Thought for the Week 7th August 2026ChangeI have written about this dirty word before … and probably will do again. I think we all struggle with change (me included – just ask my wife), but change is a natural part of life, which we often only notice when it is something which we hold dearly. Change takes place all around us all the time, our environment changes whether human-made or natural. There are constant cycles, yet we never return to exactly the same place. A very British example would be the weather – a major talking point! Are we ever happy with the weather? In church life though, we don’t like change. Most of us want everything to remain just as we are familiar with it being, but like our natural environment, that is simply can’t happen. Just in the last few months, all our churches have experienced some big changes. People we have known, and love have gone to glory. We find ourselves having to make changes because they are no longer about, but surprisingly we just accept such changes. Others have become ill or found other pressing commitments. Church communities rally round to meet those new needs. Change is inevitable and constant reality in life. Since integrating the AAAs into the ABCs in more formal way, although in a very loose way to allow for future flexibility, the ABC Churches Leadership Team (CLT) has had to make some changes to the pattern of worship. Sadly, these are necessary changes as we have less resources to enable us to maintain the pattern of worship in every church in the way that we have perhaps come to expect. It has been a long and costly process for the CLT, as we have wrestled in prayer and argued (in a very Christian way), over some of the proposals. Not everyone has agreed with every proposed change, mainly because it is painful to accept change especially to the churches with which we are most closely connected. Personally, I would have liked to maintain the existing patterns in each church, but that is simply not possible. It is important for all of us to remember that no change is ever permanent and, on that basis, your CLT will continue to listen, pray and even make further changes. God never changes in who he is; he only changes what he does in response to changed human circumstances - precisely because his justice and mercy are perfectly steady. The “change” is in our relation to him, not in his being. The Bible invites us to embrace change not as a threat, but as part of God’s loving, purposeful work - rooted in His unchanging faithfulness. We trust that God knows what he is doing - it would be a sorry state of affairs if we didn’t. So let us all trust God as we head into the future, following Jesus together.Blessings,Geoff
Afternoon Tea Saturday 15th August 2026 3-5pm in aide of Breast Cancer Now at St Giles Copmanthorpe.Please can you help?We need lots of bakes – savoury & sweet – to sell. Also, people to help on the day.Please sign up on the sheet on the notices board at St Giles.Thank you!
The visibility of GodImmortal, invisible, God only wise is the opening line of Walter Smith’s 2003 hymn, and one many of us sing often. However, this week I would like us to reflect on the visibility of God rather than the invisibility the world associates, and what that means for us as Christians.I was recently at an education leadership conference and one of the speakers talking about being visible as a leader made a poignant point and it started me thinking about God. To simplify the comment, being visible is not about being seen, it is about your presence, confidence, reassurance and direction. To this end, I question whether our God is invisible or visible. A simple read through the bible addresses all these points quite distinctly and demonstrates a visible God, however we need not be just son entrenched in believing the bible is the only visible incarnation of God. Look at the world around us, look at the flowers, animals and the seasons, and think about how this world provides for us. Look at the kindness that people show and good that people do for each other. Yes there is evil in the world too, but that does not detract from the good in the world. The basis of our laws are drawn from the same laws set down by God in the Ten Commandments and developed through Jesus’ teaching. Look at the way lives have been changed, the miracles that occur and the commitment of Christian all around the world.So what does that mean for me, as a Christian in 2026. The visibility of God makes me secure in the knowledge that I am loved by our eternal Lord and Saviour who has a plan for me. At the same time, I recognise that I am bound in that commitment to be Christlike (to the best of my ability) and am part of God’s visibility on Earth whether I am preaching, praying or just living life, I need to exude God in all that I do. As we enter the August period for our Churches and we move to a weekly ABC Communion service, it gives us all chance to come together in five of the seven churches, with one service taking place in each of the five parishes to build our church community. I hope and pray that we are increasingly demonstrating God’s visibility in our lives. Although I will be away for three of the Sunday’s in August I hope to meet up with as many of you on the services I can attend. To finish, I remind you of the two lines of the first verse of the hymn I started with: most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.As Christians we serve a mighty God, let us remember who is at the centre of our lives and what is important.God Bless Alan (LLM)Pray for …A growing closeness of our Churches and the villages we serve (Acaster Malbis, Appleton Roebuck, Acaster Selby, Askham Bryan, Bolton Percy, Colton, Copmanthorpe) and all that God has in store for us, moving forward together.Christians in our communities and around the world engaged in continuing the work of Jesus, however big or small.Those who will struggle with caring responsibilities (particularly for those with Children) over the school holiday periodGive thanks for …The Reverand Geoff Mumford, who returns from his holiday. We hope he is refreshed and restedA time of holiday for many, time to spend with loved ones and opportunity rest and relaxationThe continued commitment of our church communities
Thought for the Week – 24th July 2026 – Daniel KhanIn the GardenFor folk with gardens, I’m sure you will agree that the current spell of very warm weather is proving something of a challenge! Watching the sun and heat take its toll on our flowering plants and vegetables can be very disheartening, and I was thinking about this as I, yet again, tried to keep my tomato and courgette plants alive with the watering can. I believe, however, that there is something deeply spiritual about gardening. Whether we tend a large garden, a small courtyard, an allotment, or simply a few pots by the front door, we soon discover that gardening is an exercise in hope, patience, and humility.Every gardener knows both delight and disappointment. We sow seeds with eager anticipation, only to find that slugs have enjoyed them before we can. We carefully nurture plants through dry spells, only for a late frost to undo weeks of care. We pull weeds that seem determined to return overnight. There are seasons when everything flourishes, and seasons when little seems to grow despite our best efforts. Life itself can feel much the same.The Bible begins and ends in a garden. In the opening chapters of Genesis, God places Adam in the Garden of Eden "to work it and take care of it" (Genesis 2:15). Humanity's first calling was not simply to enjoy creation but to steward it faithfully. Even after sin entered the world, the ground still yielded beauty alongside "thorns and thistles" (Genesis 3:18), a reminder that joy and struggle often grow side by side.And throughout Scripture, gardens are places where God meets people. King Solomon delighted in vineyards and orchards. The Song of Songs uses gardens as images of beauty, love and fruitfulness. Jesus often withdrew to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, where sorrow and obedience met in profound trust in the Father's will. After the resurrection, Mary Magdalene first encountered the risen Christ in a garden and, fittingly, mistook Him for the gardener (John 20:15).Jesus Himself pointed to the quiet miracle of seeds, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how" (Mark 4:26–27). I find it reassuring to remember that God is often at work in ways we cannot see. Our prayers, acts of kindness and words of encouragement may seem small to us, but who knows what seeds we may have planted?Of course, gardens also teach us about pruning. Few gardeners enjoy cutting back a healthy-looking shrub, yet experience tells us it often returns stronger and more fruitful. Jesus uses this image when He says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener... Every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1–2). Pruning is rarely comfortable in our own lives. Times of loss, change, disappointment or waiting can leave us wondering why God allows such things to happen. Yet the Master Gardener sees beyond the present season, what appears to us as loss may become preparation for greater fruitfulness.But then there are the moments of pure delight. The first rose opening in June; sweet peas filling the air with fragrance; a robin following the spade; tomatoes warmed by the afternoon sun; children discovering a ladybird or butterfly. Such moments remind us that creation brings wonder to the world, and perhaps that is why so many people find peace in a garden. In the rhythm of sowing and weeding, watering and waiting, we are gently reminded that we are not in control, and that is good news. The God who clothes "the grass of the field" (Matthew 6:30) also knows our needs and invites us not to be anxious but to trust Him. As the summer season continues, may we rejoice in its pleasures. May gardens, however large or small, become places of gratitude, prayer and wonder, where we can glimpse the beauty of creation.Daniel Khan(Licenced Lay Minister)
