Dear friends

On my return from holiday, I came back to several messages from Rea Valley Foodbank (of which I am currently Chair) highlighting something of a crisis. The simple fact is that while donations have remained static (food and cash), the cost of buying the food (as you will all know only too well) has risen steeply. This means that foodbank staff are having to stretch the food parcels they supply further each month. If you are already a financial supporter of Rea Valley Foodbank, I would ask you to consider carefully whether you might be able to increase your standing order by an inflationary amount, and if you’re not yet a supporter, whether you might consider becoming one.

Jesus taught us to pray: “give us this day our daily bread”, but he also offered us the Parable of the Good Samaritan, which suggests a responsibility not just to notice those in need, but to attend to those needs. Meanwhile, as we pray that prayer, let us remind ourselves that the Lord’s Prayer is not: “give me this day my daily bread.”

Greg