Churches Together in Marlow

Christian Aid Week raised £5,545 by the house-to-house collection in Marlow, Marlow Bottom and Little Marlow. An additional £750 was raised by the concert at Christ Church. A further £1,812 was raised by 21 sponsored walkers from Marlow in the Walk the Country event at Bix.

As a thank-you to Christian Aid collectors and supporters, Jean Ashford organised a very enjoyable coffee morning at her home. As it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit new house-to-house collectors, church coordinators met with the CA regional coordinator to discuss other ways of raising funds, which will be tried next time.

As usual, volunteers from all the churches were heavily involved over the summer in the Love Marlow festival and Lighthouse Marlow. Love Marlow continues to grow with helpers from the churches, voluntary organisations and local businesses combining to put on more than sixty events. One of the changes being considered for next year is to replace the service in Higginson Park on Regatta Sunday by a combined celebration involving church, schools and the community.

Cooinda (Aborigine for ‘Happy Place’) first opened its doors to visitors 20 years ago, and has been welcoming them ever since. It continues to be held in the Wesley Hall of the Methodist Church on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and is run by a loyal band of volunteers from Marlow churches and elsewhere. Dennis Conomos was the church minister in 1999 and his wife Jenny was instrumental in setting up Cooinda, as she had been involved with a similar activity at their previous church in Brisbane, Australia.

Many of the regular guests are isolated at home and are glad of the opportunity to meet up with friends in the same situation. Word of mouth attracts new people and tourists visiting Marlow sometimes drop-in for a cuppa. Would-be helpers are always welcome to come along and add their names to the rota for one or two sessions a month.

On Saturday 14th September, John Richards was the guest speaker at a men’s breakfast held at Harleyford Golf Club. John and his wife Nuala have taken temporary leave from River Church and their home in Marlow to move to South Wales. John is Chief Operating Officer for the Al Massira charity, producing video resources to be used by trained Christians in small group settings with seeking friends, particularly from other faith traditions.

The video provides a chronological presentation of the Bible’s message, beginning with Genesis and highlighting the signs and prophecies of the Messiah. It is available in multiple languages, including Arabic, English and Farsi, and is particularly useful for groups in refugee communities.

The annual Harvest Supper will take place in the Wesley Hall of Marlow Methodist Church on Friday 18th October at 7.30 pm. Admission will be by ticket at £5 available from representatives.

The evening will feature Christian Aid’s focus on farming in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where the EcoVeg project is helping the excluded Dalit community to break free from poverty.

This article, written by Tony Threlfall, featured in the Autumn 2019 edition of The Bridge – the magazine for All Saints’ Church in Marlow. Pick up your free copy in church or download it here.