Span
Faith, friendship
& a life shared.
News, reflections and stories from
Godalming United Church.
Methodist and United Reformed.
A view from the back. Jenny’s clue is in her editorial.
stepping forwardAdam reflects on our 50th anniversary →02A season
of changeA personal reflection from Kyla & Adam →03A little help,
a big differenceCould you join a Friday lunch team? →
Inside this issue
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Hello, everyone
For those of you who did not know the Church on September span, It is Hambledon Parish Church. Well done to Muriel and Josee.
I have a new church this time, but it is the back from the road going to a lower car park. It could be Difficult.
Welcome into our Godalming United Church to Andrea Marlow
Congratulations to Pearl and Rowena on joining the Church Council.
Thank you to Denis Leigh on becoming chair of the Property Committee
Thank you to all my ladies on the Events committee who are retiring. Maggie, Kris, Shirley and Wendy.
And to those who certainly need long service medals from the Church – John Drake Property, Jennifer Leigh Hiring, and Ryan Kelly Mission and Outreach.
Its been a very busy month for me what with American visitors (relatives) and lots of golf and start of Choral.
I was pleased the Cream Teas went well – raising about £300.
I do hope that some of you will sign up for the Harvest Safari Supper on 3rd October, and also put 14th November in your Diary for the Quiz night which won’t be anything like last time! ( if you remember that!)
Jenniferwest4654@gmail.com – 07711 530011 contact details.
Looking back, stepping forward
Friends of Godalming United Church,
It seems that lately, I’ve been stuck in both the past and the future.
As our eldest daughter, Lizzy, has moved down to Poole to begin an internship in ministry, we have spent a lot of time thinking about the past: looking at baby pictures, telling old stories, reminiscing about what she used to be and what she has become.
We’ve also been thinking about her future. Proud of her decision to go into the ministry. Wondering where she will go to University. What her training will look like. Where her first church will be.
Naturally this has led us to the same types of conversations regarding Molly’s future (and past). As she plans to follow her mother into nursing, we have many of the same questions about training and what part of the country she’ll eventually settle in.
My work life looks similar with the church. In a few months, we begin the celebration of Godalming United Church’s 50th Anniversary. During 2027 we will be looking at the past, the predecessor churches that came together in 1977 to form GUC. We’ll be celebrating the 50 years of ministry that have brought us all to this place where we worship.
We will also be looking forward to the next 50 years, wondering at the types of ministry that will be done in the future, looking to strengthen and prepare the church for future challenges in ministry, and, like with our children, perhaps worrying a bit over what that future will look like in a changing world.
I’ve recently been reading the book of Joshua, when the people of Israel were stuck between the past and present. Behind them is the wilderness and the story of God’s faithfulness. Ahead of them is the Promised Land and an entirely unknown future. The past had it’s good and bad points. The future was uncertain.
But the people of Israel were not called to stay in the wilderness, nor were they asked to forget it. They were called to remember what God had done, to trust that God would continue to be with them, and then to step forward.
Perhaps that is a good way for us to approach our 50th anniversary too. We will look back, and rightly so. There are stories worth telling, people worth remembering, achievements worth celebrating, and perhaps some things we would do differently if we had the chance. But the point of remembering is not to live in the past. It is to remind ourselves of the God who has brought us this far.
And then we will look ahead. We don’t know what GUC will look like in 10, 20 or 50 years. We don’t know what challenges the church will face, or what opportunities God will place before us. Just as Lizzy and Molly will have to discover their own futures, rather than simply following a path we have laid out for them, so the future of GUC will belong to a generation that we cannot yet fully imagine.
What we can do is give thanks for the past, live faithfully in the present, and step into the future trusting the God who has been with us all along.
Yours in Christ,
Adam
P.S. Lizzy sends her thanks for all the cards, love, and support she has received from her GUC family.
Church meetings in 2027
Please note dates of next Church Meetings:
Should any of these dates change you will be advised.
Hobbies, chat & a cuppa
Come and enjoy company, craft, chat and cuppa for a couple of hours just after Friday lunches, with a lovely group of ladies who will be meeting on Fridays 9th and 23rd October between 2.00 – 4.00pm For more information come to lunches and stay afterwards or contact Barbara - 415600
Jack Phillips fellowship lunch
Members and friends will meet on 14th October at Wetherspoons – Jack Phillips. It is usual to sit in the back room overlooking the car park, order and pay for your own food, but you will need our table number beforehand. Come and enjoy the company, conversation and a laugh. All are welcome at this social occasion.
Joy and sorrow
Revd Mark Slaney is our new President of the Methodist Church and is moving down to the smoke from Shetland and Scotland. He preached his first sermon aged 15 but before he was ordained, he worked as builder mate, cleaner and van driver. In his address he said” I am endlessly grateful to God for our salvation and life in Christ Jesus, for that divine call on our lives that accepts us just as we are and offers us a vision of who we could become together, giving purpose and reason and making us better people and the world a better place, in partnership with the Holy Spirit Throughout the designate year I have experienced a growing sense of the weight, honour and privilege that comes with the role of President. Be assured of my commitment in serving the Methodist People and our ecumenical, interfaith and mission partners throughout the year to come.”
Caroline Stead is our vice-president who is a local preacher in Yorkshire West District, where she is Synod secretary. She is an accompanist to a minister in training, former maths teacher, Lay Stationing Representative and representative to the Conference since 2006, including 6 years on the Business Committee. Thank you to those who have been key on my faith journey. Mark and I have chosen two words for this year “JOY and SORROW”
Remembering Revd Paul Hulme
Some of you were able to attend GUC in person or watch the thanksgiving service for Rev Paul Hulme at home. Not all of you were able to do this and so I have been asked if I would put together some reflections and thoughts in this month’s Span.
Many replied to my email announcing the death of our dear friend Paul. Unfortunately, with a double edition of Span in July and August I did not manage to put together extracts from the many of messages I received. But I am addressing that omission now with their permission.
The first is an extract from the Senior Steward during Paul’s ministry. Alan Steel: “It was the experience of a lifetime being Senior Steward during Paul Hulme's ministry in Godalming. Paul came from a ministry that included Wesley's Chapel and was undoubtedly one of the greatest Methodist ministers of his time, known and respected by all across Methodism. To come to small Godalming was such a change but he had done it all before and hit the ground running from Day One at Godalming. A minister of vast experience. busy 24 hours a day. Sunday service was special to Paul and followed its own course. Paul settled in the Vestry before the service, not to be disturbed. A period of quiet in the Vestry, a period of prayer then into the Church and the service began. He preached without any notes, his sermons were deep and thoughtful, the word of God. People came to hear him preach and he formed a deep relationship with all the local denominations, respected by them all.
* His Face to Face discussions with the great and good (former Archbishops and Bishops, leaders of the Methodist Church, politicians, Jonathon Aitkin etc,etc) filled the church with people coming from near and far .Paul was a Freeman of the City of London and proud of this. He was also an avid book reader fiction, not non fiction, reviewing many books for the Methodist Recorder, the book shelves in his study at the Manse bending under their weight.”
The following comments reflect many of the sentiments expressed to me about his Pastoral work where he would sit with people in hospital or visit them at a time of bereavement:
“Paul was very kind to us when Dennis had his stroke ............. The news was dire and Paul preaching that Sunday morning heard, and by lunchtime he was with us bringing sandwiches and drinks to our family who had managed to be by Dennis’ bedside by then.”
“He was a lovely man. Went beyond what was necessary.”
“An inspirational Minister and a lovely person through-and-through with a profound understanding of human nature. He helped many people through low times.”
I have had permission from Revd. Dr. Paul Glass to include extracts from the letter he sent to Paul’s son Marcus and family:
“Can I write on behalf of all of us in the Wey Valley Circuit to express our sincerest condolences on the death of Paul. Paul's name is one that I have been aware of throughout a full-time ministry of 42 years. I used to read his Methodist Recorder pieces with delight and a sense of coming across an oasis in the desert. I was, of course, aware of his ministry at Wesley's Chapel and indeed I think somewhere I have a photo of Margaret Thatcher coming to open the chapel after a range of refurbishments in (I assume) the early 1980s. I was present at Presbyteral Synod (as Presbyteral Synod Secretary) when Paul asked for permission to 'sit down' and when I arrived at this Circuit as Superintendent 4 years ago I quickly became aware of the significant ministry that he had had at Godalming (and indeed in the wider Guildford and Godalming Circuit - which became the Wey Valley Circuit during his time here). The news of his death was shared across the Circuit to many expressions of deep gratitude and sadness last Sunday. I was at Merrow when the announcement was made and many folks came up to me afterwards and expressed how much they had gained from your father's preaching and leading of worship. We count it a deep blessing that he served with us in such a distinguished way in the latter years of his noted ministerial work. May he rest in peace and rise in glory.” Paul Glass
As Paul’s Pastoral Assistant he and I met regularly to pray for and to discuss all the pastoral visits planned for that week. Paul believed that Pastoral work was the essence of his ministry. It was important to get to know folk - members or not. I know how much the husbands of members who were not church goers appreciated his visits - he always had a story to tell from his vast experiences – famous people he had met in his wide and varied ministry as well as places he had visited.
He was a very smart and snappy dresser, bespoke black pinstriped suit, white handkerchief in top pocket, immaculate white shirt (with the City of London cufflinks!) So attired he would rush into Sainsburys to purchase bouquets of flower for his pastoral home visits. As I visited folk, the telltale sign that they had had a visit from Paul recently was the bunch of roses in a vase!
Home communion for those who could not get to church was an important part of Paul’s ministry. These occasions, on his visits to Eastlake were often joined by other residents who found his time of Holy Communion an important part of their monthly routine.
We were truly privileged to have been blessed by Paul’s time at GUC.
Eileen MacDonald
A day in Winchester
An opportunity to enjoy the delights of Winchester Christmas Market, with over 100 Chalets, renowned to be one of the best in Europe. The market is set within the grounds of the medieval Cathedral in the heart of Winchester City with its numerous other shops, cafes, restaurants and museums. We will assemble at the church at 9.45am for departure at 10.00am. We will then drive on a non-motorway route via the A31, arriving at Winchester City Centre at approx. 11.15am.
The coach will drop us off at King Alfred Statue/Guildhall. We will then be free to explore this historic Cathedral City and Market. The High Street is just up from the drop off point with numerous shops and cafes. Just off the High Street is the Cathedral and Christmas Market, and Cathedral Refectory. For the more energetic, there are other numerous museums and walks all within a short distance. We will assemble back at the coach stop and depart at 4.00pm, arriving back at the church approx. 5.15pm (depending on traffic).
This coach outing will be subsidised by a generous donation from the Denningberg Centre, so we will be charging a reduced cost of £15 per person to include coach and gratuities. You will need to pay for your own food, and any other shopping and admission charges. Please note admission to the Christmas Market is free, but if you want to go into the Cathedral there is an admission charge of £14.90 valid for one year. Contact Church Reception for a booking form – 01483 414544. Or Peter and Christine Knottley – Mobile 07956 502688 Or Sally Pollard – 01483 428646 – Mobile 07976 276753
All things new
Grace and Peace,
Firstly, thank you for all the good wishes and the warm welcome that Claire and I, Matt and Evan have received since moving in the middle of August. We’ve had some lovely cards, flowers, and various messages over the last few weeks – all much appreciated! Rev. Paul and the ministers, Lucy and our Circuit Leadership Team have all helped with the preparations for us coming and David Lander has been a wonder with the manse and getting us sorted and connected. A shout out too, to Rev. George who in this midst of his own move helped with giving me a good heads up of what I needed to know.
Now the boxes are unpacked and ministry in the Wey Valley Circuit is about to begin, it all feels very new. I almost feel as if I should be saying ‘Happy New Year’ to you all! It might not be January but it definitely seems as if a new year is about to begin. If you’re in school, college or university, then September is definitely the beginning of a new year.
If you work in finance in any way, your new year is likely to be 6th April each year. If you celebrate Chinese New Year, you’d have celebrated it on 17th February this year (the Year of the Horse if you’re wondering). Iranian New Year is in March and if your heritage is Zulu it would be in July, while Inuit people celebrate New Year with a festival that begins on Christmas Eve. Come to think of it, I could begin every Circuit Letter with the greeting ‘Happy New Year!’ and technically I’d be right – for someone, somewhere at least!
Do you remember these words from Revelation? “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband...And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21: 1-2,5).
These beautiful, poetic and mysterious words suggest that God didn’t just stop at creation, sit back and bask in the glory of what God had made. No, God continues to be immersed in his creation, continues to shape, guide, move people, warm hearts and give life. Our ultimate destination is God, but on the way, God will provide new hope, new opportunities to love others, new moments where he is revealed in glimpses, and new people to share this life with. That’s definitely true for us in the Wey Valley Circuit.
So for this year in all the newness and beginnings we will experience, we can be sure that God will be present in each and every thing that happens: could be school and study, work or home, friends, family, church. In all the new things ahead, may God continue to bring peace, hope and joy to us all, to those we love, and to those we sometimes find it hard to love. We can be sure that in all life’s changes, God is with us, and his blessings will be as new as each day.
Happy New Year!
Rev. Paul Tabraham
Brenda Woods
We are sorry to announce the death on 7th July of Brenda Woods. She was a member from before the time when our two churches came together in 1977.
She was herself a very active member as well as supporting her husband who was in charge of the Sunday school.
She worked in Dorkings in the High Street with Olive Muddle and her sister Peggy - many of you will remember them.
She lived in Milford until ill health meant she had to move to a nursing home in Grayshot.
To everything there is a season
Most of you have had the experience of having a child grow up and move out. Well now I can also count myself in this number. As most of you know, Lizzy has moved and is now settling in near Poole, Dorset, for a 1-2 year apprenticeship before attending Uni to follow in her father’s footsteps of being a preacher.
There was the sorting, packing, cleaning, boxing, unboxing, unboxing, resorting that kept us busy for a while. It was new, exciting, a new chapter. Then there was driving off, waving to Lizzy as she waved at us from the doorstep of her new house. It didn’t seem right, she was meant to be with us, wasn’t she? We got home and things felt different, quiet, empty. Granted, we text or call many times a day and occasionally FaceTime but still, not the same.
I know that she is going on to start her own life. I truly believe God has great things in store for her. This is how it is meant to be. And that makes it a bit easier, I think. However, easier doesn’t mean easy. There is still a loss, I am still sad. I want my little girl to be around always. We will also settle into the new normal. And once we establish that, it will about time for Molly to head off. (At least we have 4 more years before this occurs.).
In the meantime, we have adopted our “new Lizzy” to fill in the void she has left. This was the first thing she purchased on her own when we moved to England nearly 8 years ago. It seemed fitting. (And man was it funny seeing a little 10-year-old try to navigate carrying this around town and buses as it was as large as she was). Kyla and Adam
A little help, a big difference
I know that this is not what our lunches ladies look like and nor are our customers, but I hope that it will suggest our Lunch Teams who work hard on Fridays to bring an enjoyable, tasty lunch to all.
It would be very helpful if we could find two or three ladies who are willing to help once a month to complete our teams. It would save so much time for our team leaders. Every four weeks they must search our members and friends who can help on the day.
Help would be required from 11.00am to prepare the salads, put out the tables and lay them, and stay to serve at the hatch until 1.30pm and then help clear up. It is not an arduous task, but it needs 4 people to make it work and ease the load. It is a great pleasure to see our customers come week after week and we get to know them as friends. Please contact Jacky, Jenny, Muriel/Nancy or Alison.
A moment of nonsense
There was an old man with a beard
Who said, “it’s just as I feared! –
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren
Have all built their nests in my beard”
A thank-you from Good Neighbours
Dear Kath (Riddy)
It was very nice to meet you yesterday.
From all at Godalming Good Neighbours (Committee, volunteers and clients) thank you so much for your incredibly generous donation. (£500)
It will make a massive difference to what we can offer and I think it will challenge us to be even more ambitious,
We are very proud of what we do and gifts like this provide more energy. more scope and a very welcome lift.
Could you please pass on our thanks to all those at the church who made this possible.
Best wishes Sean (Treasurer).
Just one of the letters that Kath received from our donation to various organisation for our Friday lunches during 2025/26. Thought you would like to read it!
Worship together
Morning Service
Revd Claire Hargreaves
Harvest Festival · With Music Kids and Uniformed organisations
Revd Adam Payne
Morning Service
David Paterson
Holy Communion
Revd Adam Payne
Morning Service
Revd Adam Payne
Morning Service
Revd Allan Taylor
Pastoral prayers
Please pray for David Baillie, Robin Bellwood. All our members in Care homes. The family of Brenda Woods who passed away recently. The staff in care homes and hospitals who are caring for others. And the families of those receiving care at home.
Sunday weekly prayer
We pray for all who will share in our worship, preacher, musicians, choir, audiovisual technicians, those preparing refreshments, those on door and stewards’ duties, all who arrange and organise the flowers.
October prayers
Lord, your works are wonderful, in wisdom you have made them all. Forgive us for the madness that abuses the earth for short-term ends, and give us the wisdom, to cherish and share with daring and delight the abundant gifts of our planet.
Praise God for the harvest that's quarried and mined, then sifted, and smelted, or shaped and refined: for oil and for iron, for copper and coal, praise God, who in love has provided them all. ( Brian Wren)
Praise God for the harvest of science and skill, the urge to discover, create and fulfil: for dreams and inventions that promise to gain a future more hopeful a world more humane. ( Brian Wren)
Lord God, this is your day; you created the sun, our light and energy; you give sleep as the renewal our minds and bodies need. Help us to enter this day with you. May we begin to understand your presence in the events and people who come close to us today.
Private prayers — Help you to pray
St James, Shere
As you sit quietly, let the peace of this place surround you; let the hurry and worry of your life fall away. You are a precious child of God. God loves you and cares for you. God welcomes you, listens and hears you. Be still and attentive. Allow God to direct your thought and fill your mind.
A quiet space is offered in the church for anyone to come and to sit and reflect in silence, or to share, or to join in prayers for our church and its community between 11.15am and noon, Wednesday 14th and 21st October. All are Welcome. Do contact Margaret , tel: 890209
Prayer for Nepal and Tibet
Loving God, We pray for all those affected by the floods in Nepal and Tibet. Be near to those who mourn the loss of loved ones, and to all who wait in uncertainty for news of family and friends. Hold close those whose homes, livelihoods and communities have been swept away, and all who are shocked, displaced or afraid. Strengthen rescue workers, local communities, churches and all who are searching, serving and offering care in the midst of this crisis. Grant courage and resilience to those waiting for news, facing uncertainty, and fearing the days ahead. As we witness the growing fragility of creation, renew our commitment to care for one another and for the earth of which we are a part. In the name of Christ. Amen.
Sustaining hope
This is a precis of what has appeared in The Wey Forward this quarter and it always upsets me how we cannot seem to process refugees much more quickly. It’s no wonder that Mary Barrett spoke about offering support, friendship and advocacy to immigration detainees. For 30 years she has with others been visiting people held in immigration detention at Gatwick Airport. There is a charity, the “Gatwick Detainees Welfare group” who now have employees for fundraising and other staff. They began by visiting women, children and families. Many of the centres are like prisons and these days you must go through seven locked doors to visit. It is not surprising that many are struggling with mental health and are terrified of being sent back to their country of origin.
More information: refugeetales.org ↗
Our church & our magazine
Span is the magazine of Godalming United Church, Bridge Road, Godalming, Surrey GU7 3DU (charity 1128613).
Grow in faith.
Godalming United Church is a local Church of the Methodist church of Great Britain, and of the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom.
We belong to the Wey Valley Methodist Circuit, the Western Area of the Methodist South East District and United Reformed Church , Wessex Synod.
We have signed a local Covenant with the Anglican Farncombe and Minster churches of Godalming.
Our Sponsoring Body is Churches Together in Surrey, and we are also part of Churches together in Godalming & district. (CTiGD)
November Span
Last items: 28 October 2026
Next Span: 1 November
People to contact
Friday is his day off. For emergencies, ring Adam on 01483 414709 or 07342 916888.
Local six-digit numbers use the Godalming area code, 01483.
Revd Adam Payne
Alison
Louise
Eileen
Julie
Keith
—
Jenny
Website: www.guc.org.uk ↗
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
Albert Einstein
The important thing is not to stop questioning.