Church letter

March 2024

Click for the church letter from February 2024

Finding hope in the face of gloom

Whilst walking Barney on a blustery, dreich, February day, (one that definitely needed wellies, coat, and a beanie, even though it was ridiculously mild), I bumped into someone else out walking their dog and got chatting. Before long we were talking about the number of funerals we’d both been to recently and bemoaning the state of the world.

As we parted company, I reflected upon ‘the state of the world’: Israel and Gaza; Ukraine and Russia; the Channel migrants; UK parliamentary politics; knife crime; the things that Donald Trump says with seemingly no normal, moral filter; the American elections still nine months away but occupying much of our news already; our own elections sometime in the next 12 months and all the political point-scoring that goes on; inflation and the cost of living; climate change, with storms, floods and heatwaves. It doesn’t make for a joyous list of things to think about, with pretty much all of those being things I, as an individual, can do nothing to affect.

As I walked on, the thought struck me that I needed something positive to think about, something positive to do. I needed something to look forward to and celebrate. Something that will take my mind off these things that I cannot affect; and focus on something good, something local, that is positive and joyous. Maybe you are feeling the same about the state of the world and want something positive to be involved in, and something to celebrate? I then started to think about the number of great things that are coming up this month with church.

In March you can get involved in our Lent Course thinking about a woman of great faith, Julian of Norwich, and her amazing relationship with God. We also celebrate Mothering Sunday. We have Connect Four, our informal family service on a Saturday afternoon. We then have Palm Sunday, including a breakfast at the Memorial Hall before walking up to church for the service.

We’re then into Holy Week and a service every day. We celebrate Maundy Thursday (there’s a service at the Cathedral at 11am, and a service at St George’s at 7.30pm). We remember the events of Good Friday and the reflective time of Easter eve. Then the real celebration of Easter Sunday. There’s a ‘sunrise’ service at St Nicholas Church in Sandhurst at 6.15am (remember that the clocks go forward that day!). There is another breakfast on offer, at the Mission Church in Sandhurst, following the sunrise service (tea and coffee, croissants or bacon sandwiches what’s not to like?) And there’s the 8am and 10am services in church on Easter Sunday. Here we celebrate together the joy of Christ’s resurrection and all the hope that brings into our lives.

Instead of feeling the doom and gloom of so many negative things, come along and join in some wonderfully celebratory things together. Come and be part of something local that is positive, hopeful and joyous. Something that you can have a positive effect upon by being there, and something that will have a positive effect upon you.

Revd David Commander, Rector and Area Dean