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…
Welcome Bishop Gavin Collins Dear friends This coming Sunday we welcome Rt Rev Gavin Collins, the new Bishop of Dorchester, for his first visit to the Langtree Team area. He is conducting the 9.45am confirmation service at St Leonard’s Woodcote, where adult candidates from across the Team will be presented. (I’ll be there in my capacity as Team Rector, and also presenting…
The Advent Journey begins. Dear friends, Whether you are a glass half full person (“Christmas is coming!”) or a glass half empty one (“We’re all going catch flu/Covid/be locked down again”) nevertheless the end of November marks the turning from autumn to winter proper. It also marks the start of the Christian year, on Advent Sunday. This is the season of penitence…
Congratulations! Dear friends, In these strangest of times there are yet to be found moments of light. Babies arrive and delight us with the joy they bring; we welcome Meadow and her family to Checkendon this morning for her baptism. Careers grow and blossom; congratulations to Gillian Fraser, acting head at Stoke Row School, for her recent appointment as headteacher of Long…
Remembering the fallen Dear friends, This coming Sunday we will hear again the names of those in our communities who gave their lives for our freedom. The uniformed organisations will gather at Checkendon war memorial (the Lychgate), we will stand in silence for two minutes at 11am and the Last Post will sound. Then, in the church, colours will be presented, and…
A blessing on dystopia? Dear friends, One of the seminal films of the 1980’s was Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner”, starring Harrison Ford, with a soundtrack by Vangelis. Scott gave us a vision of a completely urbanised globe, a vast metropolis with layer upon layer of habitation, where hyper modernity lived side by side with urban collapse, and bio engineering was done in…