Follow this link to watch –
https://youtu.be/YO-E4_KzDuQ

Good Morning All,

I am mixing things up a bit this week with a letter on a Thursday!
I know, nothing stays the same.

This week has seen that landmark figure of 100,000 deaths in the UK from Covid 19. It is a very sobering thought, and I have to admit it brought tears to my eyes.

I feel that it warrants some sort of response from me as Senior Chaplain, but I am struggling to think of something new to say about it.

Of course we send our love and prayers to those who are grieving. We send our enormous thanks to all of those who are caring for others wherever they are, and we celebrate the wonderful work of our Health Service. Bless them.

We also stand alongside those who have lost loved ones, and our hearts go out to those who were not able to be with their partners when they died, and those who have not had a funeral service like they envisaged. Bless them. The clergy are of course happy to hold Memorial Services at a later date for anyone who would like it.

From a point of view of faith, this has, and continues to be a difficult time for many. Where is God in all this sadness, and why doesn’t he do something?
Well of course God is in the heart of it. He feels the pain of 100,000 of his children losing their life to this virus, he feels the pain of every bereaved heart, and he inspires so many to keep on going, to work at caring, to motivate those who are seeking in so many ways to bring relief, vaccine, treatment and hope.

You have heard me say countless times about hanging on to our hope, of looking to the future, and my belief that this too shall pass, and all manner of things shall be well, and I hold by those thoughts. But we are at yet another grim milestone, and it is hard to fathom.

100.000 people is difficult to imagine. What does that amount of people look like? Who are they all?
They are members of families, children of God who are loved, and are now missed. Bless them, every one.

Sandra and I lost a dear friend to it last week. Only 65, and it really brings it home.

Sometimes words seem inadequate. I would want to hold all those who have lost someone. To comfort them, to just be with them, and let them know how precious their loved ones are.

But we can’t do that.

So, Sandra and I have an idea. We plan to walk in Memory of those who have died, in Honour of those who grieve, in Thanksgiving for those brilliant folk who have cared for loved ones and strangers, in Gratitude, for those who have recovered, in Admiration for those key workers who have supported us all and kept as many things flowing as possible, in Praise of our NHS and in Love for everyone who continues to work so hard to stop the spread of this virus.

100, 000 lives, one metre for each one means we will walk 100kms. I shall still be working, so we plan to do this during the week from 4^th – 10^th February, squeezing as many kilometres in each day locally between appointments.

If you would like us to hold the name of a loved one in our hearts as we walk, please let me know.

This is not a fund raiser, it just replaces more words from me.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

As Ever,

Fr Marcus

The new restrictions introduced by the Valencian Government yesterday include a prohibition on movement at weekends in or out of Gandia.  This applies between 15.00 hrs on Friday to 06.00 hrs on the following Monday.  There are some limited exemptions, but unfortunately attending an act of worship isn’t one of them.  The new regulations are in force until at least the 15th February.
So, sadly, with the agreement of Father Marcus and Father Rodney, We confirm that we have to suspend our services for at least the next three Sundays.  
We will of course keep a close watch on developments and let you know as soon as we are able to resume.  In the meantime, the online worship continues to be available as before.
Take care and stay safe everyone.

Yours in Love and Christian fellowship,

Stephen and Trina

Co Wardens for Gandia

My Dear Friends,
The incredible Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, and the culmination of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity go hand in hand.
Last night we had our annual Unity Service here in Calpe at La Merced Church, hosted as always by our Roman Catholic friends who made us feel so welcome.
Unsurprisingly there were many apologies from folk who felt safer at home, but it was brilliant that we were able to go ahead with about 30 in attendance.
It really is a highlight for me when Don Juan Carlos and I can lead worship together. It only happens a few times a year, at the Unity Service and on Good Friday, and on the Holy Week Processions. Sometimes he refers to me as ‘The other Priest in the Parish’ which is really inclusive.
The service follows a similar pattern each year as we embrace a theme that binds us together. This year it was ‘I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. Jn 15.11
(Those of you who know me will realise that is right up my street!)
The Gospel reading was shared in 5 different languages:
John 15:5-9
 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.  Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.  As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.

Don Juan Carlos and I both got to give a homily. I am not sure exactly what he said as it was in Spanish, but I could tell it was very encouraging and inclusive.

I spoke about the Joy of being together, and the things throughout my life that bring Joy. (I shall keep this short,) I spoke about family and visiting them, walking in the mountains although I am scared of heights, being with friends, eating (curry) drinking beer, being in church, (not in that order), riding my bike. But then I spoke of the great joy of getting home, being in that  place where you feel most comfortable, where you can be absolutely true to yourself. Where you feel at one with your environment. My abode, and hopefully your abode is where you can settle right in, relax, express yourself, feel the love and just ‘Be’.

I then went on to pick up the theme from the Gospel, ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.’
We are called to make our home, our abode in the Love of Christ, and that too for me is right up my street.
It is when we allow ourselves to be at one with Christ, that we can be truly comfortable, and be truly ourselves. There is no need, and no possibility to pretend, to be false, to cover things up, or deny our feelings, but rather, in Christ we can truly ‘Be’.

The great joy of the Unity Service is that we share these feelings, these words with folk from different churches, backgrounds, languages and cultures, but we all have the Love of Christ in common, and we all make our home in him, and he in us.

There is so much more that unites us than divides us, and perhaps the churches of the world are being called to speak boldly against the divisions that can so easily tear communities apart.

The fact that the service takes place on the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul is so important.
Saul was out to destroy the New Way. He was the last person on earth that anybody would have thought to be used by God to build his church, but that is exactly what God chose to do, and Saul, who became Paul, took the Gospel message of Peace and Unity throughout the known world.

Nothing is impossible with God.
You and I are better together.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

As ever,

Fr Marcus

There will be no service in Albir this week or next, due to an increase in cases of Covid among our Norwegian hosts.

Services continue in our other churches, except for the mid-week services in Javea and Alfaz, which remain suspended.

For everyone unable or not yet ready to attend church in person, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting a communion service live on Facebook at 7pm this evening, Saturday. It will then be available to view as a recording at any time on Sunday. Both the live service and the recording can be accessed on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. Just click this link – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940.

The general increase in cases of the virus, and the severe impact on our local hospitals is a real worry. Please stay safe and do everything that we can to protect ourselves and others.

Carole Saunders has asked us to pass this on.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU HAVE COVID-19 SYMPTOMS

Knowing how to act in case you have COVID-19 symptoms, can help better control what may arise in the following days, and in receiving help from people around you. If you have any of these symptoms, fever, cough, or respiratory problems, follow these instructions, call your Health Centre and ask if they consider you need a COVID-19 test. You should isolate yourself, taking the following steps.

1. Isolate yourself and stay on your own in a bedroom, that has a window for ventilation, keeping the door closed, and if possible the sole use of a bathroom.
2. Make sure you always have your telephone with you. The Health Centre will want to check on you, and so will your family and friends.
3. If you are unable to breath, or feel seriously ill, call either112, the Valencian Health Service Call Centre 900 300 555, or your Health Centre Emergency Call Number, which for Calpe is 96 687 0450.
4. Help yourself by taking paracetamol to control your temperature, apply damp towels to your forehead and take tepid showers. Drink plenty of liquids and rest, moving about your bedroom now and again.
5. You must inform the people you live with, that they also, have to go into quarantine.
6. Make sure that at home everyone knows how to wash their hands properly.
7. If you start feeling worse, and have difficulties in breathing,and cannot reduce your temperature, call 112.
8. You should stay in isolation, for a minimum of ten days, from the beginning of the symptoms, always at least three days after your medical condition has been resolved. 
9. Your discharge will be supervised by your Doctor from your Health Centre, following the instructions of your autonomous region.

Good Afternoon My Friends,

Have you missed me? No, I am sure you haven’t but I have missed sending these letters and videos out for a little while. I had a break from it just because there was so much going on and everything was a bit overwhelming, and I didn’t want you lovely people to feel you had to plough through yet more nonsense from me.

When I started these in March, I thought we would only be going for a few weeks, and here we are half way through January, and wondering what will happen next.

So, I shall endeavour to produce a letter and a video each week at least, and maybe more as the Spirit moves me. (If it is too much or too little please let me know.)

Anyway, down to the good stuff.

On Sunday we heard of Jesus calling his first disciples. Andrew, who went on to immediately bring Simon Peter happened just before our Gospel reading started. John the Baptist had pointed out Jesus as The Lamb of God, so Andrew plus one followed him. Jesus had turned and said ‘What do you want?’ They had no idea, so made up an answer ‘We want to know where you live?’ So Jesus said ‘Come and see.’ One of the greatest lines in scripture.

The next day, (Where Sunday’s Gospel started) Jesus calls Philip to follow him….

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’

Again this is brilliant. Philip had been so excited by his encounter with Jesus that he couldn’t wait to bring Nathanael along, but Nathanael’s response was unexpected. Rude, prejudiced, arrogant, judgemental, showing a mind not open at all! 
I am not sure how I would have felt. Angry and defensive probably.  But Philip didn’t argue, or get defensive, and that was so cool.

It reminds us that we cannot argue folk into faith, or get all grumpy when people don’t get where we are coming from. It never works. It is no surprise that many dinner parties have an unwritten rule not to talk about Religion or politics or Brexit, and that is because we are not good at talking about such things to folk who have different opinions. We get angry and defensive.
But Philip knew best, and rather than argue he said those classic words ‘Come and see’.

What better way to convey something of what our faith is about than to try and encourage folk to Come and see. If they witness us in relationship with Jesus, how great is that!
Throughout scriptures people who have an encounter with Christ are moved and changed by it, and he never argues them in to submission.

My favourite theologian Matthew Fox uses the phrase Transformation by delight. We get people to open their minds by offering them something more delightful. Not by bashing them with anything negative.

Jesus and Philip both invited people to Come and see, and in so doing those who came had an encounter with Jesus and it so enriched their lives.

You and I are called to invite folk to Come and see, but things are very difficult at the moment.

We are not having social gatherings, when we show our joy and humanity at its best. We are not even having coffee after church, and some people are wary of coming to church anyway because of Covid, so how do we ask folk to Come and see?

Well one of the things that has grown during the pandemic is people’s thirst for religious or spiritual content online. At the same time churches have embraced things like streaming services, Youtube and the airways like never before. So at the moment our best Come and see, could easily be an invitation to a friend to either one of these letters, or the videos on our site. 
Some of Fr Rodney and Robin’s services have been viewed over 1000 times, and the prayers on our website get over 2000 hits a week. We have plenty of copy out there, and some people are absolutely ready to hear some Good News. We even have a blog page, and a number of Facebook pages
So, my Dear Friends, invite those who you love to Come and See.

These may help.

www.costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org    Our Website address where you can get info about our churches, the blog posts and facebook.

Youtube pages  
Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy 2020  for videos from Fr Marcus

Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy 2 for services from Fr Rodney and Fr Robin

www.puregold.fm  for Great music on a Sunday night from 6-8pm, with a nugget of spirituality around 7pm. But great at any time.

Or folk could email me, marcusronchetti@yahoo.co.uk and I could add them to my mailing list for letters and videos.

I can’t be doing with arguing and being grumpy, but I love the idea of just saying Come and see.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you

As ever,

Fr Marcus

We have heard that our dear friend Alan Smith passed away this morning.

Alan suffered the grief of nursing two wives, and losing them both. He was an active part of Chaplaincy life for many years. His home was the venue of many Chaplaincy fundraising events, and he helped to raise many thousands of Euros (and pesetas!) while bringing joy and fellowship to us all.

Alan served as Chaplaincy auditor for several years, and was a vital member of Chaplaincy Council for many more.

By profession Alan was an accountant, but his life was much more than that. Serving others was a part of his life, way back to his days in Round Table in his home county of Yorkshire, or “God’s own county” as Alan proudly proclaimed. He was enthusiastic about sport, especially cricket, and was an avid follower of Yorkshire and the England teams.

Alan also had an passion for classical music, and would regularly attend operas and concerts at the Palau in Valencia, and more recently in Teulada.

This gentleman will be remembered with affection by many.

May he rest in peace, and rise in glory.

There will be no service in Albir this week, due to a case of Covid among our Norwegian hosts. We will resume at 3pm on Sunday 24th.

Services continue in our other churches, except for the mid-week (Wednesday) service in Javea, which remains suspended.

For everyone unable or not yet ready to attend church in person, Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin will be broadcasting a communion service live on Facebook at 10am. It will then be available to view as a recording at any time after 11am. Both the live service and the recording can be accessed on Fr. Rodney’s Facebook page. Just click this link – https://www.facebook.com/rodney.middleton.940.