Church of the Good Shepherd, Carshalton Beeches

Summer Fair

Fran Lewis — Wed, 27 May 2026 11:02:12 +0000

Saturday 20th June
12.30pm-3.30pm

It’s almost June! The Good Shepherd Summer Fair is almost upon us, with it’s BBQ, Jacket Spuds, Cakes, stalls of delightful wares books, bric-a-brac, toys, toiletries, jewellery, stationery and plants. You are so welcome to come along and bring family and friends.

Farewell to Ian

Fran Lewis — Tue, 26 May 2026 14:00:22 +0000

Sunday 14th June

Three years have passed quickly and we find ourselves approaching Rev Ian and Caris last Sunday. Their final service will be on Sunday 14th June and we will say goodbye in true Good Shepherd style with Service followed by a Holy Roast Lunch.

Ian arrived on a sunny day in June back in 2023 and was ordained Deacon on the day of the Summer Fair. We have journeyed together through the rhythm of church life, seeking to point to Jesus through how we live out life, in services, baptisms, funerals, supporting people, courses, small groups, fairs, and all the many ways of leading people in their faith. Ian and Caris will be very much missed at the Good Shepherd Church and Padiham Parish will be richly blessed with Ian leading the way. May the Father, Son and Holy Spirit keep close company with them as they go through the waters of moving from one Parish to the next.

Jesus, we thank you for Ian and Caris and we know you will continue your great work in both of them as they move on. May you uphold their family as they adjust to a new phase of life and build them up in the love of the Holy Spirit.
May our Father sustain them and enrich them in their new life. May you whisper to their souls about what you are busy doing in Padiham and how you want them to join in and lead. Amen.

Trinity Sunday

Fran Lewis — Tue, 26 May 2026 12:50:18 +0000

Sunday 31st May 2026

8.30am & 10am

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday. The pinacle of the story of the christian faith. The Anglican year begins in Advent, as the church focuses on the account of the characters that enabled Jesus life, Father God, Holy Spirit, Jesus the Word, Zacharias, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph bringing something new into the world. The next level of the arrival of the Kingdom of God and here on a sunny Sunday in May we reach the beautiful new beginning of hope on earth, the Trinity re-aligned, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit united and loving the world, inviting human beings to love God in the way that Jesus loves God. Understanding the Trinity God continues to baffle human beings as we wrestle and wonder and argue about concepts of God. These images below capture impressions of the relationship of the trinity, but there will always be more. The Trinity’s story will always continue, and human beings are always welcomed in to join the story. Everyone gets to play. If you’re curious about who Jesus is do visit a local church, even visit Good Shepherd…..you never know you might discover there is more to life. The irony that the church calendar moves into ‘ordinary time’ between now and Advent is amusing. Life with the Trinity is extraordinary in it’s ordinary, because love is never ordinary.

Living Hope

Fran Lewis — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:31:23 +0000

10am Easter Season Services

Holy Week Services

Fran Lewis — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:52:22 +0000

Take time to reflect on the Message of Easter with your Parish Church

Holy Week is a time to continue the story of Jesus that begins in Advent. As we walk through Lent into Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Low Saturday and Easter Celebration, may the Holy Spirit will encounter the people of the Parish of Carshalton Beeches, as we remember together all that Jesus endured in the road from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday.

Palm Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion Palm Sunday 10am Morning Celebration
Easter Fun Morning for Pre-schoolers and Toddler 10am – 11.30am
Wednesday Commuion 9.30am followed by refreshments
Maundy Thursday Evening Service with Foot washing 8pm
Good Friday 10am All Age Celebration
Good Friday Walk of Witness at Carshalton Park.

Easter Sunday 8.30am Holy Communion Easter Celebration Holy Communion 10am

I am the Resurrection and I am the life

Easter Family Fun

Fran Lewis — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 08:58:19 +0000

Tuesday 31st March

Good Shepherd Church Twiglets Team are inviting Toddlers and pre-schoolers to bring your adults for a morning of Easter fun with crafts, face-painting, refreshments, free play, stories, prayer and songs. Be sure to book your place.

Have your say on the next Bishop of Southwark

Fran Lewis — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 14:05:43 +0000

The Bishop of Southwark, the Right Reverend Christopher Chessun, is retiring this in the summer 2026. Bishop Christopher has served our diocese faithfully for many years, soon it will be time for the diocese to begin the exciting process of choosing a successor. More information about this process can be found on the Diocesan website. The Diocese are giving an opportunity for everyone to share their views by completing a clever short survey, asking three simple questions, and giving an option to comment. Bishop Rosemarie video. gives a guide of what to expect before completing the survey. It is encouraging single word answers, which will be collated to gleen an overall picture of collective thoughts. It is open to everybody.

As the local churches begin this process we do join together in praying the diocese prayer.
God of all times and places, send us a Bishop who will
lead us faithfully through days of rejoicing and nights of challenge,
with prayer and Scripture, with love and laughter,
with bread and wine. Send your Holy Spirit to
guide those entrusted with this process.
May they recognise the person of your choice, with ears that are open
and hearts that are wise. Make us thankful for all that has gone before,
ready and hopeful for all that lies ahead,
led by a Bishop whose ministry is a blessing to everyone in Southwark Diocese,
as we hear the good news of Jesus
and delight in the love of God.

We also continue to pray for Bishop Christopher, and our Area Bishop Rosemarie, as they continue to love God and love the people of the diocese with all its rich diversity and historic broad scope. Each Bishop holds all that has gone before and all that is now and all that will be, it is a challenging task to take on, so we pray for wise process.

Jesus, we thank you for Bishop Christopher as he begins the end of his ministry as Bishop of Southwark.
Would you bless him and uphold him and enable him to finish well in this role.
We thank you for his work, his commitment and his love of people in this large patch of land.
Come Holy Spirit on him over the coming months, and bring your honour and love.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’²He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. Matthew 18.

Lent Evening Services

Fran Lewis — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 10:13:20 +0000

Sunday Evenings from 6.30pm

Do come along to the informal evening service during lent. An evening of worship, thoughts and reflections and prayer. The theme this year over Lent is Walking the wildness. Where do we find God in the mess of life, in the Questions of life, through the worship, through our service and through discipline.

How do we find reconciliation between the worlds disparity, where is the hope as we seek God’s holiness.

Lent Lessons

Fran Lewis — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:35:43 +0000

Opportunities for Lent reflections

There are so many resources around for people to keep lent this year. Oasis bookshop in Wallington will have a number to choose from, as well as our own Peter Graystone who has written at least three books to take us through the season.

All’s Well that ends Well – from dust to resurrection. 40 days with Shakespeare
Be Happy – 40 Days to a more contented you
Detox your spiritual life in 40 days

There are also a number of apps to take you through

Lectio365 is looking at the Desert Fathers this year, to aid inspiration.
Art Lectio which you can find in Instagramme and on you tube finds its way through a daily piece of art and seeking to find God in the image.
You Version bible app has many plans to choose from.
Inner Room is another 24-7 prayer room app which helps build prayer into a daily pattern. Less than 10 minutes a day.

Pray as you go daily prayers with some music
Everyday Faith is the Church of England prayer app

The Life of Chuck

Fran Lewis — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 10:50:14 +0000

Have you watched The Life of Chuck?

I wonder where movies fit into your life? I wonder where they inspire you and bring hope to your world? We watched The Life of Chuck the other day. A film that starts at the end and works backwards. These kind of films keep the mystery alive! The film has three chapters and the first chapter Chuck is hardly in it. It is easy to believe you have walked into an apocalyptic story, but as it goes on and the removal of the onion layers reveal the films core we see something so deep about Chuck’s journey, there is irony in the title of the film and wonder at it’s outcome. As we journey into Lent this year with all the complicated things and changes to society that we are living through, may we know that human beings do find the way through societal changes, may we discover hope and promise of the next phase of our existance. And may the heartbeat of the rhythm of the spirit capture us, and inspire us.

I leave you with a link to a wonderful clip from the film The Life of Chuck . A moment in the film where the mundane accountant connects with a younger version of himself and finds a rhythm that reminds him of who he has been. May lent this year remind us how loved we are and have always been and as we lean back into that love may Hope find us waiting.

Good Shepherd mark Lent through morning and evening services 8.30am, 10am and 6.30pm. You are welcome to come along and wonder with us about the Glory of God.