Ash Wednesday

It was Sara's turn to take Thom to the Wallops this morning.  I got out of bed a little later at 7.30 a.m., showered and later had a breakfast of porridge when Sara returned.  This morning I drove over to Whaddon to attend the Ash Wednesday "ashing" service at St. Mary's Hall - which was taken by Andrew and Jane.  I sat with Nils and the hall was pretty full - which was great to see - with many people from other churches in the Team.  There will be another service this evening.  It was good to talk with so many of the congregants whom I have led in services within the Team and many remarked on my "going away" for a short time to St. Francis's.  I shall miss a number of them but I also look forward to making new friends at St. Francis's.  I am reminded of a notice I once read on the church door of quite a high Anglo-Catholic church in Croydon - "There are no strangers in this church, just friends who have not yet met".  I like that.  Following the service I returned to Winterslow - my ministerial colleagues going on to a Staff Meeting from which I am excused until I return from my placement - to find Sara still at home, having been delayed at Morning Star where she had been greeted with some disappointing news about one of the former residents.  We both hope that things will get better and will pray about it.  Sara left to go to work and I set about preparing for tonight's meeting of Sarum Lodge - a secretary's work is never ending.  I also approved the draft minutes of the Parish Council meeting I had chaired on Monday and got tied up with a ,long telephone conversation with a co-executor of a will we are administering. It looks as though another trip to Chichester is in the offing.  Tonight I took one of our friends in the village (DG) to Sarum Lodge where I delivered a lecture on the story of Jephthah who appears in the Book of Judges in the Old Testament. It included five long scripture readings which I got other members to read out to vary the tone and pace of what would otherwise have been an extremely long lecture by me.  Such a pity that there were only eleven of us this evening (which included all three of our prospective new members).  The key draw was not won tonight and will stand at about £150 next month - a decent sized prize to win all the same.  To bed before midnight tonight as I start early at St. Francis's tomorrow with a drive over to Bristol to see my spiritual adviser and things to do in both Westbury and Warminster on the way back.  No alcohol or chocolate now until mid-April.