us to reach out far further and welcome people who can’t be with us physically.
Take the flower festival for instance. Among the 300+ entries were ones from friends of the parish from around the country. Take a look at some of the entries in the magazine and, of course, online.
There’s news of upcoming events – Father’s Day’s an important one as is the fete on July 3 – new classes, new rooms, a new business, our new youth hub, the new mayor and North Farnham councillor, along with lots more including Kitty Milroy and her media-starring murals, prayer, Jeremy Hunt, appeals for help, schools news, the Church Cat and more.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 