Tag Archives: Ministry Team Blog

‘Give thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures for ever.’ Psalm 136.1 I am writing this as I prepare to fly home tomorrow at the end of an amazing time in Israel. I have learnt huge … Continue reading →

I thought of the good folk of the Itchen Valley today when I saw these sculptures by David Fine which are part of the Tiberias Open Air Museum. They are called the Tiberias Vowel System (a way of knowing how … Continue reading →

One of the recurring themes of my time in the Holy Land has been ‘the other’: who are they? How do we perceive them? How do we treat them? In the past five weeks, there has been much talk of … Continue reading →

As you may recall, one of the things I have been thinking about whilst I am in Jerusalem is the power of place. One of the reason many pilgrims come to the Holy Land is in order to walk in … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I was at the Sunshine School, an amazing independent school for children aged 2-6 years old in the Arab village of Beit Hanina in north Jerusalem. This Christian school has a mix of local Muslim and Christian Palestinian students and … Continue reading →

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) Palestine; Israel and the Palestinian Territories; the Occupied Territories; the Holy Land; Eretz Israel; the Land … Continue reading →

I saw this carving on a 19th Century prayer desk which was donated to St George’s Cathedral by Archbishop Temple. I was visiting the Cathedral for their English language Holy Communion service at lunchtime today. It shows Moses with Aaron … Continue reading →

I arrived in Israel to discover that it is the week of Sukkot. This is one of the most important festivals of the Jewish year during which they celebrate the harvest (Exodus 34.22) and the exodus from Egypt (Leviticus 23.42-43). … Continue reading →

‘I was glad when they said to me. let us go to the house of the Lord! Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.’ (Psalm 122.1-2) We read this Psalm on my first night in Jerusalem when I … Continue reading →

If you want to see the talks at HTB Focus this year please follow this link https://www.htb.org/media/event/Focus+2015 I particularly recommend the talks given by Archie Coats, Archbishop of Canterbury, Jo Saxton and Pete Hughes, but all are good. Highlights of Focus … Continue reading →

TV stars, numerous celebrities (of one kind or another), politicians, four or five bands, a Big Top and dozens of tents, hundreds of children, thousands of young people, dozens of homeless, pouring rain and an Archbishop – no its not … Continue reading →

What an incredible two days!  Amanda, Rebecca, Jan, Gerry and I have all been at the HTB Leadership Conference in London at the Royal Albert Hall and at Hammersmith Apollo for the last two days.  It’s remarkable to go to … Continue reading →

This article first appeared in the May 2015 edition of Itchen Valley News As I keep saying to any of my friends and colleagues who are prepared to listen, there is something very special about the Valley.  This has been … Continue reading →