Hassocks United Reformed Church

Hassocks United Reformed Church Bulletin
March 2025

Sunday services at 10.30am:
02 March      The Revd Roger Wood
09 March      The Revd David Cumbers. Communion
16 March      Mrs Jacquie Odell from Lindfield URC (See note below)
23 March      A family service led by members of the congregation
30 March      Mothering Sunday. Mrs Tricia Rey from Marsh Green URC

Shorter Thursday services at 10.30am:
06 March      Mrs Jill Hewer and Mr Stuart Dew
13 March      The Revd Peter Scotland
20 March      The Revd David Cumbers. Communion
27 March      Mrs Heather McNiven

Refreshments are served after both services.

Jacquie Odell has taken the Synod worship leading course and this will be her assessed service. The assessors will be our minister, Paul Woods who is the Area lay preaching co-ordinator, and representative members of our congregation. This may feel like quite an ordeal for Jacquie .... So please be nice to her!

Gather 25. This is a global streamed event from different countries over a 25 hour period - a time for the global Church to come together and pray and worship. Centre Church in Lelylands Road, Burgess Hill (a church asociated with the Assemblies of God) will be streaming it live on Saturday 1 March from 7pm to 10pm when London is the host. The website is www.gather25.com.

Synod Together will be at East Croydon URC on Saturday 8 March. It is one of the four tiers of decision making of our denomination and takes place twice a year. (Local Church Meeting > Central Sussex Area Meeting > Southern Synod > General Assembly). It would good to uphold the deliberations there in prayer.

Messy Church and church coffee. Saturday 8 March

Bible Study. Monday 10 March. Small hall. 11am. Continuing through John's gospel.

Lent studies and Stations of the Cross
The Churches Together Lent Study will be held at the URC on the 12th, 19th and 26th March, all at 7.30pm. The theme this year will be around Jesus’ time in the wilderness.

Stations of the Cross will be held at the URC on the 2nd April, at St Edwards on the 9th April and at St Cosmas & St Damian on the 16th April. Start time will be 7.00pm. The Stations of the Cross at the URC will be made up of prayer stations and you can arrive between 7.00pm and 8.00pm to start the prayer journey.

Church knitters. The most recent batch of knitted goods have been dispatched to Ukraine and the church knitters are keen to starting knitting again. Any donations of wool would be gratefully received by Brenda Farr or Brenda Rowe

Contacting the minister: [email protected] or 07732 759529

Hassocks United Reformed Church Bulletin
February 2025

Sunday services at 10.30am:
02 February Dr Graham Campling
09 February The Revd David Cumbers. Communion
16 February Mr Stuart Dew
23 February A family service led by church members

Shorter Thursday services at 10.30am:
06 February Mrs Heather McNiven
13 February Mrs Claire Levin
20 February Dr Graham Campling. Communion
27 February The Revd David Cumbers

Refreshments are served after both services.

Messy Church and church Coffee. Saturday 8 February.

Bible Study. Monday 10 February. Small hall. 11am. John 2.1-11. Water into Wine: Your verdict. Note: This is a temporary departure from our journey through John's gospel.

Notes from the January Church Meeting:

Barclays Bank have re-instated the church’s charitable status. A refund of last year’s interest of £206 had been paid, plus £150 as an apology for poor service.
Commitment for Life. £455 was raised in November.
Crisis at Christmas. £446.50 was raised at the Christmas services.
Powell House. Completion of the work is likely towards the end of January. There will then be an opportunity to view the completed work after a Sunday morning service.
Mission and Training. A new Synod Mission Officer had started work: She is Jo Patterson, who has been a Church Related Community Worker in South London. A new Synod Training Officer has also been appointed: the Revd Charisa Hunter-Crump is currently a minister in the USA and will take up post later in the year.
Christmas services. The Minister and Elders are considering what changes should be made in 2025. Thoughts welcome.
Co-option of Elders. Heather McNiven was co-opted to the eldership
Next Church Meeting. After worship on Sunday 13 April 2025.

Contacting the minister: [email protected] or 07732 759529

Hassocks United Reformed Church Bulletin
January 2025

Sunday services at 10.30am:
05 January The Revd Peter Scotland
12 January    The Revd David Cumbers. Communion
19 January    The Revd David Cumbers. The Annual Church Meeting follows the service.
26 January    Mrs Heather McNiven

Shorter Thursday services at 10.30am:
2 January      Mrs Heather McNiven
9 January      Mrs Annette Squire
16 January    The Revd David Cumbers. Communion
23 January    Dr Graham Campling
30 January    Mr Stuart Dew

Refreshments are served after both services.

Colin Robinson died on 8 December after a short illness. Colin was the founder and inspiration of our Monday Bible Study group and had continued to be an enthusiastic attender and participant, despite his acute hearing difficulties. His funeral will be at the Sussex and Surrey Crematorium, Balcombe Road, Crawley, RH10 3NQ (Worth) on Wednesday 8 January at 11.30 am. Colin's dauthghter, Kathryn, has thanked the church for the support we gave to her dad.

The Revd John Pritchard. It seems a long while since October, when John died, but we will remember him and give thanks for his life in a service at 2.30pm on Sunday 12 January. Light refreshments will be served after the service.

Joan Miles. Following the news of Joan’s death on 24 November, as reported in the last Bulletin, we can now report that the funeral will be at our church at 1.30pm on Tuesday 14 January. The service will be led by our minister, David. Refreshments will follow at the Thatched Inn.

Our own Keith Cook starred in an ITV Good Morning Britain feature in December, as the passenger in a Hassocks trishaw, which offers rides in the local area as part of the Cycling Without Age network Hurst & Hassocks - Cycling Without Age Congratulations Keith !

Bible Study is on Monday 13 January in the small hall at 11am. John chapter 10.

Contacting the minister: [email protected] or 07732 759529

Technology gone mad? According to media reports, worshippers can now confess their sins face to face with Jesus – or at least with an AI version. The hologram interprets questions and formulates a response. In more than 100 different languages. It is the work of a church in Switzerland.