• The Churn Benefice

    We're seven village churches seeking to love God and neighbour. We welcome you!
     

    Although our buildings must close for regular Worship

    the Church continues to be alive and active:

    Click on the Service Tab above for our weekday services!

    You can contact:
    Revds Jason & Louise by telephone and email
    and Dawn on the office email and/or mobile number.

    We are distributing The Churn, this week's readings, and notices by email.
    Please ask family, friends & neighbours to contact Dawn at office@churnchurches.co.uk if they would like to receive them.

    Take a look at ...

    • our calendar to see what's on this month
    • the notices and events page to find out about our ongoing online events
    • the services page to find out about forthcoming services
    • our resources page to download service materials, reflections, and materials for children and families
    • our community page to find links to information about what's happening locally, and how our communities are supporting people affected by the Coronavirus  

     

     

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  • Daily Message

    Rector’s Daily Reflections: 4th March 2021

    Thought for Today

    Earlier today I was reading a pair of poems. They are in the Bible and are known as Psalm 20 and Psalm 21.

    The background to Psalm 20 is that the king is about to go out to do battle with his enemies. Prayer and sacrifices are offered up to God, asking God that he grant the king victory over his enemies. What is the result? Well, it seems that God granted the prayer, for the next psalm, Psalm 21, is a prayer of thanksgiving.

    These two psalms raise many questions. To begin with, it is acceptable to pray to God for victory? If both sides are praying for victory, do their prayers cancel each other out? And how do we see God at work in the world and in the events of history? If God works through human beings, does this mean that human beings are mere puppets in the hands of God?

    And then there’s another question. How do we know that God has heard our prayer and granted our request? Often our prayers seem not to be answered, or the answer we receive is not the answer we would like. The addition of Psalm 21 to Psalm 20 seems to make things far too easy. We pray to God for victory (Psalm 20) and lo and behold! God grants us victory (Psalm 21). If only life were as simple as that!

    We often like things to be simple and straightforward. And in some ways, there is a profound simplicity at the heart of prayer, for prayer is simply as a conversation with God – we talk to God, and God talks to us. But in other ways, prayer is a never-ending journey of discovery, where we seek to explore the deepest truths about God, about ourselves, and about our world. Sometimes prayer seems easy - the words almost trip off the tongue. At other times, prayer is hard, almost impossible. And prayer isn’t always a comforting experience. Sometimes it can raise challenging questions. But it’s good to be challenged, as it helps us to grow as human beings, and in our relationship with God.

    Prayer for Today

    Lord, sometimes it’s easy to pray and sometimes it isn’t;
    give us the strength to keep on praying, even when we don’t want to,
    and the courage to never give up. Amen.

    View the 'Daily Message' for this month

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  • Latest Audio

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    Download Night Prayer

    Listen whenever you want to our service of night prayer.


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  • Safeguarding in the Churn Benefice
    The Churn Benefice is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of the children and people of all ages in our church communities.
    In the first instance questions relating to Safeguarding concerns and support should be addressed to the Rector : The Revd Jason St. John Nicolle, The Benefice Centre, Church End, Blewbury, OX11 9QH, 01235 850267, office@churnchurches.co.uk
    Click here for link to the Safeguarding Policys

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