Notes for Sunday 28 January 2024
Dear friends, The year has gone off with a flying start for our churches. The already popular after school club and preparations in full swing for the revival of ‘Open the Book’, the Lent course and the Quiet Day. Read more in the notes attached. Lent lunches will be back this year following the success from last year. More information will follow soon. The dates are already in our website calendar together with all the latest information for all the PCC activities: www.capelandockleychurch.org.uk/events-calendar/ The pictures today are from two different walks, both quite nearby: Leith Hill and Beare Green to Anstiebury Farm. We are so lucky to live in this beautiful part of the world. God Bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20240128.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20240128.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 11:43am on Monday January 27th, 2025
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Well I hope this letter finds you well?! January was a really nasty winter month for those pesky winter germs, coughs, and all sorts, as well as the cold weather. As we come into February I am sure we will be encouraged by the growth of the early flowering spring bulbs and blossoms. February for us at church looks to be quite a busy month. The season of Lent is early this year beginning with Ash Wednesday on the 14th of this month and of course it is also Valentine’s Day! This year we are invited for a special service of Holy Communion with what is called the Imposition of Ashes (you get a lovely black mark on your forehead!) at St Peter’s Church Newdigate. Then we will be running a Lent Course this year called ‘Be Still’. The course is about prayer and explains how we don’t necessarily have to be physically still in order for our hearts to be still and how even in the midst of a full, busy life, we can all spend quiet time with God. I am really looking forward to doing this course! Each of the five sessions takes about an hour and… 
Dear friends, That was a short sharp spell of winter weather! The pictures this week were taken on a walk in Warnham Nature reserve. What a privilege to have that little gem on our doorstep: a wildlife oasis hemmed in between Horsham town and two busy roads. The attached notes give details of several Lent initiatives so please read. Next week we will also be starting the campaign for the Lent lunches. These proved very successful last year and we hope to attract even more people this time around. We look forward to a time of looking inward and go out into the community. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20240121.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20240121.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 11:28am on Monday January 20th, 2025
Dear friends, What turbulent weather we have had! The picture attached is of the river Mole at Flanchford bridge. I took it on the day I collected Dik from East Surrey Hospital, which was just hours before the bridge was flooded. It’s good to see how well a flood plain works and why we shouldn’t be greedy and use the land for other purposes than summer grazing. It’s also a reminder to look after our rivers: make sure they don’t get polluted and in turn contaminate the land and our food chain. I hope you all enjoy the calm, crisp winter weather that we are now having. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20240114.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20240114.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 9:05am on Monday January 13th, 2025
Dear friends, The first image of the year is of new shoots of unforced rhubarb in our garden. What a wonderful early sign of spring. The old leaves have not yet entirely died down and are still feeding the root system that will be producing many young shoots to come. I feel there’s a lesson in there somewhere. Happy new year and God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd Readings-20240107.pdf Weekly Readings notes-20240107.pdf Weekly Notes Post expires at 12:23pm on Monday January 6th, 2025
Happy new year to all our readers! A packed issue to see in the New Year with the regular items and some interesting articles and puzzles to while away the cold, dark January days! A New Year’s Resolution To begin with oneself, but not to end with oneself; To start from oneself, but not to aim at oneself; To comprehend oneself, but not to be preoccupied with oneself. By Martin Buber (Austrian born Jewish philosopher) January-2024.pdf Post expires at 10:43am on Thursday January 2nd, 2025
Dear friends, The last day of the year is upon us and even if we don’t make new year’s resolutions, we probably think a bit about new projects or things we plan to do differently. For me, I will take Rev Liz’s Christmas sermon to heart and be creative: imagine what the future could be like and change my ways to make it happen. Let us remember but not dwell on the past and move forward into the future we imagine, guided by the Light of the world. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231231.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20231231.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 11:02am on Monday December 30th, 2024
Dear friends, Merry Christmas! I hope you all forgive me for using a wintry photo of 14 years ago. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231225.pdf Christmas notes Readings-20231225.pdf Christmas readings Post expires at 1:22am on Wednesday December 25th, 2024
Dear friends, Some of you may remember Francis McFaul who came to our churches only a few years ago to lead our worship. The sad news reached us this morning that he died in the early hours of Saturday 23 December. We pray for his family and friends and the many people he inspired in the course of his mission. We hope to see many people in our churches in the next few days to celebrate God become Man. All the services are in the attached news sheet and in our website calendar. Today’s picture could be seen as the epitome of a bleak midwinter but look at the glorious sun and the signs of spring poking through. This was taken last year at the Seven Sisters. I hope we can all enjoy a bit of the outdoors in the coming days, close by or further afield. Have a lovely Christmas Eve, God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231224.pdf Weekly notes Readings-20231224.pdf Weekly readings Post expires at 11:05am on Monday December 23rd, 2024