Church of England

The Rector's Letter

October looks like being a very full month. But before I go into that, as I write the tragic events in the USA are very much in everyone's mind. By the time you read this the event will be weeks old, it will no longer be on every news but the thousands who lost loved ones will not have got them back. The pain and the anger will still be very real. I do not know how events will unfold between now and the time that you read this. But I am praying for those in pain, mental or physical, as a result of the events of Tuesday 11th September. I will be praying for them as I, and my fellow Christians, pray for everyone who is in distress Sunday by Sunday and day by day. We also thank God for the good things. Our church services are the time when we get together to bring the good and the bad of life before God; to seek His blessing, strength and guidance.

As I said earlier October is going to be a busy month. The All Age Worship services start again on the 28th. This, if you haven't been to one in the past, is a livelier sort of service where we the different congregations come together to celebrate God's goodness and the good things of life. We need to do that to balance the doom and gloom. We need to show that there is light as well as dark; that life can and should be good. So if you agree, come and join us!

The end of October and the beginning of November are also the time of a three day mid week festival. The 31st October is All Saints Eve or Halloween and we will be holding a service where we look back at the great and the good who have made England what it is. This will be a commemoration of the ancestors of our nation because for good and bad they shape the culture that nurtures us. We should be proud of who we are. Moving on from this, on the 1st of November we celebrate the feast of All Saints. Here we are celebrating the lives of those who through their devotion to God and self sacrifice have shaped the Church and our understanding of God. Finally on the 2nd November we have the feast of All Souls and our Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. This is a feast of sadness and hope blended together where the names of the dead are read out and we remind ourselves of God's promises that death is not the end. This is a service of hope and comfort to those who have lost someone dear to them and feel the pain of that loss. This year this service will also commemorate the thousands who lost their lives in the USA.

Whether you are happy or sad, a believer or not, I wish you God's blessing.

Revd Nigel Tuffnell