General Chat

<3 <3 Cynthia & family

Good morning :-)

What a lovely story Tabitha - thank you. We certainly need cheering up in these trying times.

Sorry about your teef David....ouch!

Yes, what does happen with all the poor homeless people who are on our streets? Sad days indeed. :-( God bless all those who work with these vulnerable folk.

At least the weather forecast says that it's going to be drier next week. :-)


Lent Course

John 4.7-15
7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ 11 The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ 13 Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ 15 The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’



A woman goes to fetch water and finds Jesus waiting at the well. She longs for a more satisfying life. For freedom from the shame that made her go to the well when she expected no one else to be there. Jesus treats her with respect and dignity. Forgetting his own physical thirst, he attends to her spiritual thirst. Jesus offers “living water” – water that brings us blessing and refreshment right to the core of our being.

Can you give – or raise – money for a charity providing clean water and sanitation in areas of need, such as Toilet Twinning? Visit the Toilet Twinning website to twin a home, workplace, church or school toilet.


Cx :-)

Lovely story Tabitha. Thank you for sharing it with us

I just poppped on to say I hope you all have a day full of blessings.

Stay strong Cynthia and take care of yourself <3

Hello all

Tabitha, what a wonderful story, thanks for sharing your tranquil moments with us all.

Dermot I agree with you sadly and feel each one has a special story to tell.

Emma, joining in your thoughts and prayers for all the homeless people especially right now.

Hoping Cynthia is managing to relax a little today.

Thank you for sharing Tabitha.
I hope you do get back there and have more wonderful moments.

Back to the reading from a couple of days ago.

I remember my mother saying I was baptised in water from the River Jordan when I was 6 months old. The vicar had just returned from the Holy Land and brought some water back. I never thought about it before, however since a tiny child I had always wanted to go to the Holy Land. I collected pictures and books where I could.

It wasn't till my wedding my mother told the vicar about my baptism as we were back in the same church.

Was it something to do with being baptised in water from the Jordan that gave me the longing to go there?

I had the great privilege of spending some time in the Holy Land and visiting all the places possible. I managed to dip my hand in the River Jordan and spent New Years Eve staying on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. We sailed in a boat like the fishermen during the day and welcomed the New Year by walking in the water.. The tranquil time at this very peaceful location will always stay with me. When i need a happy place i always dream of my time in this wonderful country.

I took some water back for my mother who was in hospital and hope it helped in her last few months.

I so want to go back there and hope its still as tranquil as it was when i was there.

Sharing my tranquil moments with all who need it.

Men & women sleep rough in squats, tents, cars, parks, bins, under flimsy sleeping bags in damp shop doorways – all unimaginable spaces in our capital city and beyond.

Thoughts and prayers for those who are homeless
and sleeping on the streets.
Who will help them if struck by Coronavirus.

Hello all

Dry but bitterly cold with strong winds today.

David I hope your toothache settles down soon.

Cynthia, I find lemon, vinegar and baking soda are good for cleaning.

Second Lent Course session for our church yesterday, the subject was Receive the Light.

Good morning to you all :)

Last Monday I had three upper right back teeth extracted here in this room

Was no problem for days until last night, the adjoin ones giving me pain. :-S <3

Good morning :-)

Today's bible reading

Exodus 15.22-27
22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went for three days in the wilderness and found no water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ 25 He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.
There the Lord made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. 26 He said, ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.


Freshwater ecosystems are in trouble. Since 1970, there has been an 83% decline in UK freshwater species of fish. Pollution kills life in our rivers and lakes and harms plants and animals – including humans.

This is what sin looks like. Our environment destroyed. The lives of the most vulnerable inhabitants of our world endangered. Reversing pollution – so that the waters can again be fresh and sustain life – requires repentance. By governments, businesses, and by us, too.

Look in your kitchen and bathroom – is there one thing from each you could switch to a product that does not contain harmful chemicals?


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

That little church seems to be doing amazing work Sylvia....good for them. Congregations are funny things at times.......they go up and down a lot. Week by week they can be low but, come a special event, then they go up enormously. Not sure why this is but I do wonder if many people have a basic belief but are not willing to commit to regular church attendance. However, there are times when people feel they simply have to go to church to celebrate or just attend something that means a lot to them. Hope that makes sense. :-S


Lent Course


Mark 1.9-11
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, the river which the Israelites crossed as they entered the promised land. This place of new life and freedom is the setting for Jesus’ baptism.

When we are baptized, St Paul writes, we become “a new creation” and we follow a new way of life. In Jesus, God seeks to reconcile all things to himself. Through baptism we are called to join in that work by caring for all God has created.

Can you take part in a clean-up of a local waterway – pond, canal, river or beach? Or encourage your church to organize one?

Care for local waterways
Where are the canals, rivers, ponds or beaches in your area? Ask if your school, church or other local groups could organize a cleanup.


Cx :-)

I hoped that the Rev Skeleton would bring some laughter for the day!

Rev, Pyne-Coffin is also one of those matching names ;-)



OH said the Induction Ceremony went well ...... though the ministry people outnumbered the congregation. It is a small church, with a normal congregation of around 20-25 and 40 being large. It is often surprising that it is not closed or amalgamated, something that has been examined closely several times over the last 45 or so years that OH has been associated with it.

It is an old church (for here), built in 1908 when the area was a small community just beginning. Now the local area is largely 3 and 4 storey apartment blocks with some of the lowest rents in Vancouver, and with lots of seniors and young families living in them. Unfortunately most of them no longer go to church, there is no Sunday School, but the church runs a meal programme with a hot meal one evening a week that is open to any one for a donation, helps with a food bank, has a thrift shop, and therefore seems to be surviving because of its outreach programmes.

Hello all

A dry, bright but really strong wind here today. I held on to my hat when I went out and about!

Cynthia you are doing so well. My precious husband died 2 years ago in January and I still have a huge memory box filled with letters and sympathy cards which I've yet to pluck up the courage to read.

My Methodist friends always used to receive the wine at their altar in separate small glasses. Sadly, our village Methodist chapel was demolished several years ago and many new houses built on this site.

When the time is right for you Cynthia to look at the cards I
hope they bring comfort to help you through your grief. <3

Good morning :-)


Revs Skeleton and Pyne-Coffin......hahahahaa I enjoyed the comments this morning....thank you <3

Have a feeling that the non-conformist churches still use individual glasses for communion but not sure.

Thanks for the continued good wishes - I am just taking each day as it comes. Today I need to contact the solicitor and write some letters of praise to the hospital
and maybe NHS re the care given to both OH and my family during that last week. It was superb.

Soon I will look slowly at the cards I have received......it is an enormous pile which is spilling out of the bamboo box I put them in. People are so kind.

For today:

Psalm 65.9-13
9 You visit the earth and water it,
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.

Many people’s happiest holiday memories involve water. Messing about in the pool, relaxing by or even sailing on the sea. As well as being a necessity, water also delights and inspires us.

The demand for water around the world is expected to rise by up to 50% by 2050. By conserving water we acknowledge that water is sacred – a gift from God. Doing this will not only help us survive but protect our landscapes and wildlife.

Find out about the “virtual water” that goes into the things we use, the clothes we wear and the food we eat on the waterfootprint website. What could you cut down on?

Cx :-)

I seldom attend a church service these days so I don’t know what is happening in our local church but many years ago I attended communion at a church where they used tiny individual disposable cups for the wine. Perhaps that is the way to go at the moment, though then, of course, the church would be using more plastic. Sometimes you just can’t win :-D

Sylvia, I did smile at your Rev Skeleton. It reminded me of a very remote relative my brother and I discovered when researching. He was the Rev. Pyne-Coffin!

The water theme this week is interesting. Clean water has got to be one of the most important things in life and the developed world takes it so much for granted. When OH was working he opted into a scheme whereby a very small amount was deducted from his salary each month and donated to Water Aid. That stopped of course when he retired and we carried on with our usual one-off donations to various charities. I am now going to talk to him about setting up a small monthly DD for Water Aid.

Still thinking of you and your family Cynthia as you are grieving <3

Also different at the church OH goes to .............. plus it was the first service by their new priest. It's only taken about 2 years to a new person appointed. It seems she was ordained about 25 years ago.

Her induction takes place this evening at 7 pm with the Bishop in attendance, of course.


I had a little laugh the other day when I saw the order of service for a funeral service where the Bishop had officiated ........ the surname was shown as Skeleton.

Autoedit at its best ..............

Rev. Melissa Skelton might not have been too pleased!!!

Or maybe she laughed.

Hello all

Different ways in my church too yesterday, the collection plate didn't go around but it was there when I entered church and my envelope was put on the plate along with other regulars attenders.

No usual walking about passing the Peace but the wine chalice was offered at the altar and it was our choice whether we drank from this or not (I did).

Thoughts and prayers for the family and friends of the 5 people who have sadly died of the virus here.

Good afternoon all, the water cycle is indeed something many of us take for granted, as is the food chain Xx