Reports
of Recent Events and
News of Forthcoming Events at
St Nicolas Church, Cranleigh
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.
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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 Institutes 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:
10.00 am - Cranleigh C of E School service in church
12 noon - Holy Communion (BCP), with Imposition of Ashes
(by choice)
6.00 pm - Elmbridge Village Evensong
8.00 pm - Sung Eucharist, with Imposition of Ashes
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.
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