Lent will start on Ash Wednesday, 6th March, and this is traditionally when churches offer a study course. This year marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, the great poem that we recite every communion service which explores what we and virtually all Christians have believed over those centuries. The Apostles Creed is a shorter version of this which we use at Morning Prayer. To celebrate this anniversary and also to understand more about the basis of our faith, this Lent the Highley and the Brown Clee benefices will work together to look at the creeds. We will follow a course developed some years ago entitled; Pilgrim: The Creeds Book 5 (Grow Stage) by Jane Williams, Paula Gooder, Stephen Cottrell, Steven Croft, Robert Atwell, Graham Tomlin, Martyn Snow, Mary Gregory - Paperback - 9780715144442 The cost is £4 from Church House Publishing, if anyone wishes to buy a copy of the book, although this is not necessary to follow the course.For those who wish to join an online group, we will meet on Wednesday evenings from 7-8pm by Zoom, starting on Wednesday 12th March; https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3592851895?pwd=cksyL0t5TlhFUURRenpxMG9yQTVhUT09.Meeting ID: 359 285 1895 Password: 512607The courseAsh Wednesday, 6th March, In church - join us for our Ashing service.Week 1, beginning 10th March; What are the creeds?Week 2, beginning 17th March: God as TrinityWeek 3, beginning 24th March: Jesus, fully God and fully manWeek 4, beginning 31st March: Crucified, risen and ascendedWeek 5, beginning 7th April: The Holy SpiritWeek 6, beginning 14th April: One holy, catholic and apostolic church Maundy Thursday, 17th April, church service.
As we enter Holy Week, vicars throughout the land will be focusing on how to bring the Easter message to anyone they come across, to explain the significance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday to believers and nonbelievers alike. I am going for a rather different approach. This Sunday (13th), in the first of our monthly 6pm Sunday evening events, on Palm Sunday, we will be celebrating the Easter Bunny. Spoiler alert; as far as I can see, the Easter Bunny has never had any connection with Easter, but to learn more, you will need to come on Sunday... But if you can't make the service, my advice would be to make the most of the fine weather and go for a walk, or just sit out in the countryside, even just your back garden and enjoy the time. Believers can try too hard to be holy. You might spot some real bunnies, who I am sure will be equally clueless as to how they got dragged into Easter. But as you enjoy your walk, or your sitting and let your mind wander, you might just feel uplifted, free of everyday distraction. And in that time when you are taken out of yourself, whether in the company of rabbits or not, you may just become aware of what I call God.
Rev Kina Robertshaw is our rector, who was formally installed as rector of all the parishes in our benefice on April 18th 2023. Kina was previously Associate Minister at Bromyard where she gained considerable experience of working in rural communities. Kina was born in Angola and left home at 17. She was a successful entrepeneur in the fashion industry until she started to train for full-time ministry. She carried out research on Christian entrepreneurs for a master's degree and has co-authored a book on the subject. Kina can be recognised by her broad smile, her enthusiasm for meeting and talking to people and her dog, which she takes for walks. For those who want to know more about Kina, her website is Kina Robertshaw