Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you … Hold fast to that which is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-21
As we look back over the past year, it has sometimes been difficult to be cheerful and optimistic. Instead, it's tempting to dwell on the many losses we have witnessed; and while we should never belittle the pain and suffering of so many, there is also much to be thankful for. The hard work of our scientists in creating a vaccine, have given us hope. Teachers and pupils look forward to returning to school, and as the weather improves we all look forward to spending more time outside, renewing old acquaintances and making new friends.
It's important to remember that the true source of our fortune and accomplishments comes from God. While we like to take credit for our successes, the Holy Spirit has probably done more than we might realise to lead and inspire us, and to open doors we never thought of walking through. Now more than ever, it's important to give thanks to God, the source of all good things.
As we travel through this Lent, while we cannot obscure past losses, let us also rejoice and think upon our many blessings. While God is often blamed for our misfortunes, we should never forget to remember and give thanks for his never ceasing love and care for all through good times and bad.
Gracious and generous God, may we always remember that "every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change". James 1:17
Martha Golden, 1st march 2021
St James' is now open for private worship on Wednesdays from 2pm to 5pm - look at the Diary here for formal and Zoom (virtual) services with this recurring link.
You can see here some that would have been heard at Saint James' and other Benefice churches, including all the weekly thoughts that you see here. Also, you can see from Coldharbour 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 from May 2020 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.
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.
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.
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
Click on a diary entry for more information - including links for Zoom servives.
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 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.