St Michael s News August 2016

Transcription

1 St Michael s News August 2016 St Michael and All Angels, Lower Church Road, Sandhurst, Berkshire, GU47 8HN Office open: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday am 1.30 pm. Open for counselling: Wednesday 9.45 am 1.30 pm. office@stmichaels-sandhurst.org.uk Tel Rector: Rev. John A. Castle Rector@stmichaels-sandhurst.org.uk Tel OUR PURPOSE AS A CHURCH Knowing God for ourselves. Growing as individuals and as a church. Showing God s love in the world. We re drowning in news! The consequences of the referendum continue to cause both rejoicing and deep despair. We re deluged by stories of deceit by prominent figures in entertainment, sport, business and politics, in their private lives and in their public duties. Intolerances, until recently hidden, seem to be freely aired. There are accounts of ever increasing brutality in war and in terrorist attacks in familiar, peaceful cities. The Chilcot Report has reminded us of the divisiveness and personal tragedies of the Iraq War. However, the commemoration of the Somme also reminded us of darker days in our not so distant past, with casualties on an unimaginable scale in a war that changed the lives of everyone in Europe beyond recognition. It seeded another world war, but ultimately led to a movement for peace and unity in Europe. (Please see references under House Groups, on page 9.) John Martin Please pray for those on the prayer board and for those being baptised in August. Please pray for Alfred Searle, Edward Tomlin, Roland Beard and Donald Ingham, whose funerals took place in July.

2 Keeping the faith on holiday Are you going away on holiday this summer? Why not make your holiday a time of spiritual as well as physical and/or mental refreshment? There are prayers for daily use on the Prayer page of our website. Other suggestions: Reading material: in addition to taking a novel, why not pack your Bible and daily notes (available from the back of church for free) and find minutes a day to keep in touch with God with a little reading and prayer? If youʹll have internet access you can access or There are also some Christian books biographies and other material available for borrowing on the bookshelves in the Pastoral Centre. Find a church near your holiday location: if youʹre in the UK, you wonʹt be far from a church. If you have children with you, try one that looks like it will be welcoming to them even if itʹs not Anglican! You can find churches: WHAT S HAPPENING in the UK achurchnearyou.com, or findachurch.co.uk; in Europe and Turkey, elsewhere: A directory of English church services abroad is available at the back of church (please donʹt remove it copy down the details for your use later). More Bread Makers Please I am looking for a few more people willing to make a roll for the 9.30 communion service, possibly four or five times a year. The more we have, the less we do! I am also looking for someone to coordinate the rota. If you are willing to participate in either capacity, please contact me, Sue Campbell. An unexpected stoppage Whilst mowing the paths in the churchyard during one of the very hot days last month, a lady asked me to stop. My first thought was which patch of the churchyard is she going to grumble about? and my second, now I`ve got to restart this hot mower. Shame on me! What she wanted was to thank all those who put so much time and effort into keeping the churchyard tidy. She said that it was always well looked after, and she realised what a big job it was for the volunteers involved. So, a thank you to the unknown lady for her kind 2 (Continued on page 4)

3 CHILDREN AND FAMILY is for everyone under school age and their carers. Itʹs on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of the month, from 9.30 to am in the Pastoral Centre (not school holidays). Come and join us for songs, craft activities, drinks and toast, a Bible story and prayers, and an opportunity for play (children) and chat (parents). NB Dads also welcome! Kidz Church for children aged 3 10 is part of the 9.30 Parish Communion Service every Sunday. Please register your children at 9.20 am in the Pastoral Centre. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays we have Youth Worship, together with children of Year 6 and above, with breakfast served from 9.15 am. Parents are welcome to stay if they wish. The children join the adults in church for the end of the church service. Crèche: this is available for under 3s during the Parish Communion Service on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month in the Pastoral Centre (not in school holidays). Collect your children after the service or in time to share Holy Communion as a family. If you can help with the rota, please contact Caroline Bowles on You will need to complete DBS forms, which are available from the office. Youth Activities. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, Youth Worship in the Seeby Hall runs alongside the Parish Communion. Breakfast is served from 9.15 am. Impact, for Years 7 9, is on Monday evenings, and a group for years meets on Fridays. Contact our Youth worker, Esther Bonsu, esther@sandhurstyouth.org.uk, for more information. The Family Service is held on the first and third Sundays of the month, including school holidays. It is informal and child friendly, with action songs and an interactive talk, and is a place you really can come to with small children and not worry how they will behave! Refreshments are served in the church from am. Worship begins at am and lasts about 45 minutes. Come and meet other families and make friends. We need help with refreshments and welcoming, so please Kirsty Dunlop at kirsty@tcb-arrow.co.uk if you d like to volunteer! 3

4 (Continued from page 2) comments, and a big thank you to all those who help maintain the churchyard. The hard work is appreciated. Chris Harris Cleaner needed We are inviting applications for a weekday early-morning cleaner from September. The current cleaner works for an hour every weekday morning from 6.00 am but there is some flexibility in the timings and school holiday working. Terms are 10 per hour as a self-employed person. Please only apply if you are entitled to work in the United Kingdom. Please contact the office if you are interested. Plant Sale On Sunday 3rd July, Anne Harris and I sold our plants for church funds, starting after the eight oʹclock service. We had three large tables full. People were very generous; when we said how about 4 (for one of Anneʹs very large astilbes) they said, Oh no! I will give you 5! We sold most of our plants. 68 was raised for church funds. Betty Wilson Update on St Mary s In April the PCC passed a resolution calling for the St Mary s Working Group to develop plans and proposals that will result in the creation of the St Mary s Mission Fund, with sufficient available financial support for the Families Worker for an initial two-year period, and, as far as possible, indefinitely beyond that. The Working Group have taken advice from a broad range of professionals in the property field and have looked at various options. At the July meeting the PCC approved a proposal to invest some of the St Mary s fund in engaging an architect to seek planning permission for a number of houses on the site. Having planning permission in place will increase the value of the land and will provide definite answers to the questions about what s possible in terms of site development. We can then determine best the route to create the Mission Fund and also how the PCC s ownership of one or more houses fits with the goal of long term financial support for the Families Worker. 4 (Continued on page 6)

5 Retrak: a life begun again Retrak s vision is a world where no child is forced to live on the street. On its website there are several videos dealing with children who, with Retrak s help, have had their lives turned around. Here is the story of a young girl from Kampala, Uganda, who was taken off the street by Retrak and literally given a new start in life. Do watch the video I think you will find that she can t believe how her life has been changed for the better. Below is an extract. I feel good. When I was on the street I was not feeling like that. But when I am here I am feeling good; there is good food. When I came in I said I was sick and they sent me to hospital and I got well and they [Retrak] loved me so much. And they take children back to home and if you don t have a family they look for a family that can take care of you and if your parents are at home and are annoyed with you, they beg for your mum or your parents to forgive you and you stay at your home. If you want to go back to school they take you back. If you want to learn about making necklaces, bangles, braiding hair This must be what Christianity is about. Prayer Points Among Maggie Crewes prayer points for July is a plea for prayer for a nine-year-old boy who has recovered from the most horrific events to become Retrak s most improved child for At only nine years old, trafficked by his father and with no other family, he has overcome almost impossible odds to survive on the street, including an horrific accident where he was very badly injured. Pray for him and all his peers as week by week they learn about Jesus in the Retrak projects and prepare to reintegrate back to school and rejoin their families. Pray for this little guy we need a loving local family to foster him. We are also asked to pray for Maggie who is currently taking annual leave with her family. We are asked to pray that she receives rest and refreshment. I am sure that she deserves as much of that as she can receive, as she is now Director of Programs for Retrak s street child ministry and supervises all African programmes. 5

6 (Continued from page 4) As always, questions and comments from members of the church would be welcome. The St Mary s Working Group comprises Rosaria Toohey, Rob Brown, David Ashworth, Jon Toohey, Dave Percival and John Martin. John Martin Ride+Stride for our Window and Spire repair fund The annual sponsored cycle, run or walk is the Berkshire Churches Trustʹs main source of income. It will be held on Saturday 10th September. The people who take part donate half of the money they make from sponsorship to the church of their choice and half to the trust. It is the biggest single ecumenical event in England. St Michael s is looking for people to raise sponsorship and walk or cycle past as many churches of your choice, on a route of your choice. Please see If you are interested please contact/ Sue Campbell (Churchwarden) suecampbell2908@btinternet.com. From the Social Committee A big thank you to everyone who supported, firstly, the Summer Barn Dance and, secondly, the preserves and plants sale (otherwise known as Jan`s Jams). The Barn Dance raised over 600 for the windows and spire fund, so an enormous thank you to Rosaria and the team who organised this event. It was a real pleasure to see so many families on the floor, including lots of children. The preserves and plants sale, in turn, raised a further 115 from Jan`s Jams and over 50 from plants. A big thank you is due to Jan for all the effort she put into boiling, stirring, filling etc. I can t imagine how much sugar she must have used! And a thank you also to those who donated plants, especially since this was the second plant sale in a month. See Betty`s report on p4. More good news: Jan and Phil s move to Suffolk does not mean the end of preserves being on sale. I m delighted that another enthusiast for making jams etc. has offered to continue where Jan left off. So, if you have any surplus fruit suitable for jams, or tomatoes or other things for making pickles, please let either John and Steph Martin or us know and we will pass the produce on. Finally, if you would like to join our committee, or have any ideas for events that we could organise, please do let us know. Anyone for a Beetle Drive? Chris Harris 6

7 Naomi House & Jacksplace is a charity that St Michael s supports. It provides expert hospice care to more than 280 life-limited and lifethreatened children and young adults. It makes available all manner of care, including family and community support. I m afraid this charity has received little newsletter coverage in comparison with other charities, such as Tearfund and Barnabas Fund, that we also support. Naomi House & Jacksplacelast appeared in the newsletter in April 2015, where a short article described what it does and its history. It deserves greater coverage and I shall make a greater effort to keep up with developments in future. In April 2015 we said: Naomi House was set up first, in 1995, in the grounds of Sutton House, Sutton Scotney, Winchester and offers respite care for children, and endof-life and bereavement support on a 365-days-per-year, 24-hours-perday basis. Jacksplace, named after a benefactor, was set up in 2010, to provide care for young people once they have reached the age of 16. An important role for Jacksplace is the provision of transitional care in the move from Naomi House. With advances in palliative medicine, more children live long enough to move to Jacksplace and need this care. Since then Naomi house has been completely refurbished and now has everything you could possibly need, to quote one young resident. Our support is greatly needed because currently these charities are the only ones in existence offering this standard of care, which costs around 7 million per year. (Jacksplace is the only establishment in the south of England offering respite care for young adults.) With only ten per cent of income coming from government and statutory sources, Naomi House & (Continued on page 8) 7

8 ( Naomi House & Jacksplace continued from page 7) Jacksplace relies heavily on charitable support from organisations such as ours. On its website (naomihouse.org), it describes in detail the importance of this charity to young people and, under the events tab, the activities you can take part in to raise funds for this unique charity. Jim Somerville Supporting you to get active and stay active Sandhurst Health Walks has been in operation since February The walks are led and organised by a group of dedicated volunteers. We endeavour to have two walk leaders on every walk to ensure our walkers are well looked after. We welcome all walkers no-one will ever be ʹtoo slowʹ or made to feel that they need to keep up. Even though we have been established for a short while, we already enjoy a steady ʹmembershipʹ. It is a very friendly group! Our morning weekday walks start at 09:30 am at Sandhurst Community, Centre, Monday to Friday, and you can walk when it suit you. We walk through the Memorial Park on a route by the river. We walk for approximately 45 minutes. The pathway is fairly even but can be puddly after heavy rainfall. With this in mind, we ask that you choose appropriate footwear and dress according to the weather conditions on the day. If you would like to walk but feel that you wonʹt be able to keep up with the pace of the ʹmainʹ group, please donʹt worry, we offer a shorter walk called ʹSteps to Fitnessʹ that runs in parallel with the ʹTake it to the Bridgeʹ walk, which takes between minutes. You will be able to enjoy a slower pace and shorter distance whilst still having the reassuring presence of a walk leader. These walks are particularly suitable for those who havenʹt partaken in exercise for a long while, or have a long-standing health condition, or are recovering from surgery or treatment. There is no pressure to keep up or over -do it just come along and have a go! After the walk we will head to Pistachios in the Park for a coffee/tea and a chat. We also offer an evening walk at 7.00 pm every Wednesday evening between April and mid-september. These walks start at Horseshoe Lake and are of a longer duration and at a faster pace than the morning walks. Have a look at the website, walkfinder/south-east/sandhurst-health-walks or just turn up! 8

9 Coffee Rota 7th August Ann H-Davies Ruth Eve 14th August Dorothy Hill Alan Bunton 21st August 28th August Janet Pilbeam Joy Alexander Lesley Gutteridge House Groups meet each week at these houses. 2nd and 4th Mondays Monday 1.00 pm REGULAR ACTIVITIES 138 College Road (Sara Kaufman & Karen Carter) 8.00 pm 11 Sylvan Ridge (Rupert & Sheridan) Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday am 6 Crowthorne Rd (Doris Saunders) 8.00 pm 28 Wiltshire Avenue, Crowthorne (Elizabeth Ritchie) 8.00 pm 2 School Hill (John & Sue Campbell) 7.45 pm 34 Albion Road (Linda Lemmon) 7.30 pm 25 Templar Close (John & Stephanie Martin) If anyone would like to join a group, please speak to Karen Symons ( ) for more details. Biblical reference on page 1. Our House Group s final study before the summer gave us some timely messages on dealing with conflicts in life: Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. (Ephesians 4:26) Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. (Romans 12:15) More tea, Rector? John Castle would love to call in on you for a chat over a cup of tea or coffee. Please sign up on the sheet at the back of church to invite him over. 9

10 REGULAR ACTIVITIES Newsletter Please William Lee at: or leave written requests with the church office. Deadline for the September edition: 19th August. You will normally be able to view or download a colour copy of the newsletter on the website a few days before it is distributed in church. If you would like to receive that version of the newsletter as an attachment as soon as it is available please contact David Hunt at david.hunt@bcs.org.uk. ACTIVITIES AT THE PASTORAL CENTRE Little Sandhurst Nursery Group. Daily! Contact Karen on or enquiries@lsng.co.uk for details. Line Dancing. Every Monday evening in the hall from 7.00 pm, 5.50 includes raffle. Just come along and have fun. Tea and coffee available or bring your own drinks. Ring Sue or Arron on for information. Rainbows meet on Tuesdays: pm (5 7 year olds). 3rd Guides meet on Tuesdays: pm (10 14 year olds). Pilates takes place in the large upper room most days and evenings. For more information ring Carl on The Rock and Pop Foundation Guitar tuition sessions are on Thursdays. For further information please call or visit Music with Mummy each Thursday morning, please ring Elizabeth on for more information. CHURCH CALENDAR Date & Time Venue Event Contact 11th August 10 am 12 noon Pastoral Centre Messy Church for 0-10 years plus parents/carers Karen Allen 10th 11th Sept Church Heritage Weekend 10

11 AUGUST CHURCH SERVICES Saturday 6th August Wedding 2.00 pm Nihal Dhillon & Claire Smith Sunday 7th August 11th after Trinity Topic: The meaning of Faith Hebrews 11:1 3, 8 16 (p1207); Luke12:32 40 (p1045) 8.00 am Holy Communion 9.30 am Parish Communion am Family Service 6.30 pm Contemplative Evening Prayer Sunday 14th August 12th after Trinity Topic: Examples of Faith Hebrews 11:29 12:2 (p1210); Luke 12:49 56 (p1046) 8.00 am Holy Communion 9.30 am Parish Communion am Baptism of Harvey La Frenais 6.30 pm no service Sunday 21st August 13th after Trinity Topic: The unshakeable kingdom Hebrews 12:18 29 (p1211); Luke13:10 17 (p1046) 8.00 am Holy Communion 9.30 am Parish Communion am Family Service 6.30 pm no service Sunday 21st August Wedding 2.00pm Mark Stubbs and Deborah Heard Sunday 28th August 14th after Trinity Topic: Instructions for living Hebrews 13:1 8,15 16 (p1211); Luke14:1,7 14 (p1047) 8.00 am Holy Communion 9.30 am Parish Communion am Baptism of Lucas and Ethan Thompson and Finley Gerring 6.30 pm no service During August there will be a supervised video for children during the first part of the 9.30 Parish Communion Service. Please bring them to the Pastoral Centre before the start of the service. 11

12 Confirmation St Michael s hosted Confirmation on 3rd July, when candidates from St George s, Owlsmoor, St James, Finchampstead and St John s, Crowthorne were confirmed by Bishop David Jennings together with (left to right) Ben Harris, Will Dunlop, Sam Lord, Jonathan Bannister, Joshua Bishop and Howard Wiley. Please continue to pray that all of them will grow in discipleship and the knowledge of God. Find us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter (@StMichaelShurst) If you have any comments, events, news or updates for the website, please David Hunt on david.hunt@bcs.org.uk. Go to Sandhurst Pride ( if you need information about local services and amenities. 12