The magazine of Banstead United Reformed Church

BANSTEAD UNITED REFORMED CHURCH SERVICES

Our Family Worship is held every Sunday at 10.30am a crèche is provided.

Junior Church for children aged 3-14 meets at the same time,

and we have a music group which meets at 10.10am.

Holy Communion is normally celebrated during our morning service on the first Sunday of each month.

The Prayer Circle meets every two weeks.

Please note: Monday is the Minister’s day off.

For details of future events and important dates for your diary please see the monthly Diary Sheet or check out our Website:

www.bansteadurc.org.uk

Tidings is edited by Linda Richards.

Address: 3 Breech Lane, Walton on the Hill, Tadworth, Surrey KT20 7SQ

Tel 01737 813617, e-mail burctidings@hotmail.co.uk

I am happy to receive your contributions, ideas and suggestions for Tidings at any time but copy for the next edition should be

with the editor by

Sunday, 21st March 2013

Dear Friends

This edition of Tidings covers almost the whole of Lent and takes us through to Easter Day. From a time of quiet reflection, through terrible sorrow, to the inexpressible joy of Easter Day.

During Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, which we recall during Lent, he contemplated what his calling was and how it would be fulfilled. With a show of might, or with humility? With a sense that any means are fair means, or trusting in God’s power alone? And we know from our reading of the gospels that this time of reflection was essential for the trials that he was to face during his three-year ministry.

In some ways it seems to me strange that we should be recalling the start of Jesus’s ministry as we are approaching Easter, the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Of course, we do not know which season it was when Jesus entered the wilderness, but for us in the northern hemisphere, thoughts of call, and responding to the call, seem to be particularly appropriate when the earth is bursting with the promise of new life, and every day we can see a fresh sign of growth and development. Even if we are feeling somewhat exhausted by the cold of a northern winter, the birds and the spring flowers do not seem to share our reservations – they are bursting with song and new life.

Our own call as Christians – our response to Jesus’ ‘Follow me’, is experienced in the call of the resurrected Jesus to the church, the call issued on a mountaintop in Galilee: ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you to the end of the age.’

May God bless our time of Lenten reflection with a renewed commitment to share our Easter joy.

Yours in Christ Jenny

CHURCH FAMILY NEWS

In our thoughts and prayers … Copies of the latest church prayer diary are now available. Please use this as a focus for prayer. Its aim is to help us, as a church family, to pray for each other, our community and our world, on a regular basis and to be praying for the same topic on the same day. The last few months have seen the passing of two of our oldest members from this life to the fullness of eternal life in Christ Jesus. We continue to remember their families and friends in our prayers. Both Joan Mills and Rosary Brown were faithful attenders at worship even in extreme frailty, and were grateful to those who enabled their attendance by bringing them week by week on the Roseland bus. In this month’s edition of Tidings we recall their lives among us, and give thanks to God for their worship and witness to the Christian faith.

Quiet Afternoon

for Holy Saturday

A time of readings, prayers

and silence

held in the church

Saturday 30th

March,

2.00 – 3.30 p.m.

JOAN MILLS 29 March 1913 – 22 December 2012

Joan’s active involvement in the church was life-long – one of her earliest recollections was sitting on her father’s lap in the church choir when she was four years old. Soon afterwards, a Children’s Church was established. Joan herself was a dedicated children’s leader in the church, where she was a leading light in the Union Church in Mill Hill. She was full of admiration for Philip Jones who, she remembered, re-invigorated the Junior Church when it was down to just two children. Joan’s love of, and gift for, cooking was put to good use as she baked countless cakes for the church. At Joan’s service of thanksgiving, her grand-daughter Jenna read a poem ‘The Lone Tree’, her son David told us something of Joan’s life, including her considerable involvement with The Union Church at Mill Hill, and her grandson Kier read Psalm 121. The following is taken from the address: Psalm 121 is a song that the pilgrims sang on their way to Jerusalem, as they approached the Temple to worship at the great festivals; or as part of their own regular pattern of personal worship through all the changing seasons of their lives. An appropriate choice for Joan, who took seriously and with commitment the promise she made as a church member to be faithful in the worship and witness of the church … on those occasions when illness kept her away, Joan always made a point of saying how much she missed church, and how much she was looking forward to being back again. Joan became a member here in 1970, when we were still Banstead Congregational Church, and quickly became a stalwart member, deeply and practically involved in many aspects of the life of the church. Joan was Chairman of the Women’s Guild for many years, and continued to serve on the committee until 1998. Joan was also Assistant Church Secretary, and Joan, along with her trusty typewriter, proved to be an absolute blessing to the whole church in that role. Joan was a pillar of the church – someone dependable, who could be relied upon, who along with others supported and enabled the life of the church. Joan’s Christian faith was lived in and through the fellowship of the church – and we are all the richer for it.

ROSARY BROWN 16 August 1915 – 29 January 2013

When Rosary was a young child the family moved from London to Leigh on Sea in Essex, as Rosary’s health was considered to be delicate. Rosary confounded the concern of the doctors and lived until the age of 97. Rosary attended the Congregational Church in Leigh, and gave her life to Christ as a teenager. After leaving school she joined the Civil Service, where she met Ivan, and during the war their division was evacuated to North Wales. She and Ivan lived for some years in Mill Hill, where Rosary under the influence of a friend, became a member of the Union Church. In time they moved to the house in Salisbury Road where they lived for many years, and where they brought up their family. Rosary started attending Banstead Congregational Church when the church met in the village school, and was one of the people who took part in the famous walk from the school to the new church building in April 1951. Rosary became a church member that same month. Rosary had a life-long passion for issues of peace and justice, and every Wednesday for many years she and Mary Palmer travelled to Livingstone House in London, the home of the London Missionary Society, where they volunteered with clerical work. Rosary remembered this time with great fondness, although she was also very indignant that on one occasion, when she returned late from lunch, she got a ticking off from the manager. Volunteers were expected to adhere to the same discipline as paid staff! Rosary loved poetry, particularly that of T S Eliot. Hymns too, meant a lot to Rosary, and she chose the hymns for her funeral some years in advance. A particular favourite was Caryl Micklem’s hymn ‘Give to me Lord a thankful heart’ (R&S 497). She especially held dear the verse: ‘Jesus with all your church I long to see your kingdom come. Show me your way of righting wrong, and turning sorrow into song, until you bring me home’.

PRAYER FOR FAMILIES

ON MOTHERING SUNDAY

Father, You are love.

If we had to draw you, we might draw one big heart

overflowing with love in every direction. And Lord, as your much-loved children we want to reflect your characteristics.

Thank you for those who do. Thank you especially at this time for mothers and others who love and teach how to love.

Thank you for the special relationships of love you make possible within families.

And when those relationships go wrong, help us to reach out with a forgiveness

that comes from knowing we are forgiven; with a love that comes from knowing we are loved.

And how much you do love us! So much that you gave us Jesus, your only Son,

so that by trusting in him, we could be in a right relationship with you. What a parent! What a family we belong to!

Thank you, In Jesus name, Amen.

By Daphne Kitching

TRINITY TREK FOR MARCH Saturday 9th March

starting at 2pm Please contact John Mason

For further details.

COMMITTEE REPORTS This month Tidings includes the annual reports from the various committees of the church. The Church Secretary’s report will be presented during the service on 17th March (Church Life Sunday)and will appear in the April edition of Tidings.

WORSHIP & FAITH COMMITTEE This Committee meets approximately four times a year and has oversight of the worship life of the church and its Christian education, which broadly covers faith events at times other than Sunday mornings. Committee members are: Ian Catt, Sue Dinnage, Chris Harris, David

Houghton, Jo Patel, Linda Richards, Robin Sanders, Ruth Williams and the Minister.

After many years’ service Elizabeth Johnston is stepping down as Pulpit Supply Secretary, and we wish to place on record our thanks to Elizabeth for all the work she has done in the vital role of ensuring that worship is offered in the church each week. We welcome Madeline Cranfield who will take on this role from August 1, and who is working with Elizabeth, Linda Richards and Alan Kirby on the August Plus team to deal with the challenges of pulpit supply during the forthcoming vacancy.

Since our last Church Life Sunday we have planned a number of festival services. We review all services after the event, making a note of what went well, and where we need to improve or change things. We are blessed with an enthusiastic Junior Church and their dedicated leaders who have contributed tremendously to our worship. They even involved some older members of the congregation in their now syndicated Nativity Service, and we are looking forward to their contribution to the Church Life Sunday service.

Junior Church currently uses the Roots material, but are exploring alternatives. Some of the leaders plan to visit the Christian Resources Exhibition in May to explore alternatives.

We have held a Sunday morning All-Together Service when people had the choice of taking part in Junior Church activities or remaining in church for a meditation. This has resulted in a number of ideas for occasional different formats of services, including Songs of Praise, and New Hymns.

Each year Junior Church visits the Rose Homes to sing Christmas Carols. In 2012 for the first time we held an all-ages Communion Service at 9.30 for the children and their leaders. This has now become a permanent fixture in the worship life of the church, and enables the whole church to celebrate Christmas Communion.

We recognise that we need to be sensitive to changing patterns of worship, so the once-monthly Sunday evening services which alternated with the Methodist Church have, by decision of Church Meeting, been brought to a close, although our joint Maundy Thursday service at The Drive is unaffected. We will continue to consider offering alternative forms of worship other than Sunday mornings to appeal to people who for various reasons, including timing and format of worship, find these services difficult.

The Prayer Circle continues to meet, and has an ecumenical flavour as it is not just members of our own church who attend. For some time we have been planning to supplement the Prayer Circle with mid-week Prayer and Praise services, and you will be pleased to hear that the first (long delayed) service will be held at 7.45 p.m. on 9th May. The Prayer Diary is issued on a regular basis and gives a variety of pointers to our prayer life. It is good to know that we are united in prayer, even when in our own homes.

Craft Café comes under the auspices of W&F. This initiative has been a success from the start, and we are establishing good relationships with the parents. We hope to explore ways of developing the good work that has already started. We already give special invitations to our festival services.

THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH

If you can't sleep, don't count sheep:

talk to the Shepherd.

We have held two sessions for people interested in Church Membership, and will hold another two this year (see the posters for more details).

We have a regular programme of Quiet Afternoons in the church, and two recent courses: Finding a Voice and The Church that says ‘Yes!’ have enabled us to meet during the week to look at issues of faith and mission. The Elders’ House groups also add to our sense of fellowship.

There are of course other aspects of the worship and faith life of the church (Lent House Groups, Good Friday Walk of Witness, etc.) that are celebrated jointly with the Banstead Five Churches, and which are not included here.

We thank everyone in the church who supports the worship and faith life of the church. Much of what we do would not take place without the commitment of the wider membership.

Jenny Morgan

GREEN TEAM ANNUAL REPORT

The aim of the Green Team is to encourage the church in its mission to care for the earth and all of God’s creation, and to remind us to strive to live sustainably - meeting the needs

of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Lots of people making small changes to their lifestyles can make a big difference. During the past year “The Green Team Page” in Tidings has covered topics including saving energy, wind farms, saving water, Fairtrade fortnight and recycling. We also provide news and information from the Fairtrade movement and encourage everyone that as a Fairtrade Church we should all purchase Fairtrade products where possible. At the Harvest service we gave a presentation about the benefits to the environment of recycling plastic bottles and tin cans following the improved doorstep recycling facilities provided by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council. Recycling boxes for batteries and printer cartridges are available in the Spencer Hall and these typically collect about 300 batteries and cartridges every month.

We would like to draw everyone’s attention to the Christian environmental organisation “Operation Noah”, which is supported by the United Reformed Church and provides inspiration to churches to make care for God’s creation an important aspect of their mission. Operation Noah issued a press release at the beginning of Lent calling for the UK government to change the direction of its energy policy. It explains that the Energy Bill published in December 2012 fails to set adequate targets for reduction in carbon emissions and gives the go-ahead for the building of more gas-fired power stations, locking us in to fossil fuels several decades into the future. Full details are available from the web site www.operationnoah.org.

Finally we would like to thank Keith Pollock for his support of the Green Team. We shall miss his enthusiasm and expertise.

Robin Sanders

THE FINANCE REPORT This is my last finance report before my term as Church Treasurer finishes at the end of June, so it seems an appropriate opportunity to reflect on my time in office.

Overall, I would say that our Church’s finances are in good order. Indeed, over the past nine years, our general fund has more than doubled from £13,000 when I took over to around £27,000 now.

As a Church, we seem to have got into the habit of giving just enough to cover our expenses. A few years ago I did some analysis of the level of giving per member compared with other Churches in what was then the Croydon District and Banstead was towards the bottom of the range of average income per member. Given the modest increase in giving since that time, I would suspect that things remain much the same. Having said that, we respond well as a Church to appeals for one off collections for others in need. We also did very well in our 70th anniversary year in exceeding our fund raising target. However, our annual giving does not allow for significant sums to be spent on outreach. Maybe as we consider the feedback from our discussions on the ‘Church that says Yes!’ this is something we should think about.

I note that there is some fragility in our finances in that giving is not as well spread as I would think is ideal. Approximately 70% of our committed giving comes from just twelve families. Also, we rely quite heavily on income from lettings to balance our books. We also rely on the tax reclaimed through Gift Aid. There has been much in the press recently about the need for Churches to pass the public benefit test to continue to be regarded as a charity and therefore enjoy the benefit of the Gift Aid scheme. I suspect this is something we will need to watch carefully and act on appropriately in the future.

We have a history of responding well to financial appeals. In 2006, when we started exploring the possibility of a paid organist, the membership responded positively. However, that financial boost has now been eroded, and if we decided now

that we wanted to hire an organist, we would need to appeal for a further increase in giving.

Soon after I took over, we discovered that Hazel Usher has left a very substantial legacy to be administered our Church for specific purposes. This was an unexpected responsibility but it has been a privilege to be part of the team administering the fund. Initially there was a lot of work in planning and executing the investment strategy but now things have settled down so that it is part of business as usual.

I do not think that the majority of our members are very interested in our finances. Generally, people are just happy that someone is looking after money matters. One consequence of this is that there is a very limited pool of people that can be called upon to assist in the area of Church finance.

We have been blessed during my term as treasurer by the receipt of a number of legacies and donations. These have allowed us to improve our audio visual capabilities and replace both the organ and the photocopier. We have also afforded improvements to the Church premises, including to the kitchen and the ladies’ toilets.

Importantly, when I agreed to take on this job I insisted that I would need an assistant. Ian Simmons and Arthur Bestente have supported me brilliantly over my years in office.

Although the Church’s finances are presently in a satisfactory state, I do believe that members need to be ever diligent in reviewing their level of giving. Our accounts for 2012 show a deficit of £2,500. Our expenses were close to budget so the main reason for the deficit was a reduction in committed giving. If we are to continue to meet all our financial commitments, including our assessed contribution to the Ministry and Mission Fund and the maintenance of our premises in good condition, then members will need to reflect carefully on their level of giving.

I have enjoyed serving as your Church Treasurer and I offer all best wishes to Robin Sanders as he takes over from me.

Cliff Houghton

IMPACT COMMITTEE REPORT

The purpose of the Impact Committee is to make an impact in the Community. We certainly did that again in May last year when we joined the procession along the High Street during the May Fayre. We took the Olympics as our theme, using the “ Chariots of Fire” theme tune to announce our presence. We gave out 200 flyers and lots of lollipops and made a great noise!

Christian Aid week was very well organised due to Emma Sabin and Jo Patel willingly volunteering to take on this worthwhile task. Happily they have agreed to do it again this year! Please give them all as much support as you can.

Later in the year Brydie Forzani told us of her experiences with the Roma of Kosova and it is hoped to have a fund-raising social evening to help these people. Of course, we still provided financial help to ASCT and Ekwendeni and the collections at our special Christmas services raised £464.75 to be split between these two worthy causes.

We continue to support the Prison Visitors’ Centre with gifts of sweets and toiletries at Christmas and at Easter with Easter Eggs.

We are grateful to Alan Kirby for updating the Church Directory again, keeping us up to date with communication.

The Rose Home’s bus is still used weekly although we could do with more volunteers, particularly escorts. The problem at the moment is that most of the volunteers are serving Elders so have other duties on Sunday mornings as well as the bus. It would be good if more people would come forward to help in this very important role in ensuring that as many of the Church family as possible are able to attend Church.

Val Beard is organizing a fundraising concert on Saturday March 23rd with all proceeds going to ASCT. The choir, the award-winning Surrey Harmony, will be entertaining us with a wide repertoire and it is hoped to see a full Church on the night.

Sheila Costello

YOUTH AND CHILDREN’S WORK REPORT

Our children and young people continue to be a source of joy, energy and inspiration for us all. We are grateful to all the members of the church and friends who help and support us in so many ways. So over the last year we have enjoyed all kind of fun and activities!

Leaders and Groups

Sue Dinnage and Chris Harris, our very capable Junior Church Coordinators, work hard to develop, support and encourage all our JC members and leaders. Our thanks, as always, to them. We are blessed with a great group of leaders who work with the children each week, as well as learn from them! Sincere thanks to them for their enthusiasm and dedication.

During the year we have changed the Sunday format to 2 groups, one for the teenagers (Jesus G), and one for the school age upwards group (GLU). This is to be sure we have a good number in the group each week and we have 2 leaders so that we can work on age appropriate topics and also jointly as the leaders see fit. In case you are wondering about the group names GLU is God Loves U and Jesus G, the G stands for God, great, good, and many more!

We continue to have a messy Sunday each month (all ages together) and have enjoyed a wide variety of cooking, sticking and making style activities. We also have occasional “All Age Communion Services” where we all share together at God’s table.

A number of the Junior Church members are reading from the Bible as part of our worship in Church on Sunday and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm with the whole church.

We have updated our Child Protection Policy and thanks to all those who have helped and contributed in various ways to ensure our children and young people are “Safe from Harm”.

Events through the year

Easter activities included an Egg Hunt and saw a number of eggs laid (layed?) round the church, and thankfully found by the eagle eyes of our hunters.

In May we were joined by the May Queen and her attendants for our all age communion service.

Also in May we made a visit, in the rain, to Bockett’s farm, with 9 children and 9 adults. I’ll leave you to work out who was looking after whom! It was great fun to see all the animals and new born lambs. Lunch

was provided by a team of the older members led by Chris and enjoyed by all. The Children and Young People are keen to thank the church for paying for the outing so that everyone could join in.

In July we all enjoyed our Summer BBQ which we combined with a celebration of Verity’s baptism and raised over £300 for Street Life.

This was followed by Holiday Fun Week, where many of our children, young people and adults meet for a whole week for fun, frolics and learning about discipleship. We enjoyed the review in our Sunday service (special thanks to Ruth and Caroline)

In October we worked with the whole church to make lavender bags for the Rose Homes. These were given out at our Christmas Carol singing visit to the 2 homes on 23 Dec

A group of the leaders wrote and produced our Nativity play which utilised cast members from across the church. It was such a great success that it has been borrowed and is now to be performed at other churches!

In December we also raised £388 for Bugzi with the Christmas greetings board, special thanks to Ruth H-C for making it look so attractive.

Since Christmas B5Y have been bowling in Sutton, attended the Pilgrim Pantomime’s production of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs and met at URC for Fun, Food, Chill, Chat and games!

Our next event is a sleepover at The Old Pheasantry, Mogador, for some of the older members.

We will be taking part in the Good Friday Procession of Witness and then there is a Youth Service followed by Fun & Food at URC at 6 pm on Sunday 14th April.

Further details from Beverley Kent bsk28@hotmail.co.uk

Another aspect of worship which we all enjoy, and where our children and young people play a very active part, is the music, and our special thanks must go to Ian Catt.

B5Y

Banstead 5 Youth (B5Y) continue their programme of events, and inspired by the work of the charity Street Life, they had a cake sale to raise funds for their work. I should mention that they made all the cakes themselves with a little supervision!

Thank you as always for your support and encouragement of our children, young people and leaders. Please continue to hold them and their development in your prayers.

Date for your diaries, the Junior Church BBQ this year will be will be on Sunday, 30 June.

Madeline Cranfield

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

25 February to 10 March 2013

Up to date facts about FAIRTRADE:

FAIRTRADE products are sold in over 120 countries. Sales in the UK exceed £1.3 billion/ year.

10% of all the tea sold in the UK is FAIRTRADE, and one third of all the bananas sold are FAIRTRADE. 10,000 tonnes a year of FAIRTRADE hot chocolate are drunk in the UK - that’s about 1.5 million of us enjoying a cup of hot chocolate every day!

Chichester Cathedral recently became the world’s first public building to display FAIRTRADE and FAIRMINED certified gold. A 3ft cockerel was gilded in FAIRTRADE certified gold and positioned atop the 270ft Cathedral spire.

Why buy FAIRTRADE? When we buy FAIRTRADE products we are doing two things:

We are helping people and communities work their way out of poverty. Last year the FAIRTRADE Premium helped low income farmers around the world invest €65 million in their communities.

We are sending a powerful political message to

governments and companies that large numbers of us want to see a fairer international trading system and are prepared to act to bring it about.

More FAIRTRADE Chocolate! The 2-finger bars of Kit-Kat will soon become FAIRTRADE. The switch to FAIRTRADE chocolate will double the purchase of FAIRTRADE certified cocoa by Nestlé UK & Ireland.

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT – 25 FEBRUARY – 10 MARCH We are a Fairtrade Church. What does this mean?

We use Fairtrade tea and coffee after services and in all meetings for which we have responsibility

We move forward on using other Fairtrade products such as sugar, biscuits and fruit

We promote Fairtrade during Fairtrade Fortnight and during the year through events, worship and other activities where possible

This year, Fairtrade Fortnight is focussing on the needs of small farmers. They tell the story of Emma and her husband Elliott, who are sugar farmers in Malawi. Formerly, Emma combined farming with collecting water, cooking, and looking after her children. It used to take her three to four hours to fetch water, a round trip she did twice a day. Now, her day has been transformed by the drilling of a new bore hole to provide fresh, clean water just minutes’ walk from her home. The well was funded by the Fairtrade premium that their co-operative receives. Now, she says ‘I put the dinner on, and go to collect water. When I get back dinner is cooked.’

Find out more about Fairtrade on their web page www.fairtrade.org.uk

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

At the end of January I was in the Banstead 5 Pantomime and it was great fun. I made lots of friends and I enjoyed learning all of the dances for the show.

We started practising in September. Brydie was our choreographer and she taught us the dances we needed to do, to lots of fun music.

We learnt new things about being on stage and we liked dressing up in the costumes and wearing make up for the performances.

I loved being on the stage for the dances, but back stage you don’t get to see what is happening all of the time. Instead, while we waited we could watch it on a TV screen but mostly we played together and ate lots of sweets! Brydie and some of the teenagers and adults helped us to get changed, do our hair and make up and told us to be quiet when we were too noisy! Brydie was very good at helping us remember our moves and to keep smiling at the audience. Lots of other people from church were also in the pantomime. Georgie was a dancer like me, Izzy was a dwarf and Sheila, Jenny and Charles were ballerinas!! Diane, Beverley, Glenda, Paul, Diana and Christianne all helped the pantomime to happen. It takes a lot of time and hard work with all the rehearsals and jobs there are to do. Some of the adults are not able to carry on helping next year, so we really need more volunteers, as I would love to be in it again. It was good fun and an experience I shall always remember.

My best bit of the pantomime was the finale when everyone was clapping and cheering and we felt that they had had a good time watching us.

Verity Patel (aged 8)

HOLIDAY FUN WEEK 2013 29TH JULY - 2ND AUGUST

From mid - February 2013, all registration forms for Holiday Fun Week are available for download from www.banstead5.org.uk

You will need to print a registration form for each person attending (Adult Helpers, Teenage Helpers, Children and Pre - Schoolers).

The forms need to be completed in full and returned with payment (cheque preferred) on Registration Day which will be held on

Sunday 17th March 2013

The Methodist Church, The Drive, Banstead

between 2 - 3: 30pm.

Please note - As Holiday Fun Week is always very popular, we will operate on a first come, first served basis. .

If you can not attend on this date, you may make arrangements for someone else to bring your forms. However, each adult can only bring their own family's child forms, plus one other family's child forms. If you only have to register Adult Helper and/or Teenage Helper forms, then you may ask any adult attending

on this day to hand them in on your behalf.

If you are unable to download the forms, please contact your Church Reps - Caroline Burns or Ruth Hunter Currie.

MARCH 23RD - A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY Still a chance to buy tickets to hear ‘Surrey Harmony’ An award winning choir (five times UK champions) Forty five ladies who sing, unaccompanied, a wide variety

of music including ballads and West End favourites. Enjoy and evening out and at the same time support

ASCT to continue their great work with children living off the rubbish dumps in the Philippines.

See Sheila or Val for tickets.

AN EVENING WITH THE AWARD WINNING.....

On Saturday 23

rd March at 7:30pm

at Banstead United Reformed Church In aid of:

Tickets are £5 Contact VAL BEARD 01737 361437

Regular Worshipper

but not yet a Member?

Do you worship regularly at Banstead URC? Have you heard those words

‘Church Member’ and wondered what it means?

If you would like to know more about

becoming a Church Member, or even if you are just curious,

then come along to

Tea and Cake in the Church at 3 p.m. on

either Friday 15 March or Wednesday 10th April

If you want to know more, ask Jenny (01737 355026)

URC STATEMENT ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE

Following the parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage, the URC press and media office has issued a statement for your attention:

Please note: The Bill that is now going through the House of Commons and the House of Lords affects England and Wales only.

Following the vote (on Tuesday 5 February) in the House of Commons, in which MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of same-sex marriage, the United Reformed Church says:

“The United Reformed Church (URC) has not yet reached a denominational position on same-sex marriage. During the government’s consultation period in March 2012 the URC declined to make a contribution, saying it had insufficient time to prepare a meaningful denomination-wide response (although individuals within the denomination were

encouraged to make a contribution if they so wished).

“Members of the Faith and Order Committee, the Law and Polity Advisory Group and the Human Sexuality Task Group are now looking at the draft legislation and considering the matter fully on behalf of the denomination – although only when (and if) the Bill becomes law and we know the final form of the Act, shall we be able to begin the process of considering its implications for the URC. The speed of the government’s actions does not require us to respond in haste, and it is possible that the question of whether same-sex marriages may be solemnized in United Reformed churches or using United Reformed forms of service may not be decided until the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church next meets

in July 2014.”

Issued by the press and media office of the United Reformed Church 8 February 2013

BANSTEAD FIVE CHURCHES

EVENTS

Lent Mid-Week Service

St Ann’s Church Weds 6 March, 8 pm

Lent Mid-Week Service

URC Weds 13 March, 8 pm

Sunday 17 March – Registration for Holiday Fun Week (29 July – 2 August) See forms and Banstead Five Churches web page for more details

Lent Mid-Week Service

All Saints’ Weds 20 March, 8 pm

Good Friday Procession of Witness

From All Saints’ to the URC

Friday 29th March, 10.00 am

CAFOD Coffee Morning

St Ann’s Sat 13 April, 10.30 – 12.30

Christian Aid Afternoon Tea

Banstead Methodist Church

Sat 20 April, 3.00 – 4.30

‘Being a Jew’ by Dr Laurence Nathan

URC Tues 23 April, 8 pm

Christian Aid Coffee Morning

URC Sat 11 May, 9.30 – 12.00

Christian Aid Week Everywhere!

12 – 18 May

Christian Aid Coffee Morning

All Saints’

Sat 18 May, 10.30 – 12.00

Church in the Park Lady Neville Recreation Ground

Sun 23 June, 11.30 am (Please note, no service in the URC)

B5 Conference URC Sat 12 October.

Excellent speakers: Peter Vardy, Bp Kieran Conry and John Proctor (Director, New Testament Studies, Westminster College

SURREY AND SUSSEX SYNOD AREA PASTORAL COMMITTEES REPORT

The Surrey and Sussex Synod Area Pastoral Committees met at Crawley United Reformed Church on 5 February 2013 and would like to report the following:

We welcomed to the meeting Revd. Andrew Mills, Synod LMMR

Coordinator who explained and advocated the Local Mission and Ministry Review (LMMR) process.

We also welcomed Mrs Linda Richards and Mr Ian Fletcher as our Lay Preaching Coordinators for Surrey and Sussex respectively.

We are grateful to the Revd Kim Plumpton (Cobham) who has

agreed to be nominated as Surrey Pastoral Committee Convener

and Mr Alan Kirby (Banstead) has agreed to take over as Surrey PC Secretary both from April 2013.

It is pleasing that Revd. David Skitt has been nominated as Area

Leader when Revd. Peter Flint finishes his term in June 2013. Please uphold in your prayers Peter and Kay McIntosh and the

congregation at Christ Church, Leatherhead. Revd. Lynda Russell (Methodist) has accepted the station at

Leatherhead to serve Christ Church and Leatherhead Methodist

Church from September. Her induction will be on 7 September. Mrs Jean Hensman will retire as Local Church Leader at Tolworth in

June. We thank Jean for her 5 years of faithful service.

Mrs Rosemary Shirley will be ordained and inducted as Chaplain to the Western Sussex Hospitals and as Advocate for Chaplaincy to the URC’s in the area on 16 March, 2.30pm, at Emmanuel URC, Worthing. We wish her well.

Sompting, Worthing and Walton on the Hill have all completed their first LMMR, Banstead and Crawley are undergoing theirs but more volunteers are needed to keep these reviews rolling.

LMMR Training will be held on 9 March, 10 – 1pm at Brighthelm, Brighton. Please consider whether someone from your church could attend.

Revd. Jenny Morgan and Mrs Jeanette Chamberlain were thanked at this their last meeting as they retire as Surrey Pastoral Committee Convener and Secretary respectively. Miss Sue Ferguson was also thanked as she steps down from the Surrey PC.

The next Synod Area Meeting is on 5 March 2013, Crawley United Reformed Church at 7.30pm.

NEWS FROM PERU - PART 2

Last weekend we finished our 2 month placement volunteering with Put Them First. We planned a two day long leaving extravaganza, called a despedida in Spanish, that involved animals, cake and hula hoops.

On our penultimate day of volunteering we organised a trip to the zoo for all the children at the Library, using some of the money that we fundraised before coming out to Peru. We could tell that word had spread about our impending expedition as every day more and more children turned up to the Library asking to come with us. By the time it was zoo day there were 40 children signed up to come on the trip, way more than we had expected. Luckily this was not a problem financially: even with a greater number than anticipated we still only paid £18 for 40 children and 10 adults to have a 90 minute guided tour of the zoo - less than the entry price for one adult at London Zoo! Overall it was a really great morning and we think that the children enjoyed themselves a lot.

The next day was our last day and we had planned a little party for the children. After giving out chocolate cake and fruit juice at break time, we gathered all the children together to present to them the sports equipment we had bought the Library as a leaving present with money raised in UK. This included hula hoops, bats and balls, a volley ball, and a long rope for skipping or playing tug of war. The children were really happy and there was a mad rush for the equipment, which was impossible to control. They then had an hour or so to play with everything we had brought, while we tried to share out the equipment as best as we could so that everyone got a turn.

The children gave us some cards and pictures that they had made, which made both of us feel quite emotional. Our two last days at the Library were a really nice way to say goodbye to the children, and, although we were definitely sad to leave them, we're very excited to be continuing with our travels.

Taken from www.llamatails.blogspot.co.uk by Natalie Kent and Daniele

ST PAUL’S CHURCH IS GOING TO … ELY SATURDAY 27

TH APRIL AND YOU ARE WELCOME

Ely is a small cathedral city (its population is less than that of Banstead) and it is the cathedral – the “ship of the Fens” - which dominates the flat surrounding landscape; it can be seen from miles around in all directions. The cathedral is listed as one of the wonders of the medieval world. Its history dates back to

673 when the saintly Etheldreda, daughter of the king of the East Angles, founded a monastery here. Etheldreda’s church was destroyed by the marauding Vikings in 869 but re-founded as a Benedictine monastery in 970. The present church dates from 1081 when Abbot Simeon began rebuilding in the Norman style. On the 12th February 1322, the central tower collapsed, to be replaced by the glory of Ely, its magnificent central octagon, an engineering masterpiece. But there is much more to explore in Ely. It was the home of Oliver Cromwell, Parliamentary general in the Civil War and Lord Protector when England was a republic. We will have a guided tour of the cathedral by Blue Badge Guide, Geoff Marshall, and a local cathedral guide. There will also be the chance to explore the pleasing streets of Ely which lead down to the waterfront of the river. There are plenty of options for lunch, including the Cathedral Refectory. Meet the coach promptly at 0800 at the Horseshoe, Banstead or at St Paul’s Church, Warren Road at 0805. (Please indicate your choice when booking). We return to Banstead by 7.30 pm. What does it Cost? £30 (plus a donation to Ely Cathedral - collected on the day) Cheques made payable to St Paul’s Church, Nork and tickets from: Jill Bakker, 12 Parkwood View, SM7 1JH 01737 210241 jill.bakker@gmail.com

BANSTEAD ARTS FESTIVAL SOCIETY Saturday 9th March at 7.30 pm

in the Community Hall, Park Road, Banstead, SM7 3AJ

JAMES GILCHRIST, tenor ANNA TILBROOK, piano

Any performance of Schubert's haunting song cycle, the moving story of a young man's finding and losing the love of his life, is a

memorable event for music-lovers. On this occasion also, the Beautiful Maid of the Mill will be interpreted by one of the truly

outstanding tenors of his generation.

Tickets cost £12 (school pupils £3). They may be bought at The Ibis Bookshop in High Street, Banstead or

at the door or at www.bansteadarts.co.uk To reserve them in advance, telephone: 01737-350288 or

email: marionh.bafs@hotmail.co.uk

AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP OTHERS

Surrey Waste Partnership is an organisation that enables people to donate and buy items of household furniture and kitchen appliances. There are depots and shops around the county and a new one has been opened in the St Nicholas shopping centre, Sutton, near the ground floor entrance to Debenhams or Dreams. SWP will accept and collect a wide range of items such as furniture, carpets, electrical items, beds, mattresses and duvets. All donated items are checked over and bedding (if accepted) is washed before being put up for sale. To donate or make an enquiry just phone (free on a landline) 0800 082 0180. More info including addresses of other depots including Redhill and Kingston can be found on www.surreyreusenetwork.org.uk

Minister: Revd. Jennifer Morgan, 01737 355026

Church Secretary: Kevin Dinnage 01737 356380

Copy for the next edition should be with the editor by

Sunday, 21st March 2013.

Email: burctidings@hotmail.co.uk