The season of Lent begins with this reading from Mark’s Gospel in the Bible :At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.At his baptism Jesus realised how much he was loved by God his Father and his identity as God’s beloved Son was affirmed. This was an amazing, joyful experience. But then, he immediately has 40 days of being tempted in the wilderness. This was a time of loneliness, struggle and even danger. One thing that can challenge our joy is when we go through difficult times.I wonder if you’ve ever been tempted to think that God sometimes wants bad things to happen to you?"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." In the wilderness, Jesus had to battle with the temptation to deny this truth - the truth that he was dearly loved by God. We might also be tempted to doubt this truth when we go through wilderness times.Then somehow, somewhere in the wilderness help comes to Jesus. The Gospel tells us, there were angels in the wilderness. Rest comes. Relief comes. I wonder what Jesus’ angels looked like?Maybe a trickle of water for his parched throat? A rock to lay his head on? The swirl of stars on a clear, cloudless night?A cool breeze in the heat of the day?I wonder what your angels look like? What have they looked like in the past? Maybe it’s the friend who meets you for coffee, and you actually have a good laugh together. Or someone bringing a meal, or flowers. A doctor giving the right medication and support. A partner or friend taking you out for the day. Or a beautiful walk by the beach or in the woods.It’s in those things we find the seeds of joy, a reminder that we too are loved by God.Over Lent ( 40 days before Easter) take time to give thanks for your ‘angels’. Prayer : Loving God, we bring before you those we know who are going through wilderness times. Surround them by your goodness, mercy and love. Keep them from running into danger. Strengthen them with the joy of the Lord. Amen. Revd Carol Bates
These eight country churches are all lovely for baptisms and each has a beautiful stone font.Baptisms or christenings are usually part of a regular Sunday service, where the congregation can welcome the newly baptised into the church, but in special circumstances a baptism can be arranged as private service (usually later in the day on a Sunday).Scroll down for more photos!<br>For Baptisms please contact Alison Dale, Benefice Administrator:beneficeadmin@elhamvalleygroupofchurches.co.uk
GIVING – ELHAM VALLEY GROUP OF CHURCHES Everything we do is made possible by your gifts of time, talents and money, reflecting the generous God who loves us and all those we live alongside. In normal times, your giving enables us to hold our Sunday services, work with pre-schoolers, children and families, young people and older people, outreach to our local schools in the Parishes through events and assemblies, provide pastoral care and support and to conduct key life events like weddings, baptisms and funerals as well as seasonal celebrations and memorials. Additionally, through your generosity we support projects that benefit the community such as our local Food Bank, and also the many other community groups and activities that would normally take place in our churches and halls. Our churches are finding this increasingly difficult currently as we are unable to hold fundraising events and, with no services taking place in our buildings, no collections are being taken. It’s only made possible by God’s generosity working through those who pray, serve and give to the work of the church. We could not do it without you! Please consider giving what you can spare to enable us to carry out God’s work in our communities. Thank you Ways you can give: GIVE REGULARLY BY STANDING ORDER Monthly giving is vital because it means we can plan in the longer term things that will reach more people with the love of Jesus. To set up or amend a standing order, please contact the Benefice Administrator, Alison Dale (via the Contact Us link on the home page of this website, or tel. 07985025381- Thursday and Friday mornings). She will put you in touch with the relevant Treasurer. SEND A CHEQUE To give via cheque, please make the cheque payable to the relevant church’s PCC. Please contact Alison as above for the address to send it to. PAYROLL GIVING VIA YOUR EMPLOYER Many employers offer Payroll Giving which allows you to give directly to your chosen church from your salary before tax is deducted. This means if you give £100 per month and are a basic rate taxpayer, the gift will only cost you £80 from your net pay. If you pay a higher rate of tax, £100 a month will only cost you £60 from your net pay. To find out if your employer offers Payroll Giving, contact your HR office. EMPLOYER MATCHED GIVING Some employers offer matched giving schemes. In most cases, the company will match your donation pound-for-pound up to a specific amount; a handful of organisations will even double your gift. Do contact the Human Resources or Social Responsibility Office at your workplace to find out if they operate a matched giving scheme. Some employers may not match giving for religious purposes, though most will match gifts for our heritage work – so it may help us with repairs and upkeep of our ancient buildings. GIFT AID If you pay Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in the UK, we can claim back 25p on every £1 you donate through the Gift Aid scheme. To permit us to do this, please contact Alison as before.If you pay tax above the basic rate, you can personally claim the difference between the rate you pay and basic rate on your donation (25%). You can do this either through your self-assessment tax return, or by asking HMRC to amend your tax code. *Note: Please do not fill in a Gift Aid declaration if you give via a pre-tax Payroll Giving scheme as you are giving ‘pre-tax’, and thus we cannot claim tax back on the gift.
