Welcome to Weobley & Staunton Joint Benefice

You may have watched the recent BBC series ‘Pilgrimage’ which explored the experience of seven celebrities walking along the Jakobsweg from Innsbruck to Switzerland. Against a background of beautiful alpine scenery, the programme records their conversations about themselves, religion and the quest for meaning. The programme portrays people tuning in to nature, confronting their inner struggles and engaging in genuine listening (increasingly rare in our current age of noisy disagreement).

Walking pilgrim routes has become popular across Britain and Europe, and the concept of pilgrimage has been reinvented as something open to people of all faiths and none. There is a hunger for spiritual connection, often encountered in the quiet beauty of creation, that removes us from the frantic distractions of the digital world.

While I am clearly not a celebrity, I have decided to take a pilgrimage journey from 22nd to 25th June, along the Pembrokeshire path from St Ishmael’s to St David’s. I will be                   accompanied by two Staunton parishioners, Ian and Iola Russell (I will be relying on Ian’s superior navigation skills and hoping that Iola’s first aid expertise will not be required).

Our walk will raise funds in support of both St Michael’s Hospice and the churches of the Weobley and Staunton Benefice. 

If you would like to make a donation you can do so online at www.weobleyandstaunton.org 

Alternatively, you can make a bank transfer to:

WEOBLEY & STAUNTON CHURCH COUNCIL 

Sort Code: 30-94-99

Account Number: 00135029.

Please include ‘Pilgrimage’ as the transaction reference. Cash or cheques can also be left at the vicarage in Weobley. 

In the meantime, we are praying for good weather!

Rev’d Philip

Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, and the Israeli government's military response, we have witnessed shocking scenes of violence and brutality. Those speaking out against this   violence (on either side) have also found themselves accused or sidelined in the media (and       social media) in a fraught atmosphere. On the 22nd May the House of Bishops released a press statement on Gaza with which I concur. I commend it to you, and ask that you keep praying for civilians caught up in this conflict, for aid workers, for those seeking to negotiate a truce and for political leaders to seek peace, reconciliation and justice. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9) 

Rev Philip

House of Bishops statement on Gaza

22/05/2025

The House of Bishops, which has been meeting in York this week, has issued a statement on the situation in Gaza.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Recalling our Easter statement (April 14, 2025) following the Government of Israel’s bombing of the Anglican Al Ahli Hospital, we cry out in protest at the death, destruction and suffering that men, women and children have endured in Gaza, Israel and the region these last 20 months. We abhor war in all its forms and see it as a sign of human brokenness.              

Nothing justifies the heinous terror attacks committed by Hamas on October 7 2023. In such circumstances nations have a right to self-defence in line with international law, and to hold perpetrators to account .

Yet, the Government of Israel has shown through its statements and actions that this is no longer a defensive war, but a war of aggression. We strongly affirm that the Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza and the West Bank have a right to live in peace and security in their homeland. Any forced displacement of people would constitute an egregious breach of international humanitarian law.                                                                         

We have watched with horror and outrage as siege and starvation are used as a weapon of war in Gaza, and as hospitals and health facilities have been systemically targeted. Over the last three months, the Israeli government’s deliberate denial of food and medical aid to an entire civilian population is an atrocity that defies our common humanity. It is the very definition of collective punishment and has no moral justification.                                                                                                                                                                                       We note that the Israeli Government has been challenged before the International Court of Justice. Starving children cannot wait for legal rulings given that every country has an obligation to prevent crimes against humanity. As Bishops we are compelled to state clearly and unequivocally that the death, suffering and destruction being inflicted on Gaza is a grave sin that violently assaults God-given human dignity and the very integrity of God’s creation.                                                                                                                                                    

We call on all sides to end the war. We call on relevant UN bodies to be allowed to administer all necessary aid in line with long standing humanitarian principles. We call for the immediate release of all hostages without condition. The continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank, the appalling levels of settler violence, and the forced displacements and house demolitions must cease.                  

We support and applaud all those Jewish voices, both inside and outside of Israel, that are courageously pressing the Israeli Government to end the war. We add our voices to those urging the Government of Israel to turn away from its current trajectory and to affirm life and human dignity for all.                                                                                                                                                                                       We welcome the British Government’s decision (May 20 2025) to suspend negotiations with the Israeli government on a new free trade agreement. This is a necessary first step. Fueling this war by the selling of arms to Israel does not serve the ends of peace consistent with  international humanitarian law. The use of dehumanising language by members of the current Israeli government is dangerous and must be challenged. To maintain the hope of a long-lasting peaceful solution, governments should now formally recognise Palestine as a sovereign and independent state. To delay further invites despair. 

For our own part, we commit to pray and to work for an end to this war, the release of all hostages and to support efforts to secure a long-term settlement that delivers security, justice and peace for Israelis and Palestinians. 

We are deeply conscious of the real sense of fear that many within the Jewish community here feel at this moment. We treasure our relations with our Jewish brothers and sisters and will continue to condemn antisemitic rhetoric or action in all its forms. We condemn the shocking and senseless murder of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC.  

We encourage dioceses and parishes to continue supporting the ongoing appeal for the Diocese of Jerusalem, including the restoring of medical facilities and the buildings of the Al Ahli Anglican Hospital in Gaza. Such efforts reassure our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters and all other Christian communities that they are not forgotten. We give thanks for their steadfastness and faithful witness, and invite churches across the country to join us in praying for their ministry in sharing the light of Christ in such dark times. 

Support the appeal for the Al Ahli Hospital and the ministries of the Diocese of Jerusalem