Ring out the Bells! Dear friends, It is great not only to celebrate our return to church with song, but also to hear the church bells ring out once again. Listen out for the bells this coming Thursday, and Saturday, as we celebrate the marriages of Joshua Stitt to Annabelle Riches, and also Samuel Knight to Alexandra Merson. If you would like…

New glory to cover old pain Dear friends The weekend past was poignant; I have in my files twenty year old copies of the Times from 12th September 2001. When I am in danger of forgetting of the dreadful reality of those days I read them through again. I read Bart Gelman from the New York Times and remember that I shared…

Here comes the sun! Dear friends, The irony of the sun disappearing almost the moment the schools broke up, staying away for the whole of August, and then “returning to work” along with pupils, parents, teachers and just about everyone else has not been lost on me. I do hope that even if you are surrounded by ferocious to do lists you…

Turn on the light Dear friends How are you keeping? Safe and well, I hope. August has been a month of gloom, not only in terms of the UK weather, but also on the international stage. It would seem hard won freedoms, so precious to our society, are not so highly prized in others. This should come as no surprise; other people…

Thankfulness and Hope Dear friends, If there were medals for faithfulness and the ability to draw out love in every situation, the most we could hope for is silver. The gold would invariably belong to our animal companions, be they feline or canine. Let us give thanks to the Creator of all things, who uses the smallest creatures of the world to…

Dear friends, Enjoy the sunshine. Enjoy the end of the school year. Don’t worry about your life. (Matt 6:25) Be content with what you have. (Phil 4:11) Don’t worry about tomorrow. (Matt 6:34) The New Testament is full of wisdom, and hope. Why not add it to your summer reading list ? If you are lucky enough to be going away, do…

School’s (almost) out Dear friends, The school year comes to an end a week on Thursday. At Checkendon, we give thanks for the distinguished service of Headmistress Mrs Gillian Seymour. At Stoke Row we pray for a safe delivery for Headmistress’ Mrs Charlotte Whittle, expecting her second child this month. Both schools have been amazing throughout the pandemic, and both communities owe…

July already! Dear friends, Thank you all so much for your support and care in so many ways throughout this pandemic. We are making plans now to move (?forwards?) as the regulations change or fade away. Many of the staff team will be taking long overdue leave throughout the coming holiday period and so our provision will reflect this. For August the…

Plague and pest Dear friends, Here’s a rather tedious fact; just because you’ve had a double jab won’t prevent you catching delta-covid. The jabs should prevent you getting seriously ill, or going to hospital. They won’t prevent you testing positive, needing to self isolate, feeling rough, having to change your plans, inconveniencing your entire household and possibly passing the infection on to…

Missing Summer? Dear friends, I must apologize for mentioning the good weather last week. It appears that summer has now been quarantined and the cold/wet of last month has resumed. However there are reasons to be cheerful, or at least cheerfully resolute: live worship is happening once again, and weddings recommence from this weekend; congratulations to Kim and Alex, who will be…