On Sunday 4th June, at 9:30, walkers will be setting off from the church at St Paul’s Walden to raise money for the Lord’s Taverners. Funds raised from the walk will go towards the establishment of three ‘Super 1’ cricket hubs in Hertfordshire to help young people with disabilities raise their aspirations. One of the cricket hubs will be in Stevenage.

It is a reminder, that on our doorstep there are people giving up their time, and raising money, for good causes – a cause which will mean a lot in Preston, where cricket is so important. And, of course, there are countless other examples of community-minded volunteering here.

At the end of May, we celebrated the Day of Pentecost, or the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost was a vital moment for the early church, because the Holy Spirit supercharged the early followers of Jesus with power to do good in the world – to work for justice and peace. The same Spirit indeed that is available today for every single one of us.

Every month, I take a service for the residents of Sue Ryder. It is a wonderful experience for me. There is a strong sense of the Holy Spirit moving in the chapel at Stagenhoe, especially when quiet descends after we’ve sung a hymn or heard a reading. And by the way, can I urge you to think about volunteering at Sue Ryder? It is a most marvellous place, and you will receive more from it than you could possibly imagine.

The Holy Spirit matters. As we sang in one of our services:

The Spirit lives to set us free, walk, walk, in the light.

With every blessing

Stephen