I attended the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in St. Boniface (CofE) Church this evening. The church was packed. Superbly directed by Dr. Hugh Benham, the carol service certainly defines Christmas musically for Chandler’s Ford.
(If you missed the carol service this year, try not to miss it next year. Trust me, you won’t regret it.) [Read more…] about Review: Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at St. Boniface Church 2016
By Reverend Peter Hutchinson
So, as the old saying goes, “Christmas is upon us and the goose is getting fat” and, to stay in Dickensian vogue, “Bah, Humbug!” Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest! Seriously, I do find Christmas hugely stressful and have often wished that it would simply go away.
As a Clergyman I find that it is a time of high workload, with many additional pressures (as is also the case for so many in the retail trades). [Read more…] about Some Christmas Thoughts
Sri Lanka reveals itself more interesting the longer one stays here. We are back here in Kandy to study snake bites and Brenda is teaching and working to improve the library at a poor school.
I decided to research some of the improvements in the country since Independence in 1948 and got involved with some historians. The idea is to link events around the first road ever built in Sri Lanka, their A1 from Colombo to Kandy. Near the start of the road is the temple of Kelaniya. [Read more…] about Buddhist Rituals
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I have a note in my diary for Thursday 5th May 2016 indicating that is Ascension Day.
This day easily goes without noticing, in fact many diaries don’t even recall it. It’s not one of those major events in the Christian calendar like Christmas or Easter, however it is worth just considering what this day signifies.
Let’s just go back a couple of thousand years. [Read more…] about Mission Impossible Accomplished
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You know what it’s like, a bank holiday weekend’s coming up, so how are you going to amuse yourself?
Are you into conspiracy theories?
Maybe you like a thriller, action, international intrigue, even a little of the supernatural.
Easter has it all! [Read more…] about Easter Message 2016
News of the death of an old acquaintance or colleague reached me last week and raised some uncertainty about whether to go to the funeral or not. “Yes.” I said. “I knew him, once, a long time ago. Sorry to hear that he had a stroke and died.” [Read more…] about It’s Not My Funeral
The Passion of Christ: Sunday 20 March (Palm Sunday) 2016 at 6.30pm – a selection of readings, hymns, and anthems sung by St. Boniface Choir.
Easter Praise: Sunday 27 March (Easter Day) 2016 at 6.30pm – readings, hymns and an anthem for Easter Sunday evening. [Read more…] about Easter at the Parish Church of Chandler’s Ford
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“She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger.” Luke 2 v 7
Last year, for the first time in nearly 25 years, we did not have the joy of watching a family dog open his Christmas present.
Our retrievers were clumsy animals, but [Read more…] about Christmas Unwrapped – Christmas Message from Churches Together in Chandler’s Ford
Councillor Louise Bloom from Hedge End recently visited Chandler’s Ford promoting Fairtrade.
Eastleigh is now officially a Fairtrade Borough, a status achieved on 7th May 2015. Councillor Louise Bloom, a strong Fairtrade promoter, said she hopes more companies would support Fairtrade in the Borough of Eastleigh. [Read more…] about Show You Care – Chandler’s Ford Fairtrade Autumn Market
Last Friday in Chandler’s Ford, there was a fashion show of a difference.
The Fairtrade Fashion Show brought many residents to St. Martin in the Wood church, where we learnt about the importance of buying Fairtrade products, and had a chance to appreciate and buy a wide range of beautiful Fairtrade clothes, jewellery and accessories, toys, cards, and gifts. [Read more…] about Fairtrade Fashion Show: Who Made Your Clothes?
By Reverend Tim Searle
There’s no doubt about it: the death of Jesus was unexpected, and although he gave quite a few hints that it would happen, the disciples either didn’t believe him, or just didn’t want to.
And when it did finally happen, it left the disciples in a state of shock and dismay that they wouldn’t have recovered from had it not been for what happened next. For if Jesus’ death was unexpected, his resurrection was doubly so … or was it? [Read more…] about Minister’s Letter – Easter 2015
Just after recent solar eclipse was over, the first verse of an Easter hymn by Charles Wesley came into my mind:
Love’s redeeming work is done;
Fought the fight, the battle won:
Lo, our Sun’s eclipse is o’er!
Lo, he sets in blood no more.
Let’s have a look at the Bible during Lent.
How many of the Ten Commandments do you know?
Most people can probably remember that there’s one about graven images, one about killing (actually it’s murder, but that’s a whole different argument) and coveting (because the first time they heard it they had to rush for a dictionary to find out what “covet” meant”).
Here they are: [Read more…] about How Many of the Ten Commandments Do You Know?
Lent is coming up – it’s the six (or so) weeks from Ash Wednesday (Wednesday, 18th February in 2015) to Easter Day (or, possibly Palm Sunday).
Traditionally, at least in the Catholic and Anglican churches, it’s a time when we “give things up”. But it is not about giving things up for the sake of it. It’s more about making us better people – and doing something useful with the time or money we save. [Read more…] about Lent – Give up and Take up
This morning, my son and I attended the Christingle service at St. Boniface Church as our Christmas tradition.
It was a beautiful service led by Reverend Christine Whitehead. One hundred Christingles were given out to children and their families.
Linda Read got her daughters and a few volunteers to help prepare for Christingles, [Read more…] about Christingle Service Chandler’s Ford St. Boniface Church 2014
The term ‘carol’, as generally used, includes some items that appear in hymnbooks and are sung by congregations – such as Away in a manger and Once in royal David’s city.
The term is also used sometimes for items that are not congregational hymns.
Some would not normally form part of a church service – such as We wish you a happy Christmas or Past three o’clock. [Read more…] about Christmas Carol? Christmas Hymn?
I always start to feel that Christmas is getting near when the town centre gets dark before the shops close. So what do I remember of Christmases as a child (apart from the dark high street)?
Mum was very strict on the time when decorations could go up – not before the start of the school holidays. But my sisters and I would often (at least when we were old enough) be trusted to decorate the tree. Except [Read more…] about My Favourite Childhood Christmas Memories in a Village
Christmas is Creativity.
It is found in the story of the Nativity, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and film stories like The Polar Express.
It is found in poems such as A Visit from St. Nicholas (probably better known as The Night Before Christmas) by Clement Clarke Moore and In the Bleak Midwinter by Christina Rossetti. [Read more…] about What Christmas Means To Me
Yesterday I left work early to attend the carol service of Age Concern Chandler’s Ford at the Methodist Church.
Thornden School Wind Band and Toynbee School Choir, with their youthful energy, enthusiasm and talents, impressed the senior members of our community, making the carol service a much cherished event. [Read more…] about Age Concern Chandler’s Ford Carol Service 2014
We can all enjoy Christmas. It is not necessary to focus on baby Jesus and the traditional story of shepherds and three wise men.
Last Christmas was spent in Sri Lanka, a country with only 10% Christians but where the Buddhists (70%), Hindu and Muslim all joined in the celebrations.
We had to dress as Santa and his helper [Read more…] about What Does Christmas Mean For Non-Christians?
