Rev. Rosemary Pullen left us at the end of August, having been with us for six years, not an easy time as she had taken on three very different congregations, Beacon Hill, Tower Road (now closed) and Elstead.  She will remain at Hindhead, dividing her time between Beacon Hill URC and St Edmunds School, where she will be Chaplain and part-time teacher of religious education.  She will be missed in many and various ways in Elstead and we wish her fulfilment as she begins a new chapter in her life.

As a congregation in Elstead, we are good at raising money for various charities, with of course help from friends in the Village, but finding the funds that are expected of us by our Denomination to support a third of  the ministerial costs, had proved too much for us.  However, we will continue as before with the support we receive from Ordained and Lay preachers leading our worship each Sunday.  Mrs Maggie Bridgett has been appointed as our Interim Moderator, to help us in Pastoral matters.

J Wheatley

Background
Most counties in England have an annual Bike Ride & Walk on the second Saturday in September, to raise money for church restoration and repair. The idea is that cyclists and walkers are given a list of participating churches in their area. They map out their own route to visit churches and then get friends to sponsor them for a fixed amount per church visited. The money collected is divided: half goes to the church of the cyclist's or walker's choice; the other half is retained by the inter-denominational Surrey Churches Preservation Trust for distribution to churches in need, following an application. In the seven years that the Bike Ride has been running in Surrey we have raised around £150,000. The Bike Ride Committee includes the County Organiser and a dozen or so Area Organisers who support volunteer contacts in the churches.

The Bike Ride & Walk is a fun way to spend time a pleasant afternoon in September while at the same time supporting a worthy cause. Why not make up a group and join in this year?

To get you started, both St James' Church and the U.R.C. in Elstead will be open all day for your visit. 

For more information please contact:

Peter Waddell [St James']  705971
or
Jean Wheatley [U.R.C.] 702450.