As we move towards Christmas we celebrate with carols sung both in church and outside, and on Christmas Eve we hold crib services at all three churches (two crib services at St George’s!) and then Midnight Mass beginning at 11.30pm in St George’s and St John’s.
We then celebrate the wonderful news of the incarnation of God on Christmas morning in all three churches.
Here are the special services in December:
Carols
Sunday, December 8th, 6pm at St John’s. Sunday, December 15th, 6pm at St George’s. Friday, December 20th, 6pm at Hale Chapels (cemetery, Alma Lane), followed by refreshments at St Mark’s. Monday, December 23rd, 6pm around the tree at St George’s.
Crib Services
All Tuesday, December 24th. Come dressed as your favourite Nativity character.
3pm: St John’s. 3pm: St George’s especially for toddlers. 5pm: St Mark’s. 5.30pm: St George’s.
Midnight Mass
Tuesday, December 24th, 11.30pm, at St John’s and St George’s.
Christmas morning
9.30am, St John’s. 10am, St George’s. 11am, St Mark’s.
We are asking for material for parish videos and you don’t have to have any particularly advanced technology to record and send them. It can be as simple as a phone call. Read on…
If you have only a telephone with no special features …
Alan can record any comments you would like to make over the phone. Please call the Rectory and arrange a time to do this. It will involve calling Alan on his mobile – and a number will be provided to do this.
If you have a smartphone/computer with camera and microphone
If you don’t know how to use the computer to do this
Click on the magnifying glass at the bottom left of the screen.
Search for Camera (or Voice Recorder if you just want to record your voice)
Click on the Camera App option/Voice Recorder Option
Click on the Video button on the right hand side of the screen so that it is white and click on it again to start recording. It will turn red, click there to stop recording.
The Voice recorder will look like one of the other two pictures, depending on whether there is already a recording in the folder. Click on the microphone to start recording. There will be a blue circle with a square in it to stop recording.
Open File Explorer Pictures / Camera Roll – you should find the video you have recorded there. Sound is in Documents/Sound Recording.
Use FileMail, TransferXL or PCloud (works better on mobiles) to select a video and send it to Alan.
Using a mobile/tablet
Record the video – turn your device to landscape mode – it gives a bigger picture.
Use PCloud to select the video and send it to Alan.
“Click Here” to attach a file.
Click on Files
Find the Video and click on it.
Fill in Alan’s email address: revd.alan@badshotleaandhale.org and your own and an optional message and click SEND FILES.
On the first three days of this Holy Week we will be having services of Compline with a short video and reflection. Today we look at the Watch.
If you click on the YouTube logo at the bottom of the screen you can make the video full screen. This doesn’t work on the video clip, as the clip doesn’t stop if you do!
If you cannot see the responses at the top of the screen, please move your mouse so that it is not over the video.
On the first three days of this Holy Week we will be having services of Compline with a short video and reflection. We start today with the foot washing.
As these services use a clip from a longer piece, you cannot click through to YouTube for the video clip, as the clip doesn’t stop if you do!
I have just discovered that my videos have text over the words I put into them. If you move the mouse away from the video these other display items will disappear, allowing you to read the text.
During the week we experimented with a video conference service, but the delay made it very awkward, so this week we are back to this format. However, I have found out a bit more about how things work, so as well as the different options for different churches I have joined them together so that you can click once and watch one service all the way through. If you wish to see bits from other services I have also included them. As with last week some of the videos may have adverts at the beginning, but you can skip these after 5 seconds. If you want to see one of the videos playing on this screen in full screen, start playing it, and then click on the YouTube logo at the bottom of it, and it should open another Window.
I have included a hymn sheet this week; click here to download it: Palm Sunday Hymn Sheet. The hymns aren’t necessarily in the right order, and I can’t guarantee that the words are the same or in the same order – sorry. If anyone would like to check this for future weeks, please let me know.
We are looking for people to contribute to the Web site with various offerings – particularly things which offer an insight into Holy Week, but also other things. Livy and June sang some Taize; Pamela has written something (which is already up); Kris has sent in some photos (including one of an Easter Garden she has made); Richard has videoed a poem he has written – these will be used during next week. If you would like to submit something, instructions can be found here: https://badshotleaandhale.org/2020/03/29/future-services/
There will be a Taize service tonight up from 6:00pm; Compline with Meditation Monday to Wednesday up from 6:00pm; a Service like this on Maundy Thursday, up from 6:00pm; Services at 9:00 – The Good Friday Liturgy and 12:00 – An hour at the Cross; Holy Saturday, from 6:00 Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday from 9:00 another service like this.
Wendy is building up a list of who is in contact with whom, so that we can identify anyone missed out.
Stella is acting as a contact for those who need help or are offering it, although this should be moving to the helpline as they are better resourced to manage this.
Worship
We are looking at ways to replace our worship. A pattern is developing, and more will be done on this.
Things that have happened
The Standing Committee + Stella and Wendy are meeting Weekly to review the mountains of advice which is coming at us from the government, the national church and the diocese.
Our buildings are closed, but they are being inspected from the outside daily during someone’s daily exercise; from the inside weekly during someone’s daily exercise; and people who live locally have been asked to keep an eye out for anything unusual happening around them.
Alan & Lesley have both had the coronavirus (self diagnosed) since 16th March and have been self isolating, although neither of us has had breathing difficulties. Alan is recovering and has been able to do a lot on the web; Lesley has got better, but is less able to do anything, and hasn’t answered many emails.
Greenbelt have recordings of many of their talks over the years: https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/talks-archive/. We could listen to one of these and the meet virtually to discuss what we have heard.
During Holy Week this year you might like to watch one of these. The first link starts a new tab in your browser in full screen, the pictures play as they are.
In addition we will be posting services at 6:00pm Mon-Thur evenings.
Mon-Wed they will be Compline, with a meditation and silence.
Thursday it will be similar to a Sunday post.
We will also post at 9:00 and 12:00 on Good Friday and 6:00 on Holy Saturday and 9:00 on Easter Day.
Jesus of Nazareth
This is six hours long, but with YouTube you can remember where you stopped and then go forwards to that point.
Also, you might like to do something creative; I would like to put up a collection of other material from yourselves. I have already received a poem and some photos of nature. If you would like to write something, make something, photograph or video something you have made and send it to me please do. Instructions on how to get it to me can be found here: https://badshotleaandhale.org/2020/03/29/future-services/
Graham Everness from St Paul’s, Dorking, has put together the following material for Holy Week: Mark These Words 1-8.
There is also a challenge for Holy Week below; a simple framework which should take you just seven minutes in each of these seven days. It comes from the Diocese of Guildford’s Lent course and you can find details of the Gospel readings and the challenges for each day. Click here.
Light a candle and, next to it, place the object suggested as a symbol of your own journey to the cross. Many of us continue to light a candle in our windows at 7pm. You might do it at the same time – or 7am if that suits you better!
Read the relevant text from Matthew’s Gospel.
Be still. In Psalm 4, the psalmist prayed ‘stand in awe and sin not: commune with your own heart within your chamber and be still’.
Be challenged. There is a little practical challenge each day.
Wintershall will be livestreaming through their Facebook page at 12 and 3pm on Good Friday. You do not have to be a Facebook member to see it, it is open to everyone. It includes pre-recorded clips of rehearsals from their Passion Play 2020, clips and interviews from the other cities and towns taking part in the One Good Friday 2020 project.
Serving the Villages North of Farnham: Badshot Lea, Hale, Heath End & Weybourne
The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale 