The United Pastorate of Leatherhead Cobham Effingham February 2013 L E N T Linking: Christ Church (United Reformed) Leatherhead Cobham Methodist Church Cobham United Reformed Church Effingham Methodist Church Leatherhead Methodist Church CONTENTS: Ministers’ Letters 3 - 5 MWiB SE District Day 6 Cobham Methodist Church 7 Cobham United Reformed Church 8 - 9 Effingham Methodist Church 10 - 15 Leatherhead Pages 16 - 18 Leatherhead Methodist Church 19 - 24 Christ Church (United Reformed) 25 - 27 Pastorate Details 28 Women’s World Day of Prayer Women’s World Day of Prayer is this year on Friday 1st March. Services are being held as follows: Eastwick Road Church (URC), Bookham at 10.30am - see page 13 for details. All Saints Church, Little Bookham at 7.30pm - see page 13 for details. Leatherhead Methodist Church at 2.30pm - see page 17 for details Editor: Les Prescott 22 Yarm Court Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8PA Tel: Church Office - (Tues & Thurs a.m.) 01372 362145 itor by 15th January E-mail address for The Link: [email protected] All copy for the March issue to the editor by 15th February 2 The Ministers Write... From Rev. Ian Howarth Dear Friends, On 8th February Barbara and I set off to visit our friend Rev. Jeyapaul in South India for two weeks. Jeyapaul has been a regular visitor to us over the last 20 years, and it has been a joy to hear of his developing community work with disadvantaged children and older women. It is 27 years since we first met him and since we last went to India, so it will be fascinating to see how much things have changed there since 1985. We are looking forward to the privilege of seeing India not as tourists but as guests, and I am sure there will be insights to share when we return. For me at the moment it is good to be going now for it sets every- thing that is happening here in a broader perspective. With all the changes that we face this year it is good to look outward and to be reminded that we belong to a world church. We are not just isolated congregations, but part of a world-wide body of people who acknowledge Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. That is both a privilege and a challenge. It is a privilege to share our faith with people from around the world, and a joy to share our faith with those who come from very different places and cultures from our own. However, there are challenges. Because of our different cultures we can see the faith differently and find different expressions of the faith hard to relate to. Some of these we face in Britain, as we try to work out how to relate to Christians from other parts of the world who have settled here, but don’t find our expression of Christianity one they are comfortable with. What can we share? At Epsom, the Chinese Methodist Congregation that began as a separate group at LMC twenty years ago, is now an integral part of the Methodist Church there, with Rev Hazel Yu, formerly of Christ Church, sharing in the ministry in a successful partnership. continued on the next page 3 As we focus on the future of the churches here, I hope that we can keep our vision wide, remembering that we belong not just to wider denominations, but to churches that span the world. Learning to work across cultures is not easy, and many of our partner churches face their own problems. But in our fast changing, mobile world, we have much to learn by engaging with Christians from other cultures, with other perspectives, praying that God will bless the encounter, and with greater understanding will help us to work across the barriers to share his love and his grace. Yours in Christ, Ian From Rev. Kim Plumpton Dear Friends, I returned from a silent retreat early in January. The silent retreat would be for four days at the Ladywell Convent in Godalming. I knew that it would be challenging for me as I had never experienced it quite on this level before. But I had decided it was time to centre myself, to remove myself away from the busyness of the world and spend some time with God alone. On my retreat there would be no conversations with anyone, however, I could attend prayer morning and evening, as well as Mass which I readily did. I was blessed by the richness of their liturgy and the contemplative nature of worship. At the meal table I was separated from the 26 nuns and a group of 25 people who were on another programme. I was positioned squarely in the middle away from both parties. At the first meal I was astonished by the overwhelming sense of isolation. My days were normally filled with conversations in one form or another, or listening to others talk about issues they needed to share. I did not like this feeling of separation one bit. By the end of the retreat I came to understand how you could feel so alone in a room full of people, but more importantly how I had not been content simply to be in the company of God. 4 By the end of the three days I loved to sit at my table, I was far from alone. Yet it required me to recognise that I often go into my day without comprehending what it means to have God walking with me. It is only within this atmosphere of hospitality that you can welcome others into your day. We are never alone, God promises to stay close to us but some- times we do need to discover a way of finding God again. Discovering God is not always easy. I sat in the church for over an hour contemplating the frescos on the wall. In that time the fire alarm went off, and the cleaner came to do the hovering. I joked with God, how is it that I come for a silent retreat and the moment I manage to find a space with you noise abounds. I was reminded that it was a reflection of my own day and that I would need to find God not just in the silence, but in the hustle and bustle of life. My challenge would not only be to find God amongst it all but how I might resolve to stay close to God, keeping hold of the inner peace that only God can give. If anyone ever asks whether you would like to go on a silent retreat grab it with both hands, because God delights when we take time out to be with him alone. With every blessing, Kim 5 Methodist Women in Britain South-East District Day “Head over all things” at Tonbridge Methodist Church Higham Lane, Tonbridge, TN10 4JT http://tonbridgemethodistchurch.org Saturday 16 March 2013 10.30am (for 11.00 start) to 3.30pm Including worship, Bible study, speakers on Brain Tumour Research, stalls In support of our project 4Aurora and Brain Tumour Research’s Wear a Hat Day (28 March) you are invited, if you wish, to bring and wear a decorated hat. Bring a packed lunch - drinks provided £3.00 day charge covers refreshments and contribution to expenses Local contact: Daphne Arden 01732 355620 [email protected] 6 Cobham Methodist Church Cobham Methodist Diary - February Sun 3rd 11.00am Rev. Frank Smith Fri 8th 4.30pm CYC at the URC Sat 9th 10.00am Time 4 You 2.30pm Platinum Service Sun 10th 11.00am John Oborn Wed 13th 2.30pm Church Council Sun 17th 11.00am Rev. Kim Plumpton - with Holy Communion Wed 20th 7.30pm House Fellowship at the Manse Sun 24th 11.00am Rhys Frost Thurs 28th 3.30pm Messy Church at the URC (to 5.30pm) March Sun 3rd 11.00am Rob Pitt Next “Time 4 You” - Saturday 9th February 10.00am - 12noon 7 Cobham United Reformed Church Cobham URC Worship Diary - February Sun 3rd 9.00am Early Bird Service 10.30am Rev. Iain Stewart Sun 10th 10.30am Rev. Kim Plumpton with Holy Communion Sun 17th 10.30am Rev. Roy Bones Sun 24th 10.30am Rev. Kim Plumpton March Sun 3rd 10.30am Rev. Derek Wensley Prayers at the Manse at 9.30am on Wednesdays: 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th February Lent Study with Kim starts... Wed 20th at 10.30am Wed 27th at 7.30pm Thurs 28th at 10.30am Please see church notice board for details 8 Cobham URC Events - February Sun 3rd 3.00pm Special Needs Group to 6.00pm Tues 5th 9.45am Church Walk Thurs 7th 12.30pm Men’s Fellowship at the Fairmile, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, KT11 1BW Fri 8th 4.30pm CYC meets at the URC to 6.30pm Tues 12th 11.00am Coffee for Carers at the URC 7.30pm Elders’ Meeting Thurs 21st 8.00pm Evening House Group at Isobel’s Fri 22nd 3.00pm T @ 3 at church 4.30pm CYC meets at the URC to 6.30pm Tues 26th 11.00am Coffee for Carers at the URC Thurs 28th 3.30pm Messy Church at the URC to 5.30pm Messy Church Comes to Cobham, Oxshott and Stoke d’Abernon !!! Date: Thursday 28th February 2013 Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm Venue: Cobham URC, 38 Stoke Road, KT11 3BD All are welcome 9 Effingham Methodist Church Effingham Methodist Diary - February Sat 2nd 10.00am Café Church at KGV Hall - 11.00am Sun 3rd 10.00am Rev. Kim Plumpton - with Holy Communion Tues 5th 2.30pm Tuesday Tea in the Catholic Church Hall Wed 6th 8.00pm Christian Meditation in the church Thurs 7th 2.15pm Bible Study Group meet with Kim in the hall Sun 10th 10.00am Jon Fisher Sun 17th 10.00am Freddie Jenkins Tues 19th 2.30pm Tuesday Tea in the Catholic Church Hall Wed 20th 8.00pm Christian Meditation in the church Thurs 21st 2.15pm Bible Study Group meet with Kim in the hall Sun 24th 10.00am Martin Ellis March Sat 2nd 10.00am Café Church at KGV Hall - 11.00am Sun 3rd 10.00am Rev.