Our All Age Worship here at St. Oswald’s broke new ground this morning. Our PCC decided that they wanted to focus, this year, on poverty at home: this is the 350th poorest parish in the Church of England. Our harvest collection of food went to Blackburn Food Bank. We listened to the amazing Rev Pam…
11th November 2018 sees the hundredth anniversary of the Armistice that brought the First World War to an end. At St Oswald’s we will be marking this historic date in several ways: 8 a.m. Holy Communion: A quiet service using the traditional words of the Book of Common Prayer 10 a.m. All Age Eucharist: A child…
Oswald was a member of the Irthing family – there’s still a village just east of Carlisle called Irthington. He was born around 604, the son of the Northumbrian King Aethelfrith. A victim of political change, Oswald spent his childhood in exile on the Island of Iona where he heard about Christianity and became a…
This morning we had a real celebration: Canon Michael Ratcliffe celebrated 40 years of Priesthood, and during the service he baptised Theo Thomas Edward who has been coming to church since shortly after his birth. Michael reflected on 40 years of priesthood – what had changed for better or for worse – and shared some…
Today’s gospel is difficult because it begins with a discussion about casting out demons. This isn’t something we’re comfortable with – it sounds more something from a horror film than something we encounter in our everyday lives. In Jesus’ time, anyone who defied social norms was suspected of being possessed by demons – people who…
The modern addiction to success, or being better, (or even the best) is dangerous and is leading us slowly but surely into disaster. It was this philosophy of racial superiority which lead to the tragedy summed up by the word ‘Auschwitz’ – although the extermination of European Jews was much, much wider than Auschwitz alone…
At long last a new seat has been installed in our Garden of Remembrance today! We’re hoping that the new seat will enable to stay awhile and reflect in our Garden of Remembrance where ashes are interred. It was bought in memory of John Smither – a lovely gentleman who was a member of t…
The church telephone is out of action until Saturday – fault at the exchange. If you need to get in touch with the Vicar before then please email at revannemorris@gmail.com or ring 07746129554. Thanks…
Well, maybe not 5k but 36 hungry holiday club kids. Today the activity was dance, followed by our old favourite ‘Duck Duck Goose’. Bangers, mash and beans and lashing of tomato ketchup for dinner, followed by ice cream and jelly babies (!) Duck Duck Goose Time put put shoes back on Dinner Time Guess who…
The stories of the feeding of the 5000 and of the calming of the storm are both terribly familiar to us. They are also problematic: how many seafarers have, in the last 200o years, drowned at sea despite their prayers? How many parents, have, over the past 2000 years, and even today, watched their children…