Jesus is ready! Are you ready? Really looking forward to Ascension day shenanigans. Come by!!

My sanctuary bell has snapped in quite an important place; it’s the bit that connects the middle to the wall strut. Does anybody know a south London craftsman/woman who can weld?

One of the ways that those with high profile could most beautifully witness to the Christian faith on Mothering Sunday might be to spend time on maternity wards, especially with parents of babies born prematurely, offering prayer and support and kindness. Just a thought.

This is for post-Easter, but can we find 50 C of E churches that wd agree to contribute £500 to commission a new app for £25k to replace Daily Prayer to offer improved functionality for both Common Worship and Book of Common Prayer. Anyone up for it?

God said “go” 👏👏🏽 Angel said “hi” 😇 Mary said “yes”🤰🏾 Today’s the day! Come by at 7pm to Holy Trinity, Tooting for a Eucharist to celebrate the annunciation.

From Erik Varden’s “Healing Wounds”. This is such a valuable insight. Sharing for all who might also need to read it today. It’s when Jesus’ hands were tied that He was saving humanity.

Talk to me about your customs for the annunciation; any particular foods, any crafts, any music? Does anyone still practice the custom of suspending a choir boy angel from a rope inside the church? 😂

Can anybody recommend a south London based housing solicitor who accepts legal aid, please?

I thought this Collect was so beautiful. "All whom he met" is a high bar. GIving thanks for Edward King today, and for all whose lives have reflected such grace, tender sympathy and joyful faith.

World politics are frightening. Naked power without the veneer of diplomacy especially so. But #Lent has us acknowledge these wounds by confronting what frightens us. If you’re in #London, come to @holytrinitytooting.bsky.social to begin the fast with joy, and anticipate the feast with ashes.

I also rate stories where the “results” are far from spectacular, and sometimes wonder why we don’t share them more? If we’re committed to faithfulness to Christ, and standing firm, examples that sound like failure to others ought to be more standard.

“Churches such as HTB are better at connecting on social media. I would much rather repost HTB’s beautifully curated content, with thought-provoking questions & soothing low-fi beats than C of E reels about Anglican history or what has been going on in Synod.” t.co/kbMEWEYAmv

This work of caring for - curing - souls, it is I think /the/ work of the church, around which all else revolves. If we are not reconciled to God, then we cannot bring others into relationship with God. A poignant piece from Bex Chapman in @churchtimes.bsky.social, thank you!

Spring is on the way!

“The work of ministry is the work of faith deeply inhabited… We must be prepare priests for the “patient endurance” to which Christian in exile in a hostile world are called—perhaps to be the Church more in the tradition of suffering East than triumphant West.” www.markclavier.com/well-tempere...

Both churches @staugustinetooting.bsky.social and @holytrinitytooting.bsky.social have an exciting new role for the right candidate! We're seeking a contractor for the role of Print and Digital Content Creator and Publisher! More info here: www.augustinetooting.co.uk/_files/ugd/e...

Reading this essay by Bp Saju Muthalaly in “An intercultural church for a multicultural world”, and was really quite struck by this idea of replacing plans by feeding people, and especially that many…

‘Improvements in handling safeguarding complaints have revealed other shortcomings. When the complaint doesn’t meet the safeguarding threshold, have we processes which nevertheless address the misconduct which may have occurred? I’m not confident we do.’ www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

“Whatever we’ve done, or failed to do, or had done to us, we are in it together, with those we’ve harmed and those who’ve harmed us. They may be way over there, with their backs to us, but they’re there. We cannot eject them, throw them out, discard them.” www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

“Love God, and your neighbour in, for, and unto God. Honour your parents and your homeland—especially your heavenly homeland, and its embodiment on earth: Mother Church, into which, by the Holy Spirit, you are born, and by which you are continually fed…” adfontesjournal.com/commonwealth...

In the wake of the resignation of another Church of England Bishop, is it possible to ask (and how?) at diocesan & general synods, whether there are other matters (even with low level detail) that it wd be helpful for us to learn about before they appear as exposés on Channel 4?

The Bitesize EL Society @ecclj videos are excellent. I really enjoyed “what is an incumbent”? Canon C24 (largely describing what incumbents & priests in charge do) does not mention: - Buildings & Faculties - Fundraising - Practical & Administrative tasks - Safeguarding youtu.be/EW_BNBCyhXM

In reality, we are here due to a series of decisions across dioceses (not one Archbishop) but this is true: “The Church Commissioners’ interest is piqued by attractive-sounding proposals.” and it can undermine good investment at parish level. unherd.com/2025/01/just...

Read the end! ‘I warn them if they show up to church, they’ll find it annoying. People will rub them up the wrong way. The leader will say something that makes them wince. The institution will disappoint and, if they stand still for 5 seconds, they’ll end up on a rota.’ www.churchtimes.co.uk/252768

Merry Christmas with grateful thanks to all who love the Church on earth as it is in heaven. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” #ClergyMaltClub #MyChurchOfEngland

Tooting is very quiet this morning; the shops are nearly empty. There’s very little traffic. A hush has descended. The preparations to welcome the baby are complete; for now it remains #Advent.

‘Sooner or later someone has to blow up the insatiable shark. The Church of England cannot be run by Twitter storms & petitions… Time, effort & money are all limited resources for a bishop, and to govern is to choose.’ Andrew Brown’s writing is careful, measured, and superb. t.co/YbvEjgoyHl

Reminder from @benjamindcrosby that this is one of the Advent Ember Days, and so to pray for all preparing for ordination. A helpful reflection on the language used around church discipline also. bencrosby.substack.com/p/on-the-wei...

Trying to finish a simple reflection on Radix Jesse, and I’ve got my roots and shoots in a pickle. Do you reckon Jesus is the root of Jesse or, alternatively, the shoot of Jesse, or theologically both?

Gaudete! Once every three years, you get a chance to tell the vipers to rejoice! This morning was it! Rejoice, you vipers!! #gaudete #weirdchurchstuff

Enough snark: a heartfelt, sad, and lovely letter about Christmas and grief. God bless Brian (and his friends at work, in the choir, and in the drama group, too).

“Overworked and unsupported clergy do not make for a safer Church. They are more likely to make mistakes, miss things, take short cuts, snap, burn out. If we want safety, we also need to provide accessible support to frontline ministers.” www.churchtimes.co.uk/252664

@bsky.app Could you make it easier (with fewer clicks) to switch between Bluesky accounts?

A good time was had by all at @holytrinitytooting! Thank you for being a terrific host. Lovely Christmas meal @TheBedfordPub, lovely staff, and a lovely time 🥰

Step from the waiting of #Advent to the wonder of #Christmas at a Christingle Service at 3pm on Sunday 8th December at Holy Trinity. We've sticky oranges, sweets and fire! Children of all ages very welcome. Book now to avoid disappointment: bit.ly/BookEventHT

Fleming Rutledge here is just… brilliant. I’m grateful for this help (as though we could forget) to name our need for an unflinching inventory of darkness. #Advent 💜

Wisdom from St Ambrose! From three books on the duties of the clergy, bk 1, ch 2 “I know that most persons speak because they do not know how to keep silent.”

Happy Feast of St Ambrose everyone! I asked ChatGPT to write a rap for him; here’s a bit of it: Saint Ambrose, the voice of the divine, Droppin’ sacred rhymes, let the Scriptures shine. Preacher, poet, teacher, a spiritual boss, Guiding the faithful to the foot of the cross.

A little bit of good news. Each parish perhaps putting on another service or doing a work of mercy or finding a way to reach somebody forgotten. 🥰🥰 “Weekly attendance rose to 693,000 in 2023, an increase of 4.5 per cent compared with the figures for 2022.” www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

“to begin again, we must return to the local church. Not to laud it like some faithful retainer, before turning attention and resources elsewhere, but to let ourselves be chastened and transformed by it, and regrow Anglican polity from the ground up.” andrewrumsey.wordpress.com/2024/11/29/w...

I’m giving last year’s me an award!! 🤓🥇 #Advent #Advent2024 #AdventIsTheMostFabSeasonEvah

So, who else is dashing around trying to get together stuff to make an Advent wreathe in case children make an appearance? 😃 This is another one of those handy activities that can be created with a paper plate! www.twinkl.co.uk/resource/adv...

Greetings to all observing the quiet purple season. Waiting. Longing. Hoping. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus. May it be soon.

Many icons for Christ the King have him reigning in majesty with golden crown, orb & sceptre. It’s “reaffirm Christ’s kingship in the face of worldly power”. Helpful when the State seeks to permit the death of the vulnerable. But this is kingly resistance too.

Our internal Advent and Christmas cards launched for the first time this year at St Augustine’s! Really pleased with these, and working with both churches to recapture Advent. And now to begin organising to deliver 4,500 Christmas cards across both parishes…!

In the spirit of endurance, of persevering and giving thanks ‘midst toil and tribulation, can you share one element of being at church this morning that gave you joy? For me, it was singing Crown him with many Crowns!

Giving thanks on the eve of Christ the King for all the many churches seeking God; that we would be stirred up to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Especially endurance. With these gifts, we are rich.

I’m deeply sceptical that the next Archbishop ought to be elected as Archbishop because of their gender; let it be the most faithful, charitable, brave and generous candidate please!! unherd.com/2024/11/burn...

This is an incredible book (a pamphlet, really) on praying the psalms by Thomas Merton. I very much commend it!