Dear Friends,November is a month to remember. And we remember not to take things for granted. Not taking things for granted helps us have better focus, and promotes better priorities in our life.On Remembrance Sunday 12th November 2023 at 10.50am, for the first time in the time I have been your Priest, church services at Guarlford, Madresfield & Powick worship together at the same time for the national silence at 11am (I hope with the clock changes, everyone remembers!).Remembrance Sunday is a good opportunity to express publicly the much-needed intention not to take peace for granted. Next year, we commemorate 80 years since D-Day and in 2025, the ending of the Second World War. Psychologically, many of the younger generations might well be thinking such war will never visit us. We can all too easily take peace for granted.The Gaza/Israeli conflict and resultant humanitarian crisis, and the war resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, remind us not to take peace for granted. Devastating war is closer than we think: in the case of the current conflicts - less than four hours’ flying time separate our peace from armed conflict and humanitarian strife. Remembrance Sunday helps us remember.Jesus taught very clearly that this age, in which we live, will see wars. He was not the sort of humanist who believes that humankind is getting better in all ways, and such bad things are going away. Not at all. Jesus said ‘there will be wars and rumours of wars’ right up to the time of his second coming. He warned us so that we can be ready to face up to the challenges of our times, and to work for peace, and to be ready for war. Many of the Ukrainians are Christians and this has helped them to be resilient in the face of terrible warmongering. We need to remember the civilian casualties in Gaza and Israel too and the aid agencies trying to help in hard circumstances. We want to be resilient. Being resilient is helped by good remembering.On Sunday 29th October 2023, we had our annual Parish Memorial Services. The services on that afternoon brought back to church many family members that your village churches have supported over the past two years with funeral ministry. We gathered together to remember loved ones who are no longer with us and to give thanks. I hope that this annual gathering was indeed helpful, as we all come to terms with our own loss, and it also helps us to value our close friends and family. A shared experience of expressing our family grief reminds us how much we value our loved one’s memory, and helps us not to take our remaining family and friends for granted. Remembering helps us value people and cherish people.Whilst we remember or hold deep routed remembrances, we need to give thanks too. We remember that all we have comes from God’s generosity. As we approach the end of the Church’s year at the end of the November, we do need to anticipate and look forward to God’s plan for us as a group of churches, moving forward. We mustn’t dwell, too much, on the Diocese’s Transformation and Change agenda, in the purely organisational and church bureaucracy way, but look for the signs for how Gods is transforming us. Being thankful for our parishes’ presence, prayer and persistence to help others in spite of the challenges we face is important. Offering thanksgiving is a marvellous antidote to taking things for granted.November is a month to help us remember and give thanks for all have achieved. Come and remember and so be ready and focussed on the things that really matter.Every blessing Rev Gary
Vicar’s Blog August 2023 Be still, Be Present, turn off the Gmail (don’t forget the Speedo’s) I remember, when I was a child, the school summer holidays seemed incredibly endless – amazingly, the days seemed to stretch out and to go on and on – a time of lazing around and enjoying not having particularly much to do. Now, as an adult, father and Vicar, with the schools closed for the summer after the fun and farewells associated with the end of the school year, the six week stretch will seem to just fly by and will be almost over as soon as it’s begun. Thankfully the Deanery and Diocese slow down too over the summer. Perhaps they are enjoying a break too! However, I am fortunate in that I will be having some time off with my family and the chance to go on holiday and to get away from it all. These opportunities are really important – to be able to spend quality moments with Alison, Jessica and Issy (Harriet might come along too): for us all to be able to relax away from all the pressures of work and of school; and to be able to enjoy one another’s company without the demands of work and study hanging over all the time. The weather may not be great but it’s still a change of scene and routine. That said, we need to be back for A level results day…… Whether we go away on holiday or simply enjoy time relaxing at home, it is important for our mental and physical health to have times of rest and relaxation. It is also, I believe, important for our spiritual health as well. On a recent Deanery walk around Guarlford, we have talked a lot about the important of making time to be still and to reflect, and of making space for God and listening for God’s voice. In the busyness of our daily lives, the still, small voice of God can often be drowned out; and it is often when we are on holiday or just enjoying a break from our daily routine, that God is finally able to get a word in edgeways and we can benefit from more time to pray and read the Bible and to focus on God’s love and desire for us to experience life in all its fullness. During his earthly ministry, Jesus made it a priority to escape the demands of the crowds – even the demands of his own disciples – and sought out places of quiet where he could pray and be alone with God. The Gospels are full of verses describing Jesus doing this; and if he, the Son of God, needed opportunities for prayer and rest, how much more do we! So, whatever you are doing this Summer – whether you are going away or enjoying time at home or even giving thanks for the lack of emails from me; let us pray that each one of us will be able to find moments to be still, to be peaceful and to listen to God’s voice of love speaking to us and surrounding us with kindness, mercy and grace. Every blessing - Gary
Old Hills Malvern ChurchesVicar’s Pastoral Letter - July/August 2023Dear Friends,Three reasons to be happy: 1. The sun is shining but rain is on the horizon that should dispel the mugginess2. For those of you into your sport - armchair or by spectating, we are still (at time of writing) in with a chance with the Ashes (both Men’s and Women’s) and Wimbledon is just around the corner. If you are not into Sport, Glasto has been a blast on the TV – and Cindy & Lauren have returned to Eastenders! 3. School holidays are soon to begin. Lifepath was a success at The Great Malvern Priory and our Collective Worship Assembles for parents were well received. Leaver’s Bibles all bought and signed - thanks to those of you that donated. It’s all looking good!Three reasons to be apprehensive:1. There are record temperatures being recorded across the world. Then I heard this at a wedding rehearsal - “Can you have a word with the big guy so that it doesn’t rain on the Big Day?” To which my response was inevitably something like, “well, God’s in a tough spot here, because while you’re praying for it to not rain, the farmers and gardeners might be praying that it will rain!”2. There is still war in The Ukraine and other troubles in Russia are rearing their ugly head. 3. The cost-of-living crisis means that many families will be looking at the summer holidays with trepidation – how to feed the kids this summer time and keep them entertained. Mortgage rates (and rents too) are going up (may be some of us with some modest savings will benefit from increases in savings rates).However you choose your own three highs and lows, I am sure your neighbour or friends will have a different set or a different way in interpreting them - even if they are the same three things. We all have different ways of interpreting what is happening. And we do that regularly with the Bible too.But isn’t that often the way? Things are getting better for some, but others might be facing new struggles. Life carries with it complexities, and we find ourselves wandering through the thick of it.As we go about our daily lives never know what the people around us are going through. The man in the café staring at his cup of tea while it goes cold. The couple embracing in tears by the bus stop. The child sniffling at the back of the class. The family laughing at the pub. Even just the person we pass in the street. We can be sure that however our days are going the people around us will be experiencing a range of different emotions: joy, delight, worry, fear, grief, anger. The whole gamut of human experience plays itself out on our villages and in our community every day of the year.In the midst of the rich tapestry of life and experience it wouldn’t do us harm to be kind. Nothing more radical than that. To be prepared to ask, “are you okay?” To be a sign to others that they are not alone.Throughout it all, the good and the bad, one thing we can take comfort in, is that God journeys with us through it all. God is never on holiday. That’s not to say that we should just stop moaning and get on with things, but that as we do go about our lives, we can know that we’re not alone. While that doesn’t mean the hardships will always pass, there is solace to be found in knowing that we don’t walk the road alone.Enjoy the coming Summer - as we journey through these coming summer months, whatever the weather or opportunities or hardships – be blessed, and as you are blessed, seek to be a blessing to others too. Rev Gary
