Category Archives: The Church

Rest and Relaxation

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Dear all

It’s August and hopefully for some a time to rest. School holidays have begun and for us at church we try not to hold any meetings this month! I am taking some leave myself and have some alternative arrangements in place at the beginning of this month as I am not the only one taking some time off. So we have been invited to share a service of traditional Matins or BCP Morning Prayer, with the congregation of St Margaret’s Church Ockley slightly earlier than some are used to at 9.30am. This will be a lovely opportunity to share with our friends there and I know they are looking forward to welcoming everybody. Consequently the published Café Church from the July calendar has been postponed till the beginning of September when I promise it will take place. For those of you who have never been to this type of service, Café Church is a slightly different experience in that we begin in our Café area with coffee provided by Coffee Real along with croissants and other goodies. We have a ‘menu’ for the day instead of an order of service, which gives our guests a small topic to discuss at their tables plus there is always a newspaper or two to browse through and something to occupy the children. Halfway through we have an informal time of reflection and worship. It is always a very special time, it is very informal and perfect for those who have not been to church in a while or ever!

I can also very much recommend the St Margaret’s service of Matins which I led for them recently during their time of vacancy. This was very much a new experience for me as I had not led Matins before. It has become a bit of a rarity in the Church of England these days but as many of you know it deserves some revisiting. So do visit St Margaret’s and enjoy their beautiful church and support them during this time of re-organisation.

So we have lots to look forward to this month in our village don’t we. The Capel Show is nearly here and will be as ever a great occasion. Do come and visit us among the stalls where we will be selling – yes you guessed it – popcorn! All proceeds as ever for the Boundary Wall fund. Our church art group St John’s Artists will be close by this year for the first time selling general cards all by our own artists. Those of you who enjoyed our Christmas cards last year will be pleased I hope to see some more of our endeavours.

We also have three baptisms this month where we will be able to welcome more families and their friends through our doors. These are always very happy occasions. Sadly during July we said farewell to some older friends in the community too, as we hosted three services of thanksgiving for the lives of Michael Wadey, Duncan Jennings and Bill Parkhurst respectively. Despite the sadness of saying goodbye, for all of these special men we heard the most wonderful tributes and readings, sung our hearts out and celebrated their distinguished lives and the love and support they in their lifetime gave to others was inspirational. The church was full with their family and friends on each occasion.

And of course we also had two beautiful weddings to celebrate as well for Sami and Ian one week, followed by William and Jade the next. Our church was continually filled to the brim with flowers in July and all in all it was quite a month and all in God’s precious name, a God who is there with us in our joys and our sorrows, at work and at play and also when we are at rest too!

With my love and prayers

Revd Liz

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Thoughts in difficult times…

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Dear all

What a heat wave we have had this last month! Our prayers were certainly answered for fine weather for the vicarage fete – it was a scorcher! Thankfully there was plenty of shade toward the end of the garden and it was lovely to see so many children and parents relaxing and enjoying the barbeque and other delights. It was a very happy day and we made a good amount of money for our local schools who provided us with some wonderful stalls, singing for us and country dancing. A big thank you to you all and our theme of Seaside certainly was appropriate for the day!

So June was the driest and hottest month since records began but it must surely have been one of the most difficult months for our nation for a long time as well. Last month I wrote as the Manchester terrorist attack took place and since then we have witnessed more terror in London Bridge and the Borough Market area of London and Finsbury Park. Many innocent people lost their lives and were wounded and scarred after these terrible attacks. Sadly that was not the end as many more would lose their lives in the Grenfell Tower inferno. Our hearts and prayers go out to all who have suffered at the hands of these attacks and those who little thought that simply enjoying an evening out listening to music and meeting with friends or even in the case of Grenfell Tower asleep in their own homes, would find their lives changed or ended in such devastating ways. In all of these tragic events we have witnessed the bravery, courage and sheer dedication of our emergency services and also of the general public in the outpouring of help and support to those who have been affected. It has been wonderful to see people of all faiths or none working together despite their differences and divides, churches, mosques and other places of worship opening their doors and providing practical help and shelter where necessary as well as a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear.

And so the question we might normally voice or be thinking is ‘so where is God in all this’? Strangely, post-election the question has instead seemed to have been ‘where is the government in all this?’ It has been a torrid time of mistakes, mishandling, misjudging at a time when frankly I think any government would struggle to cope with the month we have just had. I do hope and pray that parliament and certain parts of the media might take a lesson from the decency shown by much of the general public in these disasters and work together now putting aside political differences, point scoring, and other divisive issues so that the government can now work to put things right which should be put right and get on with the job of government they have been asked to do. I do realise I am now beginning to sound like a party political broadcast which as a vicar is beyond my remit!

So where though is God though in all this? Scripture tells us that God weeps with those who weep and rejoices with those who rejoice. Where is God? He is where he always is – with the lost, the vulnerable, the bereaved and all who suffer. Jesus meets us where we are – not where we think we ought to be; no he meets us where we are today, wherever we are. He is always there in the midst of any suffering, with the agony and dirt and he would have

been with all who lost their lives in these events, being with them and holding them in his everlasting arms.

So as we continue now through July let us in our own way do what we can to support and uphold one another through the changing scenes of our individual and communities lives, knowing that God is with us always.

With my love and prayers

Revd Liz

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Sunshine and Shadows

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Dear all

As I write to you the sun continues to shine and I am tempted to believe that summer has arrived.

How shocking it is that dark shadows are cast by those who seek to kill and maim innocent adults and children as has happened in Manchester in recent days. We continue to pray for all those who have been affected and bereaved by this atrocity and as you know our church is always open in the daytime for private prayer and reflection. The human spirit though always manages to rise above these dreadful events and as with other tragedies local and nationally communities come together in a way that supports and upholds the victims. I am left though as you probably are, thinking what the point of these mindless acts of violence is when terrorists will never win in the end. In the meantime we are encouraged to keep on doing the things which ground us, and I would encourage you to put your hope and faith in the God who loves this world so much, who mourns with us in our sorrows and rejoices with us in the goodness of so many acts of kindness and generosity we experience at such times.

If you come into church and cross over to the North Aisle you will find a small display which will lift your hearts considerately. Our Tuesday afternoon craft group have made another of their now famous window displays on the theme of wild birds. They have given us a feast for the eyes with birds of all description crafted by hand using all types of materials. Some are knitted, felted, modelled by papier mache, along with knitted caterpillars, slugs and all sorts of little surprises! They certainly represent God’s creatures great and small. Thank you Craft Group – for such a small group you always make a big impact!

Hopefully the warm weather will continue this month, with a little rain to please the farmers and gardeners of course, but not on our Annual Vicarage Fete day. This year it will be held on the 17th June in the Vicarage Garden and will have a seaside theme. As you know this is a major fundraiser for our local village schools so please come and join in the fun. We have a beautiful Fortnum and Mason luxury hamper as our first prize this year so please buy our raffle tickets or sell some beforehand for us. Let me know if you would like some. The knobbly knees are back – we already have a champion from last year who will be hard to beat, but don’t let that put you off entering!

We also have our first two weddings towards the end of this month and we look forward to celebrating with them as they ‘tie the knot’. We also enjoyed welcoming two families who brought their baby boys for baptism this last month and of course it was great fun welcoming many dogs and a rabbit to our pet service last month too! This will definitely be an annual event. I hope you may have had a chance to look at our new website capel-church.org.uk which gives you up to date news and details of our services and events. Our new faith based resource InSpire is available online as well as in church too.

June also brings us the time of Pentecost, the day we celebrate the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit 40 days after he rose from the dead. That Spirit enabled hundreds and indeed thousands that day to believe in Christ, that although he died to this life, he rose again and is alive and with us through the power of that amazing Holy Spirit. He is available to us today and will come to you if you ask. Death and acts of violence on others will never have the final word. New life continues to be created both here and in the world to come. May that surety uphold and encourage you wherever you are on life’s journey today.

With my love and prayers as ever

Revd Liz

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Travelling towards Easter

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Dear all

I do love the Easter season! I have been busy preparing our Easter programme of events and services and so anticipating the richness and astonishing events of Holy Week and Easter Day. Easter to me resonates so strongly because it is so much like life itself. There is the triumphal entry of Jesus on Palm Sunday where the people wanted to make him their king – one which was based on worldly ideas of freedom from Roman occupation – a situation which changed rapidly once they realised that was not what Jesus was ultimately about; to Jesus’ last supper, a wonderfully reflective occasion in an Upper Room in Jerusalem which we will relive at our Maundy Thursday Service in church; his betrayal by Judas who also was disappointed it seems about the direction Jesus was heading in, to the injustice and unfairness of his trial and the horrors and cruelty of Good Friday. Those who welcomed him on Palm Sunday shouting ‘Hosanna’ just a few days later were rejecting him and shouting instead ‘Crucify!’ Expectations and disappointments abound in this final week of Jesus’ earthly life. How like life is this with many putting others on pedestals only to try to knock them down later?

Of course Jesus’ ideas and talk about God’s kingdom was hard to understand then and as I often have said understanding the cross is a life’s work and discovery. I have though been reading a small book called ‘Hanging by a thread’ by Sam Wells, which explores the questions that the cross poses to us today. He suggests that the crucifixion was not just about fixing human problems but instead suggests it was the culmination of God’s disarming purpose to be with us, no matter what. It is this desire of God’s to be with us, to enter into our world and our lives, to delve into the evils and sins of this world as he allowed himself to be betrayed, arrested and crucified, that for me makes Holy Week such a special time, when I feel closest to God, perhaps because of his suffering. He is not outside of our suffering you see – that is the amazing thing. He was not outside of our temptations either – he was tempted too yet as the bible says was without sin.

So I am looking forward to Palm Sunday when Holy Week begins and we can have the chance to accompany Jesus, to be with him as we remember his final week. So this year we are going to have a Palm Sunday procession starting from Bennetts Green, just along from Capel News, where the small pond is. Our donkeys that memorably joined our Nativity service last December are coming along and will lead us along the street to church where we will have an all age service followed by Hot Cross Buns. We will be handing out palm crosses which will be blessed at the beginning of the procession. Do join us and maybe bring something to wave as we process down the street! Later that week on Maundy Thursday we will be thinking about the Last Supper and will be re-enacting some foot washing. We will be joined by St Mary Magdalene, Holmwood, and St Peter’s Newdigate. The service traditionally ends in silence as the disciples follow Jesus out to the garden of Gethsemane where he will be arrested. We take all the vestments from the altar and there is space for prayer and silent reflection for a short while afterwards.

The following day is Good Friday and for our service this year the choir will be leading us in a service of spoken words and sung chorales from Bach’s St John Passion. The service begins at 10 am and will run for approximately an hour and a half. There will be time for silent reflection as we relive the Passion according to John’s gospel. Do come and go as you wish if you cannot stay for the whole time. It should be very special. Then in the afternoon we will have the usual village walk meeting at the village hall car park, ending back at church for tea at 4pm. It is wonderful to get out into the countryside surrounded this year very much by the spring flowers and new shoots everywhere.

Finally of course, having travelled with Jesus to the cross and to his tomb we return once more on Easter morning to the garden where we discover along with Mary Magdalene and the disciples that Jesus has risen from the grave and death is no more. Jesus has triumphed not in the way the world wished him to, but in a way far better, the way has been opened to the fullness of life intended with God the Father. The great news is that it doesn’t just start when we physically die – we can enter into that new life now if we ask him! Resurrection abounds not only through the new life we see around us in the natural world, but in our own lives as one thing may come to an end, but with God, there is always something new to come. Why not let him take you by the hand this Easter and let your journey be his too.

With my love and prayers as ever

Revd Liz

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