Our Summer Craft Market will take place on Saturday, June 17th, at St Mark’s Church, Alma Lane, Upper Hale, from 10am-2pm. There will be gifts to buy – Father’s Day is the next day so get your gifts for Dad there – cards, jewellery, knitwear, toys, and live music and refreshments.
Among the stalls this month are Richmetal Jewellery which sells finely crafted silver and gold pieces; clocks created from CDs by DNWFoto; bird-inspired craft from The Crafty Bird; cards from Sue Froud; and lots of lovely knitting from Knitty Nora.
It’s free to enter and while you are there, you can also have a look at the wonderful Kitty Milroy murals, painted in the early 20th century and now recognised as key in the development of mural art.
There will also be live music from Saxooma, plus refreshments including homemade cake and rolls.
Your June magazine is out, packed full of news of our fete, craft market, ordinations, a talk on supporting people with autism, a barn dance to celebrate St Mark’s 140th birthday and much more.
You can pick up a paper copy in the churches or download it here to find out the latest news about upcoming events in the parish, along with reflections on what has already happened, prayer, poetry, situations vacant and adverts from tradespeople in the parish.
You can also have the magazine sent straight to your inbox. Email editor@badshotleaandhale.org to find out more.
We don’t put up a paywall but if you are reading online we would be grateful for payment. You can pay yearly (£10) or whenever you download the magazine (£1). To pay either click here or make a payment to: Badshot Lea & Hale PCC, Sort Code 40-52-40, Account No. 00025717.
Our Annual Meeting of Parishioners, for anyone living in the parish, takes place on Sunday, May 21st, at 3pm at St Mark’s. This is the meeting at which churchwardens are elected. This will be followed immediately by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) which is for those on the parish electoral roll.
The documents for both meetings are below and can be downloaded.
It’s Coffee Artz again this week, on Thursday, May 18th, 10.30am to 12noon, and the theme is Spring.
Everyone is welcome to join in and help create a picture of Springtime which will then be made into cards to sell.
Coffee Artz takes place on the first and third Thursday of each month and each time the group takes a different theme to inspire the art. No artistic skill is needed, no experience is needed and the equipment is all provided. Coffee, chat and cake are also provided!
The next Interfaith Women’s Group will take place at St Mark’s Church on Saturday, May 20th, 2.30-4pm when we will be talking about miracles. How does our faith influence our view of miracles, what do we mean by them, do they happen now?
The group is a joint venture between the parish and Lajna Ima’illah, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association and usually takes place on the fourth Saturday of each month at St Mark’s but is earlier this month because of the forthcoming half-term.
The group discusses topics that most concern us today, such as social media, gender-based violence, inclusion, education, equality, bringing up children and many more. There is also plenty of tea and cake!
It’s St Mark’s Day on April 25th, and, never ones to need an excuse for a party, we are celebrating on the Sunday before, April 23rd, at our 11am service at St Mark’s Church, Upper Hale.
Come along and find out about St Mark, then celebrate with cake, balloons and a lot of friendly chat. It’s very informal and all ages are welcome.
Come and join us at St Mark’s Church on the second and fourth Friday of each month from 7-9pm for our ‘youth club for all ages’, aka Friday Night Games Night. The next ones are: April 14 and 28, May 12 and 26.
We have table tennis, pool, board games, jigsaws, art and craft, modelling, food, drinks and lots of chat and general socialising. It’s open to all ages and we range in age from children to 80+. Anyone of primary age and younger must be accompanied by an adult.
We are inclusive and welcome everyone. Please let us know if you have any particular needs or dietary requirements. Contact revd.stella@badshotleaandhale.org to find out more
If you like art, craft, and fun and are between five and 11 years old, why not come to the Good Friday craft workshop at St Mark’s on April 7?
It starts at 9.30am and there will be a short family service at 11am when parents and carers can join in and the morning will finish with hot cross buns after the service.
Spaces are limited so if you’d like to come, ring Anne Boyman on 01252 724429 to book a place.
Join us as we travel through Holy Week, which runs from Palm Sunday, April 2, to Easter Eve, April 8, with a series of services and meditations across all three churches.
Palm Sunday recalls the story of Jesus as he entered Jerusalem, welcomed as a king but riding on a humble donkey, and there will be services at all three churches – St John’s at 9.30am, St George’s at 10am and St Mark’s at 11am – with palm crosses given out.
Services and meditations in Holy Week
From Monday to Wednesday, April 3-5, there will be a series of short meditations for Holy Week each evening at St John’s at 7.30pm. These will be around 30 minutes long and will give time to reflect and pray.
On Wednesday, April 5 at noon, there will be a communion service at St Mark’s, and on Maundy Thursday, April 6 there will be communion services at St George’s and St John’s at 7.30pm, when the altar will be stripped and a vigil will be held. At St John’s there will also be foot-washing, recalling the act of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper before his death.
Maundy Thursday is so called because the name derives from the Latin world ‘mandatum’ which means ‘commandment’, and it recalls Jesus’ words at the Last Supper: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you.” So this is New Commandment Thursday.
Stripping the altar is an ancient custom whereby everything is removed from the altar and it reflects the way everything was stripped from Jesus on Good Friday – his clothes, his dignity, his life – and leaves the altar bare for the Good Friday liturgy the next day.
On Good Friday , April 7, there will be Good Friday Liturgy at St John’s at 9.30am. At the same time at St Mark’s there will be a craft session for children aged five to 11, from 9.30-11am, This will be followed by a service at 11am to which parents and carers are also invited, after which there will be hot cross buns for everyone.
You can also join in a Walk of Witness in central Farnham on Good Friday, by gathering in the Hart car park at 11.45am for a silent walk through central Farnham starting at noon, and ending up at St Andrew’s Church for a short service.
At 2pm there will be a ‘Good Friday Hour at the Cross‘ at St George’s, a time for prayer and reflection as we approach the time traditionally held to be the hour that Jesus died – 3pm.
On Saturday, April 8, several people from the parish are being confirmed at an Easter Eve service at Guildford Cathedral at 7.45pm. This is a special service with communion as well as baptism and confirmation, and is a lovely way to celebrate the coming of Easter. Please do join us.
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 