From 18th to 25th April I experienced and enjoyed God’s World in Sinai Egypt – trekking high into the Sinai and St Catherine protectorate each day for five days. High in the mountains there are wild donkeys and groups of Ibex goats. I was fortunate enough to sight the bright blue lizard, the geeko lizard, […]
Blessings
After much rain and longing for the light Sadly I watched the sullen day begin. But God, who has unlooked-for gifts in store, Parted the heavy cloud banks with his breath Till, like great bergs, they moved majestically. Then the Eternal Artist dipped his brush, Laying a wash of orange light between. His delicate touch […]
A Poem for Easter
Easter Friday was dark with thunderstorms and showers, Saturday grey, with steady, ceaseless rain. But Sunday dawned to show a cloudless sky And the great sun, in beauty now unveiled, Dazzling the gaze of those who scarce had hoped To see such loveliness restored so soon: Recalling that first Easter long ago When Jesus crucified, […]
Kirsten Bailey
A Service of Blessing and Thanksgiving for baby Kirsten Gillian Evelyn Bailey was held on 8 February 2009.
How Would We Do?
Mystery visitors – none of whom attended church normally – were sent to 70 congregations across the country. Around 90% said the church they visited had a tangible sense of community. Over three quarters said they would be back. And over half said they felt comfortable, involved and genuinely welcome. Churches were secretly judged on […]
Of Gravity and Other Forces
My sister Jill and I recently moved into a flat which has many pleasing features, and we have settled there very contentedly. However nothing is perfect, and the flat presents two rather mystifying problems. Firstly, the power of gravity seems to have greatly increased since we came here. Jill says that the frequency with which […]
Snowfall
After long weeks of rain and cloud there came A brilliant dawn, revealing sudden snow Which silently had fallen in the night. At my age snow is beautiful, but dread With fear of falls: shovelling too hard a task. That morning I set out to test the paths, Walking through dazzling snow and blinding sun, […]
Transformed by the Bible
We joined together on the evening of Thursday 15 January for our first Bible Study of 2009. It was also the first in our Vision4Life programme, in which (along with the rest of the URC) we are being encouraged to develop a more creative understanding of the Bible. Under the guidance of our Minister, Stephen Thornton, we read […]
The Pilgrimage to Turkey, 7-17 October 2008
A Pilgrimage Based upon the ‘Letters to the Seven Churches’ When we received our travel itinerary from McCabe Pilgrimages, the names of the places we were to visit – Istanbul, Bosporus, Izmir, Pergamum, Ephesus – promised that our trip to Turkey would be both exotic and Biblical. Soon we were off to Istanbul, a city […]
Photos from a Pilgrimage to Turkey, 7-17 October 2008
For a description of the photos, hover the cursor over each one. (Photos hosted by Flickr)