Dear friends,We are in a pivotal moment in the church year, described as "between All Saints and the first Sunday of Advent". These are a lot of churchy words that simply speak to me of the breadth of the community that we are part of. All Saints is the festival that reminds us of those who have gone before us, which we also celebrated last Sunday with the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed. It was very moving to gather and light so many candles in memory of those we have loved who have died. This with All Saints, and the reminder of the vast community of the faithful, sets our faith in a broad context which perhaps we need now more than ever. As I read recently, the season isn't "some saints" - and with that just celebrating the well-known, popular figures, Saints with a capital "S", of the past - but "all" saints, those unlikely, awkward individuals who were prepared to speak up and speak out even if this was unpopular. I think we need those saints now, in a time of our lives where there is uncertainty, fear, crisis, lack of confidence. We need those voices that speak about a love and power that is broad, full of meaning and purpose, that challenges the status quo. When Chris preached last weekend on All Saints she invited us to consider that we are all saints in waiting, or apprentice saints, and I wonder if this is a space we can inhabit in this in between time, as we approach Advent and then journey back to Bethlehem, back to the start of the story. How can we speak up and speak out against a narrative of fear? How can we challenge the status quo when we see there is injustice? How can we have the courage to ask the awkward questions?The Diocese is in the process of discerning and growing the new Diocesan strategy. The four values that will underpin who we are as a Church going forward are: openness, generosity, creativity and bravery. These feel like the characteristics of the saints that have gone before us and might even be the characteristics of those who have encouraged you in your own faith journey. They are certainly characteristics of who we will be hoping to be as a church community.I mentioned last week that we would particularly be invited to be generous, wherever we can, over the coming weeks. We will continue to give information, opportunities and links to those areas that most need support. Do please consider ways that you can give, either financially, with your time and effort, or with your prayer accompaniment. We continue to be that community of the faithful, who knows, who might even be saints to others.I look forward to seeing you at the various opportunities to gather over the coming days, to pray, learn, worship and grow together.With best wishesBecky