The Monday evening group that meets at at St. John’s is studying “Elijah” this term. Contact Tessa Badcock on (01932) 888 992 for more details.

The combined Wednesday evening post-Alpha group has decided to study “Women of the Old Testament” this term. Contact John Muggleton on (01932) 224 244 for further details.

The Monday night men’s group is doing J. John’s “Just 10″ series this term. Contact Steve Bailey (01932) 225 315 or Neil Foxhall 07949-342 942 for more information.

The Tuesday lunchtime post-Alpha group is doing “Women of the Old Testament” at Christine Wilson’s house this term. Contact John Muggleton on (01932) 224 244 for further details.

Helped by generous quantities of coffee and chocolate biscuits, the Tuesday night men’s group Lima Delta will complete it’s study of “Isaiah 40-66″ this term before embarking on another great adventure. Contact John Badcock on (01932) 888 992 for more details.

The Tuesday night group led by Sylvia Green is continuing with their bible studies on “Angels”. Contact Sylvia Green (01932) 229 828 for more information.

The First & Third Monday Group is doing John Stott’s book “The Radical Disciple” this term. Contact Brian & Anne Rofe on (0193) 223 147 for further details.

The Thursday morning group led by Wendy Fitch & Caroline Foxhall is doing J. John’s “Just 10″ series this term. Contact Wendy Fitch on (01932) 232 819 for more details.

The Tuesday night group that meets at Mike & Louise Turner’s house is continuing their study of the “23rd Psalm”. Contact Mike & Louise Turner on (01932) 700 432 for more information.

Have a look at our Home Group page for more information.

Find out more.

Abseil from St Mary’s Church Tower

Walton-on-Thames

on 11th September 2010

In support of the Bell Restoration Project.

View more event information and download registration form here.
Download and print sponsorship form here.

Download the poster.

On the 12th & 19th September there will be cards available at the back of both Churches for you to take. Half is for you to pass onto someone you would like to invite along and on the other half is a prayer for you to keep and pray for that person.

Then on the 26th be ready to come along with your guests and help them feel at home in the service. If everybody was able to invite along one guest then we could double the size of our congregation!
I commend this opportunity to you that together we might fulfil our mission statement ‘To be a growing, loving, family with Christ at the centre, reaching out to all.’

Of course, you don’t need to wait for one Sunday a year to invite someone along to Church…
Revd Steve Bailey

Tickets will be available for sale from Sunday 5th September

Charles Stewart

I am very grateful for the expressions of interest, support and encouragement that I’ve received from so many of you in the intervening weeks. Please will you pray throughout my sabbatical for the ministry team, the wardens, and all those who are taking on extra responsibility in the coming weeks; and also for Pat, Kate, Jonny and for me, in this somewhat different configuration of family life. CS

Charles Stewart

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core …”

So wrote John Keats in the first stanza of his poem “To Autumn”, which some of you may have memorised at school. We all have our favourite seasons and Autumn, unashamedly, is mine; there’s something about the quality of light and the capacity of Keats’ “maturing sun” to lavish the landscape with an especially rich gold, burnishing the already-rich palette of Autumn colours in trees and hedgerows.

For St Mary’s and St John’s, in company with most churches, Autumn also means releasing the pause button on various aspects of parish life which may have stopped for the summer, and sometimes the opportunity to launch new things. For us in Walton the Autumn of 2010 will be no different. Among the things starting up again this month are:

• Confirmation courses. These will be helping adults and young people prepare for the Confirmation Service which will take place in St Mary’s on Sunday 5th December 10th at 6.30 p.m.. I’m delighted to be able to tell you that Bishop Colin Bennetts will be leading the service; Bishop Colin knows this parish well through Jonny (his son!), Sarah and their family, and so this year’s Confirmation already promises to have a sense of family celebration about it. If anyone would like to find out more about what Confirmation might involve, please talk to any of the clergy.
• The ALPHA Course: As before, we intend to run Alpha Courses on Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings. Alpha is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life and consider the Christian faith in an informal setting over ten weekly sessions. There will be a special Alpha Launch Evening event on Thursday 9th September at 7.30 p.m. at St John’s Church. There will be drinks and a finger buffet, and our guest speaker for the evening will be Jago Wynne, one of the ministry team at Holy Trinity Brompton.
• Home Groups: if you’re not yet part of a home group but would like to be, please contact John Muggleton on (01932) 224244

An important new beginning for us this September is the launch of Prayer Triplets here in the parish. Some of you will remember that I mentioned Prayer Triplets a few months ago, but it’s taken a little time to get things to the point that we can actually make a start.

So by the time the September Radius is published, there will be a leaflet available in both churches describing what a Prayer Triplet is, how to set one up or become part of one, and how to draw on resources to help inform and inspire your prayer together.

In launching Prayer Triplets I believe I may guarantee three things: a) that very few people worshipping in our churches will have been part of a Prayer Triplet before; b) that before very long, those who become part of a Prayer Triplet will be glad that they have done so; and c) that as more and more of us get involved in Prayer Triplets and pray regularly, so we shall see increasing signs of God at work in our midst.

I commend our Prayer Triplet programme to you. This is something in which all of us can participate and through we can all make a real difference to the life, the fellowship, the mission and the ministry of our parish.

Yours in Christ,

Charles Stewart