Dear Friends,

May is a beautiful month, and a busy one.  To me it is probably the most attractive month of the year, as all the trees come into full leaf and everything is a delightfully fresh variety of greens.  Activities seem to come alive as well, and there are two Bank Holidays.

On the second weekend of May St. James' church will be holding a parish weekend celebration (instead of celebrating at the end of July, when everyone seems to disappear on holiday), and you are invited to join in all or part of it:  on Saturday 9^th we are holding our 'Spring Fair' from 2 pm to 4 pm in the Elstead Village Hall and the Youth Centre next door - many different stalls, and some things especially for children.  On Sunday 10^th there will be a Parish Walk and Picnic, starting outside St. James' church at 12 noon, with Picnic stop at the Moat and then on round via Tilford and back again.  The whole distance is 10 km, but there are way-stations at intervals (for those who wish to drop out, or in). 

That same day is also the beginning of Christian Aid Week.  Please give as generously as you can, as your gifts will be sorely needed (and much appreciated) in a year in which Third World countries are starting to suffer much more than we are from the financial downturn.  There will be a Thanksgiving Service at the end of Christian Aid Week, on Sunday 17^th May at 10 am in St. James' Church, when our speaker will be Nasir Virji from Christian Aid.

At the end of the month - and May has five Sundays - the Churches of Elstead are celebrating Christian Unity.  This is another change of date, as we always used to do this in about the third week in January, but we have decided to make an event of Pentecost instead, so everyone is invited (Thursley too !) to come together for a joint ecumenical celebration of Pentecost (Whitsun, in old English) - this will be held at the Elstead United Reformed Church at 10.30 am on Sunday 31^st May, so please make a note now and plan to be there.

April saw Easter, and I hope that will have had a really joyful Easter.  It also sees both our parishes hold their Annual Meetings.  It is a time of looking backwards and saying `thank you` for all that we have done together, and not least for those who do the most around our churches (often `behind the scenes`), and also of looking forward.  This year I am challenging the people of St. James (but St. Michael's time will come !) to set up a new Pastoral Care scheme for our congregations; we shall also be holding a course shortly for children who would like to prepare for Communion, and an adult Confirmation group starting in September.  If any of that sounds as if it might be for you, please let me know.