We now have just one Soup Lunch and Lent Group left and it has been great to see so many joining us.  We are all very grateful to those who have hosted the lunches and the group meetings. We have enjoyed nourishing, friendly lunches and you have given generously to church funds. The group meetings, where we have discussed what we need for our Christian journey, have been helpful and thought provoking. We are hoping to start a new discussion group after Easter. Look out for more news and please let us know if you would be interested in this.

Last Sunday was Mothering Sunday and there were good numbers of children (of all ages), mothers and others in both churches and many of us took daffodils home as we thanked God for mothers and other important people who contribute to our family life.

A reminder that:

The Rev’d Dan Drew will be preaching at both churches on 8 April, the Sunday after Easter. Dan is part-time curate at St Mary’s Hitchin and he also leads the Hub Church in Hitchin. He is married to Alex and they have a baby daughter born just before Christmas.  Whether you are young or young-at-heart you will enjoy Dan’s preaching.

The Bishop of Hertford, Bishop Michael, will be visiting the parish on Sunday 13 May when he will preside and preach at both services and he will be joining us again on Wednesday 16 May. We will let you have details about this in the May magazine.

We seem to have more ‘news’ than ever from our television screens, radio and newspapers and much of it rather depressing.  So it is good to ‘look on the bright side’ especially at the Easter season.  On 4 April the world marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the American Baptist minister, Martin Luther King Junior, and although of course his violent death, at the age of 39, was tragic, his life was dedicated to eliminating racism and discrimination. Where Do We Go From Here? the theme for the commemoration of Dr. King’s assassination, was the title of his final book.  In 2018, it is important that we not only reflect and recount the history, but we try connect it to contemporary issues.  Our main church commemoration in the UK is a service of hope arranged by Christian Aid and Westminster Abbey in the Abbey on 4 April.

By the time you read this, Good Friday and Easter will have passed and some of the chocolate eggs will have been consumed.  Thank you to those who purchased Real Easter Eggs again this year.

I hope that you were able to celebrate the love, joy and hope of Easter as we mark the death and Resurrection of Jesus. The Bible and our hymn books tell us that because God loves us all, he sent his Son to earth and that Jesus ‘died that we might be forgiven; he died to make us good.’ And in his new Easter life we are able to enjoy ‘ life in all its fullness.’

With my prayers and good wishes to you all

Elizabeth