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Joint service at St Stephen’s Church today

2026-08-03 St S

It was lovely to welcome back Revd Graham Steele and his wife Mandy. Revd Graham pointed out that today’s Gospel reading follows the news of the death of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin. Jesus wanted to go to a quiet place to grieve but the crowds followed him. Last weeks readings focused on the value of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps the people were so keen to seek this treasure that they followed Jesus, ignoring his need to grieve. They came unprepared. There was no food, but Jesus used the little was available to feed many. We don’t have to have everything in place to follow Jesus – he can use the little we offer.

Summer Sundays

The children learned about doves in the Bible.

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Today at our churches

St Stephen's Church

It was wonderful to welcome Revd Stephen Everard and his wife Jane back with us today. Stephen shared that the Word of God does not come back empty, as per our Isaiah reading.

In the parable of the sower, the farmer sows seed – some may be lost but the crop from the good soil is an abundant result. Thought the Word of God is snatched away or overburdened, those who hear and respond deliver a great result.

How do we respond? The Kingdom of God is being ushered in. Our role is to scatter seeds. Tell others how God works in your life! What kind of soil do we provide for the seed to grow? What can we weed out to make sure God’s Word can grow?

Who has ears, let him hear.

St Leodegar's Church

Canon David Nason took our Holy Communion service, and Jo Williams did the intercessions. We had a total of 14 people today.

As today is Sea Sunday, Canon David’s sermon explored Jesus’ parables, why He taught from the water and what His stories mean for us. Jesus often used everyday nautical or agricultural imagery, inviting His listeners to look past familiar shores, trust the wild abundance of God’s kingdom, and anchor their faith.

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At our churches

St Leodegar's Church

Revd Rodger Pullen took the service, Naomi played music and also did the readings – one from Romans with 16 do’s in the first few verses!

Jesus viewed people around him as though they were children playing together and singing frivolous little songs.

John the Baptist – the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, considered to be a prophet like Elijah and about whom Jesus places him as the greatest, was dismissed because of his odd clothing and limited diet (locusts and honey).

Jesus is dismissed lightly because he eats and drinks like others but doesn’t seem to recognise when he is amongst ‘sinners’, especially the tax collectors.

How lightly people around us dismiss Jesus as ‘just another religion’ with no serious attempt to examine or question more deeply.

St Stephen's Church

Photo by Grace Alexander. No photo was taken at the service.

Revd Rodger Pullen took the service, Naomi played music and also did the readings – one from Romans with 16 do’s in the first few verses!

Jesus viewed people around him as though they were children playing together and singing frivolous little songs.

John the Baptist – the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus, considered to be a prophet like Elijah and about whom Jesus places him as the greatest, was dismissed because of his odd clothing and limited diet (locusts and honey).

Jesus is dismissed lightly because he eats and drinks like others but doesn’t seem to recognise when he is amongst ‘sinners’, especially the tax collectors.

How lightly people around us dismiss Jesus as ‘just another religion’ with no serious attempt to examine or question more deeply.

Sunday School

2026-07-05 Sunday school

We concluded the Story of Creation today by looking at animals and people. We were able to use the outside space for a Creation detectives activity. In groups, the children had to hunt for cards about particular animals (bee, earthworm, bat, butterfly and elephant). There were facts about how the animals positively contribute to God’s Creation and other facts about how we as people harm them. The children wrote pledges on leaf shapes on something they can do to help our environment and also enjoyed creating some scratch art pictures of animals.

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Today at our churches

St Stephen's Church

Revd Wyn Jones talked about hospitality in the Bible:

  • Abraham offered hospitality visitors who turned out to be the Lord and two angels. Their conversation was about if Sodom and Gomorrah can be saved, Conversation in hospitality can make a difference.

  • Jesus went to all the parties that rabbis would not go to as it would make them unclean. This hospitality changed people’s lives.

  • Lydia always offered hospitality to Paul. The Shunammite woman always offered hospitality to Elisha.

Hospitality can be a conversation or welcoming someone in your home… An everyday action done in God’s name can have eternal value!

Ask yourself: What part do I play in God’s bigger story? It may be tiny or very big, but we all have a role to play.

Little Gems

Little Gems concluded their series “Jesus meets us where we are”. Today Martha, Mary and Lazarus met Jesus at home.

St Leodegar's Church

Revd Nigel Mason led our service today with the sermon being that God recognises and takes pleasure in even the little things that we do for others as serving him, that no act of serving is too small. And how we are all just as valuable and loved by God.

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Today at our churches

St Leodegar's Church

Today St Leodegar’s Church welcomed back Revd Stephen Everard, and Jane and Naomi. Stephen talked about Mathew’s Gospel in his sermon, reminding us how much we are loved by God and putting the words of The Bible into context so that we understood more of the most difficult passages. We also thanked God for fathers as it is Father’s Day and thanked God for being our heavenly Father and sending his Son to save us from our sins. Naomi Lott kindly played the organ for us.

St Stephen's Church​

It was a pleasure to have Revd Wyn Jones with us today. He brought together the current football fever, the Gospel readings and Father’s Day. Surprisingly, there are some parallels between football fans and followers of Jesus, or at least challenges to us as Christians!

  • By looking at the lives and clothes of a football fan, and by speaking to him/her, you can very quickly tell who they are supporting.
  • Football fans like to come together and sing.
  • As Christians we should be easy to recognise for our passion of faith through how we act and speak.
  • We like to meet together and sing to praise God.

The Gospel reading also talked about how God cares for a sparrow and even the hair on our heads. He is the ideal Father who deeply loves and cares for us, his children. Even though we fall woefully short, fathers do aim to love their children in the same way.

The fathers and men in the congregation were given some Celebration chocolates to celebrate their role as Fathers!

Sunday School

The children told us about the lovely activities they did, which included Bible stories that had fathers in them, decorating shoeboxes for their dates and filling them with notes about why they love their dads, and making a 0s and Xs game to represent the hugs and kisses they give their dads.

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