Mountain Rescue Easter Holiday Club
Ladies Breakfast at HPC
Christmas Cracker Family Special
ABCs Christmas Party 2022
Gingerbread House Making Evening
Harvest Thanksgiving Services
Mountain Rescue - Easter Holiday Club
A fantastic 2 day holiday club, bursting with great activities, crafts, singing and fun, plus stories from the Bible.
Women2Women Breakfast
On Saturday 4th Feb over 40 ladies gathered for a healthy(ish!) light breakfast at Hailsham Parish Church.
We last met in this way 3 years ago in February 2020 here at HPC and what a lot has happened since then! There have been so many changes globally, nationally, within Hailsham, HPC and also for many of us there we have had changes too in our own lives. Its so good to know that we have an unchanging God – who is the same, yesterday, today and forever – our faithful, unchanging, promise keeping God.
It was brilliant to meet together again and get to know some of the newer ladies. There were lots of conversations over breakfast. It was great to use the main church building with its welcoming entrance and lobby area and with the sun shining and the tables decorated with coloured table cloths, napkins and vases of flowers it set the scene for a very convivial morning.
Mary Dalton shared her testimony with us of when she put her trust in Jesus as her Lord and Saviour and the difference it has made to her life from the ‘before’ and now to the ‘after’. There were some really helpful bible verses and these were on the tables so that we could chat with those we were sitting with on our tables afterwards.
Bible verse: 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17
‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Bible verse: Titus 3 verses 3,4,5
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit
The questions we were asked to think about were:
- What do these verses say about life before knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour ?
- What do they say about the promises we have knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour ?
- What do these verses say about Jesus ?
There were some great conversations and we left encouraged by God’s Word (the bible), Mary’s testimony and our time together. Grateful thanks to all involved.
Christmas Cracker
“What is so special about the baby?”
Christmas Cracker was a fun-filled afternoon with lots of families going on an interactive journey to meet the characters of Christmas where they heard why Jesus was such a special baby. Jesus is God’s Son, God with us and a King who came to die to save us. Once the journey was completed, families enjoyed Christmas crafts and a delicious tea. and as the icing on the cake, we had real snow!
ABCs Christmas Party
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all at ABCs
Build a Gingerbread House Evening
On Thursday 1st December 60 women of all ages were welcomed into the Christmas decorated church building to build and assemble gingerbread houses (no baking involved!). Many were from ABCs as well as friends invited by HPC family.
The ladies excitedly opened their gingerbread house boxes and the build up was exactly that… building the main structure and sticking it together with icing. Whilst the house dried (and hopefully stuck!) we enjoyed mulled wine and snacks and sat back to listen to Lyn interviewing our speaker, Nicole Ashton from Crowborough.
Nicole then helpfully and engagingly unpacked to us Luke 2 and explained how we can find real joy at Christmas in Jesus who is Lord and Saviour.
Nicole has recently moved to East Sussex with her husband and three kids. She’s especially enjoying exploring the beautiful area having spent the last few years in London. In the past she’s worked with both charities and churches. These days most of her time is spent at home with small people and she’s also involved part-time in training counsellors.
We then enjoyed embellishing our houses. A wide range of designs with icing and all sorts of sweets and icing shapes. The evening wrapped up with houses being wrapped in cellophane and finished with bright curling ribbon for guests to take home along with a tract ‘Christmas in 3 words’ and an invitation to Hope Explored in January as we long for our friends to find out more about Jesus and for them to put their trust in Him, even this Christmas.
The evening is extremely popular and had a waiting list in 2022. Many thanks to all the team involved in planning, getting gingerbread houses and helping on the night.
Harvest Services
The church was full of colour ready for our harvest thanksgiving services!
Many thanks to the flower arranging team at HPC and other kind volunteers from Hailsham Flower Club, the church was adorned with flowers, greenery and lots of water-themed displays. Thanks also to Dan, for the amazing harvest loaf!
Donations of food and toiletries were gathered to support the work of the Foodbank in Hailsham.
Harvest Choral Evening Prayer
There was also a special Harvest Thanksgiving service, with music led by singers and instrumentalists from HPC along with
Sussex Harmony, a West Gallery Quire, who led a fantastic workshop for the musicians through the afternoon.
The service used liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer and Sussex Harmony members looked super in period costume.
For more information, please visit www.sussexharmony.org.uk.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022
We are all very saddened by the recent news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A Special Service of Commemoration
For the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Sunday 18th September 2022, 3.30pm
This special service of commemoration was be an opportunity for thanksgiving to God for the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to pray for King Charles III and all the Royal family at this sad time.
Monday 19th September, 11am.
doors open 10.30am
Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey
will be shown on the large screen at Hailsham Parish Church
Holiday Club, Magical Fun and Outdoor Service
Cops N Robbers
Summer Holiday Club
Wed 31st August – Fri 2nd September the church was full of hustle and bustle as HPC held it’s Summer Holiday Club – with a Cops N Robbers theme!
To get a taste of the fun, see our Cop N Robbers Holiday Club update
A Morning of Magical Fun
HPC regulars, children attending holiday club and other HPC groups were invited to bring their families for a morning of great entertainment on Saturday 3rd Sept. There was a bouncy castle, crafts, table football, glitter tattoos, other fun activities and
a short talk about the Christian faith and refreshments.
The highlight of the morning was highly entertaining magic show by Bertie Pearce which was enjoyed by everyone!
All Age Open Air Service in the Vicarage Garden
The Holiday club fun was drawn to a close at the All Age Service on Sunday 4th Sept, it was a beautifully sunny morning – Rory spoke about the story of Joseph, a true story from the bible which is part of a much bigger story – God’s story – a story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
Special Service of Celebration
A Service of Celebration was held on Sunday 28th August 2022, 3pm at Hailsham Parish Church
In praise and thanksgiving to our ever faithful, ever gracious God and to mark the retirement of Rev’d David Bourne – after 17 years at HPC and 43 years being paid to do what he loves)
The service was followed by a hog roast (with all the trimmings!) and fun in the Vicarage Garden
Church Picnic with the Milsons
A few pictures from a recent HPC picnic in the Vicarage Garden, where we were joined by our mission partners Julian and NIcky Milson and their children Jemima and Theo
Summer fun for Youth Zone
If you’d like more information on YouthZone please contact
Chris Taylor: christaylor@hailshamchurch.org
Pimms & Puddings
Our annual Pimms and Pudding, in the Vicarage garden, took place Thursday 14th July. It was a lovely, warm evening; almost 60 women (HPC and guests) gathered for Pimms and lots of delicious homemade puddings. It was a joy to have mum, Laura, come and share a bit of her story, life and new-found trust in her Saviour Jesus.
She shared how her Irish Catholic upbringing taught her that she was a child of God, but struggled to follow him in her early teens/twenties especially after a sad family loss. After having her son, Laura bravely ‘stuck her neck out’ and came to HPC on a Sunday; she shared that after finding a warm welcome she was drawn to know more about the good news of Jesus. Having recently looked more closely at the Bible, to start with through Christianity Explored, she discovered that Jesus loved her enough to willingly die for her and conquered death for her by rising again. Even though dealing with the anxiety is still a battle she said it has been amazing to realise that Jesus couldn’t love her any more than he already does! 🙂 And he takes away the guilt of trying hard to follow him and failing. Because he has done it all! She needn’t try to ‘measure up’ anymore. She said she saw that example lived out amongst the church family she has become a part of at HPC.
During the evening there was a thank you and goodbye to Kim as she and David move on in September.
Platinum Jubilee Celebrations at HPC
The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations were a great opportunity to come together as a local community to pay tribute and celebrate the Queen’s historic reign marking 70 years of service. HPC was excited to be part of these celebrations in
Hailsham, with a number of events taking place over the weekend in the church building.
Thursday 2nd June, 6pm – Special Service of Thanksgiving for
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
A service (45 minutes) to come together as a local community to mark this special occasion, to reflect and give thanks for the Queen’s 70 years of service.
Thursday 2nd June, from 7pm – Open Church
Following the service, the building was open for the rest of the evening for drinks and light refreshments. Community events also took place in Vicarage Field, culminating with the lighting of a beacon at 9.45pm.
Friday 3rd June, from 11am – Livestreamed Morning Service from St Paul’s Cathedral, London
This provided an opportunity for the commnity to come together to watch this livestreamed service on a big screen together in the local church building. Followed by Coffee and RoyalTea refreshments.
Friday 3rd June, 7pm – Quiz Night
A quiz evening with a hint of Jubilee and royalty theme – a fun evening (which was ideal to invite friends along to) with an interval, where there will be a short reflection on the Queen’s Christian faith.
Teams of up to 6 tested their general (and royal) knowledge to compete for a chocolatey prize!
Saturday 4th June, 10am-1pm, – Open Church
The church building was open to visitors, so that they could pop in during the special Jubilee
shopping day in Hailsham.
Floral displays marking key stages of the Queen’s reign
Jubilee refreshments
Simple crafts for children
Digital Presentation showing of Queen’s reign
Sunday 5th June, 10.30am – All Age Family Service
A service suitable for all the family which looked at the true story from the bible of Queen Esther.
Church Weekend Away
What a Wonderful weekend Away!
After a very cold first night, the HPC family were blessed with great weather for the weekend at Coldharbour Meadows.
It was a fun and relaxing weekend which provided an opportunity for everyone to catch up with old friends as well as getting to know better others they did’t know so well.
As well as plenty of time to physically and mentally unwind,it was an opportunity to be spiritually refreshed through the teaching programme. We had both adult and children streams running across the weekend which focussed on the book of Acts.
A date for your diaries!
HPC Weekend Way 2023
Friday 5th June – Sunday 7th June 2023
at Coldharbour Meadows
SALT - Easter Monday walk with Warbleton
Young people from HPC SALT group joined with youth from Warbleton church and a few others (and one dog) for a circular walk from Warbleton church on Easter Monday 2022.
It was planned to take 2hrs 30mins but took 3 hrs 30mins and that included cutting out part of the planned walk.
The weather was good and we walked through countryside, including many wooded areas with bluebells, wood anemones and small streams. We walked through part of the Hidden Spring Vineyard and part of the Cuckoo trail on the old railway line. The total distance was reported by two of the group using mobile apps and step counters to be just over 7miles; so a good effort by all, rewarded with hot dogs or burgers in a bun, with side salad and drinks of squash.
Thanks to Tony the leader of the youth group at Warbleton who had prepared a question sheet and checked the route beforehand. Thanks also to the Warbleton ladies for preparing and cooking the food which was devoured with delight and relish or ketchup depending on taste.
Finally thanks to the speaker who was a retired judge and spoke about the resurrection and gave out free copies of the book “The case for easter” by Lee Strobel.
It was a lovely day, the weather was good, obstacles were overcome and we finished with a sense of achievement.
ABCs Party - Connect for Life
We had a great time at our Easter Party
with lots of fun activities including a bouncy castle and decorating Easter cupcakes.
During our story time we talked about Easter eggs and how the best eggs have surprises inside. Lyn had a real egg which she cracked open but it was empty!
What a surprise!
Just like the tomb was empty because Jesus was alive….that was a surprise! Jesus came to give us new life, and today he rules as King over the whole world. Jesus is amazing!
We finished off our party with a delicious party lunch followed by an egg hunt around the church and every child took home a chocolate egg (with a surprise inside!) and an Easter story book.
Pulse Party - Connect for Life
Pulse celebrated Easter with an Easter Bakealong, a puppet show
and a delicious party tea!
Great fun was had making Easter Egg Brownies and while families mixed and bashed and stirred and decorated, Susie and Lyn told the amazing true story of the first Easter using mini chocolate eggs…..
The White Egg~The Last Supper
A white egg for white bread with Jesus’ best friends. Jesus broke the bread and said, “My body is about to be broken…..for you” Jesus knew all that was about to happen to him. He was still in charge.
The Purple Egg~Trial and Sentence
This is the hard part of the Easter story when Jesus got bashed and beaten up by the soldiers even though he had done nothing wrong. The men who arrested Jesus hurt him and made fun of him, putting a purple robe on him as a joke, because he said he was God’s king. He was brought before the most powerful judge in the land. He’d done nothing wrong but the crowd shouted and the religious leaders demanded. Jesus was found guilty and sent to death.
The Pink Egg~The Cross
A pink egg for the blood of Jesus. His blood spilt as he died on the cross, by dying he was rescuing us to live with him forever.
The Yellow Egg~Empty Tomb
A yellow egg for the sunrise on Easter Sunday. The tomb was empty – Jesus was alive! Jesus had beaten death. He had made death just a doorway to new life with him.
While the brownies were cooking, the children enjoyed a puppet show by the Saint’s Alive puppet team which continued the story of Jesus when he had risen from death and met with his friends. A delicious party tea finished off the party.
Opening of the West End and Victoria Gate Entrance
On Sunday 10th October, the new West End Entance of HPC was formally opened by Bishop Will Hazlewood, Bishop of Lewes.
Monday 11th October also saw the opening of the Victoria Gate, following the recent renovation of the footpath leading to the West End Entrance.
Service of Baptism and Confirmation
We were very thankful to be able to celebrate with 7 members of HPC as they publicly declared their faith in Jesus through baptism and confirmation.
As part of the morning service, 2 of our young people were baptised, and Lee Gatiss (Church Society) spoke. The service finished with Will Hazlewood, Bishop of Lewes, formally opening the new West Entrance to the church.
The church family shared a delicious lunch together and then the Bishop led a service of Confirmation for all 7 candidates.
