St Mark's Wyke

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

01483 811777
Email Us

NEWS AND events

advent begins this sunday

Advent begins this Sunday and if we were in Church, we would be lighting the first candle of our Advent wreath. Advent is all about preparing for Christmas Day and the celebration of the birth of Jesus.

However, as of the 2nd December we will be allowed to open up our beautiful church once more and as throughout lockdown St Marks will be open for private prayer on Wednesday 3rd from 10am to 12 noon. We are also hoping to open up our church for a service on Sunday 6th December. We will be in touch more soon once we have put our Christmas service plans together.

in the news.......

It is good to see our Remembrance Service news story appear in the Surrey Advertiser's 'In Your Area' news feed today.

https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/archdeacon-leads-remembrance-service/

normandy remembered....

The Venerable Paul Davies - Archdeacon of Surrey led Normandy's Remembrance Service today at the War Memorial. The Archdeacon led the worship, with representatives of the community taking part.

Colonel Ken Marchant read the Roll of Honour. With Lieutenant Colonel (Retd.) Leslie Clarke reading the Exhortation and the Burma Kohima Prayer. Wreaths were laid by Alan Cheesman, Chairman of Normandy Parish Council and Jonathan Gasson for 1st Normandy Scout Group.

A few members of the local community of all ages came to watch at a distance and everyone observed the social distancing rules.

ARCHDEACON OF SURREY PAUL DAVIES TO LEAD THIS YEAR'S REMEMBRANCE SERVICE AT THE WAR MEMORIAL

We are blessed that the Archdeacon of Surrey Paul Davies will be leading the worship this year at our Normandy Remembrance Service, which is being organised by Normandy Parish Council.

While this is a very special service and we are certainly not going to forget those who gave their lives for us during the two World Wars and additional wars and conflicts since then. This will be just a short service, with members of the Parish Council laying wreaths and then the Act of Remembrance will be lead by the Archdeacon.

We need to remember though that we are in lockdown and the Parish Council are specifically advising people not to attend., particularly if people are in the vulnerable category.

It will be conducted under strict government guidance, therefore if you do wish to come then social distancing and a mask is mandatory. Additionally we ask everyone to supply their name and contact details for tracing. There will be a number of councillors in high-viz who will request this from you.

Perhaps during this year of almost everything being done differently from the normal, you may like to have your own period of two minute silence and reflection in your home or garden

Thank you for your understanding at this sensitive time.

emmanuel urc church prayer tree looking stunning for remembrance sunday

the wait is over....our 2021 calendars have arrived

The deadline was shorter this year to submit photographs for our 'Lovely Local Lockdown Locations Around Normandy Calendar for 2021' but that didn't stop the entries from flooding in. Chris Phillips our Parish Administrator who organises this competition annually commented that the standard of photographs gets better every year and this year was particularly difficult to judge with over 70 entries submitted by our congregation and a large number from our local community.

In the end, only 12 could be selected. Our winning entry which is on the front cover was taken by Normandy resident Jane Upton, pictured above.

Due to Covid 19 restrictions we are looking at the best ways to sell our calendars, but if you would like to purchase the A4 wall hanging calendar for £7.00, then please contact Chris on 01483 811777 or email office@stmarkswyke.org.uk in the first instance. The office is staffed on Monday and Thursday mornings.

Due to the pandemic, donations for our Church have been greatly reduced and our funds are running low. We are hoping that sales from the calendars will help us out a little, so please buy as many as you like. We are sure friends and relatives would love to receive a calendar full of images from our lovely village as a Christmas gift.

sadly no saints and sausages or all souls service this year

Sadly due to Covid 19 we won't be running our annual celebration this year of the saints at our Saints and Sausages event. However, our friends at St. Michaels and All Angels Church in Pirbright are running a 'Light Party' via zoom with lots of fun activities for children to enjoy. If you are interested in taking part then please visit their website https://www.pirbrightchurch.org.uk/events.htm for more information.

Unfortunately our 'All Souls' service is also unable to go ahead this year, the service is a time to reflect and remember love ones. We are hopefully that both services will resume next year.

We will be holding a Remembrance Service and are currently in the process of planning this and also our Christmas Services. More information regarding these services will be coming soon.

CELEBRATING THE FEAST OF ST. LUKES

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 has set up Trust130 to celebrate their 130^th anniversary.  For every new home insurance policy taken out with them, they will give a Church of your choice £130.00.

 https://www.ecclesiastical.com/documents/trust130-poster.pdf 

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 2020.  Terms and Conditions apply and can be viewed here: www.ecclesiastical.com/trust130

LOTS OF REASONS TO BE THANKFUL AT OUR ANNUAL HARVEST THANKSGIVING SERVICE

The theme for our annual Harvest Thanksgiving Service yesterday was all about being thankful for all the people in our lives and for all the good things they do for us.  

We at St. Mark's are very grateful to all our amazing volunteers and harvest yesterday was a good example of this.  We would like to say a very big thank you to our Church Warden Clare for the stunning display of autumnal flowers, fruits and vegetables and to our LLM  (Licensed Lay Minister) Sylvia for the stunning autumn wreaths that were placed at the end of the pews.  These wreaths are being given out to our more vulnerable members of our congregation who are unable to join us in church.

Whilst we were unable to partake in our usual harvest activities due to the limitations of being Covid secure, it was a lovely well attended service.

LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR HARVEST thanksgiving service THIS SUNDAY

This Sunday at 10am our Harvest Thanksgiving Service will be taking place.  Sadly we will not be collecting any food or produce etc, in the same way as usual, due to the limitations of being Covid secure.

We are however planning to dress the Church with lovely autumnal flowers, fruits and vegetables and an organist will play traditional harvest hymns.  We hope it will be a lovely service and we welcome you to join us.

beautiful flowers arranged by one of the younger members of our congregation

We were very grateful for these beautiful flowers arranged by one of our younger members of our congregation as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award programme.  

Unfortunately due to Covid 19 the number of volunteering tasks that we are able to offer is quite limited, but we are trying to find plenty of things that she will enjoy and that is of benefit to St. Mark's.   

lockdown images required for 2021 

st mark's calendar

Following the success of our previous year’s St Mark’s Normandy Calendar we are again looking for original images to display on our Calendar for 2021. The Theme this year is “Lovely, Local, Lockdown Locations” and all ages can enter.  We are looking for photographs or pictures (e.g. drawings and paintings or collages etc) of places that have inspired you though these unusual times. Images can include plants and birds, domestic animals, wildlife and Sites of Special Scientific Interest, as well as the beautiful areas you may have discovered around our remarkable village. 

Although the Lockdown may have inspired many of your images, do remember we need pictures to represent all the seasons, not just the spring months, so you can include images from all of the year. 

Entries must be submitted by 12 noon Saturday 19th September 2020, to the Parish Office, either by email or post, and accompanied by a completed application form. Up to 5 images can be included with each application form. A panel of judges will select the winning entry for the front cover, and 11 runners up, one for each month inside. The judges’ decisions are final. Anyone included in a photograph must complete a form giving their consent for their image to be used on St Mark’s website and in the publication of the Calendar, and stored on the office computer for these purposes. By completing this form you are agreeing that St Mark’s may hold your personal data for the duration of this competition. Please indicate if you wish your data to then be retained or deleted after closure of the completion.  If you have any queries, please contact Chris Phillips in the St. Mark's office on 01483 811777 or email office@stmarkswyke.org.uk

Please click here to download the application form

Please click here to download the consent form

CALLING ALL BUDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Perhaps during lockdown you started to take more photographs of your garden, if not, hopefully the sun will return soon, so that you are able to take some photos of your garden including images of favourite flowers, plants, vegetables, birds and pond life.

We are hoping to one day, when it is safe to do so, to create a beautiful display of photographs of our gardens in the Church Hall, along with a lunch or cream tea.  If you would like your photos included, please write your details on the back or preferably on a sheet of paper in an envelope with the photos and post them please through the Church Hall letterbox.  We are hoping this will give us something to look forward to. 

AN UPDATE ON OUR SERVICES

We are pleased to say that our 10 am Sunday services will now be continuing for the foreseeable future. We will also be open for private prayer from 10 am to mid day on a Wednesday morning.  Please be reassured we are following The Church of England and Government Guidelines regarding Covid 19.

All are welcome, we look forward to seeing you.

a welcome return after lockdown

It was brilliant to see the door of St. Mark's open once again yesterday. We would like to say a big thank you to Reverend Alex Russell from Worplesdon for taking our service, to everyone who helped prepare the church for our safe return and for all who joined us yesterday.

Our Church will be open for private prayer on the 12th August from 10am to midday.

we are looking forward to opening our church today!

We are very much looking forward to welcoming everyone back inside St. Mark's today, for the first time in four months.

Our service will be taking place at 10am presided by Reverend Alex Russell. We will be following the Church of England and Government guidelines and you will need to wear a mask.

getting the church ready for this sunday

A big thank you to all our volunteers who came and cleaned the Church inside and out ready for opening up for our first communion service this Sunday, after four long months of it being closed.

Our service will be taking place at 10am presided by Reverend Alex Russell.  Our Church will also be open for private prayer on the 12th August from 10am to midday.  We will be following the Church of England guidelines and you will need to wear a mask.  We very much look forward to welcoming you back.

INSIDE ST. MARK'S - DAY SIX

In the last of our series of looking inside St. Mark's and accompanying it with a verse from the hymn 'We love the place, O God' by William Bullock, 1884. Today, we are looking at the East Window.

This stained glass window was given to the church in 1926 by relations of Lady Roberts of Henley Park in her memory. The window which represents the crucifixion, with God the Father shown in the roundel. This window replaced an earlier one, the central panel of which also depicted the crucifixion now graces the west window.

INSIDE ST. MARK'S - DAY Five

Today for our fifth post of inside our church and focusing on the hymn 'We love the place, O God' by William Bullock, 1884, we are looking at the organ...

" We love to sing below
for mercies freely giv'n;
but O, we long to know
the triumph song of heav'n.'

Music at St. Mark's was originally provided by a harmonium, which was replaced by an organ in 1887. One of the early organists was Mr Beer, a teacher at Wyke School and it is recorded that some of the pupils sang in the choir. When extensive repairs were carried out in 1964/5 a new organ was installed at the back of the church. However, in 1992, this organ was in need of an expensive overhaul and it was replaced with an electronic organ. Our current organ is thankfully a traditional pipe version.

INSIDE ST. MARK'S - DAY four

For our fourth post focusing on the hymn 'We love the place, O God' by William Bullock 1884 and the interior of our church, today we are looking at the pulpit.

Our oak pulpit stands on a stone base. It is octagonal, with scalloped saltire cross bracing to the panels. It is reached by four stone steps.

' We love the word of life,
the word that tells of peace,
of comfort in the strife,
and joys that never cease.'

INSIDE ST. MARK'S - DAY three

In our third post focusing on the interior of our church and using a verse from the hymn 'We love the place, o God' by William Bullock 1884. We are looking at our beautiful altar.

The alabaster reredos behind the altar was donated in 1882 by the children of Mr and Mrs L. A. Coussmaker, to commemorate their parents and depicts a cross in the centre panel, flanked by recessed panels with floral decoration.

' We love thine altar, Lord;
O what on earth so dear?
For there, in faith adored,
we find thy presence there.'

INSIDE ST. MARK'S - DAY two

In the second of our series of images from inside St. Mark's, today we are focusing on the font. The plain octagonal stone font stands on a central stem with four three-quarter rounded shafts, with moulded bases and capitals.

The verse from today, is taken from the hymn, ' We love the place, o God' by William Bullock 1884.

' We love the sacred font;
for there the holy Dove
to pour is ever wont
his blessing from above.'

inside st. mark's - day one

This week we will be reminding you of the beautiful interior of our church, by posting an image every other day accompanied by a verse from the hymn 'We Love The Place, O God by William Bullock 1884. Today we are looking at the nave and using the second verse.

' It is the house of prayer,
wherein thy servants meet;
and thou, O Lord, art there
thy chosen flock to greet.'

CELEBRating volunteer week 1st - 7th june

1st - 7th June is Volunteering 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 our 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, administration and communications.  Our thanks also to 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.  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 volunteering?  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 it 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.

please support our new style plant sale

In light of the current situation we are planning to continue to run our annual Plant Sale with a new ‘Click and Collect’ facility.

To follow is a list of the plants that we are currently offering, grown by Brian and Liz and Clare and John.  Some of these plants are ready to collect now and others will be ready to collect on the day of the intended plant sale which was due to be May 23^rd, as they need a little more growing time.  If you would like to purchase any of these plants, then please contact the relevant person to arrange collection, which will all be carried out with appropriate social distancing measures.

All proceeds will be going to our Church.  It is important to remember that we are a charity and without our Church being open at this current time, any money that we can raise at the moment is vitally important to us.  We would ask if you kindly have the correct money when you collect the plants, as yet St. Mark’s doesn’t have a card processing facility.  We look forward to hearing from you.

PLANT LIST FOR St. MARKS CHURCH  PLANT SALE 2020

Geranium  pots  £1.20             

Floral Cascade        red upright                            

Jack Headley           variegated leaf,  pink                  

Atar of roses       scented leaf                        

Orange fizz                  ,,                       

Trailing     red and white  and red                                                

DAHLIA  £1         cuttings in pots

Natalie  G                orange                                     

Diamond Jubilee       large white                                               

Chat Noir                  dark red cactus                                          

Bedding trays  £1.50               

Zinnia      mixed colours                                             

Nicotiana        lime green                                                     

Madia            yellow                                                                                           Tithonia                                                                                  

Chrysanthemum    cockade                                               

Amaranthus (love lies bleeding)                                           

Morning Glory   single pots 50p                                                

Hardy  in pots         

Lavender munstead     £1.50                                                        

Caryopteris       £1.50                                                    

Verbena  Bonarensis £1                                                                   

Alchemilla Mollis       £1                                                                 

Sarcococca     £1                                                                                

Iris   in  2 and 3 litre pots   £3                                                                 

Acanthus  £1

Heucherella   £1

Passion fiower  £1

Hebe   white and blue  £1

Perennial geranium £1

London Pride  £1

Leycesteria £1

Schisandra  rubiflora £1

£1 Rhubarb   5lt pots  £2

The plants above can be collected from John and Clare on 01252 315793

HERBS

Mint     £2               

garden                                                                  

Apple                                                                    

Peppermint                                                             

Basil                                                                        

Marjoram   £1                                                                                                

Winter chives £1

Corriander      £1                                                                                          

Rocket            £1

Welsh onion    £1                                                                                                                                           

PERENNIALS

Penstemon            pink           £3                                                            

Ophiopogon                            £2                                                           

Pulmonaria            royal blue     £2                                                         

                                  Normal         £1                                                       

Sedum “iceberg”                             £3                                                       

Sweet Williams                               £1                                                     

Alchemilla mollis                             £1                                                       

Black eye  Susan                             £3                                                     

Campanula pale blue  tall                 £3                                                   

Wire plant                                       £4                                                    

Canna      orange                             £3                                                

Geranium        blue                          £3                                                   

Hellebores       probably white           £3

ANNUALS

Ammi majus                                    50p                                                 

Tithonia(Mexican sunflower)             50p                                                 

Sweet pea  6/8per pot       white       £2                                                 

                                        Blue        £2                                               

SHRUBS            pittosporum             50p                                              

Lads love         artemsia                   £3                                                      

Fly    honeysuckle                            £2                                                    

Hydrangea  Annabelle                      £3                                                                                 

VEGETABLES

Beans         boxes of 15 max            £4                                

Runners

Italian flat

Pea beans

Bridgewalker heritage                                                                              

Climbing french               9max        £ 2                                            

2 Variety box of 5 varieties of climbing beans for the adventurous gardener  £6

Courgettes midnight  F1                   £1   each

Chard 6-8pack                                 £1                                 

Brassicas    4 per box                        £1

Purple sprouting                                                                    

Nero kale                                                                                 

Magic kale F1                                                                           

Dwarf green curly kale                                                          

 TOMATO                

Ailsa craig

Alicante

Outdoor Girl

Butternut  squash

BLACK CURRANT             Ben Curran                                                             

These plants can be collected from Liz Oliver (or delivery can be arranged) on 01483 811836

Please ring Liz or John with your order and to arrange time of collection.

Please help us by having the correct money so that we do not have to deal with change.

supporting christian aid week 10th - 16th may

Due to the current restrictions this year we are unable to collect money in Church or do house to house collections for Christian Aid Week which is starting tomorrow.  However, we are keen to ensure that this vital charity continues to raise funds for its very important work with local partners and communities to fight injustice, respond to humanitarian emergencies, campaign for change and help people claim the services and rights they are entitled to.

Donations this year are being collected online, if you are able to please click on their website link below and make a donation however small, if each and everyone of us can do this, it will a make significant difference to their work.  Many thanks.

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

unfortunately no st mark's may fair this year 

You have probably noticed by now, that unfortunately we are not running our ever so popular May Fair this year.  The decision was made last year that with the change of Bank Holiday from the Monday to the Friday for VE Day that we just wouldn't be able to make it work as well as it usually does.   Obviously we wouldn't have been able to run it this year anyway due to the current pandemic that we are experiencing.

Our aim is to return again next year, although like most other events at the moment, we will need to see how feasible that is at the time.

In the meantime we do hope you would like to take part in some of the scaled back nationwide VE Day activities including:

11am A two minute silence

11.15am A VE Day 75 livestream 

3pm A speech from Boris Johnson about the importance of VE Day

9pm A broadcast from the Queen on BBC 1 and a UK wide sing along to Vera Lynn's 'We'll Meet Again'. 

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury will record a special reflection and moment of prayer to mark the day.

our patronal festival weekend

On this Feast of St Mark the evangelist and our patronal festival weekend, praying for all the church communities and institutions dedicated to St Mark.

Below, our thanksgiving tree June 2019, celebrating the life of our church and a photograph of our Church today.

springtime at st. mark's

Thank you to the bulb planting team last autumn, the daffodils have been an uplifting sight these past few weeks.

EASTER DAY

We wish you a blessed Easter on this strangest of Easters for us all. Christ is risen, he is risen indeed, Alleuia!.

GOOD FRIDAY...

Good Friday. Our Easter Garden today, thank you to those who made it. Usually on Good Friday morning we walk the Stations of the Cross in church and come outside for the last station. If you walk by today remember the Passion of our Lord and the people today who are suffering and walking the way of the cross in their own lives. We wait with longing for Easter Day.

FUN @FAMILY TEA

It was lovely to see our Family Tea families and helpers on Sunday.  Our story was about the greedy tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke 19) who was too small to see Jesus, so he climbed a tree to do so.  When Jesus passed by he spotted Zacchaeus and said he was going to stay at his home.  Zacchaeus’s response was to pay back all the money he had unjustly taken.  Jesus was pleased he had done the right thing.  Keeping with the theme of the story, the craft activity for the afternoon was to make trees out of paper plates and cut out green leaves to decorate them, with a thick trunk cut from cardboard packing.  They also coloured in a picture of Zacchaeus and attached him to a piece of wool so they could hoist him into a tree and then let him come down again. 

After this the children listened to the story, sang some favourite songs and prayed holding a piece of playdoh, rolling it into a ball to represent the world and all the good things God made, squashing it flat for the things we want to say sorry to God for and shaping it into a heart for the things and people we love and who need our prayers.  This was all followed by a yummy tea.

It was also great to welcome David and Nishi visiting as part of their preparations for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s visit to the Diocese and the gathering on the 19^th March.

If you would like to join us at the next family tea, they will be taking place on Sunday 12th April and Sunday 10th May from 4.30pm to 6.00pm at our Church Hall.

ST MARK'S

It was a pleasure to welcome John Gray of Image24 Photography to our Church to take some lovely interesting photographs.  The images are created by merging three shots together and adding other features as well, which also includes taking out more distracting features such as fire extinguishers!  

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

We are really looking forward to welcoming The Guildford Environmental Forum to our Tea and Talk next Tuesday at 2pm in our Church Hall.  They will be talking about climate change and global warming and what we can do as an individual to help our environment.  For just £2.50 you can hear the talk and enjoy a delicious tea as well. 

LENT 2020

This year we are following #LiveLent: Care for God's Creation the Church of England's Lent Campaign for 2020.  You can receive daily reflections either via email or by downloading the app #LiveLent  We also have booklets in church for adults and children with 40 short reflections for each day of Lent with suggested actions to help us 'live in great harmony with God, neighbour and nature'.  For more information visit #LiveLent: Care for God's Creation | The Church of England

Today's reflection is 'In the beginning,darkness covered the face of the deep..Then God said, "Let there be light", and there was light.

ASH WEDNESDAY THIS WEEK.....

Just to remind you that it is Ash Wednesday this week and we have two services taking place at 11am and 7pm.  We hope you can join us.

FORTHCOMING DATES FOR YOUR DIARY...

You might like to note in your diary the following services taking place this year:

Ash Wednesday - 26th February (details below)

Mothering Sunday - 22nd March at 10am

Maundy Thursday - 9th April (time to be confirmed)

Good Friday - 10th April (time to be confirmed)

Easter Sunday - 12th April at 10am  

St. Mark's Patronal Festival is taking place on Sunday 26th April at 10am followed by our APCM and lunch at St. Mark's Hall.

Unfortunately there will be no St. Mark's May Fair this year, the logistics just don't work this year due to the change of bank holiday.  We plan to run it again in 2021.

Watch this space for other events planned for this year. 

COME ALONG TO OUR FAMILYTEA@STMARK'S THIS SUNDAY

If you are caring for preschool children through to Key Stage 1 this Sunday, then why not pop along to our FamilyTea@StMarks from 4.30pm to 6pm.  Held in our Church Hall the format of the time is spent focusing on a particular religious story and this is then followed through with our arts and crafts, songs and activities.  A particularly delicious bring and share tea is then enjoyed. 

The story this week is focusing on Jesus at the Wedding in Cana.  New last month were our faith at home boxes.  This week we will be taking home plasticine in our box to see if it helps us with praying or not.  We hope you can come along.

After our tea on Sunday, our next family tea is taking place on the 8th March.

PRESENTING OUR FANTASTIC OPEN THE BOOK TEAM AT WYKE PRIMARY SCHOOL

As part of a project offering primary school children an opportunity to hear key bible stories during their school assemblies called 'Open the Book'.  Our fantastic team of volunteers regularly go into our local primary school, here they are getting ready for the story 'Jesus' Special Friends', the calling of the first disciples.  A big thank you to the team and to Wyke Primary School, it is always a very enjoyable experience. 

ALL ENJOYED OUR NEW YEAR PARTY ON SATURDAY

It was good to see such a great turn out for our New Year Party that took place on Saturday in our Church Hall.  All ages attended and a big thank you to our PCC members who supplied such a delicious spread of food and drink.

Reverend Craven thanked everyone for coming along and for all the hard work our amazing volunteers do to help make St Mark's Church what it is.   

PARISH SHARE UPDATE...

Further to our announcement in the summer that the St. Mark's PCC were investigating the possibility of sharing a Vicar with St. Michael's Church, Pirbright.  In an effort to reduce the cost of our Parish Share, we wanted to let you know that we are still working with Archdeacon Paul Davies regarding this matter and he wrote to us just before Christmas...  

We will keep you informed on future developments regarding this matter.  

FUN LEARNING AT OUR FAMILYTEA@STMARKS

An enjoyable time was had at our FamilyTea@StMarks last Sunday.  The story for this week was the baptism of Jesus and the children aged from two to seven years enjoyed a re-enactment of baptism, by baptising some dolls.  This was included along with the story of Jesus's baptism, arts and crafts, singing, prayers and a family tea.  One of our congregation, joined us as she is volunteering at St. Mark's as part of her Duke of Edinburgh Award.  

A great time was had, if you have a key stage one child and would like to come and join us at our family teas the next ones will be taking place on the 9th February and 8th March.

CELEBRATING EPIPHANY 2020

We celebrated Epiphany at church yesterday with the arrival of the three wise men and added them to our nativity scene to complete it.  

One of the traditional customs associated with Epiphany is to bless a building that people visit.  So we blessed our church with the following 20 C+M+B 20 (which are the initials of the three wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.  They also stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, latin for 'May Christ Bless This House.')  Everyone was given some chalk and a blessing for them to bless their own front doors.

The service ended with the hymn 'All our welcome in this house' which was a good reminder that everyone is welcome at St. Mark's.  Whether you want to come along and sit on your own during the day to reflect or pray or whether you would like to join us for a service or one of our many activities.  We hope to welcome you during this new year.

WISHING YOU A BLESSED 2020 FROM ALL AT ST MARK'S

We would like to wish you all a happy, healthy and blessed 2020.

This Sunday, on the eve of Epiphany, 5th January, we will be celebrating the arrival of the Kings at our All Age Service at 10am and chalking the church doors.  All are welcome.

WE WISH YOU A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS

We were thrilled to see so many of our local community at our Crib Service this evening.  A big thank you to everyone who came and to all the children who took part in the nativity story, you were amazing.

From all at St. Mark's we would like to wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas.

DON'T FORGET OUR CRIB SERVICE TODAY AT 4PM

Don't forget our 4pm Crib Service this afternoon. It's a lovely opportunity to let the children dress up in our nativity costumes to tell the Christmas story, if they would like to.

Our Midnight Mass service begins at 11pm.

CORRECTION - OUR CRIB SERVICE BEGINS AT 4PM

Apologises for the error in our last post which has now been corrected to the right time of 4pm for the start of our crib service on Christmas Eve.  We do hope you can make it.

A LOVELY FAMILY WAY TO START CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS

For many families coming along to our 4.00pm Crib Service on Christmas Eve is a perfect way of reminding everyone of the Christmas nativity.  All children are invited to join in with the story telling, with many dressing up in our recently produced costumes or just adding a shepherd or lamb figurine to our nativity scene.  

At 11pm on Christmas Eve is our Midnight Mass service and then at 10am on Christmas morning, we will be holding a family service.  We hope you can make some of our services this Christmas.  Wishing you a Happy Christmas from all at St. Mark's.

ON THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT WE ENJOYED A TRADITIONAL CAROL SERVICE

On the third Sunday of advent we enjoyed a traditional carol service with nine readings read by a number of our congregation and sang some lovely carols.  Two young sisters wrote their own Christmas carol that they sang on their own and with the congregation and a poem 'the friendly beasts' was also read.

The service started by candlelit and our pathway leading the congregation to mulled wine and mince pies was lit by fairy lights. It was a truly special evening.     

PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR CANDLELIT CAROL SERVICE THIS SUNDAY

We are looking forward to our candlelit carol service with traditional carols this Sunday at 5.30pm.  To complete the wonderful ambiance, our church yard path will be lit by fairy lights to guide people to and from the car park to the church.  We very much look forward to welcoming you.  

Our other services this Christmas are taking place on Christmas Eve with our crib service and midnight mass and then a family service on Christmas morning.  We hope you can make either some or all of our services, where a warm welcome awaits.

A GOODBYE TO OUR ORGANIST TERRY HURST

On Sunday we sadly said a big thank you and goodbye to our organist Terry Hurst who is retiring from being an organist with us and St. Peter's Church, Ash.  He was invited to come and stand with Reverend Craven to be thanked and we thanked God for his musical gifts and asked for God's blessing on his retirement.  After the service, we all meet in the hall and Terry was presented with a card Sylvia made and signed by all, and a token, all over a cuppa and cake!!

Also during the service, when asked who would like to come and light the second advent wreath candle, no one volunteered.  So Lorna our nonagenarian (someone over 90 years) decided "Well, as the oldest here, I could do it, as no one else was moving!" Lorna, as ever, did a great job lighting the candle.

A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WAS INVOLVED WITH OUR CHRISTMAS MARKET

A big thank you to the organisers, volunteers and everyone who came along and supported our Christmas Market last Saturday and helped us raise over £1,190 for our church.  

Guests were greeted with cheery festive music and there were many stalls and raffles.  Not forgetting delicious bacon rolls and homemade mince pies.

COME AND ENJOY SOME FESTIVE CHEER THIS SATURDAY

Come along and enjoy some festive cheer at our Christmas Market this Saturday from 10am -1pm at our church hall. There will be lots taking place from festive music, gift stalls, raffles and tombolas. Along with mulled wine, hot mince pies and bacon rolls to enjoy. A great way to start the weekend, while raising vital funds for our church. We look forward to greeting you.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME TO OUR CHRISTINGLE SERVICE

We marked Advent Sunday with a Christingle service for all ages.  For the first time we made our Christingles in the middle of the service.  Many candles shone brightly in the darkness reminding us of the words from John's Gospel (1:5) 'The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it'.  Our collection was in aid of The Children's Society.

JOIN US TODAY TO CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF ADVENT AT OUR CHRISTINGLE SERVICE FOR ALL AGES

Today is the first day of advent and we are holding our annual Christingle service.  This celebration is named after the Christingles that we are planning to make in the service.  They are made from oranges decorated with a red tape, sweets and a candle.  Each aspect of of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps tell the Christian story:

* The orange represents the world

* The red ribbon symbolises the love and blood of Christ

* The sweets and dried fruit represents all of God's creations

* The lit candle represents Jesus's light in the world bringing hope to people living in darkness

It is a lovely service and we look forward to welcoming you.

ENJOY SOME FESTIVE CHEER AT ST. MARK'S

We are looking forward to our annual Christmas market taking place on the 7th December.  With our band playing festive tunes and the opportunity to purchase some great stocking fillers and more, plus mulled wine, hot mince pies and bacon rolls on offer, its a lovely way to start a weekend.  We look forward to seeing you.

Plus don't forget to purchase our 2020 calendar with some stunning images of Normandy, it would make a lovely gift for someone. 

COME AND CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF ADVENT AT OUR CHRISTINGLE SERVICE FOR ALL AGES

Sunday 1st December is the first day of advent and when we are holding our annual Christingle service.  This celebration is named after the Christingles that we are planning to make in the service.  They are made from oranges decorated with a red tape, sweets and a candle.  Each aspect of of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps tell the Christian story:

* The orange represents the world

* The red ribbon symbolises the love and blood of Christ

* The sweets and dried fruit represents all of God's creations

* The lit candle represents Jesus's light in the world bringing hope to people living in darkness

It is a lovely service and we look forward to welcoming you.

COVERAGE IN THIS WEEK'S SURREY ADVERTISER

We are thrilled with the coverage in this week's Guildford Surrey Advertiser of our Remembrance Sunday service.

A FEW REMINDERS FOR THIS WEEK:

Tonight, 7.30pm – 9pm Monday 11th November, we invite you to join us in a mediation that facilitates an encounter with Jesus – first some relaxation, then a guided meditation, some yummy refreshments, and an opportunity to share if you want to. Do hope you can join us as we ”Take Time Together”. For those who would like to do it on their own see the website www.taketime.org.uk

• Tomorrow Tuesday 2.00pm 12th November Tea & a Talk has the Sight for Surrey Bus coming, and a speaker will demonstrate various aids which can help with both hearing and sight. There is a cup of tea and cake ready for all who come!

ST MARK'S BRINGS THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER FOR REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

It was an honour to have a packed church for the Remembrance Sunday Service at St Mark’s yesterday.  All ages of our community came together to remember those who have died in the First World War and subsequent wars and conflicts while serving our country, and to reflect with thanksgiving the peace that we enjoy. We also remembered all those who are committed to serving our country today.

We were privileged to have members of the CIS Troop 8 Engineer Brigade joining us along with the youngest members of the Military Cadets Training Corps (MCTC) Normandy and the 1^st Normandy Scout Group.  Following the service at St Mark’s which included the roll call of names of the soldiers who had lived in Normandy and tragically lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars, the congregation processed to the War Memorial in our village to join many more for the Act of Remembrance there. In the warmth of the autumn sunshine, the Last Post and Reveille were played on the bugle to mark the two minute silence and wreaths were laid at the foot of the cross.

Our thanks to the Royal British Legion for their kind and generous hospitality at the end of the services and to everyone who helped in the smooth running of this important day. 

ALL ARE WELCOME TO THIS POIGNANT SERVICE.....

SERVICES TO REFLECT AND REMEMBER LOVED ONES 

This Sunday is our annual 'All Souls Service' at 3pm, where we spend time reflecting and remembering loved ones who have died. It is a quiet service where we read out the names of those who have died and light candles to remember them.

At our 10am, All Age Service this Sunday, we thought we would bring something of the All Souls aspect into this service as well, so we will be lighting candles in memory of loved ones who have died. Please do come and join us for which ever service is best for you.

CELEBRATING ALL HALLOWS EVE AT OUR ANNUAL SAINTS AND SAUSAGES EVENING

An enjoyable time was had yesterday on 'All Hallows Eve' the day before All Saints' Day, where we celebrated the Saints at our alternative to Halloween event. Some of our guests dressed as Saints and we had Saint Dorothy Patron Saint of Gardeners and Saint Gertrude the Patron Saint of Cats, to name a few.

Other activities included arts and crafts for the children, trying to eat doughnuts off string, hotdogs and cakes, followed by an impressive fireworks display and sparklers. Children and adults all had a great time and we would like to say a big thank you to our volunteers for putting on the event, as this fun annual evening wouldn't be able to take place without your continued support. So thank you.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO THIS HALF TERM, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO HALLOWEEN?

If you'd rather your children weren't taking part in spooky Halloween activities this half term and are looking for something different, then why not come and join us at our Church Hall for a fun alternative?

In addition we will also be offering hot drinks, craft for children, donuts on strings, apple bobbing and sparklers. Come along and join in the fun. P.S. its not just for the children, all are welcome!

DO YOU OR DOES SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR HEARING OR SIGHT?

If so, you might want to pop along to our Tea and Talk afternoon. For more information, please read on:

Sight for Surrey visit our monthly Tea and Talk

We are looking forward to this month’s Tea and Talk taking place on Tuesday 12^th November at 2pm in our Church Hall, as the local charity ‘Sight for Surrey’ will be visiting us.  Sight for Surrey is the largest charitable organisation in Surrey working with people who are visually impaired, Deaf, hard of hearing or who have combined sight and hearing loss.  The charity has been providing support to the blind and partially sighted community since 1922 and began to deliver services to the Deaf and hard of hearing in February 2016, having secured a contract with Surrey County Council to provide these services.

Tony Greene from Sight for Surrey will be speaking about the work of the charity and will bring along their Sensory Services Hearing Loss Bus.  On board you can find a working telephone system, talking clocks, louder doorbells and TV listening devices to name just a few. 

If you have been diagnosed with a sight or hearing condition or if you are having concerns with vision or hearing, then please feel free to come and join in.  Specific sight and hearing tests will not be taking place.

At St. Mark’s every month we hold a free special hearing aid clinic in our Church Hall on the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 11am.  We have trained volunteers who can help with the basic maintenance of hearing aids including:

·         Checking the hearing aid is working

·         Replacing the battery and checking the battery life

·         Re-tubing

·         Fitting the hearing aid in the ear

Our Tea and Talk meetings take place on the second Tuesday of every month at 2pm.  Aimed majoritively at retired people. we have a variety of guests talking about a range of subjects, followed by a full homemade afternoon tea.  All this for a donation of £2.50.

For more information on Sight for Surrey please visit their website www.sightforsurrey.org.uk

DON'T FORGET...THE CLOCKS GO BACK THIS SUNDAY!!

DON'T FORGET...TAKING PLACE THIS WEEK...

If you are able to, why not take a little time for yourself and come and try some guided meditation with us on Wednesday 23rd October from 11am - 12.30pm at our Church Hall. Another session will also be taking place on Monday 11th November between 7.30pm - 9pm.

LOOKING FOR AN ALTERNATIVE TO HALLOWEEN?

If your children are keen to do something on October 31st, but you would rather not take part in Halloween, then why not come along to our alternative?

You can come dressed up as your favourite Saint, but it doesn't matter if you don't want to.  There will be hotdogs and fireworks around the bonfire and new this year a sweet treat bag to take home with you and possibly some other activities which are currently in the planning stages!  All ages welcome to come and join us.

A SPECIAL TIME TO REFLECT

If you have recently suffered the loss of a loved one or perhaps not so recently, but would like to spend some time remembering loved ones who have died, then please do come along to this annual service.  You can expect a very warm welcome. 

FAMILY TEA AT ST MARK'S TOMORROW - COME ALONG...

A warm welcome awaits you at our Teatime Service tomorrow. A lovely mix of having fun, a story, craft and singing our favourite songs. As usual there will be lovely bring and share tea! So do come along and join us from 4.30pm - 6pm this Sunday at our Church Hall. This event is aimed at keystage one children and their parents and carers.

OUR 2020 CALENDAR WINNERS ANNOUNCED AND CALENDAR UNVEILED

There was excitement in the air at the Mini Market last Saturday, as the anticipation of the winners of our 2020 St Mark's calendar were waiting to be announced and the new calendar unveiled.

Juliet Lee, whose hobby is photography was our winner with her 'Golden Fields' image taken in West Flexford Lane and her photographs feature on the front cover, September and a different image in July. 

Our other worthy winners who were able to attend the unveiling included Maddison aged 12 whose selfie features in January, Gwyneth Waddington whose Normandy pond image is on our November page, Alan Pyzer whose babbling brook features in June and Josh Palmer fascinating tree image in August.  Also artwork from Normandy artist Hugh Morley features on our March page.  Images from Normandy Therapy Garden also appear on our May and October pages.

The calendar now comes in an A4 and A3 format with more space for writing notes and all the images are stunning.  The judges were very impressed with the quality of the images this year, it was a difficult decision to make and wanted to thank everyone who had taken the time to enter.  The price of the calendars are £5 and £6.50 with all money going to St. Mark's.   

A HAPPY HARVEST FESTIVAL....

Thank you to everyone who came along and celebrated a lovely Harvest Festival with us yesterday.  A particular thank you goes to everyone who so generously donated food which will be going to Vaughan House in Guildford, which supports people who are single, homeless or at risk of homelessness.  

Also thank you to everyone who generously donated money to Christian Aid.  We were very grateful to have Andrew Croggan talking to us on behalf of the charity.  Andrew had worked for Christian Aid for many years both as a volunteer and an employee.  Andrew worked on many international projects that were taking place in Bolivia, Peru and Brazil and our congregation were fascinated with a jar of worms that Andrew brought in, to explain how the compost they produce helped to improve the growth of vital crops in foreign counties.

The service was followed by a delicious 'bring and share' lunch that the congregation brought along.   

IN THE PAPER....

We are really pleased that this week's Surrey Advertiser has covered our news of both of our Bishop's visits to St Mark's last month.

COME AND JOIN US FOR HARVEST FESTIVAL THIS SUNDAY

We are looking forward to celebrating Harvest Festival this Sunday at our All Age Communion Service at 10am.  This year we will be supporting Christian Aid and we are also collecting canned and non perishable goods for a local Food Bank.  The service will be followed by coffee and a bring and share lunch.  We look forward to welcoming all ages to our service.

THE BISHOP OF GUILDFORD VISITS ST MARK'S

It was a pleasure to welcome the Right Rev’d Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford to our 10am service yesterday.  The service began with a procession by the Server, Lay Reader, Church Wardens and the Bishop.  Following a reading from the Gospel of Luke 16: 1- 13 which explains that you cannot serve God and wealth, Bishop Andrew used many examples from his life for his sermon.

After a lovely service in which the band played, Bishop Andrew joined and mixed with our congregation for morning coffee and refreshments. 

WE HAVE REACHED 50 FACEBOOK LIKES

Since joining Facebook back in March 2018 the people seeing and enjoying what they read on our Facebook page has been gradually increasing and this week we now have 50 followers.  A number of these people don't attend our Church, they are from our local community and beyond who are interested in learning more about what we do.  A big thank you to everyone who has clicked on our page.  To see our Facebook page visit us at St Marks Wyke, Normandy and click on the like button to see our posts, here's to the next 50 likes!

SOMETHING DIFFERENT...

This Wednesday 25th September, we are starting a new venture, Take Time Meditations, when we can walk together through the stories of Jesus, in our imaginations.  We start off with the meditation, break for some refreshments and then share our experiences of the meditation if we wish.  You are welcome to come for as short or as long as you wish - there is a natural break between each part.  There is no bible teaching or Bible study because the aim is to provide a safe compassionate space in which everyone is valued equally.  We do hope you will be able to join us in the Coussmaker Room between 11am - 12.30pm.

A REMINDER....

This Sunday (22/09/19) The Right Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford will be visiting us for our 10am parish communion service.  Bishop Andrew is the 10^th Bishop of Guildford, overseeing the work of the Church of England across most of Surrey and parts of North East Hampshire.  Having completed a law degree at Cambridge University, Andrew returned to Cambridge to study theology and was ordained as a Priest in 1997.    Since then his ministry has been focussed in the South East and the West Midlands, with parishes in Redditch, Notting Hill and Twickenham. He became Bishop of Aston (in Birmingham) in 2008 and Bishop of Guildford in 2014.

Bishop Andrew is the author of books on leadership, confidence, the Exodus story and Christian vocation.  Bishop Andrew has been strongly involved in interfaith work and also believes the Church needs to be engaged with the issues of global warming and climate change.  In 2018 Guildford was delighted to be the second Church of England Diocese to receive an ‘Eco Bronze’ Award for its work in this area.  

We are looking forward to our second Bishop's visit this month and very much hope you can come along.  

UPCOMING EVENTS...

THE RIGHT REVD JO WELLS, BISHOP OF DORKING VISITS ST. MARK'S..

The sun shone brightly for the Bishop of Dorking, the Right Revd Jo Wells visit to St. Mark's yesterday.  Jo spent the morning with us presiding over our 8am and 10am holy communion services and also enjoyed meeting our congregation for breakfast and morning coffee.  

At our 10am service, Jo discussed ideas around what makes a person 'holy'.  Jo also spent time talking to some of the children that had attended our Lions Club and they kindly presented Jo with a gift that they had made for her, a dove and a rainbow picture.  We also learnt about why a Bishop wears a mitre and holds a crosier.  The band were also in attendance, which always adds a great atmosphere to our services. 

We really appreciated and enjoyed Jo's time with us.  We now look forward to next Sunday (22nd September) when we welcome the Right Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford to our 10am parish communion service.    

A Busy Sunday Ahead...

We look forward to welcoming Bishop Jo Wells, Bishop of Dorking to our parish communion services this Sunday at 8am and 10am.

Also starting at 9.45am at our church hall, St. Mark's Lions will be taking place.  Aimed at children from 6 months to 12 years, their parents and carers.  It is a mix of fun, friendship, craft, music and worship around a Bible story.  At the end of the session the children come into the church to tell us about what they have been doing.

All welcome, we hope to see you this Sunday.

ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT!

Only two days left to enter our Normandy Calendar Competition for 2020! The weather looks promising this weekend, so a great opportunity to go out and take some photos, draw, paint or produce a collage of our beautiful village...

Your images can be in any media you choose – not just photographs, so drawings, paintings, collages etc are all able to be submitted and children as well as adults can enter!

If you have hard copy that needs to be scanned then we can do that for you in the office, of anything up to size A3.

Below is the application form and the photo consent form (for if you have any people in your photographs.)

Looking forward to receiving your entries.  The closing information is 12 noon Monday 9^th September.

ONE WEEK TO GO!

We’ve only 1 week to go until the close of our Normandy Calendar Competition. Entries are beginning to come in – do send in yours this week to arrive by 12 noon next Monday 9^th September.

Your images can be in any media you choose – not just photographs, so drawings, paintings, collages etc are all able to be submitted and children as well as adults can enter!

If you have hard copy that needs to be scanned then we can do that for you in the office, of anything up to size A3.

Below is the application form and the photo consent form (for if you have any people in your photographs.)

Looking forward to receiving your entries.

An open message to St Mark’s Congregation from the PCC

An Update on the Parish Share

"St. Mark's PCC are investigating the possibility of sharing a Vicar with St. Michael's Church Pirbright in an effort to reduce the cost of our Parish Share. If you need any more information please speak to one of the Churchwardens or a member of the PCC."

You will have been aware for some time that in common with other churches St Mark’s Parish Share is increasing substantially year on year.  To meet our obligation we need to increase our income every year to keep pace.  Although members of our congregation generously contribute a great deal financially, we are using our reserves which will be exhausted within a few years.  To avoid this we need to start considering realistic options before we reach a critical point.

Our neighbouring parish of St Michael and All Angels, Pirbright are in interregnum and have already recognised that they cannot fund a full time priest.  The now retired Archdeacon of Dorking (under whose jurisdiction Pirbright falls) floated an idea with their PCC that as both Pirbright and Wyke face similar funding issues consideration could be given to sharing a single incumbent.  This is described as “duality” and has been put in place elsewhere.   Subsequently the Archdeacon of Surrey, The Venerable Paul Davies, held a special meeting with St Mark’s PCC to outline and discuss the idea.  Alison Craven, our Vicar has been told by the Archdeacon.  A full merger with St Michael & All Angels is not suggested but the advantage to both Churches of a shared priest would be a substantial reduction in the amount of Parish Share we need to pay.

Following the meeting with the Archdeacon, St Mark’s PCC have unanimously agreed the idea is worthy of further consideration.  St Michael and All Angels PCC have decided unanimously that they are open minded to exploring the idea as a possible and potentially exciting option but with some questions and reservations needing to be investigated, which of course applies equally to St Mark’s.  Neither PCC has made any commitment and the next step involves hearing people’s views, identifying advantages, disadvantages and concerns and developing the idea of sharing a priest into a detailed proposal.

This will involve a lot of work by the PCC, close collaboration with our colleagues at Pirbright and the Archdeacon.  St Mark’s has already started initial work on an updated Church Development plan involving resources from the Diocese.  We propose to address this key matter as a cornerstone of our new plan.

As your PCC we appreciate that what is happening is likely to cause concern and give rise to questions many of which we will not be able to answer quickly.  We do not underrate the importance of securing an effective future direction for St Mark’s and continued provision of worship in our Parish.  Please feel free to talk to Clare Sherwood, Alison Davies or any PCC member.  Please also keep the PCC in your prayers.

Time is running out to enter our 2020 St. Mark's Wyke Calendar Competition  

Time is running out for entries into our St. Mark's Wyke 2020 calendar. We are looking for photographs, drawn pictures or collages of our lovely area. They can be of anywhere around the village or the exterior/interior of our beautiful church.  These can then be entered into our competition for our new calendar for next year.

Please find below a photo consent form and application form to download to enter this year's photographic competition - with the winning entries being included in the 2020 calendar. If you are taking any images of children or vulnerable adults, you will need to get a parent, carer or guardian to sign for their permission of the photograph.  All ages can enter.  The closing date is the 9th September at 12 noon.  Good luck!

Just to remind you...the Bishops are coming to St. Mark's - save the date....

We are privileged that we have two Bishops visiting us at St. Mark’s this September, so please put these dates in your diary. 

On Sunday 15th September, The Right Revd Dr Jo Wells, the Suffragan Bishop of Dorking, will be visiting us for our parish communion services at 8am and 10am.   Jo was ordained in 1995 in the first wave of female priests.  Between 1995 and 2001 she served as Chaplain and then Dean of Clare College, Cambridge.  Following this, Jo was a lecturer at Ridley Hall and then in 2005, Jo and her husband Revd Dr Sam Wells, who is a Vicar at St Martin-in-the-Fields moved to Duke University in North Carolina, where Jo pioneered and directed the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke Divinity School.   After returning to the UK, Jo became Chaplain to Archbishop Justin Welby and then in 2016 became the Bishop of Dorking and is also Canon Theologian at Liverpool Cathedral.

On Sunday 22^nd September, The Right Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford will be visiting us for our 10am parish communion service.  Bishop Andrew is the 10^th Bishop of Guildford, overseeing the work of the Church of England across most of Surrey and parts of North East Hampshire.  Having completed a law degree at Cambridge University, Andrew returned to Cambridge to study theology and was ordained as a Priest in 1997.    Since then his ministry has been focussed in the South East and the West Midlands, with parishes in Redditch, Notting Hill and Twickenham. He became Bishop of Aston (in Birmingham) in 2008 and Bishop of Guildford in 2014.

Bishop Andrew is the author of books on leadership, confidence, the Exodus story and Christian vocation.  Bishop Andrew has been strongly involved in interfaith work and also believes the Church needs to be engaged with the issues of global warming and climate change.  In 2018 Guildford was delighted to be the second Church of England Diocese to receive an ‘Eco Bronze’ Award for its work in this area.  

We are looking forward to their services and very much hope you can come along.  

St. Mark's Provides Refreshments at Parish Fair

A big thank you to all the St. Mark's volunteers who provided much needed refreshments (including baking cakes) at this year's Normandy Parish Council's Summer Fair on Bank Holiday Monday.  It was a very hot day so there were many requests for cool drinks!  It was a pleasure to be involved in this great community event.

The School Holidays are Here - a great opportunity to get entering our 2020 St. Mark's Wyke Calendar Competition  

Now the school holidays are here, why not take the children around the village to take photographs or draw pictures or make a collage of our lovely area. They can be of anywhere around the village or the exterior/interior of our beautiful church.  These can then be entered into our competition for our new calendar for next year.

Please find below a photo consent form and application form to download to enter this year's photographic competition - with the winning entries being included in the 2020 calendar. If you are taking any images of children or vulnerable adults, you will need to get a parent, carer or guardian to sign for their permission of the photograph.  All ages can enter.  The closing date is the 9th September at 12 noon.  Good luck!

The Bishops are coming to St. Mark's - save the date....

We are privileged that we have two Bishops visiting us at St. Mark’s this September, so please put these dates in your diary. 

On Sunday 15th September, The Right Revd Dr Jo Wells, the Suffragan Bishop of Dorking, will be visiting us for our parish communion services at 8am and 10am.   Jo was ordained in 1995 in the first wave of female priests.  Between 1995 and 2001 she served as Chaplain and then Dean of Clare College, Cambridge.  Following this, Jo was a lecturer at Ridley Hall and then in 2005, Jo and her husband Revd Dr Sam Wells, who is a Vicar at St Martin-in-the-Fields moved to Duke University in North Carolina, where Jo pioneered and directed the Anglican Episcopal House of Studies at Duke Divinity School.   After returning to the UK, Jo became Chaplain to Archbishop Justin Welby and then in 2016 became the Bishop of Dorking and is also Canon Theologian at Liverpool Cathedral.

On Sunday 22^nd September, The Right Revd Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford will be visiting us for our 10am parish communion service.  Bishop Andrew is the 10^th Bishop of Guildford, overseeing the work of the Church of England across most of Surrey and parts of North East Hampshire.  Having completed a law degree at Cambridge University, Andrew returned to Cambridge to study theology and was ordained as a Priest in 1997.    Since then his ministry has been focussed in the South East and the West Midlands, with parishes in Redditch, Notting Hill and Twickenham. He became Bishop of Aston (in Birmingham) in 2008 and Bishop of Guildford in 2014.

Bishop Andrew is the author of books on leadership, confidence, the Exodus story and Christian vocation.  Bishop Andrew has been strongly involved in interfaith work and also believes the Church needs to be engaged with the issues of global warming and climate change.  In 2018 Guildford was delighted to be the second Church of England Diocese to receive an ‘Eco Bronze’ Award for its work in this area.  

We are looking forward to their services and very much hope you can come along.  

ST. MARK'S CALENDAR 2020 - forms to download 

Please find below a photo consent form and application form to download to enter this year's photographic competition - with the winning entries being included in the 2020 calendar.

So whether you take photos on your camera or would like to draw, paint or make a beautiful collage of our lovely church and village, we would love to see them.  All ages can enter.  The closing date is the 9th September at 12 noon.  Good luck!

st mark's celebrates

Last Sunday was a joyous occasion to celebrate all that we do at St Mark's.  The event was aimed to celebrate the successful end of a development plan that we have worked on for many years, but the day also included celebrating all that we do.  

Our initial development plan included:

* Connecting with our community - which has included a new website, social media and articles in local newspapers and radio interviews.  As well as welcomers at services, a new welcome leaflet, new notice boards and services that interest the wider community.

* Nurturing our community - with a special focus on children and families.  The creation of Lions and our Teatime services have been very successful.  We also continue to maintain our good links with Wyke Primary School and also the wider community with various events throughout the year. 

* Financial sustainability - An encouraging start to our campaign was made to ensure the financial integrity of St. Mark's.  However, this is something like all of the above that we need to continue to work on.

Our celebration began with a lovely service with holy communion.  Four windows were decorated to focus on our main services, 8am BCP, 10am family service and Lions, Teatime service and our weekday services.  A tree was then decorated with all of the activities that St Mark's are involved with and it came to nearly 100 leaves.

The choir sang beautifully and the service was followed by a delicious bbq lunch with lovely salads and puddings to follow, all generously donated by our congregation.

We would like to say a big thank you to all involved and we now cast our minds to focus on what we need to achieve for our next development plan for the future.   

Time to celebrate

Don't forget to to join us this Sunday for our Thanksgiving and Celebration Service at 11am followed by b-b-q at 12 noon.  All are welcome to join the fun and celebrations! 

A chance to reflect

In today's busy life the chance to take some time out to sit and be quiet is quite a rare and much wished for opportunity.  However, St. Mark's Church Wyke is open seven days a week during day light hours for anyone who wishes to pop in whether its for some quiet reflection or a chance to pray.  The Church is here for you.

Hope you like our new banner to encourage people to come inside and to enjoy the beauty of our church and the peace.

A big thank you

A big thank you to everyone at St. Mark's who baked for the recent Diabetes event that was held in our Church Hall. Not only did they bake some lovely food, many people took the time to look at special diabetic recipes to ensure the food was suitable for all. Thank you....

diabetes awareness event this weekend

Just to remind you of an event taking place in our hall this weekend.....

With one person being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes every three minutes in England and Wales. You might be interested in popping along to the Fairlands Practice Participation Group's diabetes awareness event taking place this Saturday.

The programme and venue details for the event follow:

Save the date:

Sunday 30th June is our Thanksgiving & Celebration service starting at 11am, followed by a B-B-Q at 12 noon, all welcome, we look forward to seeing you.

ST. MARK'S CALENDAR 2020 - reminder

With the sun now shining, although I'm not sure for how long, we wanted to remind you about our St. Mark's Calendar 2020, details follow below:

Following the successful launch of our very first calendar this year raising over £400 for our Church we are please to announce that we will be running the competition again for our 2020 calendar.  So get your cameras at the ready and start taking some fabulous images of our lovely village of Normandy.  Or if art work is your talent, then drawings, paintings or collages can be submitted.  They can be images of the interior or exterior of St. Mark's or anywhere around the village and all ages can enter.  The closing date is the 9th September at 12 noon.  You will need to contact the office for an application form and photo consent forms required for any images of children.  Good luck!

St. Mark's disciples AT OUR FAMILYTEA@STMARKS

Yesterday the story of Jesus calling his disciples was told at our Family Tea service.   Here are the friends of Jesus made by the children at our service.

Teatime service this sunday..

A warm welcome awaits you at our Teatime Service this Sunday. We will be looking at Jesus's twelve special friends. Along with having fun with craft and singing our favourite songs. As usual there will be lovely bring and share tea! So do come along and join us from 4.30pm - 6pm this Sunday at our Church Hall. This event is aimed at keystage one children and their parents and carers.

it's 'volunteers week' so we wanted to say thank you....

From 1st - 7th June its 'Volunteers Week' a chance to focus on the wonderful work that volunteers do.  So from all at St. Mark's we wanted to say a huge thank you to the many volunteers that help make St. Mark's what it is.  Without each and everyone of you, we really wouldn't be able to offer to our local community all that we do.  Your work is so valuable to so many people, so thank you.

Also, it's important to remember how important volunteering is for individuals as well, it gives people the chance to meet others, feel needed, feel part of a team and can really help people have a sense of well-being.  At St. Mark's we have volunteers of all ages, so if you feel like you might want to come along and volunteer, then please do contact us, we would be more than happy to have a chat. 

this might be of interest...

It's only one month to go until our church hall holds this very important community event.  Organised by the Fairlands Practice Patient Participation Group, Diabetes, Does it affect you?  Could it affect you? is taking place from 1.45pm to 5.15pm on the 22nd June.

With one person being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes every three minutes in England and Wales, according to recent analysis by Diabetes UK, the aim of the event is to explore everything about diabetes.  It will focus on understanding diabetes, the different types, current research, symptoms, causes, treatments, prevention and how healthy eating and lifestyle can all help.

The speakers have recently been announced:

·        Dr Katherine McCullough, Consultant Physician in Diabetes and Endocrinology & Acute Medicine, Royal Surrey County Hospital

·        Professor Paul Grob, Visiting Professor, Department of Health Care Management & Policy, University of Surrey

·        Roy Johnson, Chairman, Diabetes UK, Guildford & SW Surrey Group

·        Karen Mackie, Community Diabetes Dietician, Royal Surrey County Hospital

·        Dr Marty McKendry, General Practitioner, Fairlands Practice

For further information please email fairlands.ppg@nhs.net  Refreshments and limited on-site parking available.

If you are able to help serve refreshments on the day or bake some savoury nibbles or sugar free cakes, we would be very grateful. Please could you let us know by emailing our office office@stmarkswyke.org.uk many thanks.

a fascinating record of our church

We are thrilled that The Arts Society (TAS) Woking and some Mayford members are working in our church to produce a thorough record of St. Mark's Church that we will be able to keep.

The recorders from the organisation are studying the following aspects of our church:

Memorials
Metal work
Stone work
Wood work
Textiles
Paintings
Library 
Windows
Misc

plant sale this saturday...

Its that time of year when we all tend to take a bit more notice of our gardens!  So please pop along to our plant sale this Saturday to help your garden look gorgeous for summer.

st. mark's calendar 2020 - application

Following the successful launch of our very first calendar this year raising over £400 for our Church we are please to announce that we will be running the competition again for our 2020 calendar.  So get your cameras at the ready and start taking some fabulous images of our lovely village of Normandy.  Or if art work is your talent, then drawings, paintings or collages can be submitted.  They can be images of the interior or exterior of St. Mark's or anywhere around the village and all ages can enter.  The closing date is the 9th September at 12 noon.  You will need to download the application forms and photo consent forms required for any images of children.  Good luck!

thank you to the surrey advertiser

A big thank you to the Guildford Surrey Advertiser for their pre and post event coverage of our May Fair.

welcoming our newly confirmed disciples

On Sunday we had great joy welcoming our newly confirmed young disciples at St. Mark's. Baptised / Confirmed on Easter Eve at the really moving service at our Cathedral, Guildford.

easter day

'Christ is risen' From all at St. Mark's we would like to wish you a very Happy Easter.

GOOD FRIDAY

A big thank you to Tony and Sherry for making our Easter garden look so lovely.  We all enjoyed a visit to the garden in the gorgeous spring sunshine following a reflective Good Friday service.  We prayed today for people who are suffering in any kind of way, following the passion in their own lives. 

maundy thursday  

#MaundyThursday. 7pm this evening our church bell will be tolled for the Notre Dame Cathedral community after the fire. Please also remember the people whose lives have been devastated by fire in general. At the end of the bell toll our service of Holy Communion will begin.

palm sunday

We marked the start of Holy Week yesterday with a traditional palm procession into Church. This procession of singing and carrying palms depicts Jesus's journey into Jerusalem.

holy week and Easter services

dec cyclone idai appeal

A big thank you to everyone who has helped us raise money for the DEC Cyclone Idai Appeal.  Through selling cakes, bird seed, donating money raised at the Mini-Market and donations in Church, we have so far raised £402.60.  Thank you everyone for giving so generously.

PALM SUNDAY SERVICE

Looking forward to seeing everyone this #Palm Sunday. 

8am BCP Holy Communion 

10am Procession of Palms and Holy Communion 

4.30pm FamilyTea@StMarks telling the story of Holy Week.  

MOTHERING SUNDAY service

A big thank you to everyone who attended and was involved with our lovely Mothering Sunday service yesterday.  Reverend Danny Wignall gave a thoughtful sermon on 'mothering' from looking at our Mother church, to thinking about all who nurtures and encourages our faith.  All of the adults were also given a little bunch of lovely spring flowers to take home.

MOTHERING SUNDAY...Thank you

mothering sunday...this sunday

We look forward to welcoming you to our Mothering Sunday service this week.  A great opportunity for people of all ages to come and reflect on the people that care for them.  Our special guest is Reverend Danny Wignall (Diocesan Mission & Growth Advisor) who will be preaching for us.   

Some dates for your diary...

sT. mARK'S mAY fAIR 2019

We are very much looking forward to holding our annual May Fair on Bank Holiday Monday, 6^th May, 2pm – 4.30pm at Manor Fruit Farm. There will be a mix of familiar and new stalls along with refreshments including tea and homemade cakes and Hunts Hill Farm hot food.  New this year we are pleased to welcome Chimney Farm International Dog Rescue who will be running our much-loved dog show.  Also, we are thrilled to have sponsorship for the May Fair!  Our local estate agents Bridges in Ash Vale have generously agreed to sponsor our event.

We would really welcome any new ideas for stalls and other attractions for the May Fair. If you would like to offer great suggestions then please do get in touch.  Also, it’s good to mention that the May Fair is run by volunteers and it would be fantastic if we could build up a bigger team to help. If you would like to join our committee, or help on a stall or are able set up or clear away for an hour on the day, then we would love to hear from you.  Please contact Chris in our Parish Office on 01483 811777.

DIABETES AWARENESS EVENT

The Fairlands Practice Patient Participation Group

DIABETES

Does it affect you?  Could it affect you?

Saturday 22^nd June 2019, 1.45pm – 5.15pm

at St. Mark’s Hall, Guildford Road, Normandy, Guildford, Surrey, GU3 2DA

One in ten people over 40 in the UK is now living with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes, according to recent analysis by Diabetes UK.  The new figures highlight that there are 3.8 million people living with diabetes in the UK, 90% of these with Type 2.   This special event is a great opportunity to explore everything about the condition.  Does it affect you, could it affect you?  The afternoon will focus on understanding diabetes, the different types, current research, symptoms, causes, treatments, prevention and how healthy eating and lifestyle can all help.

There will be a series of talks by diabetes experts, including specialists from the Royal Surrey County Hospital, a dietician, a GP and a representative from Diabetes UK.  There is no need to book, just turn up and stay for as long as you like.  There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions.

Everyone is welcome.

Please make a note in your diary.

Further details, including a list of speakers, will be published nearer the time.

Refreshments and limited on-site parking available.

The event is being organised by the Fairlands Practice PPG, which aims to foster a close and supportive relationship, on behalf of patients, with the Fairlands Medical Centre and the Glaziers Lane Surgery.  In recent years, we have organised events for the community on Dementia, Coping with Minor Illnesses and Cancer.  

LIONS THIS SUNDAY...

Lions takes place in our Church Hall  from 10am and later in the morning they head into Church.  The theme this week is a story about bees and honey sandwiches will be made, sounds yummy.  Please do let us know if your children have any allergies.  Aimed for children from 6 months to 12 years and their parents and carers.  It is a mix of fun, friendship and craft, music and worship around a Bible story.  

tea and talk tomorrow..

If you are retired and wishing you knew more people in the village, then why not pop along tomorrow Tuesday 12th March to St. Mark's Hall on Guildford Road at 2pm.  Our 'Tea and Talk' club runs on the second Tuesday of every month.  We have choirs, musicians and talks on so many different and interesting subjects, followed by a full afternoon tea.  All this for a donation of just £2.00.  We would love to see you.

FAMILYTEA@ST.MARK'S sunday fun...

A great afternoon of fun and learning took place yesterday at our Familytea.  We were telling the story about the man who came down to see Jesus through a hole in the roof!  We managed to reenact the scene with gingerbread men that we decorated and this was followed by singing, the story of the man coming through the roof,  prayer and then of course a delicious tea.   Thank you so much to everyone who came along.  If you were able to join us this month, our next Familytea will be taking place on 14th April at 4.30pm. 

FAMILYTEA@ST.MARK'S THIS SUNDAY....

Why not come and join us at our family tea this Sunday from 4.30pm in our church hall?  Aimed at key stage one children and their family and carers, this week we will be looking at the fascinating story about the man who came down to see Jesus through a hole in the roof!  We shall also be making craft, singing songs, joining in a simple prayer and enjoying a "bring and share" party-style tea together.  It would be lovely to see you.

THIS WEEK....

Just a reminder you might like to come along to one of our Ash Wednesday services this week, all welcome.

dates for your diary....

We are making preparations for Lent! We need Palm Crosses to make the ash for our Ash Wednesday services.  If you still have one from last year please drop it in at the church by 3rd March, many thanks. 

fun at FAMILYTEA@STMARK'S

The story of the Good Samaritan was retold last Sunday with the help of our teddy bears and an elephant! We practised bandaging too. Our craft this month was making hand cut outs, drawing around our own hands and thinking of a good deed to do during the week. In worship we sang our favourite songs including ' Stand up and shout it if you love my Jesus'. Look out for next month's theme.

THE GOOD SAMARITAN STORY THIS SUNDAY 10TH FEBRUARY AT 4.30PM FAMILYTEA@sTMARK'S

Bring your teddy to take part in the story! This is for Pre-school and Key Stage 1 children with parents and carers, all welcome. It all takes place in St Mark's Hall. There will also be craft, songs, prayers and a bring and share tea. Bring along a friend too!

A big thank you to step by step

A big thank you to Tianah from Step by Step Aldershot, for joining us at our All Age Service on Sunday. It was so good to learn more about the inspiring work of the charity, and to hear about it in a way that was accessible for all the ages in the congregation.

We also enjoyed celebrating Candlemas at the service finishing with a procession of light to the font. The crib set has now been put away until next year!

candlemas this sunday

Sunday 3rd February, Candlemas.

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Candlemas, known also as the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Everyone is welcome to this celebration, we'll be really pleased to see you.

We are delighted that Tianah from the charity Step by Step, Aldershot will be joining us to talk about the charity's work with young people facing difficult times. Supporting Step by Step is one way that we can support the young people in our local community.

wyke primary school assembly

Our Open the Book Team getting ready for School Assembly last Wednesday. @WykeSchool such a pleasure to be with you @Open_the_Book @DioceseofGuildford

lions this sunday...

This week our Lions will be focusing on Noah... Lions takes place in our Church Hall  from 10am and later in the morning they head into Church.  Aimed for children from 6 months to 12 years and their parents and carers.  It is a mix of fun, friendship and craft, music and worship around a Bible story.  

FAMILY TEAtime fun...

A fun time was had yesterday at our Family Tea @St. Mark's where they were telling the story of Jesus and his disciples feeding the 5000.  The craft activity was making beautiful origami fish and they sang 'Stand up and shout about it', followed by a story read by Revd. Craven and a yummy tea!  Our next Family Tea will take place on the 10th February.

FAMILY TEA THIS SUNDAY...

On the second Sunday of every month (that's this Sunday!) we run our Family Tea @ St Marks event in the church hall between 4.30 & 6pm.

There is a bible story & related craft then the children all have a "bring n share" tea.

It's a really nice event and it would be great if you could join us.

CELEBRATING EPIPHANY 

We celebrated Epiphany on Sunday and chalked our door 20+C+M+B+19 - these are believed to be the first initials of the names of the Three Wise Men.  We asked for God's blessing on all who come and worship at St. Mark's, this and every year.  The Three Wise Men also joined our nativity scene.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - 2019 

A big thank you to everyone involved and who came along to our Christmas services we really hope you felt they were an important part of your Christmas.  Our Crib Service in particular was very well attended and below are some lovely images to remind us. 

We now look forward to all that 2019 has to offer and we would like to wish you a very happy and healthy year ahead.

a reminder of our christmas services....

We would very much like to wish you the blessings of Advent and Christmas.  Just a reminder, we are offering services for all ages this Christmas.  At our 4pm crib service today the children get the opportunity to act out the nativity story and we are looking forward to using our newly improved nativity costumes.  At 11pm today we begin our Midnight Communion and on Christmas Day at 10am there will be an all age communion service.

We look forward to welcoming you.

our christmas services... 

It would be lovely to welcome you over the Christmas period and we offer services for all ages.  Our 4pm crib service on Christmas Eve is where the children get the opportunity to act out the nativity story and we are looking forward to using our newly improved nativity costumes.  At 11pm on Christmas Eve we begin our Midnight Communion and on Christmas Day at 10am there will be an all age communion service.

Wishing you the blessings of Advent and Christmas....

A BIG THANK YOU for our carol service

A brilliantly lit path and porch into the church last night #Followthestar for our Christmas Carol service. Thank you everyone who came and braved the rain and all who worked so hard, special mention to the choir and the musicians, readers and post service party makers. #welldoneall

st. Mark's is ready for our annual carol service this afternoon

We are all prepared for our annual carol service this afternoon at 5.30pm.  The fairy lights to guide you into our beautiful Church are ready and our striking star part of the #FollowTheStar Church of England's Christmas campaign is now installed in our porch.  All ages are welcome this afternoon.  There will be nine readings and music provided by our Choir accompanied by organ, trumpet, guitar and saxophone.  The service will be followed by warming refreshments in the hall.  A lovely event to enjoy as we move closer to Christmas.

meeting the advent bible challenge 2017 - 2018

Our first 3 members to meet the Wyke Bible Challenge of reading the bible all the way through in a year, were presented with T-shirts this week. Tony and Maureen were presented with their T-shirts in the morning service, and Jean received hers at Morning Prayer on Monday morning.

They were following the book “The Bible Challenge” compiled by Revd Marek Zabriskie and published by Canterbury Press which has daily readings set from both the Old and New Testaments & the Psalms, together with a daily reflection. They started on Advent Sunday last year, and worked their way through until the start of Advent this year.

 When asked what they liked most, Tony said “It was relaxing” as he found he could switch off from the day when starting to read his bible. “But I do have to make one confession to make”, he added “I prefer reading it in the King James Version!”

 Maureen said “I can’t believe I’ve done it!” and was surprised to receive a prize for doing so. Jean enjoyed it so much she has mentioned it to others who have been so impressed that they are now seriously looking into taking part in the challenge themselves. All three of them found wading through the OT book of Numbers had been the hardest part, but all agreed it had all been very worthwhile.

Why not start your own Bible Challenge – it might not be to read the whole bible in a year, but perhaps to read it every day.

peer support group for anyone living with depression

Guildford’s peer support group for anyone facing depression or a related mental health condition now runs weekly at The Spike Community Centre, (next to St Luke's Surgery and St Luke's Square), Warren Road, Guildford, GU1 3JH every Wednesday evening, 7.30pm. It’s free and offers a safe space to offload, to be heard and to receive support to help work through difficult times. No need to book or be referred. For more details see www.peertalk.org.uk/index.php/support-groups

not to be missed - our traditional candlelit carol service this sunday

A pathway lit by fairy lights will guide you into our beautiful Church this Sunday for our carol service that starts at 5.30pm.  All ages are welcome.  There will be nine readings and music provided by our Choir accompanied by organ, trumpet, guitar and saxophone. All ages will be welcome.  Our star #Followthestar will be installed in the porch and the service will be followed by warming refreshments in the hall.  A lovely event to enjoy as we move closer to Christmas.

don't forget....

A fascinating way to explore the Christmas story is to go along and experience the Wintershall Nativity - the story begins in the open air with shepherds, you then take your seats in the atmospheric barn and witness the story of how Jesus changed the world.  There is a large cast of players and animals and it is recommended you book in advance, due to its often sell-out performances.  

our christmas services.....

The choir and band are busy rehearsing for our forthcoming carol service on the 16th December and look out for the revamped crib service costumes for our service on Christmas Eve.  There is lots happening at St. Mark's this Christmas time and we would very much like you to join us. #followthestar

A big thank you.....

We wanted to wish a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in our Christmas Fair, from our organisers, stall holders, band, refreshment providers and everyone who came along and supported us.  We are pleased to say it raised over £1,400 for our church and we are extremely grateful, thank you.

We were pleased to welcome a new stall holder this year Maya, who is raising money for the charity 'Each One Teach One' which works with children in slums in India to better their education and opportunities.  Maya and Sophie are travelling to India to work with and support the charity and to help them raise money for the charity they have created bottle openers out of wood and old coins, allowing people to choose a coin of their birth year.  A great gift and way to support the charity.

the beginning of advent

.#Advent Sunday, we lit the first candle this morning.

Remembering Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the people who trusted God long ago.

Abraham and Sarah Story #God’sFriend, assembly this week @WykeSchool @openthebook, @CofEGuildford

christingle preparations are underway for our service today

Preparations are underway for our Christingle service this afternoon at 4pm. Please feel free to join us for this special service. A big thank you to all involved in the Christingle preparation.

successful supper talk by canon dr steve summers

Warm freshly baked bread and three varieties of delicious soup prepared by our willing volunteers, staved off the cold and hunger at our Supper Talk on Sunday evening.

Canon Dr Steve Summers led us in discussing social connections by asking us to choose an image of Christ that appealed to us. He had images from different artists spanning times and cultures. We were then encouraged to share with our neighbours why we had chosen that image, and why we liked or disliked the one they had chosen!

Two varieties of cheese & three types of cake and different fruits completed our meal, along with further discussions in small groups.

Nearly 30 people enjoyed the event which had been coordinated by Gill and Gilly and their team of helpers providing the delicious food and even decorating the tables beautifully.  A big thank you to them and everyone who came along and contributed to the evening.

Looking forward to the beginning of advent this weekend

This weekend marks the beginning of advent for us at St. Mark's with our Christmas Market and Christingle service taking place.  So please join us on Saturday from 10am to 1pm for some festive music, a mince pie and a chance to maybe start or finish that Christmas shopping!   

Then on Sunday, we would like to invite you to our Christingle service at 4pm, celebrating the start of advent and preparing for Christmas.  It is a lovely way to begin our Christmas services, with everyone receiving a 'Christingle' orange.

We will have a special collection for the inspiring work of the Children's Society who help the most vulnerable children in our communities. The charity strap line is 'No child should ever feel alone'. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Christingle service taking place in this country at Lincoln Cathedral, so we join churches across the country for this celebration.

A big thank you in advance to our Christingle makers !

Please do join us and enjoy the beginning of Advent with us. 

experience the christmas story in a new way

A fascinating way to explore the Christmas story is to go along and experience the Wintershall Nativity - the story begins in the open air with shepherds, you then take your seats in the atmospheric barn and witness the story of how Jesus changed the world.  There is a large cast of players and animals and it is recommended you book in advance, due to its often sell-out performances.  

Christmas festivities begin next weekend!

For some of us getting that festive feeling is very easy, for others not quite so, so hopefully our Christmas Market on Saturday 1st December and our Christingle service on the 2nd will help!  So please join us for some festive music, a mince pie and a chance to buy some Christmas gifts on Saturday.   

Then on Sunday, our Christingle service is a lovely way to begin our Christmas services for the season, with everyone receiving a 'Christingle' which represents Jesus, the light of the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.  The dried fruits and sweets, particularly appealing to children, represent God's creations and the four seasons.  Please do join us and enjoy the beginning of Advent with us.   

JUST A REMINDER THAT...

Our Supper Talk is taking place this Sunday....we have Canon Dr Steve Summers joining us for a supper evening and a talk, more details below. We hope you can join us....

normandy remembers... 

Our village also joined us to mark Armistice Day this year with a 5.55am tribute at the War Memorial and the Royal British Legion along with Normandy Artists put on an creative display of art and a carpet of poppies created from a number of organisations around the village.  In the evening the Parish Council lit a beacon and put on an impressive fireworks display.

st. mark's remembers....

People young and old came to pay their respects and were able to quietly contemplate this Armistice Day at St. Mark's.  A hundred years have passed since the guns finally fell silent on the 11th day of the 11th month, at the 11th hour.

Reverend Craven led the 10am Remembrance Service at St. Mark's and then many of the congregation walked to the Normandy War Memorial for a 11am Act of Remembrance and a two minute silence.  We rang our church bells as a sign of peace at 12.30pm, joining in with many other churches across the country.

We felt particularly honoured to have the CIS Troop, HQ 8 Engineer Brigade join us and Normandy's Beavers, Cubs and Scout groups as well.

'At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them......'

(Thanks Trevor for the lovely images)

we will remember them...

A hundred years have passed since the guns finally fell silent on the 11th day of the 11th month, at the 11th hour.

Normandy is planning to be part of the national tribute with services, the ringing of bells, the river of poppies and fireworks taking place on Sunday 11th November.

Details follow on the timings and locations of events taking place during the day:

* 5.55am Normandy Tribute, War Memorial

* 10.00am Remembrance Service, St. Mark's

* 11.00am Act of Remembrance, War Memorial

* 11.30am - 2.30pm 'Reflections of WW1' by Normandy Artists at the Royal British Legion Club, Normandy.  You will also be able to see the river of poppies and also work from pupils in Years 5 and 6 from Wyke Primary School.

* 8.00pm A commemoration and celebration will take place at Manor Fruit Farm where a beacon will be lit along with 1,200 beacons being lit across the country.  The lighting symbolises the light and hope that emerged from war.  This will be followed by fireworks, burgers, mulled wine and children's rides.

As we stop to remember, the prayer of peace is also on our minds...

'At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them......'

this weekend.....

To commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice at the end of World War 1 the Normandy Artists have an exhibition on at our Mini Market on Saturday 3rd November from 10am - 12.30pm at St. Mark's Church Hall.

Our All Souls Service takes place at 3pm on Sunday which is a time to remember loved ones who have died.  Everyone is welcome... 

we are looking for ideas for our bumper christmas magazine

The Christmas issue of our magazine covers both December and January so we are looking for some ideas of items to include for both months.  The deadline for articles is the 12th November.  While we love our regular articles, if anyone has any new ideas, we would love to hear from you.  Please either contact Chris in the office please click here or Charlotte our editor at please click here.  Many thanks.

lots of fun at SAINTS AND SAUSAGES....

Last night at our Saints and Sausages Party it was good to see some shining lights on what is traditionally a dark night. Fab fireworks, bonfire and sparklers and plenty of warming sausages, hot drinks and cake were enjoyed. The doughnuts on strings, bobbing apples and crafts were a hit for all ages! Thank you to everyone who came and the team at St Mark's.

Don't forget this week its saints and sausages.....

Our alternative to Halloween is our 'Saints and Sausages' evening with hotdogs, fireworks, cakes, games and sparklers, a lovely winters evening event for all ages.

Reflections of ww1

To commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice at the end of World War 1 the Normandy Artists have an exhibition on at our Mini Market on Saturday 3rd November from 10am - 12.30pm at St. Mark's Church Hall and then on Sunday 11th November from 11.30am to 2.30pm at the Royal British Legion Club in Normandy.  All are welcome.

Dates for your diary...

We've got some interesting events taking place soon, our alternative to Halloween is our 'Saints and Sausages' evening with hotdogs, fireworks, cakes, games and sparklers, a lovely winters evening event for all ages.  Then on the 25th November we have Canon Dr Steve Summers joining us for a supper evening and a talk, more details below.  We hope you can join us....

family tea at st. mark's this weekend

If you are looking for some inspiration of something to do with your little ones this Sunday pm, then why not come to our 'Family Tea @ St. Mark's'. It's a special time for children (babies, preschool and primary) with a Bible story themed activity, some simple worship with action songs, story telling and prayer, all rounded off with a scrumptious high tea! All are welcome, so do spread the word and come if you can! 4.30pm - 6.00pm in the Church Hall.

St. Mark's 2019 calendar launched and winner announced

Last Saturday at our Mini Market saw the unveiling of our very first St. Mark's 2019 Normandy Calendar.  A beautiful insight to our lovely village, all twelve images were chosen from a competition we ran, with the winning image being selected for the front cover.  Our winner was local resident Margaret Jones and her pen and wash painting  of the 'Hogs Back Vista' makes for an impressive front cover.

Margaret was thrilled that not only was one of her images selected for the calendar but also the winner!  Her inspiration for the image came from a summer trip out walking across the fields at Flexford with her little grandsons in the summer.  They stopped for a snack and noticed a picturesque view of the Hogs Back through the framework of tree branches: the sunlight was bright and the colours vivid on a hot summers day and Margaret took a photograph.  

The timing of the competition proved to be very therapeutic for Margaret as her young daughter in law was unexpectedly about to have emergency open heart surgery. Margaret first saw the competition when we posted a reminder of the deadline on Facebook with just three days to go. Captivated by the idea and the challenge she set to work. She also spread the news to fellow artist Hugh who then also began to paint for the competition, both were painting right up to the deadline submitting several paintings each the night before. Becoming artistically absorbed in painting for a purpose for Margaret was a really welcome positive diversion. 

Margaret and her husband have lived in the Normandy for the last 22 years, renting out their house whilst living in Australia for nearly five years during this time.  Margaret has bought a number of calendars and some of these will be heading out to her friends in Australia who have visited her in Normandy and loved our area.  Margaret has been painting on and off for about 20 years, inspired by her late mother who was a talented, self taught artist into her 80's.  Margaret joined 'Normandy Artists' in September last year, and took on the roll of Chair several months ago.  The group has been working recently on their  'Reflections of WW1 exhibition for Remembrance Sunday' at the British Legion to commemorate the centenary of the end of the War.

We are really grateful for all entries to our competition which gave us a wealth of choice for the calendar.  People of all ages entered and Eloise aged 11 years pictured below was the youngest person to have one of her images selected for the calendar.  A big thank you to Chris our Parish Administrator for not only coming up with the competition idea, but also coordinating it all the way through.  

If you would like to purchase a calendar they will be available from the Parish Office, at coffee on Sundays and we are hoping to sell them around the village.  The cost of the calendar is £5.00 and the money will go to help support the Church.

'Poppy fields' at guildford cathedral

Guildford Cathedral looked stunning this weekend as it commemorated the World War One Centenary with a poppy installation.  Beautiful sound artwork composed by David Harper, accompanied the installation and included four readings of WW1 poems by Oscar winning actor Eddie Redmayne.

HARVEST festival

The sun shone for our annual Harvest Festival which was well attended on Sunday morning.  We would like to give a big thank you to everyone who so generously donated gifts of food for our Food Box charity and also donations given to the Christian Aid Harvest charity.  Plus a thank you to Pat and Jan for decorating the Church so beautifully.

Harvest barn dance fun

A great time was had on Saturday evening at our annual Harvest Festival Barn Dance.  Parishioners and local people of all ages enjoyed a joyous evening of barn dancing,socialising and a delicious ploughman's supper and apple pie and custard/cream for desert.  A big thank you to the Harvest Supper Team Judy, Sherry and Jackie for organising the food/hall layout and Graham for calling out our moves so we could dance as smoothly as possible!!

A BIG THANK YOU TO TONY KENNEDY

A big thank you to Tony Kennedy for his marvellous efforts of making home made apple juice from apples from the orchards of Normandy for tonight's Harvest Barn Dance and supper...

Preparation for our harvest festival tomorrow is well underway

Pat Short and Jan Mason have been working hard this morning preparing our beautiful Church for our Harvest Festival tomorrow am.  It is taking place at 10am with an all age Communion and all are very welcome.  We are planning on sending any donations of canned and non-perishable food to the Food Box and any money raised will go to support Christian Aid.  We look forward to welcoming you. 

Wyke Primary school visits us for harvest festival

It was a delight to welcome Wyke Primary School for their Harvest Festival service this week.  Inspiring to learn that their harvest giving is supporting a children's home in Kenya and they have sent them some school uniforms.

help required please...

The Diocese of Guildford have kindly donated two four drawer filling cabinets for us, but we need help please to collect them from Guildford this Tuesday.  The rough dimensions are: w=18 inches d=24 inches h=52 inches.    So if you have a vehicle or a large trailer and are able to help out, please contact the Parish Office, details are on the side of this page.  Thank you so much.

Only two weeks until...

Our Harvest Supper and Barn Dance, please do let us know if you would like to attend.  Our Harvest Festival Service takes place on 7th October at 10am, all welcome.

A busy morning at lions

The children were busy creating lots of poppies at Lions on Sunday which are going to be used to create a carpet of poppies within the village for the WW1 Centenary taking place this Autumn.  There was also time for prayer and then into Church to tell the congregation all about their activities.  Lions takes place every third Sunday of the month.

A Date for your diary

Normandy Parish Council is keen to inform you of two concerts that are taking place in the village to commemorate the Centenary of the Armistice at the end of WW1.  Information follows in the poster.

Lions RETURNS THIS WEEKEND!

This Sunday sees the return of St. Mark's Lions following their summer break.  Aimed for children from 6 months to 12 years and their parents and carers.  It is a mix of fun, friendship and craft, music and worship around a Bible story.  This week the craft activity is focusing on our village's tributes to mark the end of WW1.

FAMILY TEA AT ST MARKS RETURNS THIS WEEKEND!

This Sunday sees the return of our teatime service for families. It's a special time for children (babies, preschool and primary) with a Bible story themed activity, some simple worship with action songs, story telling and prayer, all rounded off with a scrumptious high tea!  All are welcome, so do spread the word and come if you can! 4.30pm - 6.00pm in the Church Hall.

PHOTO COMPETITION ENDS NEXT WEDNESDAY!

Today is looking like a great day to spend some time exploring Normandy, take some photos or draw/paint images or create a collage for our 2019 Calendar competition. The closing date is fast approaching!

We are looking for work that:
* Needs to be a quality that reproduces well
* Larger files that can possibly be enlarged to over 1MB for an A4 calendar
*That will appeal to a wide audience - we want to sell lots of calendars...
*They can be events in the village or at St. Mark's
*Scenes of our beautiful surroundings
*St. Mark's - interior, exterior, churchyard or hall
*You can send them in by email or hard copy through the letterbox
*They don't have to be taken this year

A very welcome cup of tea!

Great team work today at the Normandy Parish Fair by St. Mark's. With a chill in the air I'm sure a hot drink and homemade cake was very welcome. Thanks to all that helped out.

bank holiday monday fun!

http://normandyparishcouncil.gov.uk/…/Normandy-Summer-Fete-…

If you are looking for something to do this Bank Holiday Monday, then why not pop along to the Normandy Fete at Manor Fruit Farm from 2pm. There is lots going on for all the family and St. Mark's will be providing some of the refreshments, so a great opportunity for a sit down, a cup of tea and some homemade cake...

THIS IS ALWAYS A LOVELY FUN EVENT, PLEASE SIGN UP SO AS NOT TO MISS OUT! 

SUMMER AFTERNOON TEA

We were blessed with sunshine for our St. Mark's afternoon tea.  It was a lovely afternoon where people of all ages came together for a delicious tea in a beautiful English country garden.  We are extremely gratefully for the £100 raised for the Church, so a very successful afternoon was had.

Our bible challenge update

A group of us met this August to catch up on our progress with The Bible Challenge. The challenge to read the whole Bible in a year was launched last October on Bible Sunday and started on Advent Sunday 2017. We are using a guide book called ‘The Bible Challenge- Read the Bible in a Year’ edited by Marek Zabriskie with contributors from all over the Anglican Communion. 

Several people are just about on track which is amazingly good going. On the noticesheet each week the target day is noted on the calendar, on the 13th August for example those on track were on day 253! Others are reading at their own pace and are going for the challenge of reading the whole Bible no matter how long it takes. 

One of the group does the Challenge last thing at night, having got into the practice of reading daily bible notes in this way ever since her Godmother sent her daily bible notes from her early teens onwards. Another reads in the morning in bed while waiting for the rest of the family to get ready in the bathroom. One of the group is reading the Old Testament this time around and saving the New Testament and prayers for the next time round. The chunks of reading are quite substantial and breaking the challenge down is a sensible approach.

The 150 Psalms crop up twice and so reading them once seems good enough to most! We all agreed it is fascinating to come across well known phrases which we had no idea of their origins. Pronunciation of names of people and places is a challenge and one of the group has borrowed the large print Bible from church which has notes to help with how the words sound. Finally it emerged in households with several Bibles, several people have a best Bible which is not taken out of the house!

The mood around the table was everyone is really enjoying the challenge. You can join in anytime and the Vicar has more books available. We will probably have another drive to promote it again this Advent.

Don't forget to enter our competition!

Time is ticking to get your camera's clicking and pencils drawing!  For our new competition to produce a stunning Normandy calendar for 2019.  Details and entry forms can be found in the details below, we are looking forward to receiving some lovely photographs of our Church and village.  If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

St. Mark's Calendar Competition.....

Get your camera's clicking and pencils drawing!  We are looking to produce a stunning Calendar to be on sale in time for Christmas.  We need photos, drawings or collages that can be of any subject that represents something of our wonderful village of Normandy or of our own church St. Mark's Wyke, e.g. interior, exterior, churchyard or the hall. It can be of an event you have been to at St. Mark's or the village, or something that has caught your eye or inspired you.  So whatever your age, please feel free to get snapping or drawing, or collecting and sticking!

Please click below to download an application form/photo consent form or please collect from the office.  Closing date 12th September 2018!  The winning image of the competition will take pride of place on the front of the calendar with the 12 runners up inside. 

OUR RECENT TEA TIME SERVICE......

Was great fun, children of all ages are welcome to come along and join in with games, activities and crafts, worship and tea..

It is held at the Church Hall on the following Sundays from 4.30pm - 6pm.  Please note, Parents/carers are responsible for their children at all times.

10th June - The Two Houses

8th July - The Good Shepherd 

We EVEN mADE THIS WEEK'S GUILDFORD SURREY ADVERTISER

After a very busy week, its great to see that St. Mark's was included in the May Fair round up of our local area.  Lovely to see Alison Craven quoted and some superb images of our volunteers. 

ST. MARK'S MAY FAIR 2018

Wow what an amazing day yesterday was - even the record breaking temperatures didn't put people off from visiting the annual St. Mark's May Fair. St. Mark's would like to say a heart felt thank you to everyone that contributed to the day from our visitors, to the businesses and all the volunteers, it wouldn't have happened without you. We are pleased to say yesterday's event has raised over £2000 for St. Mark's, so thank you.

One week to go....

One week to go until our May Fair, 2pm – 4.30pm at Manor Fruit Farm by the Village Hall. As you know we have some new attractions this year, along with some previous favourites, such as the Fun Dog Show, Unicorn rides, Face painting, an area for younger children to have fun with some new attractions and one for the older children as well. While the children are having fun with another carer, perhaps you can find an opportunity to enjoy some reflexology or a massage. Not forgetting a BBQ by Hunts Hill Farm, ice cream, candy floss and cakes!!

Plus lots more!! We believe the weather is due to be good, but we have gazebos if not, so please come along and have some fun and raise money to help St. Mark’s Church, Wyke. Thank you for your support.

ST. MARK'S PATRONAL DAY

Today (29/4/18) we celebrated our patron Saint St. Mark.  A communion service was followed by a lovely bring and share lunch, which was enjoyed by all.

MAY FAIR..... 

Wow our raffle prizes are looking really good, thank you so much to all our lovely local companies for being so generous. Below are some lovely images from the Taste of London event that takes place in Regents Park. With your VIP tickets you get fast track entry into the event, access to Club Taste VIP lounge and garden, a glass of Laurent-Perrier La Cuvee on arrival and your choice of 2 mouthwatering Signature dishes or 2 mouthwatering Signature and 1 Taste Exclusive dish...not to be missed!!

Tea time service update

Arrive at 4.30pm - games/activities/craft.  Worship then bring and share tea at 5.30pm, finishes at 6pm.  Please note, Parents/carers are responsible for their children at all times.

Dates and themes for our next three services follow:

13th May - David, The Giant Killer

10th June - The Two Houses

8th July - The Good Shepherd 

May fair.....

If you are looking forward to a bit of relaxation during the May Fay activities, then why not pre-book your treatment now!

A big thank you to Ally Lawson for creating our new May Fair poster.  Look out for it around the village soon!

MAY FAIR UPDATE

Three weeks today until our annual May Fair on the 7th May!  It is held at Manor Fruit Farm in Glaziers Lane, Normandy and runs from 2 - 4.30pm.  This year we have some exciting new additions from Unicorn Rides, to guess how many balloons are in a Mitshubishi, holistic treatments, Face painting and glitter tattoos, new stalls and an unmissable raffle.  As well as favourites such as a Dog Show, Plate smashing, Coconut Shy and of course some lovely home made cakes!  Hunts Hill Farm are providing a BBQ and Tony Fresko is bringing along the ice cream!  If you are able to help that would be great, please contact the office or otherwise, please come along and have some fun.    

May Fair Raffle tickets now on sale 

Raffle tickets are now on sale and the winners will be drawn at our May Fair on the 7th May.  With some fabulous prizes including two VIP Tickets to Taste of London, a luxury gourmet champagne hamper, champagne tea for two, an Amida spa day pass and a Fulks Butchers voucher to name just a few!  Tickets are priced a £1 for one or £5 for five.  Please contact the Church office, Judy or Claire WD for tickets. 

EASTER DAY 2018

Happy Easter from all at St. Mark's.  Christ has risen.

GOOD FRIDAY 2018 

Our St. Mark's garden set up to represent the tomb that Jesus's body was laid in and a stone put in front which was guarded by centurions.  

Maundy Thursday 2018 

A Maundy Thursday service took place at St. Mark's this evening, remembering Jesus's final meal with his friends before his death.   Before this festival meal, Jesus washed the feet of each disciple, a task that was normally done by a servant.  He wanted to show his followers that they should love one another in humble ways. This was reenacted at the service tonight.

PALM SUNDAY 2018

Palm Sunday today marks the start of the Christian Holy Week,the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey just days before he was betrayed by his friend Judas Iscariot.  The day is called 'Palm Sunday' because the people of Jerusalem threw palm leaves to the floor as a greeting for him when he arrived.  Today at St. Mark's our procession into Church reenacted this event.

MAY FAIR 2018 

Our annual May Fair is taking place on Monday May 7th from 2pm - 4.30pm at Manor Fruit Farm.  We are working hard to ensure that it is a great community event and we are planning hard now to hopefully bring some new ideas to the Fair such as face painting, holistic treatments, some great raffle prizes and much more!  

From Sunday 25th March we are hoping to start collecting any tombola gifts that you are able to donate ideal for children and adults at the back of the Church and if there is anything that you would like to help us with regarding the raffle that would be great.  

This event is reliant on volunteers so if you have any time to spare on the 7th to help set up, run a stall, do some washing up or clearing away, your help would be very gratefully received.  Please talk to Judy K or Claire WD.  Many thanks.    

MOTHERING SUNDAY 

Springtime arrived at St. Mark's this Sunday, when mothers and female members of the congregation were all given a beautiful primrose to celebrate Mothering Sunday.  The Reverend Donna Mistlin presided over the service and we prayed and gave thanks to all Mothers and people who care for us.