News
On these pages you will find the latest weekly notices as well as the diary for the month ahead which runs through to the end of January.
Following the retirement of our previous Vicar, Richard Cattley, St Martin's is now in a formal Vacancy - sometimes known as "an Interregnum." The Parish Profile and Statement of Needs is available for reference now only; the Rev'd Derek Tighe has now been appointed as next Vicar subject to completion of formalities including CRB and medical checks. He is expected to take up appointment in the summer and the date of his induction will be announced as soon as possible. Please continue to use the contacts page to get in touch with other members of the clergy team or the churchwardens.
Meanwhile a number of important developments took place at St Martins and St Mary's in the Autumn:-
First was the reopening of the Christian Centre following the major refurbishment which took place over the summer as part of the partnership with MVDC which has seen the former Mayflower Centre facilities incorporated. For more information about the Christian Centre please click on the link (see menu on right) to their site.
Second is a change to the pattern of services at St Martins' which will see a shared (Anglican-Methodist) All Together service at 10am on every first Sunday in the month beginning on 2 October (Harvest). Please see the special handbills at church for further details.
Finally at St Mary's Pixham the monthly service pattern will become:-
First and Third Sundays - 11am Holy Communion
Second Sunday - 11am Morning Prayer
Fourth Sunday - 11am Pixham Praise
Fifth Sunday - 10am Rise and Shine - a form of cafe church
In the field of "Music at St Martin's", our Thursday lunchtime recitals season is under way; the Spring programme is available as a handbill at the back of church as well as on the special page on this website. Don't forget there is a choral evensong once a month; this is usually on the first Sunday at 6pm but please check the calendar or weekly notice sheet for details. The choir, following its travels in 2011 to Canterbury, St Paul's, and York Minster, will also be singing the St John Passion on 1 April and singing services at Southwark Cathedral on 15 April.
A vital part of the musical life at St Martin's is provided by the William Cole Church Music Trust which supports an organ scholar award and a choral scholar award; new organ awards have been made for the year commencing Autumn 2011 and we welcome Edward Howell and Rebecca Baker to our ranks.
Sunday 9 Jan was our Thinking Day - an opportunity to really think about the mission of St Martin's and the Christian Centre in the future. A copy of the feedback slides from the end of the day is behind a special graphic on the right hand side of the Christan Centre website. The Church Councils and task groups are following up the many issues raised; the Planning Group has drawn out the common themes from the day and allocated specific suggestions to the Task Groups to consider. You can read more about this in the "Vision Day - What Next" paper
At the back of church you will find copies of the latest St Martins Magazine and the Diocesan Wey as well as "A look at St Martin's". This full colour folding guide has been produced with support from The Friends of St Martin's and was launched to coincide with the 2008 Mole Valley Heritage Days whose theme was "Hidden Treasures"; our spire is a well known landmark for miles around but our wealth of beautiful interior features are far less well known. Also available to borrow at the back of the church are laminated guides to the stained glass windows in our church; they were produced for the Friends event "Celebrating Stained Glass".
Finally, also on the bookstall is our "Welcome Booklet" - designed for those wanting to find out a bit more about the many things taking place at St Martin's and to identify key contacts. The booklet has a simple reply card for you to drop off if you wish someone to contact you about a specific activity. Please do use it to get in touch - we'd love to hear from you.
