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Home Group - "Faith In Action"

As a group of Christians meeting regularly to explore our faith and grow in our relationship with Jesus and each other we recently explored the bible verse James 2:17:

“Faith is not just a belief we hold; it is something that manifests in our actions. As we trust in God, we feel inspired to step out in faith and serve those around us. Our faith becomes a motivating force, propelling us into action. When we see a need, our faith encourages us to respond. We learn that true faith is not passive. It works continuously in our lives and compels us to live out the commands of Christ. As we act in faith, we can witness God’s incredible work through us, bringing hope and love to those in our reach. In this process, we grow closer to Him and inspire others to engage with their faith as well.”

So, with an aim to explore Faith in Action, during the summer term, we invited a number of Christian organisations to visit and explain their part in sharing God’s love with their communities.

Click on organisation logo for more information

Open the Book is part of the Bible Society and equips teams of volunteers to present bible stories in schools. St Mary’s have a team who go to Balcombe School several times a year with an interactive dramatic presentation of bible stories and messages. This is very well received by the children and staff have told us that they get really excited when they hear that Open the Book are visiting.

Open Doors is a charity working in countries across the world where Christian persecution is rife. Open Doors supports them by supplying Bibles, providing emergency relief and helping persecuted believers stand strong for the long-term. It was alarming to hear of the atrocities that take place and made us grateful that we have such freedom to worship and be able to put our faith into action without fear.

Refuges Welcome Crawley was a real eye-opener and helped us put into perspective the reality of life for a refuge in the UK – very different from the scandalous headlines the press would have us believe. Cathy Merry explained the services they provide which included practical support, such as clothes, English classes and advice sessions to refugees and people waiting for their asylum claims to be decided.

Befriended tackle the issue of loneliness and isolation prevalent in the UK today, particularly amongst the elderly. Gail Millar shared with us the amazing range of activities and support offered in Mid Sussex including afternoon teas, choirs, exercise classes, bereavement courses, outings and home visits. Their slogan ‘Making life better for others, one smile at a time’ reminds us that we can all make a difference with very simple actions.

Family Support Work in partnership with the Chichester Diocese reminded us how precarious family life can be and how a redundancy, death in the family or debt issues can escalate stable family life into a time of chaos. Family Support Practitioners visit families at home to provide one-to-one emotional and practical support. This includes listening, parenting advice, help to manage money, encouragement and support to find work, referral to specialist services.

So we all continue our journey seeking to demonstrate our faith in our actions and daily activities. By clicking the image you can explore ways to get involved at St. Marys.

Home Group will restart on Tuesday 9 September.

If you are interested in finding out more about this group then do call Julie or Paul Mitchell on 01444 819262

Summer Endings ...

As the summer term comes to an end we have much to praise God and be thankful for.

Baby and Toddler Group – goes from strength to strength with a wonderful Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
Locus Youth Group – took to the rec for fun and games.
Home group – gathered for an end of term meal and fellowship at the Parish Rooms
School Leavers Service – we say a sad farewell to the head, Wendy Millbanks, she has been a wonderful leader for the school and has helped us in building positive relationships between the school and church.
Coffee+ - comes to an end for now. Thank you to all who have helped to run this group.

Balcombe Village Fete
12th July

We had a church stand as usual and the children enjoyed helping Noah feed the animals, while the adults guessed our largest congregation of the year!

The answer was 175 people came to Christingle (the prize of a bottle of wine has been won with a guess of 174)

Posters told the story of "A year in the Life of the Church" a few of which can be seen here.

It was a wonderful (if hot) event with the village community sharing time together.

Fr David cooling down

Prize winning gin

A beautiful evening

Some comments about the evening:

Grateful for your direction Ethan Merrick⁩ and for David Moore⁩’s ability to channel an entire string orchestra through an organ! Thanks also ⁨Alison Cunningham⁩ and ⁨Jacqueline Wiginton⁩ for the organisation. And everyone else for various contributions, singing or otherwise, making it such a great evening. Karen

It was such a great concert, the singing was fantastic, the music was lovely and your willing help in so many areas ensured that the whole evening went very, very smoothly and was a happy, joyful and uplifting event for everyone. Ali

Warm congratulations to everyone! a wonderful performance of 'A season to Sing! Such a lovely community spirit. Well done team Balcombe. David

What a joyful experience! Thank you everyone for all the hard work. Stephanie