Newsletter March-May 2014
From the Manse
Dear All,
“Finishing Well” is the strapline of a course I have recently started and something very much on my mind as I type this, my penultimate newsletter.
The next 5 months will be about consolidating what we have done over these 11 years, and preparing for the change of minister. A busy time of review and prayer.
You, the West Horsley church family, have accomplished 3 amazing things in these 11 years:
(1) a fit for purpose (and low carbon footprint) building – quite an accomplishment for a small congregation;
(2) remaining outward looking even during the most intensive times of fundraising and change;
(3) holding together through times when the bulk of ministerial attention was in another part of the circuit.
However we have sorely missed the Pastoral Assistant work of John Lawn since his illness and death. And as Pastoral care is of key importance in Methodism, this is something we need to address.
The ‘heart’ of Christian mission must be a worshiping, caring community. Otherwise it is no different from any other charitable enterprise. We love because God first loves us. And our pastoral care, as with our building work, must be about more than just ourselves; it must be missional and encompass the needs of the community around us.
I truly believe that in order to thrive a church needs visible, locally based worship and pastoral leadership supporting the more circuit based role of a Methodist minister.
We now have three trained and recognised local Worship Leaders as well as two Local Preachers, who have recently shown just how valuable their training and roles can be in an emergency! But we need to make sure that they are an active part of shaping our regular worship as well.
And we still need to re-establish the pastoral and missional work done by John Lawn.
So this letter is a call to prayer….
Prayer of thanksgiving for all the amazing things that God has made possible so far.
And prayer for God’s direction and discernment for the ‘gaps’.
We are caretakers, not owners. Our church belongs to God and so our activities must reflect his love and concerns, and we can only be confident of doing that through active prayer lives.
So….. No time to waste, let the prayers begin!
And may Christ ever be our inspiration, and the Holy Spirit our support.
Yours in Christ,
Darlene
Family News
First, a big 'thank you' to Ruth who has gathered all the News for so long. You are a very hard act to follow! Apologies for any omissions this time. I will try to rectify them next time.
We welcome back Celia from her recent travels in India, and look forward to hearing all about what a wonderful time she has had.
David Spackman and his family came back from Japan for Christmas. They have settled well into a very different way of life.
Liz and Ted are looking forward to Tim's visit from Australia in the late spring to see the family and attend the wedding of his cousin in June.
We all enjoyed Darlene's last Covenant Service in January. Sadly this will be but one of a series of 'lasts' as we prepare for Darlene to hand over the reins to the capable hands of Asif in September. At the service, three new Worship leaders were commissioned and Heather, Di and Mike have already earned their spurs taking part in services and
prayers and, in the case of Heather, with John Lamont, organising the service in the absence of the preacher at very short notice. We are very grateful to them both for stepping into the breach.
It was good to see Jean Warman at the Covenant Service especially as she was well enough to stay for coffee and a chat afterwards. However, subsequent news has not been so good. Jean, now living with her daughter, had a fall and is currently in Frimley Park Hospital. Her daughter tells us she may be home next week and I am sure we all wish her a speedy recovery from this setback.
Keith is also in our thoughts and prayers and we welcome his presence among us once again.
We seem to be putting the floods behind us at last. Fortunately Horsley escaped the worst, but I'm sure we all have tales to tell of local detours and the dreaded potholes. The Bamber family had an interesting Christmas when Michael's business in Walnut Tree Close became a victim of the River Wey. The family spent Christmas Eve and most of Christmas Day moving equipment to the first floor of the building. It was, literally, all hands to the pump. Richard arrived from USA in the pouring rain, continued to get wet, and returned to the States as the Big Freeze started and temperatures sank to -40c.
Please let me know of any news. Meanwhile we look forward to the spring flowers and the promise of warmer, quieter weather.
Di
Local news
We are hosting the Women’s World Day of Prayer service at 2.00 on Friday 7th March. The service has been prepared by womenfrom Egypt and Darlene will be the speaker.
Church Charity: Street Angels in Guildford is our current main charity, and the focus for the 20p Smartie tubes.
The Number 5 Project received £107.50 from our Carol Praise evening, and the Christmas Day collection for Starlight amounted to £146.
Occasional Lunch The dates for the next occasional lunches will be Thursday 20th March and 15th May, after the coffee mornings.
The House Group will be meeting on Thursday February 27th at 7.00 at Di’s, when Margaret will use some of the IOTA material on Poverty and Development prepared by MRDF. Darlene will continue with this on March 27th. Future dates will be April 24th and May 22nd. Please Email or contact Di with suggestions for future meetings.
Fairtrade Fortnight will be taking place from 24th February to 9th March and we are planning to have a stall of goods.
Farewell to Darlene
Please note that there will be a Circuit Service, incorporating a farewell to Darlene, at 6.30 on Sunday 6th July , at Guildford St Mary’s. We will also have an opportunity to wish her well at a “drop-in” tea party in the Wesley Room on Saturday August 9th from 2.00 – 5.00.
Meet and make friends over soup and roll at the
LENT LUNCH on Saturday 8th March, 12.30-2.00
East Horsley Village Hall
Proceeds to Mary’s meals
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Service
April 18th @10.00am
Station Parade East Horsley, outside shops
Ecumenical Lent Discussion Groups 2014
This year there will be five discussion groups covering a variety of topics. This is an excellent time to meet people from the different denominations and exchange thoughts and ideas and grow in fellowship through friendship. The courses run for 5 weeks starting the week beginning March 10th.
Please contact the group leader to show you are interested either by phone or email as soon as possible.
- A poetry course ranging from Biblical times to our contemporary period.
Tuesday afternoons 2.30 Venue: Highbank, 19 The Street, West Horsley
Leader: June Davey Contact 01483 283646
- A course based around the novel and film Les Miserables. There will be a showing of the whole film on Feb 26th at 7.00.
Wed eves. 7.00 ,Venue: Canterbury Rooms, St Martins, East Horsley.
Leader: Rev’d Elizabeth Bussmann Contact. 01483
- A course using Henri Nouwen’s book The Return of the Prodigal Son and Rembrandt’s painting of the Prodigal Son.
Thurs eves 7.30, Venue: Batchelors Cottage, Long Reach, Ockham
Leader: Carol Binnie Contact 01483
- Exploring paintings from the Methodist Art Collection that reflect the Christian Story.
Tues eves 7.00 and Fri. afternoons 2.30, Venue: Wesley Room, Methodist Church, West Horsley
Leader: Margaret Faulkner Contact 01483 and Darlene.
- Music which evokes or reflects the events of Holy Week.
Fri afternoons 2.30, Venue: 1,Wilkie Cottages, Ockham Road South
Leader:Rev’d Sandy Conway Contact 01483 281497
The chair behind the pulpit
When you are next in Chapel spare a few minutes to look at the chair behind the pulpit. Bob Spackman has been wondering for some time about the lady who is commemorated in a plaque on this chair. The inscription reads “Eunice Fryer 1924-1955”.
Looking at the Reverend G.H. Flemington’s History 1876-1956 [originally on sale for one shilling !] we read that Mr and Mrs T.A. Fryer came to live at Lark Rise, Chalk Lane, in 1924. They were Baptists but decided to join the Methodists. Our Chapel had been at a low ebb but in 1922 the Sunday school was revived and at about this time the Willott family had also arrived. The Willotts lived close by in Chalk Lane and knew the Fryers well. These new members were to be very important for the Chapel.
Geoff Willott remembers Tom Fryer as a very strong supporter of the Chapel. He recalls an occasion when his father Horace was playing the organ and the congregation consisted of Tom Fryer, Geoff and his two brothers. Rev. Flemington wrote of him “Mr Fryer has been a tower of strength to the Cause through more than 30 years” and “what the Church owes to him will never be fully recorded.” Mr Fryer was a senior steward, Trust Treasurer from 1933 to 1938 and a local preacher. He was also superintendent of the Sunday school from 1955-8. Alan Willott calls him the “king-pin of the Chapel”. Alan remembers that Mr Fryer liaised with the Circuit, did a lot of planning, encouraged all in the Chapel and preached when the appointed person failed to appear. After the death of Eunice, Mr Fryer later married a widowed friend of Rene Denew. The wedding reception was held at Stan and Renee’s home.
Mrs Fryer suffered from ill health but she was also a Chapel trustee and worker for many years. Renee Denew writing for our newsletter in 1998 recalls that “the flowers were always arranged by a Mrs Fryer.........[no-one else would have dared to offer.]” Geoff thinks that in later times Eunice was often unable able to attend Chapel services because of her disability. When Mrs Fryer died her husband gave the chair to be placed within the Communion Rail in her memory
The records do not tell us any more of what she did for the Chapel, so this is as far as I have got in answering Bob’s question but perhaps this account will jog some more memories.
Circuit News
The Circuit Mission Supper will be held on Saturday, 1st March at Godalming at 6.30. The speaker will be Mike King, Vice-President of Conference 2012/13 and previously Head of Overseas Relations for the Methodist Church.
Wesley Day, Saturday 24th May James Strawson is hoping to raise enough support for a Circuit coach to include a visit to the new Museum of Methodism at Wesley's Chapel before going onto Evensong at St Paul's Cathedral. Please let Margaret know if you are interested.
GUILDFORD ST MARY’S EVENTS
Monthly coffee morning on 3rd Thursday of the month from 10.30 – 12.00.
Fast Food For Lent
15 minute reflections followed by a Bread & Soup Lunch, Thursdays 6 March – 17 April, 12.15 for 12.30
Fusion Meetings at 7.30, for refreshments:
26th March Revd Conrad Hicks, Assistant Chair for our section of the South East District
21st May The Islamic and Christian views of Mary
FACE TO FACE - a series of conversation conducted by Paul Hulme at Godalming United Church on Sunday evenings at 6.30pm.
23rd March: The Rt Revd George Stack, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Wales.
13th April the Rt Hon Baroness Virginia Bottomley, former secretary of State for Health.
22nd June The Rt Revd Lord Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury
13Th July The Very Revd Jane Hedges, Dean of Norwich Cathedral
March
Saturday 1st 6.30 Circuit Mission Supper at Godalming
Monday 3rd 2.00 Bible Study in the Wesley Room
Friday 7th 2.00 Women’s World Day of Prayer Service at WHMC
Saturday 8th 12.30 Lent Lunch in East Horsley Village Hall
Monday 17th 2.00 Bible Study in the Wesley Room
Thursday 20th 12.15 Occasional lunch in the Wesley Room
Sunday 23rd 6.30 Face to Face at Godalming
Wed 26th 7.30 Fusion at Guildford St Mary’s
Monday 31st 2.00 Bible Study in the Wesley Room
April
Friday 4th 9.30 Stewards’ Meeting
Sunday 13th 6.30 Face to Face at Godalming
Monday 14th 2.00 Bible Study in the Vestry
Friday 18th 9.15 Good Friday Meditation
Monday 28th 2.00 Bible Study in the Wesley Room
Wed 30th 7.30 Circuit Meeting at West Horsley
May
Monday 12th 2.00 Bible Study in the Vestry
Thursday 15th 12.15 Occasional lunch in the Wesley Room
Saturday 24th Wesley Day Circuit outing to London
Wed 21st 7.30 Fusion at Guildford St Mary’s
Sunday 6th July
6.30 a Circuit Service farewell to Darlene at Guildford St Mary’s.
Saturday 9th August
2.00 – 5.00 a “drop-in” farewell tea party in the Wesley Room