Dear friends,

A very warm welcome to this service, wherever you are worshipping in the Langtree Team Ministry area this morning. A special welcome to those of you who are with us for the first time, or visiting with family and friends; including Gary and Natalie Groves, who have bought baby Axel to Checkendon for baptism this morning. May’s God’s peace and joy be with us all.

In this very hot weather, please do keep an eye out for elderly friends or neighbours, many of whom find the heat as uncomfortable as the winter cold. Dehydration is a real risk. Do remember also to cover up, and wear a hat if you cannot avoid going out in the middle part of the day. A sunshade, umbrella, or parasol is also perfectly acceptable, as much as we are unused to seeing such in the UK. (In Ethiopia, by contrast, you regularly see both men and women using umbrellas for sun protection. See our webpage for a photo!)

It is the time of year when the staff team begin to take their holidays, and we as churches are reminded of one of the benefits of being in a Team Ministry. When your minister is on leave, it does not fall to your churchwardens or PCC to arrange cover for services, as it would in some parishes, but by some wonderful miracle the Rector and Team Staff rearrange things so that another member of our brilliant Team turns up to take a service or two for you. So we share and care for one another and discover, as we do so, just how God has blessed us.

Your Rector Revd Canon Kevin Davies