It was a cold, damp morning in late November when KS3 Henry Tyndale students (a school for children with complex learning difficulties) collected shoeboxes from the New Life Church and delivered them, with the school’s shoeboxes, to a warehouse in the wilds of Surrey (actually, a large industrial unit close to Guildford Cathedral!).

We had filled, collectively, 98 shoeboxes and the students were very proud to deliver them on behalf of their friends at school and the New Life Church. 

Once we had arrived, we drove the school minibus, and my car, into the warehouse itself, where we unloaded our boxes and stacked them ready for checking.  Carolyn (the OCC Area Co-ordinator) gave us a short training session on what to look for in the boxes, and then we started work.

We were reminded to always respect the intention of the sender; that is, not to make our own decisions about what went into the box, but to remember to stick to the ‘do’s and ‘don’ts’ as listed on the leaflets.  Previously, I had always suspected that full or luxurious boxes would be ‘screened’ and gifts moved to less fortunate boxes, but was amazed (and actually, quite moved) by the wealth of donated goods that were arrayed on tables, by type, around the warehouse, waiting to be packed into boxes with space.  If there was the tiniest piece of room, an extra gift would be squeezed in; a sharp lesson in generosity for a certain class teacher who had filled a box to what she thought was capacity, but spotted one of her students squeezing in some sweets, a pack of cards, a toothbrush and a second cuddly toy – not so full, after all!

Once we’d checked our boxes, we were able to look around the warehouse, and meet some of the volunteers; it was a very humbling experience.  We were told that since the shoeboxes had started to arrive, just over a month ago, over 10,000 (!) boxes had been checked and prepared for dispatch by the volunteers in this warehouse; they had come from individuals, churches, schools, various voluntary organisations, and, from here, they were all being sent to children in Bosnia. 

We saw the many, many cases of shoeboxes stacked around the perimeter of the warehouse, and learned that they were all to be loaded in three days’ time, onto a container ready to travel overseas to the recipients; another long and difficult  task for the (not-so-young) volunteers.

This trip was an amazing experience, not only for my students, but also for me and my staff; we were humbled by the generosity of the individuals volunteering to work long hours, doing backbreaking work, in a cold warehouse, and for children they will never meet.  We were touched by their kindness and enthusiasm in engaging with our students.

 We met men and women who were motivated by God’s Love alone, and who put their faith and trust in His Love into immediate and very practical action – everything we saw in Guildford was an amazing and wonderful witness to the power of Jesus’ Love to touch hearts and change lives.

Saturday 5 th December woke with a bright sunny start, and stayed that way as we set the lovely Christmas tree in its stand and secured it to the wall. It soon became apparent that there were not enough lights to make the tree look sparkling, so thanks to Terri and Jo who dashed out in search of some more the tree soon stood resplendent in its twinkling lights.

Next with dark clouds gathering we erected a couple of gazebos in case of rain!!!! With all things ready we left, to return at 3p.m. to set up refreshments. We prayed that we would know by 3p.m. if we were to put the refreshments outside or in. Yes you guessed it by 3p.m. it was raining, so we set up inside, praying hard that it would stop raining for the carols round the tree.

At 3.50p.m. we set off to All Saints church in the now pouring rain to meet with our fellow Christians and celebrate with a Christingle service. It was very interesting to learn how the Christingle candle came into being. Then all the children went to exchange their money pots for a Christingle candle and lined the aisle to have them lit and then sing Away in a Manger.

At the end of the service we all gathered to walk down Church Street with our torches and singing O Come All Ye Faithful. Praise the Lord half way down the road it stopped raining. Yes God does answer prayer.

We gathered round the tree and sang more carols and listened as we learned how and why Jesus came into the world. Our friend Jenny played the accordion for us which sounded fantastic. Thank you Jenny. 

Then we all went inside for refreshments of hot soup, tea, coffee, mince pies, and fellowship – and the heavens opened.  From the warm and dry we realised why we had been led to set up the refreshments inside!!

Anne Snozwell

 I became a Christian when I was 15; it seems a long time ago now. It came about through the testimony or life story of a young woman who shared how she found Jesus. She talked about how Jesus had answered some of the very serious questions she had about life – why was she here? Where was she going? What happens when we die?  These were all questions I had. She talked about how God knew her and in great detail. She talked about how God has a plan for our lives, that his plan is to prosper us not to harm us. She talked about how Jesus came to die to pay for the sins of the world, including ours and that if we believed or put our faith in him i.e. trusted him, we would live forever with him when he comes back, because although he died on the cross, three days later he rose again and now he is alive. That’s how he knows us – because he is alive; and how he guides us through our lives to accomplish Gods plan for us. None of this would be possible if he were dead.

I have to say that all she said made perfect sense to me. Something inside me said this is it. This woman said that if we wanted to know Jesus and follow him then we should put our hands up and she would pray and Jesus would come. My hand went straight up and she prayed and Jesus came. I have followed him ever since. I have found all she said to be true. Since then I have read the bible and continue to do so and find all that it says to be true – some of what it says is hard to understand, but there’s enough to understand that settles it every time for me. I don’t fully understand electricity but when I push the switch the lights comes on, to coin a phrase that’s what happens when we believe in Jesus – the lights come on.

 My position here is not full time, in that I have a business I run full time. The reality though, is that the business is really part time and being a Christian and an Elder is full time because this is my life. Many things demand our time. Many things crowd us in and at times take over but there is only one thing that is really important. We get caught up in the here and now, the immediate pleasure and desire, often not realising that the truly valuable is being lost while we spend ourselves on the temporary and then it’s too late. The only one true important priority is Jesus and our relationship with him. My role is to do what that young woman did, share my story, help others in the church to share theirs and to help those who don’t yet have a story concerning Jesus to start one. This always has a happy ending.

Menu

Food 

Fellowship

Fun

It’s that time of year again when we can approach the winter looking forward to some great evenings round the dinner table as we take part in the monthly Round Robin events (October – March). 

If you’ve signed up on the list, every month you will be given a date, a venue (it might be your home if you have agreed to host) and the names of your fellow diners.  All you have to do is agree who is going to bring the starter, the main course, the desert (and maybe some wine and after dinner choccies) and away you go. 

Each month you will be matched with different diners and it’s a great opportunity to share fellowship, get to know each other better and share your favourite recipes.  In fact, this year we hope to compile your favourite Round Robin recipes on the website so that we can all share in the goodies! 

It’s never too late to join in so just give you name to Pippa and she’ll let you know when the next dinner is going to be.