Happy Christmas

Happy
Christmas
December 2015 / January 2016

Contacts
Minister
Rev Geoff Bell 325877
minister@trinitymethodist.org.uk
Lay Assistant
Sean
Senior Steward
John
Administrator
Jenny
admin@trinitymethodist.org.uk
EDITORIAL
Magazine Editor -
Pat O
We have a lovely ‘fat’ magazine
this time – and it covers two
months. So plenty to read while
you eat all those mince pies! I am
delighted we have two wonderful
testimonies – read them and
rejoice with the writers for God’s
goodness to each of them. And if
you have a testimony to share,
why not consider putting it into a
magazine next year?
May I take this opportunity to
wish you all a very happy
Christmas and everything you
wish yourselves in 2016. May
God continue to shower us all
with His blessings – and may we
obey Him in all we do.
Pat
If you have any queries concerning
Trinity activities, please contact me,
your Pastoral Visitor, and if I do not know
the answer I will find someone who does.
Name………………………………………….
Tel……………………………………………..
www.trinitymethodist.org.uk

What! Was that a Cracker I Heard Being
Pulled? It’s Still Only the Middle of November!
Christmas, what a time it is! What a time it was, when I was a
kid. It was not even considered until the middle of December
when mum got out her Christmas Club money, paid in at the
Co-Op over the year. What a day that was - pounds, shillings and pence pouring
out onto the kitchen table. We weren’t allowed to touch it, just stand and stare
at it, knowing, with all certainty that this was the source of our stocking being
filled to overflowing on Christmas morning. Such excitement, you would not
believe. From this day on sleep at night was highly improbable, and on Christmas
Eve – impossible!
They say there are four stages of life: 1. You believe in Father Christmas. 2. You
don’t believe in Father Christmas. 3. You are Father Christmas. 4. You look like
Father Christmas! I remember the magic of believing in him. I remember the
sadness of not believing in him. I enjoy the thrill of being him. I’m not too sure
about the thought of looking like him.
The point is, life is lived in seasons. Each one a precious moment in time. But we
often find ourselves complaining about this present moment, wanting to move
on. Can’t wait for Christmas! We think the future will be rosier than the present
but it rarely is – each season comes with its own problems. And so we can find
ourselves living discontented lives, complaining about this and that instead of
enjoying the moment and seizing the day. This all creates dissatisfaction in us,
which is not how Christians should live. Let’s enjoy the moment, not rushing
ahead all the time, as we do with Christmas. If things aren’t right yet then try to
accept it for now without complaining, and work positively towards making it
better. It often takes time to get things right and we can ruin the time we have
by always wishing for better times to come. Make plans, of course, but enjoy the
journey you’re on, every step of the way, for life is short. And remember there’s
more to life than all of this, for God gave us the most precious gift of all that first
Christmas day, and the joy of Christmas can be ours every day of the year, and in
every season.
Have a great Christmas everyone and enjoy the journey you are on.
With love and peace - Geoff

Advent, Christmas and
New Year Services
Circled in Light
A candle lighting liturgy for each Sunday
morning in Advent
29 November
The first candle represents people’s faith waiting for the Messiah to come
Isaiah 9:2
Light First Candle
A light shining in the darkness
reminding us that Christ rewards those who wait patiently for Him to come
06 December
The second candle represents the Prophet’s hope to a weary world.
Isaiah 40:3
Light Second Candle
A light shining in the darkness
giving hope to the hopelessness and despair in our world
13 December
The third candle represents John the Baptist’s peace to troubled hearts
Luke 1: 38
Light Third Candle
A light shining in the darkness
As our preparations for Christmas gain momentum may the peace of God be
with us
20 December
The fourth candle represents Mary’s joy at the call upon her life
Luke 1:46-47
Light Fourth Candle
A light shining in the darkness
As our waiting nears its end may the joy of Jesus be with us in ever greater
measure

Christmas Services and Events
Saturday 19 December:
Puppet Performances
2.00pm and 5.00pm
Sunday 20 December:
10.45am – Parade Service
6.30pm – Carols by Candlelight
Christmas Eve:
4.30pm - Crib Service
110.00pm - Candle Light Communion
Christmas Day:
10.00am - Fun Filled Family Service
Sunday 27 December:
10.00am - Combined Service
Sunday 03 January 2016:
Covenant Service
10.00am - Combined
No evening service
4.30pm - 6.00pm
TYGs Post-Christmas Party
Puppets Christmas Show
See the poster on the back cover!
Please note – the puppets will not be appearing during any
Service this year … don’t miss them!

Senior Steward’s Report
Going Forward Together
Last month I anticipated we would know the name of
the minister appointed to the Redhill and East
Grinstead Circuit with oversight of Trinity by November
2015. However with 150 vacancies for ministers and
only 100 ministers available, perhaps we should not
have been surprised that we were not matched on the
first round of stationing (the name given to the process by which ministers are
matched with churches). The Circuit at present has five churches and five
ministers, which may be unique in Methodism and arises from our
comparatively large congregations. Our vision is to grow. Even if there is not
a match in the next round of stationing at end of this year or the beginning of
next year, our ministerial oversight will be met by the current Circuit staff -
Rev Melvyn Cooke, (Superintendent and Horley), Rev Clive McKie, (Reigate),
Rev Sue Conroy (Crawley) and Rev Felicity Al-Hassan (Redhill).
The Stewards Leadership team are planning for an Away Day at Burrswood on
23 January 2016, when we shall be continuing to work on the Vision and
discerning God’s plan for Trinity’s growth. Please pray for us and share with
us your hopes and dreams.
Hebrews 10 encouraged the early church to grow by reminding them to
- Hold unswervingly to the Hope that is Jesus (v23):
- Consider how we may spur each other on (v24):
- Not give up meeting together (v25).
Paul also reminded them that Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the cross had
broken down every barrier. In his letter to the Romans, Paul reminds them
and us that there is nothing that can separate believers from the love of God
which is ours in Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 8:38)
I think the challenge before each of us is to go forward together so the truth
of God’s love for all the people in East Grinstead may be known. Please pray
about the part Jesus has for each of us.
John S

Geoff is “Sitting Down”, Who Will Stand in His Place?
Part Two!
William Cowper wrote in a hymn back in the 18th century “God moves in a
mysterious way His wonders to perform”. A truth which I find encouraging as,
when left to make our own decisions, events often do not turn out the way we
think they should or hoped they would!
The Circuit Stewards were disappointed, but not surprised, to receive a call from
the Chairman of the District on 05 November to say that no minister had been
matched with Trinity during the first meeting of the Stationing Matching Group, a
meeting which took place over three days.
In mid October the Circuit Stewards received 101 profiles written by presbyters
who hope to take up new appointments next September. After prayerful
consideration and two meetings to consider the profiles the Circuit Stewards sent
the Chairman, the names of ten presbyters whose ministry they thought would
benefit the Circuit and Trinity in particular came through. As requested, the ten
were divided into a top five with five reserves!
We heard via the Chairman’s grapevine that the profile of the Circuit which we
had prepared had created a lot of interest around the country, and that a number
of presbyters had shown an interest in coming to East Grinstead. Against that we
had also been told that there were considerably more vacancies around the
country than there were ministers to fill them. Added to that was the fact that of
those vacancies fifty were for Superintendent ministers, which take priority and
are the first to be matched. For those reasons we were not surprised by the
message from the Chairman.
After the matching round we were told that five of the District’s eight vacancies
had been matched. What happens next?
Those ministers matched will visit the Circuits they have been matched with and
both the minister and the Circuit will decide whether or not it is a good match.
Usually about 85% of the matches are confirmed. The other 15%, those ministers
not matched in the first round and possibly some late entries, go into a second
round of matching. This will take place on 30 November – 01 December, after
which we here at Trinity will hear whether there has been on this occasion a
match with our Circuit.

If so, a visit will be arranged when the minister will meet the Circuit Stewards, the
Trinity Stewards Leadership Team, the Superintendent minister, the Circuit
Invitation Committee, Geoff if the visiting presbyter so desires, and also take a look
around the manse. The Chairman assured us that when the second round of
matching takes place he will very much have our Circuit, and Trinity in particular, in
mind but we know he can give no guarantees.
The Stationing Matching Group will meet for a third time on 13 January to deal
with unresolved stationing. Visits will also follow that round.
And so the wait to see who will follow Geoff as minister at Trinity goes on. But rest
assured, no Methodist Church is left without a minister having pastoral oversight of
it and its members. We rest easy in the knowledge that God’s will will be done.
Bernard Circuit Steward
Bible Teaching Sundays
The fourth of the Bible Teaching
sessions will be held at the 6.30pm
service on Sunday 13 December.
This will be the last of the studies
by Paula Gooder (pictured) on
Ephesians 3:14-21, from this year's
Spring Harvest, a series that has been very well received. If you have missed
any of the earlier sessions, the DVDs are available to borrow from me.
The Stewards Leadership Team has agreed that the format will continue next
year, at least from January to March, and will comprise the evening service on
the second Sunday of each month. A new series will therefore commence on
Sunday 10 January 2016 and all are welcome. Details of the teaching resource
to be used will appear in the weekly notice sheet.
David

Roundabout Pre-School
Christmas Celebration
15 December
9.45am – Jubilee Community Centre
(Bring an Orange!)
All Trinity Friends are invited to join the Roundabout
Christian Pre-school staff, children and their families to Roundabout’s
Christmas service and Christingle Celebration. This will be held at the Jubilee
Community Church, Charlwood Road Tuesday, 15 December at 9.45am. We
are invited to bring an orange so that we can join in the festive celebration
with the children and make our own Christingle decoration.
Margaret
Chairman of Governors

Mentoring Update
Those of us who attended the Christian Mentoring course earlier in the year
continue to meet regularly to discern how God wants us to use the skills we
learned. Although each of us is mentoring one or more people, we would be
happy to make ourselves available to anyone else who feels they would like to
have a mentor.
Christian Mentoring is designed to help people deepen their faith by seeking
God’s plan for their lives. We do this by praying together, talking about any
concerns or ‘blockages’, setting realistic targets – and then some more praying.
We are approaching the start of a new year. Why not think about seeking a
mentor to discern God’s plan for your life in 2016? If you would like to know
more, do contact one of us to discuss it further. It could be the best New Year
resolution you ever make!
Norma, Sean, Mary, Pat,
John, Rachael
Do You Love Flowers?
Would you like to help our flower
arrangers and deliverers coordinate
their work at Trinity? I would like to
hand over my responsibility for
these areas of our church life, so it
would be great to find one or two
people who'd love to take this on.
For Sunday flower arrangements, I
keep an eye on the sign-up sheet,
restock some of the supplies in the
flower room and am a general
contact person for all things flowers.
On the delivery side, I produce a rota a couple of times a year to schedule our
Monday shifts to deliver flowers to people and I keep an eye on supplies for this
too. If you'd like to know more, please get in touch.
Kim

Trinity New Build Team – a Final Report
The final TNB meeting was held on 23 October 2015, at which the TNB team
unanimously agreed it was time to disband the team, subject to Church
Council approval.
There are a few remaining practical actions and current snag corrections
awaited from our contractor, the only significant one being the replacement of
faulty LED lights in the top bulkhead of the Worship Area ceiling. Supervision
of all remaining new build actions is now passed to Property Committee.
While we still await the final bill from HA & DB Kitchin, remaining construction
payments will now be handled directly by Phil Walker (Church Treasurer),
Simon Bruce (Property Chairman) and Andrew Barnes (who retains the
payment processing activities of New Build Treasurer).
Our Redhill Methodist Church (RMC) loan of £450,000, repayable over ten
years (ending 2023), has a minimum repayment of £45,000 each year, and this
year we have been pleased to agree a repayment to RMC of £50,000. This
means we have paid back £117,500 so far, leaving £332,500 still to be repaid.
In simple terms this means continuing to raise an average of £41,562 per year,
for the next eight years, to repay the RMC loan. Some church members have
pledged specific giving to support this, but we need more to do so. We also
need lots of fundraising activities to support the loan repayments. Obviously
all this is in addition to the ‘normal’ giving needed to run our church, so
funding will continue to be a major challenge to us all.
I would like to give my personal thanks to all the members of the Trinity New
Build Team for all their hard work over the last eight years. It has been an
incredible journey of faith and God’s provision, a miracle of transformation,
and a wonderful example of what team-work can achieve in the service of our
Lord. I would like to wish them all a well-earned rest – but knowing them, I’m
sure they already have plenty to do as we now seek to build up the family of
God at Trinity to fill our new home.
Simon

Trinity Methodist Church
What You Didn’t Know About the Church Finances?
Following Simon’s report signifying completion of the Church Building Project, this
seemed an appropriate time to keep you all appraised of our overall finances.
I am delighted to say that the overall financial situation of the church is in a sound
position. However, each financial year remains a challenge to make income equal
expenditure and achieve all the work the Church would like to undertake.
Did you know it costs £2,277 per week to keep the Church and our core activities
running?
In addition, as a Church we also pledge 10% of the Church’s income, nearly £12,500
in the last financial year to 31 August 2015, towards donations to worthy causes
both within and outside Methodism.
The above figures do not include the annual repayments of £45,000 to repay the
loan from Redhill which helped us complete the new church, or the £30,000 per
annum which enables us to have a lay assistant working within the Church family.
Adding all of this together, the Church requires £3,959 per week to ‘balance the
overall books’. Over 80% of these costs are met by the extremely generous giving of
our congregation and friends.
However, with costs inevitably likely to increase each year, I believe every one of us
should challenge ourselves to see whether an increase in our giving to the life of the
church is possible, however small or large that increase might be. For if we are
benefiting from living within the family of the Church, we should look to maximise
our giving to the Church so that others might also benefit from our Church family.
And for all those who currently pay tax, and are not claiming gift aid, we can no
longer ignore the opportunity provided by the Government to increase your giving
by 25% (at no cost to yourself). So please see me or Jennifer, if you pay tax but are
not already registered for Gift Aid.
Please do not hesitate to ask me if you have a question or would like to know more
about the finances of the Church.
Phil, Church Treasurer

AV Presentations During Services
As part of the New Build, Trinity has been very fortunate to have a brand new,
feature-rich media installation which can support presentations in varied formats.
Over the years we have come to realise that to provide a good presentation
service, constraints need to be placed on what media is used. Though a
presentation will work on your home PC it may not work on ours. It is not ideal
for the A/V Technicians to be correcting/adjusting a presentation five minutes
before the service because a font or file is incompatible or the text does not
line up.
Following on from a recommendation from the company providing these
services to events like Spring Harvest, the following procedures have been
agreed and are being implemented by the AV technicians at both the 9.00am
and 10.45am services.
Only media in an agreed format will be accepted. A document has been
produced covering the accepted formats and is available on request.
The AV Team need to know before the service that the playing media is
required so there are no surprises. This is especially important for the 10.45am
service as the changeover between the two services is a very busy time.
Ideally the media needs to be available before the service, if possible by the
Thursday night so it can be tested and set up during band practice.
There have been two occasions recently where media has arrived as a surprise
five minutes before the service started. In one case the person was left
disappointed as they were politely told there was no time to sort it out and the
other, where an attempt was made, the service was started five minutes late.
Please, if you wish to play any media during the services, contact the AV team
well in advance to avoid the difficult answer of, No, sorry too late.
Tim B

Refresh
Yes, we certainly were refreshed with tea
and amazing home baked cakes provided by
the Church Family. At our cell group meeting
on the Monday night following we spoke
about how God wants us to “Eat drink and
be glad”. Look at Ecclesiastes Ch8 v15.
Well we certainly did that at this meeting. Everyone was so pleased to meet
with others and get to know a little more about them. A great ice breaker got
us going on doing this.
Lots of sharing at this time and plenty of talking, it was quite a buzz. Angie
gave an amazing testimony of how she came back to God after the birth of
her daughter Megan who was born with Down's Syndrome, how He helped
her to cope with the massive change it made to the family and the wonderful
blessing Megan has been to them (this testimony is reproduced elsewhere in
the magazine).
There was more time later for people to tell of experiences they'd had in
answer to prayers. A truly humbling time for us all.
Jayne and the great team behind her have worked so hard to organise this
time on alternate months, making it a great time for us all to meet together
and enjoy each other’s company, making new friends and sharing God’s Love.
I can't wait for the next meeting on 02 January - will you be there? Hope so!
Linda
The Best Christmas Presents
To your enemy - forgiveness,
To your opponent - tolerance.
To a friend - your heart.
To a customer - service.
To all men - charity.
To every child - a good example
To yourself - respect
(Author Unknown)

Trinity Welcome Café
Saturday 02 January
10.00am - 11.30am
Ladies, please join us for our next Refresh
meeting on 02 January from 10.00am –
11.30am in the Welcome Café. There’ll be
spiritual refreshment over coffee, cake and
fellowship with a testimony or short message.
Set aside the time in your diary and come and have some ‘me time’, to start
your New Year feeling refreshed!
Please let us know if you are able to come by using the sign-up sheet on the
notice board in the Welcome Café. You can also use this to say if you’d like to
bring some cake or fruit and if you’d like to help serve tea and coffee.
Kim
Men at Trinity
After quite a break Men at Trinity are invited to get together for a meal on
Wednesday 09 December, meeting at the Mediterranean Restaurant (two doors
up from the Bridge Bar on London Road). We will meet at 7.30pm for an 8.00pm
start which I hope will enable those at work enough time to get there.
We will have a two-course meal (starter and main course) for £10, drinks not
included.
If you are interested please email Paul . I will then send you the menu for you to
choose your meal so I can inform the restaurant by no later than 07 December.
We will be holding bi monthly events throughout next year. The programme is
being compiled and will be ready for the next magazine.
Paul

Greetings from your Street Pastors
Where has the year gone? I cannot believe that we are
writing our bumper Christmas/New year magazine
9+already, but here we are and on behalf of the Trustees,
the Street Team and all the Prayer Pastors I wish you all a
very Happy Christmas and a brilliant New Year.
If a team comes together we are going to be out patrolling on Christmas Eve and New
Year’s Eve and will be looking for folk to join the Prayer Pastors in the base to make it a
really happy time for us all.
As from this December we are offering the possibility to the teams of patrolling on a
Friday evening instead of a Saturday on some weekends. We are also venturing into
the social media way of communicating. I have learnt to Twitter this year and there is
now an opportunity for people to write a ‘blog’ and send it to Yvonne Shaw for her to
edit and place on our ever changing website.
As you know, I have been involved with this venture since July 2012 and on the whole
feel as enthusiastic as when I started. We have our moments like all organisations, but
I still believe with a great passion that God wants Street Pastors in this town and that
we are making a bit difference to the community, especially within the centre of the
town.
Thank you for your continued support, especially on the prayer side. We now have
other ways of raising funds which includes ‘Giving of £10.00 per month’ through direct
debit. Please see me if you would like to receive a registration form. We now have
contacts within Sainsbury’s who will give us 4% on every amount we spend there.
Please see Paul for details on registering for a card. Last, and by no means least, we
have an account on ‘Just giving’. Please see me if you would like further details.
Just before closing I would like to drop another gentle reminder that we are trying to
recruit. I have had five possibilities since September, but as yet not one has taken it
any further other than an initial interest. Please pray that all those who think God is
calling them to join the team will come out for a ‘taster’ observation very soon.
We are having a fund raising stall at the Christmas Shopping Day on 06 December in
the town, and we are holding our annual social on 23 January starting at 7.00pm in the
Jubilee Centre. A note for your diaries is that Les Isaacs, the founder of Street Pastors,
is coming to East Grinstead on 11 March and we will be holding an event that day. He
will also patrol with the team. Please keep the date in your diaries as we would love to
see you there.
Thank you again for your continued support. It is very much appreciated.
Mary Co-ordinator

'Joseph' – a reflection
It has been suggested that I share with you the 'poem' with which I concluded
the 9.00am service on 25 October, the penultimate week of our study of the
'Joseph story'. That week's theme was 'Forgiveness and Reconciliation' and I
wanted to convey that our study also requires practical application.
David Browning
If you were at church on the 8 th September,
then I'm sure that you will remember,
we showed a film that was rather groovy;
a lavish production – 'Joseph' – the movie!
“What's it about?” Do I hear you say,
you couldn’t make it on that day?
That's a shame, but the answer is this -
'It's based on a story from Genesis'.
I expect it's a story you well know,
about things that happened a long time ago -
(probably the equivalent, in its day,
of 'EastEnders', 'Neighbours', or 'Home and Away'.)
It's a story of a dozen brothers,
who between them had four mothers!
'Jealousy' was therefore rife
and caused the family lots of strife!
Their father, Jacob, tried to cope,
but, peace among brothers? - little hope!
The odds were stacked at eleven to one -
Against young Joseph - Jacob's favourite son!
When Jacob gave Joseph a coloured coat,
that really got 'the brothers' goat'
Now they hated brother Joe,
because their father loved him so.

The straw that broke the camel's back
was because young Joseph had the knack
to interpret dreams and say what they meant;
Joseph – delighted; brothers – incensed!
And so we read of the brothers' plot
to get rid of Joseph and say 'That's yer lot'!
The story you know – the movie you've seen,
I don't need to tell you, the bits in between.
By showing the film, we started our teaching,
And then we began seven weeks of preaching.
So if we call the movie a 'pre-quel'
'What happens next?' will be 'Joseph – the se-quel'.
In one sense the movie was pure entertainment,
But 'Joseph – the sequel' is about our attainment
of all that the story was telling about -
love and forgiveness, and living it out.
Now that's not an easy thing to do
But when God is with us, He'll see us through.
We just need to trust Him and His ways -
And live in the way His commandment says.
So as our study is nearly through
Let's pray about what we should do
to reconcile those situations
among our own friends and relations.
Remember then how Joseph behaved,
the love that he showed, - those he forgave.
And if we make 'Love one another' our text
We'll have discovered the answer, to 'What happens next?'

‘Rhythm of Mission’
Training for Churches in the South-East District of the
Methodist Church
Yes, that means us! Trinity Methodist Church will be hosting this training for
our area.
Please put the following dates in your diary if you want to be encouraged and
equipped for mission and outreach:
Saturday 16 January 2016
Saturday 19 March 2016
Saturday 17 September 2016
10.00am - 12.30pm
10.30am - 5.00pm
2.00pm - 5.00pm
A team from Share Jesus International, a UK based mission charity, which was
set up by Rev Dr Rob Frost and now led by his son Andy, will be delivering the
training. It will help churches plan and prepare to create opportunities for
people to start a journey of faith and discipleship.
It will help churches become more confident in sharing their faith and more
expectant for faith conversations to emerge.
It will help Christians connect with their community in new ways.
The first session explains some of the key thinking behind creating a rhythm of
mission. The session helps churches work through some key questions to
strategically put together a plan for the year. This session also introduces
people to the Sharing Jesus course that can be used to prepare congregations
for evangelism.
If you are interested in mission and outreach and would like to know more, or
you hope to attend this training, please speak to Norma, Ruth or Sean.
Please note:
The first date for ‘Rhythm of Mission’ is 16 January 2016
10.00am to 12.30pm at Trinity
Come and be a part of it!

Park Pretty, Please
Our car park can get extremely
busy on some days. As a courtesy
to fellow users may we politely
remind everyone to park carefully
within marked parking bays, and
never to park on the pedestrian
walkways or on the grass. To
assist cars exiting onto the London
Road, we ask that only small and
medium sized cars are parked
outside the Blue Room, opposite the exit bollards. Larger cars are encouraged
to park in the first sections of the car park, from the Lingfield Road entrance
round to the Thuja tree (opposite the external cross).
Although we have a one-way system we do appreciate that some large
vehicles may need to exit back onto the Lingfield Road, but remind all that
this needs to be done carefully, safely and very considerately.
Simon
Property Chairman
General Knowledge Quiz
23 January 2016, 7.30pm
Maximum of eight per team
£5.00 a head
This event will be organised by David and Lene and will raise money towards
repaying the Trinity New Build debt

Forest Row Lifeboat Choir
Forest Row Lifeboat Choir has been coming out of ‘hibernation’ in December each
year since 1946 to sing Christmas carols! “How did this come about”? I hear you
ask, when Forest Row is nowhere near the sea!
Billy Mills, Forest Row postman in 1946, was inspired to form the choir when he
heard how his friend, William Pope, had lost three brothers back in 1928 when the
Rye Harbour lifeboat, the ‘Mary Stanford’, had overturned with the loss of all 17
crewmen. The tragedy was all the more poignant as it need never have happened;
the seamen in danger had been rescued by another boat.
Billy’s first choir consisted of three car-loads of people who entertained at the
house parties of well-known local residents in return for a donation to the Royal
National Lifeboat Institution.
Since then the choir has raised well over £100,000 for the RNLI and this year has
thirty four members, twelve of whom are members or adherents here at Trinity.
This year the choir has fourteen ‘shouts’ (a figure of speech, not a description of our
singing, I hope!) which range from singing in shopping malls, residential homes,
formal concerts, etc, to the Ashdown Park Hotel where guests are entertained on
Christmas Eve.
We would love to see as many of you as possible here at Trinity at 2.30pm on 05
December for what will be the first choir concert in our new building when
Forest Row Lifeboat Choir
presents
“Carols and Cakes”
Trinity Methodist Church
05 December at 2.30pm
A two-hour concert of carols old and new, instrumental solos and readings - with
cakes included during the interval!
Tickets costing £6 can be purchased either in the Café or from Jennifer or Bernard
or just come along on the day and pay at the door! Some may think this is a little
too early to be celebrating Christmas. If that is you, look upon the concert as a
chance to step away from the Christmas rush; a chance to remember the real
meaning of Christmas. See you there!
Bernard

What is easyfundraising?
It’s a simple way to collect free donations for Trinity Methodist Church every
time you shop online this Christmas, as well as throughout the rest of the
year – it doesn’t cost you a penny extra!
Did you know that whenever you buy anything online - from your weekly
shop to your annual holiday - you could be raising a free donation for Trinity
Methodist Church, East Grinstead?
There are nearly 3,000 retailers on board ready to make a donation, including
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It's really simple, all you have to do is:
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Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first, pick the retailer
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Thank you for your support!
Mike

Retreat Programme
Spring 2016
At Dalesdown, near Horsham, you will find peace, tranquillity and beautiful
countryside and a place dedicated to God and used by Him. The retreats provide
the opportunity and privilege of time apart in God’s presence, enabling you to
return to your busy, noisy world better equipped to serve Him.
Worship Space: Worship Space days offer quality time in a prayerful atmosphere.
We welcome you to experience the benefits of worship, personal reflection and
prayer, led through inspirational teaching from our guest speaker.
We have two Worship Space events during spring 2016. On Tuesday 08 and 15
March we will be welcoming Ian Smale as our guest speaker. The day will start
with coffee,from 9.45am, with a time of worship from 10.00am, and plenty of
space for personal reflection in the peaceful surroundings.
Tea and coffee is available throughout the day, with a simple cooked lunch being
served at 1.00pm. The day ends with a worship session at around 3.00pm.
Places are limited - please book your place through the Office. Cost: £25
Breathing Space: Breathing Space days provide a day of personal retreat,
following your own agenda or taking time to pray with one of the team.
Coffee is served from 9.45am, with a short worship session at 10.00am before
making the day your own in the quiet and prayerful atmosphere. Tea/coffee are
available throughout the day and light lunch is served at 1.00pm.
The day will end with a short service, including the opportunity for communion,
at around 3.00pm. Places are limited - please book your place through the Office.
Cost: £20
If you would like to know more about any of our Retreats, or the possibility of
booking a small room for your personal retreat day, please phone the office at
Dalesdown: 01403 710712. Or email Jo Jackson at: events@dalesdown.org.uk

Trinity
Life
An abundance of ‘Love in a Box’
now in transit to needy children
in Eastern Europe
More baptisms
- Irene and Sean
Paul and Linda working on the patchwork wall hanging

Trinity Groups
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope meets on the second Tuesday of each month at
1.45pm in the Roundabout Room. Outings usually include a
booking form found in our rack in the Welcome Café
Saturday 05 December: We join the RNLI Choir for their Christmas Concert at
Trinity at 2.00pm.
Tuesday 08 December: Time to celebrate Christmas with readings and carols,
and decoration of stars. A cup of tea with mince pies.
Tuesday 12 January: New Year Party
Tuesday 26 January: Soup Lunch
Thursday Group
Thursday 03 December at 2.30pm
Thursday 17 December at 2.30pm
Carol singing in the Blue Room
Members’ Christmas Party
No meetings in January; first meeting in 2016 will be Thursday 04 February.
Members of the Thursday Group wish all members of Trinity a very Happy
Christmas and every good wish for the New Year. Membership of the Group
is open to people of any gender and a warm welcome awaits anybody who
would like to join.
Knit and Natter
Will not be meeting in December,
but will be back again on
09 January 2016
10.00am - 12.00noon
Please come along with any knitting or other crafts you are doing.
See Val for more details.

Trinity People
Testimony
At the ‘Refresh’ meeting in November Angie gave a wonderful testimony of how
God’s love supported and upheld her during a very difficult time in her life, and
continues to do so. Maggie Bruce prompted her with questions. Her testimony
is long, but it would be a shame to omit any of the important steps in her
life, so it’s reproduced here in full. Maggie’s prompts are in italic print.
I have been trying to remember when we first met and think it must have been in
the 1990s. I was working very part time as a community paediatrician in
Crawley, Horsham and EG area and heard via my professional network that a
baby with Down's syndrome had been born into an East Grinstead family. I
subsequently found out that a friend at Trinity called Linda was a neighbour of
the mum and the mum's name was Angie! I think the birth of Megan was a
pivotal moment in your life and the beginning of your God journey - could you tell
us more?
Yes. Megan’s birth in 1990 was very much a pivotal moment and the beginning
of my road back to God. I had been part of a church as a child and I would say I
had a simple childlike faith when I was younger. But as often happens, I reached
my teenage years and refused to go any more. After that I very rarely went to a
church and if I was asked I would say to people, ‘I’m a good person, why do I
need to go to church?’
Lawrence and I married in 1975 and we had two girls who were aged 10 and 8
when Megan came along. In those days there were no blood tests to assess your
risk factor of having a child with Down’s syndrome, only an amniocentesis test
which could be carried out if you were aged 35 or over; I was 34. I had a very
easy pregnancy but Megan showed signs of distress during the labour and had to
be born by emergency caesarean. So a few hours after the birth I was still
groggy from the anaesthetic and they told me they suspected Megan had
Down’s syndrome. I was in total shock and cried almost nonstop; they very
quickly moved me into a private room away from the other mums, which was
helpful in some ways but also made me feel alone and isolated. I had very little
experience of anybody with a learning disability and I was very afraid for the
future.

Megan also seemed to be very sick. She couldn’t keep any milk down and wasn’t
suckling. An x-ray showed she had problems with her duodenum which was blindended
and not joined to her intestine. Because of this she was taken down to The
Royal Alex children’s hospital in Brighton for an operation. She stayed there for
four weeks until she was able to feed properly.
It was a very difficult time for us as a family trying to get the older girls to school,
Lawrence having to keep the business going and I was relying on people to drive
me down to Brighton most days. But it did help me bond with Megan and for the
time she was in hospital she was just a sick baby; the fact that she had Down’s
syndrome was put to the side.
After she came home the reality of it all came back and I worried constantly about
the future. My neighbour Linda was a great support and she told me that ladies at
this church were praying for me. Also another Christian neighbour came round
and said they were also praying for us. I remember being so grateful that although
they didn’t know me, they cared enough to pray for us.
Over the next few weeks I began to feel the need to go to church, I was looking for
answers. I didn’t want to go back to my old church and Linda suggested I come
here to Trinity. So the girls and I went along the next week which was Pentecost
Sunday. I thought the service was amazing - so alive and vibrant.
After that I was invited to join a Christian basics group which was run by Maggie
and Rachael. I was still concerned and worried about Megan’s future and I found it
really hard to switch off everything in my head, especially when I was on my own,
usually when I was driving. I very clearly remember one day I was driving up
College Lane and as usual worrying in my head, when I had a sudden realisation
‘God is with me’. It broke through all the worry and was as if He had thrown me a
life line. From that moment I knew I was not alone. I carried on with the
Christians basics course, made a commitment and I and the girls became
immersed in the church.
I remember being in a cell group/home group with you and hearing that you were
pregnant again. How difficult was it to make the decision to have another child
after having Megan?
Lawrence and I decided quite quickly to have another baby; because of the age
difference with the older girls we didn’t want Megan to be on her own. I was
concerned about having another baby with Down’s syndrome even though Megan
has Triosomy 21 which is not hereditary. I do know two families who have had a
second child with Down’s syndrome so yes, it could be a possibility.

We decided against any invasive tests like amniocentesis, but I’d heard about a
new blood test which could determine your risk factor. I rang the Down’s
Syndrome Association to find out more, but unfortunately they explained that if
you already had a child with Down’s Syndrome then your risk factor would come
out high anyway. I was so disappointed. I really needed some reassurance that
this pregnancy would be OK.
I remember going upstairs and kneeling by my bed and praying for help. Within a
couple of hours there was a knock at the door; it was my midwife. She said “I
know we haven’t got an appointment but I felt I should come and see you”. I
explained about the blood test and how disappointed I was. She said that a
doctor at one of the London hospitals was carrying out a new scan called a
Nuchal scan which could detect any of the possible markers that a Down’s
Syndrome baby may have. She referred us and I had the scan at five months; the
doctor was 98% certain that there were no problems and that we were having a
boy. An added bonus as we do tend to have girls in our family. To this day that
remains the most amazing answer to prayer.
Despite you and the girls (and later Tom) becoming very involved with Trinity, it
took quite some time for Lawrence to develop a faith in Jesus. Can you tell us a
bit about that process?
Lawrence did come along to a few services but he wasn’t comfortable and even
walked out of a holiday club service. He was quite happy for the rest of us to
come along, after all it gave him a peaceful Sunday morning. It’s hard when your
partner doesn’t come to church; you feel a little isolated and I missed coming to
any social events because I didn’t want to come on my own.
I continued to pray for him but as the years went on I began to think that it would
never happen. But after about 14 years Lawrence was very unsettled and started
searching - Buddhism, self-help the Power of You, more or less everything else
apart from Christianity. Thankfully he didn’t find what he was looking for and
somehow we began to have more God discussions.
I remember one day he read in the newspaper about a book that was in the New
York Times top ten. That book was ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren and
he ordered a copy for me. I found it a very powerful book and although Lawrence
didn’t want to read it himself he was happy for me to tell him about it. It was at
this time as well when ‘The Passion of Christ’ was on at the cinemas and we went
together to see it.

One day Lawrence was sitting on the stairs in someone’s house where he was
working, probably having a cup of tea! He had this sudden realisation ‘God is real’.
He told me about it when he came home and I persuaded him to go and chat with
Geoff. He started coming to church and joined the Alpha group with Mike Brooks,
Shane Hannam and Carrie Maynard.
Can you tell us a little about what has happened since?
Megan is now 25 years old and we wouldn’t change a thing; she has been and
continues to be such a blessing. We have prayed about every decision we have had
to make about her health, her schooling and her life. Without exception answers
have been given and doors opened. She has been given amazing opportunities -
singing and performing, horse riding at The Special Olympics and more recently a
home in Brighton where she lives fully supported with her own friends.
People say that the Christian life is a journey and I would agree. Sometimes the
road ahead is very clear, but often it’s not. There have been times I’ve wandered
down the wrong path, looked around and thought what am I doing here - when life
throws difficult things at you like illness or the death of loved ones that you can’t
understand. Those are the times when you just have to stand still and wait while
Jesus supports you. Like when you are in a storm sometimes it’s best not to fight it
but just stand still and wait it out until the storm passes.
And finally can you tell us one of your favourite hymns/worship songs and why it is
special to you?
My taste in music is quite varied. I like the modern worship songs and I also love
singing along to hymns. Just recently a song comes to mind often when I am
thinking and praying. ‘Jesus, We Enthrone You’. I’ll try to explain what the first lines
of this song mean to me.
Jesus, we enthrone You, we proclaim You our King –
Jesus I proclaim You as King, You are Lord of my Life.
Standing here in the midst of us – You are not sitting on a throne in the distance.
You lived on this earth and you understand all the joys and the sorrows. You stand
with me. We lift you up with our praise – Because of this no matter what I am going
through I can praise you.
Angie

My Testimony
As I read in the news sheet two weeks ago about sharing testimonies of how God is
helping us along life’s journey, I felt a significant prod from God and He said, “that’s
something I want you to do”. Since then, God has kept bringing it back to my mind
and I’ve being making excuses why I can’t do it, as the thought of standing up and
sharing something so personal was very scary.
God ALWAYS has His way in the end, so here I am today, to share with you a couple of
situations during October when I really felt God’s presence and had prayers
answered.
The first relates to my trip to Israel at the beginning of the month. The day we
arrived in Jerusalem was the first day of the latest prolonged clashes between
Palestinians and Israelis. Our hotel was a two-minute walk away from the Old City
walls, so from my bedroom window I could hear and see some of the rioting in the
streets. Like many others in the UK, I have watched regular news reports showing
the violence and riots and felt detached from it all, but when you find yourself so
close that you see and smell the fumes from the burning tyres, it is really scary. So I
sent a prayer request to Jill, which she distributed. Knowing people were praying for
our safety was very reassuring, and I want to thank you all for doing so.
After five days we went to Bethlehem and had to sneak in the back of the hotel as a
full blown riot was taking place out front. This is where I got the tear gas in my eyes.
Again, I texted a prayer request to Jill. Once I had pressed the “send” button I lay on
the bed praying, and I had a real sense of peace about the whole situation and
confidence that God was in control. The rioting paused after midnight and the next
morning we were able to leave Bethlehem half an hour before the rioting
re-commenced, which was a wonderful answer to your prayers.
We spent the next five days near the Golan Heights, and saw a number of military
bomber aircraft flying over the hillsides opposite. I was so thankful to know that
many of my Trinity family were praying for our safety. I really was able to relax and
enjoy the holiday, knowing it was being covered in prayer back in East Grinstead.
The second situation concerns my daughter Suzy’s wedding. First of all, for those of
you who don’t know me, my divorce from Gerry came through just over a year ago
and I have struggled since then to accept it and move on.

Suzy got engaged at the beginning of September and announced two weeks later
that she wanted to get married at the end of October. I was delighted at the news,
but also anxious, because this meant I would have to spend the whole day with
Gerry and his new partner, whom I had not met before. I decided to meet his
partner a week before the wedding and asked some of my Trinity family to cover
the meeting in prayer. As I was praying on the train going up to meet them, I felt
Jesus very clearly say to me “I am going to be beside you in the restaurant” and this
gave me great comfort.
When we sat down at the table I went to put my bag on the chair next to me. I
actually jumped a little because I very clearly heard Jesus say “Oi, what are you
doing, that’s MY seat”, so I put the bag on the floor. During the meeting I felt
strengthened every time I looked at the ‘empty’ chair because I knew Jesus was
sitting there. It was fantastic and really helped me get through - actually I enjoyed
the occasion.
Suzy and Simon’s wedding was very special and a wonderful day. There were only
fourteen guests so there was a lot of close interaction between myself, Gerry and
his partner during the day. I won’t go into detail here, but there were a number of
occasions when I did find it extremely hard emotionally. Again God came up
trumps, because as I was praying during one of these difficult occasions, He
reminded me that my invitation had actually been addressed to ‘Mum and friend’
and therefore Jesus, as my friend, was again right beside me.
One year ago today, I posted this on my FB page: ‘Life has knocked me down a few
times and
It has shown me things I never wanted to see. I have experienced sadness and
failures. But one thing for sure, I ALWAYS get back up again’.
I want to firstly thank God for His faithfulness each and every day as He walks
beside me, and sometimes carries me, on this road of life.
And then I want to thank you guys for your prayers and loving support through the
last two years. God bless and thank you.
Mary

The Wider World
Time to Stop?
It’s twenty-one years since the Sunday Trading Act was passed, allowing the doors of
our supermarkets and DIY stores to be flung wide every day of the week. Since then,
Sunday trading hours have been limited across the UK, but just recently the
Government has confirmed plans to loosen these restrictions, leaving the decision in
the hands of local authorities through the Cities and Devolution Bill. Doors will open
for longer if it will boost local economies.
It sounds straightforward, but it’s a complicated issue. Balancing the needs of
consumers, families, shop workers, small stores and superstores is hugely challenging.
So where can we turn for guidance?
God made the world to need work in order to bring forth its riches and potential. But
work was designed to be in balance with rest. Part of the brokenness of today’s
workplace is that we’ve lost sight of that rhythm and the crucial part that rest plays in
bringing perspective and meaning to our daily toil.
Sabbath rest celebrates and invests in friendship, family, creativity, joy, and more
besides. It allows us to restate our trust in a God who provides, by taking time away
from our economic imperatives. In today’s self-determined society, it demands a
change of heart. It reminds us that we’re not God: stepping away from the e-mails;
letting go of the shopping trolley; trusting the universe will still be in place when we
return.
But Sabbath rest is fragile; it needs protection. It’s vulnerable to the voracious pace
of life fuelled by ‘always-on’ technology. In God’s eyes, Sabbath is not an option.
Robust Old Testament laws strove to guard its place in Jewish culture, while Jesus
reaffirmed its significance as God’s loving intent for us as He famously turned the
tables on His critics: ‘The Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the
Sabbath’.
Among the many arguments for and against preserving a special day in our society,
we should remember the power of symbol. Somehow, having something special
about Sunday puts a stake in the ground to say ‘this is important’. As the Bill goes
through Committee stage in the House of Commons we can still influence the
planned legislation (visit KeepSundaySpecial), and in the way we trust God in our
work and rest we can model a different way of living.
‘Be still and know that I am God’ (Psalm 46:10)
Charles Hippsley (Director of LICC Work Forum – first published by LICC)

On the Wildside December 2015
Weapons of Mouse Destruction
The first performance of the carol ‘Silent Night,
Holy Night’ was the indirect consequence of a
mouse gnawing the bellows of the church organ
in a remote Austrian village, but such incidental
benefits are rare. Church mice may be poor, but they are also troublesome
when hungry.
When the government decreed that all pest species should be killed with
kindness, the pest control boffins found that when they were ‘poisoning the
pigeons in the park’, field mice and house mice also took their final sleep.
The active ingredient induces hypothermia (so long as the heating is off).
Alternatively, the pest controllers may use a bait containing an overdose of
Vitamin D2, ensuring that any such rodent dies in good health.
This month the dozen or so Canada geese on Hedgecourt Lake and other open
waters have been augmented by wintering gulls, and a dozen pairs of heron
stretch their grey legs to stalk frogs, and collect branches with which to build
their untidy nests.
In the fields, wide open spaces and generous gardens, the big grey thrushes we
call fieldfares are arriving from Norway and further north and east, until a
million or more have joined us for Christmas with calls of ‘chack, chack’. They
have a blue-grey head and rump, upright stance and black spotted breast.
They fly high and descend to feed on worms and berries. The rather smaller
redwings, showing off a creamy yellow eye-stripe, will also be feeding on any
juicy berries and can be heard, after dark, calling overhead.
Take care driving through Ashdown Forest after dark any night before or after
Christmas. It’s not the deer in the headlights but the ones following after it
that cause accidents. And it won’t be Rudolph, because all the male deer have
shed their antlers. As for me, I’m going to concentrate on the turkey. And that
mouse.
May we all share the joy of knowing Christ this Christmas.
Peter

Services for December 2015
Sunday 06
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Rev Geoff Bell
Rev Geoff Bell
Mrs Pat - Taizé Service
Sunday 13
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Rev Geoff Bell – Holy Communion
Rev Geoff Bell - Holy Communion
Mr David - Bible Teaching
Sunday 20
9.00am Mr Tim 10.45am Rev
Geoff Bell
6.30pm
Rev Geoff Bell - Carol Service
Thursday 24
4.30pm
11.00pm
Friday 25 (Christmas Day)
10.00am
Sunday 27
10.00am
Rev Geoff Bell - Crib Service
Rev Geoff Bell - Holy Communion
Rev Geoff Bell - Family Service
Mrs Pat - Combined Service
Youth Groups
The Big Q
Fridays – 7.30pm – 9.00pm (11-14 yrs) – Upper Room with Tim
LiveWires
Fridays - 6.15pm - 7.15pm (8-11 yrs) - Upper Room with Lydia

Services for January 2016
Sunday 03
10.00am
6.30pm
Rev Geoff Bell - Covenant Service - Combined
No evening service
Sunday 10
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Rev Geoff Bell – Holy Communion
Rev Geoff Bell
Mr David - Bible Teaching
Sunday 17
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Sunday 24
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Sunday 31
9.00am
10.45am
6.30pm
Mrs Helen
Rev Geoff Bell
Mr Tim D
Rev Felicity
Rev Felicity
Rev Geoff Bell - Quiet Service/Holy Communion
Rev Geoff Bell
Rev Geoff Bell
Mrs Pat O
Youth Groups
The Big Q
Fridays – 7.30pm – 9.00pm (11-14 yrs) – Upper Room with Tim
LiveWires
Fridays - 6.15pm - 7.15pm (8-11 yrs) - Upper Room with Lydia

TRINITY MESSENGERS PRESENT
THE CHRISTMAS STORY
Come and join the Puppets
in their brand new production
as they tell the Christmas Story
through music and drama
Fun for all the family
Saturday 19 December, 2.00pm and 5.00pm
Trinity Methodist Church
Lingfield Rd, East Grinstead, RH19 2HA
(Free entry but donations welcome)
Please note – a smoke machine and UV lighting will be used at times during the performance.