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St. Mary Magdalene & St. Denys, Parish Church, Midhurst |
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Other Activities & Church Groups |
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Our Church society is blessed with many active groups which help meet the needs of our very varied congregation. Here you will find details of just some of these groups.
Please contact our Parish Office for more details about these or any other Church activities.
The following reports are taken from the 2006 Annual report book, which is available to download in full from our Downloads page.
Growing Healthy Churches The Growing Healthy Churches group meets every six weeks on average, beginning with prayer and reflection, then concentrating on planning for immediate events (including Sunday Morning Live) and exploring possibilities for the longer term. However, since the beginning of the interregnum, meetings have been more frequent around once a month.
The group is made up of 6-8 individuals of varying background and churchmanship. The chairmanship of the group changes every six months so that members need feel neither excluded nor overburdened.
After a year and a half, we now feel it is time to revisit our original aims by asking ourselves what are the characteristics of a healthy church, and how can we continue to grow (both in numbers and in quality of spiritual experience). We are concerned to identify and encourage ways in which church members can enhance and nurture worship and spirituality, thus helping the church to grow in a healthy way so that it shines like a beacon to the community around. -
Oasis Oasis has continued to meet through the year at Costers farm. We meet on the first Tuesday evening of most months to share in a time of fellowship, of worship, and of teaching. In the first part of 2006, we looked at a series of topics including Relationship, Covenant, the Passover meal, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, and the Second Coming. In the Autumn we started a series in which each evening was based on a particular Psalm. One of the greatest blessings of the group is that people come from different churches in the Midhurst area and we regularly have 20 to 25 people for an evening gathering. Anyone is welcome to join us if they wish to do so. -
The idea of Julian meetings was born in 1973 when Hilary Wakeman had a vision of groups of lay people trying to combine contemplative and secular lives. She felt that the meetings should aim for simplicity, avoid a set leadership, and cut organization down to a minimum. The should be Christ-centred, open to all denominations and family rooted in the authentic Christian tradition. Her ideas were taken up little by little, and now there are Julian groups throughout the British Isles and in many parts of the world.
I believe that the monthly half hour that we spend in the Southampton Chapel follows her ideas, and we each value the time of silent togetherness and find that it strengthens our own individual times of prayer.
Therefore, leave your soul to pray as suits it best, in its own way, without strain. Allow it most of the time to remain quite still. Pray along the lines which shows you the needs of the world and which interest you. Nothing could be better. In a word, follow your own bent; your need of quiet or doing nothing according to what seems most natural to you at the time. Advice on prayer from Abbe de Jourville 1842-1903 -
Missionary Prayer Group This is a small group which meets once a month to learn more about , and pray for, specific areas of the mission of the Church overseas and in the U.K.
We usually listen to a 10 minute tape from the Church Mission Society (CMS), and exchange information about any particular people or projects know to us.
We pray for our Link mission partners Robin and Liz Watson and their work in Sudan. We also include any particular work with which our Church has connections, for example, Sarah Taylor in The Gambia; water project in Uganda; Michael Putticks work in Nepal; Anglican communities in the Middle East; the Mission to Seafarers; Darren Fraser whose training with the Church Army our Church has supported; the Childrens Society; STANNS; Derek Welsman the Deanery childrens officer; Jonathan Moores, the Deanery youth missioner.
If anyone would like to receive photo-copies of the Watsons monthly newsletters, borrow the CMS tapes, or consider joining the afternoon prayer group - or an evening one please get in touch with Jean Puttick or Evelyn Sirey. -
Mothers and Others. On Wednesday mornings during term time we continue to welcome mothers, grandmothers and carers with their young, giving them an opportunity to relax and make friends while their children play. The Parish Room seems to be cosier since the alterations.
Our very special thanks go to Claire Walsh, our founder and leader for her vision and years of hard work. She left at the autumn half term and we all wish her well. Our team of Liz Moore and Julie Carslaw have been joined by Sandy Ryrie and Val Hickman. Our thanks go to the Mothers Union for doing an excellent job serving refreshments.
We chat to the mothers and play with the children. Andrew used to come in about once per month to spend time with us and do a couple of songs and a short bible story which everyone appreciated. A lot of families came to Christingle, the Crib Service and now come to Sunday Morning Live. Some have been married and children baptised, and those within the group have become a great support to each other. -
Mothers' UnionMidhurst Mothers' Union is an active church group with 33 members. It meets once a month in the Parish Room and on most occasions has a guest speaker. It also holds a carol service, Christmas functions, a Lady Day service and various outings.
It joins with Easebourne M.U. for several meetings and with other groups in the Diocese. Twice a year there is a meeting after the Corporate Communion Service. Every other month there is an evening for discussion.
The M.U. is deeply committed to the Diocesan Prayer Chain. Most members are actively involved in church life and also in the Midhurst community. They contribute regularly to the work that the M.U. carries out worldwide, and support many charities. In 2006 we had guest speakers talking on a variety of subjects including: Amberley Church and village, South America and English Heritage. We had a special meeting in September to present a gift to Father Andrew in appreciation of his support he had given to the M.U.during his time at Midhurst and to wish him good luck in Redhill.
Our Lady service was led by Father Andrew in the Parish room due to the builders in church! Our garden meeting was held at Angela Taylor's on a beautiful summer's day. We said goodbye to Angela as she has moved to Oxfordshire and we thanked her for being our treasurer and for all the hard work she had done for the branch over many years. The annual outing was to West Dean gardens.We have continued to support various aspects of the M.U. work by knitting blankets and giving Christmas presents to a deprived area of Hastings. We have also given items to the Gatwick Detainees Centre at Christmas. During the year we have continued to collect for St. Josephs and raised £159.00 for the homeless by the sale of Christmas cards.
2006 was a very successful and rewarding year for our group and we are always pleased to welcome new friends to our meetingsPlease contact Jane Simpson Tel. 01730 813384 Click here for 2007 Calendar of events. -
Music & ChoirThe past year has been a time of considerable change and promise for the musicians that serve the Church. The congregation has every reason to be grateful to the members of the Choir, both regular and less frequent, to Sue Haines who plays the organ for so many services, and to Geraldine Thomson who is an admirably efficient librarian. Their loyalty is never in doubt, and they have displayed patience, flexibility, good humour, and an increasing musical ability throughout the year. When a large number of extra singers joined us for the Carol Services, the welcome and support offered by the regular Choir members was generous and totally sincere. That warmth makes my job as Director of Music many times easier, and it is a privilege to work with all our musicians.
Throughout the year, the aim has been to select music that links very closely with the seasons of the Churchs year, and with the liturgy. We have experimented with a number of different styles of psalm settings, and our hymns are drawn from a range of sources, both old and new. At the Eucharist we introduced a very successful responsorial setting of the Gloria, which hopefully will soon be joined by equally accessible settings of the Sanctus and Benedictus. Our range of anthems has increased, embracing existing older repertoire, but steadily adding new items that are within our ability. We regularly sing Taizι music at the Sunday Eucharist, performed as they were intended, as repetitious aids to prayer. In the autumn we sang a full Choral Evensong to celebrate Harvest Festival. The increased numbers attending suggested that this is a way forward as the Parish searches for a solution to the problem of evening worship.
Palm Sunday saw an experimental service of words and music, which combined Psalm 22, hymns and prayer in an act of worship that moved throughout the church building.
In March, members of the Choir joined other singers from across Sussex for the annual Royal School of Church Music Diocesan Choirs Festival in Chichester Cathedral. In May, several singers attended a workshop by John Bell, of the Iona Community, and returned full of enthusiasm, inspiration, and new ideas.
In a sermon in March, I spoke of the sense of exploration and openness in the music at Midhurst Parish Church. Although we are currently without a vicar, that sense of exploration continues. We work within our resources and limitations, but we are in a position to allow our imaginations to roam free. We are grateful to the congregation for their support, and their feedback in all that we do. -
Prayer chain. The parish prayer chain is available for anyone in the church or in the parish to use. The idea is that if there is an emergency need, such as for someone going into hospital for an operation, or suffering from an accident, or needing support in some other way. A quick phone call to one of the people at the head of the prayer chain will enable the prayer request to be passed on to the other members of the chain so that several people can be involved in praying for their needs in a very short space of time. The message is passed on in total confidence.
There are currently two chains and the prayer chain continues to be used on an irregular basis. -
24/7 week of Prayer in St Annes Hall. Once again we held a week of Prayer in St Annes Hall in May. This is one of the events in the Rother Valley that has the greatest impact ecumenically. Members of our Church play a leading part in the organising of the week.
The preparation of the prayer room was done by people from 7 churches and it took the best part of 3 days to get St Annes Hall ready. The theme for the week was The Beatitudes and there was a wonderful selection of visual and other aids to prayer.
People from some 16 churches across the Rother Valley took part, though inevitably, being the nearest and largest Church involved, Midhurst Parish Church provided a significant part of the coverage of the 168 hours of continuous prayer. Many thanks to all those who took part in preparation and in prayer during that week. -
Social and Fundraising Committee We ran 3 main events in 2006, all with a musical theme. In June we invited The Royal School Haslemere to perform a concert in the church. The school choir and solo performers, both vocal and instrumental, entertained us to an array of musical delights.
The main event this year was the summer annual music evening in the market square. This time Gabriels Dixieland Jazz Band entertained us with a little help from Midhurst Primary Schools Musical Mayhem. For the first time there was a Barbeque run by one of the towns local butchers and our famous Grand Raffle was drawn during the evenings events. The following morning, Father Andrew held an out door service in the market square.
The last event was an evening in the parish church featuring a group of musicians called Red Baroque. They are based in London and came down and performed works by Handel, Hayden, Scarlatti and Mozart. This event was well supported and it is hoped that we can invite them back to Midhurst in the near future.
Throughout the year, on every last Saturday of the month, we have held a coffee morning in the church, with stalls selling a range of gifts. This has been something new for our Church and is developing each month.
The money raised from all the events is in the region of £3,000. Some of this money will be going to buy new hymn sheets for Christmas and a small amount will go to the Youth Pilgrimage. -
Time of Silence Wednesday 4pm (approx) until 5pm in the Southampton Chapel. Just a circle of chairs (quite comfy!) in front of the altar - with a candle - in which to spend silent time - bring a book, pray silently (there are some prayer cards), shut your eyes - and listen to what God may want to say to you. Come for as long as you like whether just for ten minutes or for the whole hour. Contact Joan on 812796 -
World Mission The Lent appeal in 2006 was in aid of Robin and Liz Watson who support the educational work of the Church of Sudan. Their support costs a total of about £50,000 a year, and we provide a small proportion of this sum. The appeal raised a total of £341.97 and CMS should be able to add another £83.77 in gift-aid from HM Revenue and Customs. In addition the PCC sent £2,000 that was previously committed to their support.
On Good Friday we served a traditional Cypriot soup for Good Friday that contains vinegar. Donations raised £36.25 for the Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association; to be used, in part, to support St Andrew's, Kyrenia which is the only Anglican congregation in Northern Cyprus.
During May volunteers from the church participated in the collections for Christian Aid Week.
May also saw us raising sponsorship for Steve Grinstead, a man with Midhurst links ended up living rough, but who was helped by a Christian charity, Emmaus. He walked from John O'Groats to Bradford, a feat for which we collectively sponsored him £225.
During the summer Michael Puttick and family departed for Nepal to work for a year in a hospital. The hospital he is attached to has never been fully staffed and they are delighted with his contribution. Members of this church have sent £655 towards his expenses.
In the autumn we continued our fundraising for the school in the Gambia. This was jointly with the Primary School and the highlight was to see their choir at the Harvest service in October. Donations to this important project totalled £1444, which combined with last year's fundraising, gift-aid and other donations during the year brought us nearly half way to the £14,000 target.
During Advent we looked closer to home and a sponsored sleep out outside the Cathedral raised £262 for the Christian Care Association and their night-shelter in Chichester. Gift-aid should add another £70. This is a project that is supported throughout the year by the Mother's Union, but particularly during Advent when they sell Christmas cards on behalf of the CCA.
In the run up to Christmas we held our annual collection for the Children's Society and were able to send £169. World Vision will also receive £150 from the collective Christmas card kept in this church throughout Advent.
Our focus during Lent 2005 was plight of the church in the Middle East. One of the projects to develop out of that was the sale of products from Bethlehem and elsewhere in Palestine. During 2006 through sales at Midhurst church, and by taking the stock elsewhere, we have sold a total of £2,500 worth of products. Through prayer and practical action we hope to help sustain the Christian population of Bethlehem through the occupation.
The total raised for all projects for the year was around £3,500.
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