Good evening friends, 

How are you this evening? 

This week saw the start of the Bible Course sessions and we have been delighted by the turn out. There have been some good discussions and lots of opportunity for us to learn together, so well done and thank you to everyone who has signed up. It’s not too late to join one of the groups, so please can you let us know if you are going to come along – there is a book to buy and we’ve used all the spares! I can get some more though, if needs be. Just let a member of the clergy know

Our harvest services have begun and it’s really pleasing to see so many of our churches collecting food or cash for local foodbanks and pantries. We are such a generous people and I think living in an area where farming is so visible and personal makes us generous people. Thank you 🙂

Just a couple of dates to tell you about – don’t forget The big Breakfast this Saturday. It is the Memorial Hall in Usk form 8am-11am. You are assured a warm welcome and a hearty locally sourced breakfast. Come alone and make friends, or bring friends and family. We usually cook and serve at least 100 breakfasts to people from across the whole Ministry Area, you will be very welcome.

Finally – Hannah, Will, Helen, Stephen, Bill, and myself are on a Quiet Day on Monday. We will be praying together, and taking the Ministry Area with us, in spirit, as an opportunity to step back from the day to day stuff and actually try to tune into God’s purpose for us all. Please let us know if we can pray for you that day. The place we are going to is somewhere we are exploring for a MA Quiet Day. Watch this space for more information.

And now for some dinner. Will is walking up to the Indian restaurant for a take away and I’m about to put my pjs on! See you soon, and do let m know if I can pray for you.

With love,

Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Good evening friends,

It’s good to be sat writing this, having returned from our summer holiday which was both refreshing and wonderful! It has also been lovely to come home though. I wouldn’t normally share health stories with you but I think I should on this occasion  – I’m a little bit deaf! This has been caused by a very heavy cold which has left me with blocked middle ears and eustachian tubes which the GP gently informed me may take weeks or months to fully clear! As a result I’m missing things and needing to ask people to repeat things, so please bear with me! As a side note, I can’t hear my own voice very well so am never quite sure whether I’m speaking loudly enough or singing in tune, so gently letting me know if I need to do anything different will be greatly appreciated. Let’s hope normal service is resumed quickly!

On Saturday we have the Usk Show and I look forward to seeing you there. Do pop into the homecraft tent – several people across the MA have entered the Co-Operative class on our behalf, and I am sure it will be an excellent display. Also don’t forget to come to the chaplaincy tent, by the main ring, there will be a few familiar faces there and a warm welcome.

My final bit of news is to let you know that you may bump into a new person at Sunday services, Amy Gingell, who is starting a placement with us while she trains for Lay Licensed Ministry. She is with us for at least a year and will initially be accompanying me, but may well pop up in other places as time goes on. I know you will welcome her warmly.

That seems a good place to finish and to remind you that I am always happy to hear your prayer needs and offer a listening ear. It really is very good to be back.

With love, 

Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Good evening friends,

Another day draws to a close, and it has been a mixed one – we have been celebrating the bittersweet news that Eli, the youngest offspring has secured a place at university in Edinburgh and will be leaving us shortly. We are of course delighted for him, but another person leaving the nest, albeit for term time only, feels hard. It’s a little reminder to me that we should make sure we enjoy our loved ones and make the most of them at every opportunity!

Just one piece of information for you this week, and that is to say that Will and I are off on our holidays on Monday, really early and will be away for just over two weeks. I will be back in circulation on Thursday 4^th September but won’t get to my emails and the like until the following Monday probably – there is a wedding, service prep, baptisms, the usual Sunday services, plus a couple of meetings to squeeze in as I get over the jetlag! While I’m gone Hannah will be your first point of contact but Helen and Stephen are also around so please do contact any of them if you need something.

As I’m travelling with Will I don’t expect my usual disastrous stories, let’s hope it all goes smoothly as we have quite a trip planned! We have a few days in New York, on route to Will’s mum in Georgia. We will then be helping her travel to Texas for a few days to see family. I hope to get a couple of days at the beach as well, we shall see.

I shall look forward to seeing you when I return, before you know it we will be in the season of Harvest, and you know what comes hot on those heels? Shhhhh!

I’ve attached a prayer for you below, and I send you my love,

Sally xxx

Heavenly Father, I come before you today with a heart full of gratitude. Thank you for your countless blessings and your unwaivering love. Thank you for the gift of life, for the air I breathe, and for the strength you give me each day. Your grace and mercy sustain me, and I am deeply grateful for your presence in my life.

Thank you for my family, friends, and the community you have surrounded me with. Thank you for providing for my needs and for guiding me with your wisdom. Even in times of trial, I thank you for the lessons and the growth that come from trusting in you.

Lord, may I never take your blessings for granted. Help me to remain mindful of your goodness and to share your love and kindness with others. I praise your name and give thanks for all that you are and all that you do.

In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

All the information from Saturdays very successful and informative History Day is now available. Just click on the History Tab above.

Good evening everyone, 

I trust you are well and this week is proving to be productive and without nasty surprises?

My highlight is that briefly yesterday I got my email inbox down to 115, which felt like an achievement – I have low sights on what an achievement is hahaha!

I went to see an old friend this week, it was good to catch up and I was surprised to receive flowers, even though I was the one visiting. I had bought a small bunch to say thank you for lunch, but received a stunning and colourful bouquet in return. Those flowers are now cheering up my study, and keep catching my eye. Such a lovely gift. Then yesterday a couple of people popped over with more food and drink as gifts than I provided for them. People are so so generous. 

These generous acts have reminded me of the random acts of kindness movement that seems to have gone quiet- you know the one – where people would leave flowers on park benches, or buy the coffee that the person behind them in the queue had ordered. The joy of giving really is a thing, but we are not very good at receiving gifts are we? 

I am endeavouring to be a better receiver, and to make more effort to be a random giver of kindness. Does any of this chime with you? My observation is that many of you are exceptionally good at generous giving, but how gracious are you at receiving from others? Food for thought I suspect. 

Luke 6:38 
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

You know where to find me if you need anything, otherwise, be assured of my prayers, as always,

Love Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Good evening friends,

Tomorrow is August! How did that happen? One day at a time, but sometimes they seem to go so fast, all these days! August is traditionally a quiet month in church life, but I don’t seem to notice that – weddings and baptisms are more popular when the sun shines and I also feel bogged down with all the things I’ve waited for a quiet moment to do! Will and I do have a trip to the States planned for the end of the month, so suddenly the pressure is on to get everything done! Haha! Most of the pressure is self induced, so no sympathy please 🙂

How are you at the moment? Are you getting a healthy life balance? How is your spiritual life? It’s always worth checking in with ourselves to make sure that we are remembering to pray, to listen to the still small voice of God (or the clanging gong, depending on how he chooses), and to ensure that we are giving the right things priority in our lives. It’s easy to get things out of kilter isn’t it? So many questions!

When I need to check in and make sure my life is balanced I start by tidying my desk! I think that might be a distraction. And then I turn to a really simple book of prayer, the simplicity is important. We can make our prayers and our encounters with God far too complicated. So simple prayers, simple reflections, and simple listening. It really does work. 

That sounds like a sensible point to stop for this letter. I’m off to Solihull tomorrow to see my parents; just a day trip, it’s been a few weeks since I saw them.

I’ll finish with a prayer – it’s a simple one, and you probably know it!

God,

grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Amen

With love,

Sally xxx

Please note that Friday is usually my rest day. Emails received on Friday may not be responded to until after the weekend. Thank you for your understanding.

Follow the link below to read all about our ECO Gold achievements

Diocesan Midweek Mailing