This page mentions some memorable events of the last few years involving the church. Where pictures are shown, click to see enlarged versions.
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As in previous years, Rosie the donkey from Follyoak Donkeys came on the morning of Palm Sunday to celebrate Christ's entry into Jerusalem. In the photographs she is seen with two young members of the congregation. Rosie was perfectly quiet before the morning service until a police vehicle came past, sounding its horn, when Rosie voiced her opinion as much as anyone else. |
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Mrs Maggie Bridgett presenting Godly Play in which the life of Jesus is told in pictures. Each picture illustrates a separate episode in his life (in the photograph the pictures show in turn Jesus' birth; sitting in the temple among the teachers and asking them questions; with John the Baptist; and being tempted in the wilderness). Participants were invited to select objects placed in the church to enhance the story. |
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| It has now become a tradition to hold a Christingle service in our church on Christmas Eve (for an explanation of Christingles, see below). Members of the congregation (adults and children) made their own Christingles from the materal supplied and later in the service everybody stood in a circle round the darkened church lit by the light from the candles in their Christingles. | ||
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Christingles are an old part of Christmas celebrations. An orange represents the earth; Four cocktail sticks are inserted on the upper side of the orange to represent the four seasons of the year; Sweets or dried fruit such as sultanas are threaded on the cocktail sticks to represent the goodness of the fruit of the earth; A red ribbon wrapped around the orange and fixed in place with a pin represents the blood of Jesus who died for the salvation of the whole world; A white candle is placed in the very top of the orange into a pre-prepared hole. Foil is used to help fix the candle into position. This candle represents Jesus, the light of the world, God's son. |
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On Sunday 17th October Farnham United Reformed Church held its 350th anniversary services. The preacher was the Reverend Professor Alan Sell, former Professor of Theology at the United Theological College, Aberystwyth. Professor Sell first became a candidate for the ministry from his home church of Worplesdon, and has preached at the church before. However the last time he preached at Farnham United Reformed Church was 8 January 1956. In order to mark the occasion a new garden seat was erected in the church garden and the attached photograph shows Professor Sell and the Reverend Michael Hopkins, minister of the church, sitting on the seat at the conclusion of the morning service. Professor Sell remarked how fine the garden looked under the care of Mrs Dora Murdoch. |
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On 2nd October 2010 Surrey Voices gave a concert at the church to celebrate the 350th anniversary of its original foundation. The conductor was Malcolm Hicks and Richard Pearce played the organ and the piano. The music ranged from Zadok the Priest by Handel via other sacred and operatic favourites to a medley of pieces by Cole Porter. The concert finished with the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah by Handel, in which the entire audience was invited to join after the briefest of rehearsals taken by Malcolm. There were two guest artists from Frensham Heights School, Joshua Clarke (cello) who played Bloch's Prayer and Edward Clarke (flute) who played a Siciliano by J. S. Bach. John Mansfield contributed two organ solos, the Swan from the Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns and a Prelude on the Londonderry Air by Noel Rawsthorne. The church is extremely grateful to Surrey voices for giving this concert, the proceeds of which were for church funds. A review of the concert, submitted to the local press, is available. |
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On 2nd May 2010 the BBC broadcast Sunday Worship from Farnham United Reformed Church, where we celebrated our 350th anniversary. The preacher was the Revd Roberta Rominger, General Secretary of the United Reformed Church and the producer was Stephen Shipley. The choir was augmented for the occasion by singers from local churches, choral societies and choirs. The anthem sung by the combined choirs was If ye love me, by Thomas Tallis. |
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On Sunday 24th January Farnham United Reformed Church marked the beginning of its 350th anniversary. This took the form of a special morning service attended by Councillor Pat Frost, Mayor of Waverley and Councillor Lucinda Fleming, Mayor of Farnham. The preacher was the Reverend John Marsh, Moderator of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church. During the service the Moderator presented gifts to the two mayors and also to the church which were accepted on behalf of the church by the youngest member, 4-week old Peter Tropman (born on Boxing Day 2009) and the longest-serving member, Nellie Hawkins. |
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On 17th January 2010 The Revd Michael Hopkins hosted the Unity Service on behalf of Churches Together in Farnham at Farnham United Reformed Church. Commenting on the service, Mr Hopkins said, “It was a wonderful occasion with members of so many different churches coming together in an act of worship, and a delight that Father Paul Jennings, Farnham’s new Roman Catholic Priest, was willing to preach.” |
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The photograph on the right shows the clergy who took part in the service: |
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On Tuesday 3rd November pupils from Year 6 of William
Cobbett Junior School visited local churches in central Farnham
as part of their Religious Education studies. The visits were
organised by FAST, the Farnham Assemblies Team and the pupils
visited St Andrew's Parish Church, St Joan's Roman Catholic Church
and Farnham Baptist, Methodist and United Reformed Churches. The
visits were arranged in co-operation with Mr Andy Mitchell, Head
of Year 6 at William Cobbett School.
The picture shows pupils from William Cobbet Junior School inspecting
the organ at Farnham United Reformed Church.
Sunday 1st November, All Saints' Day, was a fitting
day to hold the annual service for thanksgiving for those people
who have been bereaved. The service was intended to provide an
opportunity for anyone in the community to express their grief,
which might have been ignored during the rest of the year, in
a supportive and safe place.
The photograph shows the display of candles which members of the congregation were invited to light.
When the three Farnham town centre churches combined
for their twice-yearly joint morning service on Sunday 28th June
2009 there was no-one to conduct the choir. Both the organist
of St Andrew’s Parish Church and the choirmaster of Farnham
United Reformed Church happened to be away for that weekend. But
the day was saved by 19-year old Chris Pelly, who stepped into
the breach and rehearsed the 21-strong combined choir and conducted
the anthem.
Chris is in the middle of his gap year between school and university. He starts a music degree at the University of Leeds this coming October. Asked why he chose Leeds as a university, he replied that, apart from having an excellent university, the city of Leeds had a lively musical scene in which he had every intention of taking part. Chris aims eventually to follow a career as a musical performer and has an ambition to be an orchestral conductor.
The church was filled for the service, and all the clergy of the three participating churches took part. The Rev Vida Foday, Minister of Farnham Methodist Church, gave the children’s address, Canon Andrew Tuck, Rector of Farnham, offered the prayers of thanksgiving and concern, the Rev Joy Lievesley, curate at St Andrew's, offered the opening prayers. The Rev Michael Hopkins, Minister of Farnham United Reformed Church, presided and pronounced the blessing. The sermon was preached by the Rev Dr Tim Rose, curate at St Andrew’s.
This may be the last time that Dr Rose preaches at Farnham United Reformed Church, as he is leaving the area in September to be installed as Priest-in-Charge of Stanford in the Vale with Goosey and Hatford in the Diocese of Oxford. We wish him well as he takes up his new responsibilities.
Revd. Pat Hall was the Minister of Farnham United
Reformed Church from 1993 to 2004 before becoming Minister of
the combined pastorate of Epsom and Ewell United Reformed Churches.
She is now returning to her native Canada with her husband Peter
Dickinson. On 7th June she shared a farewell service with her
friends at Farnham United Reformed Church. The photograph shown
Pat and her husband Peter at the lunch which followed the service
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To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the composer Felix Mendelssohn, choirs across the country were encouraged by the BBC to sing his well-known anthem "Hear my prayer" which includes the treble solo "O for the wings of a dove". For an exerpt of the performance on 10th May 2009 by the choir of Farnham United Reformed Church click here (The soloist was Hannah Pilkington).
