Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial
- Ninety years ago, on 21st August 1935, John Hartley, the British tennis player, died. He was the only clergyman ever to win Wimbledon and was World Number One in both 1879 and 1880 – winning Wimbledon both years. The Revd John Thorneycroft Hartley was born in 1849 in Wolverhampton and was well connected: his parents...The vicar who won Wimbledon
- Observations on our Christian faith Don’t bother much about your feelings. When they are humble, loving, brave, give thanks for them; when they are conceited, selfish, cowardly, ask to have them changed. – C. S. Lewis Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of...Quotes of the month (all) for August 2025
- Spare a thought for John the Baptist: however rough your local sandwich bar may be, it probably doesn’t serve you locusts with a honey dip; you won’t be imprisoned for saying derogatory things about the local MP’s wife, and even the boss from hell is unlikely to have a daughter who wants to hip-hop about...29th August – The beheading of St John the Baptist
- Who? Prayer for August 2025 A Strong Hold 6th August 1945 The Pilgrim’s Aiding The Shell The Apple Rhyme A Breton fisherman’s prayer The Old Woman of the Roads To a Fish of the Brook ** Who? (Matthew 16:13-16) They say He was a good man, A great teacher, A fascinating figure Who inspired social action,...Prayers & Poems for August 2025
- Read Jonah 2:2-9. Twice in the Bible there is a record of prayers prayed in hell. In Jesus’ parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, the former prayed for both release from his torment and that a warning would be sent to his family (Luke 16:24-31). Here in the book of Jonah this chapter opens...Praying with the Prayers of the Bible – the Prayer from the Depth of Despair
- In the 1830s a group of academics came together to promote a new identity for the Church of England. To them the church was not just a department of state for the government to control, but part of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Among that group in what became known as the Oxford...‘He gave us eyes to see them’: John Henry Newman
- One of the most famous stories about Jesus is the calming of the storm (Luke 8:22-25). Of course, anyone could say that the wind stopped suddenly of its own accord, but the disciples were not fooled. They had seen a number of these ‘coincidences’ in Jesus’ ministry, and they weren’t about to ignore this one....Keeping Calm in the Storm
- The shark that came to Amity Island for dinner – most people aged 60 and over remember him as the scariest fish they ever saw. As this summer the famous film celebrates its golden anniversary, here are some fun facts about the film which you may not have known… When Jaws was released in the...Looking back on JAWS – 50 years on
- ‘Online’ or ‘Live streaming’ services essentially started during the Covid lockdowns in 2020, as many churches filmed their services and broadcast them through YouTube or other channels. It was difficult to know how many of their members actually watched these services, although YouTube did count the number watching at any particular moment. The Church of...Online Services
- From The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren Anyone who thinks that the English are a peaceful race has obviously never organised the annual pumpkin growing competition. Very regrettably, one of the Pilgrim Fathers sent a handful of pumpkin seeds to a relation in this parish in the 17th century...On the annual war of pumpkin-growing
- Diaspora churches in Scotland welcome over 22,000 to their services each week, with a new congregation having started every eight weeks since 2000. So says research published late last year. What is a ‘diaspora’ church? One largely made up of those who have spread or been dispersed from their homeland. In the 2021 UK population census, some 10.7...Scottish Diaspora Churches
- The Church Commissioners’ funding towards work of the church is set to leap by 36 per cent in the three-year period 2026-28, amounting to the biggest distribution in Church’s history. The C of E plans to invest more than £1.6 billion towards sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and serving local communities over the next three...Major investment in local churches and parish clergy as £1.6bn three-year national spending plans unveiled