Viewing all items in Resource Category: Editorial

This year the prayers and reflections are from the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. These resources draw upon centuries-old traditions of prayer and petitions used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date as far back...

Agnes should be the patron saint of all the young Christian girls alive today who live in areas of the world where they face kidnap, rape, forced marriage, persecution and even death – simply because they are Christian. Agnes, born c 291, probably came from a noble Roman family. She converted to Christianity at the...

‘Use honest scales and honest weights’ Leviticus 19:36 ‘The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favour with him.’ Proverbs 11:1   These verses are not about the scales you use to weigh yourself, to see how much weight you have put on over Christmas! It is a biblical warning for businesspeople to act...

In bygone years, the supply chain of food across Britain was fairly short: if it didn’t grow in your local fields, you were apt to go hungry. Hence the widespread traditional custom of Plough Sunday – bringing a plough (and sometimes a lamb as well) into church and praying for God’s blessing on the land...

It was 100 years ago, on 13th January 1926, that Michael Bond, the children’s writer, was born. He has an assured place in any literary Hall of Fame, for he created the characters Paddington Bear and Monsieur Pamplemousse. Paddington Bear padded into Michael Bond’s life quite by accident. It was back in 1956 that Michael...

Epiphany for Today From the Vicar The Seven Deadly Sins: Pride What’s the Big Idea? – An Introduction to the Books of the Old Testament: Song of Songs Epiphany! Going from Strength to Strength – even in January! Peaceful mind ** Editor:  By Canon Paul Hardingham Epiphany for Today This month we celebrate Epiphany, the...

This month we celebrate Epiphany, the occasion on which we remember the Magi from the East following a star to find the baby Jesus: ‘Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews?’ (Matthew 2:1). At the start of a New Year, in an uncertain world, we can be asking the same...

There is still time to apply for a grant, as it remains open until Candlemas, 2 February. These grants are made possible through the generosity of many patrons, including HM The King. They support parish churches in celebrating their patronal festival (the feast day of the church’s patron saint, or the nearest Sunday) through a...

Never under-estimate a deacon. After all, the first-ever Christian martyr was a deacon in the church of Jerusalem – St Stephen.  And the first-ever Christian martyr in Spain was a deacon of the Church of Saragossa – St Vincent. By now it was 304AD, and the Roman Emperor Diocletian was persecuting Christians.  When his edict...

It was 70 years ago, on 8th January 1956, that five young American evangelical Christian missionaries were killed by members of the savage and isolated Auca tribe in the rainforest of Ecuador. The missionaries had been attempting to bring Christianity to the small tribe of about 500 Auca people, and so had spent several months...

“Every person is of immeasurable value and cannot be diminished by illness, disability, or care costs,” the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, recently told the House of Lords, The Bishop, who is now also Archbishop-designate of Canterbury, added that: “however many amendments there are to this Bill, the Bill will never be...

 50 years ago, on 12th Jan 1976 that Dame Agatha Christie, crime novelist, short story writer and playwright died. Best known for creating the character Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and for the world’s longest running play, The Mousetrap.  Agatha Christie was born in Torquay in 1890, the daughter of wealthy parents. In 1914 she...