Category Archives: Christ Church

Harvest: Investing our Talents for Jesus

Why do we celebrate Harvest Festival? To thank God for our food and drink. How do we thank God?  We thank God by sharing our food and drink with others in need. Like the Food Bank.  We also remember that God has given us our gifts and talents to share with one another – like Tools with a Mission. Who do you want to be when you grow up? Jesus told this story to help us realise that you’ve got talent! God has invested in us. He has entrusted us with gifts and talents. He wants us to develop them to serve. He wants a return on his investment.  God has made each one of us unique. He has given each of us gifts and talents, and skills and passions. How can we find out what talents God has given us?Ask these questions:

  • What am I good at? (Skills)
  • What makes me sad?  (Concerns)
  • What do I like doing? (Passion)
  • If I could do anything, what would it be? (Vision)
  • What has God told us all to do? (Responsibility).

Keep asking these questions and as you grow up, your role will become clearer.  Allow your passion to become your purpose and one day it will become your profession. But it’s not just about discovering my talents. It’s also about discovering how to use them.  I can use my talents to make lots of money for myself or I can invest them for the benefit of others. I can use my abilities to hurt people or to heal people. I can use my talents to build up or tear down. I can use my talents for myself or for God. This glove represents my life or your life. When we try and use our talents for ourselves this is what happens (blow the glove up) – we are just full of hot air and soon wear other people out.

But when we realise we are servants of the King and invite Jesus to live in us, He breathes his life in us so he can use our talents and gifts for his glory. That is why we must daily be filled with His Spirit.

Have you ever watched the programme on TV called The Dragons’ Den?  To help you apply Jesus story and discover God’s plan for your life, I’d like to make an investment in you. As long as your parents agree,

I would like to invest in you by giving you some shoe polish, a cloth and a glove. I’d like you to clean your shoes and the shoes of your family, and maybe of people who come to your house. Please don’t ask for money but if people offer to give you some, say ‘thank you’ and explain it is going to help people in Syria who are suffering. Like the man in Jesus story,

I am going away for a month, but when I come back, I expect you to return my investment in you, hopefully with interest.  Please bring back the polish and any money to the Christ Church December Family Service. We will then give any money raised to help people suffering in Syria.

And when you clean the shoes, put the glove on. It will remind yourself that you are doing it for Jesus and need his help to do it for the right reasons. It will also keep you clean.

Now this is not a competition to see how much you can make with your talent.  What matters is that we are thankful for the talents God has given us and we use them with a servant heart.

Silver Surfing Down to the Good News Cafe

I was on the London underground recently. A strange thing happened to me. It was very embarrassing. It was the first time it has ever happened in my life. It took me completely by surprise. I didn’t know how to handle it. I was standing by the door as I usually do when out of the blue, a young Asian man got up out of his seat and offered it to me. I thought he had made a mistake. I embarrassed him as much as myself by refusing to sit in his place. So we both stood and looked pretty silly. It had not occurred to me that I looked like an elderly man. I smiled and thanked him. I suppose my real mistake was not colouring my hair when the first grey hairs began to appear.  Now it is too late. You would notice, and in any case I’ve been overruled at home.

You can mask the signs of aging and you can even lie about your age, but there are always consequences.  I had an elderly couple come to see me recently asking me to sign a new marriage certificate for them. One of them had lied about their age 40 years ago in order to get married. Now 40 years later it had created complications. Their pension was being queried. So the marriage certificate had to be amended to match their birth certificate.

This Summer I turned 60. It was a significant moment receiving my Senior’s Railpass.
I feel like a little boy again. Oliver Wendell Holmes said “People do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” And that’s the challenge, managing the tension and sometimes the aches and pains between how we feel on the inside and what we can do on the outside. Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

Success truly knows no boundaries. Many people have achieved their dreams much later life. I was a slow developer at school, but do you know how old Harlan Sanders was when he opened his first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant? 65. How old was Ronald Reagan when he became President of the United States? 16 days before his 70th birthday.  How old was Golda Meir when she became Prime Minister of Israel? 70. How old was Nelson Mandela when he became President of South Africa? 74.

How old do you have to be to start living? That is your choice. The older I get, the more I want to get out of life. The greater the impact I want to have. Retire and play it safe? No! I want to live more dangerously, take more risks, learn new things, and make every day count.
I may be wearing out but I am not giving up. Hardening of the viewpoints is far more lethal than hardening of the arteries.

That is why I am really excited that the new Good News Café for Seniors (or Silver Surfers if you prefer) open every Thursday afternoon and not just monthly. We aim to host a growing number of events and activities that you want and that will motivate you to get the most out of the wonderful gift of life the Good Lord has given you. Every day is a gift from God. A new beginning. An exciting adventure, knowing we were created with meaning and with purpose. God’s plan? To know God, and serve him and enjoy him forever and ever. The Apostle Paul wrote about this,

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18)

May God bless you and those you love.

The Perils, Power and Possibilities of Wealth

This year we are celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Christ Church. Virginia Water has changed a great deal since the early 19th Century. The 1830’s were troubled years in Britain. Agricultural depression, large scale unemployment, poverty and rioting in rural areas.  In 1846, the Cambridge Chronicle described Virginia Water as inhabited chiefly by “agricultural labourers, and not a few idle poachers,… in a state of ignorance, ungodliness and spiritual destitution rarely equalled.” The nearest church was St John’s in Egham and there were few free places allocated to the poor.

Fearing another French Revolution, the government looked to the Church of England for moral leadership. That is why, in 1837, plans were made to build a church in the poorest part of Egham Parish, yes here in Virginia Water. On Monday 10th September 1838, a meeting was held at the Wheatsheaf inn for people wishing to contribute to the building of a church for the labouring poor. It would cost £2,000 and this would be raised by public subscription. Although £200 was donated by the Queen, the rest came from local people, including two shillings from an unknown child. The land itself was donated by Catherine Irvine.

She was the widow of Walter Irvine. Their daughter, Christina, also donated £2,000 to create an endowment fund to pay the clergy salary. So more than half of the cost of building and sustaining this church was provided by one family. Today we are thankful that a significant proportion of our church family give sacrificially to sustain the mission of Christ Church, in and beyond Virginia Water. If you have yet to experience the blessing of giving then pick up the stewardship leaflet in the entrance. Which brings us back to James 5 and the three peas of wealth:

1. The Perils of Wealth to Corrupt (James 5:1-3)
2. The Power of Wealth to Exploit (James 5:4-6)
3. The Possibilities of Wealth to Bless (James 5:7-8)


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Ladies Spring Hike: National Trust Devil’s Punchbowl

Date Saturday 20 April 2013
Time 10am to 4pm
Place National Trust Devils Punchbowl, Hindhead, Surrey

Meeting Point
Gather in the Christ Church Virginia Water car park for 10 am. We plan to car share and possibly use one Christ Church minibus. Please let us know if you want a lift from the Christ Church car park and back after the walk. We will be leaving the Church Church Virgina Water car park at about 10am with the aim of setting off on the first stage of the walk from the National Trust Devils Punchbowl car park at 1045am.

 The Walk
A figure of eight walk. The first half is approximately 2.8 miles. A soup and roll lunch will be provided at the Cafe located at the National Trust Devils Punchbowl car park at approximately 1230pm. We will then aim to set off on the second and final part of the walk at 145pm. There will be an option to walk for 3.1 miles (for a slightly more challenging walk) or a 1 mile walk to Gibbet Hill. We will then return for tea and cake at the Cafe afterward the second leg of the walk for those that would like to (please bring a little money for tea and cake) before heading back to Virginia Water.

 Donation
We would be delighted to receive what ever amount you feel you would like to give. All donations received will go directly towards The Harpswell Foundation and the costs which Rachel has incurred in getting to Phnom Penh. Suggested minimum of £25. The soup and roll lunch will be included. You may want a little money for the tea and cake later on.

Practical considerations
Walk will suit all abilities and will have clear way markings. Individual maps will be provided on arrival. See map photo for detail. The terrain may be muddy and a little hilly so stout footwear is recommended and suitable clothing will be needed for all weathers! Maybe bring a drink and a small snack to share.

The reserved group lunch at the Café will give us a chance to hear from Rachel about her 3 month stay in Phnom Penh and her hopes and ideas as she prepares to go next month!

We are looking forward to the fun of walking together and at the same time helping young women in Cambodia with the chance to have a university education and develop the leadership skills necessary to have a positive impact on Cambodia’s future.

RSVP to Joanna Sizer (Spaces are limited so do hurry)

National Trust Devil’s Punchbowl 

Harpswell Foundation Cambodia