Crockham Hill February 2025 Newsletter - Flipbook - Page 12
addition to organising baptisms, weddings, funerals and memorials that
many of us may have attended.
Last Summer we came together with St Mary9s, Westerham, to form the
new Benefice of Crockham Hill and Westerham. This means that we now
have a vicar, are hoping to welcome a second minister by the end of the
summer and can plan for the future. Our weekly services are assured and
we can hope to increase what we offer, such as the recent Ash Wednesday
evening service. However, the finances of the two churches are being kept
entirely separate.
With costs continually going up, Holy Trinity is now struggling to make ends
meet financially. It is probably not widely known that, as there is no central
funding 'pot' that provides money to Holy Trinity, it has to rely on about 60
people who generously donate on a regular basis to meet its running costs.
Sadly, the number of people attending church has been declining in recent
years and traditional weekly collections have now all but disappeared, not
helped by the last bank in Oxted closing in early April and the use of cash
going out-of-fashion.
As a result, we are launching an appeal for Crockham Hill Church asking
everyone to think about joining the existing band of people who give
regularly. Our ambition is to reach a level of support that enables us to
meet the ministry and overhead costs, and also the expense of maintaining
the building and contents in good order for current needs and future
generations. It is a valuable asset to the village, so please do read the
appeal letter enclosed with this Newsletter and, if possible, decide to add
your support. Even a small regular gift will help!
RUSSIAN EASTER IN MY FAMILY
Pat Davoll
My mother9s parents emigrated from Russia in the
1920s. Although born in London and not a churchgoer,
my mother was proud of her heritage and celebrated
Russian Easter. As in this country, eggs are an
important Easter symbol. The Russian jeweller Karl
Fabergé created exquisite eggs for the tsars between
1885 and 1917. We have our own more modest
collection of eggs which my mother always wore every
Easter. They have had their adventures. One Easter my
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Russian Easter Eggs
