Notes for Sunday 17 December 2023
Dear friends, The weather is a bit dreary and it’s not really cold at all. Looking back on photos from previous years I came across some pictures of Warnham Nature reserve (as attached) from the time I worked in the café there. They were taken 16 years ago to the day. If you have some spare time in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve I can recommend a visit and a walk around the reserve. It’s a bird paradise in winter as well as the rest of the year. Do check the opening times before you set out! This Sunday is the third of advent. As always we have the evening service of readings and music in St John and we home to welcome many of you to this and the mulled wine and mince pies afterwards. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231217.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20231217.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 11:42am on Monday December 16th, 2024
The post Notes for Sunday 17 December 2023 appeared first on The Parish of Capel and Ockley.
Dear friends, The picture today was chosen to whet your appetite for fairly traded chocolate. Most cocoa is produced in west Africa and generally the prices paid to farmers are so low that they can not afford to send their children to school and most young people are set to work from the age of 11 to boost the family income. The FairTrade logo ensures that fair prices are paid to the farmers so their families can work and educate their way out of poverty. Also please look out for the Fair Trade logo whenever you shop for coffee, sugar, spices etc. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to see me when I run the local stall: next time will be during teas in St John on 10 December. I hope many of you will make it to Café church, Christingle or Teas and LOAF on this second Sunday of Advent. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd Readings-20231210.pdf Weekly Readings notes-20231210.pdf Weekly Notes Post expires at 12:34pm on Monday December 9th, 2024
Last month’s Remembrance Sunday services were I felt very special services as they always are but even more poignant this year. The service in the afternoon at Capel is the most attended service each year and it was wonderful to welcome our wonderful Scouts, Cubs and Beavers along with the British Legion and distinguished service people. I was also struck in the morning service at St Margaret’s at Ockley at how wonderful it was that we continue to remember our war dead and how important this is, over 100 years later, that if it wasn’t for the sacrifices made on our behalf we wouldn’t necessarily have the freedom we enjoy today. Both wonderful services in our villages and thank you to Stuart Cole who gave an excellent address at Capel in the afternoon. Remembrance last month has given room now to begin the Christmas countdown which comes around faster each year doesn’t it?! Not for the children I know – amazing how time is so much slower when you are a child! Many of you will have visited the now annual Capel Christmas Fair which was another wonderful occasion (yesterday as I am writing). A huge thank you to Suzanne… 
Dear friends, The Christmas trees have gone up in the churchyard of St John and next week will be Carol singing on Ockley Green. We have had a sprinkling of snow this week and today is Advent Sunday. We are fast approaching the celebration of God’s coming to earth. Do spread the word of the Christingle celebration next Sunday in the Ockley cricket pavilion. The picture is of last week’s teas in St John. It was very busy and we hope next week’s will be equally successful. The LOAF stall will be present at the teas again next week so do bring some cash or a credit card to purchase Organic and Fair Trade seasonal goods, groceries and stocking fillers at reasonable prices. Discounts for those of you shopping for the hampers that will be distributed in Capel from St John! God Bless, Dineke van den Bogerd Readings-20231203.pdf Weekly Readings notes-20231203.pdf Weekly Notes Post expires at 1:53pm on Monday December 2nd, 2024
Dear friends, If you read this on Saturday there is still time to head for St John and help with the deep-clean of the church, ready for the new church year and Christmas. We have two more teas in church, this Sunday and 10 December. There will be opportunity for all to purchase some LOAF goodies in time for Christmas so please come down to St John from 3 – 5, enjoy your tea and browse what’s on offer. Next week is advent Sunday and the Christmas trees in the churchyard will be up and lighted but I could not resist one last autumnal picture taken a week ago in Emmett’s garden. God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231126.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20231126.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 9:04am on Monday November 25th, 2024
As with many Churches, we find our congregations have less young people at the Sunday services. We are therefore proposing to take Church to the Children. This would be in the form of an After School Club. It’s a bit like Messy Church. The format is simple – a bible story with acting from the children, some healthy snacks, craft activities associated with the story and sometimes a little game. If you think you could help in either of these activities that would be great. The more volunteers we can get, the less often each person will be needed – which may suit many of you. We’d love to see as many of you as possible on Tuesday 21st November, 10.30 in St John the Baptist Church, Capel where you can find out more over coffee and cake. Post expires at 9:45am on Monday November 18th, 2024
Dear friends, If you read this on Saturday, please make sure to visit the Capel Christmas Fair. The weather is good for hot chocolate and cake and browsing the Christmas goodies on offer by many small local businesses. Please also read in the notes and find out about two exciting new initiatives for children starting in the new year. Dik had a rare day off work last Friday and we decided to visit some National Trust places. The picture is of the silent corner of Emmett’s garden, where you can walk or sit, be quiet and listen to nature and drink in the colours. It was magical! God bless, Dineke van den Bogerd notes-20231119.pdf Weekly Notes Readings-20231119.pdf Weekly Readings Post expires at 9:42am on Monday November 18th, 2024
Are you excited about sharing Bible stories with school children? want to have fun with a team? perhaps you’d like to be a Storyteller and join a team of like-minded people from our churches taking Bible Stories into our local schools with ‘Open the book’? We would like to do this regularly, ideally weekly. The presentation takes around 10 minutes but a little extra time is needed for rehearsing, planning and prayer. No lines to learn. All stories and prayers are provided – they just need to be read to the children. A group of us started this at Scott Broadwood before covid struck. When we couldn’t go into school we recorded a couple of the stories and made them available to the children on YouTube. Look at the video below if you’d like to see what we did. We propose to start with Scott Broadwood – hopefully in the New Year. But depending on how many people come forward, we could expand to include the Weald & possibly Newdigate. Contact Reverend Liz via our contact form for more information or if you would like to help. Post expires at 9:10am on Monday November 18th, 2024
Dear Friends, This week it is not Dineke, but I doing the honours to write the weekly news sheet. Dineke is away on a short trip to see her sister in the Netherlands. Remembrance Sunday is upon us and in the morning Cafe Church in Capel will reflect in their special way on remembering and grief. There will also be traditional Remembrance Services in each of our churches. For good measure services are as follows: * 10:30 Café Church Capel, St John the Baptist * 10:45 Remembrance Service Ockley, St Margaret’s * 15:00 Remembrance Service St John the Baptist The services will of course be especially poignant give the turbulent times in which we find ourselves. May the God of Love and Life have mercy on us all. Today’s picture is snap I took a few weeks a go when I walked to the murder mystery play and I happened to pass St John’s at just the right time. Blessings Dik notes-20230820-5th-November.pdf Weekly Notes REMEMBRANCE-SUNDAY-BLUE-SHEET-23.pdf Weekly Readings (special version) Post expires at 5:52pm on Sunday November 10th, 2024
Dear Friends, Following yesterday’s worship, Liz would make a prayer booklet for Gaza and Israel available. Please find this attached for download and printing. Alternatively, there would be some copies in church too to pick-up. In addition next Tuesday there will be a vigil at St John – Capel next week. Tuesday 14th 19:00h. Blessings, Dik prayers-for-peace.pdf Prayers for Peace Post expires at 7:15pm on Wednesday November 6th, 2024