St Mark's Wyke

• St Mark's Church
• Guildford Road
• Normandy, Guildford
• Surrey
• GU3 2DA

01483 811777
Email Us

NEWS AND events.....

TWELFTH NIGHT TONIGHT 05/01/2022

According to @churchofengland, twelfth night is tonight, when if you haven't already done so, its time to take your decorations down. Did you know that the traditional way to celebrate twelfth night is to eat something that is spicy or hot!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM ALL AT ST. MARK'S

We would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

Our first service of 2022, takes place tomorrow at 10am. The Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey will be presiding. All are welcome to join us and please be reassured that we will be following Church of England guidelines regarding social distancing and the wearing of masks.

We are hoping that 2022 will be a very positive year for us at St. Mark's and look forward to welcoming you back to our services and events throughout the year.

ARCHDEACON OF SURREY TO TAKE OUR FIRST SERVICE OF 2022

We are looking forward to the Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey coming to St. Mark's this Sunday, to take our very first service of 2022.

We are hoping that 2022 will be a very positive year for us at St. Mark's and look forward to welcoming you back to our services and events throughout the year.

Please do come along on Sunday to join us, you can be rest assured that we will be following Church of England guidelines regarding social distancing and the wearing of masks.

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL AT ST. MARKS

We would like to thank you for your support throughout a difficult year and wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Our Christmas Day service is at 10am tomorrow, there will be no service at St. Mark's on Boxing Day but our friends at Holy Trinity and St. Mary's have invited us to join their congregation at Holy Trinity, High Street, Guildford at 10.00am.

ST. MARK'S CRIB SERVICE CANCELLED

We are very sad to announce that our annual crib service, planned for Christmas Eve at 4pm, has been cancelled. Having completed a thorough risk assessment, It will come as no surprise to learn that due to the extensive rise of the Omicron variant, we have decided that in-order to protect everyone's health, we need to cancel this event, for which we are very sorry. We do still hope to be able to continue with our Christmas morning service at 10am, where we will be more able to control social distancing and the wearing of face masks. We would like to wish everyone a happy, peaceful and safe Christmas.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ST. MARK'S CAROL SERVICE THIS SUNDAY MORNING AT 10.00AM

We are very much looking forward to enjoying our Christmas carol service this Sunday morning.  Reverend Ben Cahill-Nicholls will lead our service and this will be followed by coffee and mince pies in our church hall.  Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you.  

Other services to look forward to over the Christmas period include:

Sunday 24th December at 4pm - Reverend Tom Pote will lead the crib service in church.

Saturday 25th December at 10.00am - Reverend Tom Pote will preside over Parish Communion for Christmas morning.  

Sunday 26th December - St. Mark's will be closed, but we have been invited to join the congregation at Holy Trinity and St. Mary's, Guildford for their communion service at 10.00am.

Sunday 2nd January at 10.00am - The Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey will take our communion service.

We are advising that face coverings are worn within church, to ensure everyone's safety as much as possible.

CHRISTMAS COMES TO ST. MARK'S

You couldn't fail to get into the Christmas mood at St. Mark's Christmas Fayre this weekend.  With festive music playing and the chance to eat mince pies and enjoy mulled wine, it certainly felt like Christmas had arrived.

It was good to see a number of people visiting our Fayre where they could enjoy a variety of stalls from tombolas, to stalls selling lovely bird boxes, wooden bowls and ornaments, jewellery and light bottles, as well as Christmas crafts.  There was also an activity area for children, where they enjoyed decorating biscuit snowflakes.

The event raised an amazing £950.00 for St. Mark's, so we are extremely grateful to everyone's generosity.  We also need to thank our events team and all the volunteers who helped run our Fayre, without them, it wouldn't be possible to run events like this.

If you would like to join us over the Christmas period, we would very much like to welcome you to St. Mark's, please find to follow our forthcoming services:

Sunday 19th December - 10am - Carol service, followed by mince pies.

Friday 24th December - 4pm - Crib service (an ideal service for children)

Saturday 25th - 10am - Christmas morning communion

Saturday 26th - No service at St. Mark's but we have been invited to join the congregation at Holy Trinity and St. Mary's, Guildford for their communion service. 

SOMETHING TO GET YOU INTO THE CHRISTMAS MOOD - ST. MARK'S CHRISTMAS FAYRE THIS SATURDAY

There will be something for all ages at our Christmas Fayre this Saturday, in our Church Hall from 10am to 12 noon.

Our Hearing Aid clinic will also be taking place in the Coussmaker room.  Please feel free to pop along.

BISHOP OF GUILDFORD VISITS ST MARK'S ON ADVENT SUNDAY

It was a pleasure that Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford presided over our Advent Sunday service yesterday.  Continuing our 175th anniversary celebrations, Bishop Andrew started his sermon with some interesting history around the time that St. Mark's was consecrated:

"1846. It was the year in which Robert Peel steered the Corn Laws through the House of Commons, and the Duke of Wellington through the House of Lords. It was the year when Edinburgh Waverley Station was opened, and the planet Neptune first observed. It was the year when Robert Liston carried out the first operation under anaesthesia, and an act of Parliament allowed Jews, Roman Catholics and nonconformists to participate in public life. It was the year when Mendelssohn produced his oratorio ‘Elijah’, and Dickens his ‘Dombey and Son’, and Edward Lear his ‘Book of Nonsense’.

And in 1846 a piece of land was gifted to Eton College by local landowner with the unusual name of Mr. Lannoy Arthur Coussmaker, so that a church might be built here in Wyke for the princely sum of £1300.

Fifty years on, and Queen Victoria was still on the throne as the 19^th century slowly drew to a close. A hundred years on, and the nation was starting to rebuild following the devastation of the Second World War. And now 175 years on, how good to celebrate the life and witness of the Church of St. Mark once again, as we too emerge from a time of crisis – a global pandemic – trusting as ever in God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come."

Following the Advent service, Bishop Andrew joined us in our Church Hall for a drink and a piece of cake from the very impressive second cake made for us by Robyn.

A big thank you to all involved in our 175th anniversary celebrations.  Next on our events team agenda is our Christmas Fayre taking place this Saturday at our Church Hall from 10.00am - 12.00pm.  All are welcome to join us.

175TH ANNIVERSARY CELBRATIONS CONTINUE

A very special evening took place on Saturday, when our events team created a delightful dinner to celebrate our 175th anniversary.

The attention to detail by our team to make the evening a special occasion was very impressive from the beautifully decorated tables and hall, delicious food by local caterer Katherine and the team of servers and people washing up behind the scenes.

While all our guests were special, we were particularly grateful to be joined by some of our parishioners who have either moved away or not visited St. Mark's in a while.  It was particularly lovely that the Reverend Cannon Pauline Godfrey who was Vicar at St. Mark's from 1999 to 2011 and who now works for the Diocese of Gloucester was able to join us.

Another special guest was Jacqui Coussmaker whose family donated the land that St. Mark's is built on and also helped paid for the building of the church.  It was lovely on this special occasion that Jacqui was able to join us.

We were also pleased that the clergy from Holy Trinity and St. Mary's, Guildford,  were able to join us and we very much appreciate the support that they give to St. Mark's.

A firework finale was a fitting tribute to end of a lovely evening.  A big thank you to everyone involved who made this such a memorable occasion.

Church Warden Gill, Pauline and Church Warden Alison

Jacqui Coussmaker

ST. MARK'S IN THE SNOW (JUST ABOUT!!)

BISHOP OF GUILDFORD TO VISIT ST.MARK'S THIS SUNDAY

We are looking forward to Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, visiting us this Sunday, to start our season of Advent with a Parish Communion and Advent carols at 10.00 a.m.  - all are welcome to join us in church.

The service will be followed by refreshments in the Church Hall.  We are encouraging people to wear masks while in church.

We are also invited to Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s Candle lit Advent Carol Service at 6.00 p.m. on Sunday evening in Guildford.  Two of our St. Mark’s congregation members have been invited to read.

WISHING ST. MARK'S A VERY HAPPY 175TH ANNIVERSARY

Happy 175th Anniversary, St. Mark's Church, Wyke.

24th November 1846 - 24th November 2021.

For information on our history, please visit the Normandy Historian's website:

https://normandyhistorians.co.uk/church.htm

A VERY SPECIAL SERVICE CELEBRATING ST. MARK'S 175TH ANNIVERSARY

On Sunday we celebrated our special milestone, our 175th Anniversary.  Reverend Canon Robert Cotton presided over our service, which was followed by a blessing of a cake specially made for the anniversary, with a hand painted image of St. Mark's on, generously made for us by local resident Robyn.  We then processed out of church to stand by the Coussmaker family grave (they donated the land that our church is built on, helped pay for the building of the church and the architect was a family relative) and laid some flowers and sang a hymn.

This was followed with refreshments and drinks in our Church Hall.  Earlier in the day on the Emily Jeffery religious programme on BBC Radio Surrey, an interview took place with Reverend Canon Pauline Godfrey who was our vicar nine and a half years ago, along with with Clare Sherwood who has supported our church for over 30 years about our anniversary.

Here is the link, the interview is 1 hr and 22 minutes into the programme.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0b1snhg

COME JOIN US TO CELEBRATE ST. MARK'S 175TH ANNIVERSARY

Tomorrow will be the start of our year of celebrations from when St. Mark's was consecrated on the 24th November 1846.  Our special service will start at 10.00am and will be presided by Reverend Robert Cotton.  A very enjoyable service is planned, along with a cake which will be blessed (and eaten!), flowers placed on the grave of members of the Coussmaker family (they donated the land that our church is built on, helped pay for the building of the church and the architect was a family relative) along with some singing outside, so you might want to wrap up warmly.

Before our service tomorrow you may wish listen to BBC Radio Surrey, as Reverend Canon Pauline Godfrey who was our vicar nine and a half years ago, along with with Clare Sherwood who has supported our church for over 30 years have been interviewed by Emily Jeffery about our anniversary on her Sunday am religious programme.  They are still currently working on exact timings for the interview but it is either around 7.22am or 9.40am.

Our celebrations will continue on Sunday 28th November, when the Bishop of Guildford will be presiding, celebrating our anniversary and will also take our advent service.

We welcome you to attend our celebration services.  We are still encouraging people to wear masks inside church.

If you are interested in the history of St. Mark's, please read on:

The life of our church began on the 25^th April 1846, when a piece of land on which a church was to be built was donated by Mr Lannoy Arthur Coussmaker, who lived locally at Westwood Place.  Work started promptly on the building and the Church was consecrated on 24^th November 1846 and completed the following year. 

The cost of the building was recorded at £1,300 and this money was provided by Mr Coussmaker and his wife’s cousin Mr H A Halsey of Henley Park as well as other donations from the Incorporated Church Building Fund and the Winchester Diocesan Fund.  The Coussmaker family were further involved as the architect was Lannoy Coussmaker’s brother-in-law Mr Henry Woodyer was commissioned to design our church and it was his venture into designing and constructing a church.  He went on to design many other churches in Surrey and neighbouring counties.

More information on the history of St. Marks can be found on the Normandy Historians web page:

https://normandyhistorians.co.uk/church.html

NORMANDY REMEMBERED.....

Today Normandy remembered with thanksgiving and sorrow, all those whose lives in world wars and conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away.

Reverend Tom Pote led a Service of Remembrance for the local community in St Mark's Church, along with representatives from the 1st Normandy Scout Group, the RAF and the armed forces. Following this service there was a procession from St. Mark's to the Normandy War Memorial, where many members of the local community had gathered

Reverend Pote then led a second Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial.  Col. (Retd.) Ken Marchant read out a Roll of Honour of servicemen from World War I and II from Normandy.  This was followed by the Exhortation read by Col. (Retd.) C.J. Griggs OBE.  Lieutenant Col. (Retd) Leslie Clarke then read read the Burma Kohima prayer 'When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.'

This was followed by the Last Post and a two minute silence, followed by the Reveille.  Wreath laying was led by Councillor Bob Hutton, Vice Chairman of Normandy Parish Council, followed by wreaths laid by The Royal British Legion, Christmas Pie WI, and Normandy 1st Scout Group.

A big thank you to everyone who was involved in organising the smooth running of today's service from the Church Wardens of St. Mark's, to Pat and Clare for the lovely flowers in church and to Normandy Parish Council for organising the sound for the service.

Finally, a big thank you to Peter Lane, who with his son Jonathan has been playing the trumpet for the Last Post at the Normandy Remembrance Services for the last twenty five years.  Sadly, his family are moving from Normandy, so today was the last time Peter will play for us.  A huge thank you for his dedication for all those years and we wish Peter and his family very best wishes for the future.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY TOMORROW

Reverend Tom Pote will take the St. Mark's service in church and afterwards around the War Memorial.  The church service will start at 10.00 a.m. and the service at the War Memorial at around 10.50 a.m. in time for the two minutes silence at 11.00 a.m. 

We are still encouraging masks to be worn in church.  We hope you can join us.

JUST A REMINDER THAT....

St Mark’s Mini-Market and “Hear Hear”, our Hearing Aid Clinic, are now up and running again!  The first Saturday of the month, at 10 am.  

St. Mark’s Church Hall, is the welcoming place to meet friends, relax with home made cake and coffee, leisurely browse the bric a brac, books, home produce, jewellery and crafts,  and Fair Trade stalls.  Thank you, everyone, for supporting us: a generous £310 was raised for St. Mark's at the October and November Mini-Markets!

A PLEASURE TO WELCOME THE VENERABLE PAUL DAVIES, ARCHDEACON OF SURREY TO CHURCH TODAY

It was a pleasure to have The Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey presiding over our service today at St. Mark's.  It was a lovely service with an interesting sermon which focused on a wide range of topics, including the three Greek words Metanoia, Pisteuo, Akoloutheō: Repent, believe and follow.  Paul also focused on the recent Cop26 climate change conference and talked about CreationCare which aims to encourage households to make changes to care for God's earth.  Paul also spoke with the congregation about working together with him regarding the future of St. Mark's.  

We are very grateful for Paul's visit today.

REVEREND ALISON CRAVEN SADLY TAKING EARLY RETIREMENT FROM St. MARK'S CHURCH

It was with great sadness that last Sunday we said goodbye to our vicar Reverend Alison Craven who is sadly leaving St. Mark’s to take early retirement.  At her leaving party she remembered the day of her Installation service here, when her London parish came to support her and were astonished by the beauty and rural nature of Normandy, so close to London.  Alison commented: 

“Firstly thank you to the congregation of St Mark's for your gifts which are so generous and for your kind messages and cards. I will not forget St Mark's and the parish of Wyke. It is with mixed emotions that I find myself getting ready to leave what has been my home as well as my workplace for over nine years. 

I have many memories to take with me through this next phase of my life, from our regular Sunday services which are the bedrock of our life as a church community, to special occasions marked as a village, to Wyke School assemblies, and then the baptisms, weddings and funerals which have taken place here. All this happens with a great deal of work behind the scenes undertaken by so many people, all to keep our church, churchyard and church hall running. 

Normandy has been a special place to minister in and I will take with me the kindness and thoughtfulness of many in the church and village, thank you all. God be with St Mark's and the village of Normandy as a new chapter in ministry begins.”

Church Warden Alison Davies commented: “We have been blessed to have Alison as our Vicar for the last nine and a half years. Alison has achieved so much for our church and the local community during her time at St. Mark’s, which we are very thankful for. While Alison will be very much missed, we wish her all the very best and happiness for her future.”

Lots Happening at St. Mark’s Church This Weekend

We have a busy weekend coming up at St. Mark’s!  This Saturday morning sees the return of our Hearing Aid Clinic inside the Coussmaker room in the church hall, alongside our monthly Mini-Market from 10am to 12 noon.  At St. Mark's we offer a free service to all local residents with Royal Surrey and Frimley Park NHS Hearing aids to supply replacement batteries and replace hearing air tubing and service them.  Full Covid precautions will be in place and you can just turn up.

In our main hall our Mini Market will be taking place. Why not meet up with friends and come along and enjoy tea, freshly brewed coffee, and delicious homemade cakes?  Come browse around our home-made produce and you never know what you might find in our fascinating bric-a-brac stall!  

‘Sunset Kisses’ a bead jewellery business is back, they make bracelets, earrings and necklaces along with a small range of necklaces and bracelets for younger people.  They also have bottles with coloured lights inside, which would make an ideal gift, particularly with Christmas getting closer!

On Sunday we have the pleasure that The Venerable Paul Davies, Archdeacon of Surrey will be presiding over our 10am Communion Service.  

This will be followed at 3pm by our 'All Souls Service' taking place in church, remembering loved ones who have sadly passed away. This will be followed by tea and cake in our church hall.

We do hope you can come along and join us at St. Mark’s this weekend.

dates for your diary:

There is lots happening at St. Mark's over the next few months that we wanted to share with you, so that you can hopefully come along and join us.

Saturday 6th November - 10am to midday - Mini Market and Hearing Aid Clinic in our church hall.

Sunday 7th November - 10am Parish Communion, the Archdeacon of Surrey, Paul Davies will preside.

Sunday 7th November - 3pm All Souls Service in church, followed by tea and cake in the church hall.

Sunday 14th November - 10am Remembrance Day Service in the church followed by a service at the Normandy War Memorial at 11am.

Sunday 21st November - 10am Parish Communion and celebration of the 175th Anniversary of our beautiful church, followed by refreshments in the church hall.

Sunday 28th November - 10am Advent Sunday.  Parish communion presided by the Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson.

Saturday 4th December - 10am to midday St. Mark's Christmas Fayre in the church hall and the Hearing Aid Clinic.

Sunday 19th December - 10am St. Mark's Carol Service followed by mince pies in the church hall.

Friday 24th December - 4pm Crib Service in church.

Saturday 25th December - 10am Parish communion for Christmas morning.

Sunday 26th December - No services at St. Mark's but we have been kindly invited to join the congregation at Holy Trinity in Guildford.

calling all artists/photographers

As a way of celebrating St. Mark's 175th anniversary, we are hoping that we can brighten up our village with some posters of our church.  You really don't need to be an artist to do this, all we are asking for is an A4 size painting, drawing or photograph of our beautiful church.  The only other requirement is that it needs to say on it 'St.Mark's Church Wyke - 175th Anniversary'.

If you are able to post your artwork through the St. Mark's letterbox on the front of the church hall or pop it into church on a Wednesday from 10am - 12 noon or into church on a Sunday am, before October 31st, we would be very grateful.

Whatever your age, please feel free to join in.  You can then look forward to seeing your poster somewhere around our village.  Thank you. 

A Lovely way to spend a weekend

Last weekend was super busy at St. Mark's but after various lockdowns, we much prefer it this way!  Saturday saw the return of our monthly Mini-Market, which takes place on the first Saturday of every month.  A popular opportunity for the whole community to come to St. Mark's Church Hall and enjoy some delicious homemade cake alongside freshly brewed coffee and tea.  There are also some stalls and last week saw 'Sunset Kisses' join us with some lovely beaded jewellery for adults and children alongside, some gorgeous lights in a bottle, which would make a fabulous gift.  'Sunset Kisses' are hoping to join us on our next Mini-Market  on 6th November.  We made just under £200 for St. Mark's last Saturday, so thank you to everyone who came along and supported us.

Sunday was our annual family Harvest Festival Service and we were very grateful to Reverend Robert Cotton from Holy Trinity and St. Mary's Guildford and his curate Ben Cahill-Nicholls who officiated the service with great spirit and friendly fun! 

All ages attended the service and the children joined in enthusiastically as volunteers, enacting a delightful scene of religious inclusivity from the beautiful book "Good night Mr Tom" and co-reading with one of our congregation passages from St. Matthew's Sermon on the Mount.  

We were grateful for the generous food donations that everyone bought, which we donated to a local food bank.  It was also a lovely surprise to see Revd. Monica Taylor who returned to St. Mark's for a visit.

A big thank you to all our volunteers who made these events possible and to everyone who came along and supported them.  We are currently in the process of organising our 175th anniversary celebrations and our Christmas plans, so please look out for these details and we hope you can join us. 

A busy weekend ahead:

We have a busy weekend coming up at St. Mark’s!  This Saturday sees the return of our monthly Mini-Market from 10am to 12 noon at our Church Hall.  Why not meet up with friends and come along and enjoy tea, freshly brewed coffee and delicious homemade cakes.  Come browse around our home-made produce and you never know what you might find in our fascinating bric-a-brac stall!  Something new this month is ‘Sunset Kisses’ a bead jewellery business that makes bracelets, earrings and necklaces along with a small range of necklaces and bracelets for younger people.  They look very pretty and would make an ideal gift.

This Sunday sees the welcome return of our annual family Harvest Festival at 10am.  We are pleased to welcome Reverend Robert Cotton from Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s Guildford and his curate Ben Cahill-Nicholls, who will both preside over the service.

Harvest is a lovely time of the year, and we plan to fill our beautiful church with colour, with fruit, flowers, vegetables and non-perishable food, that we will offer to those in need. 

It would be lovely if you could join us this weekend to either or both events and if you are able to bring a contribution to our Harvest Festival, we would be very grateful.  All ages are very welcome to both events.       

A WELCOME RETURN TO OUR HARVEST SUPPER

It was lovely to be able to hold our annual Harvest Supper this Saturday, having not been able to hold one last year due to Covid.  A huge thank you must go to the organisers Judy, Sherry and Clare who transformed our church hall with a lovely harvest theme and also to everyone who came along and brought a food contribution for our meal.

Another big thank you must go to Tony and John who worked very hard, preparing beautiful home made apple juice for the evening.

All ages enjoyed the supper and Sophie said a harvest prayer which was followed by the wonderful meal.  Throughout the evening we enjoyed a harvest quiz and the opportunity to socialise together once again.

Our Harvest Festival Service will be taking place on Sunday October 3rd at 10am.  We hope you can join us for this annual celebration. 

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED THE RETURN OF OUR FIRST MONTHLY MINI MARKET AND CAFE TAKE PLACE

The return of our popular monthly mini-market and cafe took place last Saturday and was a great success.  A big thank you to everyone who made this possible. We had a lovely selection of home-grown garden produce, delicious home-made cakes and plenty of bric-a-brac, so thank you to everyone who donated these to us.

Also a thank you must go to everyone who helped run the event and to all who came along, it was lovely to have you back in our Church Hall.  The event raised £220.00 for St. Mark's, which we are very grateful for.

The mini-market and cafe will now take place on the first Saturday of the month from 10am - 12 noon, so our next event will be on Saturday October 2nd.  We hope to see you there!

Back by popular demand - our saturday am mini-market and cafe

Last month we ran a Saturday am Mini-Market and Cafe to see how it would work following lockdown and we were thrilled that it was a big success.  So we are pleased to announce that we are now hoping to hold this event every first Saturday of the month from 10am to 12 noon at our Church Hall, with our first one taking place on the 4th September.

Everyone is welcome to attend, it is open to our whole community. There will be something for everyone, you could pop in and sit and relax over a cup of tea and a slice of delicious homemade cake or you might like to browse our extensive book and bric-a-brac stalls where you can find anything from a tea cup to tea trolley. Or perhaps some homemade cakes or garden produce is more your thing!

We look forward to welcoming you to this event and all money raised will go to St. Mark's.  Just to reassure you, we will be following the appropriate Covid-19 guidelines 

taking part in the community's 'PICNIC ON THE GREEN'

It was a real pleasure to take part in the Normandy Parish Council and Normandy Community Shop and Cafe 'Picnic on the Green' this weekend.  In the end, the sun shone brightly on this lovely community event.

There was a great atmosphere with music, a Pimms tent, tombola, traditional ice cream and some delicious cakes, along with a number of stalls from organisations in the village.  As well of course, the chance to enjoy a picnic with family and friends.

A very big thank you to everyone who helped out on the particularly eye-catching stall from St. Mark's.  Clare, John, Pat and other volunteers created an amazing display, which included a stunning Jesus Peiro wedding dress, very kindly loaned to us from Miss Bush Bridal Boutique in Ripley, to highlight just one of the life events that St. Mark's offers.  The dress was presented underneath an archway of fresh ivy and white roses.

A colouring area was enjoyed by the children, which was not only something nice for the children to take part in, but also represents that St. Mark's is here for everyone, whatever your age.

A new banner was created to celebrate our 175th anniversary this year and we had leaflets on our stall which gave more information about our history and also had St. Mark's picture cards with details of our services on.  

It was a lovely afternoon and a real pleasure to take part in this event.

joyously bringing the community together

It has been a real pleasure that over the last two weekends we have held two events where we have brought people together, which has been so lovely after our numerous lockdowns.

On Saturday 7th August we held a trial Mini Market, where we invited the community to our church hall for some lovely homemade refreshments and various stalls.  The main aim was to give people the chance to meet up and talk for possibly the first time in a Covid safe and friendly environment.  It was a very popular event and we are hoping to do something similar in a few months time.

Yesterday (15th August) parishioners Clare and John opened up their beautiful garden to the church family for a very pleasant afternoon tea.  It was a great chance for people to catch up and enjoy some delicious food in a lovely setting.

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who was able to come along to ether event and to all the people who worked so hard to organise both events particularly Clare and John for their kindness in opening up their garden.  

While raising money for St. Mark's wasn't the main reason for either event we are extremely grateful for raising a generous £295 for our church from both events.

reverend tom pote blesses a very special kneeler

Last Sunday was Lammas Day which translates as loaf mass, a feast of the first fruits and traditionally marks the beginning of harvest.  In rural parishes loaves of bread made from the first ripened corn are taken to church to be blessed.  However, the day also celebrates all those that produce goods, weavers, potters etc, which is why a member of our congregation decided that it was the day to get a very special kneeler blessed.

The kneeler was created out of love, it started life by one of our congregation who has now sadly passed away.  Ted started to make the kneeler as a dedication to his beloved wife, Rose.  However, when he was too poorly to finish it, another member of our congregation, June, completed it for him.

Reverend Tom Pote who took our service on Sunday was only too happy to bless this beautiful and poignant kneeler dedicated to Rose and Ted.

YOUR WELCOME TO JOIN US AT OUR MINI MARKET THIS SATURDAY

We are so pleased to say that we are holding a “one off” Mini Market this Saturday in our Church Hall from 10am to 12 noon.

After all the lockdowns we have experienced, we are planning this as an opportunity for the community to come together for possibly the first time in a long time.  This event is open to everyone, you don’t need to be part of our congregation to join us.  There will be teas, coffees and homemade cakes and some stalls to enjoy.

We are keen to see what the community would like us to do in the future, would a regularly Saturday coffee am be favourable, would people enjoy playing a game of cards or having access to read the Saturday papers, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

We will be working hard to keep our visitors safe, so we will encourage social distancing, the wearing of masks and will ensure there is plenty of fresh air flowing in our hall.

We look forward to seeing you this Saturday.

covid-19 update from st. mark's 

Further to the Government's relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions from the 19th July, St. Mark's PCC made the decision to maintain the status quo. People coming to church for a Sunday morning service will be encouraged to keep socially distanced, alternate pews will be kept free and the wearing of masks is preferred.

St. Mark's this week has had a deep-clean. We have unearthed the hymn books and the kneelers. Members of the congregation can sing the first and last hymn. We know how liberating it will feel being able to sing once again. It is important to ensure that our congregation feel comfortable and safe, although it is wonderful to be slowly bringing our beautiful church back to normal.

As a way of trying to beat the virus St. Mark's will be open for Communion on Sunday morning at 10.00 a.m. and then locked until Wednesday when it will be open for private prayer from 10.00 a.m. until 4pm, it will then be locked again until Sunday morning.

These measures will be reviewed at our next PCC meeting on the 15th September and any changes made will be dependent upon the rate of infection at that time.

our new online magazine launches this week

Look out on the 1st July, when we launch our new online magazine. Packed full with something for all the family, including church related articles and general information from around our village.

We plan to email the magazine out and of course have it on our website and social media. If you would like to be added to our email list or would like to contribute with an article, then please do not hesitate to contact us. As this is our first issue, we would also love to hear any comments you might have regarding it. Please email us at edmag@stmarkswyke.org.uk

celebrating volunteers' week 1st - 7th June

1st - 7th June is Volunteers’ Week! It's an annual celebration of the contribution millions of people make across the UK through volunteering. While we like to thank everyone during the year, this week, we would very much like to show our appreciation to our church community and beyond who help to keep St. Mark's Church running in so many ways. For all the work that goes on behind the scenes from brass cleaning, keeping our church clock running, keeping our church and hall clean and safe, to keeping the churchyard maintained. Also for the hard work of our churchwardens, the members of the PCC teams and all who contribute to the running of our church services, fund-raising and communications. In particular during the last year we would very much like to thank our very small health and safety team, who have carried out a number of risk assessments and advised us how to keep our Parishioners safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. In pervious years we also needed to thank all who contribute to the monthly and annual fundraising activities in so many ways and those who help with community outreach at the school, tea and a talk and the hearing aid team, unfortunately these have not been able to take place this year. St. Mark's wouldn't be the Church it is without all your help and we would like to say a heartfelt thank to each and everyone of you. Did you know that 'wanting to do something good' has been found to benefit the main motivations for people volunteering and volunteering also benefits the people who volunteer? For us within a faith community, it is about us using our God given gifts to serve God and our community as part of our pattern of life. Helping others in a voluntary way can boost confidence, allows people to socialise and enables volunteers to use their talents whatever they may be, when otherwise it might not be possible. If you would like to volunteer for St. Mark's, please do not hesitate to contact us, we would love to hear from you.

plant sale continues at our church hall this saturday between 10am - 12 noon

If you haven't been able to browse our 'click and collect' style plant sale this year, then good news, the plant sale is coming to our Church Hall this Saturday (29th May) from 10am to 12 noon.

With a wide range of flowers and vegetables to choose from, there is something for everyone.  So with a predicted 'sizzling June' nearly upon us, its time to get planting!  All proceeds go to our Church, thank you for your continued support.

st. mark's plant sale 2021

(These images are for decoration purposes only and these plants are not for sale)

With all the wet and gloomy weather at the moment, we could all do with some cheering up with some colourful plants!  Which is good news as our annual St. Mark's Plant Sale 2021 is now live!

To follow are a list of plants and vegetables on sale.  All you need to do is choose what you would like to purchase, contact either Liz or John who have done a wonderful job cultivating the plants, place an order, and arrange a collection time.  Payment will be taken when you collect your plants.  All proceeds will go to St. Mark's Church and as a charity we are very grateful for every purchase. 

Due to the weather, the majority of the plants are currently not in flower, so call today, to give yourself something to look forward to.

St Marks Plant Sale 2021

Please ring to check stock and to make sure someone is about.

These plants are available from John - 01252 315793 or 07790 116337

Tray bedding

Cosmos purity white

Cosmos mixed

Ammi snowflake (very similar to A. majus)

Coreopsis

French marigold ---red cherry

Amaranthus (love-lies-bleeding)

Eschscholzia----orange king

Nicotiana------lime green

Chrysanthemum "eastern star"

In single pots

Morning glory

Tithonia

Echium

Perennials

Delphinium

Verbena bonariensis

Alchemilla mollis

Hebe mount orme

Blue cloud

Caryopteris 

Other

Pelargonium floral cascade---upright--  not as many as last year, did not keep well over winter.  sorry no trailing plants.

Chrysanths 

Dahlia ---- diamond jubilee and knockout so far

Iris bearded (to plant for next year)

Iris unguicularis

Fig brown turkey 2 only

These plants are available from Liz – 01483 811836

Herbaceous  - Plant Sale 

Cosmos - pink mixed 

Campanula (pink) (per plant) 

Larkspur - mixed 

Sweet Williams 

Clarkia 

Rudbeckia - Sahara and Cherry Brandy 

Dahlias - small  

Cineraria 

Ageratum 

Black-eyed Susan  (per plant) 

White Phlox (per plant) 

Alchemilla  mollis (per plant) 

Foxtail Lily (per plant) 

Geranium - blue  (per plant) 

Verbena bonariensis  (per plant) 

Salvia - pink  (per plant) 

Sweet Peas - white 

Pinks - Mrs Simkinis 

Shasta Daisy 

Aster - Milady - short 

Angel Wings 

Cleome 

Bushes/Shrubs 

Flowering Currant 

Fly Honeysuckle 

Hebe 

Rosemary - upright and prostrate 

Pittosporum 

Artemisia 

Summer Jasmine 

Japonica - salmon and pink 

Vegetables/fruit 

Courgettes - yellow/green 

Cucumber - burpless tasty gr 

Tomatoes - Red Cherry - G's Delight - Alsa Craig - Alicante - Outdoor Girl - St. Pierre - big 

Marjoram 

Lovage 

Gooseberry - Xenia 

Lettuce - cobleaf - mixed 

Brassica  - Cab Nero, Purple Sprouting broccoli - sprouts Windsor 

Mint - 3 varieties 

Welsh Onions 

Blackcurrant - Ben Common 

Cardoons 

Climbing Beans - 5 varieties if they come up. St Marks Plant Sale 2021

christian aid week 10th - 16th may 2021

A big thank you to Canon Robert Cotton from Holy Trinity and St. Mary's Church in Guildford for taking our service this week on Rogation Sunday.  The day was originally about asking God (Rogare come from the latin word to ask) to bless crops.  Taking place three week days before Ascension Day, the church established these days for prayer, fasting and processions as a formal way of asking God for a good harvest, protection against natural disasters and forgiveness of sins.

This ties in well with Christian Aid Week taking place this week from 10th to the 16th May.  The focus this year is on climate crisis.  It affects us all, but people living in poverty fight the worst of it every day, from drought to flooding, climate change robs people of control over their lives.  For further information, please click on the link below.  Unfortunately due to Covid door collections are unable to take place this year, so you can also donate on this link.

https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/key-appeals/christian-aid-week

RENEWING YOUR HOME INSURANCE?  COULD YOU HELP ST. MARK'S? 

Like many charities at the moment St. Mark’s Church, Wyke is struggling financially due to the effects of Covid 19.  However, we have come across one simple way that can help improve our current situation.

Ecclesiastical, an insurance company set up Trust130 to celebrate their 130^th anniversary and they are continuing this promotion until 31st December 2021.  For every new home insurance policy taken out with them, they will give a Church of your choice £130.00.

The company was set up in 1887, known then as the Ecclesiastical Buildings Fire Office and was founded to protect Anglican churches and church buildings against the risk of fire.  Since then, the name Ecclesiastical has stayed with the company and they have grown to become the largest independent British owned insurers.

So, if your home insurance is currently up for renewal, why not give Ecclesiastical a call on 0800 783 0130 and quote Trust130 and see if they can help you and in turn, help us with a donation.  We would be extremely grateful for your support.  The offer ends December 2021.  Terms and Conditions apply and can be viewed here: www.ecclesiastical.com/trust130

st. mark's patronal day 2021

A big thank you to all who helped make this year's St. Mark's patronal day a success. To everyone who made the church look wonderful, to Reverend Tom Pote from Holy Trinity and St. Mary's Church, Guildford who took the service and to the two Sheila's who made some delicious cakes to celebrate our festival day.

DID YOU KNOW?

The life of St. Mark’s began on the 25^th April 1846, when a piece of land on which a church was to be built was donated by Mr Lannoy Arthur Coussmaker, who lived locally at Westwood Place.  Work started promptly on the building and the Church was consecrated on 24^th November 1846 and completed the following year.

Interestingly our Patronal Day shares the same date and is this Sunday, April 25^th where we celebrate the feast of St. Mark, the evangelist, and our patronal festival weekend.  We will be praying for all the church communities and institutions dedicated to St. Mark.  St. Mark is our Patron Saint and his symbol is The Winged Lion.  As you can see by the date of when the Church was consecrated, we are happy to be celebrating our 175^th anniversary this year and we are hopeful we will be able to commemorate this special anniversary then. 

All are welcome to come and join in our celebrations this Sunday at our 10am communion service kindly taken by the Reverend Tom Pote from Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s Church in Guildford.

remembering h.r.h. the prince philip

We were saddened to learn about the death of H.R.H. The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and we offer our deepest condolences to her Majesty the Queen and all the Royal Family. Special prayers will be said in our communion service at 10am tomorrow taken by the Reverend Jonathan Hedgecock from Holy Trinity and St. Mary’s Church in Guildford.

happy easter from all at st. mark's

'Christ is Risen'.  From all at St. Mark's Church, Wyke we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.  A big thank you to the Reverend Rod Pierce for a lovely service today and Gill and her team for the bunting and to everyone who made the church look so beautiful today.  We hope you can enjoy the Easter sunshine today.

our good friday easter garden

If you are walking past St. Mark's this weekend, you might like to take a look at our Easter Garden depicting how the story evolves from Good Friday through to the resurrection on Easter Sunday.   Have a lovely weekend.

maundy thursday - it's meaning and easter activities at st. mark's

Today is Maundy Thursday, but what does that actually mean?  Maundy Thursday marks the last supper that Jesus had with his 12 disciples before he was crucified on Good Friday.  

The word 'Maundy' in Latin means command, which links to the instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples on that evening.  Which was to love one another and then he washed their feet as an act of support to his followers.  The tradition of washing feet in a Maundy Thursday church service still happens today.

The Last Supper was also the first time a communion or eucharist was performed, when Jesus broke the bread and said 'This is my body', which was followed by wine and Jesus said 'This is my blood' .  This is now an integral part of many christian church services today.

Unfortunately St. Mark's are not holding a Maundy Thursday service this year, however we are holding a Devotion event on Good Friday from 11am in the Church Hall and a Communion Service on Easter Sunday at 10am in our Church.  

If you happen to be walking through St. Mark's church yard please have a go at our Easter Trail and have a look at the Easter Gardens that some of our Teatime Service children have created in our Church Hall window, they are really very pretty to look at.

palm sunday - the beginning of holy week

Our Eucharist on Sunday at 10.00 a.m. will be led by Canon Robert Cotton from Holy Trinity and St. Mary's in Guildford.  This Sunday is Palm Sunday and disappointingly during COVID we are not permitted to process, so we will be unable to carry branches of greenery, to emulate the palms which were spread before Jesus on his journey into Jerusalem, but we will have palm crosses in church and these will be blessed by Canon Cotton at the start of the service.

The background to Palm Sunday is as the Messiah, Jesus enters Jerusalem knowing that he rides towards rejection and death in order to save his people.  To honour his coming people spread palms on the ground in front of him.  This was a week before he was tried, found guilty and met his death upon the cross.  

This is the start of Holy Week which includes three important dates in the church year - Maundy Thursday, when Jesus and the disciples met for the last supper, Good Friday when he died on the cross and Easter Sunday when he rose again.  

Unfortunately once again the virus will prevent us having a Maundy Thursday service as we do need to keep the church COVID free for Easter Sunday.  However, once again St. Michael and All Angels in Pirbright will be having a service in Church and will also offer a zoomed service on Maundy Thursday, as well as a service on Easter Sunday.  If you are interested in taking part in this, please do let us know.

On Friday the 2nd of April in St. Mark's Church Hall at 11.00 a.m. there will be a Good Friday Devotion, an opportunity to sit quietly and listen to prayers, readings and music.  All are welcome and we hope many of you will come.  Social distancing will be strictly adhered to and masks will be worn.

Just a reminder that the clocks "spring forward" on Saturday night and we will lose an hour.  We look forward to welcoming you to our Easter services.

a lovely mothering sunday service

After last year's cancelled Mothering Sunday service due to Covid 19, it was good that we were able to go ahead this year and we were pleased that a number of our congregation were able to attend.  

The service was conducted by Reverend Rod Pierce of Holy Trinity and St. Mary's Church and he delivered a fascinating sermon which talked about a mothers love and the need to protect her children both through biblical times and now.  It is good to see those powerful emotions are still very evident today.

After the communion service, Reverend Pierce blessed the Mothering Sunday gifts of pansies and primroses, which were given out at the end of the service.  A big thank you to both Sheila's in our congregation for organising such a lovely gift.

emmanuel (URC) Normandy brings a vision of spring to the community

During your daily walks around the village, you may have noticed how our friends at Emmanuel URC Church have transformed their prayer tree once more into an eye-catching vision of springtime.  Creatively they have cut and painted plastic bottles to make daffodils and crocuses to adorn the tree.  Around the base, they have used passages from the bible that focus on the new beginnings of spring.

Sue Nicholls, a member of the team that decorated the tree commented: “The local community really appreciated our tree when we decorated it with poppies for Remembrance Sunday and so this time, we wanted to bring joy and a smile to everyone who walks past our church by seeing a vision of spring, which we believe is a sign of hope and new beginnings.

Our prayer tree was created for anyone to write a prayer and leave it in the tree. As a congregation we commit to praying for each prayer for 4 consecutive weeks in our services.  The prayer cards are in the little wooden house next to the tree. We have also put free leaflets in there called ‘Someone Cares’ so people can take a copy if they would like one. “

So next time you are walking past Emmanuel Church in Glaziers Lane, look out for their Prayer Tree and either leave a prayer or just enjoy the view of springtime.

raising money for st. mark's during lockdown 

During these current times we are all having to do things differently and one of our married couples recently came up with a great fund-raising idea that helped raise over £250.00 for St. Mark’s.

Richard and Sheila decided to hold a virtual zoom coffee am.  They invited our congregation to sign up for the zoom service and for the arrangement of a delivery of a slice of homemade cake for the event.  Our bakers within our congregation are well known throughout the village for their tasty cake creations.   

Delivery of the cakes and collection of the donations were all in accordance with safety guidelines and all necessary precautions were taken.   Trevor kindly set up the zoom links and there were over 20 links with 30 attendees in total and everyone had a lovely time enjoying the refreshments and the company of others.

Church Warden Alison Davies commented: “This was a fabulous idea by Sheila and Richard and they worked very hard to get this organised.  So, a big thank you to them and their team of bakers.  We have all missed social interaction during the last year, so this was a lovely way to come together safely and we hope to do it again in the future.

It also raised vital funds for St. Mark’s during a very difficult year, when our finances have dropped considerably.  Many people are not aware that the Church is a charity, so any donations are gratefully received.  Raising over £250 for our funds was amazing, although there is still a long way to go.  If you would like to donate to St. Mark’s, please use our donate button on Facebook or on our website www.stmarkswyke.org.uk or email churchwarden2@stmarkswyke.org.uk we are very grateful for all donations received.  Many thanks.  

mothering sunday service

spring arrives at st mark's

ash wednesday service

We are very grateful that the Reverend Robert Cotton of Holy Trinity and St Mary's in Guildford will be taking our Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday 17th February at 11am. As always St. Mark's will be open for private prayer between 10am and 11am on a Wednesday, this will be followed by the Ash Wednesday service.

Ash will be used, but faces will not be touched by the clergy. It will be up to the individual to use the ash which will be sprinkled into the hands for the person to use as they wish.

Please be reassured we are following all of the Government's and Church of England's Covid-19 guidelines. However, if you would rather not come to Church then Holy Trinity will be streaming their 7.30pm service on their YouTube channel, you can find the link here: https://www.htsmguildford.org/

don't suffer in silence...

While lockdown three is challenging for us all, for some, it is making life particularly difficult.  If you or someone you know is isolating, shielding or has been affected financially and needs help with food, prescription collections or would like someone to talk to, then Guildford Community Well Being Team would like to hear from you.  You can contact them on 01483 444400 or please take a look at this page on the Guildford Borough Council website: https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/23881/Can-we-help-duringselfisolation?fbclid=IwAR03L2BOqTK84QZEa6ruEAE_FF4pzCokTfsFgAERqfplunKkwlW0XWACBv4

Our very own Lorna (age 95 years) has received food parcels on offer from the Community Well Being Team’s amazing Food Hub, which was set up in response to the current pandemic.  Lorna is currently isolating but is always so pleased and grateful to receive the food parcels and loves discussing the goodies she received with her daughter who lives in Derby.

Normandy Volunteer Network also offers a similar service that can help you if you need support in getting prescriptions collected from the Doctors, shopping, or just finding a local neighbour to look out for you every now and then.  Please email Normandyvolunteers@gmail.com for further information.  

Please don’t suffer in silence there is lots of help out there.  Of course, our Church Wardens are also happy to hear from you if you are struggling or just need to speak to a friendly person.  Please email them on  Churchwarden2@stmarkswyke.org.uk 

candlemas this sunday...

The 2nd February is the day when Christians celebrate Candlemas. It commemorates the ritual purification of Mary in the Temple in Jerusalem, forty days after the birth of Jesus.

st. mark's in the snow...

st. mark's to remain open......

Despite the National Lockdown, it has been decided that churches will remain open for services and for private prayer. We hope St. Mark's will remain open for a 10.00 a.m. Parish Communion on a Sunday morning and for private prayer on Wednesday morning 10.00 a.m. to 12 midday.

All are welcome to attend, but please if you feel at all unwell then we would ask you to stay at home. You will be missed and if you need anything, we are here to help.

This Sunday morning we will welcome Reverend Tom Pote and his wife to our Communion Service. Tom is Curate at Holy Trinity St. Mary's Guildford and we look forward to meeting them both.

Of course this could all change if new Government Guidelines are implemented before Sunday, but we hope to be able to keep St. Mark's open for the foreseeable future

TWELFTH NIGHT TONIGHT 05/01/2021

In case yesterday's lockdown news has thrown you somewhat, we thought we would send you a little reminder!!

happy new year

From all at St. Mark's we would like to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2021. We hope to welcome you to our beautiful church this year.