Dear friends,

This morning was a beautiful one in church as it was filled with community, conversation and of course coffee. We began with a simple service, seated in a circle, in which we discussed the readings for today and prayed with one another, passing the candle of God’s love around from person to person. We then ate together, chatting more about all the things going on in our lives. These conversations continued with our wider parish community as we hosted the first pop-up of our new initiative: Café Reconnect. This pay as you can café is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to get together and share a cup of tea, a bite to eat and enjoy the special space that is St Martin’s in a different way. We always have a laugh when we get together but there is also something about having a café in a church which can draw out some deeper conversations from time to time. Whether you want to find space to ask questions about faith, life and God or share a difficult situation you are dealing with, our gatherings, both for prayer and for coffee can be great spaces to have those conversations. Equally, if you work from home and want some company whilst you work, or have space for a short break, why not come along and setup at Café Reconnect one week?

This Sunday, whilst Becky enjoys some much-deserved time off, we are fortunate to be joined by not one but two guest priests to celebrate the eucharist with us and share from the readings for this week. Many of you will know Rev’d’s Tim Godden and Simon Taylor as we are so often blessed by hearing what they have to say and the conversations it leads us to. So come, join us for a coffee, a service or a chat. We will gather on Sunday at 8:30 and 10:30 as well as Friday at 9:30. All our services are open to everyone and Sunday Spirit will be on at 10:30 for our children and young people.

Hope to see you soon,

Blessings,

Rev’d Phil