February 2026 Dear friends, As I write this letter I think back to our celebrations once again of Christ’s birth and the opportunities offered to welcome visitors to our Christmas Tree Festival and special services, our thanks to all who worked so hard to make these possible. It was lovely to see our sanctuary full […]
Winter Outreach Report: Community Partnerships, Digital Updates & 40th Anniversary Plans
Summary of Outreach community activities (Nov 2025 – Jan 2026) Hello everyone,It’s been a wonderfully busy and exciting festive season across our church and community. As we’ve moved through Advent, Christmas, and into the New Year, I’m grateful for the chance to share some highlights from the past couple of months. Building Connections & Community […]
Christmas Reflections: Supporting One Another Through the Festive Season
Message from an Elder – December 2025 Happy Christmas Everyone. As I write this letter it seems too early to wish you all a Happy Christmas, but time seems to fly so fast these days that soon it seems like it will be Easter, another very special time of the year. Some people find it hard […]
From Eco Toilet Rolls to Ethical Gifts: Supporting Clean Sheet This Christmas
Eco Matters report December 2025 Toilet rolls. A while ago, I was asked to review eco toilet rolls and make recommendations. Since then, many new providers have entered the market. All have much in common – the rolls come in packs of 24 or 48 and are much larger than shop rolls, so they last […]
Rewilding Carrifran: A Nature Restoration Success
Eco report November 2025 Rewilding I came upon the story of Carrifran Wildwood from a library book I’m reading- “Natures Ghosts” by Sophie Yeo. Carrifran is a project to re-establish native woodland and the associated ecology. It’s a glen north-east of Moffat, part of the Southern Uplands of Scotland. This is all down to Philip […]
Family Memories at Butlins: A Holiday Reflection
Message from an Elder – November 2025 Dear Friends, I am writing this whilst on holiday with my grandsons at Butlins, Bognor Regis. Many of you, like me, will have many childhood memories of holidays or day trips. Butlins has changed a lot to keep up to date, but has still kept many original features; […]
October 2025 Eco Report: Sustainable Church Initiatives
October 2025 Eco Report On 5th September I went to a meeting at Avenue St Andrews Church and was very happy to meet a room full of people all interested in green matters and making their churches more sustainable. We were able to share our experiences and what has worked well for us, and what […]
Faith and Loyalty: Lessons from Football Fans
October 2025 Message from an Elder Dear Friends I know it’s a few weeks ago, but on writing, the last home game I attended at St Mary’s Stadium was Southampton v Portsmouth. A local derby that has a lot of history and was hyped up by the media so much in the week preceding the game, […]
The Growing Plastic Waste Crisis: Key Facts and Figures
September 2025 Eco Report Plastic! One thing we cannot escape is plastic waste. Global plastic waste is expected to reach 1.7 billion metric tonnes (MT’s) by 2060, costing a cumulative $281 trillion by some estimates. Did you know the first commercially produced plastic was called Bakelite, invented by Leo Baekeland in 1907? The plastics industry […]
September Reflections: A Message of Hope and Solidarity
Dear Friends Welcome to September 2025. I was thinking about what September means for some people, mainly students and their parents in respect of the academic year. There will be 4/5 years olds going to primary school for the very first time with anxious parents in tow. Existing pupils will be starting a new year, […]