Dear friends,

The weekly news from your PCC comes a bit earlier than normal this week.

Advent is underway and both our villages have a lighting ceremony of Christmas trees with festive carol singing on Saturday.

Don’t forget carols and cakes in St John’s on Sunday. The details are in the notes attached.

The pictures this week remind me of my childhood when this kind of natural art was on the inside of my bedroom window in winter. Thanks to triple glazing and other insulation measures this ice art was (last year) on the outside. Over the years we have introduced many energy saving measures in the houses we lived in, even our current 1859 cottage. I strongly believe that this is the best way to head off an energy crisis.

God bless,

Dineke van den Bogerd

Dear friends,

Rotary UK put out a call for help for Ukraine. Winters are cold in that part of the world and with the infrastructure crumbling under the Russian onslaught there is a great need for warm clothing and bedding. Please read the leaflet attached and see if you can help and get in touch with Alan Smallwood or other members of the Rotary club for more information.
We have our own problems at home too and with increased demand and lower supplies the foodbanks are struggling to help those in need. Please donate what you can: we have collection boxes in both churches. Tins, dried goods and coffee and tea are all in demand. If Capelites find that the hamper list is already full (please check!) there is no reason why you shouldn’t redirect your seasonal giving to the foodbank.

For those of you who would love to come to church but can’t, here is a (belated) link to the video of café church of 13 November:

Cafe Church – 13 November, 2022 – Lest we Forget – The Parish of Capel and Ockley (capelandockleychurch.org.uk)<www.capelandockleychurch.org.uk/2022/11/16/cafe-church-13-november-2022-lest-we-forget/>

This week some shots of the parish church of Ranmore taken last Friday. The weather was glorious and despite getting a bit lost (even with the map!) we had a wonderful walk on Ranmore Common.

God bless,

Dineke

Dear friends,

My apologies for the late submission of the notes this week.

We had two very successful fundraising events yesterday. Congratulations to Bob and Suzanne and all their helpers.

God bless,

Dineke

Is it really December again?

So soon!! Winter is here. Did you know that in Finland they begin preparing for winter in July. Winter arrives very suddenly and nearly half the year is spent below zero getting down to minus 10. Summer temperatures can shoot up towards 30. Very extreme then so you need to prepare for that kind of winter. I have been reading a beautiful book called ‘Wintering’ by Katherine May which explores the power and rest of retreat during difficult times. I thought it might be useful as we continue to live through difficult times economically which can affect all our lives at one level or another. Katherine May explains in her book that ‘wintering’ can happen at any time of the year though and describes it as a season in the cold, a fallow period in life when you’re cut off from the world, feeling rejected, sidelined, blocked from progress or cast into the role of an outsider. It can result from illness, a life event, a period of transition or anything which feels like you have temporarily fallen between two worlds. Wintering can creep up slowly or come upon us suddenly.

Interesting stuff! When we know winter is coming we can prepare like the people of Finland and no doubt all the others countries in the top of the Northern hemisphere. I guess we know winter is coming and is here, although outside temperatures as I write are pretty mild still. So I wonder how can we prepare? My son recently alarmed me by going through our outgoings at home and has already saved us a considerable amount of money on things we can certainly do without. It was a bit like one of those money saving programmes or like ‘Eat Well for Less’, but more painful as I faced the realisation that I have wasted money! I am so aware though that for some in our community there isn’t even that option – that there is no money to waste….

To that end at church we try to assist those in need through various means and not just at Christmas. I am an agent for Dorking Foodbank and so can authorise vouchers – just give me a ring 01306 711260 or email me on liz@hostmyserver.co.uk. If you have never used a food bank they are amazing places and will provide you with much needed stores for your cupboards. Likewise those who are better off can and do donate goods to the Foodbank and you will find a collection box inside Capel Church for this and for the Leatherhead Start scheme. Donations are currently down which is of course a sign of the times, but lets hope we can do something about this.

At church this month we prepare for the birth of Jesus the Saviour of the world. Named Emmanuel, God with us. God with us, literally, as we travel through the seasons of our lives whether it be spring, summer, autumn, or winter. That first Christmas was full of such seasons – joy but sorrow too. You may think you know the story inside out, but why not come along to one of our Advent and Christmas services to discover something new! In the meantime I wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year.

With my love and prayers
Revd Liz

Dear friends,

One of the advantages of longer nights is that I come to appreciate the beauty of sunsets much more because they fall at a time when I am active. This picture was taken east of Capel. On my way home from Newdigate I kept looking and hoping for a good spot to stop the car to capture the moment. By the time I could stop the colours were already fading but still had that crisp autumn quality with the kind of blue you don’t often get.

Please note that café church will be in St John for the winter period, starting this Sunday. A new feature in this email is the menu for café church as attachment in addition to the lectionary readings of the blue sheets. The readings from the blue sheets are not always at café church and we thought some of you might like to have a look.

Bob has asked me to purchase your tickets for Green Matthews online at Green Matthews – A Brief History of Music – The Capel Box Office www.capelboxoffice.co.uk/product/green-matthews-a-brief-history-of-music/ if you can so he has a better idea how many will come. Ticket sales are steady but it would be great to have a full house.

With this email going out today there is just time to promote the Capel litter pick tomorrow morning (10am start at Capel Parish Hall) and the re-scheduled Ockley bonfire night tomorrow evening. I am reliably informed that all possible measures have been taken to ensure that no hedgehogs are harmed in the making of it!

God bless,

Dineke

Dear friends,

What a gorgeous day we had on Friday! After the (much needed!) rain the days before it was great to have a full day of sunshine. The rain had made some watercourses difficult to cross as you can see in the first two pictures but the sun really made for some beautiful vistas.

This week I would like to draw your attention to the Green Matthews concert on Saturday November 19. Having seen them last year I can thoroughly recommend them and it would really help if you could pre-book your tickets if you are planning to go:
www.capelboxoffice.co.uk/product/green-matthews-a-brief-history-of-music/

Also, please don’t forget to bring some money to purchase Traidcraft goods after service in Capel.

Last but not least: the Ockley bonfire night has been postponed for a week and will now be held on November 12th. This gives you another week to purchase your tickets!

God bless,

Dineke

Sent from my iPhone

Dear friends,

I have just realised that the clocks change tonight. It’ll be a shock to the system when it’ll be dark an hour earlier in the evening. Sometimes I wish we would keep the clocks on summertime but practically: time to get the candles out!

Suzanne has just let me know that next week, the first Sunday in November, there will be Traidcraft after the morning service in Capel. It will be in the notes for next week but now you know, you can make sure to bring some extra money!

I was asked to remind you of bonfire night in Ockley on November 5th. Please look up details in the local magazines or on the Ockley website.

The picture was taken by Dik 7 years ago during one of my sister’s visits. I don’t even remember where it was but isn’t it a great example of the glorious English countryside? We have many of these to fall back on when I haven’t taken a photo in the week.

God bless,

Dineke

Remembrance 2022  – Many of the usual features together with articles commemorating Remembrance including a personal memoir and prayers.

Also see Rev Liz’s letter:

“I believe in the sun even when it’s not shining
I believe in love when I feel it not
I believe in God even when he is silent”