Dear friends In times of threat and upheaval Christians and Jews have both turned to the Psalms of David for comfort and hope. As the world powers eye each other and rattle swords, David’s prayers have a resonance for our time. “My eyes are turned towards you, O God, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless. Keep…

Blues for Two Dear friends, It is “peak season” for S.A.D.  – or the “winter blues”. We’ve not seen much sun on the outside for a while. So our feel-good hormones are running low. When you add in winter illness, two years of Covid, frequent changes, upheavals at work, relational pressures and money worries it is neither surprising nor unexpected if there…

Food Bank February. Dear friends, February is upon us! Things can only get lighter from now on, although I am sure that both the winter weather and Covid will continue to darken things occasionally. Keep snug, and go cautiously; neither can last much longer. Certainly the Rectory Rhubarb has made its mind up about the winter side of things. More ominously on…

Team Service Dear friends, Don’t let the grey days get to you. Feed the birds! Phone a friend! Enjoy this version of Amazing Grace! Next Sunday (30th Jan) is a fifth Sunday, which gives us a chance to come together as a Team Ministry. Our shared morning service is at 10.30am at St John’s, Stoke Row. Revd Angela Linton and I will…

Pray for the Bishop Dear friends, Bishop Steven Croft (the Bishop of Oxford) revealed in a letter to clergy this week that he was briefly hospitalised with Covid a week before Christmas, and is still taking things rather slowly. Let us add our prayers to those of his family, and see if their weight can hasten his recuperation and recovery. In our…

Red Sky Dear friends, I write this as the sky over Checkendon turns from purple to a vibrant orange. The sun is doing his best to lift the mood, peeping over the horizon for a few brief moments at 8am before the rain and drizzle come again. Should we be comforted that there is still light and hope, or wonder what the…

Happy New Year Dear friends, May the light and peace of our saviour be with us all. Thank you to everyone who supported our churches over the Christmas season; the churches looked beautiful, music and words were inspiring, candlelight spoke of the hope that the light of Christ brings to the world. Our services were all well attended, and the mild weather…

Christmas Update Dear friends, In-person services are still “on” for Christmas. Wrap up – we’ll keep the doors open ! If you have a cold or cough, please think of others – and don’t come. If possible for you, do take a lateral flow test on the day of the service. You will need to wear a mask in the church buiding,…

Christmas Worship Edition Dear friends, Thank you for all your good humoured support throughout the last year. Here are the “live in person” services for the Christmas Season at Checkendon and Stoke Row. Booking is not necessary, but please do wear your face covering inside the church building and use the hand sanitizer on the way in. We’ll keep things draughty, so…

Hold out for Christmas Dear friends, As Covid (whether delta or omicron) colours the map again can I remind you all that (i) Christmas Services remain “on” (ii) Live church will be as safe as we can make it, with ventilation and hand sanitizer (iii) social distancing and mask wearing are optional, but advisable and (iv) the best defence against getting seriously…