Enjoy the springtime Dear friends, The inexorable insistence of new life, whether in flower or bud, pushes back against chill winds and heavy showers. The hope of Easter lies ahead, and beyond that, a slow liberation from the constraints that we have all been under. Mothering Sunday marked the anniversary of the lockdown – a sombre reminder of just how far we…

Bishop Gavin Dear friends, We have an (almost) Bishop of Dorchester; Gavin Collins has begun his ministry in the Oxford Diocese, and is being virtually welcomed to the Henley Deanery via a zoom call to the clergy Chapter during the week. (Covid etc means that he’s not yet been able to be consecrated.) It will be lovely to be able to welcome…

Patience, Patience Dear friends, The vaccine roll out continues to bring hope and the anticipation of emancipation. If there is one thing Brits are good at, it is knowing how to queue. So, in this, possibly the largest queue any of us will ever be a part of, lets keep patiently on the ball, and not relax the guard just yet. It…

Thank You Dear friends, Thank you to those of you who came along to our zoom team service for Ash Wednesday – it was great to see so many, from all over the Team ministry. Our next Team service will be on Maundy Thursday evening, 1st April, with zoom numbers 879 0804 7954 and 107463. This service will be the communion of…

Lent Begins…. Dear friends, Lent begins this week!  Pancake day is always marked in our household. I confess to jealousy guarding the frying pan, and enjoying the process of turning the batter into something just perfectly done, on both sides. Yes, I do flip them, but I’m not one of those who tries to hit the ceiling. If even just one were…

A Thousand Miles for God Dear friends, Small steps add up. Yesterday I celebrated “day 264” of doing a local walk in the lanes round Checkendon which I have somehow managed every single day since last May. The circular route has stayed the same, although I do alternate the direction. Anyway, yesterday was significant as a personal milestone, because as the route…

A race against variance Dear friends, Let us celebrate the impressive roll out of the vaccination programme with a burst of renewed vigilance. January may be history, but it is not the time to relax as far as the virus is concerned. The problem of a viral mutation that is more catchable is that it means more deaths, plain and simple, even…

Be Still (and Know) Dear friends, Depressed, lonely, anxious, tired, upset, lost, worried, fearful, distressed, frazzled, uncertain, desolate, frightened, redundant, fed up ? Don’t answer that. Just make sure you take some time each day when you tell God about it in the stillness. Whatever it is, He knows. And He wants you to know that He knows. But you won’t know…

Small steps Dear friends, …..faithfully walked, add up. The Covid battle rages around us in Intensive Care Units, hospital wards, care homes, and now GP surgeries and vaccination centres. We are moving from a responsive and defensive footing to a proactive and aggressive stance; treatments have improved, and each vaccination begins the slow removal of potential hosts for the virus to infect.…

Two Words Dear friends, These are very dark days. You have heard it said, “stay at home”. But I say to you…get outside. Yes, you have to walk by yourself, or just in your household. But fresh (or freezing) air, exercise, and even the tiniest glimpse of sunlight can do wonders for your wellbeing. This week, on the lanes, I have seen…