Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

As we seek to reconnect with our community this summer, how many local people would find it easy to even venture into our church? Dr Anne Richards, National Adviser, Mission and Publish Affairs, Church of England, recently had this to say: “I think that churches, especially rural churches, can be sites of common ground for...

Editor:  With holidays approaching, some of the following may strike a chord with your readers! Holiday:  an all-expense tour Holiday:  something you take when you can’t take what you’ve been taking any longer. The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight before you appear in a swimsuit, because by then your body...

The Rectory St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren Thank you for the kind offer of your old computer, but I do not want it. I know you find it a fundamental basic of daily life, but I do not, and I intend to keep things that way. This is despite the...

So says the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). In an effort to restore the plant’s reputation, the RHS has been showcasing the species at its flagship garden in Wisley, Surrey. It hopes to set a new trend, and to get people to stop seeing ivy as ‘the enemy.’ At Wisley you can now see 390 varieties...

What began as an amusing way to keep up with the seven teenagers in her congregation is now serious outreach for the Revd Anne Beverley of Christ Church in Wesham, Lancashire. When the coronavirus pandemic struck, the first lockdown brought with it a need to stay in touch with the teenagers in her congregation, so...

A young mother writes: It is always busy in our home, as we have four young children running about. But one particular Sunday afternoon James, my four-year-old kept following me about very closely. He was on my heels every time I turned around, and after nearly falling over him several times, I lost patience. ‘Whatever...

Dog thefts across the UK soared last year. The problem is now so serious that the government is to set up a pet theft taskforce to fight the organised crime gangs involved. The taskforce will include officials from the Environment Department (Defra), the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the police. There will also...

I have found hope and peace in knowing that as Christians we hold fast to the promise that God will bring forth good out of this season, and that God is with our patients all the more, especially if we cannot be. As a society and as a church, we are often poorly equipped to...

Have you ever suffered from gossip? Ever discovered that people are saying some really wild things about you?  If so, Joseph of Arimathea would understand – and sympathise with you.  This decent, godly man of the gospels seems to have fired the imaginations of all sorts of odd people down the centuries. Joseph was a...

Editor: This month includes the following special days.  As saints’ days do not change from year to year, these have appeared on this site before.  The one with the asterisk is new to the site this year. 1          Justin Martyr – first ever Christian philosopher 2          Erasmus – a good saint for when you’re...

…. the first ever Christian philosopher Justin Martyr (c. 100 – 165), is regarded as the first ever Christian philosopher. He was born at Nablus, Samaria, to parents of Greek origin, and was well educated in rhetoric, poetry and history before he turned to philosophy. He studied at Ephesus and Alexandria and tried the schools...

… a good saint when you’re all at sea Do you like messing about in boats? If so, then you’ll have heard of St Elmo’s Fire. It is the light that is sometimes seen on mastheads of boats after storms at sea. St Elmo is another name for St Erasmus, a fourth century Syrian bishop...