This is a special Sunday in the year when we are encouraged to focus on the theme of Christ as our King.

Please join me in celebrating this either at our 10.00am Parish Communion in St Mary’s, Easton, or at our 5.00pm Choral Evensong at St Swithun’s, Martyr Worthy.

We are delighted that Bishop Peter Doyle—known to many from his time serving in St Peter’s, the Roman Catholic church in Winchester—will be our guest preacher at this ecumenical event. We will also be joined by a choir led by Tim Tyler, who will be singing the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ from Handel’s Messiah. Not to be missed!

Back in the morning I would also like to take the opportunity—after the service, over coffee—to say a few words from the front giving you more detail on the monthly pattern of services which we will be adopting from January. This is looking quite exciting, and I’d like to explain why!

Finally, this Sunday we will be hosting another Café Church. This will be at 4.00pm in St John’s church, Itchen Abbas.  It was great, last month, to see so many people—from across the generations—coming together in this informal way. We look forward to welcoming many more this month too.

These are three, very different, way of being Christ’s church here in the Itchen Valley. Please do join us on this special day.

With love and prayers: Christ is King!

Revd Peter