WELCOME TO ST MARY'S AND ALL SOULS
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Take a look at the churches in the Benefice from the air |
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St Mary's and All Souls Services We will post any revisions to services here and on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/StMarysAndAllSouls |
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St Mary's and All Souls latest Newsletter |
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PCC Papers You can now download minutes and other PCC documents from the PCC page |
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Food Bank latest needs: https://bromleyborough.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/donate-food/ *PLEASE DON'T SEND US FROZEN OR CHILLED ITEMS AS WE DON'T HAVE THE CORRECT STORAGE FOR IT AND IT SPOILS BEFORE WE CAN DISTRIBUTE IT* WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF PASTA, CEREAL & BISCUITS
Thank you!
Judith Simmonds will be taking the Parish contributions towards the end of the month so please drop your donations into our box in the porch before then. |
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The Church Of England Daily Prayer |
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Phillip Southby writes:
What a year! Our hot, dry summer is being followed by an autumn where temperatures remain above normal and rainfall below. And with the hosepipe ban still in place, we are all being asked to modify our behaviour to reflect the water shortage.
Even the wild animals have been affected. Sightings of deer in our garden feeding on the greenery and the fruit have increased from once or twice a year to once or twice a week, and the badgers are digging holes everywhere looking for something to eat.
Hopefully, by the time you read this, November will have brought some much-needed steady rain.
November already, the year is flying by! Into the Advent season at the end of the month, and then it’s Christmas.
Advent is traditionally a time of preparation for the coming of Christ into the world not only as a baby, which we celebrate at Christmas, but also His Second Coming as the judge of the world at the end of the age, the last day.
A few weeks ago, my daily readings took me into the last few chapters of the book of Revelation, where the apostle John is describing his vision of God’s judgement of the world that will accompany Christ’s Second Coming. But what struck me was a comment in the notes.
The writer said that, particularly in the West, where people have been shaped by the promise of an age of growth, prosperity and happiness, they may have difficulty accepting John’s world view that, for Christians, life is going to get a lot more difficult.
In one sense, life is becoming more fragile for all of us. I remember growing up with the threat of a nuclear Armageddon, but to that we have added the prospect of climate change leading to crop failures and rising sea levels, and now the challenges of uncontrolled Artificial Intelligence.
Just as the weather conditions in our part of the world have forced us to change our day-to-day behaviour, should we be modifying our behaviour as Christians to reflect difficulties ahead?
I firmly believe that we have all been placed in particular neighbourhoods, friendship circles, work environments, and even families, for a purpose. And that purpose is to witness to our faith both by what we say and the way that we lead our lives.
That doesn’t mean that we all have to be evangelists. If we think back to our own journey to faith, it probably consisted of a number of incidents, conversations, or actions that led us to make a decision to follow Christ.
We don’t know when this age will come to an end, but what we do know is that it is a day closer today than it was yesterday. Therefore, we should be praying for opportunities to share our faith with all those that our normal activities bring us into contact with. And don’t be surprised when those opportunities arise. That’s what we’re here for.
Phillip Southby
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