Churches in the circuit

14th September  – Revd Paul Bettison  September arrived and what would it be – “It’s one of the dark days before Christmas” or “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”?  Day in day out the boss, when he arrived at the office, would greet us with one or the other.  It all depended on the weather, … Continued

2nd September 2020  – Revd Paul Bettison  Mixed Colours the label said.  Packs of a dozen bedding geraniums, but no indication as to what colour they would turn out to be, or indeed whether they would flourish. I needn’t have worried.  With careful nurturing, and a few weeks to settle in and become established, they … Continued

17th August 2020  – Revd Philip Bee Bigger than you READ In the middle of the woods close to my home, a beech tree stretches out a huge canopy above the forest floor. It casts such a shadow that nothing else grows. The place is often still and the dome of branches and leaves above … Continued

3rd August 2020  – Revd Paul Bettison  We’ve been reminded more times than we’ve sung ‘And can it be’ that the New Normal for Churches will be quite different from the Old Normal.  How true.  We will learn how to let go of some things that over the years have become, as it were, part … Continued

  27th July 2020  – Revd Philip Bee Jesus and Social Isolation We think of social isolation as a contemporary thing. Much of Jesus’s ministry, however, involves the rehabilitation of those who have become socially isolated – from family, friends and neighbours. Lepers, for instance, were kept in separate colonies outside villages to avoid spreading … Continued

20th July 2020  – Paul Bridges 19th July Do you have a sanctuary? A place or a way of getting away from it all, having some “me time”. Does a favourite walk or place come to mind or is it a particular activity. Perhaps it is your garden or even your shed! – I once … Continued

13th July 2020 – Ian Morris  One bright aspect of the lockdown was people going out to clap their hands in appreciation of the NHS. One of the Bible readings for this Sunday has a phrase, “The trees of the fields shall clap their hands,” made well known by its inclusion in a popular modern … Continued

6th July 2020 Stuart Merry   Luke 12:22-34 Isolation apart, It’s been a useful time to get on top of sorting the clutter of a lifetime; the multiple sets of old (but oh so comfy) work clothes and shoes; the old radio, the rusty tools, and the debris and decay of a long-neglected garden. Sat in … Continued

29th June 2020 Rev Paul Bettison  Kingdom There are, in the world, many countries, nations, and states, but very few kingdoms. That is if the dictionary entry – a community or territory over which a single sovereign rules – is used to define what constitutes an kingdom. It appears that kingdoms are relegated to the … Continued

22nd June 2020 – Revd Paul Bettison It’s understandable if we are totally pre-occupied with the impact upon us of the pandemic. Yet, life restricting, life threatening, and life changing though it may be, Covid 19 is not like the Hokey Cokey – ‘what it’s all about’. There’s much more to life than the virus … Continued

Revd Philip Bee 15th June 2020 I was in Handsworth during the 1991 riots that occurred when an electricity substation broke down, plunging the area into darkness. This sparked looting reminiscent of the more serious riots of 1985. It was over quickly, but not before the Churches in the area had jettisoned ministers out onto … Continued

8th June 2020 Revd Paul Bettison   The Open Book Light appears to shine from the book laying open before the High Priest. Jesus stands impassive as the priest, using the book of scripture as his authority, accuses him of blasphemy. In his painting, Gerrit van Honthorst illustrates the danger of being too ready to … Continued

1st June 2020 Revd Paul Bettison  The Divine Heart of Darkness I’ve been reading Catherine Bird’s book ‘The Divine Heart of Darkness’ and to be honest, I found it a bit hard going. But there were some real gems between its covers. Catherine challenges the assumption that associates darkness with fear and evil and points … Continued

25th May 2020 Revd Paul Bettison  ‘This is the Day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ So exhorts the psalmist. All well and good, but what day is it? Pre-pandemic, I knew that if it was choir practice, then the day was Monday; if collecting grandchildren from school … Continued

Revd Philip Bee – 18th May 2020 SSU 20 – Secrets and Spirituality READ It’s been said that every single person has a secret that would break your heart! I suspect that is true. Sometimes we do things wrong that make us feel guilty. On other occasions something happens to us which makes us feel … Continued

Sue Ellis 11th May Thought for theday 4- Hope and despair llustration by Isabelle Arsenault from Mr. Gauguin’s Heart by Marie-Danielle Croteau, the story of how Paul Gauguin used the grief of his childhood as a catalyst for a lifetime of art I came upon a thoughtful article about writing that weighs the complexities of sustaining hope … Continued

5th May  Paul Bettison  When listening to the daily Covid 19 Press Conferences, ears prick up at the sound of two little words – ‘Green Shoots’ – they herald signs of recovery. In gardens everywhere the sight of green shoots warms the heart and lifts the spirit. In his Easter hymn, John Macleod Campbell Crum … Continued

Irene Richardson April 27th Previously, I’ve not stayed inside the house for so long. Perhaps you’re finding this, too. There’s only so much sorting, tidying and cleaning that can be done. A good chance to re-evaluate who and what are important to us. Family and friends are to many of us. What about our relationship … Continued

Irene Richardson 20th April 2020 It’s so reassuring to see such lovely spring flowers blossoming and trees budding. Butterflies, bees and ladybirds are out and the birds are very active. All this in spite of our present situation. How reliable is the natural world, the changing of the seasons, longer days. We can praise our … Continued

Monday 13th April Most weeks, Miss McLellan brought flowers to grace the table. She knew us all by name; Sunday by Sunday she told us Bible stories and invited us, each in turn, to take the collection box round the class as we sang ‘Hear the pennies dropping; listen as they fall”. It must have … Continued

The Word Online: read John 20: 19-31. Pentecost is still more than a month away. Notice that in John’s gospel, however, the Holy Spirit is given to the disciples in one of the Easter resurrection stories (verse 22). Sermon 19th April 2020

your time as you read and reflect after the final reading: Nicodemus reappears right at the end of our reading. It is Nicodemus who meets with Jesus in chapter 3 of John’s gospel. He arrives then in the very middle of the night, when the darkness is at its most complete. He steps into the … Continued

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Newssheet 3 St Andrews

Newssheet 1

Sunny Side Up – Believe in … READ Contemporary spiritualities encourage us to believe in yourself as though there is no-one beyond you to believe in. True spirituality, however, encourages you to believe in God to discover the strength to do far more than you are able on your own. The Bible is littered with … Continued