Lily Moody is still in Leatherhead Hospital.

Evelyn Beer has cracked a bone in the other shoulder, and is somewhat incapacitated for a few days.

Joe is not very well, and Peggy is finding life rather trying at the moment. We hope for better times ahead. We rejoice with them on the occasion of their Diamond Wedding on 26^th December.

John Wood is recovering well after minor surgery on his knee.

We remember Sonia, Marjorie, Mary, and Dorothy and Frank with love.

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Dear Friends,

As I write this, I am looking out onto an Azalea in full blossom!  Here in Dunedin on the south island of New Zealand, spring is just getting into full swing.

I don't generally attend lectures while on holiday, but Peter's sister Katherine had tickets for the three of us so we went.  The lecture, “Beyond Tourism and the Theme Parks” was really about the need for New Zealand to enhance its economy through science rather than just through the traditional industries of dairy and tourism.    At first I wondered what this had to do with me, but as the lecture continued, I began to think of the concept in broader terms.  Christmas is a very traditional time for many of us.  We find ourselves shopping, cooking, eating, going to parties, putting up decorations.  These things enhance our celebrations and we wouldn't be without them, would we? 

But sometimes Christmas feels a little like the repeat of last year and the year before that and the year before that......   We need to develop a greater awareness of what God is saying and doing in the present.  Christmas is not just what God did 2000 years ago.  If the story of the birth of Jesus is told today with Roman imperialism at its centre, what might be said about the present occupation of Iraq?  Jesus was born into a poor family and society; this should cast a shadow over the festival of consumption that Christmas has come to be. 

The story of the birth of Jesus should lead us into a deeper understanding of Christmas for our present day.  It should take us into the community, into the present.

Peter and I extend to you our best wishes for Christmas and for 2008.

Peace, Pat

 
Joe Wilson lays the wreath on Remembrance Day

The Lunch Club met recently at the Cock Inn, Headley

The church was very surprised and pleased by an un-announced visit by a minister who had been ordained by our then minister, Rev Stephen E. Baker . From the lectern Neville told us a little of his time in the intervening years, and expressed his thanks to the church of those days, and to Stephen Baker. He was very interested in the church and Unity Hall, and asked after many people he knew when worshipping with us.

Neville with Gwyneth, who remembered the ordination

The Induction was reported in the NewsLetter of August/September, 1959, in the following words (and font):

THE REV. NEVILLE SIMMONS-SMITH - The Ordination Service of the Rev, Neville Simmons-Smith in our Church on the 3rd July conducted by the Rev. Howard Stanley, MA, the General Secretary of the Congregational Union of England & Wales was a memorable occasion.

There was a service at 4 pm. conducted by the Rev, R.R. Turner of Paton College, and the Rev. Maurice Charles preached the sermon. This was followed by tea in the Church Hall at 5.15 pm.

At 7 pm, the service of Ordination was started by the Lesson which was read by our Minister, and after a moving Statement by the Ordinand in which he spoke of how he was led of God to enter the Christian Ministry, there followed the Act of Ordination and the giving of the Right Hand of Fellowship by Mr. Arthur Smith on behalf of our Church, by the Rev. EJ Edwards on behalf of The Congregational Union of British Guiana, and by the Presiding Minister on behalf of The Congregational Union of England & Wales.

The choir then sang the anthem "God so loved the World", (Stainer) after which the Rev. R.F.G. Calder, MA, BD, gave the Charge to the Minister. Following the hymn "I lift my heart to Thee" the Blessing was pronounced by the Rev, Neville Simmons-Smith. Others taking part in the Service were the Rev. Maurice Charles, B.A., B.D., B.Litt., Principal of Paton College, Nottingham, and the Rev. D.W. Hamilton-Pollard of British Guiana.

So went a slushy sort of song, written by an equally slushy American, Irving Berlin. But we need no prompting as to who are the angels (and archangels presumably) of the Nativity in the first and third Gospels.

The early 19th century poet, Byron, made irreverent fun of angels, depicting them singing out of tune and having nothing to do all day except wind up the sun and the moon and curb a runaway star or two. But belief in angels has persisted. John Milton, the greatest poet in the English language and Nonconformist, said, ‘Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen, both when we sleep and when we awake.’

Do we, therefore, assume that angels are merely part of the fairy-tale trimmings of Christmas? A cartoonist invited laughter by showing Mary, with the baby Jesus, while an angel was seen flying back to heaven. A startled Joseph says, 'It's going to be a bit awkward if he's born with wings!'

Jesus, himself, went along with traditional ideas about these heavenly beings. In Gethsemane he claimed to have at his disposal more than twelve armies of angels. And Psalm 91 tells about angels protecting God's chosen wherever they go.

All of us, at some time or other, have been influenced by angels or, rather, by dreams. Joseph, like his Old Testament namesake of Technicolour Dreamcoat fame, was a dreamer. We read that an angel appeared to him in his sleep, telling him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. So angels and dreams may well be channels of communication through which God speaks to us.

So while you prepare for the festivity with angels, archangels and the whole bloomin' lot assailing you (!), let me leave you with John Betjeman's poem (or part of it) about 'Christmas':

THE ADIVASIS. Part 2.

Having realised the problems and lack of Government assistance suffered by the Adivasi people, plans had to be made. It was not easy for these shy people to accept the presence and questioning of strangers. For it was essential to find out wherein lay the real problems. Individual workers had to go in and talk to the leaders and gain their confidence. Having got some ideas, the organisers really wanted the people to think things out for themselves and suggest solutions. Sometimes a village council did exist; if not one was set up. Such councils have been vital to development.

One of the most basic problems was lack of land on which to grow dry season crops. So a bank was set up in every village into which each family paid. This was very little at first; but it grew. Working with some 160 communities, more than 700 Adivasis now own their own land. They try to earn money in the wet season by making products from the forest, like baskets and bowls. They have always used the forests carefully; now they are being taught forest management. It is hoped to develop real village economies to take them through wet, dry and bad seasons. With better seeds that grow more quickly, they can raise two crops in a dry season. Many villages are now running their own banks.

Children are a major part of the plans. It was soon found that most were under-nourished. While mothers were shown how to cook more nourishing meals, the children were given rations of a mixture of ground rice, daal, wheat and soya beans. The improvement was so obvious after three months that it was decided to continue it for another three months. Mothers had been told that they could take their children to government immunisation centres. Apart from their own reluctance, often the nurses would not touch them. So assistants are being trained to go out to the villages especially to do this. Meanwhile the villagers are shown what other government help they can get as they become more assured.

Adivasi children often find it hard to adapt to government schools where other ethnic groups dominate. So the CCDB now run pre-school groups in the villages where the children become accustomed to being taught by a trained teacher. Many do very well, once given the opportunity, going on to further education and special training. But the general standard is very poor in many Bangladeshi schools especially in more remote areas where there are too few teachers. Families are more likely to send boys to school than girls, who until now have always taken a back seat. But this is being changed, with women being trained for many non-manual jobs where they can really make a difference.

We saw how the changing climate and other natural features have made life worse for the Adivasis. When the winters become colder than they are used to, blankets are handed out, especially to the children. Problems of river control and the desire for more irrigation by richer farmers have led to a number of government schemes which have disadvantaged the Adivasis. The CCDB do their best to influence future projects and asks the government for help, especially where the Adivasis are actually displaced by these schemes.

Drying up of delta tributaries and the lowering of ground water not only deprive the people of water, but may allow arsenic to seep into the wells. The CCDB's Disaster Preparedness Programme and Christian Aid's DflD-funded Building Disaster Resilient Communities Programme are helping to train other Christian Aid Partners to help communities become less vulnerable to increasingly variable climate conditions, and exposure to disaster. Bangladesh is a poor country with few resources and big problems. Christian Aid works in other areas besides with the Adivasis helping to build up and improve local economies. The Adivasis, at the bottom of the pile were some of the most hopeless with ever-deteriorating conditions. It is hoped that we can make a difference.

Presenter: Cindy Kent (of Premier Christian Radio)

Ticket: £6

Available from Dovecote Christian Bookshop, 11 Ashley Road, Epsom
(Telephone: 01372 817707) or on the door

(35 High Street, Hampton Hill)

The evening will give space to reflect on some of the themes of Advent using a variety of resources. There will be time for corporate worship and also personal reflection.

Further details available from
Revd Jenny Snashall – 020 8979 3552
or jenny.snashall@tesco.net

'While I’m away from you….'

I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today.
To guide you and protect you as you go along your way....
His love is always with you, His promises are true,
And when we give him all our cares you know He’ll see us through.

So when the road you're travelling on seems difficult at best,
Just remember - I'm here praying,
and God will do the rest.

Since returning to Guides in September, our numbers have increased to over thirty girls. So far this term the Guides have made smoothies, had a relaxation evening, a dance session run by three of the Guides and have completed a survey on make-up products.

Recently we celebrated our Good Points. We looked at ‘One Thing We Were Good At’; smiling, maths, dancing and drawing were just some of the items we then celebrated during the meeting. Nearer Christmas we are having two evenings for making a wide variety of crafts, and an expert in card-making is visiting us to assist the Guides to make their own cards. We shall celebrate our last meeting with a party.

My Assistant Guider, Amanda, is unfortunately on an Open University course until May – with tutorials on a Thursday evening. This leaves me on my own with over thirty girls and a parent rota. If you would like to help or know of someone who could help me on a permanent basis I would love to hear from them.

A rather depleted number of Brownies dressed suitably for our Hallowe’en evening on 31^st October when they made scary spiders, did some Hallowe’en puzzles and ate some suitable spooky refreshments. Several of the girls came late and others had to leave early because of ‘Trick or treating’.

On 7^th November the girls were invited to bring suitable board games to play throughout the evening. At the end of the evening our five newest recruits were enrolled.

The following meeting the girls had fun playing with paper. They each made an origami jumping frog, a dancing finger puppet and a paper doily.

On 21^st November we started our Christmas activities and the girls coloured in calendars, decorated small Christmas stockings with fabric pens, and did their own Christmas pictures on some ready made jigsaw puzzles.

Once again I have been given permission to take the Brownies carol singing at Epsom Station on Wednesday, 5^th December from 5.30 p.m. until 6.30 p.m. so please be generous if you are passing through the station at that time.

The Brownies and their leaders wish everyone an Happy Christmas and Peaceful New Year.

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Last Thursday we welcomed Rev Robert Blows with a delightful programme of music which he had selected, interspersed with his engaging anecdotes and stories relating to the composers. We were pleased to have Ewell friends with us.

We shall meet on Thursday 13th December for what is always a delightful occasion "A Christmas Celebration", arranged by Barbara and Gwyneth.

Sheila and George gave us an excellent evening in November when they showed their pictures, together with an interesting commentary of the holiday they spent with Sara, Simon, Abbie and Joel earlier this year - first at their home, just outside Perth and on holiday at Albany, in Australia. They also set up a table of interesting items and mementoes of their holiday, including a collection of most beautifully fashioned tiny shells found on the beaches of silver sand.

On Monday 3rd December we shall have a "Christmas Video" presented by Gwyneth, followed by light refreshments.

Into the New Year, Sheila and George will organise the "Beetle Drive" on Monday, 7th January.

We had a really good response for the November coffee morning, which was for The Royal Hospital Chelsea. As a result we raised £200 for the exciting building programme. Thank you all so much.

As always in December, we have chosen a children's charity - ‘The Rainbow Trust’ that gives so much needed help to the children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. Tuesday, 11th December between 10.30 and 12 noon we are hoping for another successful effort.

Looking ahead to the New Year, Tuesday 8th January is the date. Another local charity will have our support – ‘The Queen Elizabeth Foundation’.

Due to several people who normally assist with decoration of the church being involved with the Advent Workshop at Ewell on our normal Decoration Day, our decorating will be done on Friday, 14th December. We would be very grateful if people could bring their offerings of greenery, etc. to the church between 10:00 and 12:00, when somebody will be in attendance to receive the material.

The decoration itself will commence at 14:00, and we hope than ‘many hands will make light work’!