General Chat

Good morning :-)


Hmmm....interesting, I didn't know that David. Thank you.


A British tradition associated with Ascension Day is Well Dressing in Derbyshire and other areas.

Well Dressing is an ancient Christian custom with its origins lost in the mists of time; what is certain is that it is a thanksgiving for a supply of clean water and that it is most prevalent in the Peak District and surrounding area.

The dressings themselves are beautifully crafted pictures made from flower petals and other natural materials pressed into clay on frames; they take many hours to make and in some places visitors can watch them being crafted. When the Dressings are finished they are set up at wells and springs to decorate them and in some cases there will be events through the short display season.


Blessing of well
Lord God of all creation, we thank you for the gift of water, bless now this well
Continue to provide us with the water we need
Help us to use it well and wisely
We honour the gift
and give thanks to the great Giver. Amen.

Cx :-)

Since Charles Taze Russel to "Judge" J F Rutherford to Nathan Knorr and two

other leaders since the JW's.Org have repeatedly changed their Church's title

Each change becoming more and more business like.

Their repeated change of prophecy fulfillment dates hasn't stopped them from

publishing a succession of books including their own Bible.

Three years ago Donald Trump's son in law Jarad Kush purchased all of

the Jehovah's Witnesses buildings in Brooklyn.

Good morning :-)


Got it in a nutshell David. The mainstream churches follow teaching which was handed down from earliest times - ancient manuscripts, scholars, councils etc. For a group to take this teaching and tamper with it to your own ends is just not on.


Traditions of Ascension Day…….

This ancient English tradition has more or less died out and our parish boundaries are rapidly disappearing, but it’s interesting nevertheless…..

Beating of the Bounds - a form of pilgrimage.

Ascension Day is also the day for Beating the Bounds, or Boundaries, of your church's parish. The custom was once found in almost every English parish, but now is only carried out in a few places, but it still happens!

The ceremony of Beating the Bounds custom has existed in Britain for well over 2000 years. In simple terms it involves people in the locality walking around their farm, manorial, church or civil boundaries pausing as they pass certain trees, walls and hedges that denote the extent of the boundary to exclaim, pray and ritually 'beat' particular landmarks with sticks. In some places it was quite normal to bump on the boundary marker a child so that locations would be 'sorely remembered'.


Almighty God, we pray for your blessing on all who
share in the life and work of our Church and Parish:
In the ministry of word and sacrament,
in teaching and pastoral care,
in service to the Diocese and Deanery.
The community and those in need,
in ecumenical fellowship and co-operation.
We pray for all members of the congregation,
that in their life and work they may advance
your kingdom and bear witness to your love,
shown in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Cx :-)

The organisation in question has only been in existence for just over a hundred years.

It has a "governing body" who decide what to print, preach how to act who to bar.

In that 100 years they have made one prediction after another, even wrote their own

version of the Bible, New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

If previous translators couldn't get it right how could they ?

Good morning :-)


Miserable weather here. David, I really don't know a lot about the JW's apart from the fact that mainstream Christians steer clear of them. I understand that they have tampered with scripture as it was passed to us down the ages, and that their theological thinking is flawed.

On Thursday of this week, we celebrate Ascension Day, the day when Jesus departed from Earth into the presence of God 40 days after Easter Day. It is celebrated by the Christian Church around the world and is always on a Thursday.

The Ascension is meaningful to Christians as it signifies the end of his work on Earth and allowed him to prepare a place for followers in heaven.

During the week we will look at various aspects of this important event.

From today until Wednesday is known as Rogationtide. The word "rogation" come from the Latin rogare, which means "to ask," It's traditionally a time when prayers are made for God's blessing on the land, livestock and crops in the hope of a good harvest.


Lord, we thank you for your mercy and loving-kindness towards us.
Bless this good earth and make it fruitful.
Bless our labour and give us all things needed for our daily lives.
Bless the homes of our parish and all who live within them.
Bless our common life and our care for our neighbour.
Hear us, good Lord. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good afternoon to you all. I apologise for digressing from the thread title.

Incidentally, in UK so many bars are closing / have closed is because

you cannot smoke cigarettes in bars any longer and the bars were losing

custom and becoming unprofitable.

Did you know the JW's in the 20's built a mansion at San Diego Cal

called Beth Sharim (Home of the Princes) its intention was to be a home

for the Patriarchs when they returned to earth. I read on another thread

it is deeded to Abraham, Issac and Moses. In fact "Judge" Joseph

Franklin Rutherford lived in it until he died. This Beth Sharim was built

at the time of the great depression when people were starving.

Good morning :-)

Thank you Emma - I appreciate that <3


Dermot - some very valid points there. The only RC church in a seaside town not open for visitors.....what a missed opportunity! A missed opportunity for the local faithful; the faithful visitor; the visitors who have no faith but who are searching for something; the interest and history of the church and, to be honest, the possible financial benefit. Methinks you should rally to the cause, get a posse together and
put some ideas to your priest. Take a wet sponge :-D


The Collect (special prayer) for today

God our redeemer,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The gospel reading is from John where Jesus is speaking to his disciples about his forthcoming ascension.


Cx :-)

Have learnt lots from your posts this week Cynthia
thank you once again x

Cynthia - thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately, the lock-up is constant throughout the week, every week, except for publicised services.

It just was more apparent when some Easter visitors to our lovely seaside town couldn't understand why they could not visit the one Catholic Church in the immediate area while other Christian churches in this town remained opened & welcoming to all.

In my previous parish In Exeter, (20 miles away) for example, the Catholic Church there remains open from 7am to 7pm most days with a sign outside clearly showing its facility to all holidaymakers.

Granted, CCTV has been installed plus, like your suggestion, a handful of senior citizens keep an eye on the place. Very welcoming they are too.

Good morning :-)


Morning menfolk! :-D

Closure of churches is a big issue at the moment, although I think I have heard that pubs are closing at a faster rate....????

Was this just specific to Easter Dermot, or is the church normally closed except for services? The sad thing is the insurance issue and the possibility of theft or damage to the building. One way round it is to gather a group of volunteers who would be willing to be 'on duty' so that the church could be open for much of the time. Access for disabled should be high on the priority list to be honest.

Why not email the bishop and remind him of your letter? There is no excuse for him not to answer - that's just bad manners.

Whilst the Church of England may be the biggest landowners etc David, if they sold all that they had, how would things be financed? Once the money is gone......it is gone. :-(


Moving on from our two men...……... :-D

We will end the week with a look at two of Jesus’ closest female friends – Martha, and her sister Mary. Their brother was Lazarus whom Jesus raised from the dead.
Martha and Mary (and Lazarus) lived in Bethany, and it has been wondered if Martha was a widow and her siblings were lodging with her. Whatever the case, Jesus loved this little family and often visited their home.

The sisters were different characters, with Martha being a ‘doer’, anxious and bustling around, trying to be helpful, whereas Mary, was quieter and very earnest. When Jesus visited them, Martha would be rushing round getting everything ready, whilst Mary would be quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him speaking.

Some of us tend to be more like Mary in our Christian walk, while others resemble Martha. It's likely we have qualities of both within us. We may be inclined at times to let our busy lives of service distract us from spending time with Jesus and listening to his word.

Serving is a good thing but sitting at Jesus' feet is best. We must remember what is most important.

Good works should flow from a Christ-centred life; they do not produce a Christ-centred life. When we give Jesus the attention he deserves, he empowers us to serve others.

Lord help us to be aware of listening for you and to you in our busy lives. Amen.

Cx :-)

Further to Dermot's post. I think you might wait forever for an apology or an

explanation. I think the Church may have been locked to keep out would be thieves

and or vandals. Sad but these things happen in Churches.

The C of E are one of the biggest property and land owners. Many of their

Churches with small congregations are sold.

As an aside, our local Catholic Church building remained locked during the whole Easter weekend, except for the published Ceremonies.

It seems not much thought was given to the disabled in the parish who would be unable to withstand long services although many would have liked to pop into the church for a short quiet prayer.

The PP waived me away when I raised the point with him declaring 'insurance conditions' & I should speak to the Bishop. I emailed the Bishop & am awaiting a reply 4 weeks later.

Thank you Cynthia. In Northern Ireland the marked divisions between

Catholics and Protestants / Methodists / Presbyterians etc is mirrored

in the politics. The Catholics are relatively poor while the Protestants

have better employments and standards of living. One side notices

the differences no only in how they "practice" the faith but the material

difference, and it intensify s their differences.

Good morning :-)

There are, indeed, divisions David. Jesus, himself, caused division when he spoke and within most churches, members fall out over certain things. This is not the fault of the faith of course, it is the fault of the people and their interpretation of things. 'Twas ever thus!

Now, here's a chap who stuck to his guns...….

St. Stephen – the first Christian martyr
St. Stephen, (died 36 CE, Jerusalem; feast day December 26)
Patron of: Stonemasons, deacons, casket makers, horses, headache sufferers.

Stephen was a Hellenist (a foreign-born Jew who spoke Greek). He had converted to Christianity and lived in Jerusalem, where he was recognised as a man with special evangelistic gifts.

His preaching was exceptional and angered his opponents. They found men who were willing to lie about what St. Stephen preached and he was taken before the Sanhedrin.

When he was given the chance to defend himself, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and it was noted that his face had been the face of an angel. Eventually, he was dragged outside and stoned to death.

The notable thing about Stephen’s death, is that it was witnessed and encouraged by a man named Saul who, of course, later underwent a conversion experience and was to be known as St. Paul.

We thank God for St. Stephen and ask that we may be more enthusiastic for the faith as he was.

Cx :-)

Thank you for that Cynthia. I find it strange and sad that there is so

much division within "Christianity" even in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

These divisions are responsible for much hatred and persecutions.

Indeed there is little that could be called Christian in them. Then elsewhere

it's all happy clappy, strange indeed.

Good morning :-)

Funny you should mention Timothy, David...…… :-D


For today we look at Timothy…

Feast day January 24th Patron saint of stomach disorders

It is thought that Timothy came from the city of Lystra in Turkey. His father was from Greek and a non-believer; his mother was a Jewess named Eunice and his grandmother was Lois. Both women were followers of Jesus.

Timothy was a young evangelist, an ambassador, acting as a representative of the Apostle Paul who had the authority to ensure that the churches were doing things in the way in which Christ would have them done.

He was one of Paul’s converts, very knowledgeable and another of Paul’s travelling companions and they travelled widely together. Paul refers to him as ‘my beloved child’.

Timothy was careful about how he lived and what he taught. This included being persistent in attending to his pastoral duties. The apostle had given Timothy sound instruction, and now it was up to him to remain loyal to the truth in both his life and ministry.

Because of his frail health, Timothy is the patron of those with stomach disorders. St. Paul writes, “Stop drinking water only; take a little wine for the good of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.”

According to the Acts of Timothy (possibly written in the fifth century), Timothy was martyred for his faith when a mob of irate unbelievers stoned the aged church leader to death for opposing their veneration of the pagan goddess, Diana (or Artemis).

The two books of Timothy are rather like an instruction manual for clergy and includes the qualifications they should have.

God’s power and love in Timothy’s life enabled him to be fearless in Christian service – may we too, be as brave and fearless as him in telling others of Jesus. Amen.

Cx :-)

2 Timothy 3.1 says
Critical times hard to deal with will he here because men will

be lovers of themselves, and money

Could be talking about today.

Good morning :-)

Thanks Emma <3

Today we look at Philemon….(as in ‘File-Emon’) and the letter which St. Paul wrote to him. It is the 18th book in the New Testament.

There isn’t a great deal known about this man, but it appears that he had been converted to Christianity by St. Paul when he was visiting Ephesus and had become a good friend to him.

Philemon was a slave-owner from Colossae and he had a slave called Onesimus (as in ‘Own-iss-imuss). Onesimus ran away, reached Rome and came into contact with St. Paul, who led him to faith in Jesus. Paul was in prison and wrote a letter to Philemon and gave it to Onesimus to take it back.

The message was a simple one. Paul wanted to remind Philemon about the forgiveness he found when he was converted and for him to accept Onesimus back in that same spirit of forgiveness. After that, Paul wanted him to send the young man back to him as he had found him helpful.

It is said that this letter contains a message of Christian forgiveness and reconciliation which is as pertinent today as it was then.

Lord, help us to have hearts which are willing to forgive and be reconciled with others. Amen.


Cx :-)

Very interesting posts as always Cynthia x

Good morning :-)


Waves~~~~ to kandj :-D

Someone else from the New Testament whose name we know....
St. Mark the Evangelist

Born 5 AD Cyrene, Died aged 62–63
Feast day 25th April
Patron saint of Barristers, glaziers, prisoners and stained glass workers.

He was the son of Mary of Jerusalem whose home became a meeting place for the apostles. He is also the cousin of St. Barnabas.

Mark, was one of the four evangelists and the traditional author of the second Gospel, The Book of Mark. Mark’s Gospel was written first, and it is the shortest description of Jesus’ life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension. He became the interpreter and travel companion of Peter. The sermons of Peter were written down by Mark. He is cited as the founder of Church of Alexandria. He had a journey to Alexandria 19 years after the Ascension of Jesus in AD 49.

He was martyred in 68 AD when pagans of Serapis (the Serapion-Abbis Greek Egyptian god ) tied him to a horse's tail and dragged him through the streets of Alexandria's district of Bokalia for two days until his body was torn to pieces.

We thank God for the life of St. Mark.


Cx :-)