March has crept in slowly and we begin to look forwards to longer and warmer days after the wet, cold and windy ones we have been experiencing. A time when going for a walk without wellies on is more inviting. I’m lucky that I can often go into Heaton Park and my spirit always begins … More March Letter to the Parish
Rev Helen preached this sermon on Sunday 23 February. Here it is for you again: I’m going to start with a little quiz, no need to look so worried. What are the first few verses of the bible, right back to Genesis? In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth … More God brings order to chaos in ways we don’t understand
Rev Helen preached this sermon on Wednesday 19 February 2025. Here it is for you again: What do you do when you get lost? How do you get on the right track and find your way? I mean today there are many different devices and gismos to help you but there have been many different … More God keep us safe on our journey
Did you know that carols, like puppies, are not just for Christmas? According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, a carol is a song characteristically of religious joy, associated with a given season, with uniform stanzas or verses that may alternate with a refrain. The musical emphasis is on melody and rhythm rather than harmony. Interestingly, the … More The Crown of Roses – words Pleshcheev (1825-93) tr. Drearmer, music Tchaikovsky (1840-93)
Rev Helen preached this sermon on Sunday 9 February 2025. Here it is for you again: I’m sure we’ve all been in this situation. When you try something different, something new, or unexpected. How does it make you feel? That last on is probably me, I don’t like the unexpected. I quite like to know … More We are all called by God
Musicians planning repertoire for their ensembles are usually considerably ahead of the calendar. It was no surprise then that all the students on a conducting training weekend in June 2024 were set Christmas carols from a new publication, “Carols for Choirs 6”. We learned some fabulous new Christmas music that weekend, and most students programmed these carols for their choirs this Christmas – including Notability, the Whitefield choir that I practiced with ahead of the course … More The Owl – Toby Young (b. 1990), text by Jennifer Thorpe (b. 1988)
Rev Sue preached this sermon at St Gabriel’s on Sunday 2 February, on which we celebrated the presentation of Christ at the temple, and blessed the candles to be used in church over the coming year. It’s no coincidence that in the last three months, the darkest of the year, we have been celebrating the … More Candlemas 2025
This month’s letter to the parish is from Rev Steve: This month sees the 40th anniversary of the fire that re-shaped the life of St Margaret’s. It happened on 21st February 1985. The lessons learnt in times of adversity stay with us throughout our lives. So many of our scriptures are framed through the experience … More February Letter to the Parish
Rev Sue preached this sermon on Sunday 26 January, the third of Epiphany. Here it is for you again: Picture the city of Corinth 2000 years ago. It sat on a tiny strip of land connecting northern and southern Greece. It had two ports – one trading with Asia in the east, the other with … More Corinthian Christianity
You may have noticed a QR code on our weekly service sheets over the past few weeks. QR codes are clever bits of technology – a bit like bar codes – that link the real world with the online world. Those of us comfortable with using smartphones can simply point the camera at the QR … More Give a little
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