Come on in! We are excited to announce that our churches will be open again for services this Sunday, after more than four months of being closed thanks to Covid-19.
There will be simple Communion services at each of the three churches from this Sunday: St John’s at 9.30am, St George’s at 10am and St Mark’s at 11am. We will also hold a service at noon on Wednesday at St Mark’s, replacing the old Friday service.
We are also going to continue to offer online services as we know that not everyone will feel able to come to the church buildings themselves. You can find our online services here.
If you are familiar with the services you will notice some differences, as Lesley Crawley explains: “We are absolutely delighted that we can return to the church buildings to worship together in person. However there will be changes to the services designed to reduce the risk of Covid-19. For instance we cannot have any singing, we cannot sit close to each other and we cannot share the Communion cup of wine. We will, however, be able to receive the Communion bread. Please come along and be a part of our services if you are able to, everyone is welcome.”
We have installed hand sanitizers and put up notices to remind everyone about social distancing and where it is safe to sit. Everyone attending will be asked for contact details so that if someone tests positive for Covid-19 it will be possible to get in touch with others who attended church at the same time. Those coming to church are strongly advised to wear masks but this is not compulsory.
There will be services available online from 9am on Sunday. “Holding services online means that more people can access them,” says Lesley. “Some people may feel particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and therefore not want to come to church, and there are also others who cannot come to church perhaps because of mobility issues or illness, or because of work or family commitments. We should have thought about online services long ago but Covid concentrated our minds rather and has enabled us to be creative and reach more people.”
We are also very aware that the Covid pandemic has accentuated the divide between those who have access to modern technology and those who do not. Many of those who are not online are also older and have been increasingly isolated during lockdown. The parish, along with other groups in Farnham, has been supporting those who are isolated and is looking at how to increase this support in the future.
As you probably know, the government has announced that church services may resume from this weekend and we have been looking carefully at how this will be possible from the beginning of August which will give us enough time to prepare.
It is not, unfortunately, simply a case of throwing open the doors and welcoming everyone in, much as we would like to. There are all sorts of issues to deal with to ensure that we keep everyone safe.
This week further information has been released by the government, the national Church of England and the Diocese of Guildford to help us plan to reopen the churches for services.
Our plan – subject to PCC approval – is to have a service in each of the three churches on a Sunday and a mid-week service at St Mark’s from the beginning of August.
Because of the dangers of Covid-19 infection, the services will follow a simple format with no singing but with musicians playing instruments. We will not be able to share the Peace but we will be able to take Communion, though in one kind only. The Bread may be distributed in wafer form by the priest (who will have taken all the necessary hygiene precautions) but we cannot share the Wine. Everyone coming forward to receive Communion or a blessing will be guided on where to walk and stand in order to minimise the danger of passing anything on.
Everyone will have to observe strict social distancing measures – though you can sit in your household groups of course – and hygiene regulations, but we have installed hand sanitisers already and have been working hard to ensure that it will all be as safe as possible.
We are also going to continue worship online so anyone who can’t come to church on Sundays or feels unsafe doing so can still join in the worship.
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.
Flower Festival
Here it is in case you missed it!
Services
All-Age:
Click the top one if you can view it:
Otherwise use this one but it doesn’t have Stormzy’s video:
Post19 is a leading Life Skills and Support Centre for young adults with learning difficulties. It is based in Farnham and supports young adults throughout Surrey and Hampshire. https://www.post19.com/
William Cobbett Primary School
William Cobbett Lion Care Bubble’s Flower Festival Entry! 12 children aged 7-10 years have worked together whilst social distancing to create this flower poster
Penny Fleet is a professional mixed media and collage artist specialising in nature, seasonal and wildflowers, birds and wildlife. You can buy her work via her website: www.pennyfleet.co.uk/
Rich Shenton
Rich Shenton is an artist and writer whose work includes portrait, still life, the natural world – particularly seascapes – and cartoons of Boz the cat and his friends. www.facebook.com/RichardWShenton/
Samantha McKay
Susan Everitt
Susie Lidstone
Hollyhocks
Delphiniums
Susie Lidstone is a professional watercolour artist living and working in the parish of Badshot Lea and Hale. She specialises in flowers and buildings and has painted many scenes of Farnham. Her designs are available as cards, notebooks, zip pouches, pocket mirrors, tea towels, cushions, ties, scarves, face masks, calendars, even deck chairs, as well as limited edition prints and the paintings themselves. She also takes commissions. Prices range from £2-£700. http://susielidstone.com/
Organisations
Thank you to local organisations who have shared their work with us.
Badshot Lea Bloomers
Making Badshot Lea beautiful with blooms (and hard work).
Pictures by Gill Mayer of the Opportunities Project
The Opportunities Community Project started in Hale with the aim of helping and supporting lone parents locally to build a brighter future for themselves and their families. The project is funded by the Hazelhurst Trust.
Following the success of the project in the Hale area it has been extended to Ash, Farnborough, Wrecclesham and Godalming.
The project offers free classes in IT training, either to learn or update skills to an employability level, then to support students in looking for work. There is free childcare. Opportunities also offers friendship, support and leads to a new future. www.opportunitiesproject.org
Girlz Club
Artist: Brooke
Artist: Liz
Artist: Mahi
Girlz Club is run from Hale Community Centre and exists to help local girls have fun, learn skills and build self-esteem. www.halecommunitycentre.org.uk/
Hale Community Centre
Formerly The Bungalow, Hale Community Centre is a community resource which provides a range of services, activities and meeting spaces for people of all ages. Its aim is to provide recreational, learning, business and social activities, which are accessible and affordable. www.halecommunitycentre.org.uk/
The Hale History Project
Art by Josephine Jones
The Hale History Project is a voluntary project which has developed from the great interest and enthusiasm in the history of their locality emanating from the residents and ex-residents of Hale, Upper Hale, and other nearby hamlets and villages. Outside lockdown it holds monthly coffee mornings with exhibitions and archives. It also takes an interest in current events in the local area. www.halehistoryproject.co.uk
Family Voice Surrey
Family Voice Surrey champions the needs and rights of SEND families in Surrey: families with children or young adults up to the age of 25 who have special educational needs, chronic illnesses, including mental health conditions, or disabilities. www.familyvoicesurrey.org
Therapies Through Nature – Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice
Therapies Through Nature offers patients and carers at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice simple gardening sessions. Table-top workshops enable participants to create flower baskets, planters and herb gardens, for example, which can then be taken home or given as a gift to a loved one.
Research has shown that gardening, or even simply spending time surrounded by nature, can help patients feel less stressed and improve their wellbeing. The sessions also give patients the opportunity to join in with an activity which they used to enjoy before they became ill. No experience of gardening is necessary to join this group, and patients can take part at any stage of their illness. These sessions are often referred to as Social and Therapeutic Horticulture. www.pth.org.uk/
Women’s Institute
In normal times, the Hale Women’s Institute meets on the second Wednesday of the month at 1.45pm in the Hale Institute. surrey.thewi.org.uk/find-wi/hale
Businesses
Farnham Mill Nursing Home
The idea was to create bright summer colours, and with the current situation of the Covid-19 virus, keyworkers and lockdown, the residents and staff used the rainbow as inspiration. Each heart was hand made by residents at Farnham Mill using tissue paper flowers; the sunflowers (which is a symbol used a lot at Farnham Mill) were made using yellow paper with sunflower seeds for the centres. www.farnhammillnursinghome.co.uk/
K & S Memorials
These pictures are of a rockery and St John the Evangelist memorial stone (aka the ‘Bonkers Stone’ in the garden of Wendy and Steve Edwards in Hale. For the story behind the pictures, see here. www.kempandstevens.co.uk/
Based in the parish of Badshot Lea and Hale, Karen Geraghty of Mind Your Bonce specialises in handmade cloche hats, retro and modern cocktail hats, pillbox hats, and mini cocktail hats. This unique headwear is carefully handmade in England using traditional methods and high quality materials, frequently using outstanding vintage tweeds. www.instagram.com/mind_your_bonce_millinery
Nibbs Gin
A message from Nibbs Gin, based in Farnham: “The Nibbs team are delighted to be part of the Flower Festival. We have been busy out picking elderflower locally ready for this year. At the end of last year we launched our second gin, Surrey Hops, using traditional hops from Farnham. Through July and August we will be offering free delivery on everything through our on-line shop and a special offer on our 20cl bottles when you buy one of each. Please refer to our website www.nibbsspirits.co.uk“
Squire’s Garden Centres is a family-run business set up in 1935 and still run by the same family. The centre in Badshot Lea is one of 16 and there is another at Frensham. squiresgardencentres.co.uk
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry. Thank you for your support:
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.
I have updated the Children’s Page with some homeschooling resources for RE.
Happy Birthday
We have two birthdays to celebrate this week: Pamela – 21st June Carolyn – 23 June
Song for Farnham
The local churches have produced a Song for Farnham to lift our spirits during this pandemic:
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Sermons
Alan’s Sermon:
John Innes’s Friday Service Sermon
Bishop Andrew’s Sermon:
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support.
I have updated the Children’s Page with some homeschooling resources for RE.
Happy Birthday
We have two birthdays to celebrate this week: Pamela – 21st June Carolyn – 23 June
Song for Farnham
The local churches have produced a Song for Farnham to lift our spirits during this pandemic:
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
We are delighted to say that all three churches are open for private prayer on certain days.
The exact days and times that each is open are:
St John’s: Sunday 2-4pm and from July 12 all day. Thursday all day
St George’s: Monday and Thursday, all day
St Mark’s: Tuesday and Saturday 10am-12pm
We have also installed hand sanitisers at the entrance and exit doors and everyone is asked to use these. The churches will then be shut for three days to help prevent the spread of the virus.
We are also able to hold funerals, weddings and baptisms in the churches, though numbers are limited.
Lesley commented: “We are so pleased to be able to welcome everyone back into the churches, although there are obvious time limits and other restrictions so that we can help protect people from COVID-19. Our churches are symbols of hope and stability in a troubled world and though we can pray anywhere, many of us find a sense of God and peace in church.
“Everyone is welcome to come in when we are open; people of any faith or none are free to come and enjoy the buildings.”
For further information contact the administrator, Stella, by email or by calling 07842761919.
Hello and welcome. Below are the services, and four sermons. In addition, one of the sermons is about the shape of the church of the future. You can listen to Pamela, Simon, Bob, Maxine and Stella on that subject here. First here are the notices:
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support. I have updated the Children’s Page with Jacqui Searle’s assembly.
Favourite hymns We will be including in the services a “Favourite Hymn” slot for anyone who would like to take part – if you have a favourite hymn then please video yourself explaining why it is meaningful to you and send it to Lesley or Alan.
Happy Birthday
We have two big birthdays to celebrate this week:
Sylvie is 80 today – 14th June and we are having her favourite hymn – Great is thy Faithfulness
Diana is 90 on 17th June
Happy Birthday!
Join the Lockdown Art Club
Resources
Here are the resources for adults at home this week.
Here are the resources for families at home this week.
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Sermons
All- Age drama from Stella:
Lesley and Alan’s reflection with vox pops from others:
John Evan’s Friday Service Sermon
Bishop Jo’s Sermon:
This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry by clicking the button above. Thank you for your support. I have updated the Children’s Page with Jacqui Searle’s assembly.
Favourite hymns We will be including in the services a “Favourite Hymn” slot for anyone who would like to take part – if you have a favourite hymn then please video yourself explaining why it is meaningful to you and send it to Lesley or Alan.
Happy Birthday
We have two big birthdays to celebrate this week:
Sylvie is 80 today – 14th June and we are having her favourite hymn – Great is thy Faithfulness
Diana is 90 on 17th June
Happy Birthday!
Join the Lockdown Art Club
Resources
Here are the resources for adults at home this week.
Here are the resources for families at home this week.
Services
We now have two Sunday morning services – an all-age one and a more traditional one:
All-Age:
More Traditional:
Sermons
All- Age drama from Stella:
Lesley and Alan’s reflection with vox pops from others:
Move over Grayson Perry – there’s a new art club in town. We are launching a Lockdown Art Club to encourage people to have a go at art and enjoy the creative process, whether or not they feel they have artistic skills.
Inspired in part by the joy and creativity evident in the Channel 4 programme Grayson’s Art Club, the Lockdown Art Club is open to everyone and will have a new theme each month. It is being run by Lesley Crawley and Dave Walker who, with his wife Helena before lockdown staged local art exhibitions and organised art activities at St Mark’s.
“The art club is a chance for people to have a go at art and then they can send us some photos of their work which we can display online,” says Lesley. “There will be a new theme each month and for June it is flowers. Maybe you’d like to draw or paint a view of flowers which you can see from your window, or perhaps a flower which represents your feelings about lockdown.
“Send pictures of your art to me (revd.lesley@badshotleaandhale.org) and we can put them online. We are having a flower festival online at the end of the month and we can include the June pictures in that. Then, after lockdown, Dave will hold an exhibition at St Mark’s of some favourite pieces of work from across the months.”
Everyone is invited to take part, whatever age or background, whether or not they have ever tried to create art, and Dave and Lesley are at pains to stress that the finished pieces do not have to be perfect. “There is a lot of evidence now that art is good for our mental wellbeing, and many of us have struggled with our mental health during lockdown,” says Lesley. “We really want to encourage people just to have a go, and to remember that if a piece doesn’t work out exactly as we think it should, that is OK. The imperfections represent a bit of us in that artwork.”
Anyone wanting to contribute flower art to the flower festival, which will be on the website on June 27-28, should send their pictures to Lesley by Monday, June 22. Otherwise art pictures for the club are welcome at any time.
Below are the resources for this week, the Sunday morning services and five sermons for your enjoyment, but first the notices:
Notices
If you missed it, please take a look at Ascension – a brilliant service by Kris and Maxine.
We have a birthday to celebrate – Jenny Bull on 22nd May:
Also – we really need your help… Next week is Pentecost and it is a special service where we dedicate ourselves to serving the world. Please can you record yourself saying these responses and send them to Alan by Wednesday, If you haven’t done this before, instructions can be found by clicking here.
Responses
and also with you
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
fill us with your Spirit
His Spirit is with us
nothing can separate us from your love.
fill us with your saving power
bring strength, healing, and peace
Let us praise and bless God for ever
and fill us with your spirit
Blessed be God for ever
By the Spirit’s power, we will
We will
Amen
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia
Plus send us a video of you lighting a candle
Resources
Here are the resources for adults at home this week.
Here are the resources for families at home this week.
Services
Sermons
Lesley’s BCP Sermon
Lesley and Alan’s Easter 7 Sermon
John Evans’ Friday Sermon
Maxine’s Ascension Sermon
Serving the Villages North of Farnham: Badshot Lea, Hale, Heath End & Weybourne
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 