Category Archives: The Church

January – only the beginning…

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Dear all

Happy New Year! As I write this just before Christmas I find myself as usual panicking about last minute Christmas presents, cards and food, as well as anticipating the joy and anticipation of the season to come. I mean how many pairs of socks does someone really need?! It’s the same every year – however organised I try to be I cannot seem to escape the pressure of this combination of joyful celebration and frenetic preparation!! I share this not in any way to complain but simply to acknowledge the beauty, joy and the complexity of the season. One of the things that is helping me navigate my way through the richness and complexity of these days before Christmas at the moment is the photograph we have on our mantelpiece of a little three year Ethiopian girl that our family is sponsoring through Compassion UK but more of that later on….

Recently in church we began the gospel of Mark with his opening words which simply state ‘The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’. And that is what Christmas and for that matter New Year is all about – it is the beginning of the good news and each year Christmas reminds us what God came to do, to come and live among us, to bring his kingdom of love and peace to his created world and to involve us in his work. So as much as we might frantically try to get everything done before the big day, God reminds us that Christmas is just the beginning. Because quite honestly there is just too much courage, too much tenderness, too much hope, too much promise to squash into a single day or even the twelve days of Christmas. Which maybe means that it is precisely this time of the year in January that we need this promise more. Most of us are mightily relieved to put away the decorations and the tinsel post-Christmas, those are the pretty surface bits of the celebrations, we may feel our homes seem somewhat bare without them, for a few hours (!) but remember that the promise of the Christmas child is still with us, working through us, continuing the story of the good news among and in and with us. It is important to remember this given the headlines, scandals, upheavals, unrest and general anxiety of many in our world. The thing is the promise of Christmas is bigger than we can ever imagine and God’s mercy and courage and blessing extends further and deeper than we can imagine too.

God cannot change the world without our participation and here I return to our little three year old and her family who we are helping through sponsorship so that little Yabsira can go to school which will be a wonderful new beginning for her and her family. Of course there are several charities through whom you can do similar but having met a young man who was sponsored himself as a child in India and who now works as an ambassador for Compassion UK sharing his amazing story, we are putting on an evening hosted by him called Curry and Comedy on February 8th at the Memorial Hall, which promises to be a great occasion. Jane’ Alam Sheikh along with comedian Steve Legg will be telling us his story while showing us how to cook an authentic Indian Curry. It is definitely something to look forward to. It is a ticketed event so look for the details in this magazine. A new venture for many of us as church and community which we would love you to share so that we can give many children the new beginning they deserve.

So if you’ve a tendency to January blues, remember God’s promises, join in with his work, look forward and remember this is just the beginning….

With all love and prayers

Revd Liz

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Mutual belonging

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Dear all

Last month I wrote about our mutual belonging both as members of this wonderful community and that of the wider community and family as God’s church in this place. This month we once again look forward and celebrate the coming of God into our world through the birth of his son Jesus all those years ago into a small town to an ordinary young couple who were to become extraordinary in God’s plan for humankind. Named as ‘Emmanuel’ in Matthew’s gospel, through earlier prophecy, this means ‘God is with us’. This is truly the ultimate in mutual belonging isn’t it?

Well this month there is much to help us prepare for Christmas and beyond. As you read this the Christmas trees will be lighting the way up to church once again this year and I hope many of you will come and join us at one of our many Christmas services. You will see the lighted Christmas trees illustrating our Christmas card which you should receive early this month outlining all the details. Please do also study the calendar of church services and events in this magazine though too!

We are hoping to deliver some Christmas hampers to any who are in need in the village so if you know of anyone who might enjoy a few Christmas treats please do let me know as soon as possible. For many, Christmas is a difficult time of year especially for those undergoing financial hardship and bereavement and it is lovely to know that others are thinking of you. The Christmas prayer tree will also be placed in church near the front, where you can write a prayer for yourself, for others or in remembrance of someone.

We once again welcome our donkeys to Capel as they help us act out the Nativity along with I hope lots of children. Costumes are supplied but do come ready dressed up if you wish! You can never have too many angels or shepherds or anything else for that matter! This will also be our gift service where we welcome wrapped gifts for those in need in the Brixton area. We have been sending gifts to them for many years now and they are so grateful for them so do drop them into church beforehand if it’s more convenient or on the day!

For our traditional Carol service this year we are following a slightly different format with a narrator helping the story along, but there will be the usual selection of traditional carols and choir pieces to enjoy. Norman’s mulled wine and Joy’s mince pies will help us on our way after the service. This year Christmas Eve is on a Sunday so I have four services to do that day! Come and help me, either at 8 or 10am, the lovely Crib service at 4pm and the first communion of Christmas at 11pm. By midnight we will be ready to light candles and sing Silent Night as Christmas Day dawns. Then the big day when there will be one service only at 10 o clock, to which children and adults for that matter can share one of their Christmas presents with us and help us celebrate the birth of Jesus. And don’t forget that on New Year’s Eve you can put the past behind you and welcome in the New Year with our informal service of Café Church!

As we look forward to the beginning of 2018 you may recall that I have previously written that our church parish of Capel is planning to unite with St Margaret’s Ockley, becoming a united parish but within the overarching care of The Surrey Weald Team. That process has now reached the time of public consultation and you will be able to see a copy of the draft Pastoral Scheme in the church porch. There is also a copy of a Notice about the scheme on the Notice board by the Lychgate. Anyone may make representations for or against all or any part or parts of the draft scheme and you will see how to do that on the displayed notices. In the meantime I am of course happy to talk to anyone about the proposed scheme. If there are no representations then we hopefully will be united early in the New Year which is a very exciting prospect and we wish our friends at Ockley peace and joy this Christmastime too!

So, God chose seemingly ordinary people to be the parents of his son entrusting Jesus to their care and as I said earlier, through that event they became extraordinary. The truth is through Jesus’ birth we all have the potential to become extraordinary to God. We are all loved and cherished by him and he will never leave us. I do hope this Christmas will bring you the peace of the Christ child, the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men and the obedience of Joseph and Mary in whichever way you find yourself celebrating Christmas this year. I pray that you will find some quiet and solace as you are reminded of what Christmas is really all about and that is welcoming the Saviour of the world ‘Emmanuel’ into our midst. With my love and prayers and wishing you and your families a Happy Christmas!

Revd Liz

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Remembrance to Christ the King

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Dear all

November already and definitely a nip in the air! Where has the year gone?

This month we have entered the season of All Saints journeying towards Advent stopping to commemorate our faithful departed along the way and those who have died serving our country through war on Remembrance Sunday. All Saints is literally about celebrating all the saints, famous or not, who may have lived long ago or are still serving others in our world today. In fact the month of November is very much about service and serving others. The saints served our world, our armed forces served our nation and defended others; both willing to die for others in the cause of freedom and democracy and the common good. Church wise all of this draws us up to a wonderful Sunday which brings the cycle of the Church’s year to a close and that is the Feast of Christ the King. The year that began with the hope of the coming Messiah ends with the proclamation of his universal sovereignty. Great themes to reflect on which also once again remind us of our dependence and our mutual belonging as church and community together. I rather like that idea of ‘mutual belonging’ and think it describes our community well. So here are some opportunities for mutual belonging!

Café Church kicks off the month in church with informal gathering over coffee and other refreshments followed by a short time of worship. The theme will be All Saints and All Souls and this month we welcome new Capel resident and professional guitarist Bob Cranham to lead our music. (Bob is also holding an evening of praise and worship later on this month featuring songs old and new, in his home, which we hope will raise some funds to help support his daughter Sally Cranham who is working with the anti-trafficking charity ‘Source’. See the church calendar for more details).

At the same time our art group is holding its second annual art exhibition in the Capel Parish Hall where members and other local artists and craftspeople will display their work, much of which will be offered for sale this year. Lots of beautiful cards will be available to buy as well. Entrance is free but will include a cream tea like last year. Donations are welcomed towards the Church Boundary Wall project. We had a wonderful afternoon last year so do come along and join us, choose your favourite painting, and maybe sort out some Christmas presents?! Speaking of Christmas presents don’t forget to come to our coffee morning in aid of The Children’s Society and order your Christmas cards and other Christmassy items. This will be on Saturday 11th. The following day we move into the theme of remembrance as once again we are joined by the Capel Standard Bearer, a bugler and our uniformed boys and girls to remember those who died and to lay wreaths. It is always such a moving occasion… and then we reach Christ the King Sunday where we will be later hosting a soup lunch followed by teas, the last one of the season incidentally, and the lovely Christmas produce will be for sale all in aid of CMS (Christian Mission Society) Last but not least remember that the first Saturday in December will be the day we put up the community Christmas trees as usual with festive refreshments and more live music, followed by the grand switch on later in the evening, with carol singing and probably more refreshments!

None of these wonderful events would be possible without the many volunteers who give their time and service to us all and thank you everyone who comes along and supports them, helping us all to raise funds for various good causes. There are many unsung heroes and saints in our village today and of course many in past years too. Thank you to all who work so tirelessly to make our village a great place to live and to the many who work to make the church a hospitable and welcoming place to worship God. I would especially like to thank the Horticultural Society for redesigning the circular flowerbed near the church door. It looks wonderful and we look forward to seeing the plants next year and in years to come. Thank you too to Chris Coke who has patiently fought a battle with many slugs and snails and looked after it amongst lot of other things in our churchyard in previous years. So let’s keep ‘mutually belonging’ as we travel through November and enter that other season of Advent and should I mention Christmas again…………….?!

My love and prayers as ever.

Revd Liz

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50 Years of the Capel and Beare Green Magazine

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Dear all

I feel very honoured to be the present incumbent responsible for writing the regular monthly letter on the 50th anniversary of the Capel and Beare Green Village Magazine. I believe it was one of my predecessors Reverend Trevor McCabe who 50 years ago came up with the idea of developing what was very much monthly ‘church news’ into a magazine which encompassed all the village news as well. A terrific idea which has stood the course of time, providing our village communities with a platform for communication and information which is of interest to us all. Congratulations on this special anniversary and this special anniversary issue!

50 years later our church continues to serve the parish in any way that it can and like the Reverend McCabe we long to see ‘Church in the community: Community in the Church’ which is a bit of a strapline for us. It is wonderful to be able to welcome so many into church for the most meaningful occasions in their lives, whether joyful or sad and to share people’s lives and journeys along the way. It is a credit to our community that we are able to safely leave the church open every day so that anyone can quietly drop in and sit and absorb the silence and stillness for a few moments to escape the ever changing world. Church such as ours provides a ‘spiritual space’ hallowed by people’s histories over the centuries and soaked in prayer. God is a very real presence in our lives, a constant amidst the storms of life, yet He is a living God who seeks to draw us to him and move us forward into the future.

With that in mind, we are seeking to embrace the future and to let God lead us into his plans for Capel and surrounding parishes. As you know a few years ago St John the Baptist became one third of the Surrey Weald Team of Churches, which has been a great blessing in many ways. The Diocese has now asked our church to explore some more pastoral re-organisation and to look at uniting with St Margaret’s Church in Ockley. They are part of a united benefice made up of the parishes of Ockley, Okewood and Forest Green otherwise known as OOFG. Okewood and Forest Green will now merge with Ewhurst and become a new benefice and the plan is that St Margaret’s Ockley will join with Capel becoming a united parish but still part of the Surrey Weald Team. Well by now you are probably very confused and I will let you know more next month as the consultation process develops and community notices will be put up. But basically I will be serving across both Capel and Ockley on a full time basis instead of half time as I currently do (in theory)! There will be some adjustment for both churches on service times but otherwise occasional offices such as baptisms, weddings and funerals will be taken by me with occasional help from other clergy within the team as needed. Both churches will continue to hold their own festival services and other important markers in the church year, so in many respects and regarding the question of finance we will still be two churches, but united in our management and pastoral oversight. Personally I think this is an exciting opportunity for both our parishes, to be able to build on our individual strengths and to support one another on our weaker areas. We have already begun to get to know one another enjoying a service at St Margaret’s in the summer and you will notice in the calendar they are joining us for a service this month. As you will see October is a busy month again and by the time you read this we may well have celebrated Harvest. Later this month we remember all those who have died in our service of remembrance for the bereaved as we commemorate All Souls Day’. Please do mark in your diaries the date for the 2nd art exhibition from the St John’s Artists and friends.

In the meantime please be assured of my love and prayers and always a special welcome for you at your parish church.

Revd Liz

 

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Bringing in the harvest

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Dear all

I write this in the wake of the Capel Show and what a wonderful show it was! The weather was kind, we had record numbers of cars, exhibits and visitors and everyone appeared to be having an old fashioned ‘grand day out’! There was also a very special atmosphere in the early morning as exhibitors, volunteers, stall holders, stewards, to name but a few, busied themselves with their tasks in readiness for the day. Coffee Real as ever was there to provide much needed sustenance in coffee and other delicious beverages it seemed to me there was an air of eager anticipation for a wonderful day ahead. That coupled with the village as ever uniting to try to produce the best show ever made me once again so proud to be part of this great community. Well done everyone and particularly to the show’s organisers for giving us this annual opportunity to come together like this and celebrate all the lovely things created by God and humankind. Thank you too to the Car Show committee who generously donate all their proceeds towards the upkeep of our parish church, through the Friends of Capel Church.

This month we look forward to a time of celebration as we prepare for Harvest festivities. This year we are once more putting on another murder mystery play called ‘Out for a Duck’ – a play by Claire Jones. As the title suggests the play has a cricket theme and the action takes place preparing for match day in the local cricket club. Well so that we can be really authentic, we have persuaded some of our Capel Cricket Club to take part this year and I hear rehearsals are going really well! The proceeds from this event will be shared between the Cricket Club and the Church and it all promises to be good fun, not to be taken too seriously you understand!! Due to potentially popular demand there will be two separate performances. An evening performance where supper is served between Acts and a late afternoon one where the audience will be served a Cricket Tea. See elsewhere in this magazine for details of tickets etc.

The festivities will be underpinned of course by our Harvest Thanksgiving in church. The church always seems to look at its most magnificent decorated with the harvest flowers so do come and have a look if you are passing or perhaps you will join us for Harvest Teas on Harvest Sunday. I hope of course though that you may be tempted to join us at our main service that day when we are joined by our uniformed organisations to give God the glory he deserves as we celebrate the many blessings and privileges we enjoy in our part of the world. As usual we will welcome gifts of food (dried and tinned goods please) which we will donate to Dorking Food Bank and Leatherhead Start. We know that there are still many unfortunately who do not have the advantages we do. Also we will be taking up a collection for those further afield and this year we would like to support the famine in East Africa where many aid agencies work to make sure people have the basic needs in life, water foremost and food. So looking forward to a late summer (!) and sharing all of God’s good things with you this month and beyond.

With my love and prayers

Revd Liz

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