Leith Hill Benefice
Four Churches, One CommunityCovid-19 Support (5-Jul-20)
Tony Berry's latest YouTube reflection 20th June 2020
St James' Morning Prayer 5th July 2020 10.30am
I am about to do a new thing. Isaiah 43:19
If you have ever seen a butterfly emerge from a chrysalis, you will know what an amazing thing it is. First, the chrysalis becomes transparent, revealing the butterfly inside. Then it cracks open, and a wet, mass of colour pushes its way out, with crumpled wings and long spindly legs. For a few moments the newly emerged creature clings to the empty shell as it's wings dry to a smooth velvety array of blue, red, or yellow. Finally it lets go and flies - A new body, ready for a new way of life.
Over the past weeks and months, we may sometimes have had the feeling of being wrapped in a chrysalis, or cocoon, unable to go out and engage with friends and loved ones. As the country slowly begins to reopen, let us take time to consider what we have gained during this strange time: Cleaner air and skies, a sense of community, and the opportunity to spend some quiet time with God. And as we take our first tentative steps outside, with fresh opportunities, let us give thanks for God's presence through all our ups and downs, pray for those whose have or continue to endure pain or loss, and ask for strength to embrace what promises to be a new way of life.
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
Martha Golden 16th July 2020
As churches are now closed for communal worship, you can see here some thoughts, prayers and sermons that would have been heard at Saint James' and other Benefice churches, including all the weekly thoughts that you see here.
Early in the 2020 coronavirus outbreak, the Abinger & Coldharbour Parish News was published electronically. It is now published physically and distributed within the parishes. Electronic versions are available here as a PDF version.
See the Covid-19 page for the latest on the impact of Covid-19 on the parish, and where to look for help (supplies, support, etc.).
Press Ctrl+F5 to refresh this page so you see the latest. See Site Map for all the information available on this site (parish registers, history, pictures, music etc.). Click on the address header to see a random page.
Four Churches, One CommunityCovid-19 Support (5-Jul-20)
As you will gather as you browse over these pages, we are a church with a long history and, as a community, Abinger goes back even further. Even if we take the Domesday Book as a start point, we have been a Christian worshipping community for a very long time. So, we are very proud of our church building. It has had a very chequered history, not least in the 20th Century. But now we are doing our best to meet the challenges of the 21st both for our building and church community.
Upcoming Services
in Abinger Common
Worship, praise, prayer and the reading of God's word are all part of our regular Sunday services, and if you are ever passing and would like to join us, we'd love to see you and make you feel welcome. But we don't believe that our church building any more than our faith, is just for Sundays. We are always looking for ways which enable the building to be a community resource during the week. We use the church for a Café morning on Wednesdays in term time from 8.30am until 10.00am. We also believe in developing our understanding of the Christian faith, so we meet in small groups to study what practical things the Bible has to say about living out the Christian faith in today's world.
Recent Letters
from the Rector
Again, if you would like to join us you are more than welcome; you should be able to find the dates somewhere on the website, failing that then do by all means get in touch. Thank you for visiting the website; I hope you find it helpful, informative and enjoyable, and we look forward to giving you more than a virtual welcome when you visit us for real!
Tony Berry, Rector
For more details of music in (sung) services, see the Services page.
If you have appropriate rights, click the +GoogleCalendar icon above to edit calendar entries. See Diary page for larger format.
For any information not shown in these pages, or to enquire about Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals, contact the Parish Office here.