CHURCH OF ENGLANDSt Lawrence, Ardeley; St Peter’s, Benington; St John the Baptist, Cottered; Holy Trinity, Throcking and St Mary’s, WalkernChurch Services: June 2025Sunday 1st Easter 79.30am Morning Worship St Lawrence, Ardeley9.30am Holy Communion St Mary’s, Walkern11.00am Holy Communion St Peter’s, Benington11.00am Morning Worship St John the Baptist, CotteredSunday 8th Pentecost9.30am Holy Communion St Lawrence, Ardeley9.30am Morning Prayer St Mary’s, Walkern11.00am Holy Communion BCP St John the Baptist, Cottered Sunday 15th Trinity Sunday9.30am Holy Communion St Lawrence, Ardeley9.30am Holy Communion St Mary’s, Walkern11.00am Holy Communion BCP St Peter’s, Benington11.00am Morning Worship St John the Baptist, CotteredSunday 22nd Trinity 19.30am Family Service St Lawrence, Ardeley9.30am Morning Prayer St Mary’s, Walkern11.00am Holy Communion Holy Trinity, ThrockingSunday 29th Trinity 210.00am Flower Festival St Peter’s, Benington Benefice Holy Communion with Benington SchoolCoffee at Ten with Pause for Thought – Walkern Coffee is served every Thursday morning at Walkern United Reformed Church from 10.00am to 11.00am, with an opportunity to hear a five minute ‘Pause for Thought’ at 10.30am – a Christian reflection on a current topic.
The Revd Writes… In his first address to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Leo XIV shared his vision for the future and emphasised the importance of building bridges. “We have to look together how to be a missionary church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone…” He was speaking not only to the church but equally to a world in desperate need of “a disarming and humble and preserving peace.” Building bridges is a necessary tool in order to foster an environment in which peace is enabled to flourish. It is only in a state of peace that human creativity reaches its full potential. As such, ‘peace’ is a goal desired by everyone, no matter how long or hard the work required to bring this about. Yet building bridges to achieve peace is more often than not complex and requires certain skills from the start. Ask any parent of a two-year-old! Fundamental to bridge building is the ability to listen to a story objectively; to hear without prejudice the words that are being told and to hold with empathy the feelings that lie behind the words spoken. It is fair to say that sometimes the words verbalised are so abhorrent and traumatising that the common impulse is to reject them. Such rejection needs to be checked by the hearer, however, if the one telling the story is to feel heard and understood. ‘I can’t believe my child would do such a thing’ is a common response of parents to young people receiving a prison sentence. It is a challenge to work through this shock and pain if a necessary bridge is to be built and a resolution achieved. ‘I still love my child. ’ Reaching out to others who are different from ourselves, be it culture, language, sexual orientation, etc, requires a certain generosity of spirit and a willingness to engage even if at times it means stepping back from those groups with which we have a natural affiliation. Clergy working in multi-faith communities are often at the forefront of experimenting with bridge-building in order for a degree of community cohesion and harmony to exist. Such work is to be lauded, particularly so in some of our more deprived urban areas where tensions can surface very quickly. Pope Leo has rightly asserted that bridge-building is a walking exercise, not running. The pace might be slow, but being sensitive and paying attention to detail is important. The nuance of the story being told, the impact of the pause and sigh in the midst of the storytelling, emphasising the point being made, is all critical to the narrative. All of this builds the bridge that leads to enduring peace. Our shared responsibility. God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… “Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” John F Kennedy It can sometimes be quite challenging to think – not least in these days when it seems a revolution is taking place in the political realms of world order. Any pace of rapid change often leaves one feeling disoriented and, it would seem, particularly so at the current time. What was a given, seems no longer so. How and where amidst international relations the dust will settle remains to be seen. Amidst the ongoing agony and trauma of war, we wonder what the longer-term outcome will be for those at the sharp edge of suffering in both Ukraine and Gaza. It is sometimes difficult to think. It was difficult too for Jesus to think. He entered into the desert and was tormented – pulled in different directions, this way and that. I recently asked children in schools to tell me why they thought that the desert might be a good place to think. Little hands went up to tell me that the desert was empty – there was no one there. Solitude, being alone – having no one around you – was the common consensus. I’m of the view that being alone to think can be good, but it doesn’t have to be. And as Christian people, of course, we believe that we are never alone. We walk with God and God walks with us. Truth is, Jesus wasn’t alone in the desert. God, who is Father and Spirit as well as Son, was present, helping the thinking of a conflicted mind, the latter represented by the Devil who, by the way, was big on opinion. “Where do you go when you want to think?” I asked the children. ‘Outside’ mostly seemed to be the response. “On the field!” I couldn’t help but sense that what they were telling me was, ‘anywhere but the classroom!’ One child did explain that being inside was too distracting. Credit for that. You need to go outside to get away from the fragmentation of everything going on around you, away from the TV, computer, etc. Too many influencers with too many opinions can cloud the thinking. The mystery of Easter pushes against ‘opinion’. If you think about it, it disturbs the same old, same old, boom and bust of quite a lot of human behaviour. Bring on courage, sacrifice and a little bit of divine mercy. Now you are thinking… Happy Easter God Bless
The Revd Writes… One or two folks have recently asked if I had considered putting myself forward to be the next Archbishop of Canterbury. Though serious faced, I am pretty sure they were speaking in jest. I have thought about this in a similar vein. The Baileys are quite used to living in draughty Rectories. However, having just filled up the oil tank at The Rectory, I can’t stop thinking about the cost of heating Lambeth Palace. As a Grade I listed building of significant national heritage importance, no double glazing would be allowed. I strongly suspect that the loft hasn’t been insulated either. After much prayer and deep thought, I am unsure that God would call me to fund heating a palace. I must confess to occasionally being seduced by the splendid ceremonial vestments worn by Archbishops. Yet I painfully recall one Bishop, not that long ago, thanking the General Synod of the Church of England for appointing him to his new job whilst at the same time bankrupting him due to the cost of him having to buy so many new garments and sacred accoutrements. Mitre (pointy hat), crozier (stick), pectoral cross (necklace), purple cassock (long coat with lots of buttons), cope (glitzy overcoat), rochet (linen shirt with fancy cuffs), chimere (red robe with no sleeves – see previous), tippet (black scarf thingy, wider than one worn by priests)… The list goes on. And now that we are in March, far too late to add to the Christmas list. Also, new wardrobe – not IKEA. I think it is probably better (and cheaper) to admire all of this from a distance, spiritually speaking. A chauffeur-driven car would be of real benefit. Since coming to live in Cottered and driving most days along the potholed, narrow, zig-zagging lanes, I have found my faith in miracles has gone from strength to strength. This affirmation of faith has been most vigorously promoted by supermarket delivery van drivers and the occasional parent screaming at a child on the back seat whilst driving into a blind bend. An Archiepiscopal Driver with Advanced Police Driving Licence would be of benefit – I can’t argue with this - though I wonder if it would mean no more ‘Thank You, Lord’ as I swerve to the left… This might just be a loss. Truth is, I have long learned that the grass is rarely greener elsewhere. The gentle undulating landscape of the Beane Valley with its mix of hill and valley people, clustered around small communities in which good neighbourliness and kindness to strangers abounds, is a treasure made in heaven. To serve as parish priest in such a place is a privilege that I suspect many an archbishop would give their ‘high tea!’ So, just to be clear, for Lent, I am giving up on any notion of preferment, willingly and very happily. God Bless Mark
