From Rev'd Louise

Monthly reflection

July 2026 Holidays

For many years now, one of the features of July for me has been visiting schools as they celebrate all that their leavers have contributed to their school. Even without new adventures to look forward to, many of us probably never lose that sense of excitement as holidays begin. So this month I found myself reflecting on holidays, and on some of the people holidays used to be named after.

The word ‘holiday,’ comes originally from ‘holy day.’ Long before ‘annual leave’ existed, ‘holy days’ - often celebrating the lives of saints - would be days when people stopped working for half a day or a day (and were encouraged or expected to go to church instead) Some historians have estimated that in medieval times, local churches might have celebrated over 150 saints during the year! Most of us have probably never heard of most of these saints, but there are two saints that I particularly notice at this time of year.

The first is St Barnabas. The Bradwell Infant School and Nursery (right next door to St Barnabas Church) celebrates St Barnabas Day each year on 11th June and I am always invited to join them for their celebration in church. ‘Barnabas’ was a nickname meaning ‘Son of encouragement,’ that was given to Barnabas by the other disciples, because he was particularly known for supporting others, and giving them a second chance when they needed it. The motto of Bradwell Infant School and Nursery is, ‘Encourage one another and build each other up,’ and it is always a delight to see how well the children at the school do exactly that today.

The second saint I notice at this time of year is St Peter, because the yearly ordinations of new priests and deacons always take place on a weekend near to St Peter’s Day at the end of June. Pictures and statues of St Peter often show him holding keys, because traditionally St Peter is believed to have the ‘keys’ to let people into heaven.

The gospels describe the ‘Kingdom of heaven’ as a place where everything is as God wills it to be, where all are equally precious in God’s sight and where all are enabled to flourish. Christianity teaches that part of being Christian is a calling to work together to build, ‘the kingdom of heaven on earth,’ that is to build communities where all flourish, and all are valued.

As I look at the two saints I have mentioned, it feels to me as if we all hold the keys to heaven. By living like St Barnabas did, by supporting and valuing and caring for others, we can all play our role in building God’s kingdom in the communities we are part of. My prayer for us all this month is that, like the children at Bradwell Infant School and Nursery, we will all try to do just that.

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June 2026 Churches Count on Nature

Over the years, there have been countless times when I have asked members of prayer groups or small discussion groups, ‘Where do you most / best sense God?’ Over all those years, only once has someone replied, ‘In church.’ The most common answer, by a very long way, has always been, ‘Outside, in nature.’

That answer has never surprised me. I spent my childhood in a tiny hamlet of eight houses, surrounded by miles and miles of arable farmland, long before the days of intensive use of agricultural chemicals that has become the norm today. My childhood hummed and twittered, and hopped and crawled and bounded with the myriad of insects and birds and animals that surrounded us in vast numbers. I understood and knew God through his presence in the wonder and beauty of the natural world around me, long before I became a Christian. I have cherished God’s creation since younger than I can remember, loving all life for its own sake long before I learned to love it because God does.

Over the decades of my Christian journey of faith, I have seen the Church of England gradually rediscovering a truth known to environmentalists world-wide, a truth that was known to our ancestors in faith for most of Christian history, only forgotten a few hundred years ago; that we are part of God’s Creation, unique only in that we have the capacity to love and care for all that God has made, as God does. I have seen the Church of England gradually rediscovering what was known to the writers of Genesis five hundred years before the birth of Christ; that humanity’s unique role is to share with God in caring for and protecting his Creation. In recent years, the Church of England has written this into its Five Marks of Mission, the five characteristics that describe what the Church of England defines as essential characteristics of being a church. The Fifth Mark of Mission is, ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.’ In our global climate and biodiversity crises, we see how care for creation is also inseparable from care for our human neighbours; world-wide it is the poorest and the most vulnerable humans who are impacted most severely by the climate and biodiversity crises.

Each year, in June, the Church of England encourages us to reconnect with the nature that is essential to our well-being and that of our neighbours near and far. The Churches Count on Nature initiative encourages churches and communities to notice and record the species living in churchyards and burial grounds, from wildflowers and insects, to birds and mammals. Details of how to get involved can be found at https://arocha.org.uk/what-we-do/churches-count-on-nature/

My prayer is that even if you do not choose to take part in Churches Count On Nature, we will all find time to simply be still somewhere and take some time to notice and appreciate our non-human neighbours that we share God’s land with.

May 2026 Signs of summer

As I write this, the weather is looking like it is about to rain again, and for the last few weeks temperatures have been swinging from cold to hot to cold again. Yet, there are many signs that summer is definitely on the way. I wonder which signs of approaching summer you tend to notice?

For the last few weeks, Richard and I have been waiting eagerly to see our first swift of the season, and tracking news of their gradual migration northwards. But we’ve also been watching the gradual return of summer tourists. Before Easter, we begin to spot the return of Duke of Edinburgh groups, followed by steadily increasing numbers of visitors as the weather warms.

Although I understand that large numbers of tourists can bring challenges to any area, Richard and I really enjoy living in an area that is ‘touristy.’ Every time we stop to chat to walkers we meet, or simply watch tourists’ enjoyment of the place that has become home for us, it reminds me afresh of how fortunate I am to live in a place that people enjoy visiting. And each time, it reminds me afresh of how privileged I am to enjoy all year round what our visitors only get to enjoy briefly.

But as I see the number of visitors coming into our churches, sometimes very briefly, sometimes staying longer, I am also reminded of how privileged our churches are to have contact with so many people. I am sure that people visit our churches for many reasons, from simple curiosity, to a love of historical buildings, to seeking a moment’s quiet, or a respite from the rain. Some come to our services, some come to pray, some come with no faith connection at all. But to all of them, our churches have the opportunity to offer something of the love of God, though our welcome, through our hospitality, or simply though offering a space for people to pray or simply to ‘be’.

My prayer is that all who enter our church buildings will feel warmth and belonging. But my prayer too is that you will let us know what our churches feel like for you. What could we do better? What is missing? What are you seeing that we are not? And my prayer is that all who enter our churches, for whatever reason, will leave feeling blessed by their visit.