Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

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...

It was: 175 years ago, on 28th June 1846 that Belgian musical instrument maker Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone. 125 years ago, on 4th June 1896 that Henry Ford completed his first automobile, the Ford Quadricycle, and gave it a test run around Detroit Michigan. It was a simple frame with an engine, two gears,...

They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them. Judges 8:35 There are some things we change often, and others rarely. All businesses want customers and clients who return again and again, without making a fuss and...

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...

The Parable of the Great Banquet From the Vicar Barnabas the Encourager Reflected Faith:  Sit and be Still Wake up! The story behind the HYMN: ‘Lord for the years’ Grace – God’s kindness towards us First, you simply have to be willing to listen ** Editor: Canon Paul Hardingham considers our priorities in life. The...

Paul’s first missionary companion 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...

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...

India – engulfed by a tsunami of grief Remembering Prince Philip A prince’s legacy on matters of faith Keeping faith in the local media How healthy is your church leader – and your church? Environmental attendance A look at the Methodists today ** India – engulfed by a tsunami of grief Covid-19 has been overwhelming...

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...

It was 175 years ago, on 28th June 1846, that Belgian musical instrument maker Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone. Born Antoine-Joseph in 1814, Sax quickly became known for his brilliant inventiveness and his abrasive personality, but also – to the despair of his mother – for his brushes with death as a child. He fell from...

Churches to launch nature count within the ‘National Park’ of churchyards Churches stepped up support for their communities during pandemic New ‘Vision’ as Church of England engages with Further Education Colleges Archbishop of York’s Presidential Address to General Synod Church Commissioners to reduce carbon intensity of its portfolio by 2025 From Lament to Action: Anti-Racism...

Jesse Boot, the British pharmacist and philanthropist, died 90 years ago, on 13th June 1931. He turned the Boots Company started by his father John – a former agricultural worker – into a chain of chemists branded ‘Chemists to the Nation’. The 1st Baron Trent, as Jesse became in 1929, sold his controlling interest to American...