The Revd Writes… 2026 has seen the re-introduction of an old word into our vocabulary and one which focuses the ongoing crisis in world affairs at the present time - and that word is ‘imperialism’. Imperialism is of course very familiar to us not least because our own British Empire was, at its height, the largest empire in human history, incorporating a quarter of the earth’s peoples. In recent years we have begun to reflect as a nation on what empire and colonisation has meant for indigenous peoples and the less powerful and that leaves many of us feeling uncomfortable. The triumphalism of imperialism, and the building of empire, comes at the cost of leaving many people being disenfranchised from meaningful political engagement and, sadly, the erosion of their culture, language, heritage and sometimes even religious freedoms. Smaller countries, from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia on the Russian border, to Greenland, within reach of the United States, and Taiwan within the orbit of China, find themselves consumed with anxiety about national security and the very real possibility of simply being caught up in the ‘wilderness’ of real politick in which the rule of law is abandoned and replaced with ‘might is right’. The New Testament makes much of the Baptism of Jesus and the beginning of a new chapter in the unfolding story of God’s love for all humanity. Pivotal to this story is John the Baptist. John takes himself off into the wilderness and it is in the wilderness that he contemplates the meaning of life and what it is that God is saying to the people around him. It is no coincidence that the Gospels place John in the wilderness. The wilderness was where the Israelites wandered for 40 years after fleeing the wrath of Pharaoh in powerful Egypt. In the deserts of the wilderness the Israelites rediscovered their identity as God’s people; they repented of the fact that in Egypt they were not always as faithful as they might have been and they rediscovered the meaning and value of the rule of law as a way of living a fruitful, faithful and wholesome way of life. John must ultimately give way to the Messiah – the ‘Anointed One’. He has done his best in communicating the need for a new way of life that is faithful and honourable in all things. In Christ the wilderness years are banished as the Kingdom of God – a new vision for society - comes nearer to us, and the gulf between Creator God and God’s creation are brought together in love. History – the unfolding story of God’s salvation – teaches us that imperialist powers, and the empires that they build, come and go. British history alone teaches us that there is folly in investing too much in the immediate events of the day. This is not to deny the often-tragic consequences for those people and countries who are vulnerable, sometimes caught up in events, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Christian faith teaches us that the human story often repeats and that the current events unfolding on today’s world stage is not new. Empires come and empires go - but God is ever constant - and our faith in God is constant too. God Bless Mark
I am writing to say Thank You to you and to everyone who supports the work of our five churches across the benefice. Without your help and support it would simply not be possible for the work of our churches to continue and flourish in the way that it does - impacting for good upon the lives of so many people, both those who attend our churches regularly and those who attend occasionally - all who see their parish church as their spiritual home. Churches are dependent upon the goodwill and energy of volunteers to help keep things running smoothly. This is particularly so when it comes to major festivals and fundraising events. We are blessed with several organists who give many hours of their time in providing inspiring music for our worship. A big Thank You to Beverley Harlow and the Choir at St Mary’s, Walkern who rightly have a renowned reputation for keeping the tradition of liturgical music, including the chanting of psalms, very much alive. Not many country churches can claim to have such s solid music foundation, with robed choir, as we have at St Mary’s. Beverley facilitates the Benefice Choir for our fifth Sunday services too, an added bonus. Another big Thank You to Aimee Lauezzari. Aimee manages always to get the best out of a sometimes-temperamental organ at St Lawrence’s, Ardeley and is much loved by our young peoples’ music group. This group brings a definite sparkle to our monthly Family Services. Thank you too to Barbara Foster at St Peter’s, Benington, to Julius Drake who helps, when possible, at Holy Trinity, Throcking and to Ron Hollings, Richard Reece and Mike Stevens who plug gaps when needed. Dressing a church with flowers to make it look its best for a major festival is another task that requires much forethought and creativity. Here too across our churches we are blessed with teams of volunteers who never fail to give of their best. A growing trend now includes Remembrance Sunday in which knitted poppies are an increasingly popular symbol, both inside and outside the church, by way of commemoration. Thank You to Rachel Hurst at St Lawrence’s, Mandy Greengrass at St Peter’s, Melanie Shaw at St John the Baptist, Caroline Hollings at St Mary’s – all very gifted and talented flower arrangers. A special Thank You to Sue Jones who delights everyone with knitted soldiers, sailors and airmen on Remembrance Sunday at St Lawrence’s. Flowers lead the way at St Peter’s when it comes to fundraising. The annual Flower Festival, ably led by Dorothy Tulloch with a magnificent team of dedicated helpers, is a highlight of the calendar year. Fundraising across all our churches remains a vital part of keeping our churches’ doors open and pastoral ministry intact. A Big Thank You to everyone who gives so much time and energy to these events; they raise not only much needed funds but are equally important in bringing our communities together - to play together and to celebrate together – such community cohesion and the vital part played by our churches in facilitating this should not be taken for granted. Important too that the ‘fun’ in fundraising should not be forgotten! Each year the Diocese asks each of our churches to contribute a certain amount towards the budget that enables the Diocese to function. Most years the amount requested increases but not so for 2026. All churches across the Diocese are in fact being asked to contribute less, a consequence of good returns on investments and more support being offered from the Church Commissioners. In 2026 requested contributions are as follows (figures for 2025 are shown in brackets): Ardeley - £17266 (£17 706), Benington - £17 981 (£18 632), Cottered - £11 374 (£11 760) and Walkern - £26 996 (£27 427). Throcking is unable to contribute and is supported by the other churches in the benefice. These amounts will still be a challenge to raise, and not all of our churches will reach their target, nevertheless a reduction in the requests is welcome. Again, a Big Thank You to everyone who donates money to help keep us on the road. A new feature in our churches this year is the introduction of static card readers, giving opportunities for those who don’t carry cash to be able to donate. A Big Thank You to Jim Davies who steps down as treasurer at St Peter’s after several years of diligence and sound advice in helping to manage the PCC’s funds. And welcome to Hetta Chase who steps in to take up the reins and continue the good work moving forwards. An often unseen piece of work undertaken by the local church is dealing with numerous queries by those researching family trees and wanting to locate graves of past relatives. This can be a time-consuming business and often means dealing with requests from overseas. A Big Thank You to Eleanor Waldock at St Mary’s and to Len Little at St Lawrence’s for taking on this responsibility. If you have a request in this regard do please get in touch and we will do our best to help. 2026 will see St Mary’s Church being left open at weekends. This follows on from Holy Trinity at Throcking being open at weekends in the summer months. The logistics for this at Walkern are still being worked out but it will be a new opportunity for local people, walkers and other pilgrims to be able to pop into the church and discover this ecclesiastical gem. St Lawrence’s, Ardeley is open at weekends too, as is St John the Baptist in Cottered. Enjoy the tour! If you think the Church can be of any help to you, don’t hesitate to be in touch. God Bless, Mark
The Revd Writes… The 2nd of February sees the feast of Candlemas celebrated in the Christian Church. Traditionally, candles to be used in homes throughout the year would be brought to church to be blessed in honour of the occasion of Mary and Joseph bringing the child Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem It is difficult to imagine a more vulnerable figure than the young woman, Mary. If truth is told, in the ancient world of Palestine, Mary would have been little more than a young adolescent girl. Found to be with child outside of wedlock, in a patriarchal world in which women were viewed as little more than property - the shame of carrying a child, deemed illegitimate, would normally have meant that the life for such a young girl would have been over before it had started. Mary’s vulnerability connects for us in our own time and society, including within our own communities, with vulnerable women who live within unsafe marriages – physically and emotionally - and with young girls who feel unsafe, even in school from predatory boys – themselves young and immature. The issue of boys who have grown up not knowing what it is to have respect for the opposite sex; not knowing what it is to have wholesome and meaningful relationships with girls, has recently been highlighted. The latter exacerbated by easy access to pornography. Mary’s vulnerability and the unsafe world in which she found herself is in many respects still very much with us in the C21st. Mary’s world is made safe by God himself. However we want to interpret the miraculous stories and the power of the Holy Spirit, the point is that Mary is not abandoned. The life that grows within her is honoured. Joseph steps in to hold tenderly, to walk alongside, and takes on the responsibilities of what it means to be a father - to provide and to help nurture. Most importantly, Mary’s faith sustains her; the gift of God within her overcomes the innumerable obstacles that are thrown in her path – including being made homeless and the flight into Egypt as a refugee. In our hearts, as we humbly venerate Mary’s story in the unfolding of God’s love for all of us – we hold too with sensitivity and empathy the place of vulnerable women and girls within our world and communities whose daily lives are marred by fear and anxiety. Our prayer is that our faith in God will encourage us all to be vigilant, and to work wherever and whenever we can to promote wholesome relationships in which all women, and all men, and all girls and all boys are enabled to flourish. Happy Candlemas! God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… “Come butler, come fill us a bowl of the best Then we hope that your soul in heaven may rest But if you do draw us a bowl of the small Then down shall go butler, bowl and all.” For many, January dawns and with it the relief that Christmas is over. Christmas decorations and lights, which seem to go up earlier each year - reflecting perhaps more the advent theme of light amidst darkness than nativity – are quickly taken down and put away. There disappearance taking with them the strains and stresses of Christmas shopping, unwanted gifts, and the complexity of strained family gatherings, are warmed by the longing for a return to a more predictable normality. Yet the cold of winter and the ‘back to normal’ leaves some of us missing the festive glow of a more sociable time, and the opportunity to lose oneself in the gaiety of the season now passed. ‘Blue Monday’ (19th January) the day in many mental health calendars highlighted to be the most depressing day of the year (a bit of a myth), focuses attention on the challenges of what it means to keep one’s mind healthy. The increase in daylight hours, though helpful, still make this easier said than done. Amidst the shadows, spring feels a long way off. The seventh verse of the Gloucester Wassail, an C18th Christmas Carol, gives warning that we need each other if our bowls are to be filled of the best. 2026 and the weathering of the storms of ‘here we go again’, both physical and mental in different guises, require the renewing of the commitment to generous and constant hearts - sensitive and empathic to the needs of each other and to the needs of ourselves - exercise, eat well, drink sensibly, talk to someone who understands. In the Christian calendar the 25th of December is but the beginning of a season. Far from taking down decorations our churches remain decked in white and gold, and the nativity scenes are only put away at Candlemas – 2nd February. Enough time to remind ourselves of the Christmas gift that God walks alongside, before the spring bulbs and the promise of new life begin to emerge. God Bless Mark
