General Chat

I am sorry you and others are having such a stressful time over possible church closures Cynthia I will keep you in my thoughts.

I am enjoying Celtic week.

Yesterday we went on a coach trip to Windsor Castle. I was so impressed with St George's Chapel which I thought was beautiful. Even though it was very busy and there were people everywhere I found it a very calming space.

As we had a while to spare before our timed entry.to the castle OH and I visited the parish church just down the road and there saw the most amazing sculpture. It is a representation of The Last Supper and quite big. At first sight it appears to be small tiles set in some sort of resin or glass fibre but when you look closely the tiles are keys from recycled computer keyboards. Mostly they are random but a lot have been set to form words or even biblical quotations. In the brief time we had I just saw a few instances of Amen but I could have spent hours looking at it. Some people are so talented and have chosen to use those talents in such good ways. If you are interested to see it google "The Last Supper sculpture by Peter Barnes".

Good morning :-)

Celtic Week

May there always be work for your hands to do.
May your purse always hold a coin or two.
May the sun always shine upon your window pane.
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain.
May the hand of a friend always be near to you and
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.
(traditional blessing)

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Celtic Week

Christ we rise today
Knowing that you alone
Know our hearts
You alone can change
Our sadness into joy
Forgive us our shortcomings
each us patience
each us kindness
Help us to forgive
Those who have injured us
And keep us from injuring others
Keep our way lighted
With your steadfast love. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


Thanks Kandj. Speak soon. <3


Celtic Week

I arise today
Through a mighty strength:
God's power to guide me,
God's might to uphold me,
God's eyes to watch over me;
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to give me speech,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to shelter me,
God's host to secure me.


Cx :-)

Hello all

It is really good to read your update Tabitha, I hope you continue to feel better in yourself.

Cynthia, it's not good to read of a possible closure within your church.... this has happened more than once in our village church and we are still open.
Ongoing support in prayer during a difficult period.

"The Lord will guide you always." Isaiah 58 v 11.

Gentle hugs to those who are feeling ill today x

Good afternoon :-)


Please excuse me if I am a little hit-and-miss this week. We have a situation in Wigan where there is the possibility of between 11-15 churches being closed. This involves a lot of phone calls, typing and meetings, and talking to people who are understandably upset. My brain is somewhat mashed but the troops must be rallied!!

Celtic Week


Enfolding love
God the Father,
enfold us with your love;
God the Son,
surround us with your presence;
God the Spirit,
revitalise us with your power.
Surround, enfold, revitalise us
each day, each night.

Cx :-)

Good Morning Everyone

Thank you for your kind wishes.

Feeling very good, can get back to normal sot of now. pills working well, and i can start to reduce them to 3 a day next Tuesday. Gosh when my Dr comes back off his sabbatical in November he will notice a difference in me.

We had our Flu Jabs on Saturday, now waiting Covid ones. My next appointment is 24 Oct with my other favorite Dr (this one is younger, very good looking, and so easy to talk to, he is actually my husbands Dr)

Glad the Harvest festival/Supper went well. Its one of the best times of the year, i use to love it. Missed it at our local church, but will try & look out for it next year.

Glad the storm missed you, we have been lucky so far.

Keep well & posting, I will look in during the week.

Love to all

Hello all

Vera, I've never heard the Isley Brothers song but I've listened on Youtube.... this is very poignant with Harvest Services and tells a powerful story. Thanks.

"Thank you" is the best prayer that anyone can say. (Alice Walker).

I think most churches are now passing their Harvest gifts on to various Food Banks and organisations that can distribute them to those in need. But isn't it sad that so many do have that need? We are a affluent country and it shouldn't be happening here but we must also think of those countries where drought or floods or bad governance mean there is no harvest.

There is an old Isley Brothers song from the 1970s called Harvest for the World. It's not the easiest of songs to understand but I think it is mostly a plea for peace and equality. There are a couple of lines in it that resonate at this time of year.

All babies together, everyone a seed
Half of us are satisfied, half of us in need
Love's bountiful in us, tarnished by our greed
When will there be a harvest for the world?

Hello all

1st of October already, where did September go?

A special Harvest Service this morning, lots of food donated and envelopes filled with money to help our village Food Bank support group.
"It is more blessed to give than to receive."
Acts 20 v 35 NIV bible.

We plough the fields and scatter
the good seed on the land.
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand.
He sends the snow in Winter
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine
and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above.
So thank the Lord
O thank the Lord
for all his love.

It just had to be this traditional hymn sung today!

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 the Gospel today we hear about the authority of Jesus

Cx :-)

Good afternoon :-)

Yes, I enjoyed the Harvest Supper but glad it is all over. Now moving on to thinking about the November Fair!!!!!!


Harvest – generosity – our willingness

God Forgave My Sin In Jesus’ Name
I’ve Been Born Again In Jesus’ Name
And In Jesus’ Name I Come To You
To Share His Love As He Told Me To

He Said: ‘Freely, Freely, You Have Received
Freely, Freely Give
Go In My Name, And Because You Believe
Others Will Know That I Live.’

All Power Is Given In Jesus’ Name
In Earth And Heaven In Jesus’ Name
And In Jesus’ Name I Come To You
To Share His Power As He Told Me To

He Said: ‘Freely, Freely, You Have Received
Freely, Freely Give
Go In My Name, And Because You Believe
Others Will Know That I Live.’


Cx :-)

Hello all

I'm sure Cynthia will enjoy Harvest Supper tonight.

Harvest Festival comes around.
Bushes of blackberries can be found.

For some the school days have begun
The Summer holiday been and gone.

September, October bring darker nights
A warm coat needed to wrap up tight.

The insects now seem far and few.
The trees grow bare, a sky less blue.

First came Spring,
then came Summer sun.
Now the Autumn has begun.

Sounds familiar I think. Stay warm everyone.

Hello all

Helping run the weekly coffee morning in church is a privilege listening to village people come inside and share their special memories with me.

Storm Agnes missed us yesterday. Big relief!

Good morning :-)


Harvest Quotes:

“The harvest of old age is the recollection and abundance of blessings previously secured.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero


Who doesn’t have memories? All kinds of memories……family, friends, school and, of course, church. We thank God for our memories, those precious moments from past days. We treasure them and keep them in our hearts always.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Every day seems to be manic........................



Harvest
A prayer for those
Whose lives are thin
And shelves devoid of
Bread and tin.

A stronger prayer
For those who stand
With more than enough
In every hand.

For in God's Kingdom
Love is King
And generosity
The trendy thing.

There is no lack
Or chance despair.
No deprivation.
No hunger there.

In God's town..
No cupboards bare.
No hungry child.
No shadow there.

In the City of Angels
No fears you'll find
For hope and joy
Are all refined..

..by hands and feet
Of those who love
And serve the one
true God above.

So come on people!
Come and see
What God can do through you.
Through me.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Sorry I missed yesterday but it was rather manic to say the least.

Yes, Sunday was Harvest Festival for us. The church looked magnificent - it was a traditional sight - fruit, vegetables and flowers as well as tinned and dried goods.

We spent a lot of time yesterday organising where everything was going. There was such a huge amount of stuff but it got sorted - the tinned and dried goods went to the foodbank and the fresh fruit etc I took to our local hospice. They were so very grateful because, as with most people, every penny counts.

Next, is our Harvest Supper on Friday - hotpot to the rescue.

Anyway, moving on.

The word Harvest has other meanings too ........

A quote:


Harvest. A quote:

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t sown!”
- David Bly


This speaks for itself. How can a church be successful if people don’t work hard to help?


Cx :-)

Hallo everyone,

I didn't realise that I hadn't posted for a couple of weeks. Where does the time go? I do generally manage to read the daily posts and thank Cynthia for another interesting week.

Gosh, you have been going through a tough time Tabitha. I hope things are starting to improve for you now. Very belated birthday wishes for you and your OH. What a coincidence that your birthdays are the same day.

OH and I are OK, thank you Kandj. Like most people of our age we have our ups and downs and life has been quite hectic and a touch difficult for a few weeks but we manage and we have a lot to be grateful for.

Harvest Festival - ah, that brings back memories of the church full of veg and fruit and carrying my little box up to the priest to be put with the others at the front of the church. It makes sense to take tins and packets - after all, they are still a part of God's good harvest, and I suspect that the fresh stuff from our childhood harvest festivals was often past its best when it reached the recipients. It's a good idea for your church to pass harvest offerings on to the Food Bank Kandj. So many people seem to be struggling with the cost of living right now and, sadly, many feel ashamed that they have to use the food banks.

Thoughts tonight for all those who are hungry and in need.

Hello all

I hope all went well yesterday at the Harvest service in Cynthia's church. Such a special time.

The Harvest Festival service in my village church is planned for next Sunday. Lots to sort out as we are still without a Priest of our own to organise events.

I'm hoping that we will be singing, Come Ye Thankful People Come and also We Plough the Fields and Scatter....I need to have a quiet word with our organist methinks.

It's been suggested that donations of tinned and packet food are brought into church and then passed over to help the Food Bank Support Group.
Very sad how families are struggling here just now.

Prayerful support for those who are upset.

Hello all

Tabitha, it's lovely to hear from you. Happy birthday wishes to you and to your hubby. I hope you have a great day and have enjoyed your special lunch.

You've certainly been having a rough time with ongoing pain for such a long time. It was worth giving the Physio a try, but she didn't seem to do very much apart from taking payments from you.

Thank goodness that you have a supportive GP!!

Reading your long message until the end had me smiling, I'm really pleased that the steroid tablets are working so that you're feeling better slowly.
Would you come back with an update after seeing your GP next Tuesday please..... in the meantime, keep taking the tablets and have a VERY Happy Birthday you two. What a coincidence that you and your husband have birthdays on the same day!

I hope that Vera's feeling a little better too, it's been a while since we heard from her.

Cynthia, Good Luck with your Harvest Service. It's hard to think that it's this time of year already!
It was the 1st day of Autumn yesterday, so where did our Summer months go ??