The churches of St John's and St Michael's require a new Parish Administrator following the resignation of the current one, who is moving away from the local area.

In 1147, a headstrong fourteen-year-old gathered together a group of mercenaries in France and invaded England. The boy would go on to be one of the most successful of English kings after he was crowned Henry II, seven years later, but right now he was hopelessly out of his depth. His plan was to make good the claim of his mother, Matilda, to the throne currently occupied by King Stephen, but few took a boy barely into his teens very seriously.

“Thou visitest the earth, and blessest it” – the theme for this month’s magazine - may be quoting from Psalm 65, but for me, the words take me straight back to my childhood and youth in Claines. No harvest festival would have been complete without the choir singing Maurice Greene’s anthem, which, although I didn’t realise it at the time, is based on this psalm. Beginning at verse 9, the rest of Psalm 65 is a celebration of a successful harvest, one in which the generosity of God’s provision is seen and joyfully proclaimed.

‘I don’t have time to…’ Think, honestly, how often you have used that line, or heard others around you use it. In some cases, it is absolutely true, and through no fault of the person concerned as they try to hold down a job and raise a family and just keep everything going. In others, however, it is almost a badge of honour to be or appear busy, consumed with activity, never having time to stop.

“New beginnings” is a theme we usually associate with the start of a new year – whether that is the calendar, academic or Church year. So why, you might be wondering, has it been chosen as the theme for a magazine we’ll be reading in June? Well, if we think back to the events of May, we will find that the theme is, in fact, very appropriate.

The coronation of Charles III this month is an almost unique event in the contemporary world. None of the other European constitutional monarchs are crowned, instead simply having a ceremony to swear an oath, and the longevity of Elizabeth II means many only know a crowning as a historic event. While the King became king at the moment of his mother’s death, this is still a highly symbolic moment. Seven decades have passed since the last coronation, hence the majority of people alive today will never have seen one.

Lent is nearly over! We will soon be celebrating the most joyful day in the Christian calendar. Before we get there, I encourage you to take a moment to look back on the last thirty or so days and ask yourself: What have I missed most during the season now coming to a close? Perhaps it’s indulging in your favourite tipple in the evening; the cake, puddings or crisps missing from your meal times; or maybe it’s the time you no longer spend playing video games or looking on social media. Perhaps you’ve been missing the flowers in church?

Alleluia, Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
With these words of the Easter Acclamation, church lights are thrown on, bells ring, and, according to the service rhetoric, noise is made! It is a bright and joyful scene, in sharp contrast to the days which have gone before. Holy Week, particularly the last few days of that week, is a dark and highly emotional time as we commemorate the final days of Christ’s life on earth.

In 2011 the UK Christian charity, Stewardship, launched its “Forty Acts of Kindness” challenge. On each day of Lent, participants were encouraged to perform an act of kindness, sometimes for family or friends, sometimes for complete strangers, or for the community as a whole. Challenges ranged from litter picking to paying the grocery bill of the person in front of you at the supermarket.

Happy New Year! For me, it is always exciting to stand at the start of a new year with feelings of hope and potential for the year ahead.
Of course, it’s not that way for everyone. For many 2023 will already feel very daunting with the cost-of-living crisis, increased use of food banks and worries about being able to afford to put the heating on. I pray that those who are worried will find the support they need and that 2023 might not be as bad as they fear.