Dear Friends,

I do hope you have had a good week and managed to dodge the rain showers that we’ve had – it’s certainly helped those of us that garden!

This week’s services are as follows:

9.30am Holy communion Ockley
10.30am Family Communion Capel
Many thanks to Jo Elvidge who will be leading the service at Capel this week.

The Jubilee holiday celebrations are fast approaching. A huge thank you to Alan Smallwood who has done a flier showing all the happenings in our two villages over the Jubilee weekend. The fliers will be in our churches from tomorrow.

Lastly, our photo of the week is from Hurtwood Common.

With love and prayers

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com
07774 784008

Weekly-sheet-22.05.22.pdf
weekly-sheet-22.05.22.pdf

Dear friends,

Like many I have welcomed the rain we have had this week. As a keen gardener the dry weather of the last few weeks was beginning to make it difficult and many plants were either stunted from lack of rain or going over more quickly than normal. It is amazing how even a heavy shower ‘perks’ things up.

A big thank you to Alan Smallwood who has kindly taken over the role of producing the weekly sheets for our churches until the end of May.

This weeks services are as follows:
9.30am Matins Ockley
10.30am Family communion Capel
Please note Stuart and Suzanne will kindly be bringing the Traidcraft stall to church at Capel this Sunday so do bring cash with you if you would like to buy anything.

We also have church teas at Capel this Sunday from 3-5pm – join us for Joy’s lovely cakes in a very welcoming environment – I hope to see you there.

The Vicarage fete draws ever closer, so I attach a flier for you to see just what is on offer. Please do mark the day in your diary and come and help if you can, or donate raffle or tombola prizes, remember all proceeds from this event go to our local schools. All the details are on the weekly sheet.

Lastly the photo of the week is a great view of wild garlic and bluebells combined from a walk a couple of weeks ago.

With love and prayers

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com
07774 784008

weekly-sheet-22.05.15.pdf

A5-flyer-revised_210422.pdf

‘For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.’ 2 Corinthians 4:6 This verse is just one in this month’s Prayer Diary.  We thank Belinda Kerry for her regular Prayer Diary every month for the last couple of years and now seek a new prayer contribution for InSpire.  Lots to read and reflect on in this month’s InSpire, together with the regular puzzles and Junior InSpire for our younger readers!

MAY_colour.pdf

Dear Friends,

What glorious weather we have been having, such a wonderful Easter weekend, I do hope you were able to enjoy some time with friend and families outside.

We were lucky enough to have all of our family staying for Easter – it’s the first time all eleven of us have been together since the autumn. My goodness it was chaotic, particularly as our eldest daughter and her family have fairly recently acquired a Cocker Spaniel puppy, utterly adorable but add him and our Labrador into the melee of small children and the resulting mayhem was something to behold. Luckily we were able to spend most of the time outside where children and dogs managed to exhaust themselves so that the evenings were more civilised.

Our final guests went home on Wednesday, so the time since has been spent clearing up and doing all the washing. Just as well, as the lady buying our house has decided not to proceed with the purchase so we are back to square one and have people viewing it this weekend. There is a silver lining however which means that I will definitely be here for the Vicarage Fete and the Military Fair, both of which I am very much looking forward to. Might you be able to help at either? If so please do sign the sheets in our churches. We’re looking for volunteers who can give up an hour or two on 25 June, (Vicarage Fete) or 2 and 3 July (Military Fair). If you aren’t going into church but would like to put your name down, just reply to this email and I can do it for you.

This weeks services are as follows:
9.30am Matins Ockley
10.30am Holy Communion Capel
This service will be taken by Rev Barbara Steadman Allen, we are very thankful to her for kindly coming to preach.

Lastly, we have two photos of the week this week, the first is of course the wonderful Bluebells which are flowering in such profusion at the moment – I look forward to this moment all winter! The second is of Rev Liz holding Ruby’s puppy who is now 3 weeks old – and utterly delightful. Liz and Doug are finally getting a little more sleep as Ruby is feeding her herself!

With love and prayers

Debbie von Bergen
debbievonbergen@icloud.com
07774 784008

Weekly-sheet-24.04.2022.pdf

weekly-sheet-22.04.24.pdf

Liz’s letter

I hope you had a happy Easter and enjoyed the fine weather. We certainly did at home as we have enjoyed some family celebrations and were able to eat outside. This was particularly helpful as a certain little puppy was born and has taken over our dining room! Our lovely dog Ruby had a planned pregnancy but quite unusually for a large dog conceived only one puppy. This led to some birthing issues and post natal care in the form of hand rearing for the first five days. Ruby has now taken over her pup and both are doing very well I am pleased to report. Puppy is staying in the family so we have an exciting journey ahead. It has though been a very steep learning curve and plans to breed certainly did not go exactly to plan, despite careful consideration and preparation. While writing this I am hoping that soon I too will be able to sleep through the night once more!!

As we consider the Easter story and the resurrection appearances that took place which we remember through this month’s ‘Sundays of Easter’, things certainly hadn’t gone as expected for Jesus’ friends as they thought he had been laid to rest in the tomb. The wonderful resurrection appearances on that first Easter Sunday and to others in the days and weeks that followed convinced his first disciples who were initially terrified on this wonderful but unexpected turn of events, that the Lord Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. The rest as they say is history but the gospels do stress that people received the news of Jesus’ resurrection in different ways. The disciples thought it was an ‘idle tale’ when the women discovered the empty tomb, until they themselves discovered the truth for themselves. Famously Thomas told the disciples that until he saw the marks in Jesus’ hands for himself he would not believe. Jesus then obliged! A mix of joy and terror accompanied these appearances until Jesus breathed his peace upon them and opened their minds and hearts so that they could understand what was going on.

I myself have been reading a newly published book by Sam Wells, a scholar and author who is the Vicar at St Martin in the Fields in Trafalgar Square. He also happens to be married to our own Bishop of Dorking, Jo Bailey Wells. I always enjoy his books as he writes so beautifully and profoundly on Christian theology. This latest one ‘Humbler Faith, Bigger God – Finding a Story to Live By’ is a book for seekers, doubters, questioners, and those who wonder what faith might mean in these days. I would like to read this book with any who might consider themselves in any of these categories; particularly the doubters!! Will you join me in an informal reading group discussing the arguments put forward by this book?! It seems to me that we need to be discussing the challenges that faith brings when all around us things are not as we would expect. Is the resurrection an idle tale or did it really happen? Yes its an age old conversation but will you join me when we feel so powerless in the West witnessing Russian aggression in Ukraine? By the way I hope you like the blue and yellow knitted flags adorning the yew tree in the churchyard?! Anyway, have a think and email me liz@hostmyserver.co.uk  or telephone 01306711260 if you would like to join my reading group. In the meantime may God’s peace be upon you all!

With all my prayers and blessings
Rev Liz