Trinity United Reformed Church Billingshurst

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Toy Service -  on the morning of 10th December we will be having a 'Toy Service', when we will be requesting gifts of toys, games, suitable gifts for teenagers, or wrapping paper, sellotape etc. These will be donated to the Horsham Salvation Army, to be given to children and young people who would otherwise have nothing at Christmas. Used gifts are acceptable so long as they are in a condition that a child would be happy to receive. Please think about getting something while you are doing your Christmas shopping.

• Carols by Candlelight - our annual carol service will be at 6.30pm on Sunday 17th December.  All are welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!  This year the collection will be in aid of Turning Tides - the largest provider of services to single homeless people across West Sussex.  Last year the charity helped nearly 900 people and in recent years have seen a huge increase in the numbers of people needing support; the growth of those who are in work, yet homeless, is particularly notable.  It's clear that homelessness can happen to anyone.

• Harvest Home - On Saturday October 28th, commencing at 3.00pm, there will be an afternoon of entertainment by this popular Christian folk band whom we are pleased to welcome back to Trinity.  Tickets are £10 and include Afternoon Tea - available from Brenda or Jane at church, St Mary's Church office, Billingshurst Family Church office, or call 01403 784719.
  
  

• Thank You!!  The church has received a letter from the Finance Committee of the United Reformed Church thanking us for maintaining our contributions to the Ministry and Mission (M&M) Fund during what has clearly been a difficult year for everyone.  M&M is the primary means whereby the URC's stipendiary ministers and support staff are paid.  The expectation had been that there might be a substantial shortfall in contributions, yet by the end of 2020 all but £500k of the £18.5m budget had been received.  The church is keen for all members to read a copy of the letter which can be downloaded by clicking on this link.  Our Treasurer, Mark Matthews, has more financial details if anybody would like them.
  

• Improvements!  A major plan of improvements has been agreed for our buildings, the first phase of which was to refurbish the church hall.  This has included rewiring, new lighting and power sockets, a lower ceiling, a new floor (after woodworm treatment), replacing some windows, new curtains and installing secondary double-glazing.  The main works have been completed although there remains some work to be done in the kitchen.  Following completion of the hall project, phase two will focus on improvements to the church interior itself; work was planned to start in 2020 but has been delayed due to the pandemic
  

•Our Dementia Cafe is going from strength to strength being now into its second year.  In June last year we welcomed Rob Nicholl who came and entertained us with songs from the Big Band era whilst we relaxed and chatted with family and friends over fresh coffee and homemade cakes. In September we had a World War II theme - period costume was optional and we were joined by some members of the Royal British Legion.  In December Rob Nicholl entertained us again with Christmas music from the Big Band era. The cafe this February included a sing-song of old favourites round the piano and in May the cafe was held at Billingshurst Fire Station which was great fun!  All are welcome - come and join us and find out what we are all about.  See the Dementia Cafe tab for more information.

TRINITY 200         31st May 1815 - 2015

•Trinity United Reformed Church celebrated its bi-centenary in 2015 - yes, we became 200 years old in May 2015!  There was a special service of thanksgiving on Trinity Sunday, 31st May, at 10.30am and then a Songs of Praise in the church at 6.30pm that evening.  It was good to see the church was full for both services, which included a specially commissioned setting by David Coysh of "Glory to God in the Highest", and we were pleased to welcome back friends from down the years as well as members of our sister churches in Petworth and Pulborough and many friends from the other churches in the village.

•On the Saturday evening, 30th May, the church hosted a special celebration supper event attended by some 80 guests who have been involved with Trinity church over the years.

•A Bi-Centenary booklet detailing the church's 200 year history has been written, and a copy was given to all those attending the celebration events.  If you would like a copy please contact the Church Secretary.

•We have a new kitchen!  OK, well maybe not exactly new, but the kitchen at Trinity has been completely refurbished to meet all the current food hygiene regulations and we are delighted to announce that, following an inspection by Horsham District Council who administer the Food Standards Agency "Scores on the Doors" scheme, we have been awarded a Food Hygiene Rating 5 the highest score available!  Many thanks to everyone involved in the kitchen improvement project and those who have provided funding.The kitchen is an important facility available to all those who hire our premises and we hope that this upgrade will lead to more people using the hall which also benefits from level access and full facilities for people with disabilities.

•** HALL AVAILABLE TO HIRE **  If you are interested in hiring the hall, please contact Linda Bullivant on 01403 785372 for rates and availability.  Further details can be found on the Halls for Hire website - click here.

•The Church holds regular group meetings; for information please contact our Church Secretary, Brenda Homden, whose details can be found on the Contact Us page

•We have been delighted to welcome a number of new friends into our congregation recently and look forward to helping them feel a sense of being part of our church as we meet together

•Billingshurst Street Pastors

On 17th May 2018 Billingshurst Street Pastors celebrated their 5th Anniversary with a Thanksgiving Service at Trinity to mark the occasion. The reassuring presence of the Street Pastors has become a welcome and familiar sight on the streets of the village.  The teams patrol both at lunchtimes and evenings on a regular weekly pattern and have been well received by all those with whom they come into contact - in local businesses, pubs, restaurants, etc as well as on the streets.  They will listen to everyone, young and old, and provide help to any who need it, without prejudice. Contact with the community may range from a friendly chat to pointing people to an appropriate agency should they have a specific need.  All Street Pastors receive comprehensive training and benefit from interaction with and training from among others, BEAT Responders Heartstart; HDC Youth Support Team; NHS Sussex Partnership and with generous help from Sussex Police.  Billingshurst Street Pastors operate under an arrangement with the Ascension Trust, the umbrella organisation responsible for Street Pastors which, since its formation 25 years ago, has trained over 14,000 people for this voluntary work both in the UK and overseas.  An important part of the work is fulfilled by a team of Prayer Pastors who meet at the Street Pastors' base in Trinity URC to provide prayer support and back-up as required for the teams while they are out patrolling (and a welcome cup of tea when they return)!         The number of patrols which can be operated is clearly dependent upon the volunteers available, and the group is always keen to recruit more members.  We very much hope that more local Christians will decide to get involved; if you are interested in joining the street patrols or supporting the work by becoming a Prayer Pastor, please get in touch with Don Newport