St Johns Church

Felbridge

ISSUE 4

Welcome
All change - well, its not actually all change, but there
have been a few things changing recently at St. Johns as
we seek to position ourselves in the best place for the work
God has called us to.

Inside this issue youll find details about the changes to the
interior of our church to maximise the potential and use of
the amazing building God has given us. Youll also find out
whats changed with our childrens and youth groups and
our Sunday services, as well as stories of work going on in
Uganda and Cambodia to bring change to peoples lives in
these parts of the world.

In any organisation or community, there will be a healthy

mix of those who find change hard as well as those who
feel it doesnt happen fast enough. But one thing thats
true is that throughout history the church has always had
to change to face the challenges of each new generation.
The message of the Bible, of the gospel of Jesus, stays the
same as it anchors us in our fast-changing world, but our
approach to the work God has called us to must evolve with
times. It has been said that,
The great drama of the life of the church is that it has to
reproduce itself in every generation
MARK FRANCIS (vicar)

OUT OF THIS WORLD

Takes place during our 10am service

Things are changing rapidly in the world around us, many things for good, and some not so good.
But the message of the Bible stays the same. It holds us fast in a changing world. Heres a bit about
what the children at St. Johns are discovering and learning this year...
OUT OF THIS WORLD
has been going from strength to strength with new children and
friends coming along. The group is for those aged between 3
and 11 and is a jam-packed, fun-filled three-quarters of an hour.
We play games, watch videos, sing songs, create crafts and
through all these various activities we explore Bible stories and
themes. Our aim is that the children will learn more about God in
a fun and safe environment.
BIBLE OVERVIEW
We have recently started a new teaching series exploring the
stories of the Bible beginning with Creation, then moving through
the Old Testament and from there through the New Testament as
we discover more about Jesus life, death and resurrection, and
about the experiences of the very first Christians. By following this
overview our hope is that the children will see how Gods plan of
salvation is worked out through the whole Bible.
JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE DVDS
Were using these as part of the teaching, which pull out the
main stories from the Bible and use aminations to retell them.
Theyre short and engaging clips presenting the stories in a childappropriate manner. The children love them and learn so much
from them! At the end of each story there is a clear link to the
life of Jesus, showing the children how the whole Bible points to
Jesus as our King and Saviour. Through discussions and activities
the children explore how each story applies to them in their lives.
OUR HOPE
is that the children will remember these stories as they grow and
develop and that through them their knowledge of God and
relationship with Him will deepen, that they will experience for
themselves His love and forgiveness, and fulfil their potential as
His children. So, the whole story of the Bible in just a year and a
half! Maybe that sounds rather ambitious to you? Well, we want
to have great ambitions and hopes for the children as we teach
them about God and where they fit into His story for the world.
ALL CHILDREN
are very welcome to come and try out our groups which run
during our 10am service, whether you are normally churchgoers or not. There is a real sense of friendship within the group,
with the children caring for each other and the older children
looking out for the younger ones. And its a joy to see young lives
changed and lasting friendships formed. Proverbs 22 verse 6
says,
Start the children off on the way they should go, and even when
they are old they will not turn from it.
Please pray with us that the children who meet together will
continue in what they have learnt about God for the rest of their
lives.
Our team of childrens leaders are all DBS checked and receive
Safeguarding training. In addition to our Out of this World group,
we also run a Crche for 0-2s during the 10am service.

CHURCH FOR THOSE WHO DONT DO

SUNDAY MORNINGS,
CHURCH FOR THOSE WHO CANT DO
SUNDAY MORNINGS
WERE RELAUNCHING OUR 6PM SERVICE FOR 3 MAIN REASONS:
Sunday mornings are not a good time for everyone, and so our 6pm service is
now a realistic alternative
Were aware of the need for us as a church to be doing more for young people
in Felbridge, and so our youth groups for 11-18s will run alongside our 6pm
service
Our 10am service is often full, and so we hope to be able to continue moving
forward by building up our 6pm service.
So instead of a main service at 10am and a subsidiary one at 6pm, there will now
be two main services on an equal footing.
WHO IS THIS SERVICE FOR?
Its for anyone at all, but
Maybe you have sport or work or family commitments on a Sunday morning, or its
just your one chance in the week to have a lie-in?
Maybe you and your family would like to be part of the new Felbridge youth
setup?
Maybe you are often serving at our 10am service and dont want to miss out on
being in church?
Maybe you just prefer the feel of the 6pm service?
Or maybe you like the idea of a Sunday tea before church each week?
Doors will open at 5:15 with tea served beforehand. The service starts at 6pm and
will finish at 7pm or shortly after. And the youth groups will run alongside all of this,
finishing at 7:30pm.
At both our services there will be music, prayer, and a talk from the Bible. Were
very positive when it comes to the Bible we believe and experience that God
speaks to each of us through these words today.

Sunday services at 10am and 6pm (and 8am on the 2nd & 4th Sundays)

XTB LUNCHTIME CLUB AT FELBRIDGE SCHOOL

Explore the Bible Club (XTB) at Felbridge School is now running

for the 4th term and it has been a really exciting opportunity for
the junior children, aged between 7 and 11, to learn a bit more
about Jesus from the Bible. Mark Francis, Penny Jeffers and I
have been going into the school on a Thursday lunchtime each
week to teach stories from the Bible, whilst playing games and
making crafts with the children.
Last term, we traced Peters story through the Gospels to
see how his faith and friendship with Jesus developed and
deepened. This term the children have been discovering
more about Gods character through the stories of Joseph and

Moses; in particular how God kept His promises and how He

is the great Rescuer. The children have activity books to work
in each week: solving puzzles, spotting the difference, creating
crafts and cracking codes as they learn more about the true
stories from the Bible.

It has been a joy to see children learning and to see them

coming running down the corridor (no running in the corridors!)
week on week, eager and excited to be there.
Abby Benjamin

MAXIMISING THE
POTENTIAL OF OUR
CHURCH BUILDING
WHAT WEVE DONE AND WHY?
Before

St. Johns was built in 1865 and the last major alterations to the interior of the
church were in 1972/4. We are so grateful for a superb church building here in
Felbridge that has been used to the glory of God for 150 years! But we had also
became increasingly aware of its limitations.
Thats why we undertook a project to update the interior of the church to
maximize its potential and use. We have upgraded the seating, heating, flooring,
lighting and audio-visual system.
INCREASED FLEXIBILITY
The building was being used for only 3-4 hours per week, but the increased
flexibility concerning the sorts of meetings and events the church can be used for
will enable us to make the very best use of the church throughout the week.

After

INCREASED CAPACITY
St. Johns is a relatively small church building and it had pews to seat 130 people.
We are regularly over 80% full at our 10am service and the changes to the interior
has now increased our capacity to up to 180-200 chairs.
A BUILDING THAT SPEAKS
Buildings speak whether we like it or not and we are very pleased with the new
feel of the church. The changes have enhanced the building, bringing to the
fore the attractive stonework and original features, and creating an uplifting and
vibrant space that speaks of the life to the full that Jesus came to offer to all
(John 10:10).

Before

IMPROVED ACCESS
The flexible space and removal of steps and levels in a number of places has
made the building more accessible and welcoming to those with wheelchairs or
buggies, and those who are less mobile.
RENEWED FACILITIES
Replacing our heating, lighting and audio-visual system was a real and immediate
concern and the up-to-date technology and equipment are already making a real
difference to what we are able to do.

After

Before

We are very grateful to the contractors for their work and expertise, to the
members of the church who gave their time in a variety of ways to make this
happen, and to Imberhorne School for allowing us to meet there while the work
was taking place. We are also very grateful to those members of the church who
have given in the past to our building projects that has enabled us to pay for this
renovation work.

After

Before

After

Before

After

BEING TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING

OF OUR MINDS ROMANS CHAPTER 12 VERSE 2
Apologetics Explored 2016
[Apologetics = the reasoned defence for the truth of Christian
beliefs]
For our Lent Course at St. Johns this year, weve had a great
time as Joe Clease has led us looking into the evidence
and arguments that can give us confidence in the truth of
Christianity. Weve been considering the most common
objections to faith in Jesus and thinking about what we
can truthfully say to respond to such objections. This is an
important part of contemporary Christianity: one example
that demonstrates this is that recent surveys show that a large
percentage of people in Britain do not even think Jesus was a
real historical person, despite almost unanimous agreement
on this among historians.
Here are the topics tackled, which often become barriers to
belief for people:

Reliability & Historical Basis of the Bible

Historical Basis for Jesus & the Resurrection

Other Faith and Beliefs

Creation of the World

Science, Evidence and Evolution

Suffering, Evil and Morality

If you would like to listen to presentations on these and similar

themes, please visit this page of our church website: http://
www.stjohnsfelbridge.com/explore-more/claims-of-christianity

The Search for God and the Path to

Persuasion
We are currently recommending
this excellent new book at
St. Johns, hot off the press. If
apologetics is something that
sparks your interest, this book
may be for you.
Former vicar of St. Johns,
Stephen Bowen, very sadly
died in November last year,
having served as vicar of the
church in Felbridge for 33

years. Before he died, he was able to carry out the first edit of
this new book written by Peter May. Peter was a close friend
of Stephens and spoke at his funeral, paying tribute to him.
Stephen edited the book just before he went into hospital for
the last time, having also discussed it with Peter for a number
of years prior to this as the ideas for the book were coming
together. He endorsed it enthusiastically and Stephen and
Mandy have prayed the book into being over the years.
Stephen shared this passion for effective evangelism and
apologetics that Peter May speaks about in the book, and that
Joe Clease has led us to think about through our Lent Course
this year. This passion began for Stephen as a student during
his days as President of CICCU (Cambridge Inter Collegiate
Christian Union) and many of us will be so aware of how
Stephen put this into practice throughout all aspects of his
life and ministry. His desire was to point people to the Lord
who had transformed his life and who had given him immense
strength and unwavering hope in the face of death.

In Memory of Stephen
Speaking at Stephens
funeral service,
churchwarden Andy
Brown reminded us that
pervading all that Stephen
did as vicar of Felbridge
was both his loving
pastoral care through
which he modelled the
Christian life for us; and
the priority he gave to
proclaiming the good
news of Jesus by faithfully
and relevantly teaching
the Bible.
It is therefore hugely appropriate that the money given
at Stephens funeral in memory of him has been used to
purchase the new set of NIV 2011 church Bibles. We are
delighted to have these available for all to use as we begin life
in our newly refurbished church. May all be persuaded of the
truth about Jesus they find inside!
John 17:17 Jesus says to God, his Father, Your word is truth!

BRINGING CHANGE IN CAMBODIA

St. Johns becomes a
Connected Church
St. Johns has become one of Tearfunds
Connected Churches with a special link
to World Relief Cambodia (WRC).
Asked why this is so special, Brenda
Wilkinson explains: We will develop
closer links with WRC and learn about
their work in greater detail. And well
get regular updates about the projects
they are running and learn how peoples
lives are being transformed. As we
learn more about Cambodia and its
problems and feel more connected to
WRC we will have the opportunity to ask
Tearfund to arrange for a small group
from our church family to go and see
WRC projects for ourselves.
WRC runs a wide range of projects addressing many local
concerns. These range from food security, education and
healthcare to raising awareness of the dangers of child trafficking
all of which show Gods love for the poor.
Brenda adds: I would particularly like to tell you about a 15
year-old girl called Srey Noch who lives in Puk Reusey village in
Cambodia.
As usual for most teenage girls, growing up Srey Noch spent
most of her time with her friends. However, as she got older she
began to stay away from home, avoid helping her family with the
housework, and became very rude towards them. She was causing
trouble at home and her parents really struggled to look after her.
It is funny how God guides us to the right places. Srey Noch and
her friends used to hang out every weekend, watching a puppet
show in their community. They always loved it. After a few months
she got chatting to the group putting on the show. It turned out
they were from World Relief Cambodia! They invited Srey Noch
and her friends to some of the events they put on for teenagers.
Srey Noch and her friends went along to one of their events and
have continued to do so. They are always fun and a place to build
good friendships, but also have a teaching element. The teaching
topics ranges from anti-trafficking to healthcare and to spiritual
well-being.
Through the love shown to her - a troublesome teenager - Srey
Noch found Jesus. Asking Him into her life was a world-changing
moment for her. After I accepted Jesus, my life was transformed.
Jesus calls us to a different way of life and I realised that I should
love everyone, including my family - even when they asked me to
do housework! Now we have a much better relationship and I am
looking forward to joining a cell-church.

Brenda particularly liked the idea that the children were reached
through the puppet shows as we have Bruno and Soli at
St. Johns to help us teach our young people about Jesus.
She concludes: Through the Connected Church Scheme we will
learn about many more lives that have been transformed by WRC
and we will be hearing about projects that need our prayers. It
will be such an encouragement for us to know that our prayers
and financial support are helping to bring about these changes.
As a Tearfund Connected Church, we will be sharing regular
updates about WRC as we receive them.

CHANGING (TRANSLATING) THE BIBLE IN UGANDAN LANGUAGES

GIFT AND KATHRYN ASIKU,
Working with Wycliffe Bible
Translators
In February I had the great joy and privilege of
returning to Uganda (where I was born and grew
up and later worked), to visit our Mission Partners,
Gift and Kathryn Asiku and their two boys,
James (7) and Simon Peter (5).
They live and work in Entebbe on the shores of
Lake Victoria, about 20 miles from the capital,
Kampala, but at least an hour away by road! As
his name suggests, Gift is Ugandan from Arua,
in the north of the country; Kathryns home is
in Kent, but they met in Arua while Kathryn was
working on literacy projects there, and after they
were married they moved to work in the Wycliffe
Bible Translators office in Entebbe.
Gift facilitates a team of translators currently
working on 4 different languages across
Uganda, providing supervision, encouragement
and training which may involve travelling
considerable distances. They have completed the
New Testament, and are now working on the OT.

Kathryn is involved with literacy projects,

particularly the production of cheaply-printed
books which are easily translated and accessible,
covering a wide range of subjects from Bible
stories to healthcare, nutrition and good
agricultural practice.
Their two boys attend local schools, so Kathryn
juggles her days between work and home: an
early-morning walk to collect the milk (straight
from the cow!), getting the boys to school, time
at the office and daily shopping at the local shop
or market. Although she has help during the
week with the laundry (no washing machine!)
and preparing lunch, a very unreliable electricity
supply presents additional challenges!
I was honoured and privileged to share in their
lives whilst over there, to see some of their
work, to meet their colleagues, and to visit their
church (also St Johns!) where I received a very
warm welcome. The Presidential Election took
place while I was with them, and much prayer is
needed that the country will remain peaceful and
stable so that daily life can continue unhindered.
Anne Butler

To all our friends at St. Johns,

Thank you for lending Anne to us for a few weeks! We have enjoyed having her with us and her time here has been a blessing and an
encouragement. We are excited that she will be able to bring you pictures and first-hand accounts of our lives and work here in Uganda. We hope
this will inspire you to pray for us and the people here who are waiting for Gods Word in their language. Thank you for praying for Uganda during the
elections. We are grateful to God for the peace we can enjoy. Thank you for your generous gift. We appreciate the love you have shown us.
Love, Kathryn, Gift, James and Simon-Peter

CHANGING MARRIAGES FOR THE BETTER

The Marriage Course

When St Johns decided to run a marriage

course at the end of last year, I was intrigued.
Paul and I had been married for 10 years
and when Mark explained that it wasnt just
for newlyweds, but also for those who have
been together for 5, 10, 25, even 50 years
as a sort of MOT for a relationship I was
sold.
We turned up each Thursday for 7 weeks
and spent half an hour mingling with other
couples over a glass or two and then were
seated at our very own table for two to
enjoy the most
fabulous meal prepared for us each week
by Chris Saunders and his family. It was like
date night at a restaurant.
We watched a DVD in which an experienced
couple covered topics with stories from

their own marriage as examples, as well as

input from other selected couples. Subjects
covered included: communication, resolving
conflict, forgiveness, impact of family,
good sex and love in action. Every now
and again we would break from the DVD
to discuss in our couples different aspects
of our relationship, with activities and
questionnaires we even had homework!
Paul and I got a lot out of the Marriage
Course both in improving our communication, being open about how we feel, and a
renewed and much deeper love and respect
for each other. We also recognise how God
and His love for us helps make our marriage
and family life happy and strong as we deal
with whatever comes our way. This course is
a must for any couple, whatever stage they
are at!
Paul and Allison Phillips

Look out for news of similar courses on

Parenting and Living with Loss this
coming autumn.

01342 314027
office@stjohnsfelbridge.com
www.stjohnsfelbridge.com