The Can(on) of Worms Dear friends, Now that we’ve been told we can open our buildings for worship once again, we are in the region of “the small print”. What does “open” mean? What does “worship” look like now? Every church council has to conduct a “risk assessment” and consider whether it is possible to “stay safe”. In other words, we have…

Back to the Future (part V) Dear friends, You may well be wondering, given the various media and government announcements over the past week, what is going to happen regarding opening up our church buildings for Sunday worship, weddings and funerals. As I write, we are still awaiting the National Church’s “take” on the government guidance for all places of worship issued…

A time for everything Dear friends, As the national lockdown begins to ease we move once again into a season of uncertainty. The Covid-19 virus remains in general circulation and it remains highly infectious. Progress has been made on a treatment, and several vaccine candidates are undergoing trials. We know however that it is possible for someone to pass on the virus…

New Faces Dear friends, One of the exciting things about our zoom worship has been how easy it is to involve friends and family who are far away, and welcome new faces into our wider church family. There is a sense of solidarity and hope in the face of the unknowns and uncertainties that we find in the new world emerging around…

New Appointment to the Team Dear Friends, Great News !  I am delighted to announce that The Revd James Leach has been offered and has accepted the post of House for Duty associate priest in the Langtree Team serving the parish of St Mary’s Whitchurch and St John’s Whitchurch Hill. James is currently associate priest in the parish of St James, Gerrard’s…

One Day at a Time Dear friends, Now that our local primary schools are beginning to open up, albeit in a very cautious manner, many of us are quite naturally beginning to wonder how long it will be before we can open and use our church buildings as before. Currently clergy and other designated individuals are allowed to enter churches, by themselves,…

Thy Kingdom Come Dear friends, Many people have been finding comfort in prayer throughout these difficult days. Every year in the nine days in the Christian calendar between the Ascension and Pentecost the Archbishop of Canterbury invites us all to join with him in prayer for one or two of our closest friends. The initiative is growing every year and this year…

Try Try Again. Dear friends, Are we going to let a little something like the internet melting on a Sunday morning defeat us? No, we are not. Does your dog give up on his daily walk routine? Of course not. You’d never hear the end of it. Will your cat forget when it is her tea time? Never ! She will find…

Keep Smiling Through Dear friends As lockdown stretches ahead for most of us into an indeterminate summer there will be times when exasperation or frustration pop up. Here are just a few ways you might hang onto your sanity; (i) Take a hour off. Sit in the garden with that book you want to finish. Or just sit in the garden. (ii)…

The Lockdown Blues Dear friends, It has been a long time. Thank you for all you are doing to care for your households, family members, and neighbours. This crisis has shown at a stroke how vulnerable we are, and how dependent upon each other. But even small acts of kindness can make a big difference to someone’s day. A phone call, an…