Dear Friends,
Here is this week’s Parish Diary for 5th February.
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Do you come to the 10.00 am Service at St Mary’s? Are you capable of doing a bit of not-too-strenuous lifting? I am urgently looking for more men to put out and clear away tables and chairs in the Church Hall. I’m also looking for people to help serve tea.  The more volunteers we have the less often you’ll be on the rota. Ring me today!
Lara Lavery (240316) lara.lavery@tiscali.co.uk

Thank you, Alpha
At the risk of sounding like the mother in Miranda Hart’s hilarious sitcom I never knew becoming a Christian was going to be ‘such fun’!  I thought it meant being pious and serious and would mean doing all sorts of things I didn’t really want to do.  And anyway doing as I was told had never been part of my make up!  But I found none of this was true.  Every day I trust that God’s plans for me are good and that He will always be at …

Alpha in the Spring Term
Full details of our Spring Alpha Courses are now available on our Alpha webpage – or download Alpha Dates Spring 2012

To register please complete an Alpha Invitation and email it back

Contact: John Muggleton (224 244)  jomug@talktalk.net
 

 
PS – Have you seen the video Bear Grylls did Alpha?

Scarcely a day goes by without some mention in the news about investors being wary of investing in this or that country/bank/market (delete as applicable), and the consequent effects on the international economy.
I take is as read that someone invests in a company because they think they’ll get a good return on their investment: in other words, the primary beneficiary is the investor. As Wikipedia puts it: “In Finance, investment is putting money into something with the expectation of gain.”
There is, however, another kind of investment, which rarely …

This active parish is looking for a Director of Music with the vision, musicianship and heart for worship to lead and develop the musical life of St Mary’s across a range of styles, and also take on an advisory role at St John’s (daughter church). St Mary’s has an SATB choir, Young Voices, and worship band, which we are looking to develop alongside new instrumental groups. There is a choir at St John’s.
Job description and parish information from the Parish Office (01932 224238) or downloaded here. Salary is RSCM category …

Congratulations to Patrick Samuels on being named Man of the Match in the Church Times Cricket Cup Final, and scoring the winning runs.

Is ALPHA ‘Life changing’?
I wouldn’t say I came from a religious family, my parents pride themselves on going to church whenever invited – i.e. weddings, christenings and funerals. However I was christened as a baby and went to a C of E school, although that may have been based on location not faith. It was at school that I learnt the story of Jesus, Christian celebrations (Harvest, Easter, Christmas), prayer and sang hymns in worship. This was the foundation of my faith but it wavered through university and my early …

MY JOURNEY SO FAR…
My name is Kerry, l am 36 and have four children, three who live with me, and my eldest lives with his grandparents.  This is my testimony, which l call My journey so far, because it’s really only just the beginning….
Like many people l didn’t have the best upbringing, but l tried to make the best of my life…  I tried, maybe too hard, as l made so many mistakes.  Yet somehow l got through, l always picked myself up, brushed myself down and got on with …

July – the word evokes so many images of summer: Wimbledon; Henman hill groaning/cheering (delete as applicable after Andy Murray’s last match); Parish Garden Party, with scones, cakes and bouncy castle in the Vicarage garden; the end of school term, reports, the prospect of holidays … the list could go on.
In the Church of England, July also means ordination season; and, sure enough, on July 2nd there will be an ordination of priests at Guildford Cathedral in which Walton parish has considerable interest.
I put it that way because I’m …