Dear Friends, It’s nearly my first anniversary of being appointed as Team Vicar for the Blackrod, Daisy Hill, Westhoughton and Wingates Team with special responsibility for St Katharine’s and St Thomas Chequerbent! Doesn’t time fly? (When you’re having fun!) The only annual event I’ve yet to experience is the Harvest Festival on the 8th […]
Dear Friends, I’ve always enjoyed September. The weather is usually pretty good and the autumn colours begin to appear. It marks the passing of summer and the arrival of autumn. But the reason I like it most of all is because it’s a time of new beginnings and that’s really exciting. Summer holidays are behind […]
Everyday experiences, social media and someone learns a lesson the hard way THOUGHTS FOR SEPTEMBER FROM ELLIS COLLIER I daresay you all know the words from the bible teachings “Love they neighbour as thyself, or in everyday language, treat people as you would wish to be treated yourself. These in my view are the key for […]
Chilling out from Barbara Worsley “Bliss was it that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven”. So wrote Wordsworth, though in another context, nearly two hundred years ago. August, for most people in Europe, means holidays. Certainly, it does for schoolchildren. We can all remember the beginning of the school summer holidays […]
The Vicar writes….. Dear Friends, In my day and I’m sure in most of your days too, we weren’t allowed to receive Holy Communion until we had been confirmed. I can remember at age 12 wanting to be confirmed so that I could receive communion alongside my parents. I also remember the sense of belonging […]
BLUE LIGHTS FLASHING Thoughts for July from Beth Brindle When I was first asked to write for the magazine, it was one of those moments when my mind went blank! However, eventually I thought of sharing a memory that my husband and I will never forget and have often been reminded about over the years. […]
The Vicar Writes…… I would like to express my thanks to all of you who work so hard to make this a fabulous church which is worth joining. President Trump has just completed 100 days in office. I have almost completed 200 days in office, and I know which office I’d rather be in! I’ve […]
INFLUENCES IN LIFE How things have changed since I was born in 1936. I can remember clearly from 1939 my maternal grandparents being a big part of my life. Grandpa Carter retired when I was born and came to take me out every day but I didn’t realise at the age of 3 that our […]
A Warm Welcome As I write this piece I am enjoying the sunshine and the warmth of the sun in the south of Spain. Having been to church in Ahaurin el Grande on Sunday I was struck there by the warmth of welcome, not just to me, but other ‘swallows’ who have returned for a […]
The Vicar writes…. Dear Friends, Well it may not feel like it but Spring is here! We’ve had some tantalising days giving a hint of what’s to come or what we’d like to come. Sunny skies, birds singing, spring flowers and the shrubs and trees coming into leaf. It’s a fantastic time of the year, […]
