THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Daniel – 16th January 2026Holding the Plough: Faith, Work, and Hope in Our CommunityLast Sunday morning I had the privilege of speaking at the Plough Service at All Saints Church, Bolton Percy, a traditional service held to pray for, and acknowledge, the daily work of our farming communities. The prayers, hymns, and poems shared at that service were both uplifting and thought provoking, and the respectful procession of an ancient hand-plough into the church to be blessed movingly represented the importance of the farming community in our daily lives.Thinking about that Plough Service, I realised its history draws us together at a moment that is both ancient, and deeply present. Although rooted in rural life, its message actively invites us all to reflect on God’s blessing over the land, our labour, and our shared life as a community. While many of us do not work in the fields, the symbolism of the plough can still speak powerfully into who we are and how we live.At its heart, a plough service is about beginnings. Traditionally held at the start of the agricultural year, it asks God’s blessing on the soil before it is turned and sown. Scripture often returns to this image of preparation and hope. The prophet Hosea urges, “Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12). Before growth can come, the ground must be opened. Spiritually this challenges us now, in January, to ask what in our own lives needs turning over so that God’s grace can take root.The plough also reminds us of vocation and faithful work. In the book of Genesis, humanity is placed in the garden “to till it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Work, whatever it may be, is not a punishment but a calling. In our community this can take very many forms – teachers and carers for example, shop workers, volunteers, and health care workers, to name but a few. The message of the plough service honours all honest labour, recognising that each role contributes to the flourishing of the whole community in which we live.Jesus himself used the image of the plough when speaking about commitment: “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). These words are not meant to discourage, but to focus us. Following Christ calls for perseverance, especially when the work is slow, tiring, or unseen. Just as a ploughman, or woman, must keep their eyes fixed ahead to cut a straight furrow, so we are invited to keep our gaze on Christ, trusting him with the outcome of our efforts.Community lies at the centre of the plough service message. Farming has never been a solitary task; it depends on shared knowledge, mutual help, and trust in forces beyond human control. Likewise, the life of our church is shaped by cooperation and care for one another. St Paul reminds us, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:6). We must each play our part, but it is God who brings the fruit from our collective labour.Finally, a plough service speaks of hope. To plough a field is an act of faith. The labour comes long before the harvest, and much remains uncertain - weather, health, circumstances etc. Yet we can trust in God’s promise that whatever our work, be it secular or spiritual, when offered to him it is not in vain. As the psalmist writes, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5).The message of the plough is that we are always a part of our community’s future - the work we will do, the relationships we will nurture, and the faith we will carry into 2026, and beyond. This January, may we go forward with willing hands, open hearts, and the confidence that God walks with us in every furrow we plough.Daniel Khan (Licenced Lay Minister)
11th January 2026THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK - From Vicar GeoffTransformedThat is the word for the ABC Churches in 2026. In reality, it was the Greek word μεταμορφόω pronounced metamorphoo, from which we get the English word literally or figuratively "metamorphose". I don’t usually get into the Greek, it was never a strong subject for me, so it was a real struggle for me to receive the word from God. But he usually surprises me! I find it quite significant that last year’s word was ‘new’ and this year ‘transform’ which of course bears many similarities and it got me thinking about how God transforms us into a new creation in Christ as we allow Him to change, mould and reform us to be more like Him. Ultimately that is what a desire to become more like Him does. But I admit that He probably finds that a real struggle. I’m far from perfect and have my struggles, but trust that God is in the process of transforming me, through experiences and challenges, times when I let others or myself down. But that is the whole point. When we come to Jesus He doesn’t expect us to be perfect, but works in progress. I certainly am that.Transformed isn’t just about us as individuals though. It is about our churches and our society, our villages and our nation. We all need to be transformed. Take our village churches. We often moan that more people don’t come to our services, our congregations are small, we have no children. But is that really true. For the second year running I have seen a large number of children and families coming to the Christmas events which are specifically curated for them. Christingles and Crib Services all attracted many families. The Living Nativity in a barn on a farm in Askham Bryan was the best attendance yet, with over 100 adults and children.That doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for more traditional worship. In fact, a recent Bible Society survey discovered that there is an increase in young people seeking traditional worship opportunities such as Choral Evensong. But transformation is what will happen across our churches, as we become more open to the movement of Holy Spirit and respond to the needs of the communities we serve.The Word for 2026 was revealed to me in the context of Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”We are called, not to fit in with the culture we find ourselves in, without giving it any thought, but to fix our sight on God and take notice of what He is up to. One of my favourite phrases is “God is unchanging, but a God of change”. As we head into 2026 may we seek God for His call upon our churches and be prepared to transform what we do, to reach more people for Jesus.Geoff.
THOUGHT - From Vicar GeoffChristmas is anything but new … or is it?Over the past year we have focussed on the Word for the Year for the ABC Churches - New. It came with Isaiah 43:19:“19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”Over the course of the year we have been looking at what new things God has been doing amongst us. At the beginning of the year we had hoped that we would see progress on the formation of our new ABC Ministry Unit, incorporating ABC & AAA pluralities. While I have begun to minister across all the churches and we have formed the Churches Leadership Team (CLT) made up of myself, our Licenced Lay Ministers (LLMs), those in training to be LLMs and Church Wardens, our own progress seems to have outpaced that of the Church of England, who are overseeing the legalities. News is that we as churches have made progress and we are seeing new things sprout up. We have this year appointed Amy Batchelor to a new role as our Children, Youth and Families Worker and we are looking forward to her joining the team in January. With support and encouragement we have grown a team to run Messy Church, our most well attended gathering, which happens each month. We have also grown a team to run Little Fish (the parent and toddler group that meets each Tuesday at St Giles Copmanthorpe) and are looking at how we can grow the team that runs Little Apples (which meets in Bolton Percy each Wednesday). All of these ‘new’ developments have come about as a result of much prayer and listening to God two aspects of our corporate life together which will be the bedrock of our mission and ministry going forwards. I sense a real excitement bubbling away across our villages and I am eagerly waiting to see what God does next.A prayer I have been increasingly praying each day is that God would give me God conversations each day. And he has! Culminating in one incredible conversation after a wedding this past weekend. Whenever I have remembered to pray that prayer, I have had an amazing encounter. When I have forgotten, because I have been too busy or too lax, I haven’t. It reminds me that we need to be intentional with our daily activity for God. I have just been so encouraged since I started praying that prayer each day and those ‘God’ encounters tend to happen in the most unusual places and when they do, we need to make time for them. As we go through our Christmas festivities look out for those moments and take time to nurture the conversations that begin. You never know what God is up to.So, as this is the final newsletter of 2025 (can you believe it?) let’s be intentional about our following of Jesus and our prayers, so that we begin to regularly see God on the move. For me 2025 has definitely been a year of ‘new’ things. I hope your year has been too and that as we go into 2026, we will embrace all that God has in store for us as individual disciples, but also in our church communities and as a Mission and Ministry Unit, working together to build His Kingdom.Have a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year!Geoff
