church letter

I am fortunate to have four grandchildren. It has deepened my understanding of God and theology, but also added humour. Their presence has taught me valuable lessons about love, patience, trust, joy, and legacy, all while keeping me smiling and on my toes.

Looking at my grandchildren, I feel a boundless, unearned love simply because they exist. It has helped me grasp the depth of God's love for us. St. Augustine said, "God loves each of us as if there were only one of us," but God's love must also be as patient as a grandparent waiting for a toddler to put on their shoes! As humourist Sam Levenson said, "The reason grandchildren and grandparents get along so well is that they have a common enemy"—and sometimes that’s just the chaos of life itself.

Grandchildren test your patience in the most endearing ways. I find myself more understanding with them than I ever was as a parent. Recently two-year-old granddaughter was pushing the boundaries with her mum, insisting her daddy drove on the way home and even called her mummy ‘a big meanie’ as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Dave and I had to stifle our giggles when our daughter calmly responded with measured firmness, ‘No it is you who are the big meanie’. Karl Barth described God’s patience as “a waiting in active expectation.” I now see God as waiting for me with the same look I give my grandchildren when they tell me adamantly that they are not tired, they do not need to go to the toilet, they no longer like their dinner! Bill Cosby summed this up when he said, "Grandparents are God’s gift to children because they give unconditional love, cookies, and do all the things parents don’t." God’s grace, much like grandparenting, is full of patient love.

When they reach for my hand, they instinctively trust me without question. Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Their faith in me is like the faith God asks of us—simple and trusting. C.S. Lewis said, “Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of your changing moods and circumstances.” Or, as Erma Bombeck put it more humorously, "A grandmother pretends she doesn't know who you are on Halloween." They trust, and that’s what matters.

My grandchildren wonder at the smallest things—a butterfly, the stars—their awe reminds me of the beauty of God's world. G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder.” Gene Perret said: "What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars’ worth of pleasure." Their sense of joy in the simplest things reminds me that God invites us to experience creation with the same childlike awe and delight.

Finally, having grandchildren has heightened my awareness of legacy. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children." And while I do feel a responsibility to pass on values and faith, I also know there’s room for fun.

In short, having grandchildren has taught me about God’s love, patience, and joy—all with a healthy dose of humour. Through them, I see more clearly the depth of God’s grace, and the importance of living a life of faith, sprinkled with laughter. May we always value our young people and their presence alongside us.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
Hidden God, you are known to me as absence more than presence
yet just occasionally the point of a needle breaks through the fabric of my life,
makes one perfect golden stitch and disappears again into the depths.
It’s not much, but enough to know that the thread is unbroken and for that I thank you.

Rachel Parkinson, District Chair, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury District

Church Contacts

Benefice Administrator: Tamara Laing, part-time at the Benefice Office Email: wbboffice@gmail.com 07359 327072.

Churchwardens:
Inkpen: Charlotte Bampfylde (tel. 669285).
Combe: Tina Fiertz (tel. 668529), Katherine Astor (katherine@kirby-house.co.uk).

Inkpen graveyards on-line

For anyone wishing to view the details of Inkpen's graveyards, including burial details, grave stone inscriptions and the location of the graves, please click here.  Inkpen Burial, Marriage, Baptism and Birth records covering the period 1607 to 1837 can be found on the Inkpen history website, here.

NEWS FROM ST. MICHAEL'S

The main Service this month is our Harvest Festival which is at 9.45 on the 20th. It will be led by Revd. Patrick Whitworth and as always, the Church will be beautifully decorated. So, if you have flowers or produce that you would like to give in advance, bring them to the Church on Saturday morning. But if you are coming to the Service, bring your gifts with you when during it the children will take gifts of produce to the altar. After the service is over these are taken to one of the Newbury or Hungerford Food Banks where the need is great.

You will see from the list of Services that the sequence has changed. Compline on the 6th is now on the first Sunday of the month at 6pm and the 8.30 Holy Communion Service with the Book of Common Prayer is on the fourth which this month is the 27th. As always, the Church is open seven days a week within the hours 9.30 and 4pm. It is a fine building with an eternal purpose for your use whenever.

CHURCH FUNDING
We are again appealing to the many people who have given generously in the past and to others who would like to support the upkeep of our church. If you would like to donate to St. Michael's Church Inkpen, please do so using the secure website www.parishgiving.org.uk.

Your donations are vital to the upkeep of our beautiful church which so many rely on for weddings, baptisms, funerals and memorials as well as regular services. Thank you.

church services FOR INKPEN, COMBE and West Woodhay

Other Services in the Benefice are on the Website which is www.walburybeaconbenefice.org.uk

INKPEN
Sunday 6th October – Compline at 6.00pm
Sunday 20th October – Harvest Festival at 9.45am
Sunday 27th October – Holy Communion at 8.30am
Tuesday 29th October – Wild Church at 10am – 12 noon

COMBE Sunday 20th October – Harvest at 11.15am4

WEST WOODHAY
Sunday 13th October – Morning Celebration at 11.15am
Sunday 27th October – Holy Communion at 11.15am

Special Family Services and Events this Autumn
October 20th 9.45am - Harvest Festival
October 29th 10am-Noon - Wild Church
November 10th 10.30am - Remembrance
December 14th 4.00pm - Nativity
December 15th 4.00pm - Christingle
December 22nd 6.00pm - Carol Service

catholic services

Our Lady of Lourdes, Priory Road, Hungerford RG17 0AF Parish Priest - Fr Zbigniew Budyn 01635 40332

Sunday Mass - every Sunday at 9.00am
Weekday Mass - every Wednesday at 10.00am

OBITUARIES

A victorian view - now and then

The images of St. Michael's past and present are shown here