General Chat

Justin Welby has a similar task in front of him, Cynthia. Yes, agree with you that it needs a younger man - or at least a man of vigour and strength in old age.

It might be a signal for closer cooperation between the two major Christian traditions in this world. I think this might be a major challenge for both men as we go forward.

And perhaps in the next generation it might be a battle for two women. You never know :-)

I've only just spotted it on another thread John.


His style of ministry certainly wasn't like that of John Paul and I think he took the RC church backwards rather than forwards but, given all that, the man is 85 and in poor health. I wonder if he is actually more ill than has been said. A brave and sensible decision to make.

The pressures he has faced and is still facing have been enormous for someone of any age, never mind someone approaching his 90's. I just hope and pray that his successor is younger and has the necessary skills to lead the RC church forwards in peace.

Pope Benedicts final words of resignation today are rather impressive:

"I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is.

Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer."

I note with some sadness that Pope Benedict has resigned and a new Pope will be elected shortly.

A huge break in tradition, but one can understand his decision, thank him for his leadership and pray that he will have a prayerful last few years. He deserves to be out of the spotlight now.

I am Protestant, yet I can understand how he has tried to unite Christian denominations and create an environment for Catholics and Protestants to hold hands in worship in these rapidly changing times.

Let us all pray for his successor.

I was going to suggest that you take some ready made ones with you to share when you arrived at your friends but I guess that's pushing it a bit....... :-D

oh, I know we could have them after we get back at the weekend,


it isn't the same though



pancakes for Lent should be eaten on Shrove Tuesday ........... otherwise they're just pancakes!


I don't toss them, but OH does ........ he's a cracker at doing that.


I only make them from scratch on the day we want to eat them, let the batter stand at either room temperature or in the fridge


AND iIve worked out how to make good pancakes using soy milk :-D

Hello Ollie, Sylvia and Ann.... :-D


Mustard seeds in a pancake should be interesting Ollie........let us know what they're like. I'm more of a sugar and lemon person myself. :-D

Hope you raise lots of money for your good cause.....is there a prize for the most original ingredient?


I missed Hayley's post with a pancake recipe on and have asked her to come back and share it with us. It may be useful for Ollie.



Sylvia - that's a brilliant scheme and I bet it is well used too. The mustard seed name usually comes from the biblical stores where you only need a little faith to grow something wonderful.


I had a quick google about Pancake Day in the USA and see that they usually call it Mardi Gras which means 'Fat' or 'Grease' Tuesday. The website which Joy gave earlier also gives some interesting facts about how Shrove Tuesday is celebrated around the world. One lives and learns......... :-D


Had you thought of making some before you go to visit your friend and popping them into the freezer for when you get back?


Ann - go on - make some pancakes. You won't regret it..........much. They are so yummy that you may eat more than you should though.........lol


By the way, you don't need to toss them, a simple flip over in the pan is fine... :-D


Hope everyone has a lovely day.........

Olliethe Owl and Sylvia :-D

Lovely contributions. The little mustard seed is such a lovely emblem. Had never heard of them before in pancakes but sounds a lovely idea.

Sorry you are missing out on Tuesday, Sylvia. But your friends are so much more important at this particular time. And you can always have a belated pancake or two when you get home :-D :-D

my lovely Mum always made the pancakes - not had them since she passed away and I've never tried to make them myself :-(

We shall not be having pancakes on Tuesday :-(


I think that is the first we have ever missed having them since either of us was a child :-( :-( :-(

OH used to make them while at the Methodist school he went to in North Wales .......... it was one of the things they were allowed to do in "study time".


BUT we are instead going to stay with a friend who has recently been diagnosed with an untreatable cancer (in addition to having a dementia) ........................... they are Americans, and don't do Pancake Tuesday.

I KNEW I had seen Mustard Seed as an organization


It is an organization in Victoria, Canada ..................... it's a non-profit organization fighting hunger and restoring faith in Greater Victoria.

The staff and volunteers provide many crucial services for any and all people in need, aiming to meet the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of the whole person.

There is a weekday drop-in center that offers all sorts of services such as chapel, hair cutting, nursing, a clothing bank, access to home starter kits, and more.

and they run the largest Food Bank on Vancouver Island, providing nutritious

The web site says how much more they do ..................... and includes this lovely statement

Above all, the Mustard Seed is a place of acceptance and unconditional love.




I'm not sure where The Mustard Seed originated, or where else it is found



But it's a lovely idea.

We are having a pancake party with lots of different mixtures and fillings . I am going to put some mustard seeds in mine.

Trying to raise money for a good cause.

Very true Ann........it caused quite a stir I can tell you . :-D

Love that hymn John, can hear my Mum singing it now.

Cynthia isn't it a shame that we don't see more of the coach built prams, they seemed to keep the baby so warm and secure. still would be a bit difficult to get it in the car or on the bus!

Hayley. I am very upset too. Hope you believe that. I have just come back from my service and all "hot place" has broken loose on a couple of threads.

For what it's worth, no prams and babies to cuddle (worse luck) but one of the nicest services for some time. It was what we call "own arrangement" and one of the ladies took it. She is a mother in her early 50's and very local and down to earth.

Sermon was about the wealthy young ruler who was told by Jesus to sell all his possessions to go to heaven and he would do anything but that. She contrasted his approach to Jesus with the tax collector in the following chapter.

I was also thinking of St Valentines Day as we sang that lovely hymn: "O love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee".

We all have a little mustard seed of love inside us. We must let it grow and flourish. :-D

I don't like bullying in any form Hayley so I hope this matter is sorted quickly. Would you like to post your recipe again please - I missed it completely. :-D



I thought today was just going to be a normal Sunday but I was wrong....pleasantly so. We have an adult study group called Mustard Seeds and, this morning, they gave us a very interesting presentation of what the group is about.

It included a PowerPoint presentation and thoughts from some of the group.

One interesting point which came out was something I had never heard before. It was about a protein called Laminin which forms a network foundation for most cells and organs in our bodies. Apparently, when it is viewed, it is cross-shaped! One lives and learns........ :-)


The name Mustard Seeds comes from the various stories in the bible which mention that even if we only have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. It is the tiniest of seeds and we were all given a card with some mustard seeds stuck to them to remind us of our faith.


It was quite a 'broody' Sunday morning too...... :-D Someone brought her eight month old twin grandchildren with her and, when it came time to receive communion, she was obviously wishing to go to the altar with them so I offered my help and carried one of the babies with me. Awwwwww.....so lovely.


After the main service we had 3 baptisms and one of the babies arrived in a Silver Cross coach built pram which had been newly restored. It was wonderful to see a proper pram again and I couldn't resist rocking it for a minute or two. It brought back some lovely memories. :-D :-D


Lovely morning...........

As I have already said on Sues thread I will be voicing my concerns to GR why my posts have been removed, the pancake post was keeping in with current topic there was before my post and since been links added to this thread which have been neither reported or removed, why mine? All my posts on this thread have been polite and I have not been rude or insulted anyone.

And thank you Cythia I KNOW I am welcome to post on here as a paying member I can post on any thread I choose to do so and I will do, as when I told I am not and have my post constantly RR then it is deemed as bullying and this very unchristian isnt it !

I must admit I was somewhat surprised that all those posts had been reported.

Personally, I don't mind at all. It is easy to scroll past and ignore anyway (as someone said on another thread). Many a pancake recipe like Hayley provided is in church magazines anyway, and I just took it she had offered that in a christian (if not Christian perhaps) spirit.

And it is no different to being in church and a busload of fairly "unchurched people" suddenly descends on a service. I welcome that, as The Lord can deal with it even if we can't. Two weeks ago, our little service was moved from the chapel to the pub, when a couple of the men drinking said they were interested in what we did but the chapel was too cold and too strange an environment for them. It was a warm, if slightly odd service.

And the 1904 Revival in these South Wales valleys and beyond was not fuelled by us churchy types. It was those either on fringes of church worship or those (often coal miners) who were out and out atheists. They came into churches and chapels often to disrupt services - and within months they were totally committed to serving the Lord and often the leaders of large congregations.

Our God works in mysterious ways :-)

Pancake Races came up in conversation a couple of years ago with an American 3rd cousin (or something distant like that!).

We were showing him and his family around his ancestral 'home " - the Isle of Sheppey - when the local guide mentioned them. His teenage daughters knew nothing about Pancake Day, Pancake Races or Shrove Tuesday. It was only when we got as far as 'the beginning of Lent' that the penny dropped!

Making Pancakes from the available ingredients might make them go further to feed more people than a cake would. Could that be the reason?

Pancake races on Shrove Tuesday, were an annual event in our village, a thick heavy pancake was needed :-D.

http://www.bygonebodiam.co.uk/Bodiam%20Pancake%20Race.htm

These were timed races against North Somercotes in Lincolnshire. (how these first started I do not know, perhaps there is someone from that village that does & could let me know) I think it was the vicars last parish, but I may be wrong.