Dear Friends, I recently had a phone call from someone I hadn’t spoken to in many years. We had grown up together and went to primary school together. We had gone to the same Boys’ Brigade company and played in football teams together and it was good to catch up a little as we spoke. […]

Dear Friends, In the life of the church, May can feel like a month of hidden feasts. There are a number of significant festivals and feast days that don’t get the samepublicity and recognition as the bigger ones that attract not just the church’s attention but the attention of the general public also. Perhaps this […]

Dear Friends, I wonder if you have ever waited anxiously for something to arrive. Maybe it’s a gift you have ordered for someone for a special occasion? Maybe it’s asignificant day in your calendar like a holiday or a birthday or a concert for which you have tickets? Maybe it’s a wedding or the birth […]

Dear Friends, I wonder how the season of Lent sits with you? Do you look forward to this intentional period of 40 days for renewing and deepening your spiritual life or do you find it all a bit heavy and oppressive? All this talk of the cross and self-denial and going deeper with God sounds […]

Dear Friends, The month of February marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a 40 day or 6 week period when we remember Jesus fasting in the wilderness after being commissioned at His baptism and beginning his public ministry. Christians have always used this period as an opportunity to deepen their own […]

Dear Friends, January can be quite a challenging month as people head back to work and school after some time away. Perhaps we have spent more than we normally do on presents and luxuries and the thoughts are anxious about the credit card bill that will be dropping its way through the letter box. Sometimes […]

Dear Friends,Each year the marketing for Christmas seems to get earlier and earlier. This morning in the first week of November as I picked up some groceries after the school run, the supermarket had some festive music playing and there were all kinds of displays with Christmas treats and bargains on offer. We tend to […]

Dear Friends, We normally associate the month of November with some very significant occasions for remembering in our parish life. On 5th November at 7pm at our evening service we will be taking the opportunity to remember with thanksgiving those associated with our parish who have died in the past 12 months. Families will be […]

Dear Friends, As these notes go to print we are seeing the first signs of autumn. After a spell of very warm weather as everyone went back to school, the temperatures have dropped this week and you hear the crunch of fallen leaves as you walk. It’s lovely to see those golden autumnal colours and […]

Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe that the summer is almost behind us and we will soon be reopening many of our organisations and activities after the summer break.We anticipate the work in the church will be underway as you read this month’s magazine. Some people have asked me about the background to this project. […]