Scattered but Connected ii Ripening Fruit

As we work our way through 2020, the Dorking URC community remains scattered but connected. Covid 19

has caused us to be scattered, these occasional reflections and updates are one of the many ways we are

making sure we stay connected. Something we are realising afresh at this time is that it’s our relationships,

with people, and indeed with the Lord which are the most precious thing; we hope these updates help both.

When Scattered but Connected i was written in April, spring was in the air and we were thinking a lot about

seeds. https://www.dorkingurc.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Scattered-but-connected-cc.pdf We

now find ourselves in August and seeds planted in the spring are flowering and bearing fruit, turning our

thoughts to harvest. Something that has been running parallel throughout is our ‘Mayflower Sunrise’ display

in the church garden, our contribution to Dorking’s entry in the South East in Bloom competition. With 2020

being the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrim Fathers sailing to the ‘New World’ in the Mayflower, the town has

chosen that as its theme. Many of you will know that the Mullins family who were on board lived just up the

road from our church buildings. https://www.dorkingurc.org.uk/the-mayflower-sunrise-display/

The Pilgrim Fathers craved freedom of religion, and freedom in general, a new beginning in a ‘New World’

with God at the centre. They were prepared to go to huge and dangerous lengths and endured hardship,

pain, and loss. Many did not survive the journey and the majority did not survive the first winter, but the

colony was eventually established and as they say, the rest is history. Aspects of that unfolding history, and

wider colonialism, are impossible to defend. We are quite rightly being reminded of that and encouraged to

re-examine and learn from the past through current affairs, making this 400th anniversary of the Mayflower

sailing a very appropriate event to be remembering. It is one we will be following through to our harvest

festival at the end of September. We cannot undo the failings of the past, but we can learn from them,

examine our own lives in their light, and turn to God for forgiveness and grace for failings both past, present,

and sadly, probably yet to come. The parting message to the Pilgrim Fathers included the words: ‘The Lord

has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word’. They have been preserved in a well-known hymn,

and they are central to our flower display, inspiring the ‘sunrise’ theme. The Pilgrim Father’s realised, as we

do today, that God is still speaking, and we need to be still listening. None of us have the last word, and we

all have reason to be grateful for forgiveness and grace. We are still scattered in our homes and streets, and

times are tough………but we are also connected through Christ and the divine friendship we share in. May

you know the warmth and comfort of that friendship.

At this time, between seed time and harvest, here are a few reflections on ripening fruit that we are noticing

– and some invitations for you to consider fruit you might see ripening around you.

Fruit of Growing Faith. As many as 25% of the population have connected with online services during the

lockdown, many more than attend worship normally. When all else fails or seems to crumble, people are

open to the Lord in a new way. At times such as this we need hope, and there is no one better than our Lord

Jesus, a sure and steadfast anchor for our souls (Hebrews 6:19). Churches and individual Christians have

been seen actively responding to the needs of the moment, initiating, and supporting the mobilisation of

countless people to care for the most disadvantaged amongst us, providing prayer, people, and premises.

Great resources like the Christian Centre have played significant roles, helping organisations like the

Foodbank and Community Fridge distribute up to 1000 bags of food each week. Our worship over recent

weeks has been focussing on the book of Psalms in the Bible. It is a collection of songs or poems, many

written at times of great challenge or sorrow, yet it is still full of praise, hope, and trust in God. What has

God been showing you or saying to you through these current times of challenge and sorrow? Do you

have a favourite psalm? Could you write a song, poem, or psalm for 2020 to reflect your journey of faith

during these days? It would be lovely to hear them if so.

Fruit of Light. Light is most powerfully seen amid darkness. Whether its Captain Tom, his younger protégée

Tony Hudgell, or others, we all need heroes in the midst of the darkness. There have been so many who

have literally laid down their lives for others, like NHS doctors/nurses/workers, carers, and so many other

key workers going above and beyond the call of duty. The real heroes of this chapter will not get the

headlines nor want too. They have done what they have done out of love for their fellow human beings.

Streets of people have been seen helping and supporting one another (especially the quarantined and

elderly). The milk of human kindness is as still as strong as ever. Light, often inspired by faith, has broken

through the darkness and thousands are grateful for the sacrificial service of others. May they be recognised

one day, if not in this life, when they appear before their Lord in glory. Can you perhaps share a story of

someone who has helped you during darkness? Who are the hero’s we know of? Let’s share and celebrate

their story of selfless love.

Fruit of needs met. The Bible tells us that in the early church there were no needy people (Acts 2:42-47).

We hear they gave to everyone as they had need. It has been great to hear how local ministries like the

Foodbank, the Community Fridge, Belong Community, Be Me, Besom, and many others have not only

continued to operate throughout the pandemic but have stepped up and gone way beyond the second mile

in meeting needs. We have heard stories of huge generosity, from individuals to individuals and households

to households, and the Lord is pleased! Before our eyes, and in ways we could never have envisaged,

communities are being reborn, and the fruit is sweet. Can you tell us of a need you had met and how you

felt?

Fruit of Hope. Hope is one of those intangible things that we all need but which can be illusive and slip

through our hands easily. Sadly, in these past few months we have seen many whose lives may have been

shortened due to the virus. We have had the privilege of standing with multiple families in their

grief. However, at the same time as a church family we have seen new babies born. Christians often make

an affirmation ‘The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away’, and as we have released loved ones into the arms

of God, in the promised hope of an unseen future, we have welcomed new loved ones into our hearts and

community here and now. Ultimately this pandemic has again thrown us back into the arms of Father God

whose love for us will never change or wane. We all need that hope running through us like the words on a

stick of Brighton Rock. Our prayer is that your hope is constantly renewed. Share anything that has given

you Hope? What does Hope look like for you?

Our All-Age Harvest Festival and Parade Service is on 27th September. It will be very different this year.

We may or may not be able to worship in the church building. Uniformed/Church groups may or may not

be meeting together again. We may or may not be able to sing together. Some may be joining online,

others in person. In spite of all the uncertainties, we want it to be a time of celebration and thanksgiving;

a celebration of faith, light, hope and needs met, and thanksgiving to our God, the provider of all that is

good. And, we want it to be an opportunity for as many of you as possible to participate in, in the

scattered but connected nature of these times.

There will be opportunity to offer gifts of money, food, or other items to our chosen charities (Dorking

Area Foodbank locally, and Link to Hope in the wider world) either remotely, or in person if you are able

to be in church on the day. We also want to be celebrating and sharing all sorts of other gifts, particularly

‘fruit’ like those we have been reflecting on above - the fruit of our time spent in lockdown, the good

things that have happened in defiance of the unfavourable climate. They are fruit that God has fed and

watered and they take many shapes: acts of kindness and sacrifice; creativity, reinforced relationships

and communities; new skills learned; new ways of keeping in touch, learning and working; and many old

and simpler ways of being rediscovered or reinvented. The Dorking URC website gives details of how you

can contribute to a very different harvest display and participate in a very different harvest festival, from

right now, up to the end of September: https://www.dorkingurc.org.uk/harvest-2020-get-involved and

the last page of this newsletter contains more information for those without internet access. Look out for

updates in the regular weekly mailings too.

There is news of how different church groups are responding to the challenges of recent months in the latest

edition of the Dorking URC Community News: https://www.dorkingurc.org.uk/wp-

content/uploads/2020/06/Com-News-Summer-2020.pdf and it reveals plenty of examples of good fruit

growing out of dark times. Many will see them as ‘Light and truth breaking forth’. It continues to do so, and

here are just few updates in the month since that was published:

A ‘Who am I?’ booklet produced by the local charity Be Me has been made available to secondary school age

members of our groups, with over 60 copies being sent out. Our Scout groups continue a very active

programme of remote activities, including online camps that many families engage with, and a 30 mile

‘Run/Ride Challenge’ for the Community Fridge. Mytime also continue to offer remote activities to their

members and enjoy online sessions with the senior group. Plans are germinating for face to face picnics and

meetings outside over the summer and for a song writing project with a professional music producer that

will hopefully feed into our harvest, or other celebrations. They are hugely grateful for the support they get

from Dorking URC.

Our weekly online worship continues, the videos regularly receiving two to three hundred views. As we

approach six months of worshipping remotely, ongoing plans are being made for how we start gathering

again safely, sustainably, and inclusively. Regular worshippers should have received a questionnaire seeking

their input in that process. The journey through the Psalms that our worship has followed over recent

weeks has, and continues, to generate some lovely responses for a display. There is still time to add more:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/dorkingurc/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2718819535002348

The Prayer Tree in the church garden continues to attract new leaves, and the ‘Mayflower Sunrise’ display

there draws a lot of attention, sparking many conversations with those passing by and passing through. It

has been selected as part of Dorking’s entry in the South East in Bloom competition and has been joined by

one of the Mayflower Boat Planters organised by Dorking Town Partnership and made by the Men’s Shed.

Refusing to be completely thwarted by Coronavirus, Holiday at Home have mailed out around 130 Holiday at

Home, AT HOME packs to those on the mailing list. They contain several activities and a lovely CD sing along

kindly recorded by Judith Flint. And, unable to get together in the church garden as usual at the end of the

summer term, Smallfry finished their school year with a virtual Teddy Bear’s Picnic, wishing every blessing on

those moving on to ‘big school’ in September.

The Elders are being invited to gather and pray together in the Church Garden between their meetings,

members of Quest, and other friends, have met there to help pack Holiday at Home envelopes, and tentative

plans are being explored for Oasis to gather there. The garden has also hosted prayerful times for

remembering dear friends who have passed away, a Life Group session, and planning times looking to the

future (Mullins, just up the road, is proving a convenient and helpful source for teas and coffees in the

absence of our own kitchens!). Is there anything you would like to meet appropriately in the garden for?

We are living through uncertain and testing times. Will we need a ‘Scattered but Connected iii’? We do not know, but

we can be certain that God’s ‘truth and light’ continues to ‘break forth’ and its fruit grows in even the darkest of times.

That fruit contains the seeds for new beginnings and future harvests, for which we are invited to be good soil through

the outrageous ambition of God’s love and grace. Whilst we remain scattered, may we remain connected in that.

Dorking URC, 53 West Street, Dorking, RH4 1BS

Pastor: David Bedford, 07532 088253 pastordavid.dorkingurc@outlook.com

Church Community Worker, Chris Currie: 07771596654

chris.currie.dorkingurc@outlook.com

Web: www.dorkingurc.org.uk www.facebook.com/dorkingurc

A Scattered but Connected Harvest, 2020

Our All-Age Harvest Festival and Parade Service this year is on 27th September. This is a time the Dorking URC Community gather to celebrate and thank God for all he provides, and to share some of the gifts he has given us with other people in need. It is usually a time when the different groups in the church community come together around displays celebrating everything we have been blessed with and want to share. We like to think beyond the traditional harvest gifts of food and money, and celebrate all the people, talents, achievements, communities, knowledge, and raw materials that enrich our lives. The ‘fruit’ God provides is a double blessing, as well as meeting our current needs, it also contains the seeds for future harvests, and our theme for this year’s harvest celebration is ‘New Beginnings’.

Our Harvest Celebrations will be very different this year! As we think ahead there are many unknowns. We may or may not be able to worship in the church building. Uniformed/Church groups may or may not be meeting together again. We may or may not be able to sing together. Some may be joining online, others in person. In spite of all the uncertainties, we want to bring together as many of our ‘Scattered but Connected’ church community as possible in a time of celebration and thanksgiving; a celebration of all that is good, and thanksgiving to our God, the provider. Ways you can join in can be found on the church website here: https://www.dorkingurc.org.uk/harvest-2020-get-involved and they are adapted on these two pages for those without internet access.

‘New Beginnings’ is an appropriate theme for 2020 for at least two reasons:

1) The harvest we are celebrating this year has grown through some challenging conditions. For many it has been a hard year indeed, and not necessarily an easy one for noticing the fruits of God’s blessings growing and ripening around us, but we know they have been. The fruit of 2020 are fruit in defiance of adversity that call for thanksgiving. They contain seeds that can help shape the ‘New Beginning’ of our post Coronavirus world. They are seeds that need carefully nurturing and sharing; we are very keen to include them in our harvest celebrations.

2) 2020 is the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower, which carried the Pilgrim Fathers to a ‘new beginning’ in the ‘New World’. They sought a world centred on God, and their vision, faith, and resolve speak into our current time and place. The unfolding story of the community they planted has much to teach us too. Not everything about the ‘New World’ they helped plant is for celebrating, and aspects of its history, which is wrapped up with ours, were far from the vision of the Pilgrim Fathers. We can learn from that. The parting address to the Pilgrim Fathers included the line ‘The Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word.’ That light continues to break forth. The lessons of the past may be bitter fruit at times, but if they contain seeds for a better future, they are a valuable harvest.

We hope as many of you as possible will be able to participate in the ‘scattered but connected’ nature of these times, whether in person or remotely, on the day or in the days leading up to it and following. Here are some ways you can join in our ‘Scattered but Connected’ Harvest Celebrations, please do ask if you have any questions.

Share in Worship For those able to attend, this will hopefully take place on Sunday 27th September at 10.30am in church, subject to social distancing guidance at the time. For those that can’t attend, a video of the service will be available on the DURC Facebook page and hard copies will be available too. Share Gifts of money to our chosen charities, Dorking Area Foodbank locally, and Link to Hope in the wider world. The DURC website give details of how you can do this remotely. You can give in person if you are able to be in church on the day, or donations can also be posted to Dorking URC, 53 West Street, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1BS. Share Gifts of food for Dorking Area Foodbank. These can be brought along in person by those attending on the day, left in the summerhouse in the church garden on the six days before or after, or left at the Foodbank collection points at Dorking Christian Centre and various supermarkets in the town at any convenient time. Share Gifts of items for Link to Hope. We have traditionally supported Link to Hope by organising a shoebox collection between harvest and November. The situation this year makes that complicated but there are

plenty of ways you can still support this very worthwhile charity that helps families and elderly people in some of the poorest countries. There are ways to do this online – all details on the website. Or, if you would like to supply your own shoebox, or items to help fill one, call Chris Currie on 07771 596654. Share in our Harvest Display Our ‘scattered but connected’ harvest this year needs a ‘scattered but connected’ harvest display. It needs to be in the church building, and online, as we will be. We want it to be a celebration of all the good things that have happened this year, and all the amazing talents you each have. Here are some ways you can join in:

Sunflowers We are a little proud of the sunflowers in the church garden – maybe you should be too if you planted one of them! We know many of you have also been growing sunflowers at home, we would love to see pictures of them! As well as photos of sunflowers, it would be great to see drawings/collages/paintings too, whether they are in your garden or imagination! Please do send us some.

Seeds We are thinking a lot about seeds this harvest. How many different seeds can you find in your kitchen? How many can you find in your garden? Send us a picture of the biggest/smallest/weirdest. Can you do something creative with them? 2020 Fruit This year’s fruit has grown through some challenging conditions, and it has come in many more ways than the edible varieties. For many it has been a hard year, and not one for easily to noticing the fruits of God’s blessings growing and ripening around us, but they have been. These ‘Scattered but Connected’ newsletters have been highlighting blessings we have seen develop from seed to fruit over the recent months – the fruit of our time spent in lockdown so to speak. They are fruit that God has fed and watered and they take many shapes, like acts of kindness and sacrifice; creativity, reinforced relationships and communities; new skills discovered; new ways of keeping in touch, learning and working; and many old and simpler ways of living rediscovered or reinvented. We would love to hear about the fruit you have seen growing in these difficult times, so please do tell us.

Sunrises This September it is 400 years since the Pilgrim Fathers sailed to America in the Mayflower. The Mayflower Sunrise flower display in the church garden was inspired by these parting words to the Pilgrim Fathers ‘The Lord has yet more light and truth to break forth from his word’. We would love to have pictures/drawings/photos of sunrises in our display

Four soils challenge The Story of the Sower talks about seed falling on four different types of ground. In the Summerhouse in the church garden there are sets of seeds and trays representing each of the soils. Would you like to take one, follow the suggestions, and send us pictures of how you get on? We would love to see how things turn out!