Dear Friends
Christmas has begun
It was a real joy to welcome Eastwick Junior School to the church on Tuesday for their Christingle Services. It would have been great to be able to show you a photo of smiley faces (there were plenty of them) but, as you know, that it is complicated! Nevertheless, the above gives you a sense of how good it all was. Next week we look forward to welcoming Polesden Lacey School and Great Bookham School.
Joining in the Spirit of Christmas
Advent and Christmas provide wonderful opportunities to engage not only with schools but with the wider community. And so on Saturday afternoon it is our privilege to make the church available for the Spirit of Christmas. Not only will people receive a warm welcome and refreshments, but there will be a range of imaginative activities with which to engage including poetry, cookie decorating, wreath making, choirs, and (led by our youth) shooting tins with nerf guns!
Supporting The Children’s Trust at Tadworth
We have for many years now supported the work of The Children’s Trust at Tadworth which helps children who have complex needs, some with sensory impairment. This Sunday at our Morning Praise service, you are very much invited to bring a gift: soft toys, musical toys, toys that light up, or simple games. We’ll provide an opportunity to present gifts and to hear a little about the work of the Trust.
A great opportunity
Christmas gives us each a great opportunity to invite someone to Being With. Being With is for anyone who’s curious about faith or wondering if the Christian faith has something meaningful to offer. It’s for those who perhaps feel on the edge of church – uncertain, disconnected, hurt, or simply searching for something deeper. It’s also for those who have never explored Christian faith before but are open to discovering more together with others. Being With begins in January; look out the publicity.
Keeping up to date
Our weekly notice sheet is available online (click here) and in church. Please do keep a close eye on it these coming weeks; there are lots of good things happening. The December/January magazine is also now available, both in church and online (click here), as is the latest edition of Team Spirit, news from the local churches (click here). Moments from our 10 o'clock service last Sunday are also available; click here to access.
And finally…
We all need to hear this. “When our lives come to an end, the Lord will not ask us whether we lived like Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Martin Luther or Mother Theresa. He will ask us whether we lived the lives that he called us to live … Whatever it is, God wants us to be the best that we can be. Comparing ourselves to other people totally misses the point because the Lord is not calling us to be anybody other than the person we are.” (Jonathan Edwards)
Wishing you much joy and peace.
Alan
Alan Jenkins
Rector
