The United Reformed Church Chesham

Dear Friends,

Be Joyful, keep the faith and do the little things

When Lorraine and I visited St Davids, Pembrokeshire in August we visited the Cathedral and learnt that the last words of St David, the Patron Saint of Wales, who served as Bishop of Mynyw during the 6th Century were “Be joyful, keep the faith, do the little things you have seen me do”. I also learnt that St David’s is Britain’s smallest city.

St David’s medieval shrine attracted thousands of pilgrims. Two visits were considered of equal value as one journey to Rome, three equaled a pilgrimage to Jerusalem but St David was always clear that he was simply a channel for God’s grace. It was the Cathedral’s first Norman bishop, Bernard (who went from layman to Bishop in 2 days) who persuaded Pope Calixtus II to grant the equivalence. The wealth that pilgrims brought through their gifts granted the bishops of St David’s enormous wealth and power. A considerable contrast to the simple life lived by St David!

We seem to be living in a time of great contrasts, rich and poor, it was wonderful to receive the Chesham Mayor’s Appreciation Certificate in recognition of our Church’s attempt to bridge the gap between rich and poor with “Meet and Eat”.

We are increasingly seeing great contrasts in the weather with some parts of the world in drought while others face severe floods. One of the merits of our holiday in Wales was to escape the severe heat in Chesham. However, it is now becoming unarguable that global warming caused by humans is severely affecting our climate.

The URC General Assembly this year commended the observance of the “Feast of Creation in Christ”. Grounded in an ancient, 5th Century, liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church, the Feast of Creation in Christ is a day to praise God as creator and ponder the great mystery that everything was created in and through Christ. In response we are inspired to care for the created world in these times of ecological crises.

Meanwhile we are joyful, we keep the faith and do the little things, our Church prospers because so many people contribute to all that is necessary to continue its work and witness, but there is always scope for more doing the little things.

If you feel you could contribute, particularly if you are new to the Church, do let me know.

Yours in Christ

Alan Callow
Church Secretary

Image: St David's Cathedral and the Bishops Palace beyond