Next Sunday, September 7th, our special guest speaker at our joint 10am Holy Communion service will be Reverend David Senior. David is the Diocesan Mission Enabler for Stewardship and Evangelism. He also leads the Guildford Diocese’s annual Church Growth Conference, the theme of which this year is ‘The Quiet Revival’ of Christian faith in the UK. And it is wonderful see the green shoots of church growth in our own diocese.Those that have heard Rev David preach will confirm that he is a gifted and passionate communicator particularly on the topic of church growth. We’re delighted our friends from St Peter’s Church Hascombe will be joining us for this special occasion.His visit for the first Sunday in September coincides with the imminent harvest season when we celebrate God’s abundant provision and we are called to respond with gratitude and generosity.We hope you can come to St Mary and All Saints’ Church on September 7th at 10am to extend a very warm welcome to our guest. All are welcome.
The Dunsfold Church Pop-Up stall will be out for business later than usual in August. It will be set up outside the Dunsfold Village Shop on Saturday August 16th from 10am to noon.The stall will be stocking all your favourite goods such as cakes, marmalades and some top quality bric-a-brac. And you’re guaranteed a warm welcome if you want to pop down for a chat. They’ll also be selling tickets for our parish Harvest Supper which takes place on September 27th so please call in at the stall.
Please join us for a special evening of Harvest Supper fun at the Winn Hall on Saturday, September 27th. Click on the link for all the details, especially how you can buy your tickets. It will be another great night with a seasonal quiz a key part of the event. We hope to see you there.
The National Church Governance Measure, which will bring together separate national church bodies, received final approval in a vote at Synod in York today.The Measure, which now requires Parliamentary approval, is the product of a four-year process designed to simplify and transform the Church’s national structures to better serve, support and encourage local churches.Two existing bodies, the Archbishops’ Council and Church of England Central Services (known as ChECS) – which oversee a wide range of the church’s national functions – will be replaced by a new charity called Church of England National Services (CENS).It will also take over the non-investment functions from the Church Commissioners and most of those of the Offices of the Archbishops at Lambeth and Bishopthorpe Palaces.The measure was the product of a major review of the Church’s governance structures which called for an overhaul to rebuild trust and deliver greater transparency.Addressing Synod ahead of the debate on final approval, the Bishop of Guildford, Andrew Watson, who chaired the steering group which brought the Measure to Synod said: “This legislation, and the work that lies behind it, has been over four years in development, with widespread consultation at every stage, and significant improvements to the proposals as a result; and the issues of Governance in the Church have only become more acute during that period.“I would therefore urge Synod to get behind these proposals in their revised form, so that more effective governance at the national level might better serve and support our parishes , their churches, schools and communities in our calling to pray and work for the coming of God’s Kingdom.”
