Thackley Methodist Church and Community Centre

For some time, a number of our folk have been concerned about the pressures being placed on families by the current economic climate. Rachel, one of our members, works for Christians Against Poverty – https://capuk.org/ - and a while ago she gave a brilliant talk at one of our own arrangement services that strengthened this concern, but what could we do?  We don’t really have the resources to set up a CAP course or club, and although appreciated, financial help just doesn’t provide us with the opportunity to do something practical. Then, we remembered something that Rachel said about their first visits to families often finding the cupboards empty and that they’d not eaten properly for days. That provided the answer.  We’re setting up a Food Bank to support those families in crisis and from September are inviting everyone who comes on to our premises to donate tinned or dry food if they can. What’s more, this gives us an opportunity to do something together with our community grou

Dear Friends As I write this letter in July we are enjoying a heat wave with a chance to soak up the sun and to enjoy the long, light evenings.  I am also looking forward to some time on the Mediterranean coast as I venture with my family to Split in Croatia for a few days. Summer time brings opportunity for rest and refreshment, and is a time when many people are able to go away on holiday. It also brings a break from many of our church activities, although i am aware that planning is already under way for the new church year when it begins in September. And I am sure that those activities will be all the better if we give those who run them a chance of relaxation and recuperation from their exertions and endeavours. The Christian life is a call to times of both rest and busy-ness, however, we may choose to describe it - as the contemplative and the active, or as prayer and service. A healthy combination of these two aspects of the christian life will help to make us well-roun