Suffer the little children Dear friends, I remember as a small boy being taken to Trosley Village Hall with all the other youngsters for a “clinic”. In different rooms of the hall cheery nurses would administer different vaccines. Word pretty quickly got around that the worst place was the kitchen, where it seemed everyone would come out crying. Sure enough, there was…

Holiday Reading Dear friends One of the joys of time off in our contemporary culture is being able to “unplug” from the online world where it interfaces with “work”. The instant availability, and the expectation of such by consumers and clients, add a layer of pressure to life that was unknown even twenty years ago. Sometimes, for our sanity’s sake, it is…

Spiritual Strength. Dear friends, Have you wondered why it is that some churches, some places, and occasionally some people, seem to attract others? People visit – sometimes on a deliberate pilgrimage, or sometimes they “just have to go,” but can’t really articulate any reason. There is a great sense of peace, comfort, security, and “homecoming”. We are, I believe, intuiting the often…

Office space required Dear friends The Team Ministry is looking for an office space! After over twenty years at The Grove, Stoke Row, and with thanks to the kindness and hospitality of the Robin family, the property is now being sold, and we need to find a new home. The Team office is the place of work for Mary Daniels, our part…

The future of warfare Dear friends, One of the most memorable Dr Who adventures from my childhood was Terry Nation’s “Genesis of the Daleks”. Tom Baker, as Dr Who, complete with floppy hat and flowing scarf, finds himself on the planet Skaro, where two civilisations are locked in perpetual battle, both under huge concrete domes, hurling missiles at each other across the…

Tail End Dear friends, A wonderful English idiom for “the last bit”, we (happily, unless you are winter lover) reach the dog days of January, knowing that whilst February’s arrival does not necessarily auger any improvement in the weather, nevertheless the days lengthen, and the month ahead is often strangely short, hastened by the school half term and the opportunity presented by…

War and Peace on Earth Dear friends, Please join us at our Christmas services, when we will lift our voices in song and in prayer, to praise God for the birth of the one called The Prince of Peace. The only way the noises of war may be stilled is for the songs of peace all around the world to become louder,…

Carols and Christmas Services edition. Dear friends, Have you noticed how Advent always speeds up? The third candle is to be lit. Churches are being decorated, and carol services approach. Musicians and singers rehearse, sermons are crafted. The church heating is fixed and the fire extinguishers receive their annual service, happily unused since the engineer’s last visit. I look forward to seeing…

Made for sharing Bring a friend to the coffee and mince pie morning on Saturday 9th Dec from 10.30am in Checkendon Village Hall. It is a great chance to catch up with your neighbours and enjoy a chat before the holiday season gets under way. There’s a book exchange, a model railway and a craft table for children too. This event for…