THE PARISHIONER

Ockham with Hatchford and Downside Newsletter

Moving Forward

I said in the September Parishioner that I would let you know how

we got on at our meeting with The Bishop of Dorking, Ian Brackley

and our Archdeacon Paul Bryer, at the end of September. The

meeting also included the clergy and churchwardens from East

and West Horsley.

In the light of the vacancies which now exist at East Horsley and

Ockham with Hatchford & Downside, the Diocese is taking the

opportunity to look at a restructuring which would bring the

parishes of East and West Horsley closer together and maybe

eventually merge them completely. There is clearly some logic in

this as the two communities are almost one and there is much

cross fertilisation across the two. Some activities would be

shared, while allowing the two congregations to maintain their

own identities and style of worship.

So far as Ockham is concerned they are suggesting, as a result of

the growth we have experienced, that we move from having an

unpaid part-time ‘House for Duty’ priest to a part-time paid priest.

The main reason being that we are a growing parish and there is

more work to be done than one can reasonably expect someone

to do unpaid. A part-time paid priest would be contracted to put

in more days than an unpaid priest and they are easier to find.

The churchwardens and clergy were asked to go back to their PCCs

and discuss these proposals, so we have brought our November

meeting forward to the end of October (the first occasion when all

the key people are available) to discuss this.

This is, I believe, good news, as we need to have a priest to carry

on Kerry’s good work and has the time to do it. But it will need

careful thought and discussion, because all parishes have to be

self-supporting and pay for their priests, and to have a part-time

paid priest, the Diocese tells us, will cost us about an extra

£15,000.

The other point I need to make you aware of, and you may have

noticed the legal notice on the noticeboards, is that the Bishop has

‘Suspended the presentation to the benefice …’ This is nothing to

be alarmed about. It is simply CofE speak for the fact that they

have’ unhitched’ us from being in a united benefice with East

Horsley. We are currently seeking guidance as to whether this

enables us to go ahead and recruit a new priest without waiting

for East Horsley to appoint a new Rector, who would usually be

responsible for appointing the priest at Ockham. We may become

part of a united benefice again later, when the East and West

Horsley situation is resolved.

I hope that we will have more news for you in next month’s

Parishioner.

Richard Peters

Churchwarden

Parish Clergy

Rev’d Elisabeth Burke

(01932 863886)

Church Wardens

Mrs Sally Pound

(01932 863279)

Mr Richard Peters

(01483 568837)

Don’t forget to keep up to date with everything happening

in our Parish by going to www.ockhamchurch.org.uk

Please send articles for the next edition to Andrew Jackson

by the 19th of the month preceding publication to

jacksoa1@me.com

FORTHCOMING SERVICES

Sunday 2nd November Celebration of All Saints & All Souls 9.00 am Downside Songs of Praise 10.30 am All Saints’ Patronal Festival

Parish Communion 3.00 pm All Saints’ Commemoration of the Departed Sunday 9th November Remembrance Sunday 9.00 am Downside Holy Communion 10.15 am All Saints’ Act of Remembrance

(continued at War Memorial )

12 noon Hatchford Act of Remembrance

Sunday 16th November Second Sunday before Advent 9.00 am Downside Songs of Praise 10.30 am All Saints’ Parish Communion Sunday 23rd November Christ the King 9.00 am Downside Holy Communion 10.30 am All Saints’ FAMILY SERVICE Sunday 30th November Advent Sunday 9.00 am Downside Holy Communion 10.30 am All Saints’ United Benefice Service Sunday 7th December Second Sunday in Advent 9.00 am Downside Songs of Praise 10.30 am All Saints’ Parish Communion

Sunday 14th December Third Sunday in Advent 9.00 am Downside Holy Communion 10.30 am All Saints’ Parish Communion

*PEBBLES children's group meet in church at the start of every Communion service, leave for their own activities in the Cabin and join the congregation at the end. From the Registers Baptisms At St Michaels Chapel, Downside 3 August Jago Rufus TOBIN Hermione Florence TOBIN at All Saints’ Church, Ockham 28 September Eliza Rose SETH-SMITH Weddings 27 September Andrew Geoffrey Hargreaves WHITE Michelle Barbara Louise MEW

Christmas Wreath Making

Ockham Parish Rooms 4th December 11 am

With Gemma from the Surrey Wildlife Trust Come along and be creative!

Bridge Drive

The Friends of All Saints' Church Ockham will be hosting a

Bridge Drive in the Guiles Hill Barn on Thursday November

6th at 2pm. Fabulous sandwiches and cakes for tea! Tickets

£8 each (£32 per table).

Please put a note in your diary now and please let the

Mellstroms (01483 282 551) or Gillian Lachelin (01483 224

024) know if you would like to come.

Ockham and Hatchford Residents Association Ockham Parish Rooms

Annual General Meeting 7.45 p.m. 12th November, 2014

For all residents – Please come and air your views!

Wine and nibbles and chat!

HORSLEY YOUTH CLUB – JUMBLE SALE! Saturday 8 November – East Horsley Village Hall

Please bring your jumble on Friday between 7 & 9 pm or

Saturday between 9 & 11 am

The Doors open at 1.00 pm

MU4ALL Is Just That! For ALL THE BEEHIVE

The Beehive meets once a month on the 4th Thursday at

2.00 p.m. at St. Martin’s Court. Coffee, cake and a time to

share, whilst making a difference to others in need. We

meet together to work at MU projects, such as neonatal

supplies, knitting, making blankets and quilts and any

particular needs which arise.

NOVEMBER

13th My father’s medals: WW2 memories

Speaker: Tim Sindall

8.00 p.m. Community Hall

(Elisabeth Burke)

29th Making Advent wreaths

9.30 a.m. St Martin’s Church

Do good

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

By John Wesley

Will Aid 2014: Use Your Will Power!

Are you one of the 6 out of 10 people who have not yet

made a Will? Making a Will, or revisiting an outdated Will is

an important part of Christian Stewardship and this

November, the Church of England is supporting Will Aid. For

nearly 500 years the Church of England has encouraged

people to make a Will. Whatever your age or circumstances

an up-to-date Will provides personal peace of mind, and

greatly simplifies the job of grieving relatives after death.

Making a Will is the only way you can ensure your loved ones

are provided for in the event of your death.

What is Will Aid?

Every November, local participating solicitors waive their fee

for writing a basic Will. Instead, they invite their clients to

make a donation to Will Aid. The money raised from

donations is shared between 9 participating charities,

including Christian Aid, and is used to help people to live,

build their communities and improve their future in the UK

and around the world. Each year, thousands of people use

the Will Aid scheme. Will Aid is your chance to protect your

loved ones and to help charity at the same time.

What You Need To Know About Will Aid

- Participating solicitors write straight-forward Wills

without a fee during November in return for a

donation to the Will Aid charities (including Christian

Aid).

- The suggested donation for a single Will is £95 and

for mirror Wills for a couple £150. The solicitor will

require a larger donation (or additional fee) for more

complex Wills (eg involving trusts or tax-planning).

- Under this scheme, there is no obligation for donors

to leave any gifts to any charity (or church) in their

Wills.

- All donations can be Gift Aided by taxpayers, adding

an extra 25% for the charities.

You can find local participating solicitors from

www.willaid.org.uk or freephone 0300 0300 013.

In 2013, the Will Aid campaign raised over £2 million in

donations for charities, with 24,000 people making their Will.

Comments Juliet Evans, Diocesan Stewardship Adviser, “The

Will Aid initiative provides people with a simple annual

reminder about the importance of Wills and keeping them

up to date. Gifts in Wills are also an important part of

Christian Giving, and are a way to give thanks to God for the

gifts of your life and lifetime. Leaving a gift in your Will to

your local church is one of the most valuable and lasting

ways you can continue to support the mission and ministry in

your community.”