General Chat

Hello all

Another interesting week thinking about harvest.
Thank you Cynthia.

For almost 3 weeks I've been watering the greenhouse plants for my neighbour who is on holiday. My "reward" has been fresh tasting tomatoes and cucumbers.

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap,
but by the seeds that you plant."
(Robert Louis Stevenson.")

Good morning :-)



God of peace, just as seeds germinate quietly under the ground, so you are often at work before we see it. We pray for your unseen work in our world. Let it happen in us and help us to become people who look more and more like you. Mould us as your people so that we bear much fruit.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your peace. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

God of hope, we pray for those people and places who do not yet know your love and hope. We pray today that you would send us to be your workers in the harvest field, showing by our lives and words how you long to embrace them in your arms and welcome them at your abundant table.

Send more workers into the fields so that we may bring more brothers and sisters home to you.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your hope of salvation. Amen


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

God of justice, you commanded us to look out for the widow and the orphan, to always make sure they have enough.

We pray for those who find themselves without enough food. We pray for those who long to have enough to put on their plates and feed their families. Guide us in how we can work for justice for them.

Bless those who make policy decisions with wisdom, so that all can enjoy the fruits of your harvest.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your justice. Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


God of provision, thank you for generously providing so much for us.
Thank you for those who work hard in distribution – people harvesting food and carefully packing it for transport. For those overseeing supply chains, negotiating trade deals, and driving vehicles that bring it to our villages, towns, and cities.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your provision. Amen.

Good morning :-)

A lovely service yesterday and our children gave us several ideas on how we can be generous. :-D

Yesterday, the children gave us many ideas on how to be generous.

God of creation, thank you for the abundance of food you have provided for us. Help us to use it generously.

We confess we haven’t always shared what we have with others. Please make us generous.

Lord of the harvest, we thank you for your great generosity to us. Amen.


Cx :-)

Hello all

Harvest Festival is such a special happy service.

6th October will be the Harvest Festival service in our village church. The PCC has decided to donate all our harvest gifts to the village food bank this year. As a church we have supported the Church of England Trussell Trust Fund for very many years and will continue to do that too.

It's very sad that young and not so young people are struggling to put a meal on the table now.

Thank you for the world so sweet,
Thank you for the food we eat,
Thank you for the birds that sing,
Thank you God for everything.
Amen.

Good morning :-)

Apologies for yesterday and thanks for posting kandj. A busy Harvest time for me and today we celebrate that traditional festival at my church. The church looks lovely!

Loving God, Thank you for the many ways you provide for us: Food, family, friendship, Housing, health, happiness, And ways to use our time and talents. We lift to you too how we remain in need of these things.

We pray for people in our community and beyond who are facing unemployment, ill health, isolation or money worries, especially for those who cannot afford enough to eat. We pray for supportive relationships, practical provision and real hope. God of compassion, may your kingdom come. Amen.

Cx :-)

Hello all

The nights are drawing in very fast.

"Only in the darkness can you
see the stars."Martin Luther King.

Goodnight, God bless, sweet dreams.

Hello all

I love the Harvest Festival service, even though it's so very different to the one of long ago.

"..... God our Maker does provide
For our wants to be supplied.
Come to God's own temple come.....
Raise the song of harvest home."

Friday 13th.... take care everyone.

Good morning :-)

Harvest - a time to be generous in so many ways

Lord, In your boundless compassion, grant me the gift of empathy. Help me feel the pain and joy of others as deeply as if it were my own. Guide my actions so I may understand their needs and extend a helping hand with a heart wide open. I thank you for the privilege of sharing in the beauty of empathy and pray that you fill me with the strength to be a source of solace to those in need.Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Loving God,
Thank you for the many ways in which you provide for us:
Food, family, friendship,
Housing, health, happiness,
And ways to use our time and talents.
We lift to you too the ways in which we remain in need of these things.
God of generosity,
May your kingdom come. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

A Handful of Rice – concluded.

How much do we need to be as generous as the people of Mizoram?

When will we be so grateful for what God has given us, that we will become as generous as the people of Mizoram?

How is the best way to express our thanksgiving to God?

It is best expressed through our generosity.

It is time for us to show our gratitude to God through our generosity, and to share what we have, however great or small, with others.

Lord, I thank you for all you have given to me I pray that you will give me, a generous heart, a giving heart and a grateful heart Always willing to share what I have with others. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Continued from yesterday :

A Handful of Rice

Mizo people say, “As long as we have something to eat every day, we have something to give to God every day.”

Imagine putting a handful of rice aside at mealtimes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Then not having any food at all to eat on a Saturday! How tempting would it be to just cook that rice and not go to church, or go and not give the rice at the offering?

How often do we say………
We will give later.
We will give when we have more money.
We will give when we have what WE need.

To be continued......


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Next Sunday, our church celebrates Harvest Festival, that special day where we remember and give thanks for our food and for those who provide it. We ask for donations to help us to help others. Once again, the diocese has produced ideas for us to share at this harvest time:

OVERFLOWING GENEROSITY A story: A Handful of Rice

A Christian community in Mizoram in NE India began this tradition in 1910. It is a practice where each family puts aside a handful of rice every time they cook a meal. At the end of the week, they gather it together and offer it to the church. The church sells the rice, which generates income to support its work.

Over time, the amount of rice given has increased and people have also started to give other things including firewood, vegetables and other produce. The result is the churches in Mizoram are now self-sufficient.

‘If everyone gives a little each day, great things can be achieved’.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

Collect (special prayer) for today:
God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit
upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:
grant that your people may be fervent
in the fellowship of the gospel
that, always abiding in you,
they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;
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.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

To make you smile!


“Sick” by Shel Silverstein

"I cannot go to school today!"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay
"I have the measles and the mumps
A gash, a rash, and purple bumps
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry
I'm going blind in my right eye
My tonsils are as big as rocks
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more, that's seventeen
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue
It might be instamatic flu
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke
I'm sure that my left leg is broke
My hip hurts when I move my chin
My belly button's caving in
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained
My 'pendix pains each time it rains
My nose is cold, my toes are numb
I have a sliver in my thumb
My neck is stiff, my spine is weak
I hardly whisper when I speak
My tongue is filling up my mouth
I think my hair is falling out
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight
My temperature is 108
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear
There's a hole inside my ear
I have a hangnail, and my heart is... what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is Saturday? Ha-ha
G'bye, I'm goin' out to play"


Cx :-)

Hello all

Starting back in school after the Summer break is often difficult for the pupil, parents and teachers.
Hopefully after the weekend it will be much easier.

"A new school year means
new beginnings and new adventures."
(Denise Witmer).

Good morning :-)



At the start of the school year, we are beginning something new
New things can be exciting
New things can be scary
New things can be wonderful
New things can be confusing
God, you are always with us
You are with us when things are exciting, or scary, or wonderful, or confusing
You are with us every day
And all the time
God, please help us to feel your presence with us on these first days of school, and every day, Amen

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

There are schools throughout the country that are specially designed for those students who may be facing challenges and difficulties. We pray for the teachers who help and assist their pupils and for those young people. Grant them strength and perseverance to overcome obstacles and continue their educational journey with determination. Fill their hearts with courage and resilience.

Bible Verse: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13


Cx :-)