Anthony Bloom, a leader in the Orthodox Church, wrote many books on prayer and meditation. One piece of advice has stuck in my mind. If you are choosing a piece of scripture for meditation, choose either a passage that really sets your heart on fire, or one that you find really difficult … More Duelling with God
Unfortunately we were unable to livestream our service of holy communion for Sunday 22 August – the 12th after Trinity. Our guest preacher was Rev Lorraine Cooke. Here are the hymns and readings … More Standing with Jesus
One of the most thought-provoking statements about church I have come across is:
“The Church exists primarily for the sake of those who are still outside it.”
It was said by William Temple over 75 years ago and has been much quoted since. One might argue that he goes too far, that a church where the care of faithful members is not a priority has lost its way, but nevertheless we are challenged by it. The church is most definitely not a club for likeminded people. … More All Are Welcome
Have you noticed that during June and into July Maggie’s Music Makers treated you to several instances of communion setting contrafactum? All were taken from “Hymns Old and New” (HON) – our trusty orange hymn book … More Communion Settings
Today (July 25th) was a very exciting day. We re-introduced singing for the first time in well over a year. It was the first Sunday after the lifting of lockdown restrictions. What a difference music and singing make, especially having been deprived of singing for so long … More Let the Music Play!
Good morning and welcome to our service of Holy Communion for Sunday 1 August – the tenth after Trinity. We begin with the hymn Guide me O thou Great Redeemer” … More Bread of Life
I think most readers of these articles know that for me, music is a key component of worship. This came up in a recent Bible Study discussion about worship, and I commented how frustrating it is when congregants complain that they didn’t know all the hymns … More When all else fails, Listen
I remember one of my first French lessons at school was on how to greet people. We were taught “How are you?” “Comment allez vous?”, and the reply “Tres bien. Et vous”. Annoying 11-year-old that I was, my hand went up. “What do I say if I’m not very well?”. The teacher replied, “You still say ‘Tres bien’”. It’s good manners … More How are you?
Welcome to – possibly – the last of our pre-recorded online services of Wholeness and Well-Being, with our ALM Carol. Hopefully next month it’ll be live in church! … More Wholeness and WellBeing July 2021
Good morning and welcome to our service of Holy Communion for Sunday 25 July. This is our first since lockdown restrictions were completely lifted, and you will see some significant changes to our worship. However, we’re still being sensible, cautious, and behaving with utmost respect for other … More The miracle of a free lunch
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 