From the Parish Priest
Dear friends,
The last few weeks have seen more of us about! It has been wonderful to see so many people taking part in community events, Sunday services, weddings and even funerals.
We do seem to have said farewell to a number of people in the past few weeks, but we have also seen many families come to church for the baptism of their newest members. These occasions have been most joyful.
The last Sunday of this month is actually on the 31st . Halloween. Or All Hallow’s Eve, as it is formally called. All Hallow’s day is the old fashioned name for the Feast of All Saints, when we thank God for all those people, some famous and well known, and others whose memories are lost in history, who have followed the call to be the saints of God… People who have had the love of Jesus at the very centre of their lives, and have had that love recognized by the community.
As we have a benefice Eucharist that day,( a Fifth Sunday) it gives us a fantastic opportunity to recognise the saintliness of each other, and to rejoice in the fellowship that we have with the saints of the past who we look to for inspiration and encouragement.
The great saints of the past had to cope with the same trials and tribulations that we do today. The faced plagues and sickness, poverty, war, some of them were in constant argument with each other and the church they loved, and yet between them they contributed to enrich the church with their lives, prayers and witness.
Do please join us for our Festival of All Saints. We are, after all, all called to be saints, not two dimensional figures on the wall, or in stained glass windows, but real people, living real lives, surrounded by the real love of God.
With love and prayers,
Philip