There can be no doubt that the current economic climate is making life very difficult in a number of areas, not least in the lives of our little village churches where running and maintenance costs are rising steadily year on year. YET I continue to be amazed at the amount of hard-work, effort and ingenuity that goes into fund-raising, topped only by the generosity of people who give their time and money. So far this year each community has held its ground in regard to the money it needs to raise to support it's church – which is after all, there for everyone. So thank you VERY MUCH for everything so many of you have done.

Prayer = talking to God. It also means listening to him. It won't surprise you to learn that I have a keen interest in talking to God (!) and, most of the time, listening to what he has to say to me; though the latter is usually the most difficult bit, and I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling this. So from time to time, on a second Sunday I will be holding an “Exploring Prayer” service wherein the aim is for us to work on ways of “listening prayerfully”, so that we include God in everything that we do, in a “two way” relationship. They will usually last about thirty minutes. If you're interested, please do come along, dates/times will be on the service rota on the back cover of this magazine, as usual.

Following on from my article above, here is a prayer to get us started, the late Robert Coates asked for it to be read at his funeral service; I hope you find it helpful, I think he had…….

God be in my head, and in my understanding;
God be in mine eyes, and in my looking;
God be in my mouth, and in my speaking;
God be in my heart, and in my thinking;
God be at mine end, and at my departing.
Amen.

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, surely I can't look that old? Well…… I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist. I noticed his dental degree, which bore his full name. Suddenly I remembered a tall, handsome, dark haired boy with the same name had been in my secondary school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same boy I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, grey haired man with the deeply lined face was far too old to have been my classmate. After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Rangeworthy Court School .

'Yes, yes I did! ' He beamed with pride. When did you leave?' I asked and he answered, “in 1966. Why do you ask?” 'You were in my class!' I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then that ugly, old, bald, wrinkled, fat, grey haired, decrepit, old man asked me…..'What did you teach?'

(sent in by David and Sue from Stocklinch (who are both very young looking!))