The Second Half is a course – and a call to be proactive and intentional and not to drift into the second stage of one’s life.

It will cover the opportunities and the challenges, the importance of staying mentally and physically active; the benefits of using one’s experience to make a difference; and the relevance of faith. It is research-based but supplemented with real-life examples (and laced with a bit of humour). As with all courses, the benefit will come from both the content and from interaction with other participants.

It will run every Tuesday evening from 5 May to 2 June from 7.30pm to 10pm in our church hall. Each session will start with supper, followed by a talk, an interview, small group discussion and a short wrap-up.

There is no charge but a donation to cover the cost of the supper will be welcome. For more information and to reserve a place, please contact Patrick Fleming at course@standrewsoxshott.org.uk.

Paul is a non-clinical professional who connects with patients at Oxshott and Cobham. He provides support to address non-medical needs like loneliness, isolation or practical challenges to improve patient health and wellbeing, and is able to direct patients to local non-medical services.

Paul calls in to our Café on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, between 10.30am and 12.30pm –  so we will next see him on…

Feel free to drop by and have a chat with him!

It was sport that inspired Mark from an early age; he played every sport he could and was a competitive footballer, cricketer and runner. Mark married, children followed, and his sporting achievements and experiences continued. Amongst many other achievements, he became involved in sport events management and organized and competed in tall building runups internationally. He has completed an Ironman triathlon and ran his first London Marathon in 1981. He has now completed 8!

In 2012 Mark was nominated an Olympic torchbearer for London Olympics for his work with children’s football (Mark is pictured here (right), with Carl Jackson and the Olympic torch). And 12 years ago he played his first match of walking football, which is now the fastest growing sport in the UK.  Mark organizes the walking football league in Surrey, and the Walton club where 200 people play every week.

Mark’s life changed dramatically in his mid-thirties. He told us how he did not have a Christian upbringing and could not see how Christianity could make any difference in his life. But he attended a large church event in Sydney with friends, where he felt the sudden overwhelming presence of God; it was like being born again, and from this point his life changed dramatically. He learned of the joy of living his faith and became a different person – putting other people first.

He reminded us about the importance of making connections. Even the smallest acts have the potential for great power. He observed that everyone makes mistakes and that life is not easy – it is a constant challenge. But prayer is there for every one of us to say sorry to God, to thank Jesus for taking on our sins, and to ask God to come into our life.

“For Christians, the Nicene Creed is one of the most enduring statements of faith. It unites believers across time and space in a shared confession of who God is and what he has done in Jesus Christ. It is recited week by week in worship, but it is much more than a formula; it is a declaration of faith, hope and love, binding us to the communion of saints and to Christ himself.”

Quote taken from The Church of England’s booklet published in celebration of the 1700^th anniversary of the Nicene Creed.

This autumn, over six weeks beginning on 14 September, in our 10am services at St Andrew’s Church, we will unpack together those ancient words which have been at the heart of Christian worship and faith for 1700 years – discovering afresh the richness of that of which we say: ‘We Believe.’

On Wednesday 17 July, the class of Year 6 children from the Royal Kent School delivered ‘Bags of Kindness’ to members of the St Andrew’s Church Lunch Club.

Having raised the funds to create these bags through a sponsored run around the school field, the children relished the opportunity to spread kindness to some older members of our community.

RKS Deputy Head, Mr Blaney and teacher, Mrs Mather noted how engaged and engaging the children were, putting both time and effort into listening to the fascinating stories being shared by the lunch guests. So captivated were they, that they retold all they had heard on their return to school, inspired by even former England Cricket players, here in the heart of Oxshott!

Phillip and Sheila Herbert had their Diamond wedding anniversary on 12 June, and we were thrilled to celebrate with them last Sunday (15 June) after church.

60 years is a big landmark – our best wishes and every blessing to you both!

Following the church service in the morning, at 12noon we (very temporarily) closed the building – so that we could open it again, but this time with a little more ceremony! The official ‘opener’ was Martha, aged 7 – who is the fifth generation of her family to be part of the church and community at St Andrew’s Oxshott – and so, as she took down the blue ribbon across the front doors and officially opened the building, she represented both the past heritage, present life and future hope of our church – which we pray will be a place of blessing in our whole community for many generations to come.

A wonderful buffet lunch was provided, and all those who gathered were able to enjoy food and drink in the sunshine on the terrace, and around the church grounds, as families gathered from across our community to join with the fun and celebrations.

It was great to see the happy faces of all those enjoying the bouncy castles, garden games, scavenger hunt, and indoor activities – as well as those taking a more relaxed opportunity for cake and company around the church grounds.

We were joined during the afternoon by Bishop Paul – Bishop of Dorking – who at 2pm helped with the burial of our Time Capsule, containing a snapshot of life in Oxshott in 2025.

As part of the afternoon’s celebrations, we partnered with Oxshott Net Zero to plant wildflowers along the hedgerow near the crossroads, which we hope we will see springing up soon – a blessing to nature, and for all to enjoy!

A big thank you to all those who helped with the organisation of this very special day – and helped it to run so smoothly.  We have been so encouraged by the number of people who attended, and have let us know how much they would enjoy another Community Day – so, we hope we may be able to make this kind of community gathering a more regular event in the coming years.

It was wonderful to welcome almost 80 people into the newly refurbished hall, where eight teams battled it out for the St Andrew’s Oxshott Quiz Trophy. It felt like a good night was had by all, with many tables enjoying the plentiful supplies of food and drink that they brought along whilst testing their quiz powers with dingbats, picture and music quizzes and subject-specific rounds.

After 10 rounds of closely fought competition, the team from St Andrew’s Cobham lifted the trophy, meaning it will be proudly displayed outside the Parish for the next 12 months. Last year’s winners, The Quizzy Rascals, were the best-performing team from the parish of Oxshott and will no doubt be in training to reclaim the trophy next year.

Yet again the generosity of those involved in the quiz night, and those attending the Sunday service, was humbling; we have been able to contribute just over £2,000 to Christian Aid’s work.

Should you like to support Christian Aid’s work, please either donate to Mark’s Just Giving page or directly to Christian Aid.

All are welcome to join us for a Community Open Day from – 12noon – 4pm – to celebrate the completion of our recent building renewal project. There will be bouncy castles, refreshments, fun and games and we will be burying a time capsule filled with contributions from across the community.

The ‘Official Opening’ will be at 12noon, and we will bury the Time Capsule at 2pm.