ST. JOHN'S MERROW MAY 2019 - PARISH MAGAZINE - A community growing in faith
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ST. JOHN’S MERROW
PARISH MAGAZINE
MAY 2019
Our Vision is to be:
A community growing in faith
Magazine price 50p
0St John the Evangelist
Epsom Road, Merrow
www.saintjohns.org.uk
St John‟s is open every day of the week from 9am to 5pm
For quiet time and personal prayer
PLEASE FEEL WELCOME TO VISIT US
Sunday Services are listed on page 2
Services during the Week: Morning & Evening Prayer in church
Morning Prayer Mon 8am, Tues & Weds 8.30am, Sat 9am
Evening Prayer Mon 4pm, Tues, Fri and Sat 5pm
In the St John‟s Centre Merrow Hall
Holy Communion on Wednesday at 10.30am
Rev‟d Rona Stuart-Bourne
Rector
(See page 19 for contact phone numbers for further information)
** Held in the St John‟s Centre
Mondays 9.00 - 10.00am Contemplation ** (Contact Rector)
9.45 - 11.30am Babies & Toddlers group **
5.00 - 6.00pm Merrow Community Gospel Choir **
Tuesdays 7.30pm Bell ringing practice
Wednesdays 10.15 - 11.30am Coffee Club **
Fridays 6.30pm Choir Practice
1MAY SERVICES 2019 ~Year C
5th May 3rd Sunday of Easter, White
8am Holy Communion – BCP
B
Acts 9:1-6, John 21:1-19
10am All Age Communion Service – Common Worship
11.30am Baptism
6.30pm Sing a New Song
12th May 4th Sunday of Easter, White
Acts 9:36-end, John 10:22-30
8am Holy Communion - BCP
10am Holy Communion - Common Worship
11.30am Baptism
NO Evening Prayer
19th May 5th Sunday of Easter, White
Acts 11:1-18, John 13:31-35
8am Holy Communion - BCP
10am Holy Communion - Common Worship
6.30pm Meditation and Compline
26th May 6th Sunday of Easter, White
Acts 16:9-15, John 5:1-9
8am Holy Communion - BCP
10am Holy Communion - Common Worship – with a talk from
Christians Against Poverty (CAP), one of St John‟s 2019 charities
6.30pm Evensong
Thursday 30th May Ascension Day, Gold or White
Acts 1:1-11, Luke 24:44-end
Time and venue – to be announced
2 June, 7th Sunday of Easter, White
Acts 16:16-34, John 17:20-end
8am Holy Communion - BCP
10am All Age Communion Service - Common Worship
11.30am Baptism
6.30pm Sing a New Song
2Letter from the Rector
In April we had the hedges trimmed and brought back into some sense
of order in the Rectory garden. It struck me how many metaphors there
were in parish ministry with this process. I wonder if any of them strike
a chord?
The hedges are an important part of the Rectory garden because we
are surrounded by clubs and roads and they offer much needed privacy
and protection. The hedges had grown without taming for a while and
it was interesting to see that some varieties had been dominant, with
the less dominant ones struggling to find light and be able to grow
healthily. They were in desperate need of pruning, but the pain of the
prune means that we have become much more exposed for the time
being. An uncomfortable period of time will ensue before the hedging
plants respond favourably to the pruning and fill out to offer more
protection. This process will continue to take place annually, and I hope
that regular pruning will make the plants healthier in the long run, and
that we will find the „naked months‟ less exposing!
A few months ago, realising there were gaps, I bought some native
hedging plants: hornbeam, beech, hawthorn etc. I would far prefer the
hedge to consist of native plants because I believe the eco system of
the garden will benefit in the long term with wildlife; birds, butterflies,
and bees. However, the fast-growing non-native plants often overpower
our native species, and this is an ongoing battle I will work with over
the next few years. The metaphor I‟m thinking of here is that we
should nurture the character of our Church with its particular traditions,
and not allow ourselves to be pulled in the direction of the latest trend;
not all the big ideas are necessarily good or suit us and our tradition.
Instead we must celebrate and nurture those elements of our faith that
we hold dear, and carefully consider changes we might be making to
ensure we don‟t erode that.
My hope is that without spelling out the metaphors, you see the
fascinating messages which play out within the natural world for our
Church Community.
There is another hedge/fencing analogy which I would like to leave you
with. It involves the purpose of hedging and fencing with livestock. If
3you fly over England, you will see a patchwork of fields bound by
hedges and fences to contain the livestock. The farmers move their
animals into different fields regularly to ensure the eco system of the
fields remains in balance, the land remains healthy, and there is
enough food for grazing cattle and sheep.
There is another way though. In Australia they don‟t use hedges and
fencing so much in the outback. Why? Well, they know that the best
way is not to focus on containing their livestock, but instead to give
them something which draws them to a certain place continually. So
they bore deep wells, and the cattle and sheep etc. naturally stay close
to the water; the essential element to sustain life.
In our Church here in Merrow, I hope that we are digging deep wells to
give free access to that life-giving water Jesus speaks about in St John‟s
Gospel, because that way we will have no need for the discipline of
fencing or hedging, rather our community will naturally stay close as
they find something that is essential to sustain life.
John 4:14 “…those who drink of the water that I will give them will
never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring
of water gushing up to eternal life.”
Perhaps when you come to the Summer Fair you will have a look at
how the hedges are faring?!
With love
Rona
REGISTERS
For March 2019
BAPTISM
3rd – Arabella Rose BOULTON
FUNERALS
22nd – Dorothy Grace CARTER
28th – Dermot Henry VERSCHOYLE
4Pray as you can, not as you can’t
I enjoy reading the Prayer entries in the magazine, and it is good to
know that I am not the only one who has problems.
A few years ago I picked up a little card in Winchester Cathedral
advocating the „watch and wait‟ approach, which I find helpful when
either lost for words or too full of them. So I share it with you:
Trish Styles
Disclosure
Ann Lewin
Prayer is like watching for the
Kingfisher. All you can do is
Be where he is likely to appear, and
Wait.
Often, nothing much happens;
There is space, silence and
Expectancy.
No visible sign, only the
Knowledge that he’s been there,
And may come again.
Seeing or not seeing cease to matter,
You have been prepared.
But sometimes, when you’ve almost
Stopped expecting it,
A flash of brightness
Gives encouragement.
5Wednesday Coffee Club
Our Easter Bonnet Parade, held early this year on
9th April, is gaining momentum as more than half
of the members sported decorated head wear. It
does make it a jolly occasion, even for those who forget that it is on!
We will be back after the Easter break on Wednesday, 1st May at
10.15. Look out for the May Pole if not the Queen of the May. Bring
photographs if you have them and memories of your May Days at
School.
Then at the end of the month, Wednesday 29th May, we will be
having our annual coach trip and Afternoon Tea on the pier at
Worthing. This is a heavily subsidised event so we are pleased to let
you know that our recent „Bring and Buy‟ raised £86.25 and the raffle
£67 so the cost remains at £5 for „members‟ and £10 for any guests.
Paulene Lambert - 538 217 lampwicks@hotmail.co.uk
You are warmly invited to
A Prayer for Everyday
Lord,
Give me love and commonsense
And standards that are high.
Give me calm and confidence
And – please
In St John’s Centre
– a twinkle in the eye.
on
AMEN
1 June 2- 4.30pm
6Merrow CofE Infant School
We managed to dodge the showers of rain and
hail over the last week of term to celebrate
Easter in school. The entire school, staff and lots
of parents walked up to St John’s for our Easter Service with
Rev. Rona and Mrs. Rachel Boxer, where the Y2 children told us
the story of Holy Week and we all sang our Easter songs and hymns.
It was the second time that week that St John’s had been lifted
with the sound of children singing as we had been invited to join
Bushy Hill School for the community sing-a long of Joseph’s
Technicolour Dreamcoat. Our 15 children from Merrow sang their
hearts out and we were so proud of them; they loved being part of
the event. It was great too, for the staff of Merrow to see how
accomplished and confident some of our ex-pupils were as they led
the singing so brilliantly.
We had a lovely Easter Parade with the children all wearing amazing
creations of bonnets, hats and masks parading around and singing
with an admiring crowd of parents and family looking on, followed by
a Cake Sale with a line of customers almost as long as the Parade
itself. We are so lucky to have a PTA that supports the school in so
many ways and cake sales, although not big money earners by
themselves are certainly popular!
At Dermot’s funeral we heard how he felt that ‘love you’ as a
parting comment had fallen out of use and how he wished to
reinstate it. I considered how, although many adults might not say
it, we are lucky at Merrow to work with children who have no such
inhibitions; we are frequently told ‘I love you’ by children and get
given little slips of paper with it written on too. So from Merrow –
‘love you too all at St John’s’ – and I hope to hear across the Parish
– ‘love you too, Merrow School!’
Best wishes Emma Hooper
7Rev Dermot Verschoyle’s Funeral
was held at St John’s on 28th March 2019
Rev Rona introduced the service, welcoming everyone to St John‟s on
behalf of Dermot‟s family and friends, and his community here in Merrow.
“We‟ve come together to give thanks for his extraordinary life and to
mourn his death. Dermot was an extravagant character, the life and soul
of every party, a loving husband and father, an adored friend, a true
shepherd to his flock here (especially the young who he would take on
hilarious and fun outings – which is why the family have kindly asked for
donations to go to our Youth Work here), He was a saxophonist, an
author, a property developer, and he was a priest. He was our priest here
in Merrow. Dermot was very funny and lively, but he was also prayerful
and enjoyed spending time in Wisley contemplating. The one thing
Dermot was not, however, was a Shrinking Violet. So we have come here
to celebrate the unique and exuberant man that he was, and the family
and I have tried to incorporate as many aspects of his character as we
could. Dermot loved drama, silly hats, pomp and circumstance (he always
used to giggle when I called him a Diva – which of course he was). This is
the Dermot we will continue to celebrate down in St John‟s Centre
afterwards.
So I introduce you to the tailor made, Dermy style funeral which is our
tribute to him. We are delighted to welcome the Bishop of Guildford – the
Rt Rev Andrew Watson, the Archdeacon of Surrey – the Ven Paul Davies,
lots of robed clergy, lay friends and two choirs. We are wearing white
stoles which signify the Resurrection. The Merrow Community Gospel
Choir are here as a tribute to Dermot and the service is a Requiem Mass.
Although Dermot enjoyed Pomp, he was very much one of us, and would
have spent a good few minutes explaining to you why having a Requiem
Mass- or Holy Communion for the Dead, was relevant. In my own words
however, Dermot celebrated Communion here in Merrow with us his
Church Family weekly. And around this altar we remember the death of
Jesus Christ, but not only his death – significantly we remember the life
which he came to bring – eternal life. Every week we celebrate that
8eternal life, which came about through Jesus‟ death. So as we mourn you,
our dear friend Dermy, we do it around an altar which you celebrated at,
and this gives us hope, and reminds us of life, not death. And we will
always always remember your life, which we celebrate today.”
Bishop Andrew’s Address at Rev Dermot Verschoyle’s Funeral
Reproduced in our magazine by kind permission of Kate and Bishop Andrew
John 10:1-18
So where to start, with this extraordinarily warm, wildly extravert, sheer
phenomenon of a man, who brought such love and colour and side-
splitting hilarity into our lives? And how to follow that most pitch-
perfect eulogy to our beloved Dermot, to which we all could have
added our own treasured anecdotes, spoken through tears in which joy
and sorrow naturally meet and mingle? And how to hold together the
many facets of a rich and complex character: a man who‟d known
boom and bust in his business life; a man who‟d known boom and bust
in his personal life; a fierce patriot, deeply proud of his father who‟d
fought at Gallipoli, yet with strong transatlantic leanings and a long-
lasting love affair with South Africa; a man equally at home in
Woodstock and the Groucho Club as in the colourful ceremony of
Anglo-Catholic worship, where the more ecclesiastical bling the better!
Where to start with a man who‟d known deep depression but could
truly be described as the „life and soul of the party‟; a man who broke
across conventional church stereotypes, the most natural of personal
evangelists along with the most enthusiastic of Catholic ritualists; a man
who‟d proclaimed with the Woodstock generation a message of love
and peace, and had clearly located that love and peace in the life and
teaching of Jesus; a bullied child, a writer, musician, a lover of the fine
things in life, a husband and father, and a priest in the Church of God?
To anyone who knew Dermot in his early days in Merrow, it‟s that last
phrase that might have come as the greatest surprise. For when he first
started attending St John‟s, Dermot was a broken man, with a broken
marriage behind him, a broken business and struggling mental health.
The ceilings were painted dark green in his house off Bushy Drive, and
he was always the last to enter the church on a Sunday morning and
the first to exit it, with the hour-long service the longest he could last
9between cigarette breaks. His unorthodox habit of wearing no socks
was also noted by some of the more conventional members of the
congregation.
But it was in the unlikely setting of the St John‟s Hall Development
Committee that everything changed, and Kate‟s rock-like faith and hope
and love for both Dermot and her Lord helped reawaken that faith and
hope and love in the man who was to become her husband. Marriage,
then licensing as a Lay Minister followed, and then a growing sense
that more was being required of him. Dermot was in South Africa when
he learnt that he‟d been accepted for ordination in the Church of
England in a terse little email from the Director of Ordinands, which
simply read, „The Answer is Yes‟. With typical flamboyance and boyish
enthusiasm, Dermot had the words, „The Answer is Yes‟‟ printed on a T-
shirt, which he wore with pride, provoking many an evangelistic
conversation along the way.
And perhaps the heart of all this is the text on which Dermot preached
his first ever sermon: the story of the feeding of the 5000 from John‟s
Gospel, and especially that phrase in the story,
„When they were filled, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost”‟.
Some time earlier, Dermot had bought a beautiful dish as a Christmas
present for Kate – a dish that he‟d unfortunately dropped as he started
to wrap it up. And the gathering up the fragments of that dish, and the
way it was carefully glued together once more, became for Dermot not
just a handy metaphor for his first sermon, but a profound metaphor
for his life itself. Jesus had gathered up all the multi-coloured fragments
of a broken man: the light ones and dark ones, the sharp ones and
rounded ones, and pieced them together in his compassion and power,
so that nothing be lost – so that through this mended dish – this fragile
clay jar, to borrow an image from St. Paul – the treasure of the gospel
might come shining through. And shine through it did: so that no-one
who met the Revd. Dermot Verschoyle and knew the journey that he‟d
travelled, could ever doubt the truth of Jesus‟ promise to all his flock: „I
have come that they might have life, life in all its fullness‟. Not „life in all
its dullness‟, note, as some Christians seem to have interpreted it (but
emphatically not Dermot!): but life in all its fullness.
10So what‟s the difference between a good shepherd and a bad one (and
this isn‟t one of Dermot‟s jokes!)? If you look at the Bible‟s many
references to shepherds, there‟s one consistent answer to that
question: that while bad shepherds scatter the sheep, good shepherds
gather them. As we read of God Himself in the prophet Isaiah, „He
tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and
carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young‟.
And perhaps it‟s not surprising that this man who had such a keen
sense of being gathered by the good Shepherd – every fragment of his
life brought together so that nothing be lost – proved to be such a
gifted under-shepherd himself, and winsome gatherer of others. His
extraordinary gift of friendship, including reconnecting with friends from
the distant past; his remarkable ability to come alongside complete
strangers in a shop, perhaps, or while walking Jasper, listening carefully
to their concerns and intuitively sharing with them the love of Jesus;
even his holding court in his bedroom in those challenging last days and
that little piece of liturgy to which Rupert has introduced us: „Love you‟.
‘Love you too’. All of these speak of a natural gatherer, one with an
extraordinary gift of drawing broken people together, so that no-one be
lost.
And that makes us deeply thankful for Dermot this afternoon, and the
way that he lit up our lives; and that makes us deeply conscious too of
Kate and of Charlie, Ollie and Stu in this time of genuine celebration
and profound loss. But there‟s far more to it than that, of course. In the
words of St. Paul, „Friends, let us not grieve as those who have no
hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so it will be for
those who die as Christians: God will bring them to life with Jesus.
Comfort one another with these words‟.
We‟re back to Isaiah once again: „He gathers the lambs in his arms and
carries them close to his heart‟. We‟re back to Jesus and his „life in all
its fullness‟. For as we entrust Dermot into the safekeeping of the
„goodest‟ of all Good Shepherds we do so in the sure and certain hope
that nothing is lost, that „all is safely gathered in‟. The sentimental
picture of St. Peter standing at the pearly gates may not be quite our
theological cup of tea – nor mine either – and yet in my mind‟s eye this
afternoon I imagine Dermot approaching those gates with a sense of
some trepidation and awe, aware of his brokenness and anxious as to
11whether he‟s to be welcomed in; and St Peter, with a broad smile on his
fisherman face, wearing a T shirt on which is emblazoned the words,
„The Answer is Yes‟
The Summer Fete is being masterminded by the group of „boyz‟ from
St John‟s who were brought together by Dermot for the Bazaar.
12View from the Pews
What does it mean going to church and worshipping at St Johns on a
Sunday? This is of course a very simple question to ask but the
consideration that went into the answer revealed some fundamental
questions for me about what we aspire to achieve from our precious
time at weekends.
Often unable to attend for several Sundays means that the impact of
then attending after a break of a few weeks is all the more uplifting and
provides a powerful sense of getting life back in balance. There is
something immediately comforting on entering the physical space of
the church; welcoming and friendly smiling faces, the cool air, the
familiar smell, the light entering the church through the stained glass
windows, the presence of the clergy and people quietly getting things
ready with that tangible sense of anticipation. A lovely feeling of
connection too that Tricia and I were married here over 35 years ago.
The structure and rhythm of the service follows; the Hymns, Gospel,
Readings, Sermon, Prayers and the calm reflection throughout the
service settles the soul provoking a level of contemplation that the hurly
burly of deadlines, reports, emails and meetings during a busy week at
work just doesn‟t seem to allow.
By the time we are encouraged to go in peace there is a feeling of
values re-ordered, a sense of calm fulfilment and a renewal of
spirituality, of relief that you have re-discovered your inner self and re-
tuned your relationship with God.
Time now to take away as much as we can from this cathartic
experience and try to weave its inspiration and strength into our
everyday lives beyond the church door.
Refreshed and uplifted with order restored it‟s then a short stroll for a
coffee and the warmth, humour and camaraderie of that group of
friends who have become an important part of your life.
Peter Tappin
Look how the flowers grow.
The face of nature laughs in the springtime,
her breath fresh and her eyes clearest blue
13Gardening Hints for May
The weather continues to be mild although a cold snap could happen, so
best not plant out summer bedding plants in haste or you might repent at
leisure! By the end of the month when the risk of an overnight frost
should have disappeared tender plants can be planted into their growing
positions. All indoor or greenhouse raised plants need to be hardened off
before planting out.
Dahlia tubers should be planted by the middle of the month whilst young
plants should be kept indoors until the end of May.
Clumps of Polyanthus and Primrose should be lifted and divided to
encourage flowering next year. Spent Daffodil and Tulip flowers should be
removed leaving the leaves to die back naturally allowing the bulbs to
build up strength for next spring.
Spray Roses regularly to control Green Fly, Blight and Blackspot.
Sweet Peas need to be supported as they grow tying the tendrils to a
support.
Winter Flowering Heathers should be clipped as the flowers fade.
Support tall Perennials such as Delphiniums and Lupins.
Prune Spring flowering shrubs such as Forsythia as soon as they finish
flowering.
French and Runner Beans can now be sown directly into the ground with
the eye of the seed downwards to aid germination.
There is still time to sow Courgettes and Squash in pots for planting out
later, always sow the seed on the edge to help with germination.
Kale, Leeks and Purple Sprouting should be sown now in prepared beds
for harvesting during the winter months.
Brussel Sprouts and Tomatoes should be planted towards the end of the
month once the risk of frost has past.
Potatoes should be earthed up to prevent the tubers being turned green
by daylight, main crop potatoes can be planted now.
Peas should be staked and canes put in to support Runner Beans.
Start removing side shoots from indoor tomatoes unless they are of a
bush variety, once the first fruits start to swell a liquid tomato fertiliser
should be applied once a week.
Once Raspberries and Loganberries begin to set fruit an application of
Sulphate of Ammonia should be applied at 1oz to the Sq Metre.
Lawns should be mown weekly and fed with a spring and Summer Weed
and Feed when rain is forecast. John Boon
14Last month I wrote about Jebbeh in
Sierra Leone, which is the world‟s
most dangerous place to become a
mum. Christian Aid has been working
with RADA (Rehabilitation and
Development Agency) in Sierra Leone
to help vulnerable women access healthcare, improve hygiene with
simple interventions like handwashing and, with your support, to build a
bigger, better health care centre. The current health centre in Sawula is
the size of a small bedroom. Operations, deliveries and baby checkups
all happen in one single room with only two delivery beds.
The Christian Aid partnership has already provided a nurse, Judith, who
works around the clock to meet the needs of mums and young children.
But the need is great, and sometimes she‟s forced to send people away.
When women come to the clinic at night, there‟s no light for Judith to
use. So she has to ask her patients to bring a torch to see by.
In addition to this, there are often not enough drugs at the clinic. Judith
sees diseases like malaria and typhoid, especially in children. She has to
go on a motorbike or sometimes walk for three hours to collect drugs.
„I need help,‟ Nurse Judith says. „Women are dying from childbirth,
children under five are dying, because of poverty. Please help us.‟ A
new health centre would be like a dream come true: „We‟ll dance for
three days when we have the new health centre,‟ she says.
With your support today, we could work alongside Judith‟s community
to build a bigger, better health centre to help more mums give birth
safely. Christian Aid Week brings Christians together with a common
purpose to achieve something incredible.
If you could help collect during Christian Aid Week, speak to Sara
England at church or ring 504205.
There will be a collection for Christian Aid at the Merrow
Community Gospel Choir’s Spring Concert on May 18th
see the advert inside the back cover for details.
Do come along.
15About our Cathedral.........
Details of all May Services can be found
on the Cathedral website or at the back of church
Do you know your chalices from your flagons or your
patens from your alms dishes? What about your thurible from your
ciborium? What is a Monstrance? These and myriad other ecclesiastical
items can be found in the Treasury at Guildford Cathedral.
The Treasury lies in the North Side of the interior and is a large, oblong
shaped room containing glass cabinets displaying memorabilia relating
to the cathedral‟s history plus many curiosities gathered from parishes
within the Guildford Diocese.
I‟m familiar with some of these items when I photographed, logged and
recorded them for an interactive facility now to be found in the
Treasury. For those who did not know (like me), a Ciborium is a vessel,
normally in metal, originally a particular shape of cup used in Ancient
Greece but later came to refer to a large covered cup designed to hold
hosts and thus the counterpart of the chalice.
A Thurible (via Old French from Medieval Latin turibulum) is a metal
censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during
services. I knew that a Paten is a shallow metal plate or dish typically
made of gold or silver. However, some patens in the Treasury are
simple dishes made of pewter. In a way, I prefer these plain designs in
non-precious metal from their more ornate counterparts. They serve
the same purpose but in a way that is unpretentious and sincere. You
might be interested to know that the Treasury contains a lead figurine
of a Roman soldier found during the construction of the Cathedral by
the husband of Vera, a late, former parishioner of St. John‟s. And a
Monstrance? Well, it‟s also known as an ostensorium and that needs a
whole explanatory article in itself!
Nick Bond
16The Church Year ~ 4 Easter to Pentecost
Easter day is, of course, the day on which we celebrate the resurrection
of Jesus Christ and these celebrations last for a total of fifty days until
Pentecost (the old White or Whit Sunday). During this period, as well as
on every Sunday of the year, we celebrate not only the resurrection,
but also the kingship of God for which we pray daily in the Lord‟s
Prayer, “Thy kingdom come”.
Forty days after Easter, we also celebrate the ascension of Jesus and as
Easter Day is always a Sunday, Ascension Day is always a Thursday. In
the period between Easter and Ascension, the bible records several
sightings of the risen Jesus, particularly by the disciples. The Easter
period which we are looking at is comprised of a “week of weeks” which
is how the Jews calculated Pentecost. Pentecost, falling fifty days after
Easter, is the name given to that time after Passover by the Jews. At
the time of the Reformation in this country in the sixteenth century the
reformed church dropped the name Pentecost and called it White
Sunday (after the white vestments worn on that day) and it is only
recently that it has come to be called Pentecost again. Pentecost is
itself celebrated by the Anglican Church as the coming of the Holy Spirit
and is also historically the day on which the resurrection of Jesus Christ
was publically proclaimed. As a result, this can really be called the
birthday of the Church. Vestments change from the white or gold used
in Easter, to red to symbolise the Holy Spirit.
This whole period, then, from Easter Day to the eve of Pentecost is
really Easter. Often people seem to regard Easter as being purely
Easter Day and, sometimes even from Palm Sunday until Easter, which
period is certainly not Easter but comprises Holy Week.
Michael Stoughton
THY KINGDOM COME ~ 2019
Ascension (May 30th) ~ Pentecost (June 9th)
Let us all join this global initiative and pray for our friends, and our
society to be transformed by knowing Jesus, so that God‟s
Kingdom will come and transform society.
17COPY DATE for June magazine
Sunday 19 May 12 noon – in church 2 June
Please send copy to editor c/o Parish Office or
EMAIL: barbara.lawrence@virginmedia.com
Some Dates for your Diary
MAY
Saturday 18th Concert with Merrow Community Gospel Choir
St John‟s Centre Doors open 6pm Free entry
JUNE
Saturday 8th St John‟s Summer Fair
Rectory Garden 2pm start Entry by donation
JULY
Saturday 6th St John‟s Evening Entertainment with nibbles
St John‟s Centre 7.15 for 7.30pm Tickets £5
LIMERICK LANE
We know that we all need to change
Embrace unfamiliar and strange
There are difficulties
Setting priorities
With no limit to God‟s change‟s range. CS
A Prayer
As we plan and make decisions
God be our way.
As we learn and ask questions
God be our Truth.
As we grow and as we change,
God be our life. AMEN
18Who’s Who May 2019
Rector Rev’d Rona Stuart-Bourne (Thursday off) 572207
St John’s Rectory 232 Epsom Road GU4 7AA
Assistant Curate
Churchwardens Mrs Helen Chambers 846574
Mr Barry Dickinson 07917 598742
Deputy Churchwarden Mrs Carole Burtonwood 07909 920236
Centre Manager & Mrs Michelle Haywood 454621
Parish Administrator
Parish Office 222 Epsom Road, Guildford GU4 7AA 454621
Web site: www.saintjohns.org.uk Email: stjohns.merrow@btconnect.com
PCC Secretary Mr Nick Bond 579462
PCC Treasurer Mrs Lindsay Dobson 07809 836896
Gift Aid Mr Martin Thompson 578923
Legacy & PGS Advisers Mr Brian Taylor 567475 & Mrs Sara England 504205
Joint Directors of Music and Choir Mrs Micky Clare & Mrs Mavis Martin
Babies and Toddlers Group Parish Office 454621
Bell Ringers Mrs Jane Farquharson 579926
Bible Reading Fellowship Mrs Jenny Welbourn 825541
Cathedral Link Mr Nick Bond 579462
Children’s Society representative Mrs Judith Sampson 571847
Christian Aid Organiser Mrs Sara England 504205
Church Centre Bookings The Parish Office 454621
Clerk for Wedding Registers Mrs Hilary Ellwood 506845
Electoral Roll Mrs Jean Spencer 564028
Fair Trade representative Mrs Cathy Thompson 578923
Flower coordinator Mrs Caroline Heron 570776
Head Server Mrs Kate Verschoyle 533449
Magazine Advertisements Mrs Sara England merrowadverts@gmail.com
Magazine Distribution Mrs Angela Rye 570478
Merrow C of E Infant School Mrs Jane Treharne (Head teacher) 561501
Church Governors: Rev’d Rona Stuart-Bourne, Mr R Burtonwood
& Mrs Toni Gardner
Safeguarding Officer (protection Mrs Rosanne Bond 579462
of children & vulnerable adults)
St. John's, Merrow, Pre-School Ms Amanda Bazley (Manager) 454625
Diocesan Lay Pastoral Assistants Miss Sally Peters 572954
Mrs Jean Spencer 564028
Reading and Intercession Rota Mr Tony Clare 538306
Sunday Coffee Contact via Parish Office
Sunday News Sheet Parish Office (articles by Wednesday) 454621
Together in Christ (TiC) Mrs Isla Stables 567599
Lay Parish representative
Wednesday Coffee Mornings Mrs Paulene Lambert 538217
Deputy Mrs Barbara Booth 385447
Transport Mrs Rosanne Bond 579462
Website contact Mr Richard Burtonwood 579057
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