Parish of Bishopstoke

This year’s Big Lunch will take place after our morning services on Sunday 25th June at St Mary’s, and will run from 12.30 – 3.30 pm. But this time it’s going to be even bigger, with various stalls, including a raffle and tombola, and games. It will be a bring-and-share lunch, so please bring something for the food table if you possibly can – savoury or sweet, avoiding hot food unless you are able to bring it straight from home covered up. (Drinks will be provided.) We hop

Kat Mepham will be our Curate (together with St Thomas’) from when she is ordained deacon on 2nd July. I am married to Ali, who is the Vicar at St Thomas’, Fair Oak, and we have five amazing children: Molly, 16, who is just finishing her GCSE’s; Tom, 13, who loves his X box and performing in the youth theatre at The Point; Nat, 10, who loves being outside and all things environmental; Jem, 9, who plays the ukulele and loves pizza; and Eliza who enjoys dancing and My Little Po

Dear Friends This month marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Six Days’ War. This took place from 5th – 10th June, 1967, between Israel and its Arab neighbours and resulted in Israel taking land from Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Some of this has been given back in the intervening years, but not the West Bank and Gaza, which are still occupied in breach of international law. This is the root of the conflict in Israel-Palestine today. It’s not the only cause, though... It goes

During May the Friends of the Holy Land (FHL) team met with the Archbishop of Canterbury in Bethlehem. The Archbishop, also an FHL patron, was on a 12-day visit to the Middle East, and made time in his busy schedule to meet with us and catch up on our work. After a breakfast meeting he went on to visit the home of FHL beneficiary Anwar Jackaman. Anwar’s situation was made known to FHL in 2014 when, as a wheel chair user, he was confined to a single room. Thanks to the gen

There was definitely one missing. Ninety-nine sheep accounted for, not one hundred. So, ensuring the ninety-nine were safe, the shepherd went searching for the lost sheep – because it mattered. And he didn’t stop searching until he found it. When he found it he didn’t scold it. No, he put it across his shoulders – with great joy, the Bible says. Then he returned home carrying the found sheep, calling his friends and neighbours so that everyone could rejoice with him in