Writing from the Rectory – January 2026

In the BBC Reith Lectures, we are told that a moral revolution is needed. The difficulty then becomes who gets to define morality? We have an answer to that question, and it is known as the bible. There's an ancient story (2 Kings 22-23) of a society that had largely forgotten about God and yet one day as they were clearing out the temple, they came across some scrolls which contained the Old Testament. From that day forth they decided to commit themselves to learning and applying the wisdom handed down to Moses to every generation to come. By the time of Jesus all Hebrew children would learn the scriptures by heart.

What a contrast then to today where increasingly children do not own a bible and often don't learn about the Christian faith, or any other, at school. Jesus attached great importance on those that had previously been excluded from worship having access both to worship and to him. Jesus was the founder of inclusivity: women, widows, orphans, children, migrants, the sick, the poor. In fact when some children were prevented from access to Jesus, he rebuked the well-meaning adults saying, "Let the children come to me!"

Commonly I hear the following comment from parents We want our children to choose for themselves whether or not to believe in God'. This is a popular view and at first glance appears to have a certain wisdom and compassion about it. However, to make informed choices we need information! We need to experience something before deciding whether to accept or reject it.

Why not give your child the chance to encounter Jesus by trying junior church? We're starting a new monthly service at St Gregory's from January 18 at 11am and on every third Sunday of the month. We have made enormous strides within the same Sunday service towards creating fun and safe spaces for our young people while the adults listen to sermons and prayers. However, the time has come to separate traditional from contemporary worship styles. This means having a 9:30 with choir hymns and formal liturgy. At 11am we will have songs and interactive, age-specific activities for informally engaging with the same themes. Why not join us with your family and learn more about your identity and purpose in life?

With Blessings for 2026, Revd Andrew.