A big THANKYOU to Canon Michael and Mrs Carol Ratcliffe who have arranged for our Messy Sermon Group to have their own processional cross. They bought it from the shop at Southwell Minster (Nottingham) an persuaded a neighbour to add the carrying pole. Here is Autumn, carrying the cross at Sunday’s all All Age Worship…
Today was Audrey Baxendale’s funeral. It was a busy service as people gathered to pay their respects. But Audrey had specifically requested the presence of one particular guest at her funeral – Shadow, her daughter’s beautiful and very large black German Shepherd. He looked magnificent wearing a specially created floral colar for the occasion. Needless…
We have set up a ‘walk thorugh’ Lord’s Prayer for the Summer holidays, inspired by ideas from a Board of Education training session. We’re hoping everyone will give it a go before or after our services. Here are some photos to give you an idea of what it’s all about! You can try on a…
For our All Age Eucharist this morning we had a real treasure trove to dig into in the form of today’s Gospel reading; Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when…
Young people from NCS spent two days with us a couple of weekends ago, attending our Summer Gala and our All Age Eucharist the following morning. They had two questions to ask people: ‘how is this church perceived in the local community’ and ‘what does coming to church mean to you’? It was a delight…
There are a few things to wrestle with in today’s readings. The old testament and gospel readings, in particular contain things with which we might want to take issue. Poor Hagar. Her story is ancient but is very relevant to our situation today: an age where millions find themselves cast out of their homes and…
I’ve been on jury service for two weeks beginning last Monday and this has been a very appropriate backdrop to this week’s parable about good,evil and judgement. Twice I have been among 16 jurors chosen to go down to a court, and then amongst the 4 who (by a random process of shuffling cards with…
The remains of an Anglo-Saxon church have been discovered on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne in Northumberland. A community excavation has uncovered a church nave, chancel and an altar base built of sandstone blocks on a ridge called the Heugh and experts think that it was part of the long lost Celtic abbey where St. Aidan raised a wooden church in A.D. 635. Accounts…
It was another enjoyable service at St. Oswald’s this morning, led by the Vicar, Rev’d Anne. Rev’d Michael preached a warm and encouraging sermon on Romans 7 vs 15-25a and Matthew 11 vs 16-19 and 25-30, which included the famous words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens,…
Proper 8. 02.07.17 Last week’s story from the life of Abraham was difficult. This week’s is even more challenging. A story of child sacrifice, averted only at the very last minute – and this without any judgement from God that this was horrific – almost on a whim. These stories of Abraham come from…