The Parish of

Badshot Lea and Hale

We are one Parish with three welcoming and inclusive churches.

Our vision is for the growth of God’s Kingdom so we aim to:

- Grow in Spiritual Maturity

- Grow in Numbers

- Grow Younger

- Grow in Community Engagement

Annual Parish Meeting

Reports 2016 – 2017

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Table of Contents

GOVERNANCE

OFFICERS’ REPORTS

CLERGY REPORT ............................... 5

10 YEAR VISION ................................. 6

RETIRED CLERGY REPORT ............ 8

ST MARK’S

CHURCHWARDEN’S

REPORT ................................................ 8

ST GEORGE’S

CHURCHWARDEN’S

REPORT ................................................ 9

ST JOHN’S

CHURCHWARDEN’S

REPORT .............................................. 11

PCC SECRETARY’S REPORT ......... 13

STEWARDSHIP

SECRETARY’S REPORT ................... 14

FARNHAM DEANERY

SYNOD ............................................... 14

ELECTORAL ROLL. .......................... 14

SAFEGUARDING REPORT ............ 15

THIRD PARTIES

CHRISTIAN AID ............................... 16

CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH ............ 16

WALK OF WITNESS ....................... 16

BISHOP SUMNER

EDUCATION FUND ....................... 16

NORTH FARNHAM

MINISTERS .......................................... 17

SOCIAL

QUIZ EVENING ................................ 17

HARVEST SUPPER ............................ 18

BARN DANCE................................... 18

PARISH COFFEE MORNINGS ...... 19

FETE ..................................................... 20

COMMUNICATION

WEBSITE/FACEBOOK/ENEW

S ............................................................ 21

MAGAZINE REPORT ...................... 22

FABRIC

ST GEORGE’S FABRIC .................... 23

ST JOHN’S FABRIC REPORT ........ 24

ST MARK’S REORDERING ............ 24

ST JOHN’S CHURCHYARD .......... 25

GROWING IN SPIRITUAL

MATURITY

WORSHIP

ST JOHN’S WORSHIP

GROUP ............................................... 27

ST GEORGE’S WORSHIP

GROUP ............................................... 27

FAMILY PRAISE ................................. 28

MESSY CHURCH .............................. 30

ST JOHN’S CHOIR REPORT ......... 30

ST GEORGE’S CHOIR

REPORT .............................................. 31

FLOWERS AT ST GEORGE’S ........ 33

FLOWERS AT ST JOHN’S .............. 34

FLOWERS AT ST MARK’S ............. 34

FAMILY BAND .................................. 35

GROUPS FOR ADULTS

QUESTIONING FAITH ................... 35

BEYOND BELIEF ............................... 36

CELL GROUP .................................... 36

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BREATHING SPACE ........................ 37

FELLOWSHIP GROUP .................... 37

LENT GROUPS .................................. 38

MOTHERS’ UNION ......................... 38

TRAINING

A LICENSED LAY MINISTER ......... 39

GROWING YOUNGER

ADVENTURERS ................................ 41

YOUTH GROUP ............................... 41

OLDER YOUTH GROUP ............... 41

GROWING IN

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

OUTREACH

SCHOOL REPORT ........................... 42

OPEN THE BOOK ........................... 43

THURSDAY COFFEE ....................... 43

CONNECTIONS .............................. 43

TEACAKES ......................................... 44

LITTLE BEES ....................................... 44

ST MARK’S TODDLERS .................. 45

GOOD FRIDAY CRAFT AT

ST GEORGE’S .................................... 45

GOOD FRIDAY CRAFTS AT

ST MARK’S ......................................... 46

FAMILIES MATTER ........................... 46

MINDFULNESS.................................. 47

OCCASIONAL OFFICES

BAPTISMS ........................................... 48

CONFIRMATIONS .......................... 48

FUNERALS ......................................... 49

WEDDINGS ....................................... 49

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GOVERNANCE

OFFICERS’ REPORTS

CLERGY REPORT

2016 saw a number of changes in the Parish staffing. In June Lesley

Shatwell was licensed as a Licensed Lay Minister, and in July Hannah was

ordained Deacon and joined us (although it took several weeks for her to

move into the house in the parish). Having worshipped with us for a

number of months, in March 2017 Craig Nobbs received Permission to

Officiate as a Licensed Lay Minister in the Parish. This has meant that the

Parish is starting to work in a different way; a way that is more

sustainable in the long run, and we would like to thank all those who are

helping us work towards this.

Also in March, Lesley Swan retired as Treasurer after 5 years sterling

service, and Sarah Kay took over. During Lesley’s time as treasurer the

accounts have been improving year on year, in content, presentation and

results (although the treasurer cannot affect the latter). We are grateful

for all that Lesley has done over this time, and wish her well with her

future endeavours.

In September the new Diocesan Vision was launched and in October the

PCC had an Away Day to look at the future of the Parish, and produced a

10 year Vision to help us in our decision making (see below).

After many years discussion the St George’s car park was resurfaced, the

contract with the Working Men’s Club was cancelled, and a company was

retained to manage unwanted parking. Many thanks to Carol, Pete, Bill

and all the others who have worked on this over the years.

In May we supported Thy Kingdom Come by holding an art exhibition on

the theme of the Lord’s Prayer, and had tea and scones with a joint choir

singing on some days. Lesley Shatwell organised this and reported what

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had happened and was invited to Lambeth Palace to be part of the video

advertising the 2017 event.

In May we had a series of Teaching on Prayer, led by visiting speakers and

had a good attendance.

In October Family Praise moved to weekly services, with Hannah and

Lesley leading one each; once a month the service is now Communion.

After Lent two of the groups continued meeting at various frequencies

and we would encourage people to join a group as a way of growing in

faith.

In February 2017 a new social group for the over 50s began, at St

George’s called Connections, based on work done at Holy Trinity,

Claygate.

As well as the new things referred to here, lots of other activities have

continued, as evidenced by the contents of this booklet, and we would

like to give our thanks to all those who have helped keep the Parish

running and move it forwards in the last year. Alan & Lesley

10 YEAR VISION

The purpose of this document is to set out what we would like the Parish

to be like in 10 years time. It is likely that by then many of those in post

at present will no longer be so.

We would like:

Congregations at least double their current size with a good spread

of ages

Varieties of service & times to meet people’s different spiritualties

and availability

Opportunities for people of all ages to grow in their faith and in

service

Buildings which are fit for purpose

Lay people playing a full part in ministry

This will require us to

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Develop small groups – they develop us.

Groups that are practical as well as Bible study. We will need to

develop more leaders.

Create greater variety of services

More informal ones, but not at the cost of formal ones

Manage People’s Ministries well

Clear role descriptions so that we can use people’s vocations

carefully and sensibly, using their gifts to serve God both locally and

more widely.

Complete St Mark’s reordering

Complete St John’s plans

To support this we will have:

Staffing

Sufficient Clergy to allow the President to remain at a church after a

service; not having to rush off to another service (growing OLMs will be

the easiest way to achieve this).

A trained Youth worker to engage with Youth better

A trained Children & Families Worker with sufficient unpaid support to

engage with Children and Families better

A computer literate administration team (or individual) to release clergy

time (we currently have a buy one get one free)

Finance

Parish Share being paid in full with adequate income to invest in ministry

in the Parish.

Planned giving at least double current levels; part from more sacrificial

giving, part from new congregation members.

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RETIRED CLERGY REPORT

I, like John Evans, still share in the fellowship of the clergy by presence on

Sundays unless helping elsewhere, Morning Prayer on Tuesday,

Ecumenical Bible Study on Thursdays, weekday Eucharist on Fridays,

'Rock Cakes' (Clergy working lunches) and occasionally Wardens and

Clergy meetings.

So the actual involvement is only through the services. There is indeed a

strengthening of one's faith through fellowship, friendship and discussion.

As to learning, one also grows through the experience of others. I will

just give one example. I was once asked in an emergency to take a service

('Presentation') at St. Marks. I was a bit apprehensive, having a very

limited experience of 'Presentations' at U3A. I was told by the Rev'd

Lesley “They will look after you!” - and so it proved.

I was struck by the qualities of a growing community, supporting one

another, and a sense of shared responsibility for many of the parts of the

service. These aspects brought to mind and seemed to resemble some of

the early Christian communities depicted in the letters of the Apostles,

especially those of Paul. This memory has stayed with me.

Recently, I accompanied my older son, Michael, to a service at St.

Mark's as the parish he lives in also has three churches each with its own

character and tasks. He appreciated the service very much and doubtless

took some impressions back to Berwick and so the ripple spreads.

John Innes

ST MARK’S CHURCHWARDEN’S REPORT

My year as a churchwarden at St Mark’s

It could be all-consuming. However, in order to preserve sanity, and to

basically have a life, I have to keep it in check. In some respects my first

year as a church warden hasn’t been too different from last year. I’ve

mended bits and pieces of the infrastructure as required and generally

pottered around helping to keep the place going.

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However I could do all this without being on the PCC which is no longer

an option. Gradually being more involved in the administration and

politics of running a parish brings home the responsibility that’s largely

fallen on the shoulders of our joint rectors. It wouldn’t be humane, and

certainly not Christian, to not do my bit to assist.

On the plus side, it’s been a good year for St Mark’s. The atmosphere we

generate may not be to everyone’s liking, but numbers are steadily

increasing for our Sunday service, and we are getting an increasing

number of young families attending.

We had our first confirmation service for many years and were

complimented by all the visitors from other parishes that I talked to.

In many ways, I’m having quite an easy time of things. Many of the jobs

that traditionally fall to the church warden are handled by our stalwarts

who have been there for many years. In fact, I’m still finding out about

some of them. We also have very good support from the younger (i.e.

not pension age) adults. Altogether, we have a strong, caring congregation

that I’m pleased, even proud, to be part of.

For the next year? I’m looking forward to our old boiler house

renovation being completed (it may be done by the time this is published).

We can then move our petrol mower out of the vestry vestibule. It

would be nice to go into the vestry without the smell of petrol pervading

everything! Bob Shatwell

ST GEORGE’S CHURCHWARDEN’S REPORT

Well, here we are another year has gone by and what a year it has been

so much has happened so please forgive me if I have missed something

out.

The big news this year for the whole Parish has, of course, been the

arrival of Hannah our wonderful new Curate, Lesley Shatwell is now

licensed as a Lay Reader and Jennifer Patterson has returned to officiate,

we are so blessed. Whilst we have sadly lost some of our much loved

older members of the congregation at St George’s I am so happy to be

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able to report that our Family Praise congregation is going from strength

to strength. We now have our Family Praise service weekly instead of

once a fortnight, with a special Communion service, which the children

participate in, once a month.

Our car park at St George’s has, at last, been resurfaced and, thanks to

the hard work of Bill Thomas, we now have a system of permit parking in

place which, we hope, will solve the problems of random parking in our

car park.

If you have been in the Church Room you will have noticed the new

central heating pipe work which has been installed. Unfortunately the old

pipework was leaking and had to be replaced and this was the cheapest

option available to us, even so the cost was £4,400.00 and thanks to the

generosity of our congregation and some fund raising activities we have

managed to raise the major portion of this.

Once again we have had the annual Quiz, the Carillon Singers Christmas

Concert, a Christmas Craft Fair, and the Parish Barn Dance. We have a

Beetle Drive to look forward to in early March and Maxine is busy

arranging the next Parish Fete which will be held at St George’s this year.

Open the Book is still going really well, the children at Folly Hill and

Badshot Lea Infant Schools really look forward to our going in to act out

stories from the Lion Storyteller Bible. We are always looking for people

to join us in this outreach work, it is great fun and only takes about 2

hours once a fortnight. We usually rehearse for about 1 hour on Monday

morning and then go into the schools for half an hour on Tuesday and

Wednesday mornings (although if you can only manage one of the dates

we “perform” please don’t let that put you off joining us. If we can get

enough people it would be wonderful to be able to go into William

Cobbett and Hale Infant Schools as well as we are always being asked if

we can go there as well.

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Of course it has not all been plain sailing and there have been a few

hiccups during the past year, “chairgate” for one, but we have learned

from this and will try to be more open in the future.

Once again thank you for all your help and support over the past year.

Carol Le Page

ST JOHN’S CHURCHWARDEN’S REPORT

Amazingly I have completed two years as Church Warden at St John’s, so

I am still doing the job which many years ago I declared I would never do

again. One of the things that I have most enjoyed is that it has enabled

me to get to know and work with many more people.

So many people have helped and supported me along the way and I have

been very grateful to each and every one of them. I would like to thank

them all but I dare not write a list of their names because I am sure to

leave out someone important. There are, however, a few exceptions. I

would like to thank Sylvie and Winston for all their hard work both inside

the church and in the churchyard – they both do an enormous amount of

work and give up a lot of their time. I would also like to thank all those

others who clean the church, do the gardening, those who do the

flowers, sing in the choir, play the organ, prepare coffee after the services,

the sidesmen and the readers and all those other people who do the 101

jobs around the church and who probably go unnoticed but who

nevertheless work hard to keep everything running smoothly. I would

also like to thank Bob Shatwell for the work he does in watching over the

fabric of the building, replacing lightbulbs and generally making sure that

everything is working properly. Last but not least I would also like to

thank Alan and Lesley for all their hard work and for all they have done

for this Parish, and also for the help and encouragement they have given

me.

2015 seemed to be dominated by the discussions surrounding the altars

at St John’s, this was finally resolved early this year. We no longer have a

Nave Altar but do conduct the service of the word from the dais in the

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Nave. The consecration and administration of the Sacrament is now at

the High Altar.

We have had a problem with our Sacristy lamp in that it fell apart and

narrowly missed hitting John Evans. As a result we no longer have a lamp

suspended from the ceiling and the feeling is that we are not happy about

replacing like with like. We are, however, thinking about having a wall

mounted lamp which we hope will be a lot safer.

We have had several meetings to discuss the way forward for St John’s.

Our meetings have been with all the members of our congregation and so

we are as a group aware of our problems and looking together to find the

way forward that seems best for all of us. A major concern was what

would happen when Alan and Lesley leave in say 10 years’ time if we do

nothing to encourage more people to attend our services. The main

problem being that we have few young families and young people

attending the services and without them we will become unsustainable.

St John’s also has no community use and limited facilities. However we

are looking at various options that might be open to us. One option that

was immediately discarded was that we could carry on as we are, hoping

for the best. We all agreed that that would be a disaster.

Personally I am feeling much more optimistic than last year because I feel

that the congregation is uniting in its determination to make St John’s

sustainable. We all know and accept that we will have to make changes

and so we are looking at our options in a positive way and looking for

ways that we, the whole congregation, will feel comfortable with. We

also know that if we are to make St John’s sustainable it will involve a

considerable amount of fundraising not least because in addition to the

cost of any internal changes that we might make, we also need to raise a

lot of money to pay for the urgent repair work which needs to be done

on the tower, and the roof will soon need to be replaced. Also, because

the building is made out of clunch, that costs a few thousand pounds a

year to repair. Finding ways to fund this work is vitally important.

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We need, as a congregation to think about the future of our church, to

pray about it and ask for God’s guidance in what we should do with our

church, because, don’t forget, it is really God’s church.

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York invited Christians across the

country to pray for the nation in the nine days leading up to Pentecost

Sunday. The focus was around the words of The Lord’s Prayer. Lesley

Shatwell organised an exhibition in St John’s which consisted of eight

prayer stations with art work based on different phrases in the Lord’s

Prayer. On the final weekend cream teas were served and there was also

music to listen to with performances by instrumentalists and by the St

George’s choir. I think this event was one of the highlights of the year.

One particularly good thing that has happened this year has affected not

just St John’s but the whole Parish. We have been delighted to welcome

Hannah as our Deacon and Lesley (Shatwell) has been licensed as a Lay

Minister. I would like to thank them for all their hard work and for all

that they have brought to the life of the whole Parish.

Pamela Marsham

PCC SECRETARY’S REPORT

The agendas for our eight PCC meetings are always lengthy but we try to

discuss all important matters as fully as possible and to make decisions

where appropriate. As well as the regular business of services, fabric,

grounds and finances our time was spent on many and varied items

including:

Diocesan Strategy

Transforming Church, Transforming Lives

Growing Younger

The tenancy of the curate’s house prior to Rev Hannah and family

moving in

St George’s Car Park

Teacakes

St Mark’s Reordering

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We have enjoyed the presence of Rev Hannah and Lesley Shatwell with

their wisdom as members of the Ministry Team. There will be vacancies

for new PCC members to be appointed at the APCM and we would

especially welcome people from the Family Praise and Modern Praise

Services to join us and represent younger members of our congregations.

Gemma Brown

STEWARDSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT

I have been doing this job for just over a year now and I am pleased to

say our records are nearly up to date. I feel that soon I will be more

proactive and will start exploring ways that we can increase our income

without asking the regular members of the church to contribute more.

However, I have noticed that there are some people I feel are taxpayers

but we have not received a gift aid form from them. Please check if this is

the case. Two matters that I will be exploring soon are transferring some

of your spouse's personal tax allowance and legacy. Please ring me on

01252 316775 if you wish to know more. Peter Paterson

FARNHAM DEANERY SYNOD

We currently don't have a lay member of Farnham Deanery Synod (and

are entitled to 2). This meets 3 times a year at various churches around

the deanery and discusses items of common interest. They also have a

role in that they are the electorate for General Synod, and if there are

major issues in the Church of England, like Women Bishops, they will also

discuss and vote on the matter. Also in the past year the Lay Chair and

Area Dean have resigned (both are moving out of the area); Jane Walker

from Frensham has been appointed Area Dean, and we are currently

awaiting a new appointment for Lay Chair. Those elected to Deanery

Synod are automatically on the PCC. If you would like to know more

please talk to me. Alan

ELECTORAL ROLL.

The Church Electoral Roll now has 130 parishioners (18 of these are not

resident within the parish.) 3 names were added during the year and 4

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were removed. Figures cover period 14/03/16 – 13/03/17 Jennifer

Paterson

SAFEGUARDING REPORT

We have 30 people involved in Parish Activities that require and have a

current Disclosure and Barring Service (D.B.S) check. There was this year

1 new application for a D.B.S., 2 renewals (each check lasts for 5 years)

and 2 non-renewals for people who have moved away from the area.

A training session led by a trainer from the Diocesan’s Safeguarding Team

took place on Saturday 28th May 2016 and was attended by 14 members

of the Parish who have DBS checks and are involved in activities with

Children or Young people. The session was the ‘Foundation Training

Core 1 (Children and Young People)’ and all attendees received a

certificate.

The House of Bishops approved in January 2017 revisions to the Learning

and Development Guidance which provides the framework for required

safeguarding training for all those in role in the parish, lay and ordained,

paid and voluntary. Further work will be taking place in the Parish to

ensure all relevant members receive the appropriate training in line with

this new guidance.

Further work is planned over the next few months to audit our

compliance against Diocese standards for voluntary drivers for vulnerable

adults, Registration Records for children involved in Church activities and

compliance with the PCC’s procedures for safeguarding children and

vulnerable adults for those groups or individuals regularly booking the

Church premises. Maurice Emberson, Safeguarding Officer

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THIRD PARTIES

CHRISTIAN AID

Not an easy year; between the parish churches, we collected £1160; to

put this in perspective, the Farnham churches collected nearly £13,000,

with St Peter`s Wrecclesham contributing over £4,000. Our small band

of collectors have been doing this for years, and we urgently need

volunteers from the newer, younger members of the congregations.

After all, only the Daily Mail would deny that the need for aid has

decreased. Stewart Dakers

CHRISTMAS DAY LUNCH

Once again a full house, with around seventy guests and forty volunteers,

drawn from across the town and beyond (three from our parish). Due

to generosity of Morgans the butchers, `little` Sainsbury`s, Waitrose,

Bourne Show Committee, Farnham Lions and the Dempster Trust, a

feast was had by all at a cost of just over £2 a head. Stewart Dakers

WALK OF WITNESS

A wonderful event, the spectacle of over two hundred people of all ages

walking silently through the ever-open market place creating wonder on

the pavements, as they wonder what it is about – and hopefully working it

out for themselves. Stewart Daker

BISHOP SUMNER EDUCATION FUND

Bishop Sumner was Bishop of Winchester from 1827 until 1869. As was

his wish, after his death in 1874, he was buried in Hale churchyard. He is

remembered especially for his interest in education.

The Bishop Sumner Educational Foundation (BSEF) was established by the

investment of the parish share of the proceeds from the sale of the local

church school. The fund is intended to assist with the education of

individual students under the age of 25 whose residence is within the

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bounds of the ancient parish of Farnham with priority for the

ecclesiastical parish of Hale.

Under the chairmanship of the Badshot Lea and Hale’s Parish Rector the

BSEF is administered by a Board of Trustees comprising of

Two Churchwardens

A representative of Badshot Lea and Hale Parochial Church

Council

A representative of the Waverley District Council

A representative of Surrey County Council

Two co-optative trustees

During the last financial year the Bishop Sumner Educational Foundation

awarded £1750 in grants to thirty four school pupils in need of financial

help who without this support would 'miss out' or fail to be included.

The grants were used to supply school uniform, residential and day trip

experiences, ingredients for food tech, music and foreign language tuition.

June Jasper (Secretary)

NORTH FARNHAM MINISTERS

A regular grouping of North Farnham Ministers meet for Bible Study on a

Thursday morning at St Mark’s, but through this year they have also been

involved in the Lent services in St Marks before the Lent lunches, the

Dodgems Service and running the Prayer Tent at the Carnival. We also

get together occasionally for a shared lunch where we think and pray

about North Farnham and agree future plans. Alan

SOCIAL

QUIZ EVENING

Another great ‘Fun Parish Quiz Night’ on Saturday the 7th of May held at

St George’s –

A plethora of quizzers from the three churches and beyond gathered to

wrack their brains from the topical to the obscure, searching the corners

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of their minds for the answers on topics from Europe to films, fact or

myth, the Olympics and guessing and tasting crisp flavours. There were

even chants for our quiz master to sing the answers to the music round,

which he obliged, much to the audiences delight. There were lots of

laughs with the quick fire final round, dressing in a hat, tie, gloves and

glasses before the answer was given!

We want to say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who was a great sport and

helped make the event so successful, even with a couple of seats to spare

we still took almost £230 for church funds.

Jason and Carrie Grafham

HARVEST SUPPER

'Come Ye Thankful People Come'.

That's just what we did last October! We came to the Parish Harvest

Supper which was held at St. Mark’s this year. So many came in fact that

there were not enough tickets and these sold out very quickly. There

were those who like to come every year, some who were there for the

first time and one family who had only been in this country a few days.

We all enjoyed a delicious meal. Thank you to June and her wonderful

team. Then we had a good laugh at a rather gory version of Cinderella, a

few other 'acts', followed by delightful music and singing. Something for

everyone!

It is good to come together to thank God for His goodness and

faithfulness to us.

'God, our maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied;

Come to God's own temple, come; Raise the song of harvest home!'

See you all next year! Margaret Emberson

BARN DANCE

This was our seventh annual barn dance. It seems to be an accepted part

of the year these days. It was well attended and we made a profit of £668.

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This, and the attendance, was slightly down on last year. However, we

were a bit crowded then so this is probably no bad thing. This year it

appears that everyone could sit comfortably and there was room on the

dance floor.

I have noticed increasingly over the years that this event is becoming

more parish-wide in its attendance, which is gratifying to see. There are

more from the St John’s and St Mark’s congregation that appear every

year. We also have a significant attendance from outside the parish, which

means we must be doing something right.

I would particularly like to thank all the helpers. We had many people

removing and stacking the chairs on Thursday night and putting them

back on Saturday morning. This is quite a contrast from a few years ago

when it was done by two or three of us. My thanks to them and the

wardens who organised it all. The catering was, as always, superb. We

appeared to have a particularly efficient team. It’s quite a sacrifice to be

prepared to do this all evening, as there’s precious little time to enjoy a

dance and a significant amount of advance preparation involved before the

event happens.

In my own area of interest, it is particularly gratifying to have the band

supplemented by our young musicians. Every year they increase in

competence and I’m hopeful that, in a couple of years, Lesley and I can

leave them to it and have the odd dance ourselves!

See you all next year! Bob Shatwell

PARISH COFFEE MORNINGS

Parish coffee mornings have continued to be well attended during the last

year with one or two minor changes. It has been decided that the coffee

morning may not necessarily be held on the first Saturday of the month

but on a Saturday convenient for the host which will allow them more

flexibility.

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The coffee morning is held from 10.30 a.m. to 12 noon during which time

refreshments are served and a raffle takes place. There is no longer a

bring and buy table.

These coffee mornings provide valuable time for parishioners to meet and

chat with worshippers from the other churches in our Parish as well as

friends from their own church. They also help make money for Parish

funds. All details are published monthly in the Magazine and Newssheet.

New hosts are always welcome so please contact me if you would be

willing to help. Jenny Bull 01252 326437

FETE

The fete was held on the first Saturday of September, as has been the

tradition in recent years and it was the first whole Parish fete I have

organised. I was very lucky to have inherited such a great team and

particularly thankful for the support of Bill and Mavis. A lot of work went

on before the day, particularly on the Friday night! On the day, the

weather was ‘iffy’ – a bit too cold for the ice-creams and Pimms and a

couple of nasty showers drove off some of our early visitors. However,

most of the time the sun shone and there were a lot of happy faces.

The fete is always an opportunity for outreach and for fellowship as well

as being the main ‘fund raiser’ of the year. We raised just over £2000 –

but the day was so much more than just being about money.

Looking forward, we have decided to try some radical changes for 2017 –

we are taking the fete to St. George’s, in the hope that this will make

catering easier and make it more accessible to those with mobility

difficulties. We are also holding it earlier in the year, (3rd June, to be

exact – please mark it with a big red smiley face your diary) so we can

have entertainment and maybe better weather .

A huge’ Thank You’ to everyone who supported in any way. Maxine

Everitt

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COMMUNICATION

WEBSITE/FACEBOOK/ENEWS

The website is a valuable resource for the Parish – most people check the

website before attending a service for the first time. We have had some

great feedback recently on how useful it is to newcomers. There are also

pages on there that are useful for everyone, there is a ‘blog’ which is like

a journal containing, upcoming events, sermons, reports on what is

happening and information about the national church. In addition, the

‘rota’ for all three churches is up-to-date and online. There is the church

diary, so you can see when church events are happening and if you want

to book the churches or halls then you can see if they are available. Do

go and have a look at the website!

Facebook continues to be an excellent method of getting information out

in the town. Over the last two years the number of people following our

Facebook Page has grown to over 250, this number is growing by about

50 per year.

This compares favourably with other churches in the town:

St Andrews 62

Bethel Baptist Church 125

Jubilee Church 238

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Information from our page can be shared with over a thousand other

people through the Farnham Facebook Groups.

The E-newsletter has 309 people who have registered to receive it.

Currently there is a 50% ‘open’ rate – which is very good for an e-

newsletter. David Bassom has now taken this on, which is wonderful as

he has experience in Marketing.

Lesley Crawley

MAGAZINE REPORT

The only significant change to the magazine during this last year has been

the introduction of a combined issue for December and January, which

relieves the clergy, contributors, production team and deliverers of an

additional pressure over the busy Christmas and the New Year period. A

slight drawback was found, however, in that when preparing the magazine

in November it could be easy to overlook the inclusion of events planned

for January and the beginning of February.

I am grateful to all who regularly contribute information and articles for

inclusion in the magazine. The Reverend Lesley always supplies the Diary

Dates and What’s On features, as well as details of those whose baptisms,

weddings or funerals have taken place at one of our churches, while

Lesley Shatwell contributes the Prayer Page. Members of the

congregation who organise many of our activities are also very good at

letting me know details of the various events. Without the cooperation

of all these people we would have a very slim magazine!

As well as church news and articles, I am keen that the magazine should

also contain news of local activities and events, and in that way we can

reach out to a greater number of people, who in turn may become

interested in some of the church activities. Regular contributions are

received from Hale WI, Hale Village Hall, The Bungalow, Farnham

ASSIST, and the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice. I am delighted that Dan Smith,

a teacher at William Cobbett Primary School, now sends in a regular

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update of their activities, but sadly none of the other schools has

responded to my monthly invitation to contribute.

Around 500 copies are produced each month and this makes advertising

in it an attractive proposition for local businesses, while bringing in a

significant income for parish funds. This year, we have also increased the

cost of the magazine, for the first time for many years.

The Reverends Alan and Lesley, with Kathy Robertson, organise printing

and distribution of the magazine and they certainly deserve our thanks

and appreciation. Unfortunately I do not know the names of all the

individual distributors, but I do know they do a great job!

If anyone would like to know more about the preparation of the

magazine, or would like to become involved with it, or with liaising with

potential advertisers, then please do get in touch. Margaret Dyer

FABRIC

ST GEORGE’S FABRIC

We have had one large expense this year as we have had to replace the

central heating pipework in the Church Rooms, Narthex, toilets and to a

radiator in the Church.

This pipework had to be replaced as there was a leak somewhere under

the concrete floor in the Church Room which was causing the boiler to

lose pressure at an alarming rate, this would have eventually led to a

boiler failure as well.

We had two choices, either dig up the floor in the Church Room to

repair the damaged pipework or re-pipe at high level. It was decided to

choose the latter option as to dig up the floor would have involved

providing a new carpet, the present one is stuck down, and also having to

close the Church Room for at least a week which would have meant loss

of bookings and revenue on top of the cost of the work. As it was the

plumber we used was able to work around the bookings and so we did

not lose any revenue.

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The total cost of the work was £4,400 and a considerable portion of this

has been repaid due to the generosity of our congregation and various

fund raising events. Carol Le Page

ST JOHN’S FABRIC REPORT

The Nave Altar has been removed but we do conduct the service of the

word from the dais in the Nave. The consecration and administration of

the Sacrament is now at the High Altar.

The Sacristy lamp fell apart and narrowly missed hitting John Evans. As a

result we no longer have a lamp suspended from the ceiling and the

feeling is that we are not happy about replacing like with like. We are,

however, hoping to get PCC permission to apply for a faculty to have a

wall mounted lamp which will be attached to the wall to the right of the

memorial above the aumbry. We hope that will be a lot safer.

We also need to raise a lot of money to pay for the urgent repair work

which needs to be done on the tower, and the roof will soon need to be

replaced. Also, because the building is made out of clunch, that costs a

few thousand pounds a year to repair. Finding ways to fund this work is

vitally important. Pamela Marsham

ST MARK’S REORDERING

The first work on the reordering has been done. The old boiler room has

been repaired and renovated to make a store for garden equipment

allowing us to move the mower etc. out of the vestry.

Working with the architect Adam Hieke plans for the reordering have

been finalised and details and specifications completed. Estimates for the

work have been obtained. As three quotes are needed for each part of

the work this has taken a long time. With the paperwork completed we

are in the process of applying for a faculty (church planning permission) to

approve the project and are also applying for grants to help with the

funding.

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In some ways this has been a frustrating year. I had hoped to report more

progress but things are moving if a bit slowly. I would like to thank the

members of the committee especially Paul Sowden for their hard work

and patience. Pat Manton

ST JOHN’S CHURCHYARD

The past 12 months have been the usual busy ones and like any garden

there is always work to be done. Three valuable members of the team;

Jeanette, Jim and Peter ‘hung up their hoes’ and stood down after many

years of valuable service.

Two new members joined the team, which now consists of Marion, Cliff

and Winston.

Some months ago the Archdeacon came for a group site meeting

regarding the need for the pruning of various trees.

Clarification was given as to which trees should be pruned professionally

and which ones could be undertaken by the maintenance team. Following

permission from the Diocese, two large trees at the main entrance gates

and others on the border of the churchyard/public highway were pruned

by tree surgeons; in the interest of Health & Safety. Other trees in

various locations of the churchyard were pruned by the Team. Again, this

work was carried out in the interest of Health & Safety as there were

branches that hung at head height, therefore being a danger to all visitors

to the churchyard and not least of all to the maintenance team also.

The ditch dividing the churchyard from the adjoining property was

causing a problem to members of the public passing the church. The ditch

is mainly dry but during periods of prolonged rain it becomes very active

with water coming down from Farnham Park. The leaves from the

bordering trees would fall into the ditch and be washed down to the

drain at the border of the churchyard and block it, which resulted in the

water flowing over the drain, across the pavement and causing a small

river to flow down the Hale Road. Consequently, as the passing traffic

came by, pedestrians would be badly splashed. The ditch was cleaned out

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and the troublesome trees along the ditch were pruned to prevent an

occurrence. Small ‘dams’ were sited in the ditch to help prevent the

problem and large ‘damns’ from the public have now ceased. So far, so

good.

The garden equipment shed was given a long overdue and well deserved

couple of coats of preservative treatment and now looks as good as new.

Timberwork on the north side of the church was also given the same

treatment and is visually rewarding. Warning signs were erected at the

entrance to the cellar in the same area in the interest of Health & Safety.

Winston Burrows

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GROWING IN SPIRITUAL MATURITY

WORSHIP

ST JOHN’S WORSHIP GROUP

This group met several times during the last year.

We discussed the special services during the year focussing particularly

on any aspect which we felt needed to be changed.

The Patronal Festival was held in June this year but it was disappointing

that only a few people attended the Rectory BBQ so it was decided that

in 2017 we would have sherry, scones and cakes in the Sumner Room

after the service.

The Parish was asked to trial a new liturgy for Creation Tide – this

started on 11th September and finished with Harvest Festival. This was

well received.

In the past we have often used Incense as part of our celebrations at

special times of the year. However it was becoming apparent that there

were a number of people suffering with asthma and other chest

conditions who were avoiding these services because of the problems

caused by the smoke. After some discussion it was decided that insisting

on having incense was in fact excluding a number of people from our

services. It was therefore decided that we would no longer use incense

in St John’s church.

We were all pleased to note that when we had children in the church

they seemed to enjoy using the Children’s Corner. It was felt that this

area was a success. Pamela Marsham

ST GEORGE’S WORSHIP GROUP

St George’s Worship Group meets regularly to discuss service

arrangements that may not necessarily be met by a ‘standard’ service. We

feedback on comments made by the congregation, and our own

observations from recent services – what we feel has gone well and what

can be improved; where better communication may help things run more

smoothly.

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With those ideas in mind we look forward to see what needs to be

prepared for up and coming services – looking at ways to feed the

congregation’s spiritual needs and to help make their worship experience

more meaningful.

On the practical side we also consider the additional needs (e.g.

refreshments) and the planning / support and manpower necessary to

make that happen. We are so grateful to those people who are so good

at making sure we provide what we need to.

With the successful move to make Family Praise a regular weekly (rather

than alternate week) service, a hard decision was necessary regarding

what we do at ‘Special’ times of the year (Mothering Sunday – where

we’ve made posies, Easter Day, where we’ve had an Easter egg hunt etc.)

These ‘special’ events seem better fitted to the Family Praise

congregation. Due to Kris and Maxine’s commitment to Family Praise we

have regrettably decided that we need to step back from the Worship

Group so we can focus our attention on our passion. However – we may

have some surprises up our sleeve, so we are certainly not abandoning

anyone!

This does provide an exciting opportunity for other members of the

congregating to become involved and have their say in service planning

(not that this has ever been an exclusive group – your opinions are

ALWAYS welcome).

Worship, friendship, inclusion, fellowship – all these things come together

in our services and the fellowship that follows – new members/visitors to

St George’s have been delighted by their reception – so celebrate your

involvement in that. Kris Lawrence

FAMILY PRAISE

Family Praise has moved forward considerably over the past year. With

Hannah joining the clergy team and our awareness that some families

would like Family Praise to include an occasional communion service, we

decided to experiment with Family Praise moving to a weekly service,

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with a monthly communion, and offering tea and coffee at the end of the

service to help to build the Family Praise community. So as to not put too

much pressure on the leaders, it was agreed that the service would be

dropped during school holidays.

It was logical therefore to discontinue our Sunday School (St. George’s

Dragons) during the trial period. Many thanks go to Janet for all of her

help and support with the Dragons.

The decision was certainly a very good one. We have seen congregations

regularly match/ exceed the size of those when we were only scheduled

on the 1st & 3rd Sunday. And it’s not a static congregation – so overall the

total number of people attending has also grown. Family Praise is not seen

(and was never intended) as a service purely for parents with very young

children; rather as service for all ages, as difficult as that is to deliver!

The communion services have been really appreciated – Rev Lesley has a

real talent in the way she delivers these. The children/youngsters are

totally engaged, and for me, the meaningfulness is enhanced by their

engagement.

Tea & coffee after the service has been dropped as the congregation felt

this was not necessary (also the children’s attraction to biscuits

endangered the Sunday dinner!!). However, the congregation do still stay

and talk – so the community building does happen.

With the success of ‘going weekly’ we recognise that Family Praise is now

an established service as much as any other, therefore we will not be

stopping though the holidays. The leaders of Family Praise were

concerned that they wouldn’t have the energy to keep going – but as

always, God knows best and has provided the strength required.

We also recognise that it is good for the congregation to take on its own

identity – and that it does not necessarily need to combine with the 10am

congregation. Therefore we will not to try to bring the two

congregations together for ‘special’ events (Mothering Sunday/St George’s

Day/Easter Day etc., with Christmas Day likely to be an exception!) but

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will put efforts into making the Family Praise a little more special on those

occasions. This will of course impact on the provision of ‘Specials’ at

10am (see worship group report). (However – we do have some secret

plans up our sleeves so as not to neglect the 10am congregation

completely!)

27 years ago I was drawn to St. George’s and I felt I had an important

role to play here. Family Praise is my passion – and I’ve had a delight in

sharing my faith and hopefully helping others on their journey. I trust that

I will engage with God’s further plans, whatever they may be, with the

same passion. Kris Lawrence

MESSY CHURCH

Messy Church meets during term time from 3:30pm until 5:00pm on the

3rd Thursday of each month at St Mark’s. The congregation at Messy

Church is regularly about 26 children and adults of all ages.

During Messy Church we listen to a bible story and then use that for

theme based crafts and activities. Last month we even had an obstacle

course which involved dragging around a bag of potatoes which was to

illustrate the point that our worries weight us down.

During the year we have enjoyed a Messy Christmas, we have thought

about what it means to be salt and light in the world, we have heard the

story of Samuel and learnt about the parable of the unforgiving servant

which involved building a fantastic jail out of a large box.

We also have a celebration time where we sing a few hymns and then we

enjoy a meal together.

Thank you to Alison and her dedicated team who help to organise Messy

Church in the Parish.

ST JOHN’S CHOIR REPORT

It has been a fairly uneventful year for the choir during which we have

done our best to support the clergy in leading worship each Sunday and

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at the occasional wedding and funeral, when requested. Unfortunately

several members have suffered extended periods of ill health and have

been unable to join us on a regular basis and we wish them well and hope

they will soon be fit to join us again.

Sadly we decided that the time was not right to pursue the next stage of

the RSCM training programme Voice for Life. With so few regular

members, all with other commitments both within the church and at

home, we felt it was more important to concentrate on regular worship

and festivals than to use what little time was available trying to complete

the programme. Fortunately Pamela has found some less demanding

training material which we use when time permits and which will,

hopefully, provide us with a lesser challenge to keep us motivated.

We have enjoyed a couple of meals together during the year, along with

those organists who were free to join us, and have thoroughly enjoyed

each other’s company socially. Lesley and Alan also arranged a social

evening for all the musicians within the parish which, again, was much

enjoyed by all.

One unexpected highlight at Christmas time was when we were invited

to sing at Vale Furnishers in Farnham. They were having a special event,

wanted a choir to sing carols and asked us. A combined choir from St

George’s and St John’s turned up together with Margaret Emberson on

the keyboard, Bob Shatwell on the fiddle and Lesley Shatwell on the

double bass. It was a relaxed and fun event – we all enjoyed it and we

were paid £150 for our efforts, which went into the Church funds.

We would welcome others to come and sing with us and to share the

fellowship which this brings. Angela Hall

ST GEORGE’S CHOIR REPORT

During the past year Annie, Chrissie and Debbie joined the choir, and

now we are an eleven-strong team of all ages and standards. William

'Bill', worked very hard to achieve all the targets in the first 'Voice for

Life' workbook. This is the Royal School of Church Music's scheme for

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developing our singing, and emphasises the importance of reading the

music. This improves slowly as we sing a great range of songs, (not just

hymns), where possible with the notes above the words.

For the first time at St George's the Easter day service opened with Revd

Lesley in the role of Cantor for the Easter sentences - chanting 'The Light

of Christ', and choir and congregation responding with 'Thanks be to

God'. It was exciting to revive an old tradition, and then the choir

processed out to the 14th century German hymn (in English!) - Personent

Hodie – 'Sing Aloud on this Day', arranged and accompanied by Bob.

Some worshippers said they'd have liked to join in, so we must provide

extra copies next time.

When Lesley Shatwell mounted her Art Exhibition in May last year on the

theme of prayer, she asked for some musical accompaniment. Pamela

joined us, and with Bob Shatwell on fiddle, we sang a variety of songs such

as 'I'd like to teach the world to sing', 'Lara's theme', 'What a Wonderful

World', and many folk songs. We felt and hoped we were giving added

pleasure to the visitors as they wandered round the paintings.

There was the same feeling of outreach at the Harvest Supper at St

Mark's, where we sang for half an hour as people came in - one song

being 'Bringing in the Sheaves', which had had its first airing at St George's

on Harvest Sunday.

I love every season of the church's year except Christmas. December is

the only fallow time for me with its endless repetition of the same

Christmas carols. My faith is at a very low ebb then. Thankfully in the

new year we emerge into the glorious light of Epiphany. But are we too

tired after Christmas to really celebrate the coming of the Wise Men?

The choir has the fun of singing with Margaret, Joy, and the Band on the

first Sunday of each month. My thanks go to Joy for playing the organ

twice a month, often staying on to accompany Family Praise as well. We

welcomed our youngest organist, Chris Larkin, onto the rota this year.

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Chris is honing his organ skills at the Family Praise Communion on the 4th

Sunday, and he prepares for this with great enthusiasm.

I am immensely grateful to Margaret for all her support during choir

practice, often accompanying, leading, and introducing us to new music.

All the clergy, Pamela and her St John's choir give us their

encouragement. Sometimes the two choirs join together for weddings or

funerals, hoping to bring joy or solace. Thank you all. Frances

Whewell

FLOWERS AT ST GEORGE’S

During 2016 we had to change our weekly displays in church to two

weeks. This was due to our team now down to only two people myself

and Chrissie Goff. Our third member Dot Webb has been unwell. If there

are any potential flower arrangers please contact me Vicky Boas.

This year has shown a large drop in donations for displays in memory of

loved ones and there has been a huge increase in the cost of fresh

flowers. Also a very generous lady who has supported the church flowers

in memory of her husband for a long period has passed away.

As always we have produced beautiful arrangements to enhance the look

of the church. Arranging the displays is only part of the work involved as

they also need watering every day, deadheading when required and we

have to dismantle and clean the equipment.

I get a great satisfaction when I stand back from a finished display and

marvel at God’s work in producing such beautiful flowers and the skill in

making them into colourful displays. I get a feeling of contentment and

satisfaction.

Lastly I would like to thank the other arrangers for all their hard work

over the year and the parishioners who make this possible. God bless you

all. Vicky Boas

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FLOWERS AT ST JOHN’S

First and foremost, I would like to thank all those who donated to allow

us to buy flowers for the festivals.

At Easter there was a lovely aroma from the lilies and the window sills

were decorated with small bouquets of spring flowers in jam jars, which

was unusual but very impressive.

For the Harvest Festival we had produce of the land scattered round the

church.

During 2016 I received a number of donations which enabled me to buy

the flowers for Christmas and we were able to have some lovely displays

on show. Personally, I thought the windows looked very pretty with all

the greenery and the candles. A special attraction were the ornaments of

the three Kings and a camel travelling round the church on the window

ledges to reach the manger and pay homage to the baby Jesus.

A big thank you to all the ladies who gave their time to make the church

look so beautiful. The feed-back from the congregation was most

complimentary and all the dedicated hard work that everyone put in was

very much appreciated. Sylvie Burrows

FLOWERS AT ST MARK’S

This year Pat Love decided to hand over the watering can after many

years of wonderful arrangements. She left it all in good order with all the

equipment necessary and a small band of helpers. I'm glad to say she is

still involved and there to support me when needed.

We were lucky enough to have somebody offer lanterns for the

windowsills at Christmas which really enhanced the atmosphere when put

alongside the Christmas arrangements.

We would welcome anyone to join our team no experience needed just a

desire to enhance the worship at St Marks. Anne Boyman

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FAMILY BAND

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Our Parish Family Band is five years old this year!

In March 2012 four of us got together in Carol Wilson-Barker's dining

room to play a few songs. We all enjoyed it and some of us have been

playing together ever since. Many more have joined us, some regularly,

others occasionally, and a few have moved away.

We now practise in St. George’s church room on alternate Monday

evenings at 6pm, during school term times. Our ages range from school

age to retired!

We have a repertoire of over a hundred songs and play monthly at

church services. We have also played at the Barn Dance, Christmas

parties and the summer fetes.

If you have an instrument you haven't played for a while, find it and come

and join us! If you are learning to play an instrument - come and join us! If

you have never played a musical instrument before, and would like to, we

have a selection of pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments, and

lots of kazoos- come and join us! We look forward to seeing you.

Margaret Emberson

GROUPS FOR ADULTS

QUESTIONING FAITH

This group has continued to meet each term and this year four adults

were/will be confirmed after attending the group. However, it is not just

for those who might be confirmed, but for anyone who wants to spend

some time thinking about their faith. If you are interested in joining one

of the groups please let me know. Alan

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BEYOND BELIEF

Beyond Belief – a religious book group - has continued this year. We

meet roughly monthly to discuss a book which we read through slowly.

This year we have finished Accidental Saints by Nadia Bolz-Weber, a

Lutheran pastor in America who writes of her life and church giving new

insight into age old Christian Questions and have also finished “Falling

Upward” by Richard Rohr, this describes how it is by failing, and

acknowledging that failure that we make Spiritual progress. We are just

about to start reading “Unapologetic”, by Francis Spufford. We meet on

various evenings convenient to the attendees, and all are welcome to join

us. If you would like to know more, please contact Alan.

CELL GROUP

What on earth is a Cell Group? Well, it is one way that Churches grow.

I lead a group on a Tuesday evening. t started last year as a Lent Group

and has been running most weeks since. You may wonder what makes it

different from any other small group or Bible Study group, so a quick

breakdown. There is a formula to follow – four Ws. Welcome, with an

‘ice breaker’ (now don’t cringe!) it is light hearted, but it is amazing how

much you find out about each other – did you know Bill Thomas rides a

motor bike? We then have a period of Worship. Ideally this is led by

someone different every week - we are working on that one – but it is

fairly informal and different every week. We move onto ‘the Word’,

some sort of input, we’ve used a formal DVD course and Bible reading

note. The last element is Works- how are we going to put what we

have learnt into our daily lives, so we can become better disciples of the

Lord.

The outcomes – well I know this group of people better than most of my

other friends at Church, even the ones I have known for years. We care

about each other, so we know when someone is unwell, or needs

support. We’ve celebrated birthdays, planned pub trips and generally

enjoyed a deep bond of real friendship. We have also worked together –

this group has supported each other to put on the Craft Fair in

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November and will be running the Children’s crafts on Good Friday, as

we did last year. They are my ‘go to’ people when I need help.

We are not stuffy, or formal. We have a good laugh. We grow.

So what about growing Church? Church isn’t just Sundays. The idea of

Cell groups is that we can invite others along. It may be a lot less

daunting for a new comer. When the group gets too large, two groups

can emerge.

So, might you like to try it? We would love to welcome new friends.

Please speak to me or to one of the clergy team for more information.

Maxine Everitt

BREATHING SPACE

Breathing Space is informal group held at St Mark’s Centre, and is

intended to provide some time and space for Christian contemplation,

discussion and prayer in a friendly environment. The sessions are held

normally from 9.30am on the first Friday of each month, and last for

about an hour.

Each session is led by a different volunteer from the group, who

introduces a short Bible passage, hymn, poem or other thought for us to

think about and discuss. Anyone is free to contribute any thoughts or

insights, and there is an opportunity for us to pray together for any issues

or needs shared by group members.

This small and friendly group is open to all, and those involved come from

a number of different local churches. Group members enjoy the friendly

informal style, the variety of different approaches to understanding

aspects of our Christian faith, and the opportunity for sharing fellowship

and listening and learning from each other. Bob Skinner

FELLOWSHIP GROUP

Meetings are usually held on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at

10.00 a.m. These take place in members’ homes where coffee/tea and

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biscuits are enjoyed. Subjects discussed are varied and interesting.

Support with Advice and Prayer are also on hand when needed. We do

try to go out somewhere for lunch local once or twice during the year.

Friendship is an important part and we would love to see you on a

Monday morning. Hope you can make it. Christine Clayton

LENT GROUPS

This year the Lent Groups are following the USPG material on

Discipleship, which also forms the basis for the sermons at the Friday

service throughout Lent. The groups are being led by laity, and I would

like to offer my thanks to those who volunteered to lead, as well as to all

those attending. Alan

MOTHERS’ UNION

The past year has been very busy for the Mothers' Union as it was the

140th Anniversary of its founding by Mary Sumner. The Lady Day service

and the Farnham Deanery Pilgrimage of Prayer were at the Cathedral.

Open days at Mary Sumner House traced 140 years of the Mothers'

Union with archive material from Lambeth Palace. On Mary Sumner Day,

August 9th, there was a Family Picnic lunch with games at Normandy

which was so successful it is to be repeated this year. In late September

the Annual meeting was held with two services at Winchester Cathedral,

attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, followed the next day by the

AGM in Basingstoke.

Our outreach commitments were knitted clothing for refugee babies and

small children, which were sent to a MU contact in Iran and the Greek

islands and once again Bankside had a wonderful collection for the

Refuge at their Carol service. We are very grateful for their continued

support. Although few in number, committed members in the parish

attended and took part in these events.

We are grateful to those who attend the Friday service at St Mark's. They

joined us in lighting a candle ' Against Gender Violence' and also include

prayers for the Mothers' Union, marriage and family life throughout the

world on the 3rd Friday of each month. Today the MU continues to fulfil

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its commitment by promoting the importance of marriage and

transforming the lives of families worldwide. Sue Habgood

TRAINING

A LICENSED LAY MINISTER

On 25 June 2016, I was Licensed. Well that’s a strange thing to happen:

before I knew that much about the church, I would have said that

anything to do with licensing meant that you would have permission to

drink alcohol and play music. My licensing by Bishop Andrew has given

me formal permission to be a Lay Minister … I don’t think that

necessarily included any music and alcohol, but there was much delight

and festivity in the Shatwell household when I was licensed.

Nobody ever told me how drastically my life would change when I was

starting training, or perhaps they did, but I was so taken up by the whole

experience, I wasn’t listening. It did become my whole life, everything

else was shoe-horned in around my training. I wonder if Bob, my poor

long-suffering husband, misses our conversations over breakfast as I

wrestled with the finer hermeneutical points of a particular pericope?

I am not a natural when it comes to academic study. It had been a long

time since I had been in a classroom and it took me longer than some to

settle into a workable routine. I think in pictures. I can’t help it. My

mind dodges quickly from one idea to another and that can be very

confusing for those who don’t share my illogical, woolly thinking. As the

deadline for each assignment loomed, there were struggles, much

agonising and re-writing … Imagine the relief in the Shatwell household

when I handed in the last piece of work! Incidentally, don’t believe it

when they tell you how long things should take. When you get fired up

with the excitement of a new topic, be prepared for it to take over your

whole life – to reach those parts where other study has never

penetrated.

Throughout my study though, I was growing up into Lay Ministry. I

suppose as I look back now, I think that it wasn’t so much about changing

40

my life as rediscovering things which were very deeply hidden. I became

more aware of myself, how to be authentic to myself and to God. Being

the real me helps me to relate genuinely to everyone I meet, throughout

parish, diocese and beyond. Lay Ministry opens up a fantastic world of

possibilities. I am convinced that God has called me to this particular

ministry in this particular place right now and provided I am mindful of

God’s plan, doors open and help is provided.

Licensed Lay Minister: where’s the music, raise your glasses, and rejoice

with me! Lesley Shatwell

Photo: New Licensed Lay Ministers, Jane Jones, Elizabeth Rowlandson

and Lesley Shatwell, with Bishop Andrew - 25 06 2016

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GROWING YOUNGER

ADVENTURERS

Adventurers continues to be a small but very enthusiastic group, whose

attendance is very regular. At present we are all girls as our one boy has now

moved on to cubs!

The children attend church for special services and have contributed to

services on a regular basis, making the harvest loaf, Christingles, the advent

wreath, writing and reading prayers and two of them read at the St John's

carol service. We also have an ex- Adventurer volunteering with us for her

Duke of Edinburgh award.

The main problem for me is having another adult with me every week. I have

a wonderful group of four ladies who support me brilliantly but they are all

busy and are not always available and five week months are a real headache! If

anyone is able to help on an ad hoc basis I would love to hear from you.

Many thanks to the team of ladies who make Adventurers possible.

Anne Boyman

YOUTH GROUP

The Youth Group for years 6-9 continues to meet fortnightly during term

time on Sunday evenings, with a band of regular members. Julie McCallen and

Jackie Edmonds have been helpers and “drinks monitors”, for which many

thanks. Alan

OLDER YOUTH GROUP

This year the older youth group for those in year 10 and above continued to

meet. We have four regular members and after May half term will be opening

it to those about to go into year 10. Thanks to Stella Wiseman who rides

shotgun on the meetings! We meet about once a month and eat pizza and

chat! If you would like to join, please get in touch. Alan

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GROWING IN COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

OUTREACH

SCHOOL REPORT

Since my arrival in the Parish I have been given responsibility for School’s

work and school’s engagement. As a parish, we are fortunate continue to have

good relationships with the schools in our area.

The Open the Book team regularly visits Badshot Lea Infant School and Folly

Hill Infants to deliver interactive assemblies. The children (and staff)

thoroughly enjoy our visits and when the children realise it is an ‘Open the

Book’ Assembly they often react with a fist pump and a resounding ‘Yessss’.

Badshot Lea Infants have also visited St George’s for their Leavers, Christmas

and Easter Assemblies. The school also provided a choir to sing at the St

George’s Christmas Carol Service.

As part of the Key Stage One curriculum the children have to study churches

and gain a better understanding or what Christians believe. In light of this,

children from Badshot Lea Infants visited St George’s and children from Folly

Hill Infants and Hale School have visited St Mark’s. These are wonderful

opportunities to talk freely about Jesus and about what we as Christians

believe. I show them the bread and wine whilst telling the children the story

of the Last Supper. I also have the opportunity to baptise a Teddy as I share

with the children the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River. As I ask the

children to suggest the names for the teddy being baptised, my poor teddy has

been baptised with some strange names!

Lesley and I have visited Hale School and William Cobbett School to present

assemblies to both the infants and the juniors. These are always wonderful

opportunities to share ideas and values from a Christian perspective.

Some of the Key Stage Two children from William Cobbett School visited St

John’s to learn about the history of St John’s and about Christianity. The choir

from William Cobbett School sung during the St John’s Christmas Carol

Service which was lovely. William Cobbett School also came to St John’s to

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celebrate a Christingle Service. One of the teachers remarked to me that

“this is my favourite service of the year, it is so special.”

I have also visited Heath End School as part of the Cohesion team. During

these visits I explained Eucharist and Worship from a Church of England

perspective.

As you can see we are fortunate to have strong links with the schools in our

Parish and it is a privilege to be able to visit these schools and share our faith.

Hannah Moore

OPEN THE BOOK

We are now in our third year of presenting Bible stories to local

primary school children. We are a team of eight from this parish

who meet regularly to prepare well known Bible stories. We

read them from the Bob Hartman children's Bible and were

fortunate to meet Bob Hartman last September when some of us attended a

very inspiring training day in Woking. Reverend Hannah has joined our team

this year which is great.

The children and staff at both Folly Hill school and Badshot Lea school always

make us very welcome and it is always good to hear the children

enthusiastically say "Good morning Open the Book team", whenever we visit.

What at a privilege and pleasure it is to introduce all these children to God’s

wonderful faithfulness and love through stories of people from the Bible.

Margaret Emberson

THURSDAY COFFEE

Thanks go to Alison, Anne, Pat, Thelma and Val who help me on the rota

Thursday mornings at St Mark’s Centre. Come along for tea, coffee and home

- made cake and have a chat with friends or get to know others from church

and the community. Gillian Geraghty

CONNECTIONS

On Tuesday 7th March a new group called Connections was launched for

people over 50 at St George’s Church, Badshot Lea. It is run by Bill and Annie

44

Thomas with help from June Tilbury and myself. We meet fortnightly and

there is the opportunity to have coffee and chat with old friends and new.

There will be a host of activities that will vary each time, including jigsaws,

pottery, hand massages, manicures, an exercise corner, a table with

newspapers, games, help with technology, hearing aid help and a thought for

the day.

Lesley Crawley

TEACAKES

During the course of the year it became clear that Teacakes could not

operate the levels of safeguarding defined by the Church of England,

consequently it had to close.

LITTLE BEES

Little Bees Toddler Group runs every Monday during school term time

between 10 and 11.30. We have between 20 and 30 Mums/ Dads/ Carers and

Grandparents join us on a regular basis. There is a small charge of £1.50 per

child and an extra 50p for siblings.

We are lucky to have two lovely ladies help us each week. Trish and Carol

are always here to welcome us with their smiles and a tea/coffee and naughty

biscuits. As well as refreshments Carol and Trish give support / friendly

advice and bring experience.

The children range in ages from weeks old to 3 years. Children are allowed

to continue with the group until the end of the term that they are 3. At

around 10.30 the older children sit around a table for drinks and biscuits. We

have a baby corner protected by chairs and a range of soft and sensory toys

for their development. Play mats are provided for the babies to lie on along

with cushions to protect crawlers from the chair legs.

There is a wide range of toys for the older children to play with. We have a

playhouse and kitchen to encourage role play. We also have trains, cars,

animals, dolls and ride -ons. We try to encourage participation in the craft

corner. Each week there is a different activity for the children to take part in.

45

Since January we have done pasta necklaces, colourful snails, decorated hand

print fish and for Valentine’s we decorated hearts and made butterflies.

Under supervision the children have access to messy gloopy glue and scissors.

Sparkly gems are a particular favourite of the girls. In the coming weeks we

will be making suncatchers, daffodils, bags and crowns.

This is my second time of being part of little bees. It’s a great group to be

part of, it’s easy to chat to other mums and share experiences. Colette

Fuller

ST MARK’S TODDLERS

St Mark’s Toddler group meets on a Tuesday morning during term time.

Natalie runs the Toddler group. It is evident that strong friendships have been

established wit in the group. Members of the church serve tea and coffee to

the adults and prepare the juice and biscuits for the children’s snack time.

About 8 adults and up to 14 children regularly attend St Mark’s Toddler

group. The children have a fun filled and noisy time being able to use the

space available to scoot around on mini motorbikes, slide down the plastic

slide, and play with a wide range of toys on offer. Colouring or a craft activity

is also available for the children to try out. After snack time, the toys are

tidied up and the session finishes with a sing-along.

Thank you to Natalie and the team who help to run St Mark’s Toddler Group.

GOOD FRIDAY CRAFT AT ST GEORGE’S

25 children enjoyed Easter Crafts at St. George’s on Good Friday. Activities

included making Easter nests, bead crosses, peg leg donkeys, sticking and

gluing a variety of Easter items and all the children made their own Easter

46

gardens. The children also constructed the Easter Garden for the Church.

Everyone was busy and very well behaved – even the adults! We had Hot

Cross buns and the morning culminated with Rev. Lesley leading a short

period of worship. It was a very meaningful morning with a great team of

helpers. Maxine Everitt

GOOD FRIDAY CRAFTS AT ST MARK’S

Nineteen children joined us with great enthusiasm at St Mark’s for the annual

craft session. Some were old friends and others were new to the experience.

We began with an Easter egg hunt, always a favourite and then got together

to tell the story using a group of coloured eggs with various objects inside.

Then we began the activities which included magic cooking when a

marshmallow inside a croissant disappeared when cooked and decorating a

cross with flowers. We also made a beaded bracelet, where the colours of

the beads reminded the children of the story and a patchwork banner which

included a picture of Easter from each child.

We finished with a simple service where the children shared what they had

been doing with the parents and other adults, followed by a drink and hot

cross buns!!

Thank you so much to all those who helped. Anne Boyman

FAMILIES MATTER

Families Matter have worked closely with and supported over 100 families

during the past year and we have recently established a new support group

for parents who have either adopted or are guardians. Links with Hale School

are closer than ever with Families Matter running a drop-in group at the

school.

The highlight of the year has been Hannah the new curate supporting the

Families Matter parenting course and this direct link between the church and

the community has really been appreciated by the families. Jane Voake

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MINDFULNESS

From October 2016, I took over leading the Mindfulness at St Mark’s drop-in

group. I started the group with the help of Suzette Jones, the Diocesan

Health and Wellbeing Adviser and it has been running since 2014. At that

time, I knew very little about Mindfulness, other than how much better I felt

when I practised it. Our initial aims were to reach out to the parish and offer

the opportunity to explore a mindful approach to life. By choosing a start

time of 9.30 am we hoped to encourage young parents to come after

dropping the kids at school. As it turned out, we have a few young parents,

but there is a far wider profile of people who come along. There are usually

about 15-20 of us and we meet once a month on a Monday morning.

For me, one of the joys of Mindfulness is that anyone can do it. If you come

to our drop-in group, you aren’t instantly going to be faced with having to sit

still in silence for hours on end. Suzette taught us that there are benefits in

just taking a three minute mindful break between daily tasks. It’s all about

being kind to yourself, not pushing the limits. And that includes recognising

that this might not be for you – it doesn’t suit everyone.

We welcome all comers who want to give it a go. Why not look out for the

dates in the news sheet and give it a go, you never know, you might like it.

Lesley Shatwell LLM

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OCCASIONAL OFFICES

BAPTISMS

There were 25 baptisms in 2016, which is comparable with 2015. The

previous years were higher, mostly because there were more teenage

baptisms (and confirmations) at the cathedral:

Cathedral St

Georges

St

Johns

St

Marks

Total

2012 9 12 8 29

2013 8 18 2 9 37

2014 8 10 5 20 43

2015 2 12 4 6 24

2016 10 6 9 25

Total 18 59 29 52 158

These are the ages of the candidates of baptism over the years 2013-6

0 1 2-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20s 30s 40s

2013 16 3 2 5 5 1 2 1 1

2014 12 4 4 7 12 1 2

2015 8 6 3 2 2 1

2016 14 4 1 2 1 2

Total 59 18 12 19 20 3 4 3 2

CONFIRMATIONS

This year we had two confirmation services in the Parish, one at St George’s

and one at St Mark’s. A pleasure unlikely to be repeated. The continuing fall

in numbers is primarily amongst teenagers. Most of our teenage

49

confirmations have come from among those for whom letters have been

signed for All Hallows, and as the number of spaces for non Catholics has

reduced our requirements before signing have increased. There has never

been any linkage in the minds of the clergy between signing the letter and

confirmation, but this may not have been the case amongst applicants.

Years 10-14 15-19 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s

Grand

Total

2013 14

3 2 2 3

24

2014 11 1 1 3

16

2015 9

2

11

2016 3

3 1

2 9

FUNERALS

We took more funerals this year than for a while, and again the number of

Church Funerals increased. This was probably in part because of the number

of congregation members who died in 2016.

Years

St

George's

St

John's

St

Mark's Crem

Grand

Total

2012 3 16 1 29 49

2013 4 13 1 18 36

2014 5 12 2 20 39

2015 8 10 3 11 32

2016 11 7 6 17 41

WEDDINGS

The number of weddings has remained stable, although we are seeing

weddings cancelled or postponed. We already have more booked for 2017

than we had in 2016.

Years

St

George's

St

John's

St

Mark's

Grand

Total

2012 6 8

14

2013

10

10

2014

3

3

2015 1 6

7

2016 2 4 1 7

50

INDEX

10 Year Vision ..................................... 6

Adventurers ....................................... 41

Band ..................................................... 35

Baptisms .............................................. 48

Barn Dance ........................................ 18

Beyond Belief ..................................... 36

Bishop Sumner Education Fund .... 16

Breathing Space ................................. 37

Cell Group ......................................... 36

Choir Report

Badshot Lea .................................... 31

St John’s .......................................... 30

Christian Aid ...................................... 16

Christmas day Lunch ....................... 16

Churchwardens Report

Badshot Lea St Georges ............... 9

Hale St John’s ................................ 11

Hale St Marks .................................. 8

Clergy Report ...................................... 5

Confirmations .................................... 48

Connections....................................... 43

Electoral Roll ..................................... 14

E-news ................................................. 21

Fabric

St George’s .................................... 23

St John’s .......................................... 24

St Mark’s ......................................... 24

Facebook ............................................ 21

Families Matter .................................. 46

Family Band ........................................ 35

Family Praise ...................................... 28

Farnham Deanery Synod ................ 14

Fellowship Group .............................. 37

Fete ....................................................... 20

Flowers

St George’s ..................................... 33

St John’s ........................................... 34

St Mark’s .......................................... 34

Funerals ............................................... 49

Harvest Supper .................................. 18

Lent Groups ....................................... 38

Licensed Lay Minister ....................... 39

Little Bees ........................................... 44

Magazine Report ............................... 22

Messy Church .................................... 30

Mindfulness ......................................... 47

Mothers Union .................................. 38

North Farnham Ministers Group .. 17

Older Youth Group ......................... 41

Open the Book .................................. 43

Parish Coffee Mornings ................... 19

PCC Secretary’s Report .................. 13

Questioning Faith .............................. 35

Quiz Evening ...................................... 17

Retired Clergy Report ....................... 8

Safeguarding ........................................ 15

School Report .................................... 42

Seasonal Craft Activities

St Georges ...................................... 45

St Marks ........................................... 46

St John’s Churchyard ....................... 25

St Mark’s Toddlers ........................... 45

Stewardship Secretary’s Report .... 14

Teacakes .............................................. 44

51

Thursday Coffee ............................... 43

Walk of Witness ............................... 16

Website .............................................. 21

Weddings ............................................ 49

Worship Group

St John’s ........................................... 27

Worship Group

St George’s ..................................... 27

Youth Group ...................................... 41

PARISH CLERGY, STAFF AND OFFICERS

Clergy:

The Revds Lesley and Alan Crawley

The Rectory, 25 Upper Hale Road 820537

Curate:

Revd Hannah Moore, 195 Eton Place 659267

Retired Clergy:

Revd John Innes, 67a Upper Hale Road 734597

Revd Canon John Evans, 4 Radford Close 710594

Churchwardens:

Bob Shatwell, 31 Glorney Mead, Badshot Lea GU9 9NL 314703

Carol Le Page, 12 Brooklands Close GU9 9BT 721094

Pamela Marsham, c/o The Parish Office, St Marks Centre GU9 0LT

Deputy Churchwardens:

Margaret Emberson, 94A Copse Avenue Farnham GU9 9DZ 409124

Maxine Everitt, 23 North Lane Aldershot GU12 4QF 318135

PCC Treasurer:

Sarah Kay

PCC Secretary:

Gemma Brown 319559