Parish of Esher's Newsletter: Edition 6 -
Easter 2017
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Living without fear
I recall a conversation with a friend. He had just received the news he had cancer, and the diagnosis was terminal. The doctors were not sure, but perhaps he had months, maybe, a year to live. In the weeks and months that followed his life changed. The reality of this news, very real and present, shaped how he went about the business of living. Plans were brought forward, places and people he wanted to see were made a priority.
It got me thinking about how our perception of reality shapes how we live our lives. In thinking, I stumbled across an article about a woman who has a rare disease called Urbach-Wiethe. This disease has caused parts of her brain to harden, with the result that she is incapable of feeling fear. She did not panic when she was held up
at gunpoint and knifepoint, nor did she panic when faced with a highly poisonous snake.
Indeed, doctors have cautioned against her identity being made public since people could easily take advantage of her. This woman lives without fear. I wondered how much of our living is driven by our fears. Fears about how we look, the future, whether we are loved, our past experiences, jobs, health, homes, children. How much of our living is shaped by the reality of our fears? I know mine is. I can often feel my own fears, their control, oppression, and excitement.
In about three weeks we are invited to remember the Easter story, and may I warmly invite you to any of our services. The words of St. Peter will resound throughout the world of how Jesus, as Lord of all, brings peace. How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. How he was put to death by hanging on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear. How the church testifies about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. This story both now and then witnesses to a different reality of life.
I am struck about how this reality shaped the lives of those who first encountered it. For St. Peter, he saw that God showed no partiality, saying, how in every nation anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him. A reality which caused Peter and the church to begin the process of accepting others who were different from themselves; in this case Jewish. A process which, will not escape us, is ongoing to this day. For the guards outside of the empty tomb who were paralysed with fear. For Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, they too were paralysed with fear but somehow, and strengthened by their encounter with Jesus, were able to respond to this new reality, and went to tell Jesus's friends in Galilee. Jesus' love, made explicit in his death and resurrection, was able to cast out their, and Peter's, fears and allowed them to move to a different rhythm of life.
It seems to me then that experiencing Easter is a bit like experiencing the woman's disease, which meant that she did not feel fear. It does not mean life will be easy or we won't be taken advantage of as a community or individuals, but it will mean that, following the analogy, as our brains harden to this world through our growing openness to the things of God we will increasingly be able to let Jesus' perfect love cast out our fears, and this means how we live our lives may be profoundly different. We won't have to win that argument, fear the consequences of speaking truth to power, incessantly worry about our future or that of our children or grandchildren, exclude that group of people, store up treasures on earth, or, as my friend witnessed, let his terminal diagnosis of cancer crush his remaining life out of him. For his hope, his raising from death in the future is also our sure and certain hope.
I pray this Easter, with its encouragement to trust in Jesus' gift of peace and love to the world, will help cast out of fears, and gift us the power to live transformed life's. Amen.
With my love and prayers,
Stefan
Rector, Esher
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Have Your Say
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) of the Parish of Esher will be held this year on Sunday 23 April directly after the 10:30am service at Christ Church. The meeting is expected to start by 11.45am, and will be accompanied by a bring and share buffet lunch.
The APCM is your opportunity to help discern the direction that Christ Church and St. George’s West End should take, to have your say and ask questions about the running of the church, and also to elect some of the parish leadership. At the APCM the Churchwardens are elected for the next 12 months and elections to the Parochial Church Council (PCC) also take place. The Churchwardens and the PCC have the responsibility of working with the Rector and other clergy in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the Church. They also oversee the upkeep of our church buildings at Christ Church and St George's, West End.
This year several new members of the PCC will be elected as others retire from the council having reached a maximum term of six years service. Any member of our church community is entitled to vote at the APCM provided they are registered on the parish Electoral Roll.
Please come to the 10:30 service on 23 April and stay on for this important occasion. If you have any questions about the APCM or the PCC, and/or you want to get involved, please speak to Stefan, Nate, the Churchwardens or myself (I can be contacted at simon.donnan@yahoo.co.uk).
Simon Donnan
PCC Secretary
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Stefan and Nate will be running an Alpha Course in the Autumn for anyone who is interested in learning about and discussing their relationship with God and worship. The course will begin on Tuesday, 12 September at 7:30pm and will run through to the end of November. It will include an 'away-day' towards the end of the course.
If you are interested in joining the course please speak to Stefan or Nate, or leave your details with the Parish Office.
(Editor's note: I did an Alpha course some years ago and would really recommend it.)
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A floral arrangement
We asked Carol Calvert to explain the intricacies of making Christ Church a joy to enter, especially with Spring in the air and Easter around the corner.
I have been asked to write something illuminating about the flowers at Christ Church and perhaps give some insight into how the flower rota is organised. Some of you may remember Audrey Grosvenor who ran the rota before me – a very nice, capable lady indeed – no pressure.
I am going to begin with Easter – not strictly correct as the church year officially runs from Advent, but as it is almost upon us I feel it is appropriate.
The most important thing for us to do is to make the church look divinely beautiful after the somewhat sombre Lent season. It is difficult sometimes to think of new things to do, but Easter always involves lots of time and toil. Two large arrangements are placed at the High Altar. The Paschal Candle, the font – top and bottom – and all, or most of the windowsills are also decorated. The sills, however, almost always disappoint because of the stained glass.
When Easter is over, we go back to our usual routine, which gives us each a two-week stint. We arrange flowers on one pedestal at the High Altar and another smaller arrangement in the Lady Chapel. I leave everyone to decide for themselves what to do and which colours to include. There are no hard and fast rules about colours in the church.
This system works very well and if swaps are needed, everyone has a list of telephone numbers, email addresses etc - and they always let me know when changes have been made to keep the schedule up to date.
The next occasion which needs special thought is Remembrance Sunday. Two pedestals are used, one of which will include the white cross that was made for us by Dan Walter. The Lady Chapel and the font are also ‘poppied’. I am very happy to say that we still use the silk ones that were first ordered by Margaret Cullington from the Royal British Legion. I know many of you will remember Margaret. She was always so supportive of Remembrance and the Legion – and long before I arrived. I am so pleased we are still able to use the same – almost heirloom – poppies.
Christmas of course looms large and here we always try to keep it as simple as possible because of the Christmas tree and crib. We usually use fir and candles on the sills and around the font, and just two large seasonal arrangements at the High Altar. ‘We do not need our beloved Christ Church to look like a theatre set’ were Anne Townend’s words!
Weddings are another of our duties and we try to help the bride as much as possible. Sometimes we are asked to do the flowers, sometimes she will engage a florist, and at other times the bride will simply be content with whatever happens to be in church. I consider it an important part of the job to help her and I do sometimes need to calm nerves. We did arrange the flowers for the wedding of Alan and Jill Roome in 2013.
I would like to mention the Guildford Flower Festival at the Cathedral in 2009. We were asked to participate along with all the other churches in the Diocese and, with some trepidation, we decided to accept the challenge. A small band from the rota began the planning and after a lot of headaches, driving to and fro for two weeks, we achieved something of which we were actually very proud. We were charged with representing a poem about gardens – so vague - and this is what we came up with.
My task in the main is to keep the church looking its best as far as the flowers are concerned, and more importantly, to look after the ladies on the rota who give me such amazing support. They are always on time, always jolly and I could not manage without them all. I must also say here that I simply love the job.
Many people think that the flowers somehow ‘arrive’ at the church and we work with what is there but, in fact, we all buy them independently for the usual weeks, mainly from Waitrose or Sainsbury. For the main festivals such as Easter and Christmas, we will go to Longacre in Bagshot or even Covent Garden on occasion to get the best blooms. Trade prices can be so very economical.
However, I could not finish this piece without a plea for more recruits. There is absolutely no need to have had floral experience or even knowledge. Help is always at hand. If our flowers are arranged with love, then they are always perfect. Do let me, or the Parish Office, know if you would like to find out more.
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Parish Calendar
| Sun 26 Mothering Sunday British Summer Time begins (clocks go forward) |
Tue 28 10.30am Lent Course
10.30am Toddlers’ Praise |
Wed 29 9.00am Esher High School Easter Services
8.00pm Lent Course |
Fri 31 9.15am Esher Church School Easter Services
End of term at State Schools |
April
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| Sun 2 Lent 5 |
Wed 5 10.30am Lent Course
8.00pm Lent Course |
HOLY WEEK
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| Sun 9 Palm Sunday |
| Mon 10 |
Tue 11 1.00pm Music in the Tower
8.00pm Music in the Tower |
Wed 12 1.00pm Music in the Tower
8.00pm Music in the Tower |
Thu 13 Maundy Thursday 10.00am Fellowship Group
11.00am Chrism Mass, Guildford Cathedral
8.00pm Maundy Thursday Service |
Fri 14 Good Friday 2.00pm Good Friday Service, Christ Church
8.00pm Choral Tenebrae Service, Christ Church |
| Sun 16 Easter Day No 8am Service at Christ Church |
| Mon 17 Easter Bank Holiday |
Tue 18 Start of term at State Schools
10.30am Toddlers’ Praise |
Sun 23 Easter 2 No 8am Service at Christ Church
10.45am Noah’s Ark |
| Tue 25 10.30am Toddlers’ Praise |
| Thu 27 10.00am Fellowship Group |
| Sat 29 7.30pm Music on the Green evening concert |
Sun 30 Easter 3 No 9am Service at St George’s, West End
10.45am Noah’s Ark |
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Music in the Tower
Tuesday 11 April at 1 pm and 8 pm
Wednesday 12 April at 1 pm and 8 pm
Bibs Ekkel, balalaika - In honour of the centenary of the Russian Revolution, we are pleased to have as our featured artist this year one of the leading exponents of the balalaika outside Russia. Bibs Ekkel’s performing career has embraced concerts, cabaret, films and numerous radio & TV appearances throughout Europe and North America. It has also earned him recognition in the instrument’s motherland, where he has performed at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as well as in the famous ‘Hall of Columns’.
During these chamber concerts in our intimate Tower Room, Bibs will demonstrate to us the versatility of the balalaika as a solo instrument, and the music will as usual be interspersed with poetry and readings suitable for Holy Week. Seating is strictly limited to 20 per performance, so contact the Parish Office to book your preferred session without delay! Tickets £10 per person.
The Spring/Summer concert programme for 2017 includes:
‘Serenade’ with the London Saxophone Ensemble conducted by Roger Cawkwell on Saturday 29 April at 7.30 pm. A welcome return visit by the London Saxophone Choir, exploring composers’ varied interpretations of the Serenade genre. Their programme will include works by Mozart, Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Derek Bourgeois and Dag Wiren. Tickets £10 on the door, children free.
The regular third Wednesday of the month Lunchtime Concerts are:
17 May - Timothée Botbol, cello & Rachel Chen, piano
21 June - 'NIA' Trio (flute, oboe & piano)
19 July - Eszter Schütz, violin & Anna Cassú, piano
Light lunch from 12.30pm Concert from 1.10pm.
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Christ Church Lent Appeal
Oakleaf has been chosen as the charity we, as a church community, will support in our Lent Appeal this year. Mental Health is an issue which affects us all one way or another, either directly or indirectly, at some time in our lives.
It is now finally receiving much needed publicity via the media, and is no longer the stigma it used to be. There is however, so much more work that needs to be done and this is where we can help by contributing essential funds to support the work of Oakleaf.
It is a local charity involved with mental health, a subject which is still often misunderstood or avoided and pushed away. It can be so hard to comprehend or indeed know how to help people affected. The following paragraphs and photographs have been taken, with permission from the Oakleaf website, and some of their statistics on numbers involved are surprising.
The population estimate for Surrey is 1.1million with 681,000 adults of working age. More than 80,000 people of working age in the County have mental health needs.
Some people do recover, they respond well to treatment and medication without too much damage to their emotional, social and working life.
Oakleaf exists to help people who are less fortunate and find their road to recovery more difficult to achieve. Finding and keeping a job is an important aspect of the recovery process and ensuring the right support is provided is vital.”
Oakleaf is the only mental health charity in Surrey working as a social enterprise to provide vocational training for those suffering from mental health issues.
They offer training in horticulture, upholstery, IT and print finishing, enabling people to acquire new skills and ultimately return to work. Alongside these they offer a range of Social Inclusion Activities that cater towards building confidence, physical health and wellbeing. These include an allotment group, yoga, Pilates, photography and guitar lessons.
Through their placement at Oakleaf, clients are able to gain up-to-date qualifications, practical experience and increase their confidence levels.
Oakleaf also operates as a social enterprise, selling high quality upholstery, gardening, print finishing and fulfilment services at competitive rates.
For more information click on this link, which to take you to their website: http://www.oakleaf-enterprise.org/
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14 to 20 MAY 2017
It is that time of year again. Christian Aid week is fast approaching and you may recall that, having headed up our Christian Aid efforts the last couple of years, I decided to throw in the towel and try to delegate the organisation to someone else this year - having my hands full with working, church warden duties, moving house, school and a small but very demanding son.
Needless to say, no one came rushing forward to accept the baton - although lots of people voiced the opinion that Christian Aid is important to us as a parish and we should be supporting it.
I appreciate that door to door collecting for money is not easy and has perhaps “had its day” but we do consistently seem to raise between £2,000 and £3,000 a year this way, which is no small amount and almost makes the slammed doors and abuse you receive worthwhile!
With that in mind and with some pressure from me on our Parish Charities Team headed by Jane Tyrrell we, as a group, have decided to try and continue our fundraising efforts for Christian Aid again this year.
Where do you, our generous, supportive and helpful congregation come in to this?
Well instead of focussing solely on door to door collections we propose to introduce a couple of different fundraising efforts this year and they will only work with your support.
In conjunction with the Esher May Fair on Saturday 20 May we will be fundraising for Christian Aid at Christ Church and let’s face it we all love a cuppa and cake so it could not be easier, you come along to the May Fair, pop into the Church for a coffee and cake and then make a donation in the Christian Aid buckets - not a front door or angry house owner in sight!
In addition to the fundraising effort at Christ Church, we will be collecting outside Waitrose in the High Street for a day (possibly two if we have enough volunteers) and will be offering “one hour slots” throughout the day which is still a lot easier than pounding the streets, you can do it with a friend, tie it in with a visit to the May Fair, or your weekly shop and then have a remedial coffee at Christ Church! I am sure we can all spare one hour out of our day to rattle a bucket? We will be preparing a rota sheet for Saturday 20 May and this will be available in both Churches for you to sign up.
We will also try and do some door to door collections although I know this may fill you all with dread and fear - please pray reflectively on this and if you feel some inner strength, or have a road that you have collected on previously that have been supportive of Christian Aid or, if indeed, you have collected on your own street and only called at people you know will support you then please do put your name down. I will not be using any of my usual forceful tactics this year!
I really hope that as a parish we can get behind these efforts and support one or all of them in some way.
If you would like to help by covering an hour outside Waitrose or even counting all the pennies afterwards please do let me know.
Sandra Argent
Church Warden & Christian Aid Organiser
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Looking back to the Spirit of Christmas
Following a call for assistance, a goodly number of willing helpers of all ages turned up on the Saturday morning before Advent for a delicious breakfast of pastries and coffee, and to prepare the many oranges needed for the Christingle service.
There were abundant supplies of small sweets to be threaded onto cocktail sticks before being inserted into oranges encircled with red ribbon - the orange representing the world, the ribbon the blood of Christ and the sweets the fruits of the earth. There was much enthusiasm amongst our younger helpers for threading the sweets, until they mysteriously ran out – a few had possibly not quite made it onto the sticks!
Another task for the morning was to decorate the beautiful and sizeable Christmas tree. It took a few trips up the ladder to fix the large silver star at the top and accompanying decorations and lights.
All this took place with the accompaniment of self-styled “percussion” instruments and singing from several of the more junior members of the party. They were having a lovely time as evidenced by the photos!
Meanwhile back at the orange production line, the adults were busy putting the finishing touches and they really did look beautiful as the accompanying photo shows.
Another group were busy folding and constructing the boxes needed for the Children's Society collection. The boxes were set up in the pews ready for the Christingle service the next day.
 
As detailed in the last edition of InSpire, we had a visiting speaker from the Society to outline the valuable work they do to support vulnerable children and young people. Thanks to the generosity of the substantial congregation that day (there was hardly a spare seat in the house), we managed to raise an amazing £2,586.10.
Some families also took home one of the boxes and collected their loose change, which was added to the collection taken on the day. A cheque has been sent to the Children's Society from all of us, for which they are extremely grateful.
The Spirit of Christmas was alive and well in Christ Church that weekend, a real sense of community and working together as a team prevailed. A big thank you to all involved in making this such a successful Advent Appeal.
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Transhumanism
No, Nate didn’t know what it meant either but has gone on a journey to find out
When I was asked to write a piece for the newsletter, even though spring was in the air Transhumanism was very much on my mind. If you have no idea what I am talking about don't worry I had to Google it myself.
But be careful what you Google.
This caught my attention so forcefully I made it the next topic for my MA studies. So with all that said, I am sure you can guess where this is going… I am going to ride my new hobbyhorse all over this article and tell you about Transhumanism. And If you are still reading then please just humour my interest in the subject.
So here we go…Google’s definition of Transhumanism goes like this, “the theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology.” And although this seems quite bland, it belies something that is more out of a sci-fi novel then a dusty textbook. Cyborgs, Artificial Intelligence, pain-free - illness free immortality, downloading personalities, genetically modified humans, these all paint part of the picture of this new scientific ‘religion’.
And although these things seem far-fetched and laughable, they also have two things behind them that make them more close to science-fact then science fiction. Those two things are vast amounts of money, and the deep commitment of some of the world’s most talented scientists. So perhaps we shouldn't laugh too much just yet.
But you are rightly wondering now why I am riding this hobbyhorse at all, what does this have to do with the Church or God? And I suppose this and more are exactly the questions which interest me.
What about God?
Where does God fit into this vision of the future?
Or how does this vision fit in with who God is?
Where are the theological and ethical boundaries for us as Christians, in this up-and-coming ideology?
For example: How much technology can one replace in a body and still be human? Or do we need a body at all to be human? Is our fragility a part of our design by God? What happens if we design and technologise that out - are we less or more human? It is very subtle but interest in these fields is growing rapidly, and if the cinema holds a type of zeitgeist then we know what the growing trend is. Films like Avatar, Transcendence, The Matrix, Ex-Machina, Her, Elysium, just to name a handful of many. These point to deeply held hopes placed in some of these ideas.
Perhaps I don't have the answer to many of the questions this throws up (come back to me when I’ve finished my essay) but what excites me is how these questions push our theology in new directions, new areas of discovery and questioning about God. What tools can we use from our faith to make sense of this emerging influence? What does scripture have to offer us on this?
As Christians we live to follow the way of Christ, which has relevance and an important voice, even into this surreal future that some are imagining. The work is therefore ours to do. To consider these questions, which ultimately strike at the very core of what it means to be human, and then calling us to question what being human really means to God.
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News from St George's, West End
Andrea Lindow and Bridget Williams bring us up to date.
Although it was ages ago, we wanted to let you know how popular our Christmas services were at West End. At our Crib Service on Christmas Eve it was packed out – with about 100 people squeezed into our tin church. Nate took the service and encouraged all the children to listen to each reading and work out which crib figures should be placed next into the crib. The children were really enthusiastic, although sometimes they were a bit too keen and the animals, Wise Men and shepherds didn’t necessarily come in the right order!
The Village Carol Concert was also as popular as ever and we are extremely grateful for the generosity of the villagers for donating their collection to St George’s. This money, combined with further generous donations received from the Sports & Social Club, have been a huge help towards the costs involved in renovating the Bell Tower.
We are lucky to always have beautiful flower arrangements at St George’s for our Sunday services, so after the traditional absence of decorations during Advent, we welcomed the particularly stunning floral arrangements and decorations on Christmas Day. Over 70 parishioners and visitors arrived to the joyful sound of our newly restored bell and the superb music provided by Keith Howell-Jones.
We would like to take this opportunity to give special thanks to Keith for not only playing every Sunday at St George’s but for also doing so at the Crib Service and Carol Concert on Christmas Eve.
Apart from our usual Sunday Eucharist at 9am – our forthcoming special services are:
Mothering Sunday on 26 March. We will as usual distribute (via the children) hand tied daffodils – but we also have a moment to take and place a daffodil in a vase on the altar in memory of mothers who are no longer with us.
Palm Sunday on 9 April at 9am and a joyous service on Easter Sunday, 16 April at 9am.
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Desert Island Hymns
Our stranded parishioner this month is Peter Lindow, a stalwart of the congregation of both our churches.
I wonder who wanted to put me on a desert island? I am Peter Lindow and have lived in the village of West End, Esher since 1970, attending both Christ Church and St. George’s Church West End since that time.
In the last 10 years St. George’s has taken priority as I have been the Church Warden, which is much less onerous than looking after Christ Church; but nevertheless a great privilege to preserve and enhance this simple yet atmospheric little Church for future generations. In addition I am a member of the PCC, Fabric and Pastoral committees, and have been a licenced Pastoral Assistant for 10 years.
Regarding favourite hymns, I have to admit to being non-musical and I therefore prefer shorter and more tuneful hymns.
I attended a Grammar School in North London where the rendering of “Jerusalem” was a highlight which has remained with me ever since, since to me England is a blessed and beautiful land.
My first choice of hymn is 242, “Immortal, invisible God only wise”. This fits in with my criteria of being tuneful with clear and beautiful words.
My second choice is what I would like as a Communion hymn, since it sets out the 23rd Psalm into tune, thus hymn 490, “The Lords my shepherd, I’ll not want” The 23rd Psalm is to me, together with our Lords prayer, the most wonderful prose ever written. I have had eight years of continual and invasive treatment at hospitals and whenever I have to undergo such procedures I close my eyes and recite to myself this Psalm, thus giving me a detachment and peace.
My third choice would be Hymn 106, “Dear Lord and Father of mankind”. I just like it and can make a passable attempt at singing it.
In addition to the Bible, (I do not want the complete works of Shakespeare), I would rather have JR Tolkein’s The Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring, but I would take with me my cricket bat and ball, training the Island monkeys to bowl at me (no LBW’s allowed).
I hope this has “inspired you all”.
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Godly Play in Noah's Ark
What is Godly Play? Alison Mohamed explains.
You may have heard Godly Play being mentioned a lot at church in the last few years but what exactly is it all about?
Godly Play is a Montessorri based teaching method that has been tried and tested for many years. It is a non-coercive way to encourage children to explore their beliefs and faith, through wondering questions and open-ended response time. More details on the method (and much else besides) may be found at http://www.godlyplay.org.uk/method/. It is best summed up as:
“In most religious education children are told who God is. In Godly Play children discover who God is.”
Most of our children have godly play sessions once a month in Noah's Ark. These are adult free zones but we thought you may like to know a little bit more about what goes on behind that door!
We have started off this year learning all about the church year using our Godly Play resource. We learnt that each part of the church year can be defined by colour. We use the white blocks to represent Christmas and Easter and bright red “hot” for Pentecost! The time to get ready for these huge events is purple symbolising advent and lent. Green blocks symbolise the "ordinary" time that fills the rest of the year! At the end of the “story” we ask questions such as:
I wonder which colours you like best?
I wonder which colours you have seen in church?
In February, we looked at The Parable of the Good Shepherd. This focuses on the good shepherd who leaves the rest of his flock to search for just one of his flock that is lost (Matthew 18:12-14, Luke 15:1-7). The good shepherd knows all of his flock individually and would do anything to keep us safe. We spent a lot of time wondering what we would call each of the sheep as well as if the good shepherd has ever called our name.
In March our story was called The Synagogue and the Upper Room. This is the story of the disciples last supper with Jesus (Luke 4:16-30). My daughter in particular really enjoyed this story as it helped her to understand a little of why we have bread and wine for communion at each service.
I wonder which of these stories you like the best?
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Christ Church Youth Group
Our Parish Youth Group continues to thrive, and we have enjoyed a wide variety of activities since September.
We welcomed our new members with a pool party social and have since, among other things, tested our knowledge with a New Year quiz, made videos of Modern Day Parables, enjoyed a film and popcorn evening and even tried our hand at Sugar Paste!
In October we welcomed the Youth Minister from the Pyrford district to lead one of our sessions and we continue to develop our links with other young people within the Diocese. In February we joined our friends at All Saints Weston Green for a drumming session with the Psalm Drummers.
In December, along with our families, we took part, in our second Santa Run in aid of the Princess Alice Hospice. Together we raised over £1,000 for the Hospice's Christmas provision.
We are currently looking forward to the clocks changing, so we can once again enjoy our outdoor space - we are very keen, and competitive, rounders players. We are also looking forward to a treasure hunt and a visit from a magician as part of our summer term plans.
The Youth Group meets every second Sunday evening during term time and is open to all young people from school Year 5 upwards. Our aim is to provide an environment for our young people to grow together, to explore their ideas, increase their awareness of the world around them, and at the same time build friendships through fellowship and shared experiences. We provide an appropriate and accessible Christian input.
For further information about our group please contact kateroux@mac.com.
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The Esher Air Cadets
Peter Bedford, the Honorary President, explains what the squadron is all about
There are over 40,000 air cadets across the UK, with ages ranging from 12 to 20, and the 1172 (Esher) Squadron is our local unit. The squadron is based at Hinchley Wood School, and has around 60 cadets.
The overall organisation is sponsored by the Royal Air Force and HRH The Duchess of Cambridge took over last year as Honorary Commandant.
You will have seen the cadets participating in the Remembrance Sunday Service at Christ Church and Stefan recently became the unit Padré. One of his first duties was to lead a service on 5 February to enrol 16 new cadets.
The cadets get involved in a whole host of activities, such as adventurous training, flying, drill and shooting, but also engage with the local community, including on fund-raising activities.
I believe that one of the benefits of being a cadet is that this is an organization separate from school. There is great emphasis on leadership by the cadets themselves, with the more experienced ones acting as mentors to the new cadets and helping to bring out their qualities. Indeed, parents are often surprised at the transformation of their offspring, when their son or daughter will suddenly start pressing their uniform or polishing their shoes, since they want to be ready for parade night (even though their room might still be a tip!).
Having been involved myself over recent years as Honorary President, it is very rewarding to see how the cadets grow in confidence as they progress through the various levels, since they are encouraged to use their initiative, work as a team, and soon develop very noticeable qualities of leadership. The very mention of “air cadet” on a CV is an excellent way of gaining a head start for any job-seeker - employers just love the skills and experience that air cadets offer.
I think this was very evident when we saw the cadets of 1172 Squadron at the enrolment service, explaining their range of activities, and displaying motivation, teamwork and confidence, alongside the ability to charm and impress a Sunday congregation! (www.1172esher.co.uk)
 
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This Is Me…
The story so far told by Stewart Henderson
You can blame that Clare Balding for this opening paragraph… So, having got your attention with that first, cantering sentence, I was wittering away to the aforesaid, top drawer broadcaster and delightful person on her Sunday morning programme on BBC Radio 2 a few weeks back. Who should be listening but the Inspire editorial posse. Keen newshounds, also up at the first doodle of cockcrow, chasing a story.
My interview with Clare centred on the new 10 track CD and accompanying assembly songbook and teacher’s resource entitled ‘This Is Me’, produced by Hampton based, Out Of The Ark Music. With the superb accessible melodies for the songs composed by Helen and Mark Johnson and lyrics, mainly, by me, ‘This Is Me’ was motivated by two factors.
The first being Out Of The Ark’s continuing vision to produce quality sing-along numbers, musicals, pantomimes and contemporary nativity dramas which primary school children can perform, claiming as ‘their own’ in diverse, social media saturated Britain. ‘This Is Me’ follows that ownership principle through songs addressing what it’s like to be ‘Me’, be it in a village school in Surrey or a Hackney multi-nationality classroom.
And so to the second driving concern of ‘This Is Me’ prompted by my observations through conducting poetry workshops all over the UK over the last 30 years - plus many performances at children’s literary festivals. From the grand stage of the Edinburgh Book Festival to a library in an economically threadbare, former shipbuilding community on the Tyne, I’ve scrutinised the child’s anxious pilgrimage through the C21.
With three children’s anthologies under my belt, many poems published for Key Stage 2 and 3, and an oft-repeated four part series for BBC Radio 4 on children’s educational adventures, my conclusions are reflected through the lyrics on the album, identity being the recurring issue. Who, the child asks today, am I? How am I meant to be? What is my foundation?
As such the songs seek to affirm the child as ‘the intended being’, the image of the Divine in a world where far too many are marred and ‘displaced’ by loss, especially refugee children, and the shipwreck effects of domestic abuse.
‘This Is Me’ contains, hopefully, songs of liberation and praise, songs as friends and wee anthems of consolation and equipping.
So, all together now…
’This is Me, This Me,
A right old jamboree
his is Me, This is me,
I’m who I’m meant to be….’
http://www.outoftheark.co.uk/this-is-me.html
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