Weekly Benefice Bulletin

Sunday 18th October 2026

Message from the Rector

Ow sos ger,

Vision Day - Thank you to those of you who came and offered your support, prayers and deliberations. It felt to me as though it was an important day with most of our churches being represented and able to share the various experiences that each has had over the years. In my mind it is as though the conversation got us to the question of "where are we now?" It reminded me of the passage where Jesus says it's time, my paraphrasing, to stand up tall, to dust ourselves down and to raise our eyes to see where God is leading. Thank you to those who sent their apologies and for your prayers as this we began this conversation. We will be revisiting this and keeping the conversation going.

Time to Remember - A special service to remember those whom we have loved but no longer see. This year we will be holding this service at St Crida's, Creed. 3pm on Sunday 1st November. All are welcome. This service offers a bit of space and reflection for those who are in the midst of grief or who would simply like to remember their loved ones. If you would like to come or would like to invite someone to come, please do. Names of those who have died over the past two years will be read out, if you would like someone's name added there will be an opportunity to add their names on the day and a candle lit in remembrance.

Participating in the Communion - Across the parishes we have a number of people that cannot tolerate wheat or gluten. For some this causes extreme symptoms making the receiver very poorly. Please can I ask that individuals refrain from intincting the wafer into the wine. At some of our churches it is possible to have gluten free wafers, if this would be of benefit please let your church warden know so that adequate provision can be made. If you would like to talk about this please do get in touch with me.

gras ha kres,

Caroline

Enough is Enough

Brian McQuillen

Harvest is a time of gratitude, being thankful for all we have received and expressing that gratitude to our Creator. Yet I do wonder at the tone of discussion, on both sides of the Atlantic, offering the electorate more and more.

Our new Prime Minister has hardly managed to get his feet under his desk in 10 Downing Street, when speakers at various party conferences are revealing what they would do if their party is elected. So that’s it then. Another bout of elections will arrive with both happy and disappointed elected and electors.  Yet I do give thanks for our liberal democracy, even with the knowledge that there will be further disappointments as both parliament and council representatives will obviously not be able to meet all expectations, hence the trend of dissatisfaction with all political parties. This has led me to conclude that I will form my own political party, mainly because the main thrust of my party’s ideas will include something never included in any other party’s manifesto. It will be the ‘Enough’ party.

Its basic aim will be to challenge, on behalf of this planet which can’t speak for itself, the holy dogmas of all other party’s high priests and economists that continued growth is still the panacea for all our ills. I know that David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg have highlighted the obvious fact that we cannot continue as we are, their arguments falling on the deaf ears of big business moguls, politicians, and economists alike. This is not just the problem of western democracies or authoritarian regimes, for all countries appear to be diligent in trying to expand their economies. There was a time when I believed that the one spin-off from economic growth would be a dent in world poverty, as well as the eradication of the under privileged. Yes, I know all the Gospels record Jesus saying, “The poor will always be with you”, but I never envisaged such a gap between the rich and poor, which during my lifetime has widened.

When Coronavirus pushed through our front doors I thought - Thank God; they’ll have to stop, at least for a while, because this escalator of everlasting expansion will carry us to an ever greater increase in the output of steel, kilowatts, interest rates, roads, aeroplanes etc. etc. The escalator only slowed, stuttered, and has now returned to its rate of assent, carrying us not to glory but genocide. Enough! Enough is Enough.  Otherwise, the only monument to our tenancy on earth will be mountain ranges of rusty tins and plastic, and oceans of sewage. Affluent countries with liberal democracies will have to reduce their financial expectations as well as their expected lifestyles, hopefully without recourse to violence.

So, my ‘Enough’ political party will have to use the hidden resources of the Church and its faith, acknowledging that past words, both preached, shared and written, will have to be firmly expressed in new positive ways, something probably not within my own generation’s capability. I don’t expect this party to win the next general election, but at least I shall have the consolation of knowing God plus one is a majority, if not in Parliament but in a much higher assembly. I pray I have God’s vote, but our Church will need to find some strong positive action to better inform the world before that wretched escalator starts escalating again.  

Newsletter Submissions

Please send your items by 5pm on Tuesday 20th October at the latest to Matthew at bulletin@probus.church and make sure the subject line clearly indicates that it is a newsletter submission.
Thank you.