Vicar's Column
A little while ago, I received an interesting mailing. A resident of Bognor Regis sent me copies of St John the Baptist, Crowthorne, parish magazines dated 1951 and 1954 and the 1952 year book from when the Rev Nugee was in post. I'm still trying to make time to read through them properly - they are a fascinating glimpse into how Christian attitudes and culture have changed or perhaps not! If you would like to borrow these from me then do ask.
After a very wet Sunday at the start of half term, I cannot resist sharing the following item with you from the year book:
Twelve reasons for attending church on a wet Sunday
1) God has blessed the Lord's day and hallowed it, making no exceptions for hot or cold or stormy days.
2) I expect my minister to be there. I should be surprised if he were to stay at home on account of the weather.
3) By staying away I may lose the prayers which may bring God's blessing and the sermon which would have done me a great good.
4) My presence is more needful on Sundays when there are few, than those days when the Church is crowded.
5) On any important business, rainy weather does not keep me at home, and Church attendance is in God's sight very important.
6) Such weather will show me on what foundation my faith is built; it will prove how much I love Christ. True love rarely fails to keep an appointment.
7) Through my excuses satisfy myself, they still must undergo God's scrutiny, and they must be well grounded to do that.
8) There's a special promise that where two or three meet together in God's name, He will be in the midst of them.
9) An avoidable absence from Church is an infallible sign of spiritual decay. Disciples first follow Christ at a distance, and then like Peter, do not know Him.
10) My faith is to be shown by my self-denying Christian life, and not by the rise and fall of the barometer.
11) Such yielding to surmounting difficulties prepares for yielding to those purely imaginary, until thousands never enter a Church and yet think they have good reason for such neglect.
12) I know not how many more Sundays God may give me, and it would be a poor preparation for my first Sunday in heaven, to have slighted my last Sunday on earth.
From "Popular Hymns and Their Writers" by Norman Marbel. An extract from the "Memoirs" of Francis Ridley Havergal.
I wonder if any of us could have come up with so many reasons?! However, I don't see the words worship or Christian community mentioned anywhere - I think they would have been on my list! I hope that, come rain or shine, some of you will venture out for the evening alternative worship service for Trinity Sunday. The Trinity is an oft misunderstood and avoided concept but I am rather excited by it. The alternative worship service will offer us an opportunity to explore the dynamic of the Trinity in a more experiential way than our regular worship affords. Come, taste and see.

Rev'd Lisa Cornwell

The MU AGM will take place on Tuesday 5th June 8 pm in the Hall. This (brief) meeting will be followed by a demonstration by Gil Forster and friends on What to do with a Supermarket Bunch. Gil was a former Gold medal winner at Chelsea in the Flower Arranging section, so come along and be inspired.
On Wednesday 13th June we are having our outing to Christchurch Oxford. We will depart at 2 pm and return about 8 pm. There may still be one or two seats available on the coach, and this trip is open to members of the congregation. Do contact Margaret Barnes on 771531 if you would like to join with us.
Monday 18th June we have our Prayer Meeting in the Lady Chapel. Wednesday 27th June MU Corporate Communion at 10am.in the Lady Chapel.
Looking ahead we shall have our Social Evening on Tuesday 3rd July at 8 pm in the Hall, when we welcome husbands and friends.

CONFIRMATION 2007
Confirmation this year is at 10am Sunday October 14th. This is the major step for those who want to move forward their faith.
There is still time for young people to join the Junior preparation group. Classes will be on Tuesdays (except for Weds June 13th) from 5-6pm in the Church Hall. There will be 6 before the summer break and 4 in September/October. We also hold a 'Confirmation Day' on October 6th and the group is involved in the 10am service on October 7th. The rehearsal will be at 6pm on October 13th in Church. We look forward to welcoming all who are interested.
We are also planning an Adult Discussion group to run on Mondays from June 4th for 6 weeks and then from September 10th for 4 weeks. We welcome all who are interested whether planning to be confirmed or not or already confirmed. We shall be using the new Emmaus nurture course, which takes a wide ranging look at the basics of Christianity and church teaching. Please contact the Vicar.

May Fair
At 1.30pm on Monday 7th May I anticipated that I would be writing quite a subdued article for St John's News. As torrential rain swept across the Morgan Rec, we were unable to inflate the bouncy castles and slides and hardly anyone was getting ready to enjoy the activities that had been planned for the afternoon - all I could see were the members of the congreg-ation with their families and friends, who had been setting up the field or preparing to run the stalls, and were vainly trying to keep dry as they huddled in whatever shelter they could find - the scene was desolate.
I couldn't have imagined that by 2.15 the sun would be starting to break through and that we would all soon be standing beneath a blue sky, with the people of Crowthorne emerging to enjoy another afternoon of fund raising activity laid on by St John's.
Once again the congregation came together, along with support from local businesses, schools and other organizations to lay on an event which took the church to the heart of the community. I conservatively estimate that over 120 people were involved in setting up the field, helping to run stalls and clearing away afterwards. Our endeavours were rewarded handsomely. Whilst the rain and then the wind dampened our takings a little, our provisional results are still showing a good profit of just over £10,000. May I take this opportunity to thank all of you who contributed in your many and varied ways to make this possible.

Patronal Festival June 24th Guest preacher: Sister Jenny Colby, Church Army Festival Barbeque 1pm Vicarage Garden Games and challenges, or just relax and enjoy good food and company! Please bring chairs/rugs & drinks for the younger folk only Family ticket £15,Adult £5 young individuals £3

Patronal Festival Guest Speaker: On the Patronal Festival we shall welcome Jenny Colby as our Preacher at the 8am and 10am Services.
Jenny joined the Church Army two years after becoming a committed Christian, when she was 20. She went to a Church Army rally and felt God say to her that he had a place for her there.
She was commissioned as a Church Army Sister 32 years ago to do pastoral work and evangelism; as the Church Army logo says 'Sharing Faith through Words and Actions'.
Jenny is a non-stipendiary officer with the Bracknell Team Ministry and her work touches all ages in the community from the children and young people's work she does with her husband Steven, to leading and preaching in the regular services at St Paul's in Harmans Water, funeral ministry and worship in residential and nursing homes.
Her special project is the Tea House in Bracknell's main shopping centre, which is what Church Army is all about, being out among people in their everyday lives, showing them God's love by being there with them.
Jenny and her husband will join us for the Patronal Festival barbecue so please speak to them and make them welcome.

The concluding breakfast and morning of the GOD@WORK project (which aims to look at Christians in the workplace) is happening at the Cornerstone in Wokingham. The outline programme is:
8 BREAKFAST and Introduction to the day
8.45 Successes of the Project - Reports from Parishes
9.45 Ideas from elsewhere; coffee
11 Moving forward in Sonning Deanery
12 End
Paul Valler, whose presentation to Synod launched our project, will be speaking about recent experience of other churches which have prioritised this subject, and also facilitating the discussion as we look to the future. The morning will be of interest to those at work and to clergy and church leaders looking for ideas for their own churches. Please keep the date free in your diary - and if you cannot come to the whole morning, come for as long as you can.