At the grand age of 45, I suddenly discovered that my eyesight was not as good as it used to be. So I swallowed my pride, accepted that ageing is okay and purchased some reading glasses. What these rather new things at the end of my nose (or pushed up onto my head) actually do is act as mini magnifying glasses. Suddenly small details and small print are suddenly readable again – it has been quite revolutionary. 

This week St Marys celebrates its Patronal Festival, and we hear again the song of Mary in her words in the Magnificat – a song that begins – “My soul magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God my Saviour”. Marys response to Gabriel’s message that she is to be the bearer of God’s Son is to say – this makes my world larger, this expands my soul, this is something to be rejoiced in. As a young pregnant girl, where shame and danger of being ostracised would have been very real, she could have sung a very different song. 

The words of the Magnificat, whether spoken or sung, for me have always felt rousing and hopeful. Mary does not lament her situation but instead rejoices that God has seen her and chosen her to be a central role in the salvation of the world. To “raise the lowly… to bring down the mighty,” to begin a new way of being. And in that she strode bravely into the world and by doing so changed ours. 

Services for this Sunday – 13^th September 2026

8:00 am – Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00 am – Sung Holy Communion  – St Mary’s

10:30am – Muddy Messy Church – All Saints

7:15pm – 9pm Generations – All Saints

Muddy Messy Church this Sunday are looking at a new Saint – it’s been a been really creative year and a worship that suits all ages. Generations re starts Sunday evening and I’m looking forward to catching up with our young people and see what they have been up to in the summer.

The Week Ahead

Tues 15th September

10:30 am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish Room

Wed 16th September

9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

2:00 pm – Bible Book Club, St Mary’s Parish Room

Thu 17th September

10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Fri 18th September

11:00 am – Live After Loss, St Mary’s

Sat 19th September

12:00 pm– Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 20th September

10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

10:30 am – Holy Communion with Baptism, All Saints

Blessings

Lizzie

This Sunday’s Old Testament reading is a call to the prophet Ezekiel to warn the people to turn away from their wicked ways. However, it also contains a challenge to Ezekiel. If the prophet does not warn the people, God will blame him for whatever happens to them as a consequence of their deeds. However, if he does warn them, then God will know that the prophet has done all that he can and cannot be blamed.

God puts this challenge before us as well. If we do not challenge the bad behaviour we see, then it is partly our fault if that behaviour continues. Whether it is language or jokes that demean people, wasting of resources, ignoring the needs of those around us or refusing to engage in social and political issues, God expects us to challenge behaviour which does not meet his standards.  Those challenges need to be made in loving constructive ways, but if we turn a blind eye, then part of the blame falls on us.

We will have more chance to think on this at our 10:30 am service of Holy Communion at All Saints. At St Mary’s we have Creative Church at 10:00 am and Choral Evensong at 6.30 pm. This gives the following services this Sunday:

10:00 am	St Mary’s	Creative Church
10:30 am	All Saints	Holy Communion
6:30 pm	St Mary’s	Choral Evensong

The services for the coming week are as normal. Next Sunday follows the normal second Sunday format. This gives the following services for the coming week:

Wednesday 9th	9:00 am	All Saints	Celtic Morning Prayer
Thursday 10th	10:00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
Sunday 13th	8:00 am	All Saints	Holy Communion
	10:00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
	10:30 am	All Saints	Messy Muddy Church

Yours in Christ

Mark

I am in the privileged position of being in a role that means that each day is never the same. Strangely there is a pattern to each week, but the nature of the church and how it intersects with the community, is that those spaces are open and public and so each day brings with it the possibility of a variety of different connections and conversations. Whether that is at All Saints when the church is open on a Wednesday, or at St Marys when we have run the Hangout Spaces, it means that there is often a rhythm, but it is one that is full of interesting and welcome interruptions. I thrive on that. These conversations and perchance or planned encounters add richness to each day – whether that is playing a board game with a young person or experimenting with a pop-up cinema screen!  It means that there are many different people with their outlooks and gifts that I get to see and be part of (I hope in a helpful way). The readings this week for our communion services touch on these different members and their giftings, whether that is Paul giving thanks for and recognising the many different gifts of all members, or Jesus recognising Peter and giving him the “role/responsibility” of being the Rock on which God will build the Church. 

I am a firm believer and often find great encouragement from seeing those different gifts that we have all been given help to bless communities and churches. Paul says, “So make full use of the gifts that you have been given!” That is a challenge and a reminder to me to be thankful for all the different ways I see people blessing others with their thoughts, joy and creativity. 

At Café Church this week we focus in on a chapter in Jesus in John’s gospel that asks that question – “What is our deepest desire” What is it that you most need? What is it that you most want? It is interesting to dwell there for a moment and think on that – and then ask what gifts I might have been given, that can be put to full use and service to God and others.

May we, through our prayers, encounters and conversations remain on that journey of discovering our gifts and offering them fully to the world around us.

Services this Sunday 23^rd August

8:00am – Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00am – Sung Holy Communion – St Mary’s

10:30am – Cafe Church – All Saints

The Week Ahead

Wed 26th Aug

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

Thu 27th Aug

10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Sat 29th Aug

12:00pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 30th Aug

8:00am – BCP Holy Communion, All Saints

10:30am – Benefice Service, All Saints

Revd Lizzie

Vicar of All Saints and St Marys.

One of the joys for me of holiday time is the space to read. As soon as one book is finished, another is selected from the pile to start something new. I enjoy following the real and fictional life stories of different people and how they cope with the ups and downs that life presents them with. I find that for me “rest” comes from the pure escapism into another person or characters world, and how that feels. I find reading, be it fictional or non-fiction, is a way in which to expand and explore and practice empathy – the ability to walk a little in someone else’s shoes.

Empathy is a key way of living, connecting and relating as humans. As the fires burned in France, Spain, Canada and the UK after one of the hottest summers on record, who could not feel empathy for all those who have been impacted directly by the chaos and fear that they have brought? On the other side of the coin, empathy can also teach how to share the joys and excitement of others, that way in which we can genuinely feel glad at other’s achievements, hopes and dreams, being able to delight with them. ​​

In the gospel reading this week, a woman approaches Jesus and say’s “Have mercy on me, Lord”. She appeals to his empathy, a desire for him to know her world and her needs. At first Jesus appears to ignore her, but her persistence and challenge to Jesus to see her and help her are finally answered. Her story is one of many, ones in which we can step into her shoes and ask – What would I do? How would this make me feel and act? And it is again one of many where Jesus meets that need with compassion and grace. May we also know that compassion and build on our own empathy through knowing other people’s stories and the paths that they walk.

Services this Sunday – 16^th August 2026

10am – Sung Holy Communion – St Mary’s

10:30am – Holy Communion with Hymns – All Saints

The Week Ahead

Wed 19th Aug

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

2:00pm – Bible Book Club

Thu 20th Aug

10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Fri 21st Aug

11:00am – Living after Loss, St Mary’s

Sat 22nd  Aug

12:00pm Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 23rd Aug

8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints

10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

10:30am – Café Church, All Saints

Revd Lizzie

​​

Anyone who saw the pictures of the floods in Valencia in 2024 will appreciate the power that water can have. Floods and storms are some of the clearest signs of a chaotic and destructive power that is beyond human control. Jesus’ disciples were far more aware of this than most of us today. As fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James and John knew the danger of the storms that could blow up on the Sea of Galilee without warning, storms that were beyond human control and dwarfed the works of people.

In this Sunday’s gospel reading (Matthew 14.22-33), Jesus’ disciples were trying to row their boat through one of these storms. In the midst of the wind and waves, Jesus came, walking on the water, in complete control of these destructive and chaotic forces. The disciples must have recalled the ancient stories of God parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the River Jordan (Joshua 3) for the people of Israel to pass through. It may have reminded them of the image of God moving over the chaotic waters of creation, parting the waters to allow the dry land to appear (Genesis 1). No human could control the waters, only God. They could see that Jesus was the Son of God, the great I am in human form living among us.

We can reflect more on this this Sunday at 10.00 am with Holy Communion at St Mary’s. The 10.30 am service at All Saints is Muddy Messy Church. Note that there is no 8.00 am service at All Saints this Sunday.

Sunday 9^th August

10.00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
10.30 am	All Saints	Muddy Messy Church

We have our normal services for the coming week. Next Sunday is the third Sunday of the month so we have Holy Communion at St Mary’s at 10.00 am and All Saints at 10.30 am.

Wednesday 12th	All Saints	9.00 am		Celtic Morning Prayer
Thursday 13th	St Mary’s	10.00 am		Holy Communion
Sunday 16th	St Mary’s	10.00 am		Holy Communion
	All Saints	10.30 am		Holy Communion

May God guide you through the storms of life and land you safely on the shore.

Yours in Christ

Mark

I wonder what word you’d use to describe your week?

For some it may have been busy. For others, perhaps uncertain, hopeful, or even joyful. Sometimes it feels as though a single word can sum up the days we’ve just lived.

If I had to choose one, and it seems to crop up often for me, it would be enough. I often find myself thinking I don’t have enough time, enough energy, or simply enough. I wonder if you can relate? I also know that I can be my own biggest critic, and that’s not always very helpful!

This Sunday’s Gospel begins with people who are also thinking in terms of “not enough”. Yet Jesus gently changes the question. Rather than focusing on what is lacking, he invites them to notice what is already there.

I won’t say any more—you’ll have to come along on Sunday to explore that together! But perhaps over the next couple of days we might each pause and notice the gifts, opportunities, and people God has already placed in our lives. They may be more than we realise.

Our Worship this week 

10:00 am Creative Church, St Mary’s
10:30 am Holy Communion with Hymns, All Saints

 6:30 pm Evensong, St Mary’s

The week ahead:

Wed 5th Aug

9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

Thu 6th Aug

10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Fri 7th Aug

11:00 am – Living After Loss, St Mary’s

Sat 1st  Aug

12:00 -1:30 pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 9th Aug

10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

10:30 am – Muddy Messy Church, All Saints

A Prayer – May God give us eyes to see the gifts already in our hands, courage to offer them in his service, and peace to trust him with the rest. Amen

Blessings,

Charlie 

This past week the Holiday Bible Club was blessed by a visit from the Saltmine Theatre Company. With their gifts and talents in writing, acting and teaching, Emily, Anisha and Frankie guided us through the “Lost” parables in chapter 15 of the gospel according to Luke.  After retelling the parables in their own, original style, they guided the children through different approaches to telling the stories.

Not many of us have the skills to stand up on stage and present bible stories to children. However, God has given us all different gifts. The Holiday Bible Club needs many gifts from singing to first aid, from teaching to making lunch. It is only by working together to combine those gifts that the Holiday Bible Club can happen.

This is true in life and in the church. God calls us to work together, to use our different gifts to do more than any of us could do on our own. This is a central message of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. He reminds us that, just like the different parts of the human body, God made us all different so we could work together to do more than any of us could on our own. (See 1 Corinthians chapter 12.)

So, I would like to thank Saltmine for their contribution to this year’s Holiday Bible Club.  I would also like to thank everyone else who was involved to make a joyful, thoughtful and creative couple of days.

This Sunday is the fourth Sunday of the month, so we have Holy Communion at 08:00 at all Saints and 10:00 at St Mary’s. At 10:30 at All Saints we have Café Church, where we will continue our journey through the gospel according to John. At Café Church this month, we will be reflecting on the idea of Identity in the light of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well. This story is in the fourth chapter of the gospel.

This gives the following services for this Sunday, 26^th July:

08:00	All Saints	Holy Communion (said)
10:00	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
10:30	All Saints	Café Church

In the coming week we have our usual midweek services. Next week is the first Sunday of August, so there is Creative Church at St Mary’s at 10 am and Evensong at 6.30 pm. At 10.30 am there will be Holy Communion at All Saints. This gives the following services for the coming week:

Wednesday 29th July		All Saints	09:00	Celtic Morning Prayer
Thursday 30th July		St Mary’s	10:00	Holy Communion
Sunday 2nd August		St Mary’s	10:00	Creative Church
		All Saints	10:30	Holy Communion
		St Mary’s	18:30	Evensong

We thank God for all his gifts and blessings and pray for the wisdom to use them together for the service of others and to his glory.

Yours in Christ

Mark

Arthur Fery had a stunning run at Wimbledon this year.  He was a wild card entry, yet managed to reach the semi-finals.  He played with panache, and gave post-match interviews that endeared him to thousands.  The quotation (from Kipling’s poem If – ) that is on display in the Wimbledon Club House is appropriate to Fery as much as to us all:

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;  

Fery might have felt on top of the world because of his triumphs – but what truly shone through was his character.  And then, after defeat in the semi-final, he might have been feeling abysmally low – but so many felt proud to have seen him in action.  Yes, triumph and disaster can blind us to deeper truths, as they swamp other more sensitive, and more important, emotions.  By all means, let’s at times get carried away with stirring emotions – provided we also have the wisdom, as the crowds disperse and the applause diminishes, to recall what is resiliently true: both God’s love for us, and our immeasurable worth.

I am writing this before we know whether the England football team will meet with triumph or disaster in their semi-final.  Quite intentionally, I wanted to put pen to paper before the result is known.  For we have already seen fine examples of sportsmanship, courage and respect from our nation’s team.  That lasts beyond any fleeting glory.

There are some lines of Kipling’s poem that I find hard to take.  But I have always valued this:

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

As I look back over 40 years of ministry as a priest in the Church of England, there are quite a few things that seem to have degenerated, rather than improved.  I wonder if you feel something similar, as you contemplate the direction our nation has taken over the last generation.  And yet ….. faithful people do not rely on improvement always happening.  We know that sometimes we have to enter into dismal seasons of breaking down, loss and frustration.  Does that stop us hoping?  No!  I am very encouraged to hear the Archbishop of Canterbury, on more than one occasion, use phrases like this: “we have to rebuild trust so that hope may grow”.  She is clearly a woman of faith, confident that what is broken can be mended, and that flowers will bloom once again.  All this will happen, relying on God’s good grace, in God’s appointed time.

Revd Bob.

Services this Sunday 19^th July

10:00am – Sung Holy Communion with Baptism – St Mary’s

10:30am – Holy Communion with Hymns – All Saints

7:15pm – Generations – Vicarage Garden

The Week Ahead

Mon 20th July

9:30am – Fishponds School Y6 Rehearsal

10:30am – Tiny Tots, All Saints

Tue 21st July

10:00am – Fishponds School Y6 Final service

Wed 22th July

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

Thu 23rd July

9:15am –3.15pm Holiday Bible Club

10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Fri 24th July

9:15am –3.15pm Holiday Bible Club

Sat 25th July

12:00am-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 26th July

8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints

10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

10:30am – Cafe Church, All Saints

As I prepare for my first weekend as a newly ordained deacon, I simply want to say thank you for your welcome, encouragement, prayers, gifts and cards. Beginning my ordained ministry is both joyful and humbling, and I am excited to start this new chapter with you all.

Throughout many seasons of life and faith, I have found myself returning to these words from Isaiah:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you and help you…”

(Isaiah 41:10)

These words have encouraged and nurtured me for many years, and they felt especially significant throughout my ordination weekend. Again and again, the same message seemed to emerge in different ways: in Bishop Neil’s charge to us as ordinands, in the gospel reading in the ordination service, and in the beautiful Stopford anthem, Do Not Be Afraid, sung at Evensong in St Mary’s on Sunday evening.

It’s struck me that, as helpful as these words have been to me, perhaps these are words many of us need to hear and be reminded of from time to time.

Whatever lies before us — new beginnings, uncertainty, worries, responsibilities or challenges — may we hear again God’s gentle reassurance: Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Our worship and readings this weekend help point us to this continual presence.

I am looking forward to settling into the Benefice full time, getting to know you all a little more, and seeing what God has in store. My new contact details are at the bottom of this email, should you wish to get in touch at any time.

The opportunities to join us for worship this Sunday are:

8:00 am – Holy Communion, All Saints

10:00 am – Sung Holy Communion, St Mary’s

10:30 am – All-Age Communion Celebration, All Saints – Join us to celebrate our young people, Junior Church and Muddy Messy Church

THE WEEK AHEAD 

Mon 13^th July

10:30 am – Tiny Tots, All Saints

Wed 15^th July

9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints

Thu 16^th July

10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s

Fri 17^th July

11:00 am – Living After Loss, St Mary’s

Sat 18^th July

12:00 -1:30 pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s

Sun 19^th July

10:00 am – Baptism and Holy Communion St Mary’s

10:30 am – Sung Holy Communion, All Saints

Generations at the vicarage – Speak to Revd Lizzie

Blessings, 

Rev’d Charlie