The Vicar writes……. A few years ago I went on a curates’ exchange visit to Braunschweig in Germany which is twinned with Blackburn Diocese. The main church in Germany is the Lutheran Church and our hosts were curates or “vikarin”. They were part way through their 7 year training which sounded extremely arduous and demanding, […]
A Box for a Hurting Child Thoughts for December from Robin Sharp Here we are once more into the Advent season. The season of joy and goodwill at the coming of the infant Jesus sent by God as saviour to us all and the promise of eternal life. It is, traditionally, a family occasion mainly […]
“Not much to see!” Thoughts for November from Barbara Finney In September I was on holiday in Montenegro with a group of friends from Leigh. One day two of us went off on a Monastery Tour – a trip about which our rep had been dismissive as involving a long coach ride and not much […]
The Impact of the Pure Positive love of children I recently watched a documentary on channel 4 called “Old Peoples Home for Four Year Olds” where 10 pre-school nursery children aged 4 years visited a care home for the elderly. What a fabulous documentary it was and watching first-hand the very positive impact and measureable […]
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. […]
