The ancient poems we call Psalms have stood the test of time, for they address many of the problems we still face: violence, injustice, anger – and bewilderment. Why do the wicked prosper? Where is God when we suffer? Church Barn on Thursdays, 11, 18, February, 3, 10, 17 March at 7:30 p.m. Do please join us and sign up to the list in church so we can provide enough booklets.
Elaine and I came from a very different inner city parish in Stirchley in Birmingham in 2005 and, coming to live in Church End in Kempston, the first major shock was that our main neighbours were not people at all but pheasants and foxes. In fact, as we later discovered, the two parishes embrace a huge variety of people from farmers in rural Kempston to professionals in Biddenham, with substantial other groups in between, as well as pockets of poverty in Kempston, and later on the vast new estates in Great Denham and West Kempston. The priest's task is somehow to bring God to these diverse groups of people and to represent their needs before God. It was a tall order at the time and with the massive growth of the two parishes, the job has just got harder. My predecessor Richard Sutton had used the word backwater in his email address and there is a sense in which every parish is a backwater with its own very parochial concerns and we are certainly not a couple of highly visible town [Read more...]
Just to say thank you to all the children that took part in the Nativity. I know that everyone enjoyed the drama and how well everyone took their parts. Jennifer was excellent as a Narrator and worked really hard to be word perfect and I know everyone heard every word. Grace and Riley took their parts as Mary and Joseph very seriously and were also excellent. The Inn Keeper was also very convincing in her role. A thank you to Holly who also took her part very seriously and made a wonderful Gabriel and looked after all the younger but very beautiful Angels. The shepherds acted well and the Kings bowed very regally as they gave Jesus the gifts of Frankincense, Gold and Myrrh. I would like to thank all the Mums and Dads who brought them to rehearsal and for the support with Costumes and Props. Special thanks to Helen, Emily and Madelin who produced such a beautiful Star for the Nativity and also being helpful with all the Props. This wouldn't have happened unless I had the continued [Read more...]
I'm sure most of us have already started preparing for Christmas in terms of beginning to write the Christmas Cards and buy the presents and make arrangements for what we are actually doing over the festive season. But of course there is also the spiritual preparation called Advent, not just the calendars with all the chocolates in. The clergy in our archdeaconry recently went on a day conference about Advent, at which I was horrified to realize that at St James's, we only devote one Sunday morning to thinking about Advent, because the others are all taken over by Christingles, Nativity plays, Christmas carol services or baptisms. Advent is indeed a sobering subject with its focus on Death and Judgment, Heaven and Hell and the Second Coming of Christ, all things we'd rather not talk about. We are all mortal and life does not just go on for ever. The current emphasis on the celebration of the lives of individuals at most funerals is good as far as it goes, but all of us fall short of [Read more...]
This year, the Bishop's Harvest Appeal, working in conjunction with Mission Direct, is aiming to support children with disabilities in Uganda to access school and so give them greater opportunities and a new hope for their future. Most children with disabilities in Uganda not only face exclusion from school and isolation because of their difficulties with mobility but they also have to endure the stigma that goes with that. The Chilli Children Project seeks out disabled children in South West Uganda and tries to help them by giving them access to education, surgery, rehabilitation and medical clinics. Through chilli growing, families are enabled to provide a sustainable income for all their children. Mission Direct, supported by the Chilli Children Project, have started to build special classrooms with dormitories, attached to a mainstream school. The dormitories provide security for vulnerable children and the classrooms are specially adapted so that children can access them in their [Read more...]
We will be holding a Quiet Day for all the churches of the cluster, including St James and All Saints, on Saturday 26th October from 10.00am until 4.00pm at the Forest Centre in Marston Moreteyne led by the Revd Roger Wood. The theme will be our Spiritual Journey. The cost is £12. Tea and Coffee will be provided but you should bring a packed lunch. All are welcome. Please sign the list in church if you would like to come. Stephen
This autumn, we will be holding a Pilgrim Course on the Lord's Prayer. This will be very accessible for those interested in exploring the Christian Faith as well as for those who want to deepen their faith. Do think about bringing a friend who might be interested. There will be six sessions based on the various phrases of the Lord's Prayer on Mondays at 7.30pm at All Saints Church Hall in Church End, Kempston. The dates are 21 & 28 September and 5, 12, 19 & 26 October. All are welcome. Please sign up on the list in church. Stephen
Everyone had a great time at this years annual All Saints Church Fete. Here are some of the pictures from the day, and what our very own All Saints Colour Workers face painters got up to!
This year, the Confirmation for our Cluster will be held at the Church of the Transfiguration, Kempston on Wednesday 23rd September at 7.30pm. The preliminary meeting for all those interested in being confirmed will be held at the Vicarage on Friday 17th April at 8.00pm Stephen
Lent is that season in the Church's Year when Christians prepare themselves for the celebration of Easter by identifying themselves more closely with Christ's sacrifice and Passion, and in earlier centuries it was the season of preparation for Baptism. Over the years, Lent has become mainly associated with fasting or giving up things. Originally, fasting was concerned with not eating until after Vespers in the evening and with abstaining from certain foods like meat, eggs or milk products. Gradually this fast was relaxed, but Lent is still primarily linked in the popular mind with giving up things. This can be in danger of seeming either trivial, negative or outdated, and yet it still carries a powerful message for us in today's obsessively consumerist and materialistic society. We live in a world that has exalted work and meetings as well as wealth and material possessions to an almost divine status, so that many people are working all the hours God sends to maintain a decent standard [Read more...]