I was born and bred in Oldham and have lived there all my life with my parents. I worshiped, with my family at our family church, Oldham Parish Church (St Mary with St Peter) until September 2020 … More August letter to the parish
Good morning and welcome to our service of holy communion for Sunday 30 July. We welcome Michael Hardie from the Leprosy Mission to speak. … More The Leprosy Mission
When we think about children’s books, a common figure that appears is a grandmother. She is full of wisdom and good advice, with a quotation for everything. She teaches empathy and caring for others. She is a person to go to when the child feels misunderstood by his parents and generally has more time than the harassed mum who is coping with lots of things at once … More Nurturing Wisdom
In the days of the Roman Empire, about 10% of the population were slaves. For the Romans, capturing slaves was a by-product of war. In the aftermath of the Jewish revolt against Rome shortly after the time of Jesus, a staggering 97,000 slaves were taken into bondage. Can you imagine what it would be like to be owned by another human being? … More Heirs to the riches of creation
This article first appeared in the July 2020 issue of the parish magazine. Here it is again for you to reflect on:
For many, lockdown has been an incredibly difficult time of worry, isolation, ill-health, boredom and captivity. It has been tough, and will continue to be so for many months to come.
For others it has offered opportunities and blessings. I am fortunate to be in this group … More Lockdown Blessings
Good morning and welcome to our service of holy communion for Sunday 23 July. Rev Sue will preach and preside. Neither Tom-the-Organist nor Tom-the-Pianist is available, and the choir is on it’s summer break, so Carol P leads us singing a Capella, beginning with the hymn “Lord of all hopefulness”: … More Weeds among the wheat
Moses sees the bush that looked to be burning and blazing but it was not being consumed, God calls to Moses into that sacred space and tells him he wants to go and free his people from Egypt. I think this is one of those iconic bible stories and it gives me a shiver every time I read it … More Ordinary doing the Extraordinary
If you read the stories of the Old Testament, you’ll find that all human life is there. People do not generally come across as saintly, never doing wrong, and the story of Jacob’s family is no exception … More A tale of sibling rivalry
Mary, Mary, quite contrary how does your garden grow? I am sure we all know how this nursery rhyme goes and as every gardener knows, it’s all about the soil. Without good soil, worked with compost, water and tender care, seeds will not flourish … More Good Soil
Once upon a time in a faraway land… some of my favourite words in the world because, I don’t know about you but I love stories, especially the old fairytales. When me and my niece do some colouring we get my tablet out and always put a story on to listen to, Little Red Ridding Hood is a particular favourite … More We’re all stories in the end
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 