Thursday 19th May
Hi Church Family
A very warm welcome to this week’s Thursday Thoughts!
A WEDDING BLESSING AT ST MARTIN’S
On Saturday at 2pm, Marion and Ricardo will be having their wedding blessing at St Martin’s! Please pray for them on their happy day and in the years to come. Lil will be doing the readings (she’d love to!).
A SUNDAY OFF
This Sunday, I’ll be having a Sunday off watching Leicester’s last game of the season with my son. Gretel will be leading the service and Caroline will be preaching. I’ll miss you!!!!
SHARING OUR FACEBOOK POSTS
Over the past few years, we’ve engaged with our community through Facebook in many new and exciting ways, seeing our connections with the community grow and grow.
Now, just imagine if those of us who are active on Facebook regularly shared our Facebook posts about all the wonderful things we are doing to serve our community. Our reach would be truly amazing!
For instance, if a post I put up about the Community Breakfast was shared by another 15 to 20 people, then we could reach out to our community via Facebook on a grand scale, literally reaching hundreds of people! Together, united, we could reach so many more people!
I really encourage you, therefore, to share the posts about our amazing activities both frequently and regularly.
MORNING PRAYER
It has been a great delight to pray in person once again. I’m delighted to announce, therefore, that we will also pray in person on Mondays. Here’s what the week looks like now:
· Monday in person at 10am in the prayer room
· Tuesday on Zoom at 9am
· Wednesday in person before Cafe at 9am in the prayer room
· Thursday on Zoom at 9am
· Friday on Zoom at 9am
· Saturday in person before Cafe at 9am in the prayer room
· Sunday in person after Quiet Communion
We would love to have you pray with us!
More prayer = more of God’s power at work in our lives.
OUR DEAR LINDA’S FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Trev writes:
‘At last, we have a date for my Linda’s funeral. The cremation will take place on Friday the 27th May 2022 and attended by our close family.
A service of Thanksgiving and Celebration for Linda’s life followed by a get-together for refreshments and chat will take place at 1pm on Saturday 28th May at St. Martin’s Church.
It would be very helpful if you could let us know if you are coming to the Church; however, the service will also be streamed on the St Martin’s Camberley Facebook Group. If you would like to watch the stream, please head to the church Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/2755916607887295/). If you would like to receive a notification when the stream is live, then please be sure to click the Join Group button on the page to allow notifications. The video will also be available to view after the service.’
ATTRACTING CHILDREN AND FAMILIES / CHURCH GROWTH CONFERENCE WITH J JOHN
- Saturday 11th June 9.30am-3.30pm
- St Paul’s Howell Hill, 15 Northey Ave, East Ewell, SM2 7HS.
If you are free, then please join me on this course which looks at attracting more children and families to our church as well as growing our church.
- Places cost £10 including lunch and need to be booked in advance at https://guildford-conference.eventbrite.co.uk
- If cost is an issue, then please let me know.
Here are further details:
Morning session, opened by Bishop Andrew, 9.30am-1pm:
- Growing your church – international evangelist, Canon J John, will deliver two hours of in-person training on Natural Evangelism, his highly effective approach for enabling congregations to share their faith relationally ‘through praying, caring and sharing’.
- Creating missional disciples – theChurchof England’s National Lead on Evangelism, Revd Dr Stephen Hance, will speak on how to make disciples who make disciples.
- Leading in evangelism – John Valentine, Leadership Enabler for CPAS, and Sarah Slater, ourTraining Lead on the CPAS / Guildford Diocese will launch our ‘Leading in Evangelism’ learning hub.
Afternoon session 1.45pm-3.30pm
- Attracting children and families with Aike Kennett-Brown, Messy Church national lead, Hannah Persaud of the Kitchen Table Project and Emma Coy,Mission Enabler for Children and Families. Emma will share new research into parishes which are seeing increasing numbers of children and families.
- Reaching the young with Jimmy Dale of the Church of England Vision and Strategy Team (formerly national youth adviser) and Alastair Etheridge,Mission Enabler for Youth.
- Sharing best practice – we will close with a round-up of evangelistic initiatives in our parishes, and a time of prayer. Please let us know how we can celebrate what God is doing in your parish and how we can pray for you.
CO-OP LOCAL COMMUNITY FUND
We’ve now raised £671.56!
If you haven’t done it yet, then please would you consider becoming a Co-op member, choosing us as your local cause and help us raise funds for our Community Breakfast? (You don’t have to live locally to support us!)
You can join to become a Co-op member here (for £1): https://www.coop.co.uk/membership
Here’s the link to choose our Community Breakfast as your local cause: https://membership.coop.co.uk/causes/56403
Thank you very much.
THIS SUNDAY
10am-10.40am: Breakfast withyummy pancakes, toast and spreads, cereals, fruit, tea, coffee, and fruit juice.
10.45am: Our Service begins
After the service: Tea, coffee, and biscuits
There’ll be self-service stations in the hall with coffee, hot water for tea in decanters, and biscuits. Sanitisers will be available.
IGNITE LEADING OUR SERVICE
Delightfully, Ignite will be leading our service next Sunday (29th May) and then again on 31st July.
PRAY FOR CAMBERLEY
In place of our next Monthly Prayer Meeting, I invite you to join me and the other church leaders in Camberley for the launch of ‘Pray for Camberley.’
This will be held at St Michael’s Church next Wednesday (25th May) at 7.30pm.
We’ll pray together for Camberley and discern together how we can continue to pray together for Camberley in the future.
WOMEN’S BREAKFAST
Our Women’s Breakfast is happening next Saturday (28th May) at 8.30am. Steve Clark is kindly cooking breakfast as he does for the men. Thank you, Steve!
MEN’S BREAKFAST
Our next Men’s Breakfasts is on Saturday 18th June at 8.30am. Thank you, Steve!
QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE
On the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (Sunday 5th June), in partnership with ODCoG, we’ll be offering:
· a delicious cream tea
· fun craft activities for our children
· great music from Paul Prentice, our fab local DJ
This will happen at St Martin’s after the Free Food Stall from 1.30-3.30pm.
We need help to:
· set up tables and chairs inside and outside of church (if weather allows)
· set up the cake, scones, and refreshments so that people can help themselves
· set up and manage the crafts tables
· clear up afterwards
If you can help then that would be great. Please feel free to help for all or part of the afternoon. If you can help then please let Kim or Judy know.
So, if you can help, then please see Kim or Judy. Your help would, as always, be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
JULIE’S ORDINATION
Julie, our new Curate, will be ordained at the Cathedral on Sunday 3rd July at 3pm!
WE’RE PRAYING FOR:
· our church to continue to grow in numbers, in spiritual commitment, and in service to our local community
· the right house for Julie (our curate, alongside Faith, arriving soon)and her husband Dave
· more leaders and helpers for our Lighthouse and Ignite groups (especially Ignite)
· more mature and active Christians to help our church family and reach out to our local community
· more families to join us.
WHAT’S COMING UP?
| This Sunday | Clearing the path for Pentecost: Step 2 – Obedience John 14:15-27 and Acts 1:1-5 |
| Next Sunday | Clearing the path for Pentecost: Step 3 – Unity Psalm 133:1-3 and John 17:20-23 |
| 5th June | Pentecost Clearing the path for Pentecost: Step 4 – Prayerfulness Jeremiah 29:10-14, Acts 1:12-14 and Acts 2:1-13 |
A very warm welcome is so important. In everything we do, therefore, please keep a special look out for anyone sitting or standing on their own and please either ask them to come and join you or go over to them.
OUR NEW FACEBOOK GROUP
We’ve moved from a Facebook Page to a Facebook Group so please click on the link below and come and join us!
www.facebook.com/groups/2755916607887295/
OUR INSTAGRAM
Follow our new Instagram account here:
https://www.instagram.com/stmartinsolddean/
OUR TWITTER
Follow our Twitter account here:
OUR WEBSITE
Check out our website here:
https://www.stmartinolddean.com
OUR NEXT PCC MEETING
Our next PCC meeting is on Tuesday 7th June at 7.30pm in church.
MORE BAPTISMS!
We’re baptising:
· Lisa Hughes on Sunday 12th June in our service
· Olivia on Sunday 24th July at 3pm (50+ members of the family are coming so we won’t be able to fit them in during the morning!)
· Mary and David on Sunday 21st August in our service.
If you’ve never been baptised (this includes being baptised/Christened as a baby), and you would like to be baptised as an adult, then please let me know.
If you’ve been baptised and you’d like to renew your baptismal vows, like Jess and Chris, then please let me know.
You can use the font or the pool (we need to get a bigger pool!) to be baptised or renew your baptismal vows.
SPONSORING JACQUI MCNUTT
Jacqui has now swum 28 miles! She is aiming to swim 44 miles!
If you would like to sponsor Jacqui to raise money and awareness for her chosen diabetes charity, Diabetes UK, then please follow this link:
CAR PARKING
Where possible, please may I ask you to consider car sharing or parking nearby in roads such as Ballard Road so that spaces in our car park are available for people with mobility needs, babies or picking up/dropping off food for the food stall?
We have permission to park at The Beacon Church (if they are using the building then they will leave a notice on the door so that we do not park there). Thank you.
THE FREE FOOD STALL
Partnering with ODCoG, using ingredients from the Free Food Stall, we’re cooking a meal for those who are in the queue.
The Free Food Stall is open this Sundayfrom 12:30-1.30pm across the road at the Youth Centre. Please come along if you need a bit of help putting food on the table and grab a bite to eat too!
TUESDAY TOTS
Tuesday Tots is on this Tuesday for our little ones from 9-10.30am!
WEDNESDAY CAFÉ
Join us from 10-11.30am at Wednesday Café for a good chat over good refreshments!
SATURDAY CAFÉ
Also, join us from 10-11.30am at Saturday Café for a good chat over good refreshments!
LIGHTHOUSE AND IGNITE
Lighthouse (our Kids group) and Ignite (our Youth group) are in action this Sunday. As always, thank you so much to our wonderful leaders and helpers!
LIFE GROUPS
Our cherished Life Groups are essential for:
· building deeper friendships
· studying God’s Word together and applying to each other’s lives
· caring, supporting, and praying for each other.
If you haven’t joined a Life Group yet, then I warmly recommend this wonderful opportunity to you. Please contact me or Em to find out more.
MEN’S GROUP
This happens every Monday night at 8pm. We gather to catch up with each other, enjoy each other’s company and have a go at the Life Group questions. Gents, you’re very welcome to join us. Please contact either Mike or me for the Zoom link.
PRAYER BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER THE SERVICE
After Quiet Communion, before going through to Breakfast, you are very welcome to join anyone who wishes to pray for the service on the right-hand side of church at the front to the left-hand side of the sofas, next to the boards.
As well as receiving prayer ministry after the service (in the same place as praying before the service), you can now pray with someone when we start singing after the talk. When we start singing, please make your way to the prayer room where we’d be pleased to pray with you.
Every blessing
Chris
Contact us
Vicar: Chris Richardson Tel: 01276 586798
email: vicar@stmartinolddean.com (Day off: Friday)
Church Office Tel: 01276 932819 (10am-12pm weekdays)
email: office@stmartinolddean.com
Website: www.stmartinolddean.com
Facebook: St Martin’s Camberley Twitter: @StCamb