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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”                Matthew 11:28 Mid-summer and the holidays are just around the corner. We take them so much for granted and feel rightly aggrieved if we have to work. But holidays, as we know them are a fairly modern invention. The […]

Animals and their carers have been on my mind a lot recently. Perhaps it is because we recently lost our dog of fifteen years, and I miss him so much; perhaps it is because I’ve recently had the pleasure of getting to know a dear horse whose owner is kind enough to share him with me;

“Grandma, why do you always put scrunched up plastic bags in your wellies?” “To keep the scorpions out, of course.”  Old habits die hard! This habit was drummed in on my first stepping foot into West Africa.  Every crawling thing seemed to be so much bigger there and, of course,  hazardous.  Nobody here believes that

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.   I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.   I can do

As Ian Friars said last month, Easter Sunday is early this year, so we are already a couple of weeks into Lent. There are signs of spring around us but winter is not over yet. Lent is like winter for Christians, a period of fasting, prayer and almsgiving: it is not intended to be easy

Dear Friends, I cannot recall the last time St. Valentine’s Day fell on the same day as Ash Wednesday. This year they both fall on Wednesday, February 14th. I mentioned that fact to my wife, Jennie. Her instant response was that no doubt I would use that as an excuse not to buy her any

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:

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. 

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

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