Read Thoughts from Huw 💭💡❄️

Writing this letter to you there are only 40 days left to Christmas. But there's still plenty of time to do everything that you traditionally do. By the time you read this, there'll be fewer little windows to open on your Advent Calendar and less time for your Advent Candle to burn down but, in the inimitable words of the late Clive Dunn from Dad’s Army : ‘Don’t Panic!’

On the first of November we celebrate the feast of All Saints, we honour in a special way the ‘little’ saints, that is those who will never be officially canonised. The saints show us what human beings are capable of. They show us that good is more natural to us than evil. It is good to be reminded that human beings have such potential.

In Matthew’s Gospel 10:26-33 when Jesus sent the apostles out to proclaim his teaching openly and to witness to him before the world, he knew they were fearful. And had good reason to be fearful, knowing that they would have to face hardship and persecution. So, not once but three times he said to them, ‘Do not be afraid’.

My first words to you all must be ‘a Happy New Year’ as a new Methodist year begins. This lovely and unique greeting in the life of Methodism is sadly dying away like many other things in our tradition that we love and cherish.

In this double edition of Wesley News covering the months of July and August we look forward to summer sunshine and going away for day trips and holidays. Thanks to Bill Coates for producing this monthly magazine . Hopefully for us all this is a time of year to relax and refresh our bodies, minds and souls.

This month is full of special days including Father’s Day, World Milk Day, World Bicycle Day, Anti -Child Labour Day, World Refugee Day, the Queen`s Platinum Jubilee and the Day of Pentecost.

We are now in the merry month of May and I’m looking at the weddings that I have planned in my diary this summer. At a wedding in Cana Jesus changed water into wine. There are some things in our lives that need changing and Jesus can give us the strength and the will power to do it.

As the women disciples made their way to Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning they had one big problem: Who would roll away the great stone that had been placed at the entrance of the tomb?

March sees the start of Lent which is the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter in the Christian Calendar. By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians replicate Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Lent is marked by prayer, fasting and giving to charity. The colour of Lent is purple which represents repentance and hope.