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We will be running Lent courses again this year, and we hope you will be able to join one! These courses will be using the ‘Lectio for Lent’ pattern, and the theme for 2026 is ‘Living Water’. Each session lasts for around an hour and is different to your traditional Bible study. Everyone will be given the opportunity to contribute if they want to, and to get involved in prayers, readings, meditation and contemplation. WEDNESDAYS @11:30am Held at The Beard's in Lower Broadheat

As you may know, I am leaving these parishes soon. My last Sunday will be 1 st March, and I shall be moving to a new post in Oxfordshire. First and foremost, I want to say how grateful I am for the support I have been shown by the community here over the past 6 years. It’s been a huge privilege to live and work here. Thank you  for all your encouragement and kindness.   Goodbyes are often untidy. We leave things unsaid, we leave projects unfinished, we find that the business

My dear friends, As your Vicar, and after much prayer, I feel compelled to write to you today. Like many of you, I have been horrified to watch the news coming out of Minneapolis in recent days. Long, long ago, in a previous millennium, my first degree was in history from Cambridge, and it certainly does seem to be that history has to carry on repeating itself, because we refuse to listen to its voice first, second or even third time around. Fascism doesn’t start with people

It was an exciting day for us on Monday, as Lower Broadheath School and Broadheath Church were presented with the Silver “Church School Partnership Award” by Bishop Hugh!🥈 Here are some pictures capturing a very special service, celebrating the special partnership we have between the school and church. Bishop Hugh joined in enthusiastically, answering questions and encouraging us all to share our love and trust in Jesus throughout our communities. He was particularly taken w

As most of you will have now heard, I will be moving from the churches here to a new post in Oxford diocese at the beginning of March. I’ve loved my six years here, and it will be a wrench to leave, but I know I’m leaving a brilliant team in place. I’m so grateful for all the love and support I’ve received from the church communities and the wider community here. Arrangements for appointment of a new vicar will begin to be made in due course - and Archdeacon Mark will oversee

On Saturday 15 th  November, following an inspired idea from Annie Morphy, we hosted about 100 of our volunteers - people who help out in all sorts of different ways across our four church communities. People who clean our church buildings, arrange the flowers, act as welcomers, cut the grass, serve refreshments, wind the clocks, lead prayers, serve at communion, support our children’s work, take on our home visits, run our safeguarding, sit on our PCCs, organise our fundrais

I’ve been listening recently to a number of stories about adoption. Some of you may be adopted, or you may have adopted children yourselves. I have been struck by how, even where adoptions have been very happy, loving, and nurturing, it seems that often the adopted person, whether as a child or an adult, longs to know about their birth parents, and how powerful it can be for them even just to see a photo of someone who “looks like me”. That recognition that you have “the fami

Today we are celebrating the Feast of All Saints. It is one of our major Christian festivals, and it has been celebrated by Christians for over 1400 years. Three of the four churches in our benefice are dedicated to saints - Martin, Bartholomew, Philip and James. Our cathedral is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Oswald and Wulfstan. The lives of the saints are commemorated and celebrated not only because they set us a good example, but because they still surround and tra

Whether it’s Traitors, Bake Off or Strictly, have you noticed that most of our most popular TV entertainment is concerned with eliminating people?? Viewers watch agog to see if an overbaked meringue or a leaden foxtrot will spell the end for their favoured (or disliked) contestant. Or, if Traitors is your thing, bluff and double-bluff, throwing suspicion on your fellows and diverting attention in order to climb over the backs of other people is an essential skill. It strikes

I was away from the parishes for a couple of weeks in September, and because for the first week I was staying in a monastery on a...

The West Worcester Beacon Group of Churches is delighted to announce that, thanks to generous funding from Worcester Diocese, we have...

I don’t know about you, but I got MUCH TOO HOT in June and July. The scorching weather, the weeks without rain - it honestly made me a...

The West Worcester Beacon Healthy & Sustainable Churches Team (HSCT) is seeking an experienced and flexible partner organisation to carry...

I was asked to add this sermon to the blog - it starts with two quite long readings - I hope you’ll find it worth your time!   We are...

Some of the nation’s favourite poetry will provide the inspiration for an historic village church’s flower festival later this month....

This statement was coined by a large organisation that I know a few years ago and, whilst it is mildly amusing (maybe!) on initial...

Kalantha and I wanted to thank you for all your kind words regarding our recent trip to London for Kalantha’s presentation as Honorary...

As you may know, by the time you read this, I will (all being well) have been presented to His Majesty at Buckingham Palace as one of his...

I’m writing this at the beginning of Holy Week: the busiest week of the year for vicars - yes -  even  busier than the week before...

Our Benefice Vicar, Reverend Kalantha Brewis, has recently received a letter from the Lord Chamberlain’s Office, Buckingham Palace under...