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Sometimes we are very secretive about our Christian faith, so the PCC has just ordered some lapel badges, small, but noticeable, that I hope parishioners will wear, identifying themselves with St. Nicolas Church and their Christian faith.   When I wear my Santiago de Compostela cross, people often ask me what it is, and a conversation about pilgrimage and faith ensues.
I hope that the badges when worn will elicit similar questions and enable us to talk about the church and our part within it.  In a congregation like ours, sometimes people do not realise that those they meet in the High Street are regular members of St. Nicolas, but go to a different service.  Here we have a badge that say we all belong to the one family.  A little badge may mean nothing, but it could create a breakthrough in our conversation one with another, and give us the courage to speak out about that inner faith which is so important to us all.
Remember, when you say 'Goodbye' to a friend, that God is in the relationship. When we shake hands and look into someone's eyes, think of it as sharing the Peace of Christ. A kindly gesture, a word of appreciation, both are the most important gifts that we can give anyone.

Saturday 4 February
Film Extravaganza
The Social Committee is hosting a Film Show in the Church Rooms at 7.30pm on the evening of Saturday 4 February.
The chosen film this year is the 1949 classic "Kind Hearts and Coronets" which is regarded as one of the best Golden-Age Ealing comedies and is included on the British Film Institute’s list of the 100 Best British Films of the 20th Century. It features Alec Guinness in eight different roles!
In the past the events have included a cartoon and/or Pathé News as well as the main feature. It has also been customary for them to serve ice creams during the interval. There will also be a Raffle. So please do come as Film Shows were requested as being one of the most popular of our social events.
Tickets are priced at £5.00 each and are available from Handyman's in the High Street, Cranleigh

Wednesday 8 February
Mothers' Union AGM
On Wednesday 8 February we have the Annual General Meeting of the Mothers' Union, and as Rector I chair the meeting and have the opportunity of expressing thanks for all the work that the MU does in the parish. However, this is not circulated amongst parishioners.

We are extremely lucky in this parish in having a very strong branch of the Mothers' Union - probably one of the largest memberships in the Diocese. It is not a 'talk shop', but a very serious commitment to the belief in Christian marriage and family life. As a branch, they uphold the aims and objects of the MU in a very caring and wonderful way. I never cease to be amazed at the thoughtfulness and kindness of the members, not just to one another, but to the wider community in Cranleigh. Our Enrolling Members, over successive years, have always carried the torch for the Mothers' Union, and it is now in the safe hands of Rosemary Gooding.

Shrove Tuesday 21 February
Here's the date you have all been waiting for:
Shrove Tuesday 21 February 2012
St Nicolas Room, 12 noon for 12.15 p.m.

Pancake Lunch with savoury pancakes followed by apple pie
or crumbles all for £4.00 p.p.

Our speaker is our own curate The Rev'd Jonathan Thomas.
Please come and join us!

Ash Wednesday 22 February
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 22 February, and commemorates the forty days and forty nights that Jesus experienced in the wilderness after his Baptism, when he was tested by the devil. It is, therefore, a penitential season, which gives us time to reflect upon our own Christian discipleship. The church is bedecked with the colour purple, as Advent and Lent are both seasons of preparation for the great festivals of Christmas and Easter.

As we mark Ash Wednesday, I hope as many people as possible will take advantage of our special services on this day. The palm crosses given out on Palm Sunday last year will be burnt to make the ash, which is a symbol of our own desire to make this season prayerful, and will be placed upon our foreheads in the sign of the cross. This is a reminder of our own mortality: 'earth to earth; ashes to ashes'. Lent, therefore, calls for a spiritual renewal - as Pope John XXIII said: 'A springtime of the soul'.

Because this is a special day, we shall be having the following services:

Lent Lunches
During the six weeks of Lent, we shall have Fellowship Lent Lunches in the Church Rooms every Tuesday at 12.30 pm. These are wonderful opportunities for Christian fellowship and also remind us of our need to support the Bishop of Guildford's Lent Appeal. This year he has chosen the two following causes:

1. Water Aid. Can you, during Lent, provide 'Jars of Change'.
By asking everyone to give up something and donate what they save, your church could help families in places like Rwanda, who never have safe water.

2. The Bishop of Guildford's Foundation, which supports many more local charities
in setting up projects or self-help causes in our Diocese.

Wednesday 29 February
Mothers' Union Quiet Morning
"Taste and See"
What would you do with an extra day?
Led by Canon Jeremy Creswell
Meet in Church Rooms at 10.00am, tea and coffee provided, bring your own packed lunch.

Friday 2 March
Women's World Day of Prayer
Women's World Day of Prayer is to be held at St Nicolas Church on the morning of Friday 2 March 2012. This year the service has been prepared by the Christian Women of Malaysia. Please put this in your diary and welcome other women from far and wide.
Please look at http://www.wwdp-natcomm.org/index.asp for further information.