Church Blog
News, Updates, Thoughts

Firstly, I must thank Rachel for swapping with me and writing last weeks section for the newsletter. I was on holiday and writing an introduction and then getting it back to the UK using holiday wifi could have been tricky. I always seem to be writing these pieces shortly after returning from holiday, I wonder if I am taking too many holidays?

We are all probably familiar with Exodus 34:21 “Six days you shall labour, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the ploughing season and harvest you must rest.”

So having one day a week as a rest day is to be encouraged. This does not have to be a Sunday; in fact I would expect those involved with Sunday services would not consider Sunday to be a day of rest and would take a day of rest on some other day of the week. So the bible says I should take one day a week away from work, but what about my longer holidays?  

To the best of my knowledge there is nothing in the bible that prevents me from taking or celebrating holidays. There is no direct mention of holiday, however, there is extensive talk about rest, renewal, and stewardship, which may form the foundation for taking a holiday.

Taking time off sitting in the sun on a beach, marvelling at the natural beauty of a location or visiting ancient monuments can all form part of a Christian holiday. As Paul writes in Romans 14:5-6 “One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord."

Let us all enjoy our days off and holidays.

Tim

Churchwarden, St Mary’s Eversley

Dear friends,

Over the last few weeks I’ve spent more time with my aunt than I have done previously in my adult life, and she has been surprisingly open about various matters. One of the points of interest has been finding out bits of family medical history that I’ve never known before. As medical science has advanced they are better understood now than they were in the post-war era, and are now largely treatable. They are also hereditary, and it would have been useful to have them described to me 40 years ago, as they would have explained conditions I’ve had to grapple with over the years. Hindsight is of course great, but at least I now have better information for medical conversations going forward.

Reflecting on these conversations, my own studies and that of my husband Graham and our other new ministers, I have been reminded that our understanding of the Bible is often based on what we were told by previous generations. Contemporary studies of the history, development and languages of the Bible, often bring fresh insights that can speak into the way we understand and apply the teachings of both Old and New Testaments to our modern lives. 

One such example would be something I heard from theologian Isabelle Hamley at a conference in January: that the story of Job’s suffering isn’t just about him struggling to understand why the innocent suffer, but can also be understood to show that we can tie ourselves in spiritual knots if we are overly concerned to say or do the ‘right’ thing. God may want to remind us of a spiritual truth that lies behind a tradition, but also wants to move us forward to new understandings of how God loves us. When Job finds healing in his relationship with God, he breaks the traditions of his time in such a way that his daughters are valued as much if not more than their brothers (Job 42). For me this is an encouragement to use wisely and appropriately the new knowledge we might glean from Scripture about God’s action in the world, for our own healing and to help others who journey in faith.

Whether or not we have done formal studies, it is always worth looking for refreshment and a new understandings of Bible passages. As we look and listen we can ask God to speak to us today, and be open to God explaining things that may have intrigued or troubled us in the past. To me this is the joy of the Holy Spirit working to encourage and help us in our lives today.

Go well and God bless,

Rachel

Do you ever need to stand back and look around to realise just what is going on?

We seem to have had quite a few harvests over the last month. I don’t really mean just the Harvest Festivals at St Barnabas and St Mary’s – they have been, or will be, great. But it was as I was driving down to Salisbury this week for training with other ministers and tutors, who are also looking after people training to become vicars or Licensed Lay Ministers in their parishes, that it struck me that God is graciously giving us a harvest of people looking to serve him.

And people who are prepared to give up significant amounts of time to train, to study and even to change the whole direction of their lives.

This weekend Roo, Graham, Sarah Cullen and Sarah Laszlo will be affirmed in their new ministries at a celebration service in Winchester Cathedral. We will be celebrating them and their achievements in our services this Sunday and over the next couple of weeks. Please ask them about what they have been doing and how they see God using them in the future. Rebecca is still training there, and it is always great to hear what she is learning and what she is doing. Ask her about it when you see her – you will find it really encouraging.

That seems like a great harvest!

And then, at St Mary’s last Sunday, we had a wonderful service of baptism and confirmation. Four youngsters made a public decision to affirm their faith in Christ and their commitment to follow him.
 
Again, what a wonderful harvest.

Sometimes it’s easy to look around and ask what is God doing – and sometimes we just need to open our eyes and see what is happening right under our noses.

Faith

Dear friends,

Have you been able to tend a garden or window box this year in such a way that there have been flowers or crops which have brightened up your life, or which you've been able to share with others? Despite the drought, we've got a few pears, and the roses seem to have survived to produce an autumn flush. 

Our harvest readings this year have caused me to reflect on the 'ground' which produced such an abundance of crops that the 'rich young man' of Jesus' parable (Luke 12:16-30) felt he could store the lot and then put his feet up! He didn't remember that the 'earth is the Lord's and everything in it' (Psalm 24), didn't give God thanks for the abundance from which his laziness was profiting, and certainly didn't share the surplus with those who could have benefited from it!

The soil which God has gifted farmers and gardeners to produce food and flowers has struggled to give good crops this year. This is something we need to get used to because our climate is changing. We need to think about how we tend the soil around us in an effort to maximise its water retentive qualities, and choose plants and crops that are as drought resistant as possible. 

The same is true of our spiritual lives. We have to water the soil of our faith by practicing habits that keep it moist and fertile: things like making time for forms and rhythms of prayer that enable us to see and hear God; sharing together in worship and thanksgiving regularly; offering our time, talents and surplus for the benefit of others.

This week, Bishop Kelly will be Confirming some young candidates in their faith at St. Mary's, and I'm sure encouraging them to tend the soil of their faith so that it can produce an abundant crop that benefits both them, and others. Next week St. Barnabas will be celebrating harvest and remembering those who feed our bodies as well as our minds. 

My prayer for these occasions is that each of us can recognise God's grace and cultivate the gifts God gives us with enough generosity that we can prayerfully share it in word and action. This should be a 'harvest of righteousness' (2 Cor 9:10); one that points to Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, as well as to our appreciation and care of the 'ground' with which God graces us. 

Go well and God bless,

Rachel

Last week we welcomed Charles Kingsley School to St Mary’s for a Book Bag Service. It was lovely to have the families and teachers with us, and to be able to pray for God’s blessing and protection over them as they begin the new school year.

Lots of the adults brought their work bags along too, and we were able to give everyone a little prayer to attach to their bag handles. The bags at the front of church were all, to some degree or other, packed full and ready for any eventuality.

It reminded me of somebody who came to stay with us once. He was due to do something in church on the Sunday, and arrived on Saturday evening with nothing but a toothbrush – which was in his top pocket. No bag, no extra jumper, no heavy case. It did raise some questions in my mind about clean underwear, but I was too polite to ask!

It did get me thinking, though, about Jesus’ words when he sent the disciples out into the villages to proclaim the good news and to heal people. He told them to take nothing for the journey. I’m not sure I could manage that much faith! [My work bag is usually full to the brim, just in case I need something.]

But as the disciples followed Jesus’ instructions and went out empty-handed, they saw people who needed healing being healed. And the very next account in the Bible is of Jesus taking the small offering of a boy – five loaves and two fish – and using it to feed 5,000 men, plus women and children.

I wonder if there is something for us in that. Do we sometimes try to hedge our bets spiritually, filling our bags with our own ideas, reading, knowledge and carefully thought-out answers, when what Jesus is asking of us is simply to trust him and be willing to go where he sends us?

Perhaps sometimes we need to put down the extra baggage and discover what God can do with what we have, however small it might seem.

Faith

Dear friends,

Have you ever felt like you are in a small boat being tossed between the peaks and troughs of a rough sea?

We can often feel out of control of our own lives through illness, job situations, bereavements and more. These things can come at times where we also receive joyful news that gives us good things to look forward to - if only the tough stuff doesn't get in the way too much! Whichever is the case, it can be a struggle to find time or headspace to think, let alone pray. Those are the times when we most need someone else to pray for us, and/or on our behalf for loved ones we are supporting. 

It can also be a privilege to pray for others. As we faithfully hold people before God in prayer we are letting God know that we are loving our neighbours, and not just seeing their plight but caring about it enough to set aside time to pray for them. It's not that our omnipotent God doesn't know their need, but rather is part of our faithful service as Christians to intercede for others. When we are the ones needing such prayer, it brings great peace and spiritual strength to know that others are doing what we cannot currently do for ourselves.

With these things in mind, can I encourage you to please pray faithfully for those among our congregations who may be struggling in the turbulent waters of life? It is one of the key ways in which we can quietly build each other up in faith.

If you feel you can make this sort of ministry a personal and regular commitment, then please think about joining our Benefice Prayer Chain. You will join a group of people willing to receive confidential emails that briefly outline the prayer needs of those who need such support. Prayer requests are sent out by email and are confidential so not to be shared with others; you won't know who else is on the prayer chain list as emails are sent "bcc".

If you are interested in this or other forms of prayer ministry, then please do contact me by email to find out more (via revdrachelhartland@gmail.com).

Go well and God bless,

Rachel

If you were given a jewel, what would you do with it? Would you disregard it, or hand it back because you feel unworthy to receive it, or would you tidy it away somewhere safe (then forget where you put it!), or would you show it to your friends and talk about it joyfully?  

I have just returned from a week at Sarum College as part of my ordination training and we were thinking about and reflecting on God’s grace. Grace is the undeserved favour, mercy, loving-kindness and peace given to us and the whole of creation through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Grace is something that we cannot hear, taste, touch, smell or see.  It is not an object we can possess but is more like a river that flows in and out of us through the gift of relationship and participation in God.  

Although grace is not something we can hold in our hand, we can look for the works of grace in our lives - it can be noticed through creation, through moments of healing and forgiveness, through love for or received from others, or through moments of much needed rest.

The good news is that we all receive God’s grace. We are all included regardless of race, disability, class or gender. And excitingly, God’s grace steps in before we do anything! God welcomes us all into his loving arms. Which leaves the question, if God’s grace is like a jewel, what would you do with it? 

Rebecca

This week, I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped make last week’s Staycation such a success. We had a wonderful time, welcoming over 300 people across our various events! It was really good to be able to relax together and connect with people from both of our communities.

There really was something for everyone: a trip to the seaside, an evening ramble, delicious cream teas, a teddy bears’ picnic, and a family fun day. Some people helped at every event — your stamina and commitment is incredible! Each day had its own special character, and it was fantastic to see how successful every single thing we did was. 

The week was a wonderful opportunity to share God’s love as we cared for each other and our wider community.

People are already asking if we’ll run it again next year—which would be wonderful! If you missed out this time, we’d love for you to join us next summer.

Faith

Earlier this week, Faith showed me a photo on Facebook of a young child, the granddaughter of a good friend. The likeness to her mother at the same age was striking. It’s amazing how family traits pass from one generation to the next.

It reminded me of another similar moment a few years ago at Old Trafford. Before a Manchester United match, outside the ground, a man approached me. He looked exactly like the father of a school friend. “It’s Stuart, isn’t it?” he said. Only then did I realise that my friend—someone I hadn’t seen for 35 years—had grown into the likeness of his dad.

One of the joys of being part of a church family is noticing the little ways we resemble one another—not in appearance, but in character. As followers of Jesus, we come in all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds. Yet Scripture tells us that we are all called to grow into the likeness of God. This isn’t about physical resemblance; it’s about the slow, lifelong shaping of our character. It’s about becoming open to change, allowing the Holy Spirit to form Christ in us day by day. And often, we see that likeness most clearly in the people around us.

During our Staycation this week, I’ve loved being able to spend time with each other. Watching people step up, serve, encourage, and make each event happen has been a huge blessing. In countless small ways, I’ve seen the likeness of Jesus reflected in the kindness, acts of service of everyone involved.

My prayer as we move forward is simple: that we continue to be open to becoming more like Jesus, and that His likeness becomes increasingly visible in our life together.

Stuart