Dear Church Friends
I am sorry to have to tell you that we have lost another of our well-loved members this week. Roy Stott passed away at the beginning of the week. Please remember his family and his close friend Christine in your prayers as they come to terms with their loss. The date of his funeral is not known but it will not be until after Easter. There may be some who remember Milton Sharp, who was an organist who used to stand in for John Dawson when he was on holiday. He recently passed away at the age of 98. Please pray for his family in their time of need.
Easter Sunday – 4th April 2021. Subject to confirmation, the Elders are hoping to open the church for a one-off service on Easter Sunday. More details next week.
This week the notices have come full circle with week 52 marking the end of the first year of Alternative Notices. No one, especially me, ever envisaged that a year after I sent out the first one, I would still be issuing them. Our last normal church service was held on 15th March 2020. Although the first lockdown started on 23rd March, churches were advised not to open on 22nd March and I started the alternative notices the following weekend. Thank you for your kind comments about them. It is one way I feel we can keep the church together. As Acting Secretary, I am in the fortunate position of being able to contact everyone on our family list and feel it is a privilege to be able to make you all still feel part of the White Church. We are together in Spirit, if not in person yet. We pray that at some point in 2021 we can worship together once more without restrictions.
Many ladies have contacted me wishing to pass on their thanks to those who distributed the lovely posies of flowers to the lady members of the church for Mothering Sunday last week. I should like to thank Anne F whose wonderful suggestion it was; Rosemary D who provided the posies and organised their delivery and Marion C and Sheila E who helped with the distribution. The gesture was much appreciated. Thank you, Rosemary, Anne, Marion and Sheila.
March 20th is the first day of astronomical spring and marks the spring equinox. Daylight is increasing, darkness retreating and in a week’s time the clocks will go forward.
A few evenings ago about 10.45pm I looked out of an upstairs window and saw what I am fairly sure was a fox walking along the road. We know they have been around before, as a neighbour once had a foxhole in their garden, but I’ve not seen one for several years.
This week a friend told us about an area for walking that we had never visited before. This gem started less than 2 miles from our house. This lovely, quiet, country walk took us along the back lanes behind St Annes, eventually passing the Radar Station on the Moss and with wonderful views of the distant hills on a clear day. We knew there were walks in that area but hadn’t been sure where to access them. I had no idea there is such a network of bridleways adjacent to the Moss Road, which are ideal for walkers too. It was a calm, milder and clear day and we felt uplifted by nature as we spotted and heard robins and wrens singing and saw an egret in one of the fields and a large bird of prey (? buzzard) high in the blue sky being mobbed by a group of gulls. When the gulls had disappeared, the bird began soaring effortlessly on the thermals. It amazed me to see daffodils blooming in places where there are no houses – I wonder who planted the bulbs near the sides of the myriad drains and ditches that traverse the area. Some of the fields and bridleways were very wet with huge pools of rainwater, but we could avoid those.
A folk tale tells of an eagle and a wren arguing over who could reach the greatest heights. They decided on a competition and took to the air. After a while the eagle was feeling the frost on his feathers and a lack of oxygen. “Ha!” He gasped. “Little wren, where are you now?”
“Higher than you are,” the wren, who had hitched a lift on the eagle’s back, said in his ear.
Brains will take you further, and higher, than strength, but, of course, the proper use of strength is to lift others up. We look to the Lord for His strength and He will lift us up.
Iris Hesselden
Looking before us
we see only the road ahead.
Looking behind us
we see only the shadows of the past.
But looking around us
we see beauty, friendship, love and laughter.
Enjoy the present
and the wonderful world around us.
A reminder of the Zoom links for the various gatherings:
Partnership Coffee Morning – Wednesdays 10:30am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81166484469?pwd=MEgvU0FlelFlRC9mU0pVUnRhRG5pQT09
Sunday Morning Worship – Sundays 10:30am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84532128356?pwd=QjRKZW5YVVdvYnBUVC9oNnRRTHZ6UT09
Lent Bible study – Wednesday 3pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87358809178?pwd=eXBVK2tOZ2xtcWxOTmVQeUJ5WFdWUT09
Let us pray
Dear Lord Jesus,
We pray for all those within our church family who have lost loved ones in the last year. We pray for those currently in hospital, unwell at home or waiting for tests, treatment or operations. We pray for those in rest homes and thank God that at last they may have a visit from a loved one. We thank you for the skills of those who care for the sick or elderly. Please bless them, encourage their spirits and refresh their bodies and minds. We pray for all the key workers who put themselves at risk of coronavirus by carrying on with their jobs regardless. We give thanks for the roll out of the vaccines and all those who helped develop them or deliver them so efficiently. We pray for patience until the time when we can meet together safely again and rekindle our social interactions with others. Thank you for all our blessings and remind us that Your thoughts and love are fixed on us. Lord, in Your name. Amen
Please join me in saying the Grace together.
May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, now and evermore. Amen
God Bless you all
Ruth
