Leith Hill Benefice
Four Churches, One CommunityCovid-19 Assistance
Jesus said: And you know the way to the place where I am going.
Thomas said to him: Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?
Jesus said to him, ' am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.John 13: 4-6
This week we will all be making our personal journey to the foot of the cross and then beyond to the breaking of the light on Easter morning. A journey of intense pain and sorrow; a journey which will surely make us stop and think of the part we too have played in pinning our Lord to the cross with the nails of our sin, both personal and collective. But having walked through all the searing, harrowing events leading to Calvary we continue onwards; Calvary is not the end but the means to a new beginning; a new dawn. Come Easter Sunday we will, in the power of the Holy Spirit, be enabled to lift our voices and join with millions in both earth and heaven to make that wonderful shout of acclamation 'Alleluia, He is risen, He is risen indeed!'
This week also we will continue the global journey dictated by the Corona virus and it too is a journey of pain and sorrow casting dark shadows into all our lives. But this is where we are surely called to heed the words of Jesus and know that this way too has the presence of our Lord who is our Saviour, our Redeemer walking with us. We cannot know when it will end but what we do know is that on each and every day we can trust that we follow in the steps of Christ and He will in His infinite mercy and protection lead us onwards. The world we discover at the end may be quite different to the one we know now, and the hope has already been expressed by many that it will indeed be a better world, a far more compassionate less self-serving world. Whatever the truth the darkness will, in time, give way as it did on that first Easter Sunday to a day when the shadow cast by the Corona virus will be made impotent. But for now let us live each day in the Easter light of Christ shining into our hearts and our homes bringing the blessing of God's love for all His children.
You don't have to forge your own path.
It's not all down to you.
Follow me.
I've taken this path - and the paths you may yet take -
before you.
I am with you on the road.
I am beside you.
And I am ahead of you.
Follow me.
Not from a distance.
But close.
So close that you can sense my breathing, and I yours.
Follow me.
Rev Virginia Smith, 6th April 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.
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.).
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 Assistance
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.