St Matthew's RedhillNewsletter
ST MATTHEW’S PARISH CHURCH REDHILL
NEWSLETTER FOR SUNDAY 18th May 2025
Welcome to St Matthew's Weekly Newsletter.
Through worship and outreach, God’s love is revealed in the community it serves. Together we navigate and explore the fullness of life offered to us through Christ. Whether strong in the faith or filled with questions and doubts, all can find space here with God. Based on the teaching of Jesus, St Matthew’s is an open, inclusive, and growing church. Please contact any member of the staff or welcome teams to get involved in the life of the church.
Sunday 18th May (Easter 5)
8 am Holy Communion
10 am Community Communion (no
Worship songs at this service will be:
Here I am to worship; This is amazing grace (CR); My lighthouse (CR); and King of my heart (CR). CR = Congregational Request
The new St Matthew’s Worship Song Book will be used at this service. The book is comb-bound so that we can add more songs as they are requested, so please feel free to make suggestions.
11:30 am
5:00 pm Choral Evensong
Hymns: Who would true valour see (CR); Rock of ages.
Responses: Smith
Setting: Stanford in B♭
Anthem: Evening Hymn - June Nixon (b 1942)
Voluntary: Fugue (‘Vater unser’) from Sonata 6 - Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-47)
Monday 19th May
9 am – 3 pm Foodbank
9:30 am Craft Group in the vestry
9:45 am Toddler Group in the Parish Room
2:00 pm Greek Group in the vestry
Wednesday 21st May
10 am Said Holy Communion
Readings: Acts 15: 1 – 6 and John 15: 1 – 8
11am – 3pm Foodbank
Thursday 22nd May
9:00 am Gardening Group
1:10 pm Lunchtime Music - Song Recital
6:30 pm Junior Choir Practice
7:00 pm Senior Choir Practice
Friday 23rd May
9 am – 3 pm Foodbank
Sunday 25th May (Easter 6)
8 am Holy Communion
10 am Parish Communion (
3:30 pm Pride Café in Costa Coffee
Dates for your diary
10th June Fraud & Scam Workshop (see below)
14th June Murder Mystery Night
12th July Vintage Tea Party
19th Sept Curry Night
20th Sept Heritage Open Day
18th Oct Quiz Night
22nd Nov Christmas Fair
9th Jan 2026 Ladies Night
Rev Anna's contact details - Day Off on FRIDAY
email or phone 01737 511495
Parish Administrator Julia Elfred: email or phone 01737 249066
If you would like to include any notices in the weekly newsletter please contact: Tracey Jennings – email or phone 01737 760590- by Wednesdays 10 am
Pastoral Care And Pastoral Support - If you need any help at all please do contact any member of the Staff Team - we are always ready to do what we can to help.
Rev. Anna (Vicar) As above
Julie Knight (Reader) email
Anne Currie (Reader) email
Parish Retreat @ Wychcroft 20th – 22nd February 2026
Looking ahead, the Parish Retreat for next year is confirmed, offering a meaningful experience for everyone, whether you're new to retreats or have participated before. It's a wonderful opportunity to engage in thoughtful reflection, spend time connecting with God, or find space to cultivate inner peace as we approach the season of Lent.
The cost is £180 per person, all-inclusive (bring your own alcohol). You can either pay a £50 deposit, with the balance due in January or spread the cost with ten monthly payments of £18.
Caring for Creation
What does it mean to follow Christ in a world facing climate breakdown? The Diocese of Southwark is running a one hour online training session via Zoom on 29th May starting at 18:30. See the poster on the “What’s On” board for full details.
Fraud & Scam Workshop: Tuesday 10th June 2 pm
NatWest Bank is offering a free Fraud and Scam Workshop to be held in St Matthew's Church. This workshop is open to everyone, whether or not they bank with NatWest, and the lady running the workshop will not discuss or promote any NatWest products.
The workshop will last approximately one hour and will include ample opportunities for questions, both during the session and privately afterward. There is no need to book. If you have any questions, please contact Julia Elfred.
Murder on the Dance Floor – 14th June 2025
Save the date! Saturday 14th June 2025 from 7.30pm in the church hall. We are looking forward to welcoming you all for an evening of Murder, Mystery and intrigue and maybe even some sequins! Come dressed in your finest 1970’s studio 11 outfit! A light snack buffet will be provided BYOB.
If any among you are budding performers - We need you! We are looking for 4/5 performers to help act out the mystery. Scripts and descriptions of your character will be provided and there will be no lines to learn! No Auditions necessary! If you would like to play a part and be involved in the mayhem and fun of the intrigue please talk to Beth Harwood or Julie Knight in the next couple of weeks. Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Church Library
Please do take a look at the books in the church library, re-organised now that the Easter season is nearly behind us. Two new ones you will find on the middle shelves:-
How to Read the Bible, by Richard Holloway, first published in 2006, but just right if you are trying to understand how the different books of the Bible came to be written and the timeline for it all. Very readable.
Doorways to Hope, by Christopher Chapman. Well-known to some of us as he has been involved with Spiritual Direction in the Southwark Diocese. As it says on the cover, 'Forty Days of Spiritual Wisdom'. Worth considering if you would like a 'thought for the day'.
There are also several books telling the story of the late Pope Francis.
Any queries re the church library, do contact one of us.
Maureen James and Marian Randall.
Lunchtime Music – Thursday, 22nd May
Song Recital - Helen Hardwick (soprano), Philip Robinson (tenor), Wayne Shattles (piano)
Unis de la plus tendre
enfance, from Iphigénie en Tauride by Christof von Gluck -
tenor
Non ti scordar di me, by Ernesto Curtis - soprano
Robert Schumann - piano solo
Widmung, by Robert Schumann - tenor
Ständchen by Franz Schubert - soprano
Blue as the summer sky above, from Giuditta by Franz Lehar -
soprano and tenor
Frédéric Chopin - piano solo
We are in love with you, by Richard Tauber - tenor
Sola, perduta, abbandonata, from Manon Lescaut by Giacomo
Puccini - soprano
Love unspoken, from The Merry Widow, by Franz Lehar - soprano and
tenor