Churches Together in Bookham

Christmas 2016

News from the Churches in Bookham

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Remembrance - 11 November

C hristmas is often fantastically busy. Sometimes it can even seem as if it is too busy. And yet, if in the busyness we dare to

find time to pause, reflect on the good news of God in human form, and join in worship with others, our Christmas experience will be all the richer. Details of all local services are on pages 4-5. You would be truly welcome.

May God be your strength and joy this Christmas.

Alan Jenkins - St Nicolas church

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Bookham Traders and Churches Together invite you to enjoy the festivities at

Bookham’s Christmas Late Night Opening On Thursday 8

December from 6.00pm until 8.30pm

The High Street and Church Road (to Fife Way) will be closed to traffic for this event.

This year's theme is ‘A Right Royal Christmas’ and we will be

inviting our traders to reflect this in their window displays As always there will be a warm welcome in our shops and

in the churches

With plenty happening inside and out - including carol singing, storytelling and drama.

Inside the churches you will discover Santa's Grotto, decorated trees, stalls and activities for children

See you there!

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Bookham Baptist Church

Sunday 18 December 3.00 - Christmessy Celebration for children 4.30pm up to 7 years with parents or carers

6.00pm Community Carol Service (candlelit) – a creative blend of traditional and modern

Christmas Eve 11.00pm Holy Night Service with Communion Christmas Day 10.00am Christmas Day Family Service

St Nicolas Church

Sunday 18 December 4.00pm Mince Pies and at 4:30, a contemporary Christmas celebration with stories and activities for all ages

6.30pm A service of Bible readings and carols with choir Christmas Eve 2.00pm and A half hour service of carols and 3.00pm activities, suitable for younger children of 7 and under

4.30pm and A longer (one hour) carol service with 6.00pm candles, suitable for older children and adults

11.30pm Midnight Communion Christmas Day 8.00am Holy Communion, tradition language

10.00 am A one-hour all-age Holy Communion to celebrate the joy of Christmas

Our Christmas Services

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Eastwick Road Church

(United Reformed)

Sunday 18 December 10.30am Carol service (with crèche and activities for children) Christmas Day 10.30am Short Christmas Family service followed

by mince pies and mulled wine

Our Lady of Sorrows, Effingham and Holy Spirit, Fetcham

Our Lady of Sorrows

Christmas Eve 6.00pm Christmas Mass

Christmas Day 9.00am Christmas Mass

Holy Spirit

Christmas Eve 9.00pm Christmas Mass

Christmas Day 10.30am Christmas Mass

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Eastwick Road Church (URC) Messy Church

13 December 3.15 - 5.30pm ………. Christmas activities

Voluntary donation of £2.50 per child includes refreshments,

craft and a meal.

More details at www.bookham urc.org.uk/fmessy-church

Bookham Baptist - Oasis

W e have had a wonderful year at Oasis. It takes place on the second Friday of

the month (excluding school holidays) at Bookham Baptist Church from 2-4.30pm. Trained therapists offer: neck, shoulder and back massage; foot massage; hand massage; and nail painting. Home made cakes, drinks and a chocolate fountain are available. Babies and children are catered for by a crèche area

and crafts and from 3.30pm 'Little Haven' runs for school aged children with crafts and games. Someone gives a short talk and publicises upcoming events. It's a wonderfully relaxed environment for people to meet up with friends or meet new people. We have a regular group of people attending but see new faces each month. It's a great opportunity to share God's love with our community. Please come along and see what we're up to!

Our next event is our annual Christmas evening on Friday 2 December 7.30-9.30pm. Tickets are available on the night or in advance from the BBC church office for £5.

There's no day time meeting in December so our next regular Friday afternoon will be on 13 January. Liz Featherstone

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The Nativity Tour Coming this Advent...

An interactive journey through the Christmas

Story for families to enjoy together.

The Tour Dates At some of these events the next “leg” of the tour will be the focus, at

others it will just be part of the fun. There will be displays in Church about each section of the Nativity Tour between the “Tour-leg dates”

given below.

1. Gabriel’s message: 3rd December A baby is coming!

2 to 4pm @ Christmas Family Fun (during story time at 3pm)

2. O’ Little Town of Bethlehem: 8th December No room at the inn but the baby is born.

6pm onwards @ Late Night Shopping (follow the signs, find the inn & find us in the Pastoral Centre)

3. While Shepherds Watched: 18th December The angels give the shepherds some news...

4.30pm @ StNicolas4All-Ages in Pastoral Centre (A 45 minute service, mince-pies & drinks served from 4pm)

4. We Three Kings: 24th December Three wise men follow a star.

2pm OR 3pm Crib service for 0-7s (A half-hour service ) AND @ 4.30 OR 6pm service for over 7s & adults (an hour long service)

Bethlehem A Long Way To Go!

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Bookham ‘Help Your Neighbour’ 40th Anniversary

O n Saturday 20th August Bookham Help Your Neighbour celebrated their 40th

Anniversary with a tea for all the volunteers. There were plenty of us there and we all had an enjoyable time with plenty to eat and a special cake. Since 1976, when Bookham Help Your Neighbour Scheme was revived and reformed into its present form, Judy Walker, together with Shirley Neish, formed part of a new committee and people were recruited as volunteer drivers from the local churches and elsewhere. Shirley Neish eventually became Secretary until 2003 when she retired and Jean Marlow took over from her until earlier this year. Both Shirley and Jean have received awards from MVDC and Voluntary Action Mid Surrey. Our current secretary is Heather Davies. At first there were 150 volunteers and 100 calls for help, now there are 90 volunteers with 1500 calls for help last year and two years recently there were over 1700. Currently there are more than 200 people who regularly need transport to medical appointments at hospitals, local surgeries, dentists and opticians. Our ‘clients’ are very grateful for the service we provide, which makes the assistance given very rewarding. We are always looking for volunteers. The telephone number to contact ‘Help Your Neighbour’ is 07986177234. This number is manned Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 12.30pm.

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A fter almost two years of planning, the day finally arrived when the

young people of St. Nicolas and their leaders, boarded the flight to Lusaka, Zambia. Under the guidance and leadership of Mission Direct, everyone in the group was looking forward to an exciting and challenging fortnight in Africa. "Knock, knock - rise and shine", it was 6am. and time to greet the new day. After a quick wash, it was time to gather around for Devotions, with singing and praying, followed by a healthy breakfast. Then it was onto the bus, for our short trip to the Vision of Hope centre, where we would be completing the painting, decorating and cleaning of the building, so that the girls could move in, in two weeks time - there was a lot to be done! The Vision of Hope centre, is a refuge

for vulnerable and homeless girls and their babies. The girls are offered an opportunity, to come in off the street and to join other girls in a safe, friendly, family environment. The building was started in 2015 and has been one of the main projects of Mission Direct, along

with the Crown of Life School, where they are adding an additional two classrooms. After a "grueling" few hours on the building site, we would down tools for the day and drive back to our compound for lunch and a quick change, before heading off to see one of Mission Direct's many partner organisations. Our visits included an orphanage for babies and toddlers, playing with street children in the

St Nicolas Young People's Trip to Zambia August 2016

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their own "back yard", behind the Lusaka bus station, where we sang and prayed with them. On the Saturday, we visited the Good Shepherd School in Kanyama, where we played games, sang, coloured in and did craft work with the children, before everyone had lunch together. We also went on home based care visits, in a slum area, to people who had HIV and visited the street girls, at their existing Vision of Hope accommodation, in Chawama - all of which, were memorable but truly heartbreaking experiences. Each day, after our visits, we would head back to base, trying hard to take in what we had just witnessed and experienced. At that stage, I imagine the words, lucky, fortunate and privileged that we live in the UK, were going through everyone's mind. 6pm

was time for Reflections, where we would once again gather around, to discuss and reflect on the day's events, at the building site and afternoon outing. This was followed by supper at 6.30pm, in the marquee. Thereafter, it was bed for many of the exhausted poor souls and a time to chat, or play a game of cards, for those who still had the energy and some staying power. The reward for our efforts to complete the Vision of Hope centre, was to spend the final three days of our trip in Livingston, where we had a cruise down the Zambezi River, a game drive and a visit to the Victoria Falls. A most memorable way to finish off the trip.

Steve McEvoy - on behalf of The Zambian Team

Eastwick Road Church Christmas Day Lunch

At the church - for more details contact Church Secretary on 01372 453704 or susanmferguson@btinternet.com. by 17 December. Transport can be arranged.

Christmas Lunch last year

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Eastwick Road Church Concert for relief work by Nepal Leprosy Trust for earthquake victims in Nepal

O nce again this November we were treated to a concert of classical and more contemporary music provided for us by very talented musicians

from the Yehudi Menuhin School and friends to raise money for the Nepal Leprosy Trust and their work in Nepal. Eastwick Road Church has had a long association with this charity. Craft work and goods for sale were available plus Nettle Work items ranging from shawls , leather goods and jewellery items.

Thanks to Beth Petrovic for helping to arrange this concert with the staff at the Yehudi Menuhin School , our musicians, to Susi Dunsmore for all her planning, and Mike Houghton from NLT and to everyone who came and supported the event.

Our musicians take a bow

Meeting Point Meets twice a month on Wednesdays…. 2.00 - 4.00pm at the church

O ur October meeting was a visit from singer Laura Stephenson accompanied by Judith Flint on piano which

was a special occasion . The event is under the auspices of the charity Music in Hospitals and it is always a privilege to see how the singers and musicians communicate their love of music with their audience.

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Bookham Baptist Church

Steve Elmes - Chairman (811313) Rosie Featherstone (452040)

Team Spirit Editor Judy Osborne (750989) jmosborne@hotmail.co.uk

Eastwick Road Church David Howell (0208 3959755)

Sue Ferguson (453704) Gwyneth Mitchell (456893)

Rennee Botha (200434)

Our Lady of Sorrows, Effingham and

Holy Spirit, Fetcham Fr John Inglis (458263)

Marian Cutler - Secretary (801092)

Martin Hollins (451983)

St Nicolas Alan Jenkins (452405)

David Sigsworth (454023) Ken Picknell (750962)

Simon Phillips (458063)

We wish you all a very

happy Christmas and a

peaceful and blessed New Year

January 18th - 25th With a soup lunch on the first day, Wednesday 18th

Please sign the sheet at your church if you wish to come to the lunch.

Morning prayers will be held at different churches each day. More details will follow in church news sheets.