Rector's View - November 2016

Dear friends,

We are looking forward to hosting our Advent Saturday Workshop 26th November at All Saints Wickhambrook from 12 Noon. We will be opening our new Labyrinth with our afternoon workshops and the evening's screening of the Estevez movie "The Way" starring Martin Sheen. Through the afternoon we will be discussing three episodes from the film which relate to our own life stories, and the stories of the Gospel, and sharing our own walk together in the way of the Labyrinth, the way of prayer.

"The Way" tells the story of the 800 kilometre journey across Spain to Santiago de Compostela. We'll begin and end with some pilgrim fare – a ploughman's lunch to begin and a fish and chip supper to close the afternoon, ready to settle down to the evening's screening of the complete movie. If you’re interested in sharing our stories, our own live "movie blog", then do give me a ring.

November's story of Remembrance marks not only our nation's remembrance of the First World War, 100 years on, but also our own in marking All Saints and All Soul's day. This year's Remembrance Service will be held Sunday 13th November 10am at St Margaret's Cowlinge, and will mark the story of a local family. Three Bitten brothers along with cousins, Ransomes and Starlings, seven in all, are named among the fallen on St Margaret's War Memorial, and their relatives have arranged to mark their centenaries this year by sharing in our laying of wreaths, reading of names, and two minutes silence, and I have invited a family member, the reverend Mark Janes a Baptist minister to preach for us and share their story.

Our service of All Soul's offers the lighting of candles in prayer at the reading of the names of our own dear departed. If you would like to attend our service and share in this then please do give me a call and let me know the names of those you would like remembered. Our All Soul's service will be held Sunday November 6th 3pm at All Saints Wickhambrook with refreshments served after in the Benefice Hall.

I look forward to meeting as many of you as may choose to share both the story of faith's pilgrimage and the remembrance of those who have died, whether the fallen of War or our own dear departed. In our telling and remembrance we turn the path of our lives away from this world's darkness toward the light of this world's hope, that we may build peace, peace in the lives of the nations and peace in the lives of our families’ friends and loved ones.

Yours in Christ

Rev'd Brin Singleton
Rector