Child Protection Training
If you are involved in working with children and young people in our churches and weren't able to go to the recent and excellent Child Protection Training evening provided by the Diocese, you might like to know that a further course is being provided on Saturday 5 July, from 10:30am to 1pm, at St Peters, Oaklands, Yateley, GU46 7GA. Cost £1 per participant. To book places, please contact the Deanery Training Office, Philip Dixon, on 01420 511242 or at sonningdeanerytraining@eml.cc. Thoroughly recommended!
Jesus Video Project - Please continue to pray for the Jesus video project, as we are visiting people to offer copies of the DVD and making follow-up visits to those who are happy for us to return.
Congratulations to Dianne and Steve Caruana on the recent arrival of Henry.
Barkham Annual General Meeting held on 28th April 2008
At the AGM meeting last Monday the following were elected to serve on the PCC for the coming year:
Kester Paine, Suzy Lawrence, Karen Wilshire to join the existing PCC of:
David Horrocks, Claire Wells, Alan Wrobel, Theresa Swan, Ian Turner, Nicci Gilchrist, Steve Grundy and Chris Grover.
Churchwardens and Deanery Synod Representatives are ex officio members of the PCC and are as follows:
Churchwardens: Ed Gilchrist and Mike Grover
Deanery Synod Reps: Lisa Horrocks and Michael Byrne
Advance Notice….Prayer Meetings next Wednesday, 14th May for all congregations.
Flooding at Poppyfields - July 2007 - Thank you's !
Following the distribution of the flood collection money recently, we have received several 'thank you' cards and these are currently displayed at the back of Arborfield church, and we will also display them in Barkham Church for everyone to see. In the meantime we received the following encouraging emails to the church office:
"We have no idea if this is the contact point to express our gratitude but we really would like to say a great big thank you to the Churches of Arborfield and Barkham. Please pass on to the appropriate people involved.
We have just recently moved back to our house on the Poppyfields estate at Arborfield. We experienced a very harrowing eight months away from our home after the devastating floods of July 20th 07. The envelope that came through the door shortly after we moved back, with the heart felt note and its contents was indeed a huge surprise and very reassuring. The reason we say 'reassuring' is because, the last eight months have
been a journey of discovery when it comes to the many aspects of human nature. During our time away we have been involved with many people who we have relied on to make the journey back to our rebuilt home as stress free as possible. We were getting increasingly disillusioned at how some people intentionally like to gain financially from others misfortunes. Your note has restored our faith in human nature.
A very big thank you again for your incredible generosity.
Regards - John & Joyce Sutherland"
Many, many heart felt thanks from Myra and her son Danny, to the people of Arborfield and Barkham churches for all the love and support shown to them, and to all their neighbours whose houses were flooded last summer.
‘Thank you for your prayers on our behalf and for the generous gift we found on our return home. You have all been so kind and helped Danny and me to feel part of the church family. We are so grateful to God and to you all for this and for all your practical help, both when our house was flooded in July, and now when moving back home.
Special thanks for the help with transport and with washing of clothes when both my car and my washing machine ‘drowned’ in the flood waters, and also to David for fixing the loft boards, and Lisa & Carolyn for help with cleaning the flat in Crowthorne.
The past ten months have been quite an experience, to say the least, but at every stage, I’ve known that God has had His hand on each situation, whether it was good or difficult.
Please continue to pray with me for ‘Poppyfields’ - Myra Durham
