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The Rectory St. James the Least My dear Nephew Darren The estimate for re-hanging the bells in our church tower came as a great shock. The church council discussed fund-raising at length. Someone suggested selling part of the Rectory garden for building, another for getting 200 parishioners to loan £1,000 each, interest-free.  Then Mrs Ffrench...

Screen time for young children should be limited to an hour a day, and infants should not be exposed to it at all.  That is the recommendation of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The guidance comes from the first ever WHO guidelines on physical activity, sedentary behaviour and sleep for young children.  They have been...

Jesus, fresh from His baptism and fired with His new calling, bursts into Galilee. Coming upon four fishermen working on the shore of the lake, He says to them, ‘Follow me’. Without further ado or even a second thought, they abandon what they’re doing (and in the case of two of them, James and John,...

Hugging and kissing in the office should not be allowed.  That is the opinion of three out of four workers, who say that such gestures lead to confusion, embarrassment and stress when greeting their colleagues. A study has found that quarter of us have found ourselves trapped in an unwanted hug, while 19 per cent...

O Lord, my heart is all a prayer, But it is silent unto thee; I am too tired to look for words, I rest upon thy sympathy To understand when I am dumb; And well I know thou hearest me.   I know thou hearest me because A quiet peace comes down to me, And...

The legend goes that St Christopher was a Canaanite who lived in the 3rd century.  He was a giant of a man, of fearsome appearance.  At first he decided to serve the devil, but when he discovered that the devil was afraid of Christ and His Cross, Christopher decided to serve Christ instead.  A nearby...

Hymns are on the decline at funerals.  A recent survey by the Co-Op found that not a single one has made this year’s top 10 most popular pieces of music for funerals. It is the first time ever that no hymns have appeared on the list, which was last compiled in 2016.  Then the list...

Church of England Alexa skill asked 75,000 questions in first year Sir David Attenborough backs major new report from TEAR Fund Farewell to Prime Minister Theresa May Indian nationalist landslide could increase attacks against Christians English cathedrals celebrate £8m National Lottery funding boost  Church Commissioners for England achieve a positive return of 1.8%  1 in 4...

A year after its launch, the Church of England’s award-winning Alexa skill has been asked more than 75,000 questions, according to recent data. The smart speaker skill was originally launched with prayers, explanations of the Christian faith and details of where to find the nearest church for local events and services based on location. The...

‘Mindfulness’ seems to be the ‘in’ word. In a world where people are moving faster and faster, we are called to slow down, to attend to the present moment and enjoy it for its own sake, whatever the pressures of work and family around. For Christians it is a call to live a simple and...

Do you tend to avoid conflict?  When you feel stressed, do you crave sleep?  Then the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus would be good patron saints for you.  But – you may find it hard to copy their successful method of avoiding trouble! Legend has it that The Seven Sleepers were third century Christians who lived...

We are giving less time and money to charity than we were two years ago. That is the finding of a recent survey by Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).  It found that the proportion of those of us giving money or sponsoring someone has dropped from 69 per cent in 2016 to 65 percent in 2018....