The Good Shepherd, Tadworth

The Last Push

 I was watching, on TV, the last stage of the Tour of Britain Cycle Race the other day.  It was a somewhat gruelling affair with some nasty climbs through the glorious Surrey countryside ending up with a dash for the line across the cobbled streets of Guildford.  The Tour of Britain was the latest in a long line of sporting successes for our cyclists this year bringing both individual and team glory and no doubt some very tired legs.

We are about half way through our Centenary Year as I write this letter.  As you know we are aiming to build a new Lady Chapel in celebration of the first hundred years of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Tadworth.  Our attempts to raise the £200,000, the estimated amount it will take to build the chapel, I think is I bit like a cycle road race.  It is a team effort and different people play different parts in the team.  In a road race some team members are good hill climbers, others set the pace, others aim to get the best sprinter into position so he or she can make a dash for the finish line, etc.  In the same way various people have contributed to the fund raising effort in a host of contrasting ways.  The PCC have allocated monies from our reserves.  Some have generously given money, either in a one off gift or by regular monthly instalments set up for the duration of the fund. Some of our members who have recently died have been very generous in leaving the church bequests in their wills.  Some who intended to leave money to the church in their wills have given it in advance because they want to see the project come to fruition whilst they are still around to enjoy it.  Others have helped in various money raising ventures ranging from concerts, auctions, fairs, jumble sales and Team COGS and members of Junior Church have literally got on their bikes and undertaken sponsored cycle rides. 

All of this pulling together as a team means that, as I write, the fund has just passed the £140.000 mark , so £60,000 to go; in other words to use my cycling analogy we are well on the way to the sprint for the finish line.  However like the cyclists on the last leg of the Tour of Britain we might find that the last leg is somewhat tiring. 

The last event we held was an Auction of Promises.  It raised £2,034.  There were approximately 40 people there on the night.  One person said to me, “Where is everybody?”  It was a good question.  The result, all things considered, was truly amazing but what if there had been 80 people there and a lot more auction lots given?

Cycling is having something of a renaissance in Great Britain at the moment.  Vast enthusiastic crowds turned out to cheer on the riders in the Tour of Britain.  Some of our members have worked very hard and long to get us to where we are today with regard to the Centenary Fund others however have been content to be spectators thus far.  Thank you to those who have put in the effort.  If you have not thus far participated please don’t stand on the sidelines, get involved.  You can do so in one of the following ways - pledge a sum of money for the next six months and gift aid it if you are a tax payer (forms are at the back of church); bring friends and neighbours to one of the social events; use your talents (come up with a viable means of raising money and let me know what you propose, the PCC may well agree to fund it initially). If you know businesses or companies that support money raising ventures pound for pound let me know.  We need your contribution if we are to push for the finish line.

All the best – Fr Mick

Ps: Team COGS is aiming to get their bikes again next summer and cycle from Lands End to John O’ Groats.  (Hopefully by then the Centenary Fund will have been spent and we can raise money for other worthwhile causes.)  If you are interested in finding out more about this we will be holding an information session at 7pm on Saturday 20th of October in the meeting room.