St Peter’s Church, Lodsworth
St Mary’s Church, Easebourne
‘in FAITH we FOLLOW + in HOPE we LIVE + in LOVE we SERVE’
If you would like to view any of the reflections or services
that Derek recorded since March 2020 please click here.
To find a simple form of daily prayer click here (also available as a video)
Other prayer resources may be found on the Church of England website.
March 2025
Dear Friends,
The March/April edition of our parish magazine is dedicated to community. For me, this is one of the best things about being part of a church, being a community and being part of the wider community. In community we can achieve so much, working together to explore what it means for each of us to participate in our shared life.
For the church, this requires a level of self-reflection. Our relationship with God, the God who is community in Trinity, requires us to understand who we are in relationship to others.
Lent is the traditional time for this reflection. The story of Easter asks questions of us. Why does a God love us so much? Why does forgiveness sit at the heart of the story? The answer to these questions will ultimately lead us to the core of what being a ‘community’ really means. Being loved and feeling loved will give us the confidence to love others.
Loving others gives us the confidence to build good and important relationships, in the church and beyond, which is the essence of good community. Forgiveness is a powerful tool for us being confident to love others, because ultimately, we know, that if we fail each other, that forgiveness will brings us back into community.
Community is our most natural human condition. We see it in family units, in the circles we choose to move in and in the places we choose to live. In all these scenarios, community will enrich us and those around us, as long as we value its potential to build life and support those in need.
So even if Lent is not your thing, allow the changing nature of spring to be a time of personal reflection and growth. Appreciate your communities, explore your place within them, and ask yourself if there are any new ways you can contribute using your skills and time.
May I wish you all a blessed and peaceful Lent.
Reverend Canon Derek Welsman