Whose church?

This month sees the coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey by the Archbishop of Canterbury. King Charles will have the title “Defender of the Faith” and be the Supreme Governor of the Church of England (He’s not the head of the church – that’s Jesus!) … More Whose church?

Breaking out

Have you ever noticed a change in someone and wondered what had happened? The person who recently had been quiet and preoccupied suddenly seems much happier and without a care in the world. Perhaps they had been worried about a diagnosis and been given the all-clear or had passed the exam they were really worrying about, or had fallen in love. Once you found out the reason, it all made sense … More Breaking out

Abundant life

It is traditional in the sermon on the day of the APCM to talk about the life of the church over the last year. Quite honestly, I simply don’t want to do that. We have suffered from bereavements – our beloved Deborah, and others as well and we have had to contend with practical problems in the shape of electric wiring and boilers. So many people have contended with illness, accidents and family issues and yet have continued to contribute to the life of the church. And the backdrop has been a country in political turmoil, a cost-of-living crisis and wars in Ukraine and now Sudan. Enough said. We have survived. We have in many ways got back to normal after covid. We can congratulate ourselves that we have had the strength and courage to persevere. Just staying afloat has been an achievement … More Abundant life

Doubt

Good morning and welcome to our service of holy communion for Sunday 16 April. Rev Sue will preside and ALM Carol O will preach. This is also a Sunday Club morning, and the children sang songs, heard stories and did activities on the theme of Hope … More Doubt

John 20:19-31 – The Locked Room

Can you imagine being so scared, so frightened, you lock yourself away and hide, no hope, no faith, absolutely terrified for your life? This is how the disciples felt in our gospel story today. God’s story which is our story. Yes the stories we read each day each week in the gospels are our stories. In Holy Week, I hope, like me, you stepped into God’s story as we followed our Stations of the Cross, as we walked that final hour with Jesus on Good Friday. So let us step into today’s story with the disciples, hiding behind locked doors for fear of the authorities … More John 20:19-31 – The Locked Room

April letter to the parish

Dear Friends
We are now in Lent a time of change in our lives, as you read this letter Holy Week will have begun, also a time of great change in our Church; of suffering but also of new life; new adventures; new ways of worshipping Christ in our churches and communities. Times change, we cannot stay the same, we need to move on in our lives and particularly in Church in this time of interregnum and uncertainty … More April letter to the parish