Fr. Jim invites us all to watch this brief service. Click this link to view.

Dear all,
I hope that you are all well and coping with being in this present lockdown, also that your various congregations are doing all right.  Remember that if you do have any concerns you can bring them to Martin Bently or me and we can see what we can do.
Fr. Marcus has asked me to put together two selections of tales and reminiscences from our congregations, in two categories.  First who remembers and has a tale or reminiscense to share about V.E. Day?  and second experiences from the great Lockdown we are currently under.  If anyone wishes to remain anonymous that is fine, but if, under either heading – or both – somebody has a tale to tell, we would love to hear it. Any replies can come directly to me – so replies, please, to:   pdiatomic@hotmail.com    and I will take it from there.
Many thanks for your co-operation.
Stay safe and well.
Best regards,
Diana Pringle Acting Chaplaincy Warden.

Click here to view today’s video from Fr. Marcus.
Fr. Marcus says, “Not sure why it comes up with that dreadful picture, and it seems as if I can’t change it, which is annoying.”

Enjoy

One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go.
From the old things to the new
keep me travelling along with you.

And it’s from the old
I travel to the new,
keep me travelling
along with you.

My Dear Friends,

I hope you have found something today that made you smile deep within yourself.

Bishop David phoned again today, to see how we were all doing, and to listen to any concerns I had, and just to be the great encourager that he is. He specifically requested that I send you all his love and greetings. I feel Blessed having him as our bishop.

If things had been different, today I would be on the first day of my Camino from Porto to Santiago, and it would be bliss. We would have set off early, and after the joyful banter of friends off on an adventure, we would have got in to our stride. 
Once we had settled, I would have shared my ‘Intention for the day’. 
Each day, one of us (usually me) sets out some thoughts, or ‘Intentions’ for us to ponder during the quiet moments of our journey. There is no pressure, and no questions asked of anyone, but we are receptive if anyone wants to share their own thoughts or feedback.

Examples of intentions we have used in the past are : The Fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and self control. We have also used, Family, Compassion, Journey, and things like that.

So, while I am missing my Camino, I will share a few intentions with you, for you to do as you please. The first is the verse from the hymn at the top of this letter. One more step along the world I go.

Obviously chosen with the idea of us walking again, but also designed to get us to think outwards, and further afield. Embarking on a new journey, visiting places we have never seen before, meeting folk who we never knew, perhaps getting lost, or suddenly finding our way. Sharing the familiarity of friendship, with the excitement of adventure. Being open to new things, new ideas, new ways of doing things, while hanging on to the time honoured and dearly loved pattern of living and being.

Then we get to the chorus

And it’s from the old
I travel to the new,
keep me travelling
along with you.

This hymn, which would have been a great ‘Intention’ for day one of walking our Camino, is also a great Intention for us all as we contemplate where we are in this time of upheaval, change and uncertainty.

I know it is a bit of a cliché, but we are all on our own spiritual journey, and we are on the social and emotional journey of travelling through this lockdown.
Interestingly, confinement has created many opportunities for folk to look further afield, to families, friends, colleagues, fellow church members and even people we have lost regular contact with.  
We are learning new ways of doing things. Who would have thought we would be live streaming services, and putting videos on Youtube!
We are discovering ways of being church, being community, being connected that seem to work, and lead us in a slightly different direction. Who knows what we will have learned by the time this is all over.

It has also opened up new avenues of contact, or outreach. My Easter sermon was watched over 350 times which is so many more than the folk who would have heard it live in church. 
Before lockdown, I would never have dared put something like that on youtube!

So, we are learning.
But the chorus continues ‘Keep me travelling along with you’. We are doing this, with God, and with one another. We share in this journey together. We will experience highs and lows, euphoria and pain, laughter and tears, but God is with us every step of the way.

On Camino, I would have chatted like this for however long it took (you know me, short and to the point haha!), and then we would have let that Intention float around our souls for the rest of the day.

Perhaps we can let the words from the hymn float around our souls and we carry on.

Bless you. Bless you. Bless you.

As Ever,

Fr Marcus

Click here to view today’s service, led by Fr. Rodney, with Fr. Robin.

And …. Fr. Rodney tells us, “The suit is now visible on My Story…” This will make more sense just a few moments into the welcome.

Good Afternoon you lovely people,
Hope you have enjoyed some fresh air!
Here is the link for today’s offering.
Living life to the full

A number of our church family have asked for the details of the Chaplaincy’s UK bank account, to make donations directly. Despite the name of the account it is specifically the property of this chaplaincy. The details are as follows –

Diocesan Bank Account at Barclays Bank plc:

Account name: The Diocese in Europe Fund;   Account Number: 40317039. Sort-code: 20-06-13;  
Swiftbic code: BUKBGB22; IBAN number: GB16 BUKB 2006 1340 3170 39

Do please note that bank transfers will attract a UK banking handling charge of £4.50.

As a further reminder, if you wish to donate in Euros, the Spanish account number (IBAN) is as follows – ES76 ‪0075 1294 60‬ 0600122108..

Thank you for your considered donations to help the continuing work of the chaplaincy.

FROM FR. MARCUS

Philip and James, Apostles.

My dear Friends,

The only point in having a plan is to make God laugh!

Can’t remember who said that, but we have all had to throw all of our plans away, and miss out on the things we were really looking forward to.

It seems somewhat ironic that tomorrow we will be allowed out for a walk, as long as it is only for an hour, and is within a 1km radius of our home, and we only go with a family member. The Irony is that on Monday, Sandra and I, and our friend Sheila were supposed to be in Porto, to walk the Portuguese  Camino to Santiago, to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. Today being his feast day, is teasing me a little.

We had been looking forward to this for so long, and the idea of pilgrimage is something that means such a lot to us in different ways.

I personally will miss the rhythm of each day, the focus on the journey, the spiritual reflection as we contemplate the intention of each day. We will all miss the joy of being together, the wonderful thrill of seeing new places, meeting new people and trying new things, and every step taking us closer to the Cathedral in Santiago.
We have done two major stages already, and have loved every minute of it. Absolutely! But for the moment, this trip is not to be. Rather I shall be walking in circles around the block.

But another time, and we can have the joy of looking forward to it again.

So, today, instead, we can contemplate the spiritual journey that our soul has experienced during lockdown.
The practice of our faith has been very different. No public worship, but perhaps more time in personal prayer. Less hearing sermons, but perhaps more videos, or podcasts. Less fellowship, but perhaps more contact with family and friends via social media. No Bible study, but perhaps more personal reading. Less busyness, and possibly more time just to be.

I don’t want to just paint a rosy picture, pretending that everyone has been fine, but I don’t want us to lose sight of the opportunities that the changes to our plans have created. 
Many of us have been on the receiving end of a great deal of kindness, and we have had the space to put things into a new perspective. We have had time to think.

None of us know quite what the future will hold, or what the new normal will be. We will see what happens as we slowly emerge from being at home, to finding a new path, and take tentative steps on our ongoing spiritual journey. All we know for sure is that we don’t know much, and that paves the way for adventure!

Bless you, stay safe, and tread lightly.

As ever,

Fr Marcus

From the Standing Committee

Apologies. A link in the earlier post was faulty. These are all now tested and correct.

In Father Marcus’s letter last week he provided links to make donations to the chaplaincy, to help us through this very difficult time, while we have no Sunday collections, and no fundraising. Our costs continue much as before.

Several people have asked for a reminder of the options available, so this gives you the necessary links –

1) The simplest way to give, if you have either a PayPal account or a bank card is to CLICK THIS LINK – https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=DsJPq56-H3IlNlg-z8j_yd0w4JMhJovOXLunEY5PKs47q06EqzVzVe8XJLoNO8W4QSzbvW&country.x=ES&locale.x=ES

2) If you want to make a Spanish bank transfer, using online banking please make the transfer to this bank account – ES76 ‪0075 1294 60‬ 0600122108.

3) If you want to discuss or arrange regular giving please email our Stewardship Coordinator, Carole Bentley – carole.bentley1@gmail.com. She and the local stewardship team can also advise you regarding the tax efficient payment options.

4) You can email Dennis Johnson, our Treasurer – tresoroblanca@gmail.com

5) And finally, if you need pastoral support please contact your chaplain, or local warden. Or you can email Fr. Marcus directly – marcusronchetti@yahoo.co.uk.

Thank for your prayers and for continuing to keep in touch with one another. We are a community of caring souls. Bless you all.

From the Standing Committee

In Father Marcus’s letter last week he provided links to make donations to the chaplaincy, to help us through this very difficult time, while we have no Sunday collections, and no fundraising. Our costs continue much as before.

Several people have asked for a reminder of the options available, so this gives you the necessary links –

1) The simplest way to give, if you have either a PayPal account or a bank card is to CLICK THIS LINK. You will be asked to choose the number of Pounds Sterling that you wish to give. 

2) If you want to make a Spanish bank transfer, using online banking please make the transfer to this bank account – ES76 0075 1294 60 0600122108.

3) If you want to discuss or arrange regular giving please CLICK HERE to email our Stewardship Coordinator, Carole Bentley. She and the local stewardship team can also advise you regarding the tax efficient payment options.

4) If you want to email Dennis Johnson, our Treasurer, please CLICK HERE.

5) And finally, if you need pastoral support please contact your chaplain, or local warden. Or you can email Fr. Marcus directly, just CLICK HERE.

Thank for your prayers and for continuing to keep in touch with one another. We are a community of caring souls. Bless you all.