Ministers letters

One of the unsung heroes of history is the woman/man who invented the calendar, making it possible for us to pinpoint past events exactly, and to understand how they fit in with each other across the years. What we call a ‘timeline’. The banners that hang across the front of the church are in themselves a ‘timeline of sorts’

It was around 40 years ago that I first flew in an aeroplane. It was to Moscow. I went with a group of students as part of a ‘cultural exchange programme’. The other two places we visited were Minsk and Vilnius – today capitals in their own right – then the leading cities of their respective Soviet Socialist Republics. I mention this only because …

Dear Friends, Today I did something I had not done for a very long time. I enjoyed a cup of coffee sat down inside a coffee shop. I took no chances. I tucked myself away in a corner and kept

Dear Friends, For the second year running, as a result of the regulations imposed on us due to the Covid Pandemic, as a church we have been denied the opportunity to involve ourselves in CHRISTIAN AID week. I had been

I was brought up believing ‘March winds’ & ‘April Showers’ bring forth ‘May Flowers’. Well today, in May, we had March winds and April showers rolled into one. Let’s hope the flowers are worth it. Although it has to be said the blossom on the trees is very beautiful and gives everyone a lift just to see it. Of course, there is a downside to all of this: I have mowed the lawn three times already and I swear the grass has grown an inch in the last twenty-four hours…I mentioned previously that during the latest lockdown my ‘go to’ place was Golders Hill Park.

Yesterday, I had an e/mail from someone in Australia reminding me that exactly one year ago his mother had died. She had just celebrated her 100th birthday and her death had been peaceful (non-Covid related). During her funeral we had reminded each other how it was that she had been born during the tail end of the previous global pandemic – Spanish flu – and had died during the early stages of the present one…

I’m writing this just after hearing the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the policeman accused of killing George Floyd. He was found guilty on all charges. The death of George Floyd brought about such a reaction that throughout the world, the movement known as ‘Black Lives Matter’, took on a momentum all of its own.

This is neither the time nor the place for airing personal opinions regarding the merits or otherwise of the Monarchy, but it is beyond dispute that The Prince Phillip be admired, applauded and appreciated for his role as consort to the Queen. Beyond all that of his life which was lived out in the public eye …

During this last year, many things we might have done never did get done. For many different reasons. One thing that I didn’t do that in more ‘normal’ times I would have done without thinking was to renew my passport. I imagine there will come a day when I will get round to it, but for now its not very far up my ‘to do’ list. There has been a lot of talk about ‘passports’ this last week. Or to use the proper term, ‘Covid Status Certificates.’ …

When we read of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, we find that each Gospel tells it differently. Some people find the accounts to be contradictory, others read them as complementary. In the end, each one of us has to decide for oneself. But there is one thing that each of the four Gospel writers agree on, that it was a woman …