Parish blog

Gateway on Sunday continued our blessings theme based on the beatitudes. We welcomed Steve Calder, a Baptist pastor currently working in Croydon and long-time friend and colleague of Steve Argent. He shared his experience of meeting needs in South London and Croydon, faced with demographic changes associated with property development for the wealthy in inner…

Gateway continued our blessings theme. We wondered if the blessings were for all, like the laws of physics but the laws of life and good living. We felt that they were, and not just for a select few. We thought of people we know who fight for justice, help others, live more contentedly or who…

What strange words the Church of England uses! On Thursday evening we welcomed Martha as our new vicar with songs, cheer and acclamation. Bishop Ruth gave us an inspiring sermon, there was enthusiastic and heartfelt worship followed by a most delicious and vast buffet which was literally the icing on the cake. WELCOME CANON MARTHA!

The theme of Prayer Spaces this month was the Blessings of life, focussing on the Beatitudes.Like most of Jesus’s teachings, not what you might first expect.We listened, read sang and prayed. We thought and prayed creatively with Matthew 5 as our guide.Everyone was able to discover something new and pray blessings for our church, our…

Rev. Canon Martha Mutikani is delighted to have accepted the appointment to be our vicar, and looks forward to serving at St Augustine’s, Scaynes Hill. She currently serves as an Associate Vicar in the Uckfield Plurality and has been ordained since 2015. Alongside her parish ministry, she is the Assistant Dean of Women’s Ministry in…

Every year, thousands of churches across thecountry unite to mark Safeguarding Sunday.It’s a chance to listen and to talk togetherabout how we can create places that are saferfor everyone. At St Augustine’s Scaynes Hill, we celebrated Safeguarding Sunday this week, on Sunday 9th February. The prayer that Jo used during the intercessions is in the…

We had an uplifting prayer and worship evening on Sunday. We prayed for all kinds of topics in the news and close to home, and we remembered our faithful and all loving God as we worshipped. One of our favourite prayer activities was rewriting the Lord’s prayer and here’s a wonderful example. Why not join…

Many thanks to the dedicated team of flower arrangers who decorated the church in time for our “Carols by Candlelight” service on Sunday evening. Here are the piles of greenery waiting to be arranged, a daunting task … but the random piles were quickly reduced to decorative order around the church, including the crib located…

After enjoying delicious (free!) hot dogs – thank you, team – everybody trooped outside into the darkened churchyard. Steve started the countdown: “10, 9, 8, …” and precisely on zero Kevin’s grand daughter Annie threw the switch and the Christmas tree lit up in a blaze of light. Tim, on accordion, and Helen organised carols…

Beverley writes: The ministry of cake … and more! St Augustine’s surpassed itself on Saturday 26th October by making sure that all the delegates at the Dicesan Lay Ministry Conference at the Millenium Centre received a warm welcome and were well supplied with fabulous cake and coffee/tea. Everyone enjoyed the refreshments with the most difficult…

Jenny Bewick asks: which fruit would you like to develop this harvest time? Thank you for this beautiful picture Jenny.

Debbie writes: On Saturday afternoon a number of us went to Chichester Cathedral to see Alan and Jenny Cattermole receive the Order of St Richard for their many years of hard work and faithfulness, not only on behalf of St Augustine’s, but also in the community and for FSW. It was wonderful to see them…