Present: 13 attendees from 8 churches!

Meg Topley (St. Martin’s); Russell Holding and Jamie Wright (The King’s Church); Gill Blackgrove (Epsom Vineyard); Handley&Mary Hammond, Pauline Morse and Ewen Mackay (Epsom Baptist Church);  Elizabeth Martin and Sue Curtis (Christ Church, Epsom Common); Simon Tucker (Christ Church, Ewell); Paul Gorton (St. Joseph’s); Mel Taylor (Epsom Methodist Church)

Apologies for absence: 
Nick Parish, St Martin's 
Judith Mitchell, St Martin's 
Duncan Owen, Vineyard 
Colin & Dawn Davies, ECF
Daniel Arthur, EMC
David Pitkiethly, EMC
Paul Alford, St Barnabas 
Kathy Maskens, St Joseph's 
Rob Carter, Gateway

Welcome and Devotional from Russell Holding on Psalms 133 (Blessed Unity)

Minutes approved from St.  Clem's CTiE Meeting of 11^th February 2026

Vacant posts CTiE Chair sought soon, but Treasurer far more urgentlyChanging bank… Lloyds now charge (ask Treasurer) as no community bank account now.  Metro Bank Manager happy to do it but David needs replacing as Treasurer to do this.  Metro Bank agreed and good outreach relationship outside there.

Update on “Redeeming Our Communities”

Still enough churches to pay deposit but every time applied for we don’t get the project.  Deborah had suggested the triage they have in Lincoln who operate software for questionnaires to know who to refer people onto when they attend church events.  Epsom&Ewell Council has said Jonathan Lees is already doing this and has paid tens of thousands for refersurrey cutting out the middle man in allowing all organisations to refer each other, once and done.  Could be counter-productive to implement though may not have future funding…
Could revisit later.  Kent Council pay for the software in Kent but East and West Surrey not ready yet for funding so could be each organisation pays subs but not sure so putting Lincoln on hold.  Jonathan Lees runs Food Bank etc. for Good Company.
ROC parked for now unless fresh ideas.Gill’s Pentecost Prayer Week:
After moving into her bungalow 4 years ago and sorted with ramps for elderly access had a lot of feedback on what a peaceful haven it was and even her granddaughter had used summer house for prayer room.  Epsom Churches Prayer Room now set up with direct access through her side entrance and many signed up for 21 hours during the week for an hour of prayer alone so far.  Made it pre-booked so people can enjoy that privacy.  Three other churches have offered prayer spaces for people to come without being prebooked. Ruxley Church have space 8:30am to noon every day of the week.  St. Joseph’s have offered 24hrs from Friday morning to Saturday. David at Epsom Methodist has also offered to open the church for prayer. Vineyard also having bi-monthly prayer meetings.  A lot of prayer going on in her prayer room and churches where some feel worried to use someone else’s garden.  Churches in Ewell have also signed up to the Prayer Week which is wonderful whilst Ewell are looking to set up own Churches Together. 
If prayer room up and running and have a crisis we want to pray for immediately then it’s good having Gill’s functioning.  Elizabeth asked how info been circulated and Gill said on Whatsapp group.  Needs going on Mailchimp.  Coincides with 10 days of prayer for Thy Kingdom Come. 

Update on Besom in Epsom&Ewell:
No one to champion Besom, since David left but can start small and be more a rallying point.  Rota needed. Paul Gorton here from St. Joseph’s who helps Besom Ashtead.: Been involved since Covid receded and a lot of it about furniture and soft furnishings and deliveries would often be for single parents having to move out of privately rented flats and moving to unfurnished council flats where churches could offer beds etc.  Refugee families also helped.  Built up good relations with social workers and Epsom&Ewell refugee network. Practical demonstration of love and witness to social workers trying to help the poor.  Storage was rented and van was bought in Ashtead and could start modestly.  Scheduler is the key role.  Gill says someone needs to catch the vision to help others organise together.  Paul said they meet Tuesday mornings to pray and fellowship.  Scheduler takes phonecalls too and sometimes needs to say no. They’re paid 15 hrs per week but takes longer in practice as delivering KT21 to KT23.  They book’em then fetch’em from Bookham to Fetcham. 
Besom can also be a gathering together of volunteers giving time to help others too.  We’ve storage but need manpower.
Hopefully St.Clement’s in Ewell can still partner in Besom though starting CTiEwell.  Let’s pray in our churches!  Pauline cattle on thousand hills. 
Can we have something written to present to churches. Something to recruit a leader Simon Tucker asked and Paul Gorton brought flyers.  John Ashurst is the Chair though Paul a Trustee.  Bulk of volunteers come from St. Giles.  Video for King’s we did for Besom?

Good Friday feedback:  Simon Tucker said his three teenage daughters came to the Rosebery Park one before and couldn’t hear but brilliant sound this time.  Visually if it could be staged a bit higher.  Seating staggered to help with levels.  Sue Curtis used to borrow staging from schools.  Susie who writes the play prefers not a stage though, so no stage unless another author and her ministry has been a blessing.  Pauline said there was prayer from Maundy Thursday and the following week there were riots as Satan was goaded in the marketplace.  Handley also said Good News and Bibles x200 given out. 
Was cut down on moving to locations.  Susie from St. Paul's wrote well and only end talk could’ve been shorter. Simon Tucker re-emphasised amplification was much better but maybe more seats? Katherine from EMC let us use seats but only plastic ones were used as fabric a worry with weather.  Pauline said there were lots of rehearsals too and St. Barnabas helped.   Simon said don’t cut down the play or discourage Susie.AOB: Gill floating idea that with definite connection between powerful demonstration of Gospel then riots after it hurt her that her town was in the news for such an awful thing and the poison on the Facebook page belittling ministers praying.  If there had been a leader to mobilise people quicker could’ve encouraged people with a love bomb like Blessing Street that happened before.  Simon feels at least we upset the devil. Pauline says more churches are praying because of it too though, and Jesus always wins.  Russell said we already know the last page of the story. 
Cutting short feedback from churches as overrun but Gill said if people happy to be a prayer taskforce to mobilise?  Pauline already does this though and maybe just ask her how to enlarge. Robin & Liz and Segun have done prayer walks from Tuesday evening 7-8pm for Epsom.  Some from Banstead have come too.  Gill and Pauline will talk to set up something together though.

Next Churches Together meeting:
Wednesday 9th September 19:30
Venue: Provisionally Epsom Vineyard Church, Blenheim High School, KT19 9BH 
CTiE vacancies:
CTiE Treasurer
CTiE Facebook Manager

Please pray for guidance in filling all these roles, which are vital to the continued running of CTiE
With best wishes - Jamie Wright, CTiE Secretary