General Chat

Hello all

Cynthia this beautiful old hymn is one of my favourites and I was singing it throughout the day, so thank you for that.

A milder day for most I think and I hope that everyone has had a blessed Thursday.

Good morning :-)

The church has a selection of wonderful hymns for Christ the King Sunday. Perhaps the most famous is Crown Him With Many Crowns, by Matthew Bridges and Godfrey Thring. This hymn takes its orientation from the book Revelation, where Christ is figured as a lamb: Many have sung this since childhood.

1 Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne.
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing
of him who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless king
through all eternity.

2 Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed o'er the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing
who died and rose on high,
who died eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.

3 Crown him the Lord of love;
behold his hands and side,
rich wounds, yet visible above,
in beauty glorified;
no angels in the sky
can fully bear that sight,
but downward bends their burning eye
at mysteries so bright.

4 Crown him the Lord of years,
the potentate of time,
creator of the rolling spheres,
ineffably sublime.
All hail, Redeemer, hail!
for thou hast died for me;
thy praise shall never, never fail
throughout eternity.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

On Sunday, we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King.

Crown of Thorns, Crown of Glory

No palace walls, no golden throne,
Yet heaven’s light is all Your own.
The stars bow low, the angels sing,
For You, O Christ, eternal King.

Your sceptre is a shepherd’s rod,
Your law is mercy, truth, and God.
You reign where broken hearts are healed,
Where grace is given, wounds are sealed.

Not by the sword, but by the cross,
You counted gain what we call loss.
And now all nations lift their eyes,
To see the Lord of earth and skies.

So rule in us, both near and far,
Bright Morning Sun, our guiding star.
Till every heart and voice shall bring
It's praise to You — our Servant King.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A New Year is approaching - and not just 2026 - but a new year within the church.

Keeping Time…
We all keep time. But not all in the same way. Muslims have a particular calendar based on the lunar month; Jews another – a lunisolar calendar with a month added every one or two years so that the months continue to align with the changing location of the sun.
We Christians also have a calendar – the Liturgical calendar, a sacred and holy calendar of seven seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. This calendar keeps time to remember God’s Salvation Story. The stories of God breaking into our darkness. Stories of God’s work in our lives. Our turning away from God and God’s sacrifice in Jesus returns us to wholeness. Stories that prompt us to share the Good News of Christ with the world. Our new calendar begins next week!

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Thank you kandj <3


Today we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King

The Collect (special prayer) for today
Eternal Father,
whose Son Jesus Christ ascended to the throne of heaven
that he might rule over all things as Lord and King:
keep the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in the bond of peace,
and bring the whole created order to worship at his feet;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen

Cx :-)

Hello all

Cynthia, you do a wonderful job in keeping the Christian thread going. Your daily posts are always really interesting. Thank you so much.

Your posting on 17th November really resonated with me. It's always been second nature for me to worship in church on Sunday mornings. This post reminded me of just how lucky I am compared to many other Christians worldwide.

Keep warm and stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

The two men were risking it all, crossing borders to sneak illegal materials across hostile regions in the Middle East. They knew they could be fined, thrown in prison, even tortured—or worse. Yet, despite the dangers they took on, they didn’t even believe the words in the books they were smuggling.

One day, as they stopped to rest, the men grew curious about the books they carried. As they flipped through copies of the New Testament, their curiosity only grew. They approached the man who coordinated the smuggling operation, and he told them about the Gospel.

Soon, these men decided to become followers of Jesus and were baptised. The words they had been risking their lives for ended up changing their lives forever.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

In June, a devastating bombing at a Damascus church took the lives of 23 Christians gathered for Sunday worship. The attack was a brutal reminder of the cost many believers still pay for following Jesus.

Amina’s story
When the suicide bomber entered her church that fateful Sunday, Amina’s husband didn’t hesitate. He threw himself toward the attacker, shielding others with his own body. He was killed instantly. Amina lost the love of her life—but not her faith.

When Field Minister Farid visited her, she spoke through tears:
“My husband loved Jesus to the point that he sacrificed himself like his Master to protect his family and the believers in the church. He was a beloved of the Lord, so He took him to be by His side. May His will be done. I thank Him for everything.”

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Persecution in Iran.

In recent months, Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown on Christians, especially converts, leading to severe prison sentences. On June 18, 2024, it was reported that eight Christian converts from Izeh received a total of nearly 45 years in prison, with one person getting 15 years.

Many Christians arrested in 2023 want to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from the government. Some received prison sentences, fines, or flogging, highlighting the increasing pressure on Christians in Iran.

Meet "Fatemeh"
They were tearing us apart, one by one. Every time we heard the doorbell, we feared it was the police. We still can’t forget the day when the police raided our house church, took some of us away, and forced the rest to sign a paper confessing we would never meet or engage in Christian activities again.
- Fatemeh, a believer in Iran


Please pray for Christians in Iran.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

From Sunday’s Gospel reading: "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance, you will gain your souls."

Open Doors is a Christian Charity which monitors the persecution of Christians throughout the world. It supports those being persecuted in many ways. The facts are scary.

Top of their Watch List of 50 countries where persecution is high is North Korea, closely followed by Somalia and Yemen.

• If your Christian faith is discovered in North Korea, you could be killed on the spot.
• North Korean refugees in other countries, particularly China, are at risk of being rounded up and sent back to appalling punishments. If it is discovered that a North Korean has become a Christian, or even heard the gospel or came into contact with Christians, then they will be singled out for severe punishment.
• North Korean authorities are also likely to round up your extended family and punish them too, even if your family members aren’t Christians themselves.

Please pray for the Christians in North Korea and be grateful for your own freedom to worship.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


If you are a churchgoer, imagine this.


Sunday morning………..eyes open, yawn, stretch. “Now, do I go to church or do I have a lie-in? It’s raining. I can’t be bothered today. I can always go next week.” No big deal. No problem.

Yesterday, in the sermon, we were reminded that even in 2025, people are being persecuted for being a Christian. Did you know that, every day, an average of more than 12 Christians are killed for their faith?

That’s one Christian every two hours … murdered because they follow Jesus.

Suddenly, the fact that we’re a bit tired, or it’s raining, seems trivial.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Collect (special prayer for today)
Heavenly Father,
whose blessed Son was revealed
to destroy the works of the devil
and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life:
grant that we, having this hope,
may purify ourselves even as he is pure;
that when he shall appear in power and great glory
we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom;
where he is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Today, we hear in the Gospel how Jesus gives us advice on how to cope in difficult circumstances.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Lord of all,
give wisdom to all who work for peace,
so that a more secure future may be ensured for all.
Give courage to those who strive for justice,
so that the causes of conflict may be overcome.
Give strength to those who seek to break down barriers,
that divisions over race, colour, creed and culture may be ended.
Grant that wherever war, or the threat of war,
continues to haunt lives,
a way of reconciliation may be found,
and harmony established between people and nations.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
In the name of Christ.
Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

It was March when we visited Ypres,
just a few weeks short of the spring,
the flowers were starting to open,
the birds beginning to sing.
Outside, in fertile lowlands,
the grass grew lush and green,
no sign now of the carnage
which once these fields had seen.
And in the busy centre,
a constant hum of sound,
as a milling throng of people
pursued their daily round.
Few hints here of the horrors
that racked this charming place,
mock medieval splendour
and pleasant open space.
But as the sunlight faded
and night began to fall,
a little crowd assembled
beside the city wall.
In different moods they stood there,
some laughing, some in tears,
some talking of the weather,
some hiding inner fears.
But all at once fell silent
as the clock came round to eight,
and a poignant tribute sounded
beneath the Menin Gate.
Another sad reminder,
another fond farewell;
a proud and thankful blessing,
a heart-rending death knell.
And as the bugles faded
till their sound was heard no more,
we saw then all too clearly
the dreadful face of war.
Instead of names around us
there were young men in their prime,
a tragic generation
cut down before their time.
Our hearts were there beside them,
we stood knee-deep in mud,
and shared the awful horror
of fields dyed red with blood.
We heard their cries of anguish,
we felt their searing pain,
and we understood more clearly
this must never be again.
Yet the battle is not over,
though the war may long be past,
the fighting may have halted
but the cause is only masked.
Unless we come together,
until we learn to share,
until we love more widely
and think in ways more fair;
until we build so bravely
that all we say and do
gives our hope of breaking barriers
some hope of coming true,
then the Last Post may be sounded
in the future just the same,
but the thousands who it heralds
will all have died in vain.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The number of deaths during WW2 is simply staggering.

The Forgotten Victims of World War !!

Civilian deaths in World War II are estimated to be between 38 million and over 50 million. This means most of the deaths during the war were civilians.
Main causes of civilian deaths: -
Bombings: Strategic bombing campaigns, like Germany's Blitz on Britain, caused many civilian deaths. - Genocide and massacres: Systematic killings, particularly in the Holocaust, led to millions of Jewish deaths and deaths of other targeted groups. - Disease and famine: These factors, worsened by the war, led to millions more deaths. The sad thing is, this is still happening.

Lord,
We remember before You the men, women and children whose lives were taken in the storms of war.
May their courage, sacrifice, and love for others never be forgotten.
Hold them now in Your perfect peace, where pain and fear are no more.
Comfort the families who grieve, and heal the wounds—seen and unseen—left behind.
Teach us to walk the path of peace,
so that no more lives are lost to hatred and violence.
In Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

History is full of accounts about animals being used in various capacities during armed conflicts. Sometimes they have been deployed as living weapons, but more often they were used as messengers, scouts, decoys, shields, rescuers or simply for company during times of immense stress and fear.

Many animals – including dogs, cats, bears and pigeons – have been given an official rank within the army, air force or navy, or have won medals for demonstrating bravery and devotion during battle or during the course of a conflict.

Several countries even have dedicated medals for animals: Britain has the PDSA Dickin Medal, often called the animals' VC (Victoria Cross), which was first awarded in 1943 to a pigeon called White Vision, who flew 9 hours through a terrible storm to deliver a message that led to the rescue of a downed aircrew. And in 2019, the USA instituted the Animals in War & Peace Medal of Bravery.



Cx :-)

We will remember them, and will also remember those of all nations who are still at war today. May they be granted peace.

Good morning :-)

TODAY IS ARMISTICE DAY – Armistice is Latin for stand (still) arms.

Armistice Day began as a way to commemorate the end of World War I and is used to remember all the people who have died in all wars since.

In the autumn of 1918, Germany was losing the war, and asked for an armistice - an agreement to down weapons as a prelude to the peace negotiations that would finally be completed with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles the following June – was signed in the railway carriage of French Marshal Ferdinand Foch, supreme commander of the Allied forces, deep in the forests of Compiegne in Picardy, France.

The signing took place at approximately 5.45am on a chill Monday morning, a quiet, informal ceremony at odds with the thunderous din of the war itself playing out across the Western Front.

The agreement came into effect “on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” of 1918. But more than 2,000 men died in the intervening five hours between its signing and that deadline. George Edwin Ellison of Leeds is said to have been the last British combatant to die, falling just outside Mons.

We will remember them. <3






Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


A Candle Of Peace
Light a candle of peace for all nations
And watch as it steadily burns.
Remember the brave fallen heroes –
Those who will never return.
In the quietness, pray for all families,
Wherever they are in the world,
Whose lives have been scarred by violence and pain,
As the banners of battle unfurled.
Light a candle of peace for all races,
All cultures and creeds of mankind,
Ask God to touch every heart with his love
So, in days to come, we will find
Peace for the whole world over,
No longer a dream or a prayer,
But something to last to the end of all time,
For the great heart of God will be there.
— Marian Cleworth



Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Lord Jesus, we come before You with open hearts, ready to embrace Your presence.
Strengthen our faith, that we may welcome You into our lives with joy and trust.
Help us to recognize Your love in every moment and to share that love with others.
May our faith be a beacon, drawing us closer to You each day.
Amen.

Cx :-)