Catalyst THE MAGAZINE OF HAYES

FREE CHURCH (U.R.C.)

October 2017

HAYES FREE CHURCH

111, Pickhurst Lane, Hayes, Kent BR2 7HU

Sunday Services. 10.30 a.m. & 6.30 p.m.

We are a member of the United Reformed Church. We believe in Justice and Peace.

Principal Contacts

Interim Moderator: Mrs Hilary Miles

Church Secretary: Mrs Mavis Righini Tel: 020 8462 1168

Treasurer: Mr. Simon Narracott Tel: 020 8462 2004

Lettings Secretary: Mrs Undine Connolly Tel: 020 8776 0108

Church Website www.hayesfreechurch.com

Church Magazine Catalyst

Editor: Miss Christine Rees catalysthfc

@btinternet.com

Contents :

Church Secretary’s Letter 1 Christmas Tree Festival 9

News/ Sunday Services 2 Cancer Research Fair 10

Church Notices 3,4,13 Antiques Fair 11

Quiz Evening 5 Salvation Army concert 12

Pickhurst Pre-School 6-7 Food Bank latest needs 12

Holiday at Home 7 October dates/ Stop Press 14

Christmas Fair/ Card Sale 8 Martin Luther / Calendar 15-16

HFC Organisations inside back cover Final Thought - back cover

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Copy for the October 2017 edition is needed by Sunday 15th October –the editor is very grateful if you would submit items in good time.

You can leave copy in the "R" Pigeon Hole for Christine to collect; hand it directly to her, or e-mail it to catalysthfc@btinternet.com Thank you.

Editor’s note: throughout this magazine, the following abbreviations are standardly used:

URC (United Reformed Church); HFC (Hayes Free Church);

CTiH (Churches Together in Hayes).

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Letter from the Church Secretary

Dear All,

Do you like change? Most people don't, preferring to stay in a comfortable rut.

Our Church is going through change and we can rejoice that it is all to help our future. Our joint pastorate has changed but God is still with us all.

We have decided to join Trinity Church, Freelands Road, a new Christian family, to link with. We haven't lost our friends at Beckenham, they are still just a little step away.

Our Beckenham friends will be joining us for our Harvest Lunch.

We are looking forward to a new Minister, whom we can share with Trinity, Bromley. God knows who will answer a call to come and we must be patient and trust God.

So let us look forward with faith that this new chapter in our church’s life will be a blessing for us all.

With Christian love

Mavis

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Church News: Hayes links with Trinity URC, Bromley

Hayes Free Church has been seeking a Minister to undertake a joint pastorate with Beckenham URC, a link which goes back some 20 years. This arrangement, however, can no longer offer an applicant a fulltime position, but only 75%. In order to deal with this problem, a reconfiguration has been proposed by the Synod Moderator, and after the agreement of both churches was secured, Hayes is now embarking upon plans for a joint pastorate with Trinity URC, Bromley. Beckenham meanwhile will be linked with another church. This arrangement should enable both Hayes and Beckenham to be part of fulltime pastorates.

Sunday Services in October 2017

1st 10.30 am - Morning Service – Hayes Free Church Elders

6.30 pm - Holy Communion – Judy Davies

8th 10.30 am – Harvest Festival and Parade Service – Rev. Geoff Larcombe

6.30 pm – Evening Service – TBA

15th 10.30 am - Morning Service – David Lemmon

6.30 pm –Evening Service – Brenda Cordingley

22nd 10.30 am - Morning Service – TBA

6.30 pm – Evening Service -TBA

29th 10.30 am - Morning Service – Tony Russell

6.30pm – Evening Service - TBA

Evening services will take place in the Elders’ Vestry, which is accessed from the side door in Hilldown Road.

Notes on Preachers

Judy Davies is a Synod Recognized Lay Preacher from Bromley URC (Widmore Road), where she is also Church Secretary.

Rev. Geoff Larcombe is a retired Baptist Minister, who has worked in India with the Leprosy Mission.

David Lemmon is a Local Preacher from Bromley Methodist Church, and a retired Youth Worker.

Brenda Cordingley is a longstanding member of our congregation.

Tony Russell is a non-serving Elder of Hayes Free Church. He was Church Secretary for some years, and later was Church Treasurer.

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Church Meetings

NB The meeting of Sunday 24th September has been moved to Sunday 1st October at 12.00 noon. After that, the next regular Church meeting will be at 12.00 noon on Sunday 26th November, in the church following the morning service.

The next two Elders’ meetings (which continue on a monthly basis) will be at 7.00 pm in the small hall on Tuesdays 3rd October and 7th November.

News of the Church Family

Muriel Stone: We have received the news that Muriel Stone, whom many from this church will remember, died peacefully in August, shortly before her 92nd birthday. She was born in Southend-on-Sea, and first came to the church with her husband Alan when they moved to Beckenham in 1963. She became a longstanding member here at Hayes, leaving only in 2012 when she moved to Cardiff to be near to her daughter Judith. Muriel’s son Andrew writes: Her faith was strong and vital for her and this was significantly due to the warmth of the congregation and wider community at Hayes Free Church through which many lifelong friendships were formed and with whom she participated joyfully for many years. Muriel’s funeral will have taken place in Cardiff by the time this issue of Catalyst is published, but her family have asked that any donations in her memory should be made to The Alzheimer's Society. Our thoughts and prayers are with Muriel’s son Andrew and daughter Judith, and their families.

Jan Moren: Jan wishes to send a message to everyone who has held her in their thoughts and prayers over recent months, and to those who have sent cards and good wishes, and given practical help. She is very grateful, and sends her thanks to everyone, and would like you to know that she is progressing, albeit slowly.

Women's Contact Group: 2nd October

We will be meeting for our monthly meal at the Warren Sports Ground, Hayes, at 12.30 pm on Monday 2nd October. The Warren is accessed by car from Croydon Road (address: Croydon Road, Hayes, BR2 7AL) or on foot from the junction of Warren Road and Holland Way. All ladies are welcome. Sylvia Mack

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Men's Group: 19th October NB CHANGE OF PLAN

The Men’s Group will meet for a meal at the New Inn, Hayes at 8pm on Thursday 19th October. Please contact Bruce by 12th Oct if you wish to go.

The Tuesday Friendship Group:

As explained last month, the former Women’s Fellowship has now expanded to form this newly titled group, open to both men and women. As before meetings will be held in the small hall at 2.00pm on Tuesdays, finishing at about 3.30pm. Members of the group will be notified direct if there are any additional arrangements for 24th October. The October programme is: 3rd Oct Bring a favourite poem 10th Oct Anniversary service with Judy Davies 17th Oct Memorabilia: Bring something old that means a lot 24th Oct Service at Coney Hill Baptist Church 31st Oct Beetle Drive

Members who use the Mini-Ambulance service are asked to phone Sylvia Mack on 8462 1938 by 9.00 am on any Tuesday that they are unable to come to a meeting. Please come along for a pleasant afternoon. We have a very varied programme with plenty to interest everyone. Sylvia Mack

Hayes Mothers' & Toddlers' Club: Fridays (except 27th Oct)

We welcome all babies and children under school age, accompanied by their parents, grandparents or carers, to our club on Friday afternoons between 2 and 4pm in term time. The fee is £1 per family - tea, squash and biscuits are provided. This is a time when adults can meet up, while the children in their care are busy playing with toys and activities in the company of other children. Please note we will NOT meet on Friday 27th October, which is half term. Wendy Smith

Messy Church: 25th October

This meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month in the church from 3.30 - 4.30 pm, and children from 2 to 12 years are welcome.

Book Club: 4th October

We meet on the first Wednesday of every month at 2.00pm in the Small Hall. This month’s meeting will be on Wednesday 4th October.

Harvest Lunch: 21st October This will take place on Saturday 21st October at 12.30pm in the Small Hall, at a cost of £5 per head. Please have a word with Barbara (8325 5619) or Daphne (8777 2487) as soon as possible if you wish to go.

For other regular Church notices please see page 13

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Pickhurst Lodge Pre School 1951-2017

Some 66 years ago the Pickhurst Lodge Nursery School was started by a member of the then Hayes Free Church (Congregational) known as HFC. Mrs Grist ran this from her home as there was no Church as we know it now. In 1937 Pickhurst Lodge on the old Pickhurst Manor Estate became available to use by HFC and later in 1955 this was demolished to make way for the current Church Hall followed by the Church building we now have.

In 1972 the Church became Hayes Free Church (URC) after the amalgamation of the Congregational and Presbyterian Churches.

So you will see that the Pickhurst Lodge Nursery School retained its early roots in its name. From very humble beginnings it grew to 66 children each morning from 9.15am to 12.15pm providing a service to the Community with the staff largely made up of Church Members.

The children were divided into 4 Classes, each with a teacher and helper. The time was divided between play, music and movement and children were helped with early learning skills in preparation for Primary School. Each child had their own marked chair and peg to hang their coats.

You may remember some of those who taught the children: The first being Mrs Margaret Grist, followed by Mrs Hilda Warwick, Mrs Pat Dodsworth, Mrs Joan Davidson, Mrs Glen Robson, Mrs Connie Russell, Mrs Elizabeth Wilson, Mrs Winnie Hodgson, Mrs Teresa Cheyne, Mrs Vicky Lymer, and Mrs Penny Drew up to the most recent Mrs Jane Carvell and Mrs Celia Jardine. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all these ladies who will always be remembered for their care and understanding.

Following the introduction of the Education (Schools) Act 1992 which was monitored by OFSTED there were a number changes. Vouchers had been introduced to help with child care costs and a great deal more paperwork was involved and around that time the name changed to Pickhurst Lodge Pre School.

Times change and both parents were often working and required more childcare hours to suit their life style which we could not provide. It was not going to improve with the implementation of the increased Government payments to 30 hours per week for children 3 years and over, encouraging parents back into work. Our numbers had been steadily reducing until on 24 March 2017 the PLPS closed its doors for the last time. Numbers were then 13 and it was no longer possible to continue the service which had so loyally been given.

On that day some of the past teachers were able to attend for Coffee and Cakes whist the children enjoyed an early party lunch.

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The following day was a sad one too when we had to sell all the games and toys that had accumulated over the years so that we could pay our outstanding debts and the remainder of toys etc were given to similar Children’s Charitable Pre School Groups in the area.

I’m happy to say that we were able to help the parents find places for all the children who had to leave us.

Please excuse any inaccuracies regarding the history of Pickhurst Lodge which goes back a long way and some of the facts were therefore difficult to authenticate.

Margaret Tannock

Chair Pickhurst Lodge Pre School

******

Holiday at Home 2017 Once again our “holiday at home” was a great success. It is enjoyed by many each year, building fond memories and friendships. This year it was held on Tuesday August 8th and Wednesday August 9th. The two days were crammed with entertainment, activities, and time to chat. As always food plays an important part, with a delicious hot meal each day with plenty of coffee, tea and cake on hand. Thank you to all the volunteers and behind-the-scenes helpers who generously give their time to serve this event each year. Pat and Joan

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HAYES FREE CHURCH CHRISTMAS TREE FESTIVAL 2nd – 10th December 2017 in aid of BROMLEY Y

Bromley Y is a long established local charity offering free therapeutic support to young people between the ages of 0 -18 years, and to their families.

The church will be open for services at 10.30am and 6.30pm on both Sundays. During the festival it will also be open daily to view the trees as shown below.

NB The church will NOT be open on Sat 2nd December until 7.00pm.

Saturday 2nd December 7.30pm – OPENING CONCERT: Croydon Guitar Club Entertains

Sunday 3rd December 6.30pm – Evening Service with Pickhurst Junior Academy Tree viewing 1.00 – 2.45pm Monday 4th December 7.30pm - Bishop Justus School Concert Tree viewing from 2.30pm to start of concert Tues 5th December NO EVENING EVENT Tree viewing 2.30 – 4.30pm Wednesday 6th December 7.30pm – Concert: The Wandle Ringers Tree viewing from 2.30pm to start of concert Thurs 7th December 7.30pm – Chamber Concert: Bromley Youth Music Trust (featuring string quartets and Cello Massif) Tree viewing from 2.30pm to start of concert Fri 8th December 7.00 for 7.20pm – Film: The Shop around the Corner (1940) (relive the cinema experience of the 1940s in the company of James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan) Tree viewing from 2.30pm to start of film evening Sat 9th December 7.45pm – Concert: Beckenham Concert Band Tree viewing from 2.30pm to start of concert Sun 10th December 6.30pm – Evening Service: Churches Together in Hayes with musicians from Hayes School Tree viewing 1.00 – 2.45pm All the money raised will go to Bromley Y:

www.bromleywellbeingcyp.org

www.hayesfreechurch.com

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Bromley Food Bank: continuing urgent request!!

Last month the Food Bank made an urgent request for certain items, and the website shows that they still need more of them. They are:

Custard; tinned cold meat (eg ham, spam, corned beef); tinned fruit; biscuits; pasta sauce; tinned vegetables; tinned meat that can form the basis of a hot meal; rice pudding; tinned tomatoes; small bottles of squash; UHT milk.

As ever, they do not need beans, pasta, soup and cereal, and there is uptodate information available at:

https://bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/

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Church notices continued:

Singles’ Lunches

Anyone living alone is welcome to our Singles Lunches, which will be held at the Warren (for details of the location see the Women’s Contact Group notice above). The next two lunches will take place on Sundays 1st October at 1.00pm and 29th October at 12.30pm (please note the two different times). More information from Joan Smith.

The Fairtrade Stall

The Fairtrade stall is held twice each month, usually on the 2nd and 4th Sunday, just after the morning service. The stall is near the refreshments trolley. Do pop by to see what we have for sale. The items range from snacks and breakfast foods through to greetings cards. We look forward to seeing you. Richard and Barbara

Notice Sheets

If you have an item for inclusion on the Notice Sheet on a particular Sunday in October, please contact the relevant person below, by the date shown.

By Tuesday 3rd Oct for Sunday 8th Oct: Pamela Collison 8658 0748

By Tuesday 10th Oct for Sunday 15th Oct: Brenda Cordingley 8462 3867

By Tuesday 17th Oct for Sunday 22nd Oct: Brenda Cordingley 8462 3867

By Tuesday 24th Oct for Sunday 29th Oct: Joan Smith 8462 3920

By Tuesday 31st Oct for Sunday 5th Nov: Joan Smith 8462 3920

Ministry of Flowers

Thank you to Mavis and her helpers for their weekly choice and arrangement of flowers in the church. Thanks go also to those who provide for these displays week by week. For this month, they are:

1st – Maggie Greenwood 8th – TBC 15th – David & Undine Connolly

22nd – Malcolm & Teresa Cheyne 29th – Alistair and Elizabeth Wilson

After the service on Sunday morning, the flowers are distributed in order to celebrate, or thank, or support, and in all cases to bring further enjoyment.

Saturday Fellowship

There will be no meeting this month because of clashing commitments, but we hope to resume our usual pattern of meeting in November.

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Dates to remember in October:

Sunday 8th: Harvest Festival

Sunday 15th: This is the LAST day for spending round pound coins, which will cease to be legal tender at midnight.

Saturday 21st: Harvest Lunch

Sunday 29th: Clocks go back in the small hours!!!

Tuesday 31st: “Reformation Day” (see next page)

!!!Stop press!!! AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM BRUCE: The flat roofs have recently all been repaired. The roofer advised me that they are all very fragile and if they split again it will mean a complete re-covering. Therefore I would ask that none of the flat roofs are walked on for any reason or it could end up costing us a lot of money.

ALSO URGENT: Bromley have withdrawn the funding which they give to Carers Bromley, whom we supported at the Christmas Tree Festival last year. This means that most of their activities will cease and instead be the responsibility of an umbrella organisation covering several charities. The expertise of Carers Bromley will be largely lost and carers will suffer. There is still time to protest to Bromley if you so wish, as follows:

Please send a letter, email or on-line form to the council (copying Carers Bromley into any correspondence) using one of these addresses or contacts:

London Borough of Bromley, Civic Centre, Stockwell Close, Bromley, BR1 3UH

LBB Complaints Tel: 020 8461 7644 Email: corporate.complaints@bromley.gov.uk

LBB Complaints form - https://www.bromley.gov.uk/site/xfp/scripts/xforms_form.aspx?formID=178&language=en

Council contacts: Mr Douglas Patterson, Chief Executive - Tel: 020 8313 4060, Email: doug.patterson@bromley.gov.uk

Cllr. Mary Cooke, Chairman, Care Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee and Chairman, Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee, Email: Mary.Cooke@bromley.gov.uk

There is also a petition which can be completed by anyone living, working or studying in the Borough. This is the link: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/carers-bromley

And lastly, please remember that if you buy your Christmas Tree from Layhams Road Farm Shop using a voucher which will shortly be available, they will donate a sum to help the cause of the 2017 Christmas Tree Festival (Bromley Y – see page 9). So please hold back from making other plans for your tree until the voucher is produced (hopefully in next month’s Catalyst).

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Martin Luther and The Reformation 2017 is being celebrated as the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Although the Reformation itself was (perhaps still is) a huge and complex movement covering a long period of time, the date often chosen to mark its beginning is 31st October 2017. On that date, it is said, Martin Luther pinned his 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg (see July/August Catalyst). His “theses” (not as long as we would expect an academic thesis to be nowadays) were a series of arguments for church reform and it is thought that he presented them to

the Archbishop of Mainz on that same date (now sometimes known as “Reformation Day”). They quickly sparked both support and adverse reactions across Europe, as many other reformers took up his ideas or adapted them, and those in authority responded in different ways. It is a date for us to remember, with sadness for the ensuing conflicts, but thanksgiving for the development of faith, theology and ideas – and there will be a special service in West Wickham to mark the occasion – see below.

500 YEARS OF REFORMATION

At Emmanuel West Wickham our worship on

SUNDAY 22nd OCTOBER 2017 at 6.30pm will celebrate Martin Luther’s momentous

kick-start to a movement that changed Europe.

Do join us for hymns reflecting Reformation

through the ages, short talks bringing Martin Luther

into focus and prayer for continued renewal.

Calendar for October

Sun 1 10.30am

12.00noon

1.00pm

6.30pm

Morning Service: the Elders (p2)

Church Meeting (p3)

Singles’ Lunch (p13)

Holy Communion: Judy Davies (p2)

Mon 2 12.30pm Women’s Contact Group: Lunch (p3)

Tue 3 2.00pm

7.00pm

Friendship Group: Bring a Favourite Poem (p4)

Elders’ Meeting (p3)

Wed 4 2.00pm Book Club (p4)

Fri 6 2.00pm Mothers and Toddlers (p4)

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Sat 7 2.30pm

7.30pm

Saturday Fellowship NO MEETING (p13)

CTiH Quiz Night for St Christopher’s (p5)

Sun 8 10.30am

6.30pm

Morning Service: Rev Geoff Larcombe, Harvest Festival (p2)

Evening Service: TBA (p2)

Tue 10 2.00pm Friendship Group: Anniversary service with Judy Davies (p4)

Fri 13 2.00pm Mothers and Toddlers (p4)

Sat 14 7.30pm “Singcronise” Choir (Salvation Army)

Emmanuel Church West Wickham (p12)

Sun 15 10.30am

6.30pm

Morning Service: David Lemmon (p2)

Evening Service: Brenda Cordingley (p2)

Round pounds: last day of legal tender!! (p14)

Tue 17 2.00pm Friendship Group: Memorabilia (p4)

Thur 19 8.00pm Men’s Group: Meal out (p4)

Fri 20 2.00pm Mothers and Toddlers (p4)

Sat 21 12.30pm Harvest Lunch (p4)

Sun 22 10.30am

6.30pm

Morning Service: TBA (p2)

Evening Service: TBA (p2)

Special Service at Emmanuel (p15)

Tue 24 2.00pm Friendship Group: service at Coney Hill Baptist Church (p4)

Wed 25 3.30pm Messy Church (p4)

Sat 28 10.00am

10.00am

Antiques, Vintage & Collectables Fair (p11)

Autumn Fair for Cancer Research (p10)

Sun 29 2.00am

10.30am

12,30pm

6.30pm

CLOCKS GO BACK!!! (p14)

Morning Service: Tony Russell (p2)

Singles’ Lunch (p13)

Evening Service: TBA (p2)

Tue 31 2.00pm Friendship Group: Beetle Drive (p4)

Reformation Day (p15)

And looking ahead to November 2017:

Sat 11 10.30am Christmas Fair and Charity Card Sale (p8)

CHURCH ORGANISATIONS – please advise the Editor of updates as they arise

Day Organisation Contact Phone Sunday

Monday

5.45pm Brownies Sarah Humphrey 020 3539 8113

6.30pm Cubs Brenda Petts 020 8325 3956

12.30pm - 1st Mon only

Women's Contact Group Sylvia Mack 020 8462 1938

Tuesday

2.00pm Tuesday Friendship Group

Wendy Smith 020 8462 1779

7.15pm Scouts - 1st troop Paul Hasling 020 3236 0083

Wednesday

2.00pm - 1st Weds only

HFC Book Club Wendy Smith 020 8462 1779

3.30pm - 4th Weds only

Messy Church Mavis Righini 020 8462 1168

5.30pm Rainbows Jenny Longman 07730 574962

6.00pm Beavers Brenda Petts 020 8325 3956

6.30pm Guides – 4th Hayes Teresa Cheyne 020 8777 6042

8.00pm Explorers Tom Strachan 07745 813 295

Thursday

5.30pm Brownies Stevie Blair. 020 8325 3469

7.15 - 8.45pm Rangers Please use this email contact:

Hayesdistrict@ yahoo.com

7.15pm Scouts - 2nd troop Paul Hasling 020 3236 0083

8.00pm - 3rd Thurs only

Men's Group Bruce Tannock 020 8325 6264

Friday

2.00pm Mothers & Toddlers Wendy Smith 020 8462 1779

6.30pm Guides – 3rd Hayes Teresa Cheyne 020 8777 6042

Saturday

2.30pm - 1st Sat only

Saturday Fellowship Martin Nunn 020 8462 5918

Final Thought:

Bright robes of gold the fields adorn,

The hills with joy are ringing,

The valleys stand so thick with corn

That even they are singing.

And now, on this our festal day,

Thy bounteous hand confessing,

Before thee thankfully we lay

The first-fruits of thy blessing.

The strains of all thy holy throng

With ours today are blending;

Thrice blessed is that harvest song

Which never has an ending.

William Chatterton Dix (1837-98)