Join us in the car park at St Mark’s tonight for a socially distanced carol service by torch and candle-light. Wrap up warm, bring a mask and sing some old favourites. There will be prayers and Bible readings too, including one by Cllr Penny Marriott, Mayor of Waverley.
Category Archives: St Mark’s Church
Happy Christmas!
If you would like to download and print this card, you can find it here:
Carols in the Night
A wonderful evening of carols, readings and prayers in the churchyard at St John’s yesterday. Huge thanks to all who took part, including the Mayor of Farnham, Cllr Pat Evans; Farnham Heath End School; Waverley Singers; Farnham Brass Band; the St John’s Choir; and the Cogger family who provided the PA system.
Come along to St Mark’s, Alma Lane, Hale, tomorrow (Friday) and St George’s, Badshot Lea, on Sunday, both at 6pm, for more of the same.
Carols By Moonlight
Join us for some outdoor carol services in the grounds of all three of our churches:
Wednesday, December 16, 6pm: St John’s, Hale.
Friday, December 18, 6pm: St Mark’s, Upper Hale.
Sunday, December 20, 6pm: St George’s, Badshot Lea.
Wrap up warm and join us for socially distanced carol singing and readings for Christmas. There will be favourite carols – Once in Royal David’s City, O Little Town of Bethlehem, Away in a Manger, Silent Night and others – and at St John’s we will be joined by members of Farnham Brass Band, Waverley Singers, and a choir from St John’s.
There will also prayers and Bible readings, and we are delighted to welcome some of our local representatives to help with the readings.
Cllr Pat Evans, Mayor of Farnham, will read at St John’s; Cllr Penny Marriot, Mayor of Waverley, will read at St Mark’s; and Cllr Mark Merryweather of both Farnham Town Council and Waverley Borough Council will read at St George’s.
Bring a mask and a torch as well as warm clothes and join us for some Christmas joy!
Join the Christingle
Join us this Sunday (December 6), in church or online, for a Christingle service.
Christingles are a tradition where the story of God’s love for the world, shown in Jesus Christ, is told using an orange, a candle, a red ribbon and dried fruits and/or sweets. The word comes from the German word ‘Christkindl’, meaning ‘Little Christ Child’. You can find out more here.
The Christingle service in church will be at St Mark’s, Alma Lane, at 11am.
If you can’t come to the service, you can join in our online Christingle service which will be here at 10.30am, and if you want to make a Christingle, you will need an orange, red tape or ribbon, four cocktail sticks, some dried fruit or sweets, a piece of silver foil and a candle. You might also find a knife and a wooden spoon useful.
An Advent full of Joy
Advent is going to be a bit different this year. Normally the four services leading up to Christmas are a little bit solemn; the church is not decorated, no baptisms happen, the hymns are in a minor key. It is all about watching and waiting and hoping.
However, not this year! Let’s be honest, ever since March we have been watching and waiting and hoping – it has been the longest Advent ever. A number of people have said they have had enough of being miserable and they would like some joy in December instead. Also, as we are not having crib services or carol services in church this year, we want to invite everyone in throughout December to hear the story of Christmas.
Consequently, all the churches will have a series of family-friendly services including drama and opportunities for craft throughout December and we will be looking at characters in the Nativity:
- 6th December – Mary and the Archangel Gabriel
- 13th December – Shepherds and Angels
- 20th December – Mary and Joseph
- 25th December – birth of Jesus
- (no service on 27th December)
- 4th January – Magi (or Kings)
Please let Lesley know if you are willing to take part by email revd.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org or phone 01252 820537. At each of the above services there are lots of roles for adults and children and young people to get stuck into:
- Welcoming
- Singing
- Reading a prayer
- Drama
- Reading a poem
- Preparing crafts
It will be lovely to see you there.
Every blessing
Lesley
Light, rain and beacons of hope across town
Eight beacons shone out through the rainy skies across Farnham tonight.
The beacons, provided by Farnham Town Council, shone from Badshot Lea, Rowledge, Wrecclesham, The Bourne, Farnham Castle, Central Farnham and Lower and Upper Hale where they were placed in the grounds of St John’s and St Mark’s.
Their lighting marked the beginning of the Christmas season in Farnham and the switching on of the Christmas lights across the town.
The beacons were warmly received across town with typical comments on social media being ‘heart-warming’, ‘beautiful’, ‘fabulous’, ‘amazing’. One man who turned up at St Mark’s took a selfie with the light and explained that he was doing so at all eight.
Towards the end the skies cleared and stars appeared and the evening felt just a little hopeful in this difficult year.
Beacons of Light and Hope
The night sky will be lit up across Farnham this Saturday by beacons which will shine out from 5-8.30pm from eight places across the town, including St John’s and St Mark’s Churches.
The lights will sweep across the sky from Badshot Lea, Weybourne, Upper Hale, Rowledge, Wrecclesham, The Bourne, Farnham Castle and Central Farnham and will mark the beginning of the Christmas season in Farnham.
During the shining of the beacons, the switching on of the Christmas lights in the town centre and surrounding neighbourhoods, will also take place.
The beacons are being staged by Farnham Town Council to represent the coming together of the Farnham community during 2020 and hopes for a brighter 2021.
Councillor Alan Earwaker, the council’s lead member for tourism and events, said: “COVID may stop us inviting residents to the town centre to see an official Christmas lights switch-on this year but let us bring the lights to you. Wherever you live in Farnham or nearby villages, we hope you will be able to see at least one of our searchlights in the sky. Come out to your doorsteps to see them – and give your neighbours a wave too if you can.”
Picture by Casey Horner on Unsplash
Light a candle for a loved one
Every year at this time we hold services at which we remember those who have died. These are often known as All Souls services as they take place on, or around, November 2 when the church marks All Souls Day, a time of prayer and remembrance for the dead.
We call the services ‘Light a Candle for a Loved One’ as we encourage people to light candles in memory of those they have loved and lost.
This year’s services will take place at St John’s on Saturday, 31st October at 3pm; at St Mark’s on Sunday, 1st November at 11am as part of the usual service; and at St George’s on Sunday, 1st November at 3pm. Everyone is welcome.
If you wish to, please bring a piece of paper to the service with the name(s) of anyone you wish to remember. There will be an opportunity to offer this to God and to light a candle in memory of your loved one.
The story of Moses – Part 1
Did you know that the name Moses means ‘he came from the water’? Listen to Anne Boyman tell part one of the story of Moses and make a model Moses basket
Anne runs Adventurers – a group for 7s-11s which normally meets in St Mark’s Church early on Tuesday evenings in term time. The group can’t meet at the moment so Anne has gone online to tell stories and do craft.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 