magazine may 2010

8/9/2019 Magazine May 2010

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FROM THE EDITOR

VICAR: The Rev Stephen Bowen,The Vicarage, Felbridge,

West Sussex RH19 2QT

Tel: 01342 321524;

Fax: 0870 9156268

[email protected]

Vicars day off: Thursday

ASSOCIATE MINISTER:

Michael Peach5 Burns Way, East Grinstead,

West Sussex RH19 1SA

Tel: 01342 312406

[email protected]

Michaels day off: Friday

JUNE: Articles for the JUNE Issue to be handed in by 16th MayPublication 30th May

Please e-mail your articles to [email protected] or put them inthe editors pigeon hole in the church entrance.

I AM always made to feel verywelcome when I return to St Johnsduring university holidays

We went to St Petersburg as a familylast weekend, and of course, visited theHermitage. After being stunned by thelavish interiors and numerouschandeliers, we found ourselves in acorridor full of boxes labelled fragile.And halfway down that corridor,having squeezed through gaps betweenthe boxesrather unsure whether wewere meant to be there at all, we cameacross a small cabinet of radiate-headedbrooches.

Now to most people, a radiate-headedbrooch is an unexceptional piece ofmetal. To me as a student of Anglo-Saxon archaeology, who happens to be

writing a project about a pair of thesebrooches from Cambridgeshire, thiscabinet was pure treasure. More thanthat, it was unexpected.

One can recall the parable of Jesusabout hidden treasure in Matt 13:44:The kingdom of heaven is like treasurehidden in a field. When a man found it,he hid it again, and then in his joy went

and sold all he had and bought thatfield.

Sarah Francis

Cover photo:Hydrangea by GordonWilkinson


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STEPHEN WRITES

DEAR FRIENDS,

For me May 6th means my brothersbirthday. On that day in 1953 a shoutcame down the stairs, Its a boy! Ihad no idea what they were talkingabout. In those days children were notinformed about such impending

events.I cant remember anything about thebaby, though I did get to know himbetter as the years passedbut I dohave very fond memories of theBayko construction set I was given asa consolation present.

This year May 6th has a different

meaning for us all. Something is dueto happen that day which will haveconsequences that will last for manyyears into the future. I doubt whetherthere will be many consolationpresents on offer, though!

There have been times when electionshave been held when there wereabsolutely clear issues of principle

between candidates, and Christianleaders have felt that it was right topoint that out to their congregations.

Most people would not feel it wasquite that clear-cut in our country atthe moment. There are people of highprinciples in all the main parties, andcommitted Christians among them.

So what should influence our choiceas we come to vote?

I would suggest the following:

(1) It is a Christian responsibilityto vote and we should exercise it.

(2) We should not just

unthinkingly vote the way we havealways voted in the past.

(3) We should not focus on whatmight benefit us or people like us, butwhat would be best for those in thegreatest need.

(4) We should recognize that weare voting for an individual MP, not

primarily for a Prime Minister or aparty. (This can raise difficult issuesif the individual we are drawn to votefor belongs to a party we do notsupport!)

(5) Christians should pray aboutthe way they vote and about theoutcome for the whole countryandwe should pray for those who are

elected, whether they were ourcandidate or not.

What would your list of principlesand priorities look like?

Yours sincerely,


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WHILE planning ahead this year Ihave been reflecting on how fashionsin gardening have changed. During thewar years and the forties and fifties,because of rationing and as we were alarge family, my father grew mainlyfruit and vegetables. I remember mygrandmothers scented garden full ofclarkia, pinks, lily-of-the-valley,snapdragons, violets, marigolds,wallflowers, larkspur, Sweet Williamand grannys bonnets. Then camedecking, grasses, gravel and waterfeatures. Now gardening has come fullcircle as more of us aim for the cottagegarden look and want to grow our own

organic vegetables. I believe there arenow more than 80,000 people waitingfor allotments.

The lovely hellebores have finishedflowering and will need a good feedand mulch. I have never had muchsuccess with clematis except clematisMontana which is so hardy and

rampant that even I can grow it. Afterflowering that will need a good tidy upand also feeding with a tomato feed formaximum flower power next year. Ihung the pheromone traps into the fruittrees earlier this year as last year westill had some maggots in the plums.Time too for feeding the lawn andtackling the moss.

We had a great show of primroses thisspring and some of the large clumpsneed to be divided. At its best thismonth with its pretty pendant bell-shaped flowers is the enkianthus - alsoknown as the pagoda bush which goeswell with rhododendron temple bells.Just occasionally we gardeners putthings into the garden with littleplanning and strike lucky. Thishappened with the climber actinidiakolmikta, or Chinese gooseberry,which was planted against a wall. It isvery spectacular at this time of the yearwith lovely pink and white heart-shaped leaves. Without thinking we

planted a paeony Bowl of Beauty infront of it to great effect because theyare the same colours and come intoflower together.

The garlic, shallots, onion sets andpotatoes are planted. The spinach andbeetroot are in and also the beans French, borlotti and runners. We havegiven up on carrots because oursalways fork or are very tiny. Howeverwe are fortunate to have a long south-facing wall where our tomato plants dovery well in growbags. Last year wehad a bumper crop of strawberries sonow is the time to put fresh strawunder the plants to prevent them rottingoff, and pick the rhubarb - so lots of

crumble!

Maureen Reynolds

IN THE GARDEN

Strawberries & Rhubarb


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Sundays8am Holy Communion (2nd & 4th Sundays in the month)10am Morning Service

Family Service (1st Sunday in the month)5pm Raise The Roof (3rd Sunday in the month)6.30pm Evening Service

Tuesdays12.45pm Food for Thought, Zion Church2pm WIfirst Tuesday of the month in the Village Hall

Wednesdays2pm Watercolouron Wednesdays

Thursdays10.30am WIGS at the Old Pheasantry, Woodcock Hill (home of June Clark)6.00-7.30pmJAFFAclub in the Church hall on the first Thursday of each month

Saturdays8am Prayer Breakfast on first Saturday morning in the Church Hall

REGULAR EVENTS

Through the week at St. Johns

Come and join a fun quiz and buffet supper to raise money forChristian Aid at St Lukes Church on Saturday 8th May 2010 at

7.00pm.

Teams of up to 6 people may enter - 6.00 per person please bring yourown drink & glasses. There will be a raffle.

Phone Pauline Cotton on 323633 to enter a team.


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JUST A BIG FISH?

Sermons in Jonah

THE STORY of the big fish swallowing Jonah mustbe one of the best known Old Testament Biblestories. But what is the rest of the story? And whathas it got to teach us now?

It is tempting to think of Jonah as just a childrens story, but while the eventsmight capture the imagination of the young, the teaching of the book is achallenge to us all. Jonah is about Gods authority and power over all things

and people, his authority to judge, and his wonderful mercy to those who askfor Gods forgiveness. It shows how Gods concern is not just limited tothose who are presently part of his people, but is for all people everywhere.

During May we all have the chance to spend some time in this challengingbook:

2nd May A Second Chance (Jonah Family Service)

9th May God is Lord of All (Jonah 1)

16th May Gods Mercy to Jonah (Jonah 2)

23rd May Gods Mercy to Nineveh (Jonah 3)

30th May Gods Concern for All (Jonah 4)

As well as sermons on Jonah all the childrens and youth groups are alsolooking at Jonah, so learning from Jonah will be a whole church activity!Hopefully this should provide lots of opportunities for chatting about what weare learning across all ages.

I do hope you will join us!Michael Peach


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WHATS HAPPENING

2nd May Family Service at 10am with Kevin Defriend

Holy Communion at 6.30pm with Stephen Bowen

9th May Holy Communion at 8am with Stephen BowenMorning Prayer at 10amwith Michael PeachEvening Prayer service at 6.30pm with Stephen Bowen

16th May Holy Communion at 10am with Stephen BowenRaise the Roof at 5pmEvening Prayer at 6.30pm with Andy Brown

23rd MayHoly Communion at 8am with Jack Baker

Pentecost Morning Prayer at 10am with Stephen BowenEvening Prayer at 6.30pm with Michael Peach

30th May Holy Communion at 8am with Rev. Richard AdfieldMorning Prayer at 10am with Andy BrownEvening Prayer at 6.30pm with Don Ely

Forthcoming Events

1st May 8am Prayer Breakfast15th May 8.30am Mens Breakfast

22nd May Day of Prayer

19th June Village Fair

17th July Fun Scarecrow Competition at Whittington College

A fun action-packed evening for children in school years 3-6

Meetings on the first Thursday of the month

6th May, the Church Hall, 6-7.30pm

Lots to do Bible teaching, games and craft

For details of how to apply to join contact Diane Francis(01342 714575)

(Jesus a friend for all)


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OTHER EVENTS

Organised by Churches Together and Justice & Peace

Date Location Event

Wednesdays5th, 12th and19th May

JubileeCommunityCentre

Family Support Work3 mornings (10am - 1pm) ofFREE training for volunteers to help a professionalsocial worker in East Grinstead provide help forfamilies. Contact David on 07795 104235 orwww.familysupportwork.org.uk

Saturday 8th

May

St Lukes

Church

Quizaid evening and buffet supper in support of

Christian Aid at 7.00pm. Teams of up to 6 peoplemay enter - 6.00 per person - please bring yourown drink & glasses. There will be a raffle. PhonePauline Cotton on 323633 to enter a team.

Sunday 30thMay Monday31st May

Wiston HouseWest Sussex(off the A283betweenWashington(A24) andSteyning

Big Church Day Outgates open 11.00am, event2.00 to 10.00pm. Line-Up includes HillsongUnited, Switchfoot, Toby Mac (Dc Talk), IsraelHoughton, Tim Hughes (Worship Central), BrentonBrown, Graham Kendrick, Lou Fellingham, Tom &Olly, Lz7,The Kings Chamber Orchestra, StuartPendred and Trent

Sunday 13thJune

Our Lady & StPeter

Homelessness Service at 6.00pm on a theme ofsocial concern

Saturday 19thJune (Daytime)

East Grinstead Street collection for the homeless (Crawley OpenHouse, Easter Team and Worthing ChurchesHomeless Project). St Johns to help collect from2.00 to 3.00pm

Saturday 19th

June (Nighttime)

East Grinstead

High Street

Sponsored sleep outfor the homeless by church

members and teenagers

Friday 23rdJuly

All SaintsChurch,Crowborough

Concertby Nigar (a 15 year old Azerbaijani) at7.00pm in aid ofWorld in Needraising funds for a4-wheel-drive vehicle to enable their director,Tofiq, to travel the vast distances across the countryto visit all their sponsored families.World In Need (WIN) is a Christian organisationseeking to help men, women and children in someof the most disadvantaged areas in the world, toovercome the suffering, poverty and difficulties thatthey face in their daily lives.


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FELBRIDGE WILDLIFE

IF YOU FEEL that life is too short,consider the Mayfly. Emerging froma crawling larval state underwateron a warm May morning, it matesthe same evening, the femaledrops her eggs into the water andboth male and female die the same

day. No wonder its scientific nameis Ephemera. There are somearound the village pond, but bequick or they'll be dead. A fewhoney bees are buzzing aroundagain and when the foragingworkers return to the hive theyperform an intricate dance whichindicates to fellow workers thedistance and direction of the sourceof pollen so that they can make abee-line for it. It's all done bywiggles and waggles.

Queen bumble bees are cruisingvery low around the lawn edgesand neglected piles of leaves,seeking potential nest sites. Theearly ones have white bottoms, and

the ones with orange or red endsare now appearing.

Jackdaws are shouting down ourchimney again and quarrellingabout sticks with which to buildtheir nests, as are the rooks besideWoodcock Hill. The crow familyhave all learned how to get freemeals from rubbish left at

roadsides. In the IngoldsbyLegends the jackdaw stole the

Whirligigs and Waggle DancersCardinal's ring, and Rossini madean overture to the thievingmagpie, so their opportunism hasalways been legendary.

On the slow moving parts of theFelwater, a dozen whirligig beetlesare dashing around in circles.

Their tiny shiny black bodies andeyes adapted to see under water,enable them to pick up even tinierbodies of insects that have fallenin.

In the Hedgecourt NatureReserve, there are carpets of thegreen and yellow flowers of

moschatel between the whitewood anemones and wood sorrel.These small flower heads arealmost cubic in shape, givingmoschatel the nickname TheTown Hall Clock.

A common shrew lay dead on theboardwalk, its dark Winter coathaving been replaced by paler

brown fur. Perhaps an untimelycasting of its clout. A pair of greatcrested grebes were towing a reedtwice their body length to buildtheir nest. Chiffchaffs, a swallowand a blackcap were all present atLeonardslee, plus a fine roe buckthat galloped past us across awoodland glade. This magnificent

300 acre estate will close to thepublic on 30th. June. Go now


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CHURCH CENTRE FUNDRAISING

while the magnificent bluebells andshrubs are in bloom and thewallabies have their 'Joeys'. LowerBeeding is less than a half hour

drive from Felbridge. It may be alast chance to see one of theglories of South East England.

Spring Clean Note - Intensive

feeding of garden birds through theWinter has left a legacy of diseases,particularly among greenfinches. Dotake down and thoroughly disinfect

all bird feeders, drinkers and birdtables. Most pet shops will advise.

Peter Bateman

Village Fair Saturday 19 th June

BE PART OF THE COMMUNITYcome and join us at the village fair. StJohns will be running several stalls as usual, money raised will go towardsthe building project. The following stalls need your help:

BOOK & PUZZLE STALL: Lis & Ron Woolley would like tohave good, clean modern paperbacks and puzzles.

BOTTLE TOMBOLA: Cecilia Bliss and Ann Morley wouldlike your donations of any bottles (wine, tomato sauce,beer, etc.). There will be a labelled box at the back of thechurch from the beginning of May to put your bottles in,or let Cecilia or Ann have them.

Anybody who would like to run a stall for the Church or has a good idea forone, please contact Lis Woolley Tel: 01342 300356. We always need asmuch help as possible and the day is great fun.

The Fundraising Team would also like to thank everybody who supportedthe New Harmonie Concert; a wonderful 565 was raised towards theBuilding Fund.

Cecilia Bliss


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BEFORE you put the cross on yourballot form at the General Election on6th May, Tearfund asks us to checkwhether your party of choice hasprioritised the following five topics.

Urgent action on climate change to

secure a fair, ambitious and bindingglobal deal in 2010; achieve at least a42% cut in UK carbon emissions by2020; and the ensure the UKs fairshare of providing US$200 billion ayear in climate finance that is neededby developing countries.

Strong leadership to drive forward

progress on sanitation andwater and action on other MillenniumDevelopment Goals. Our Departmentfor International Development saysthat sanitation, is one of the most off-track MDG targets and that watermanagement is critical in helping poorpeople adapt to climate change. DFIDmust continue to be supported in its

commitment to spend 1 billion tohelp 25 million people in Africa gainaccess to clean water and sanitation.

Renewed action to tackle HIV,including support for greaterparticipation by pharmaceuticalcompanies in the so-called UNITAIDPatent Pool, to help achieve universalaccess to antiretroviral drugs in poorcountries. The willingness of majorcompanies to give up their monopoly

Election issuesfive things to think about

CURRENT ISSUES

rights to Aids drugs andallow the production of cheaper genericshas the potential to save millions oflives.

Tackling corruption, by developing anew cross-Whitehall strategy to address

the underlying factors which fuelcorruption. Action is needed by UKgovernment to update laws concerningthe bribery of foreign officials and to takeinternational corruption seriously.Corruption takes money out of thepockets of the poor.

A pledge to enshrine in law the cross-

party commitment of spending 0.7% ofGross National Income on OverseasDevelopment Assistance from 2013, andsupport for mechanisms to raiseadditional finance for aid and climatechange adaptation, including a RobinHood tax on financial transactions.

This election is YOUR opportunity tospeak up for global justice. Pray for a

new intake of MPs who are committed toaction on climate change, internationaldevelopment, and tackling HIV.Following the expenses scandal, pray forMPs to be elected who are committed torepresenting their constituencies withhonesty and integrity, and who canrestore public faith in the democraticprocess.

Gordon Wilkinson


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IT IS NOW over 3 months since thedevastating earthquake in Haiti.Tearfund relief teams and its church-based partners have been workingaround the clock ever since. Churchesand individuals have entrustedTearfund with a staggering 6 million

towards the relief and rebuilding workin Haiti.

Tearfund would like to thank everyonefor their generosity, which is enablingit to fulfil Jesus call to bind up thebroken hearted. Work in the capital,Port au Prince, is continuing to growin partnership with many other aidagencies, It was decided to target

remote and cut-off highlandcommunities, which were attractingless attention, so assessment teamswere sent in and in many cases theywere the first aid agency staff to reachthem. A young mother, Sylvia Sherry,who has a one year old baby, toldthem that she was sleeping undercoconut leaves. and 67-year old

Miracle Joses said that he and his ninegrandchildren had been sleeping out inthe open and that the plastic sheetsthey had given him would change hislife. As you can imagine, thesemoving stories are multiplied acrossHaiti.

Twenty five tons of essential supplieswere flown in using UN helicoptersand 1,800 families were given shelterand tarpaulins to meet their immediate

Tearfundan update on Haiti

CHARITY UPDATE

needs. They are now working with 25schools to get them re-established.Tearfunds five church partners arenow working in towns and villages in20 locations providing food, water,shelter and sanitation to thousands ofdisplaced people as well as offering

health education. Funding provided toKings Hospital is enabling thousandsof injured people to be treated and toreceive counselling. Small loans arebeing given to help restart businesses.The scale of the operation is huge, butGods grace is in evidence throughsupporters prayers and generosity,through complex logistics falling into

place, in the smiles of orphanedchildren when they are given shelter,and through the way that localchurches are working with Tearfunddespite their own losses. The workisnt done yet, its a race against timeto provide corrugated sheeting andtimber for families to constructadequate shelters. The rainy season is

starting now and it is relentless, but sois the love of God. Please continue topray, the headlines have moved on, butthe hurting hasnt. Thank you for yoursupport.

Brenda Wilkinson


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WHY BELIEVE?

St Johns members tell us what its like to follow Jesus. This week

we interview Jon Toogood

CAN YOU tell us a little about

yourself?Hello, my name is Jon Toogood, I ammarried with two rapidly growingchildren and work at a small post-production facility in Soho, London. I

was born and brought up in London,and lived in the West End for 22 yearsbefore moving down to Surrey sixyears ago.

How did you become a

Christian?I grew up in a loving, Christian home,where my father was the minister of

our local church, so attending churchon a Sunday was something I hadalways done. Not long before my15thbirthday I spent two weeks on aFellowship of Youth Christianholiday, held at a boarding school inNorth Wales, whilst the pupils were ontheir summer break. About 120 youngpeople attended each year, from

churches all over the country. Greatfriendships were made, and days werespent using the facilities with theswimming pool, tennis courts andfootball pitches being particularfavourites! In the evenings there wouldbe an hour-long service, much like ourSunday morning services at St Johns.One particular night the sermon was

on Jesus death on the cross, and Hisresurrection, conquering death once

and for all something I had heardabout many, many times in my life.But this night was different. For thefirst time it was personal. For the firsttime I felt guilty that Jesus had diedon the cross not just for others butfor ME! How amazing, that the Son

of God had left the splendour ofheaven, and died for me, 2000 yearsbefore I was even born! That night Iasked Jesus to forgive me for all thewrong I had done in my life, andasked Him to be my Lord andSaviour.

How does being a

Christian affect your day to

day life?Being a Christian doesnt give me anautomatic get out of jail card for allthe things in life Id rather not have todeal with. I still have to face the sameproblems as everyone else, buttrusting in Jesus means I never haveto face anything alone. Nothing is toogreat or small for Him to deal with.Whether its concerns over the careand health of loved ones, or worriesover redundancy or paying the bills, Ican leave it all in His care, and knowthat He has a plan and purpose for mylife. I can say with absolute certaintythat, unlike me, God is totallyreliable. He has never let me down,and God NEVER makes mistakes.


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JUST BEFORE Easter LouiseRussell challenged St Johns toundertake twenty four hours ofprayer. This was an amazingexperience for those who attendedand one that we would like torepeat again.

Several people commented that itwas wonderful to see the church litup in the early hours of the morningas they arrived to pray. There wasa sense of peace in and around thechurch and it was possible towander around the church, takingin the prayers that had been posted

on the walls, gazing upon thebeautiful stained glass windows,pray silently or aloud with others.There were times for children toactively join in as well and thesewere generally noisier prayerperiods, when the children praisedGod skipping down the aisle andjumping into hoops as well as

decorating candles and plantingseeds. The 24 hours culminated inlively worship, with Jake on drumsand the little ones rattling theirnewly made instruments raucously.

We loved it so much, that we wouldlike to invite each member of StJohn's to join us in praying for thecommunity of Felbridge at

Pentecost on the weekend of22nd/23rd May.

A little nearer the time there will bea timetable explaining exactly whatwill be happening and when, withspace for you to sign up. It wouldbe great if at least one personcould be praying every minute ofthe twenty four hours.

We are intending to replicate theinformality of the previous event; inthat you will be welcome to come tothe church and pray as you wish -through the Bible verses andprayers provided or by praying withothers if two or more of you arepresent, or by simply enjoying

being in God's presence. We arealso hoping to run a couple ofprayer workshops at certain timesof the day, which you will be able tosign up for in due course and toopen the church up to visitors.Details will be available on thechurch website and at the back ofchurch. You are welcome to sign

up for as many or as few prayerslots as you like.

As the church will be open tovisitors during part of the day onSaturday, please also considerwhether you would be willing to beavailable to pray or talk with visitorsif the opportunity arose. It would befantastic of the whole of St Johns

could get involved!

Lindsey Saunders

BE STILL AND KNOW

Twenty four hours of prayer


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CHURCH CENTRE PROJECT

Church Centre - Progress

Tasks are currently onprogramme.

Spend is currently belowbudget.

The Architect is inviting further

quotations for (a) an asbestossurvey and (b) a detailed batsurvey during the summerseason (a condition imposed byTandridge District Council), asprevious quotes considered toohigh.

The process for separating outthe budget costs for the revisedphasing is in hand.

Fabric Team has finalised theconfiguration of the doubleglazing for the hall windowsand doors.

Preparation has begun for thesubmission of an application fora faculty to the Diocese for the

replacement hall windows anddoors.

Church Centre - Forecast

Tasks may slip if technicalsurveys not completed by endof July in order for DesignDevelopment to commence inAugust.

The Finance Team to involvesomeone with construction

experience to review theProject Budget.

The Architect to receive furtherquotations for the asbestossurvey and bat survey.

Order to be placed for the

double glazing for the hallwindows and doors.

Faculty application to besubmitted.

Other Projects - Progress

Comments on the DiocesanArchitects proposals for thecar park were submitted. Thecomments included items toimprove the function of the carpark.

A surveyor from SurreyCouncil Highways [SCH] hasmarked out the location of thedropped kerb by the northgate.

Other Projects - Forecast

Quotations are being invitedfrom local contractors (who areon an approved SCH list) todrop the kerb.

Humpty Dumpty playgroup iswaiting for the replacementchildrens chairs.

John Grainger (Chair CCPT)

Progress Report: April 2010


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FUN SCARECROW COMPETI TI ON

In aid of St Johns Building Fund

Sat urday, 17 t h J u ly a t Whi t t ingt on Col lege, Fe lbr idge

2pm 4p m

Prize g iv ing at 3.30pm

Individuals, families and organisations are invited to display ascarecrow in the beautiful gardens of Whittington College and enjoyan Afternoon Tea whilst visitors vote for their favourite one.

Cake and produc e s t a l l

2.00 ent ry fee

Return your en t ry fo rm to t he Scarecrow com pet i t ion s ta l l

a t t he Felbr idge V i l lage Fa i r on Saturday 19 t h June or no

la te r than 26 t h June to : Cec i l ia B l iss , Merr iw ood

Farm , New Dom ew ood, Copthorne, Surrey. RH10 3HE

................................................................................

Surname.......................................................Forenames..........................................................

Organisation............................House name/number/Street................................................................................................................................................

.Town............................................................................

Postcode.....................................................................Email............................................................................................................................Tel.

No..........................................................Name of Scarecrow......................................................................

Height.......................................................2 entry fee per scarecrow enclosed......................


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AT ST JOHNS we support a numberof organisations and individualsundertaking Gods work in differentways. This month we want to updateyou on the work UCCF and NatashaKasprowicz, who we have beensupporting for several years.

UCCF is a family of students, staff,and supporters. Christian Unions are

mission teams operating in universities

and colleges, supported by the local

church, and resourced by UCCF staff.

This family exists to proclaim the

gospel of Jesus Christ in the student

world.

UCCF works with over 200 ChristianUnions across Great Britain. TheUCCF vision is to give every studentan opportunity to hear and respond tothe gospel of Jesus Christ.

In her latest newsletter Natashaexplained that it was a busy start to theyear with the London-wide FREE

project in January. The event sawChristian Unions across the capitalunite for a joint university missionweek for the first time since 1935.There are 500,000 students in thecapital. And London has moreinternational students than any othercity in the world. Its a huge missionfield! London CUs range in size from

6-60 people. Impacting campuses withthe Gospel is a massive task!

All CUs then came together for aseries of three evening events, held atAll Souls church. The Gospel wasclearly proclaimed by RichardCunningham who spoke from thegospel of John. His talks comprised:FREE to live - can I live life to the

full? FREE from guilt - can the slate

be wiped clean? and FREE from death- what lies beyond the grave?.

Natasha writes that it was an enormousjoy to have students, graduates, andchurch workers serving together toshare the Gospel with Londonsstudents. Many stories of studentswhose lives were transformed by the

Gospel came out of the missionweek.

Other news from Natasha includes thatshe will be taking over as LondonTeam Leader in the summer andattended Passion 2010, a conference inthe USA for over 20,000 students.

If you would like to be kept informedof Natashas work through hernewsletters and emails please sendyour contact details to Dan and Suzy

Callaway.

The Christian Unions and Natasha Kasprowicz

UCCF


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FAMILY LIFE

together (remember I hate sewing) andthe night before Benjamin is due towear the costume, I try to pin these vastpieces of material, which seem to coverthe whole living room floor like a lake,together. This is when I realise thatthere is in fact far too much materialand manage to make Benjamin lookmore like an Egyptian mummy than aRoman in a toga.

So, I go back to square oneget thefirst sheet out, wrap it around him anddecide to make do with that. Thatwould have been fine, if I had notneeded to sew red ribbon around theentire edge of the 2 metre sheet (I hatesewing!). Four hours later, however, at1:30 in the morning I have finally

managed to sew 4 metres of red ribbonaround at least two edges of the sheet.So, I go to bed, satisfied that I have atlast accomplished the dreadful task.

In the morning, however, I realise that Ihave not thought how to attach thesheet to Benjamin to stop it falling offand I cant find any safety pins. Its 8oclock already and Chris is going to

be late for work! However, I didntmarry an ex-Scout for nothing. Fromout of nowhere my husband producessome safety pins, with which we areable to pin Benjamin together. Thecostume was saved and Benjamin didnot have to suffer any embarrassmentfor his mothers incompetence. Themoral of the story: dont put off til

tomorrow what can be done today!

Lindsey Saunders

At Benjaminsschool class 3 arelearning about theRomans and justbefore the end ofterm theirhomework was tomake a Romancostume. Well, itwasnt so muchtheirhomework as

my homework it was not just anyRoman costume, but one designed byBenjamina toga with a red rimaround the edge. Unfortunately thiswasnt available on e-baywhycouldnt he have chosen to be asoldier?

If I tell you that I am absolutelyuseless at sewing, you will perhapssympathise with my predicament andimagine how enthralled I was whenBenjamin came home with thisparticular homework. Now when Idont want to do something, I have avery bad habit of putting it off, andthis is what I did in this case. Even

though we were told about a month inadvance what we needed to do, Istarted thinking about the costumeonly a week before the event.

Unfortunately I didnt actually getaround to fitting the sheet to Benjaminuntil a day before the event andhaving removed it from thepackaging, I decided that it wasnt big

enough. So I traipsed back to theshop, bought two flat sheets to sew


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VILLAGE MATTERSFelbridge W.I. held their Spring Show on Tuesday 13th April in the Village

Hall.Twenty eight members put in a total of 149 entries in a choice of twentytwo classes.

Joint winners of the show were Gladys Emblem and Jean Blakestone. Thedoors opened at 12 pm and everyone stayed over the lunch period and itwas a very enjoyable afternoon.

Next month we will be discussing a Resolution on product labelling, with asocial time afterwards.

We have provisionally booked a coach to Worthing for Wednesday 30thJune at a cost of 17. Please let me know if you are interested. 322302

Notes from Ken Harwood and Parish Council Minutes.

If you have any problems with compensation over potholes please contactKen.

There was an incident where a house was broken into whilst owners were

on holiday. Now that summer is here please be careful with openedwindows and garden doors.

A 30mph speed limit sign is to be installed for the Eastbound traffic on the264 in the near future.

The entrance to the Village Hall car park has been widened and carparking spaces designated.

A planning application has been submitted for a BMK track for the olderchildren. Funding for this will be needed.

A free-standing perch has been ordered for the Copthorne Road busshelter.


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THE WORSHIP SERVICERaise the Roof is a fun, action-packed service,

presenting Jesus message through music,dance drama and dancing. The next service is

on:

Sunday 16th MayRehearsal 3.15pm Scrummy tea 4.30pm

Service 5-5.40pm

If youd like to join in playing an instrument, acting, dancing or singing -

young or old, beginner or pro - contact Kris Defriend on 01342 312788 [email protected].

PARISH COUNCILMEETING

On 6th May at 7.30pm

In the Village Hall

FELBRIDGE WI NEEDS

YOU!

So why dont you come along on

the 1st Tuesday of every month.

Meetings start at 1.30pm at

Felbridge Village Hall

Speakers, Competitions, Outings,Raffles and much more

CHURCH OPEN DAYSaturday 22nd May

11am3pmCome and look round your vil lage church

Even if you are not a regular member of St Johns you are welcome to look aroundthe church, sit in silence or pray. If there is something you would like us to pray for,then someone will be available to pray with you or you are welcome to submit anyprayer requests in a box at the front of the church if you would like someone else topray for you.


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CHURCH FAMILY NEWS

News and Thanks

At the APCM last month Steve Granger was elected as church warden toreplace Malcolm Francis and Anne Butler was re elected. Gill Matson, JimFarrant, Chris Saunders, Peter Burton and Malcolm Francis were allelected to the PCC. Our thanks to them. Many thanks to those whose timeof office had come to an end including Malcolm Francis who served for fiveyears as church warden. We are glad he has agreed to serve on the PCC.Welcome to the new ones. Please give all the PCC your prayerful support.

David Legg is to be the new electoral roll officer and we thank Brian Starrfor having been the officer for several years and also for updating uselectronically !!

Betty McAulay would like to thank the church family for the lovely flowersshe received, which were a heart warming gift.

Thelma Manning would like to thank the Church family for your prayers,cards, beautiful flower arrangement and good wishes following heroperation, which have been a great comfort to both her and Mick.

June Clark would like to express her gratitude for the prayers and lovelyflowers given to her during her illness, which encouraged her during herrecovery.

Many thanks indeed to the church family for the beautiful moth orchid thatwas delivered for Easter. It is full of bud and promise of more lovely goldenblooms to come. Perhaps this is like an illustration of the church being fullof promise to bring glory to God!? It is lovely and we shall all enjoy it allvery much indeed not only for Easter (I hope!!) but for a long time to come.Love, Mandy

I was both surprised and delighted to receive the beautiful container ofspring flowers given to me at the APCM. It was said to be a `long-serviceaward` for being Hon: Verger! The flowers are thriving in the long-awaitedsunshine and are giving me great pleasure. A very big THANK YOU to

Stephen, Mandy and the Church Family. Ann Morley


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Many thanks to Brian Starr who diagnosed and cured the cooker in the hall!It is great to have the possibilities of both ovens working now.

Dear Family at St Johns,

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw so many of you at AlasdairsThanksgiving service on April 1st. Some of you will know what a comfort andencouragement it is when you find that old friends are still there to supportand stand beside you when life is tough. There were others too who couldntbe here on Thursday but sent cards, as well as quite the most beautifulflower arrangement which had arrived earlier in the week from the St Johnsfamily.

I know that your support too has been with Alasdair and me over the last two

years as we experienced the many disappointments of treatments lookingpromising but never quite good enough to push him into remission. We haveso appreciated the many prayers you have offered on our behalf and oftenwe have felt carried on the prayers of others when we have struggled toknow how to pray ourselves.

Thank you is a very inadequate word to express our gratitude but it cer-tainly comes from a heart full of thankfulness to God for you all.

I hope Felbridge folk will continue to call in and see me on their journeys up

and down the M11. Hinxton makes a very good pit stop on journeys north!

Every blessing,

Margaret

Congratulations

Congratulations to John and Jenny Follett who have a new grandchild: a boy

born to their daughter Jo and her family.

New address

Lis Woolley (formerly Lis Scott) has moved home. For her new addressemail [email protected] or telephone 01342 321524

Margaret Malcolms contact details can be obtained from the office byemail: [email protected] or telephone: 01342 321524.


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CHURCH REGISTER

ThanksgivingA service of Thanksgiving was held for Heidi Ely on 20th March 2010

WeddingSarah Louise Turner to David Simon Merchant on April 3rd 2010

DID YOU KNOW 1/3 of your household waste could be used for composting?Composting is a natural process that transforms your kitchen and garden waste intovaluable and nutrient rich food for your garden, for free. Anyone with outside spacecan compost at home, and its easy to make and use.

All you need to do is provide the right ingredients and let nature do the rest.

The Surrey Waste Partnership (which is made up of Surrey County Council and the11 district and borough councils in the county) is offering home composting bins atfantastic prices, starting from 14.00 (RRP 39.00), to encourage more residents tocompost at home.

Even if you do compost already, there maybe a few extra things you could put in.For example: empty cereal packets and egg boxes; fruit scraps and vegetablepeelings; tea bags and coffee grounds; vacuum bag contents and even vegetarian petbedding, are in fact great ingredients to make compost. Mix this in with gardenwaste such as old flowers and nettles; wood chippings and straw; twigs and driedleaves, and you have the perfect recipe. When it is finished the compost will be likea fine soil, ready to use.

Use it on flower beds and vegetable plots, for patio planters, hanging baskets andeven window boxes. Compost keeps your plants growing healthily, by improving

soil structure and fertility, maintaining moisture levels and keeping your soils PHbalance in place.

Composting at home is the easiest way to recycle your waste because you can do itat home, in your own time. It takes little space and effort, and it's so rewarding.Once you start, youll be surprised to see just how much the waste in your kitchenbin goes down, by putting suitable waste items into the compost bin instead.

Spring into composting and make the most of the waste you throw away.

To buy a bin or to dig up more advice on how to turn your table scraps and gardenwaste into compost, visit www.surreycc.gov.uk/getcomposting or call 0844 5714444

SPRING INTO COMPOSTING AT HOME


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PEST CONTROL SERVICESWasps, flies, fleas. All types of rodents and vermin 01342 321373

BUTCHERARTHUR FRY, Lingfield Road, East Grinstead 01342 323225

CHIMNEY SWEEPMILBORROW & JOYNES, The Flueologists 01342 717900All Flues and Appliances Swept and Serviced. Pots, Cowls,

Caps, Birdguards. Fireplace Repairs, Stacks Repointed

FUNERAL DIRECTORSR MEDHURST, Vine House, Hartfield 01892 770253Caring family firm; home visits; 24 hour service. 01342 315880Memorials arranged: Golden Charter pre-paid Funeral Plans

GARAGE & CAR REPAIRS, MOTs & COACHESWOODCOCK HILL SERVICE STATION, London Road, Felbridge 01342 326213

01342 325544

KOINONIA COUNSELLINGMarriage problems, bereavement, depression, eating disorders etc

Jacqueline Lake (ACC Accredited) 01342 718948

TV SALES, SERVICE & INSTALLATIONSPanasonic Specialists. Plasma, LCD, Multiroom Systems, Aerial & Satellite.Scott Brothers, 178 London Road, East Grinstead. 01342 321117

R J LONGHURST TV-VIDEORepairsSales and Home Tuning. LCD, Plasma, CRT TVsplus DVD, CD and microwaves

17 Hillside Close, East Grinstead RH19 2DW 01342 323022

PAINTERS & DECORATORSD G GURR. Over 30 years experience; Professional and reliableSpecialising in wallpaper hanging. Call for free advice and estimate 01342 321051

CLARINET LESSONSElaine Short CT ABRSM 01342 327563


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USEFUL CONTACTS

Churchwardens: Anne Butler 01342 313640e-mail: [email protected]

Stephen Granger 01342 312103e-mail: [email protected]

Treasurer: Chris Saunders 01342 325662e-mail: [email protected]

PCC Secretary: Sheila Drury 01342 323865e-mail: [email protected]

Magazine Editor: Lindsey Saunders 01342 325662e-mail: [email protected]

Cleaning Rota: Carole Grainger 01342 325482

Ministry of Flowers: Ann Morley 01342 714645e-mail: [email protected]

Church Hall Bookings: Sally Hobbs 01342 410929

Church Office (closed on Thursdays) 01342 321524

Village Hall Bookings: Lynda Railton 01342 322205

CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE ACTIVITIESClimbers (3-6 yrs): Lindsey Saunders 01342 325662

e-mail: [email protected]

Explorers (Year 2 to 4): Diane Francis 01342 714575e-mail: [email protected]

Light Eagles (Year 5+): Dan and Suzy Callaway 01342 321658e-mail: [email protected]

Parish Safeguarding Officer Chris Ely 01342 311614e-mail: [email protected]

Rainbows, Brownies & Guides Ann Tucker 01342 317283e-mail: [email protected]


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magazine may 2010

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