We are fortunate to have two lovely and very distinctive churches in our parish – at St Paul’s Walden and Preston – both of them a testament to the love and care spent on them in the past and right up to the present.

By contrast, of course, Christians of the 1st century met in one another’s houses, to share the holy communion, to listen to letters from an apostle and to be in fellowship with one another generally

In my three months as a vicar, it has been my real joy to celebrate the holy communion not only in the churches, but at Lime Tree House (fortnightly on a Wednesday morning), and monthly with some of the residents of the Sue Ryder home at Stagenhoe, and of course in individual houses with those who are sick or unable to get out.

The Christian faith, then, can be expressed in church or at home or in the community. And this is to make a point about where God is, and indeed where God always is, namely, where you are. In fact, and without doubt, it is the people  who make the Church of God.

On Saturday 8 February, from 9.30 to 12.30 at All Saints, we will be asking – what is our vision for All Saints and St Martin’s 5 years from now? We will be thinking aloud about how our churches and all of us can serve our communities effectively. All are welcome. If you would like to come, please let me know, or email me with your thoughts. This is a chance to think creatively and with imagination about our vision for the future. Blue sky thinking, yes!

Jesus said, “Let the people come to me “. It was an open invitation to all when he said it, and it remains an open invitation today. We can come to Jesus just where we are, whether at home, at work, or of course in worship at church.

With every blessing,

Stephen