Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused devastation to millions of people. They have lost family members, their homes, and livelihoods. They are displaced and desperate. Now, with colder weather soon approaching, the need will be all the greater, both for those displaced inside Ukraine, and for those sheltering in nearby countries. The Christian charity...

The moment the Church of Scotland defied King Charles I is among a vast number of historical documents now available to view on the ScotlandsPeople website.  (www.ScotlandsPeople.gov.uk) As part of a wider release of almost 4,000 volumes of church court records, National Records of Scotland (NRS) has added papers from the church’s governing court, the...

Transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36) Praying on the mountain top We saw amazing things, Moses and Elijah And Jesus, in dazzling white, His face shining. The Lawgiver, the Prophet And the Lord. Written Word, Spoken Word, Living Word In glorious splendour. It was so good to be there, On the mountain top. Father, help us When we...

August is the perfect month to look out for bats, when our soft, warm twilight evenings are full of the tiny flying insects that attract them. But these days bats need our help, and so this annual celebration will include a good few ‘bat events’ this month. If you like bats, you may enjoy one...

Raymond Nonnatus (1204 – 40) is a good patron saint for anyone who does not take life for granted. The account of his own life begins with the story of how his mother died just before his birth, and of how Raymond was somehow extracted from her dead body just in time to save him.(‘Nonnatus’...

Ultra-processed foods are as dangerous to your health as cigarettes. They should be made to carry a tobacco-style ‘front of pack’ warning. So says a leading nutritionist, condemning both UPFs and cigarettes as “life-threatening products made by profit-hungry corporations.” Prof Carlos Monteiro, professor of nutrition and public health at the University of Sao Paulo, was...

The Rectory, St James the Least of All My dear Nephew Darren Well, at least you tried. Filling in for another colleague who was away on holiday was kind of you; that it was somewhere with a high church tradition was adventurous of you. But just because something is worth doing, must you do it...

People who spend time gardening may have better brain function in later life than those who do not. Such are the findings of a recent study at the University of Edinburgh. The authors of the study observe that gardening involves: “not only physical exertion but creativity and planning. Engaging in ­gardening ­projects, learning about plants,...

‘Straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize…’  Phil. 3:13-14 All rubber bands work on this same principle:  they must be stretched to be effective!  Every person who has ever achieved anything for God has learned to stretch. There are no exceptions. One of the most common mistakes...

Sundays of the Month Editor:  We thought you might find it helpful to know what the Sundays of each month are called… 7th July             Sixth Sunday after Trinity 14th July           Seventh Sunday after Trinity 21st July           Eighth Sunday after Trinity 28th July           Ninth Sunday after Trinity ** High Days and Holy Days for July As...

Most Christians in the UK have heard of the Church Mission Society or CMS.  Far fewer have heard of the Revd Henry Venn (1796-1873), whose father, the rector of Clapham, founded CMS in 1799, and who himself became the greatest missionary strategist of the 19th century. Not that Henry Venn ever became a missionary himself;...

If you are thinking of turning your back on wealth and privilege, in order to do something you feel God is calling you to do, St Theobald (1017 – 1066) may be the saint for you.   He was born into an aristocratic family at Provins in France.  But he became a hermit with a fellow...