January 2012 Was I the only one completely surprised by the Queen’s Christmas day message this year? I must admit that in recent years I have not paid too much attention to the 3.00pm slot on BBC1 on Christmas afternoon. Generally I am fighting sleep after a busy 24 hours! But this year I made the effort and could hardly believe what I was hearing. Her Majesty spoke about the importance of family and the family of the nations. And this:

"Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves - from our recklessness or our greed.

God sent into the world a unique person - neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive.

Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God's love.

In the last verse of this beautiful carol, 'O Little Town Of Bethlehem', there's a prayer:

O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us we pray.
Cast out our sin
And enter in.
Be born in us today.

It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord."

As head of the Commonwealth as well as our monarch, Her Majesty has shown a commendable respect and love for people of all nations, regardless of creed, colour or race. Even as Queen she must feel the pressure to conform to the relativist orthodoxy of our day, which says that all religions lead to God. And yet here she was, in a message sharing her heart rather than penned by politicians, commending the Christian Gospel – our need for forgiveness, God’s action in making salvation possible, and praying that we all might receive Christ.

Her Majesty is an example to us all: to love and respect all people, but to hold fast to our faith and boldly share it with others.

St. Martin's Church Development - Community Launch

Pancake Party and Benefice AGM

Ash Wednesday and Lent

Chess Club Opens

Sevenoaks Christian School

December 2011

Can you help us?

A church has stood on the St Martin’s site for at least 900 years, and probably many centuries before this. Over the years the church has changed greatly to meet the needs and aspirations of villagers. Side chapels and a tower have been added, bells hung, pews installed, a new entrance added.

For the last 10 years, the members of St Martin’s have been planning to make some further changes, whilst of course maintaining the rich heritage we have inherited.

We dream of a church that’s warm in the winter, where there is a loo and a place where we can offer people a cup of tea. We dream of a small meeting room/crèche that we can use for young people on a Sunday and other meetings during the week. We dream of flexible space so we can sit in a formal pattern for formal services but arrange the seating more flexibly for informal services or other activities. We long for these facilities to be open to all through disabled access.

And this dream is not just for those of us who sit in church each week. We believe that the church building should serve the needs of all villagers. By making these changes we would make the church a flexible space for all sorts of village activities. We plan to complete this work by Spring 2013 so that we can offer a home to some village groups who will need to vacate the Village hall while it is being rebuilt.

As church members we are committed to this project. The PCC (our equivalent of a board of trustees) have given or pledged £50,000 of their own money. The rest of the church family have pledged a further £63,000 and we have £50,000 available from the Friends. This takes us nearly half way to our £350,000 projected cost.

But now we need your help.  Might you make a donation to the project? Might you be able to raise some money for us? Do you know a company or other group that might have money they could donate? Please get in touch with me if you have any ideas...or shove a bundle of used £50 notes through my letter box!

To explain further our plans and how we hope the village might get behind us we are holding a fundraising launch event on Friday 27th January. Church will be open between 6.00pm and 8.00pm, when plans will be available for viewing. At 6.30pm and 7.30pm I will give a presentation about the project. Wine and nibbles will be served. DVYM will provide some background music at 6.00pm and 7.00pm. Please pop in and find out what is going on. Your church needs you.

Chair of Sevenoaks and District Churches Together to preach in the Benefice
On Sunday 15th January Bill Latimer, chair of SDCT and lay reader in Otford will preach at the 9.30am in Eynsford and at the 11.00am service in Lullingstone. Bill is part of the steering committee for the proposed new Christian Secondary School in Sevenoaks. During the services he will update us on progress with the planning for this new school

Sevenoaks Christian School
Plans are now advancing for the setting up of a Christian Secondary School in Sevenoaks, opening its doors to students in September 2013. Lots of information is available on the web site www.sevenoakschristianschool.co.uk.

For the school to become a reality, the steering group need local parents to sign a petition of support. If you might be interested in sending your children to a school similar to Bennett Memorial but close enough to make travelling to it a reality, please go to the web site and register your support. Please don’t be apathetic as without parental support the Government will not give the go-ahead.

Alpha – Life is worth exploring
The ever popular Alpha course returns to the villages this January. Alpha is an opportunity for people to explore the big questions of life in a Christian context. Each of ten evening sessions consist of a meal, a DVD and a free for all discussion. The course is designed for people who are not Christians and non-churchgoers, although people who are new Christians and want to understand more of their faith, or older Christians wanting a brush up on the basics are welcome.

January’s course begins on Tuesday 10th and will be run in the Rectory by Rev Gary and Tracey Phillips (who recently completed the last Alpha course).

People wishing to find out more should visit www.alpha.org.
Book a place by contacting Rev Gary or the parish office.