General Chat

Good evening

Thank you for another interesting couple of weeks Cynthia. I know I haven't posted much and I apologise but I do read the posts every day.

We were fortunate to be able to spend a week in Vienna recently and were lucky enough to get back just a day or two before the awful flooding in Central Europe, including in the Vienna area. We saw many wonderful buildings, galleries, museums and parks and the local people were all so nice, helpful and friendly. We were in walking distance of St Stephen's Roman Catholic Cathedral which we visited twice - a beautiful church that felt very welcoming. We also visited the Votive Church which is magnificent and cathedral-like. There was a failed assassination attempt on Emperor Franz Josef in 1853 and his brother started a campaign for funds to build a votive church to thank God for saving the emperor's life. I am very grateful that we still have enough good health and affluence to enable us to travel. It was a wonderful relaxing break in a somewhat difficult year.

I was watching Songs of Praise today and heard a hymn that was completely new to me. I rather liked it. The chorus was:

Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together
With cords that cannot be broken
Bind us together, Lord
Bind us together
Bind us together with Love

On Friday my son took his youngest daughter to start her first term at Nottingham university. She was both nervous and excited and there must be thousands of young people in the same position. God be with them all as they start this new phase of their lives.

Good morning :-)


Collect (special prayer) for today:
Almighty God,
you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,
and so bring us at last to your heavenly city
where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen


In today's Gospel reading:
'Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

I guess those tomatoes were delicious kandj - home-grown produce tends to be much tastier than shop-bought! Enjoy :-)


Next Saturday we are holding our first-ever Jigsaw Festival, which will be opened by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester. We hope that he enjoys it as much as we hope to!

Speaking of Mayors of Manchester, today is St. Matthew's Day.
In the Western Christian calendar, today is the Feast of St. Matthew.

In 1223, royal permission was granted for the small market town of Manchester to hold an annual fair on 20th-21st September, to mark the Feast of St. Matthew. The fair was formally opened by the Lord of Manchester (at that time Robert Greslet) and it became one of the highlights of the year in medieval Manchester. It soon came to include the 22nd as well.

In the Middle Ages, obtaining the right to hold an annual fair was a big deal. It gave your town status and prestige, attracted business and brought in customers. It was, basically, a big market, for buying and selling produce, goods, textiles, livestock and horses. For these three days, the small town would be packed with merchants, farmers, craftsmen and people from far and wide.

As it was towards the end of harvest time, there would have been a celebratory, carnival atmosphere, with musicians, dancing, acrobats, jugglers, plays, various sports (including cruel animal "sports)" and lots of drinking and “merry-making”. Just in case of trouble, no person was allowed to carry weapons. Locals could be required at any time to help a local "grith-sergeant" to sort out any disorder. However, there is a record of some men getting round the rules by carrying whips and youths causing a nuisance by throwing acorns.

For centuries, the Manchester fair was held on a big field called Acresfield. This was a large area of open, common land on the edge of the town, where people could go freely and graze their animals. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Acresfield gradually got smaller, as buildings encroached upon it. Then, in the 18th century, a church, St. Ann's, was built on Acresfield, but it was stipulated that some land still be kept for the fair and that became St. Ann’s Square.

The Manchester fair continued to be held in some form for 600 years, until as late as 1823, when it was moved out to the Knott Mill/Camp Field market area. The Church of St. Matthews at Knott Mill was built around that time (it was demolished in 1951-52). The Castlefield area too, was soon all built upon and the St. Matthew's Day fair gradually died out in the industrial age and became a footnote of history.

Happy St. Matthew's day!


Cx :-)

Hello all

Another interesting week thinking about harvest.
Thank you Cynthia.

For almost 3 weeks I've been watering the greenhouse plants for my neighbour who is on holiday. My "reward" has been fresh tasting tomatoes and cucumbers.

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds that you plant."
(Robert Louis Stevenson.")

Good morning :-)



God of peace, just as seeds germinate quietly under the ground, so you are often at work before we see it. We pray for your unseen work in our world. Let it happen in us and help us to become people who look more and more like you. Mould us as your people so that we bear much fruit.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your peace. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

God of hope, we pray for those people and places who do not yet know your love and hope. We pray today that you would send us to be your workers in the harvest field, showing by our lives and words how you long to embrace them in your arms and welcome them at your abundant table.

Send more workers into the fields so that we may bring more brothers and sisters home to you.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your hope of salvation. Amen


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

God of justice, you commanded us to look out for the widow and the orphan, to always make sure they have enough.

We pray for those who find themselves without enough food. We pray for those who long to have enough to put on their plates and feed their families. Guide us in how we can work for justice for them.

Bless those who make policy decisions with wisdom, so that all can enjoy the fruits of your harvest.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your justice. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


God of provision, thank you for generously providing so much for us.
Thank you for those who work hard in distribution – people harvesting food and carefully packing it for transport. For those overseeing supply chains, negotiating trade deals, and driving vehicles that bring it to our villages, towns, and cities.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your provision. Amen.

Good morning :-)

A lovely service yesterday and our children gave us several ideas on how we can be generous. :-D

Yesterday, the children gave us many ideas on how to be generous.

God of creation, thank you for the abundance of food you have provided for us. Help us to use it generously.

We confess we haven’t always shared what we have with others. Please make us generous.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your great generosity to us. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Harvest Festival is such a special happy service.

6th October will be the Harvest Festival service in our village church. The PCC has decided to donate all our harvest gifts to the village food bank this year. As a church we have supported the Church of England Trussell Trust Fund for very many years and will continue to do that too.

It's very sad that young and not so young people are struggling to put a meal on the table now.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.
Amen.

Good morning :-)

Apologies for yesterday and thanks for posting kandj. A busy Harvest time for me and today we celebrate that traditional festival at my church. The church looks lovely!

Loving God, Thank you for the many ways you provide for us: Food, family, friendship, Housing, health, happiness, And ways to use our time and talents. We lift to you too how we remain in need of these things.

We pray for people in our community and beyond who are facing unemployment, ill health, isolation or money worries, especially for those who cannot afford enough to eat. We pray for supportive relationships, practical provision and real hope. God of compassion, may your kingdom come. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

The nights are drawing in very fast.

"Only in the darkness can you
see the stars."Martin Luther King.

Goodnight, God bless, sweet dreams.

Hello all

I love the Harvest Festival service, even though it's so very different to the one of long ago.

"..... God our Maker does provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple come.....
Raise the song of harvest home."

Friday 13th.... take care everyone.

Good morning :-)

Harvest - a time to be generous in so many ways

Lord, In your boundless compassion, grant me the gift of empathy. Help me feel the pain and joy of others as deeply as if it were my own. Guide my actions so I may understand their needs and extend a helping hand with a heart wide open. I thank you for the privilege of sharing in the beauty of empathy and pray that you fill me with the strength to be a source of solace to those in need.Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Loving God,
Thank you for the many ways in which you provide for us:
Food, family, friendship,
Housing, health, happiness,
And ways to use our time and talents.
We lift to you too the ways in which we remain in need of these things.
God of generosity,
May your kingdom come. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A Handful of Rice – concluded.

How much do we need to be as generous as the people of Mizoram?

When will we be so grateful for what God has given us, that we will become as generous as the people of Mizoram?

How is the best way to express our thanksgiving to God?

It is best expressed through our generosity.

It is time for us to show our gratitude to God through our generosity, and to share what we have, however great or small, with others.

Lord, I thank you for all you have given to me I pray that you will give me, a generous heart, a giving heart and a grateful heart Always willing to share what I have with others. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Continued from yesterday :

A Handful of Rice

Mizo people say, “As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.”

Imagine putting a handful of rice aside at mealtimes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then not having any food at all to eat on a Saturday! How tempting would it be to just cook that rice and not go to church, or go and not give the rice at the offering?

How often do we say………
We will give later.
We will give when we have more money.
We will give when we have what WE need.

To be continued......


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Next Sunday, our church celebrates Harvest Festival, that special day where we remember and give thanks for our food and for those who provide it. We ask for donations to help us to help others. Once again, the diocese has produced ideas for us to share at this harvest time:

OVERFLOWING GENEROSITY A story: A Handful of Rice

A Christian community in Mizoram in NE India began this tradition in 1910. It is a practice where each family puts aside a handful of rice every time they cook a meal. At the end of the week, they gather it together and offer it to the church. The church sells the rice, which generates income to support its work.

Over time, the amount of rice given has increased and people have also started to give other things including firewood, vegetables and other produce. The result is the churches in Mizoram are now self-sufficient.

‘If everyone gives a little each day, great things can be achieved’.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Collect (special prayer) for today:
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

To make you smile!


“Sick” by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today!"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay
"I have the measles and the mumps
A gash, a rash, and purple bumps
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry
I'm going blind in my right eye
My tonsils are as big as rocks
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more, that's seventeen
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue
It might be instamatic flu
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke
I'm sure that my left leg is broke
My hip hurts when I move my chin
My belly button's caving in
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained
My 'pendix pains each time it rains
My nose is cold, my toes are numb
I have a sliver in my thumb
My neck is stiff, my spine is weak
I hardly whisper when I speak
My tongue is filling up my mouth
I think my hair is falling out
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight
My temperature is 108
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear
There's a hole inside my ear
I have a hangnail, and my heart is... what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is Saturday? Ha-ha
G'bye, I'm goin' out to play"


Cx :-)