Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on 5 March 2025.Look out for details about Lent courses
“God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us” (1 Corinthians 12 v6)Our Annual General meeting was held in the Memorial Hall on Thursday January 4th. Annual subscriptions were collected , members welcomed and apologies received from some members unable to attend.Items on the agenda included; a report of our activities in 2023, a financial statement, correspondence and the Mothers’ Union special focus for the coming year which is to raise awareness about Domestic Abuse. We have had a focus each year when we have collected for the Women’s Refuge but it is hoped to make it a whole year focus when we are reminded that 1 in 3 women will be affected by some form of domestic abuse during their lifetime. Branch tasks for the year were shared out so, that everyone can use their particular skills to share in the work of Mother’s Union to support marriage and family life. We looked through our planned programme for the year which I am sure is as varied and interesting as ever. We hope to take an active part in Mothering Sunday celebrations. One major change is our plan to have our annual outing in May this year to avoid the August crowds. Several regular meetings outside our own group will go ahead as usual when we have the chance to meet with other MU members. One new exciting proposal to which we are all invited , is to attend a Canterbury gathering on Saturday June 22nd. A quiz provided by Rosie made an amusing end to our meeting as the subject was “catch phrases” when we had to try to identify which well known people were recognised by these expressions. Tess knew more than anyone else, so maybe she spent more time watching TV as she grew up!! Our meeting concluded with prayers when we thought about the many suffering peoples around the world as well as giving tanks for all the blessings we receive. Our next meeting is our “Soup Lunch and Wave of Prayer” which will be in Holy Trinity Church on Wednesday February 7th at 12 noon. Enid Holbrow.Reflection;I am only one,But still I am one. I cannot do everything,But still I can do something.And because I cannot do everything,I will not refuse to do the something I can do.Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909)
Dear friends,It only seems like two minutes since we were celebrating Christmas - God with us, and now we are preparing ourselves for Easter! Why is it that we move so quickly from birth to death? I am sure that you will have other questions too!As I write this we are still in the season of Epiphany, like the Magi and the shepherds we have been to the scene of the nativity, we have received the invitation to accept the love and light of Christ into our own hearts and now we move away and turn to face the world. What do we do, how will we do it, who will we meet? In the church calendar we quickly move from the miraculous story and events around Christs birth, we recall key moments from Jesus’ ministry establishing his Kingship and then we approach the miraculous story of Jesus death and resurrection. And because of these things -we have a story -the greatest story ever told to share with others. The story of how God so loved the world that he sent us his Son so that we could know just how much! During Advent we were encouraged to hanker down, to reflect along with the forebearers of our faith Abraham and Sarah, the prophets Isaiah and John the Baptist, and the imminence of Jesus’ birth with Mary. Through Christmas we open our homes and hearts to the wonder of Christ with us, slowly through Epiphany we turn to examine the world and we see the need for the light of Christ to reach into every corner. As we approach Lent let us examine the life of Jesus and learn from his example about how we turn up our own lights and allow them to shine brightly with Christ. To help us do that we will be offering a Lent course called Life Attitudes by Robert Warren. This is a great opportunity to examine and discuss the teachings of Christ from his most famous sermon on the mount, the Beatitudes.I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you as we explore together the relevance of the beatitudes for todays world. We will be holding a daytime course in Chapmanslade and an evening course in Dilton Marsh. You are welcome to attend either please book your place with Sally sallyanneesposito@hotmail.co.uk (also stating dietary preferences if the evening course).Grace and peace, Revd Caroline
Dear Friends,As you read this we will be well and truly in the season of Lent. Lent is a funny season as many people have heard about giving up something as we enter into the Easter story, yet do not really understand why we do it. We associate Lent with fasting. In the Bible we are told that we might fast in order to try and get closer to God, it helps focus our hearts and minds as we allow other distractions to fall away. It is common practice to give up chocolate -especially for those who hate the stuff! Some choose to give up alcohol, or meat, others go without a meal one day each week, some will give up screen time or in particular their TV. It is incredible how much time you regain when you switch off the TV!As a Christian I have practiced fasting through Lent giving up an hour of sleep each day to start my day with prayer instead, I have indeed given up things like the TV, and meat. Rather than focusing on what I am missing I tend to focus on something more positive for example my time with God, and how I love my neighbour. The 40 days of kindness challenge recently released to our local schools pick up on this idea, that each day through Lent try do something extraordinarily kind. We are being selfless in the act yet practising what Jesus taught us exactly -love thy neighbour. Can you incorporate one selfless act each day into your daily schedule? It will involve sacrifice, thoughtfulness, love, and careful listening as you discover the needs of those around you. Through Lent we remember the passage that tells the story of how Jesus was flung into the desert by the Holy Spirit. We must remember this is not a punishment, it is an opportunity to grow and to understand God’s purposes within the world. This is what happened to Jesus. He was able to focus on God’s will and not give into the temptation to be relevant i.e. feeding the world, to be spectacular, as he resisted throwing himself off a high place, and to be powerful, by resisting the temptation to take control of the world. Jesus chose instead to follow his Fathers footsteps to humbly serve the world through love, mercy and grace. This Lent what will your focus be?Grace and peace, Rev'd Caroline
