I am writing this towards the end of November – Advent Sunday will be next week. The past couple of months seemed to have passed in a blur ..read more

Dear Friends Remembrance Sunday this year marks the anniversary of the end of World War 1, 100 years ago. 100 days of ..read more

Dear Friends I want to begin by saying a big thank you for the cards and gifts received on the occasion of ..read more

Hello friends Psalm 143: 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing. (New Living Translation) I recently went on a walk along the Nidd Greenway, and then turned off to walk along the Nidd Gorge. I wasn’t sure where the path was, so decided to climb down the banking, it didn’t look too bad and I was sure that I would get down easily enough. I did, but not in the way that I expected…. It was a very hot day and the ground was so dry, that my foot slipped, and I slid all the way down this steep banking on my backside! It took me by ..read more

Dear Friends, I am writing this towards the end of November – Advent Sunday will be next week.  The past couple of months seemed to have passed in a blur!  We had a brilliant weekend at our District Gathering, ‘Flourish’ in September, followed by our series of Bible Study sessions, Rock Up & Worship in October, and stationing Circuit visits – and a new grandson on the same day – plus the start of the second series of Worship: Foundations training, and our Glow Youth event in November!  God has certainly been alongside us during these events, plus the other mission activities ..read more

Hello from Blackpool! At least, that’s where I am writing this. I joined Starbeck Brigades for a day on their canvas camp at Kirkham, near Blackpool. This morning we were at a Maize maze (see photo). I was surprised at how tall the Maize was. So tall that if you were lost you had to raise a flag so that the lookout could see you and find you. As we were walking around we couldn’t see the kids, who had gone in separate groups to explore, but we could hear them singing “This is A-Maize-ing Grace”! The maze was a path that twisted and turned. Occasionally you found yourself in a large area. Ar ..read more

“Praying is Living” I recently took down a special picture from the lounge wall and used it in a church service to highlight a point in the sermon.  It was very large and I took great care with it, wrapping it in a cloth and covering it in plastic to protect it. All went well until I took it back to the car.  Armed with a bag, the picture, and my car keys…. I dropped it.  The wooden frame was damaged.  The next day I bought some very strong wood glue and repaired it.  I hung it in its place on the lounge wall, vowing not to move it again (until I move house). It made m ..read more

Dear Friends, Recently I spotted a quotation, or motto, on the front of someone’s notebook, which read “Everything is impossible – until it’s done!”, by Nelson Mandela. How many times have we thought, ‘this can’t be done…we haven’t much time…I can’t do this…’?  I know I’m guilty of such thoughts. 9 times out of 10 it works out in the end – and we wondered what we worried about! How did we achieve it?  With some perseverance?  Management planning?  or – Team Effort? I like to think of ‘problems’ as ‘challenges’, as tasks that need to be done.  We have plenty of those ..read more

I have kept an old Christmas card that my grandparents sent to me over 20 years ago. On the front is a poem, which begins “Where is the heart of Christmas? It’s in the children’s eyes. It’s in excited hands unwrapping each surprise….” I am reminded of the verse from Matthew, 11: 25: “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children”. In Advent, we are waiting on God, for him to come among us once again. In faith we wait in anticipation to receive the gift of Jesus. At Christmas we are reminde ..read more

Dear Friends Remembrance Sunday this year marks the anniversary of the end of World War 1, 100 years ago. 100 days of Bible readings began on 4 August 2018, and you can continue with the series on the website www.remembrance100.co.uk. There is a reading and a prayer by different contributors, that we can join in together every day. I would like to share with you the entry for 1 November, written by our President of Conference, Rev Michaela Youngson: Reading: “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.  Love them as yourself.” Leviticus 19: 33-34 (NIV) Not Stran ..read more