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Missionary to the UK In 563 AD St Columba sailed from Ireland to Iona – a tiny island off Mull, in the Western Highlands. He brought Christianity with him. Columba (c. 521 -97) was born in Donegal of the royal Ui Neill clan, and he trained as a monk. He founded the monasteries of Derry...

‘What is a Christian? The richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God as Father. If you want to know how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child and having God as his Father.’ (J I Packer, Knowing God)...

Here is a saint for you, if you have ever been touched by the words of a song. Ephrem the Syriac was born 306AD in Nisibis, Turkey. Baptised in 324, he joined the cathedral school in Nisibis, where it was soon obvious that he had an outstanding gift for writing both music and lyrics. Ephrem...

Russia is ‘weaponizing religion’ and persecuting churches in Ukraine An estimated 15.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian assistance World Vision help children in war-torn Sudan Refugee Week 23rd – 27th June Bible Society to sponsor a garden at RHS Tatton Park Nigeria: the slaughter of Christians continues ‘Yes, I’m an atheist churchgoer’< International Day of Prayer...

Would you have liked to go to Cyprus on holiday this year? If so, spare a thought for the Cypriot who played such a key role in the New Testament. He was Joseph, a Jewish Cypriot and a Levite, who is first mentioned in Acts 4:36, when the Early Church was sharing a communal lifestyle....

 June is the month of light – the month of the summer solstice, when millions of people in northernmost Europe stay out late to enjoy the sight of the midnight sun. To have light and glory where there is usually darkness is something we celebrate, we welcome. In John 9 Jesus said: “I am the...

Friend of St Francis of Assisi Antony of Padua knew St Francis of Assisi.  Both men were true followers of Christ in a time of great religious confusion and social turmoil. Like Francis, Antony (1193 – 1231) was born into a wealthy family. Antony’s father was a nobleman of Lisbon, Portugal, who sent his son...

The letter is in the Post…. When a little bit more exercise can help a lot The number of working days lost to sickness skyrockets How more protein could help prevent your midlife spread Everything I need to know… I learned from Noah’s Ark A June wedding Visiting the sick How to prepare for your...

This month we celebrate Trinity Sunday. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important of the Christian faith, for it goes to the very heart of what God is like. The Bible is quite clear:  there is one God, but He is revealed in three ‘persons’ – the Father, the Son, and...

A new report claims that Russia is ‘weaponizing religion’ in its conflict with Ukraine. 
The report, by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), states that since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian soldiers or occupation authorities, have closed or taken over 76 places of worship, looted, desecrated or destroyed 13...

English Puritan church leader If Richard Baxter were alive today, he would probably be contributing to the Thought for the Day on Radio 4, because he had a gift for the sound-bite. Try these memorable quotes:  Preaching a man a sermon with a broken head, and telling him to be right with God is equal...

UK foodbanks busier than ever Archbishop of Canterbury speaks about depression – and Winnie the Pooh Death of George Verwer, founder of OM ‘Love Matters’: Archbishops’ Commission on Families & Households publishes final report Bids invited to help implement recommendations of landmark report on racial justice C of E responds to the Bloom Review on...