Looking back over the past few months. The end of October was a busy time for us too, with our Activity morning on Saturday 26th when much work was done in our garden and in the Church, preparing us for the winter months to come. It was a very enjoyable morning, being kept refreshed with tea, coffee, fruit juice and water and, as always, having a good chat. A lot of surplus vegetation was taken to the dump and much dusting, hoovering and polishing took place in the Church. At the end of the month we also had a very good Harvest service followed by a wonderful lunch and during the week following we welcomed St Mark’s School and many parents to their Harvest service. Also in September and October, we were delighted to celebrate the 90th birthdays of Mary, Mike and Jenny – three of our much loved and long-standing members (Mike having been a member of the church from before he could stand!).

November was very much a month of memories. In a very touching service in St Mary’s on Sunday November 3rd we remembered those who we knew and love but see no longer. St Mark’s were pleased to play their role in that service as Dave preached and a team of us helped with the refreshments afterwards, allowing those present to have fellowship and conversation together. The following Sunday was, of course, Remembrance Sunday, with an Act of Remembrance as part of our morning service at St Mark’s, followed by the Town Remembrance Service and procession to the War Memorial in the afternoon. It is a very meaningful time of year for many people.

And so, we enter December – a month for looking forward. As many people will spend a lot of their time this month buying presents, sending cards, planning Christmas festivities and much else, the Christian church gears itself up to welcome our Saviour, worshipping him with the much-loved forms of service, readings, hymns and other music. In our quieter moments, we may ask ourselves what has happened since the last time we went through the familiar rituals and how God has blessed us through the happy and the sad times since then. As this edition of Church Alive! takes us through into January, we wonder what the New Year has for us with a relatively new Prime Minister and Government, a change of American President and many parts of the world bogged down in seemingly interminable wars and all the suffering that that entails. What we can be sure of is that the God who brought us through the turmoil of 2024 will be with us, whatever 2025 will bring. Anne and I wish you all a blessed and joyful Christmas and New Year.

John Way, Churchwarden.