General Chat

Good morning :-)

Never again.

Auschwitz is primarily recognized as a death camp where over 1.1 million people were murdered. However, the story of Stanislawa Leszczynska, a Polish midwife, reveals its more complex legacy. While interned at the camp, she delivered 3,000 babies under horrific conditions.

Born in Lodz in 1896, Leszczynska initially led a peaceful life but was drawn into resistance work during the Nazi occupation of Poland, helping those in the Jewish ghetto. After her family's efforts were discovered, she was sent to Auschwitz with her daughter.

Assigned to the camp's so-called “maternity ward,” Leszczynska refused to participate in the murder of newborns, which was the norm as many pregnant women faced execution. Instead, she cared for mothers and delivered their babies, often under dire conditions. Leszczynska bravely stood against orders from camp authorities, including the notorious Dr. Josef Mengele.

While some babies were taken for the Nazi Lebensborn program, Leszczynska and her team tried to mark those infants in hopes of reuniting them with their mothers. Though most children did not survive, Leszczynska's actions highlighted her courage and compassion amidst the brutality of Auschwitz.

We thank God for this woman's bravery.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Never again.

Mindu Hornick, 13, peered through a crack in the door of her stopped cattle car and read a name: Auschwitz.
“I spelt it out for my mother,” Hornick recalled recently. “She says, ‘I don't know where it is, I've never heard of the place.’ And then suddenly all this clatter of the doors opening, and when the doors opened I mean there was, just, all hell let loose.”

They had travelled for days in the dark, 70 women and children packed shoulder to shoulder in a cattle car, with little food and a single sanitation bucket to share. Now they saw piles of rotting bodies, barking dogs, Nazis shouting in German, thick grey ash clotting the air. An official scrambled into their car.

“I think that a kapo must have known that this train of mothers and children—that were no use to them for work—would end up in the gas chambers,” said Hornick. “And that's why he must have looked in that coach and thought to himself, ‘well perhaps I'll try and save a couple.’”

He advised Hornick’s mother to let her two older girls go ahead, while she stayed behind with her younger two sons. You’ll see them soon, he assured her in Yiddish. He told Mindu and her sister to lie about their age and skills. “You are a seamstress,” he told them.

“You better do as this man says,” her mother said. “We looked back and we saw our mother with her spotted scarf, and we waved to her and we went ahead,” Mindu said. She never saw her mother or little brothers again.

Father, forgive.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

There is no apology for the items on this page this week because today commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. The history behind these stories must never be forgotten. It does not make for pleasant reading but the truth cannot be avoided.

"Nothing will be easy about returning to Auschwitz, 80 years after I was liberated. This commemoration will be the last of its kind. We will be there. Will you stand with us?" - Michael Bornstein, Auschwitz Survivor

For the world today, Auschwitz is a symbol of the Holocaust and the atrocities of World War II. In 2005 the United Nations declared 27 January as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Nazis established Auschwitz in 1940 in the Polish suburbs of Oswiecim, building a complex of camps that became central to Hitler’s pursuit of a “Final Solution to the Jewish question.” Nazis murdered between 1.1 million and 1.5 million people at Auschwitz, including more than one million Jews, but also Roma, homosexuals, political dissidents and more.

As prisoners arrived, young children, the elderly and infirm were separated and immediately sent to take “showers,” which pumped deadly Zyklon-B poison gas into the chambers. Daily mass executions, starvation, disease and torture transformed Auschwitz into one of the most lethal and terrifying concentration camps and extermination centres of World War II.

Children, especially twins, could be selected at any time for barbaric medical experiments conducted without anaesthesia by Nazi Josef Mengele. These included injecting serum directly into children’s eyeballs to study eye colour and injecting chloroform into the hearts of twins to determine if the siblings would die at the same time and in the same way.

In January 1945, Soviet soldiers liberated the camp to find 7,600 emaciated prisoners left behind, heaps of corpses and seven tons of human hair that had been shaved off the prisoners.

Estimates suggest that Nazis murdered 85 per cent of the people sent to Auschwitz.


The Fragility of Freedom
Eternal God, we come before you, conscious of the fragility of freedom, to remember the victims of the Holocaust.
We lament the loss of the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution, and victims of all genocides.
Remembering the past, help us today to use what freedom we have to stand up for those whose freedom is denied.
We pray for a day when all shall be free to live in peace, unity and love. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Collect (special prayer) for today:
Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
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

Today, we hear Jesus reading in the temple.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

"God has no limits, He is infinite in His ways of expressing love, and humans also have their own ways of expressing love toward Him and others. This is what we need to focus on: differences are not a bad thing, they are a richness!" Br Rami Asakhrie, Latin priest of Bethlehem


Almighty God,
accept our praise and thanksgiving for what already unites Christians
in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord.
Strengthen our hearts in expectation and hope
as we work for unity and together seek the harmony of all creation.
Hasten the hour when all churches will recognise each other
in the one communion you willed
and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Will soon be off to my fourth funeral in two weeks!

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Almighty God,
accept our praise and thanksgiving for what already unites Christians
in the confession of and witness to Jesus the Lord.
Strengthen our hearts in expectation and hope
as we work for unity and together seek the harmony of all creation.
Hasten the hour when all churches will recognise each other
in the one communion you willed
and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever.
Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

A young man’s story.

Dan, a young man from Sheffield, attended a 24-7 Prayer conference in Rotterdam which gathered people and Christian leaders from across Europe and the world.
He explains:

“ As someone from a charismatic non-denominational church background, it was great to experience some more traditional parts of the Church. I attended a seminar held by Catholics during which I learned about different aspects of their faith and worship.
I also went along to a service with the Order of The Mustard Seed (OMS) which is an ecumenical, lay-led, dispersed community.

One thing that the 24-7 prayer movement has done well has been to embrace grief as a part of the Christian life. Many charismatic movements that I have been a part of in the past have focused more on the joy of being a Christian and the new life we have, which is great! But as I see the state of the world and struggles in my own life, I’m often left feeling conflicted because there are parts of my life where that is harder to believe.

The conference taught how that is okay and that loss is a part of maturing in faith – learning to live in the space of celebration and grief at the same time just like Jesus did during his ministry. For me this was really freeing, realising that I’m not somehow failing but rather actually maturing in my ability to understand God’s heart for his people.

For me, the conference has given me a fresh understanding of how the church is called to be a family. It felt like a church weekend away because there was such a sense of joy, community and family."


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

One body in Christ, united by grace,
Joined by His love, with one heart and one face.
Though different our gifts, and diverse we may be,
Together we're strong, as His love sets us free.

Bound by His Spirit, we're one in His name,
His love is the tie that no power can tame.
For we are His children, He's called us His own,
And in unity, His light will be shown.

Through trials we'll stand, hand in hand we'll endure,
Our faith will remain, and His truth will secure.
For as one body in Christ, we're stronger than ever,
United in love, we'll face storms together.

Cx :-)

Hello all

What an uplifting spiritual experience Tracy Collis has had and one that she will remember forever.

The Bishop officiated at yesterday's service, a very special time of worship in our small village church.

It's another chilly day, take care and stay safe.

Good morning :-)

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

This is a bit of a long read, but worth it. Grab a coffee!! :-D

Divisional Ecumenical Officer Captain Tracy Collis (Lancashire) reflects on a visit to a Romanian Orthodox church.

It was with a sense of the unknown that I drew up to a building that looked nothing like I expected a church to look. I had been invited with my fellow ecumenical representatives to share in the annual Advent Paraklesis service at a Romanian Orthodox church.

The plain exterior hid a beautifully decorated interior, with portraits of Jesus, Mary, disciples and saints. There were gold stands and ornate Bibles, which the worshippers bowed to and kissed as they entered. A gated entrance hid the entrance to the Holy of Holies and to the side was a four-sided lectern used for leading the service.

We were warmly welcomed by congregants preparing food and drink with smiles and hugs, which replaced a common language. Many women reverently had their heads covered and children in national dress were practising singing for the celebration of Great Union Day (1 December), the national day of Romania.
It was a privilege to share such a sacred time and space.

People were chatting and busying themselves getting ready for worship, but the laid-out chairs were mostly empty. We were called to worship with a swinging silver incense receptacle. There were no announcements, songbooks or PowerPoint slides, but a seamless hour of fast-paced sung liturgy by the two fathers and male attendants.

A few people sat in the chairs; most stood or knelt the entire time. Children played comfortably and worshippers sang purposefully, and the sign of the cross was used frequently, including touching the floor. The sense of spirituality was almost hypnotic. The barrier of language did not detract from the presence of God, as I was drawn into the worship.

These were Christian disciples worshipping with all their hearts and it was a privilege to share such a sacred time and space.

As part of the celebrations, we were treated to the children singing some Romanian songs, before being invited to the traditional ‘fasting’ feast of Advent. As we were greeted with plates of fish, rice, polenta, garlicky and herby potato fishcakes, hummus and bread, one might wonder what a non-fasting feast consists of. This was my first delicious taste of Romanian cuisine – I passed, though, on the wine!

Each differing expression of worship can give us a unique glimpse into the many differing facets of God’s character.
It was a truly memorable experience of Christian hospitality, where Jesus was evident in both actions and words. It was so far away from any Christian worship I had previously been part of, it left me with so many questions, yet it was truly time spent with Christian brothers and sisters.

I greatly admired the devotion and stamina of these Christians, who perhaps truly take to heart God’s command to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ (Mark 12:30), having either stood or knelt for the entire service. This was closely followed with ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:31) in their generous hospitality. There was a genuine desire to engender ecumenical understanding.

The universal Church may have many theological differences in its expression and interpretation of worship, yet at the heart of this – and all Christian worship – is our love towards God. Each differing expression of worship can give us a unique glimpse into the many differing facets of God’s character. A sung liturgical worship must surely delight God as much as communion, Quaker silence or Charismatic hand-lifting.

Worship is a kaleidoscope of human expressions as individual as people, but each serves equally to draw us closer as disciples to our Creator.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

This week, many churches will be taking part in events to mark the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Most of us have friends who are Christian but who worship in a slightly different way from us. There are various denominations underneath the umbrella of Christianity and each one is to be respected.

Two of the most famous characters within living memory were Bishop David Sheppard and Archbishop Derek Worlock – both of Liverpool. David Sheppard was also a famous cricketer, and this earned him a certain amount of respect within the sporting community of this great city.

These two men, one Anglican and the other a Roman Catholic, worked tirelessly in the 1970’s and 80’s to bring calm to a city torn apart with deep religious divisions. They became icons of hope and were affectionately known as ‘fish and chips’ as they were always together and rarely out of the paper!!

In 2005 a statue (comprising of two doors) was commissioned by the Liverpool Echo and paid for by the people of Liverpool. This statue commemorates the work done by these men during dark days. They were truly Brothers in Christ and a great example of Christian unity.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



The Collect (special prayer for today)
Almighty God,
in Christ you make all things new:
transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace,
and in the renewal of our lives
make known your heavenly glory;
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.

Today we hear the story of how Jesus changed water into wine.

Cx :-)

Thank you, Cynthia, for all your recent posts. I especially enjoyed learning about some of the epiphany customs, some new to me and some not. I first came across the chalking on doors of C + M + B in Germany in 1957 and had to ask my German penfriend what it meant. I know I have mentioned before that this is the time of year when I always reread T S Eliot's poem Journey of the Magi, a piece of work that really speaks to me.

Thinking of all the people facing winter in war zones and those who have lost everything through natural or man-made disasters and giving thanks that we can be warm and safe. Take care everyone.

Good morning :-)


A simple prayer for today:

Heavenly Father, I give thanks in all circumstances this Saturday morning. Help me to have a grateful heart, recognizing Your goodness and blessings in my life. Let gratitude fill my thoughts and words, transforming my perspective and actions. Thank You for Your constant love and provision. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

I'm loving reading this week's daily posts Cynthia, each one has given me food for thought, thank you so much.

There are lots of nasty germs around. Take care, keep warm and stay safe everyone.

Good morning :-)

Things God won’t ask

God won't ask what kind of car you drove; He'll ask how many people you took to church.

God won't ask the cost of your house; He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

God won't ask about the fashionable clothes you had in your wardrobe; He'll ask how many people you helped to clothe.

God won't ask how much you earned; He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

God won't ask what your job title was; He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

God won't ask how many friends you had; He'll ask how many people you were a friend to.

God won't ask in what neighbourhood you lived; He'll ask how you treated your neighbours.

God won't ask about the colour of your skin; He'll ask about the content of your character.

God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation; He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven and not to the gates of Hell.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

When a farmer's donkey fell into a well, the farmer initially felt despair, deciding that the animal was old and the well needed to be covered anyway. He called on his neighbours for help, and they began shovelling dirt into the well. At first, the donkey cried out, but then something incredible happened: he started to shake off the dirt and take a step up with each shovel full. The farmer and his neighbours watched in astonishment as the donkey persevered, eventually stepping over the edge of the well and trotting away.

MORAL: Life will inevitably throw challenges your way, but the key is to shake them off and rise above. Each struggle can be a stepping stone to a brighter outcome. Keep moving forward and never give up!

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Sometimes, we all need a 'pick me up' in life, especially when we are going through trying times.

Enduring Faith

I've dreamed many dreams that never came true,
I've seen them vanish at dawn,
But I've realized enough of my dreams, thank God,
To make me to want to dream on.

I've prayed many prayers when no answer came
Though I waited patient and long,
But answers have come to enough of my prayers
To make me keep praying on.

I've trusted many a friend who failed,
And left me to weep alone,
But I've found enough of my friends true blue,
To make me keep trusting on.

I've sown many a seed that fell by the way
For the birds to feed upon,
But I've held enough golden sheaves in my hands
To make me keep sowing on.

I've drained the cup of disappointment and pain
And gone many days without song,
But I have enough faith in our wonderful God
To make me want to keep on.

Sending love to all going through trying times at the moment.
<3

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Epiphany celebrates not only the visit of the Wise Men and Jesus' baptism but also Jesus’ first miracle when he changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana in Galilee.

Imagine catering for a party and not having enough to go round – you would be so embarrassed. The host at Cana would have been deeply ashamed at running out of wine – and then Jesus performs this significant miracle. Amazing – it was even better than the wine that had been served at the beginning and there was plenty of it!

All weddings are important events and this one in Cana was very special as it marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry and showed His divine authority. It wasn’t just a display of power it showed His ability to bring joy and abundance to our lives.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Oh dear! I hadn't realised I had missed yesterday but it was a difficult day. No central heating and no water! Not recommended in this weather. All sorted now :-D


The Baptism of Christ

Beginning here we glimpse the Three-in-one;
The river runs, the clouds are torn apart,
The Father speaks, the Spirit and the Son
Reveal to us the single loving heart
That beats behind the being of all things
And calls and keeps and kindles us to light.
The dove descends, the spirit soars and sings
'You are belovèd, you are my delight!'
In that swift light and life, as water spills
And streams around the Man like quickening rain,
The voice that made the universe reveals
The God in Man who makes it new again.
He calls us too, to step into that river,
To die and rise and live and love forever.


Cx :-)