Keep calm and…How would you finish that sentence right now??Answers given during our service included pray to God, read your Bible, and eat a cupcake. This week in church we were honoured to welcome the lovely Jane Seals who is the manager of the Guildford CAP Debt Centre. She spoke to us about the amazing work they do to help people build the skills to manage their money well so they have a better chance of staying out of debt, and how they support those who are already in debt to find a way back out. They've seen an amazing 85 people in and around Guildford become debt-free since they started! Jane suggested a better response to UK poverty than keep calm and carry on. She suggested we begin by crying out to God, but carry on by taking action that will make a difference. A few months back, we shared a post from Christians Against Poverty on Facebook, about the estimated 8.7 million people who are behind on their bills, and 10.7 million people skipping meals to try and make the money stretch the month. If you're one of them, CAP might be able to help you find a better solution than 'keep calm and carry on' at www.capuk.org/debthelp Alternatively, you can call them FREE on 0800 328 0006 (Monday to Thursday 9:30am-5pm, Friday 9:30am-3:30pm) or send us a message, and we'll put you in touch.
Lent. No, we don't mean borrowed, this is about the other meaning for the word.You might have vague recollections from years gone by about it. It's the time of year when children, especially those who go to church, are encouraged to give up sweets and chocolates for 40 whole days! Only nobody tells you it's actually 46, because the Sundays aren't supposed to count. So what's it really all about?Lent this year began with Ash Wednesday, on 22nd February, in the western church calendar we use at St Clare's. Ash Wednesday is a day when we take time to think carefully about the choices we make, and whether any of them are driving a wedge between us and God. The day gets its name from the ashes that are often used during the service, to mark the hand or forehead of the people attending (don't worry, it washes off when you're ready). They're used as a symbol of death, our sadness over the ways we haven't lived up to the standards we know God hopes for us, and a reminder of what it cost God to make a way for us to come back into relationship with Him.Lent itself is a time of further reflection, where we remember the 40 days Jesus spent living out in the desert, alone, with no food or water, and being tempted by satan (he didn't even get Sundays off!). The reason you may have been encouraged to give up sweets and chocolate as a child are because Christians often give something up during Lent as a reminder of what Jesus experienced. We therefore often choose to do something that is sacrificial, or requires a lot of self-discipline. It's not always denying ourselves a favourite treat (so whilst you could give up chocolate, you don't have to!). It's often giving our own time or money to help others, but there are no set rules. Whatever we choose, we try to make it something that will help us remember our need for God, and deepen our relationship with Him, rather than just making yet another resolution we fail to keep. We often try to build a new habit that will get us just a little bit closer to living the way God asks, because we know it's the best way to live, even though it's usually hard at first.So whatever you do, or don't do this Lent, we pray you will be a little bit more ready to discover just why Easter is so amazing!And whether you give up chocolate or not, we hope you enjoy your Easter eggs (when the time comes)!
Phil & Sylvie Good, who are CMS mission partners working in Lebanon, will be visiting the people of St Clare's on the evening of Wednesday 11th January. We will share a meal with them first, then spend time hearing from them about what they have been doing in Beirut, and how they are seeing God at work there. There will also be time to talk and pray together.If you would like more information about the evening, or to join us for the meal, the discussions afterwards, or both, please RSVP.You can also find out more about them and their work by following this link: https://churchmissionsociety.org/people-in-mission/phil-and-sylvie-good-lebanon/
2022… It's been an 'interesting' year, to say the least. Just as we thought things might be taking a turn for the better, and we might be able to rebuild something a bit more like we remember life used to be way back before COVID arrived, things have taken a new twist. Instead we've had to face the outbreak of war in Ukraine, political turmoil, the death of our Queen, and now the cost of living crisis stretching our resources to their limits. Life always seems to be full of challenge and change. It can be hard to find a way forward. Could 2023 really be any different? As Christians, we believe it can be, because we believe Jesus can bring change to any situation. And yes, we know that can sound like a ridiculous fairy-tale we should have given up believing long ago. So why do we keep on believing, even with all the challenges we've already mentioned (and more)? Because we have met Jesus, and he's changed us. Jesus hasn't made us perfect (yet) - we're still human, we still make our share of mistakes. What He has done is brought us His love, peace and joy into the middle of all our challenges. He's offered us a fresh start for each new day, in the middle of our mess. Whether your 2022 was amazing, or the most challenging year for you yet, may we encourage you to consider what place Jesus, and His church, might have for you in 2023? That same love, peace and joy, and that fresh start for every day (and for the new year), are gifts God would love to give you too. They're not just for Christmas, and they don't have to be packed away with the tinsel and fairy lights. They can be yours to enjoy every day of the year, if you'll open your heart to accept God's most precious gift to you. Why not join us this new year, and find out more? Details of our upcoming services can be found on our events page. If you're not quite brave enough to step through the doors just yet, keep an eye on our Facebook page for snippets of what we're discovering week by week, and a chance to investigate from a safer distance. Whatever your 2023 holds, if you live in Park Barn, we're praying for you! May God bless you in 2023.
