A couple of weeks ago I was encouraged to reset my daily routine. I am not very keen on trying to introduce new routines and was hesitant and suspicious of this ask – which didn’t bode well. The routine involved taking just 5 minutes a day, preferably when I could be undisturbed, to stop and just notice what was going on around me. I started to walk outside with a cup of tea in the early morning, or sometimes later just before it got dark. It was a breath in, a pause. I started to notice the sounds of the road, the house and the birds. I noticed the cold, the slight evening chill, and how it made me feel. But most of all it made me feel grateful. It was a way of reintroducing counting the blessings of the day to come and the day that had ended. It didn’t even matter if what ahead looked hectic or challenging, or if what had been had been hard or tiring. I surprisingly still felt thankful for something, often someone.

This week All Saints celebrates Harvest, a way of physically saying thankyou in worship and being able to share in the goods that God has given. If you can bring something to the service that would be wonderful and the gifts will be divided between the Julian Trust and Fishponds Food Bank. After our worship there is a harvest lunch and everyone is welcome to come and be together and eat together. There is no need to bring food, that is all pre prepared and there is a suggested donation towards this.

St Marys shares in creative ways reflecting on creation in the morning, and then thankful ways with Dedication Choral Evensong. A chance to give thanks for all those that make up the body of Christ.

As the colder weather starts to become apparent we are trying a variety of different ways in which to conserve energy in both churches as well as still provide welcoming spaces for worship. Some services will move to easier spaces to heat, others will remain in church. We will experiment with what works best during the coming months. Please do feel free to wrap up warm, leave hats on during a service, bring your favourite hot drink or water bottle with you. We are also asking people to talk to PCC members and others in the congregations about what might work for them, and what their needs are. Some of us may not feel the cold as much as others, some of us have vulnerabilities that we are not aware of – we are all different, and yet have a shared responsibility to each other.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday 5^th: 09.00 – Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints Church

Thursday 6^th: 10.00 – Holy Communion at St Mary’s Church

Sunday 9^th:

• 08.00 – Holy Communion at All Saints Church
• 10.00 – Holy Communion at St Mary’s Church
• 10.30 – Messy / Muddy Church at All Saints Church

I found this prayer helpful when thinking on what thankfulness and blessing. I hope it blesses you.

Almighty God, Lord of all humanity, we bring our prayers to you not just for this day but for everyday, the everyday world in which we try and follow you from dawn to dusk, and often lose our way. But in this everyday world we depend utterly on so many people you give us. May we celebrate them and thank you for them and pray for them. Amen

Blessings

Revd Lizzie