Welcome to Weobley & Staunton Joint Benefice

Over the first two Saturdays in October I have been involved in volunteer clean-up days at Staunton and Weobley churchyards.  It was wonderful to see a dedicated group come along and tidy up these areas. I am also mindful there are other volunteers who quietly and regularly mow, weed, hack and trim in the other 5 churches of our benefice. For all of this unsung (and unpaid) labour of love I am deeply grateful.

Our churchyards are much visited. They are special places of memory: a quiet place in which to remember, to grieve and to be thankful. They are also refuges for birds and wildlife, with a diverse array of wildflowers growing in designated no-mow areas. Some visitors will speak of a churchyard as ‘a final resting place’ but for those of Christian faith, the greenery and peace of a churchyard is reminder of that place of eternal rest and intimate spiritual relationship that awaits:

The writer of Psalm 90 reminds us:

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
 Before the mountains were brought forth,
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God…

The years of our life are seventy,
    or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
    they are soon gone, and we fly away…
So teach us to number our days
    that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Rev’d Philip

While on holiday, I found myself grumbling about a few days of rainy weather. However, my complaint led me to recall the times that I lived in desert environments, in Australia and the Middle East, when I used to lament the lack of green in the landscape. There’s a well-used saying in the UK that ‘You don’t get a green country without rain’. As we celebrate Harvest season, we are also called to give thanks for the blessings that come with rain!

I once heard a story related by an Australian who was working in a dry, remote part of Africa. She was asked by the women of the village about how far Australian women walked to fetch their water from a well. When she replied that most Australian women had access to piped, clean running water, both hot and cold, one of the ladies exclaimed ‘How happy must be the people of your country!’

This anecdote caused me to reflect on how much we take for granted; how we often        overlook the simple provisions of everyday sustenance. Perhaps it also illustrates our deeper need to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness. Are we thankful for the material blessings of food, shelter and warmth? And are we grateful for the support of others around us? In the letter to the Ephesians Paul says ‘I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers’. May this Harvest season be a time of heartfelt thanksgiving and may the joyful fruits of this spirit of gratitude be evident in our lives and churches.

Rev’d Philip

Harvest Collection for Water Aid

PCC members across the benefice were consulted about supporting a charity with our        harvest collections, and the decision was made to make donations to Water Aid, a charity working in developing nations to provide access to clean water and drainage. More              information can be obtained at www.wateraid.org/uk