By Fr. Geoff
The Good News: as you know, I feel very lucky and grateful to live and work in these villages of ours; they are, simply, great communities. David Watson and Julia Danaher have contributed to that sense of community with their editorship of the Web magazine for the past nine years. Under their gentle leadership the “church” magazine has become much more of a villages magazine, reporting on and serving our little communities, and helping bind them together. David and Julia have worked hard and faithfully - for us - across the years and I would like to offer them our thanks for all that they have done.

The not so Good News: there are some stupid people around, luckily not very many. One of them pinned a note to a church door the other day, complaining because the door was locked and accusing the worshippers of being unfriendly, and unwelcoming. The letter had been prepared on a computer so I suspect that this is part of a small-minded campaign; you might have guessed that the letter was unsigned, so I also suspect that the author is cowardly as well as stupid.

You might surmise that I am more than a little upset about this and this is why. The church in question is one of nine in our parishes and this is the only one that is locked during the day, simply because each time they try to leave it open, the furniture is nicked! The author of the note didn't ask about this or take it into account. Likewise he/she hasn't bothered to put notes on the doors of our churches that are open, congratulating them on being open; easier to criticise isn't it.

The other point is that this little church, in one of the smallest villages, has worked enormously hard to be welcoming in church and to take that welcome out into their village; this has been a real slap in the face for them and it is completely undeserved.

More Good News: next month I hope to give a summary about our churches during the last – another good year for us all. In the meantime I can say that there are a number of baptisms and weddings being planned, proof positive of the place of our little churches in the lives of the people they serve.

Loving Father, often we forget your gifts to us, letting them pass unnoticed through each day. Show us how to look again, to see through your eyes and give freely in response to what we see. Amen.