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The Fourth Sunday in Lent was called ‘Mid-Lent’ or ‘Refreshment Sunday’, when the rigors of Lent were relaxed more than was normal for a feast day. It is called Mothering Sunday as a reference to the Epistle reading for the Day (Galatians 4:21-31).  The Lenten Epistles follow from each other with teaching about our life...

Peterborough Cathedral, one of the great Norman cathedrals of Europe, is facing financial collapse. The 1400-year-old cathedral is facing a perfect storm of rising National Insurance costs, rising fuel bills, cost-of-living crisis, and decline in giving to the cathedral. The dean, the Very Revd Christopher Dalliston, needs to raise £300,000 by the end of March....

The nine fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. We don’t strive for the fruits of the Spirit, rather we plant ourselves in good soil, allow ourselves to be fed by the Holy Spirit, keep taking in nourishment, turn to face the light of Christ and these...

When you Spring-clean your home and shed this year, be just a bit careful about thrusting your hand into dark corners. You may get an unpleasant surprise. Noble false widow spiders put a record number of people in hospital last year. They may be less than 2cm long, but they are among the very few...

The Bishop of Bristol, Viv Faull, and the Bishop of Ramsbury, Andrew Rumsey, who are the Church of England’s joint lead bishops on church buildings, have welcomed the recent announcement of the 12-month extension to the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme. They said: “We are pleased that this will bring temporary relief to many...

This past winter the Church of England has provided warm spaces for people struggling to pay energy bills. The C of E has been offering not just a refuge from the cold, but in many cases, food, activities and a chance to make friends and be part of a community. A total of 485 Church...

The Rectory St James the Least My dear Nephew Darren I cannot be wholly sympathetic because your church car park is now inadequate, only having space for 100 cars. Your solution of advising members of the congregation to park in the adjoining supermarket car park may not have been wise. The maximum time people can...

The C of E has launched what it calls “a bold new vision” for its Education sector, the Flourishing Leaders Programmes. The Programmes will aim to provide “a bold, hope-filled vision for flourishing children, educators, and school communities.” The hope is to address systemic challenges through a focus on purpose, relationships, resources, learning, and wellbeing....

As Lent 2025 gets underway, do you suspect that your Christian commitment is not all it could be? If so, you are not alone. As one American church leader sadly put it: “In America the church is 3,000 miles wide – and one inch deep.” But Jesus is still calling us to be His disciples,...

In this age of exotic coffee making machines, there are still a good 39 per cent of us in Britain who reach for the instant coffee – and even prefer it. In fact, a 2024 Kantar report has found that seven million of us happily drink instant coffee two or three times each day. Nescafe...

 Below please find some ideas to think about…. We have drafted a rough article for you to amend to fit your own circumstances. This coming week (Thursday 6th – Sunday 9h March), 28,000 of the country’s top show dogs will be brushed and polished and on their way to the NEC in Birmingham.  There they...

The metaphysical poet (this is his normal place in the church calendar) John Donne (1572 – 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier, secretary and finally Dean of St Pauls Cathedral in London. But he is most remembered for his poetry, for he is seen as the greatest of the 17th-century ‘metaphysical’ poets. Donne was...