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December’s Parish Letter

Like the four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the church divides the year into seasons as well. On December 3rd this year, the season of Advent begins. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas during which time Christians anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  There are two Saints associated with Advent: …

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November’s Parish Letter

November is here, and in two weeks’ time we commemorate Remembrance Sunday. Many will gather at local memorials; others will reflect quietly at home. During WWI, given the huge numbers killed it was decided that the dead were to be buried where they fell.  There were also very many who were never found or identified.  …

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October Letter

It’s that time of year again when the harvest has been brought in and we begin to think about the festival that follows.  Next to Christmas and Easter, the Harvest Festival is the most popular festival in the year. It’s a custom that goes back millennia – celebrating that the abundance of summer’s produce has …

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September Parish Letter

These six parishes in the Shingay Group have been without a full-time vicar for nearly a year now and during that time there has been a great deal of thought and discussion about how we would like to go forward.  It can be revealing to compare and contrast other churches and congregations visited in the …

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July/August letter

Do you remember as a child, kneeling down by your bed, hands clasped, to say your prayers? I can just about remember that far back but I do have fond memories of encouraging my own children to do the same, gently introducing the ideal of daily prayers to them by snuggling them into me and suggesting …

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June Letter

One of the privileges of my role in the church is that I get to walk alongside people at some of the really important events of their lives. At the birth of a child, there is much to celebrate. There are often many things to think about, and for some families having their child Christened …

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May Letter

Easter in Guilden Morden this year was very special, because, after three years of pandemic restrictions, we were finally able to return to some semblance of normality. It was a moving experience to walk with the cross through the village on Good Friday, singing hymns at various points. A week earlier, our Palm Sunday service …

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March letter

“He who moves not forward, goes backward.” (J W von Goethe) Change.  We so often resist it. Sometimes passively, just hoping that by doing nothing, the call for change will disappear.  Sometimes actively, by pushing against it, fighting all that compels us to be different. Yet often, a different approach can have beneficial consequences. When …

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February letter

“See how these Christians love one another!” By the time this edition of Prospect has been distributed but after the time of writing, the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) will have been and gone. Officially it runs from 18-25 January and most services take place on the Sunday, but this year the …

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December/January letter

The Season of Advent is here again. It includes the four Sundays before Christmas and this year began on Sunday November 27th.  Advent means “coming” or “arrival”.  Special hymns are sung and Bible  verses read that prophesied Jesus’ coming; describe his birth; and speak of his return – the Second Coming.  For Christians, this is a …

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