Church News – June 2026
Dear Brothers and Sisters
Some people are never happy! As I sit a write this today it’s officially the hottest day ever in the month of May in the UK. After a dull and wet few months, we should be celebrating the warm weather, and yet, in typical British fashion it’s too hot! Whilst the British weather has always been temperamental, this does however point to a worrying trend.
According to the BBC the heatwave that’s been felt across parts of the UK and Europe is consistent with what we would expect in a changing, hotter climate. The latest European State of the Climate report stated that, Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world with heatwaves becoming more frequent and more intense.
The BBC goes on to talk about Climate Anxiety, which is being felt especially by the young in our society, and that’s to be expected as they’re the ones that will have to live with the changing climate and the damaging effects of our global misuse of the earth for years to come. Alongside their fears we all share, there can also be a sense of hopelessness and even apathy and questions of, “what can I do?” that lead many of us not to try.
I’m not a saint in this matter. I try my best to do what I can, but I also know that there are choices that I make that could be more environmentally sound. We must not let our fear of failure prevent us from trying as each act of climate action makes a difference. Whilst walking back from the shops today I noticed two bits of plastic rubbish on the pavement. Normally I’d probably walk past but as I was thinking about what I was going to write I decided to stop and pick them up and carry them to a nearby, largely overfull, bin. It’s not a lot, and it may be that they blew out of the bin shortly afterward, and there was definitely more rubbish around, but it was something, which is always better than nothing.
I hope that you’re able to enjoy the sunshine (which will probablyenjoy being outside. But let us heed the warnings of the climate experts and act now, in whatever way you can, to save our glorious planet for many generations to come. I heard someone comment recently, with tongue firmly in cheek, that they believed that Sir David Attenborough was sent directly from God because God was so fed up with seeing how we treated creation. I think they may have a point.
God bless, James
NEWS
Of particular note this month is Nigel’s Family Quiz being held on Friday evening, 26th June at 7 p.m. Please come along and support this event which is always thought-provoking, totally entertaining, completely frustrating, but definitely not to be missed. Tickets are selling for £7 each but this does include a supper.
Please also note that the service on Sunday 28th will be at our Fairfield Church when all three churches in our District are invited. This starts at 10.30am and we would be glad to see as many of you there as possible. Note that there will be no service at our Church that day.
Giving thanks for fathers
And as I look around our neighbourhood, dads today are far more involved in their children’s lives than when I was a child. Pushing prams, holding hands while out on a walk, bathing, playing games. Dads are in all these activities and more. I see the dads on either side of our house, and they obviously love their kids with all their hearts.
Unfortunately, too many kids grow up without a stable and involved male figure in their lives over the whole of their childhood and beyond. And no prizes for guessing the outcome; when they reach fatherhood, their kids often grow up without a stable and involved male figure in their lives.
May all dads reading this be pampered like never before! If it’s a fine day, it may be a case of ‘Stand back everyone- dad’s going to bar-b-q’. But before we get carried away, let’s spare a thought for those who for one reason or another couldn’t be dads, or whose dads fell far short of the high expectations we invest in them, or who lost a dad at a crucial time in life and feel a permanent ache where ‘Dad’ should be.
Our Christian faith teaches us to look at God as ‘Father’- we address Him as such in the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, and it was Jesus’ custom to talk to God as ‘Father’. Maybe, taking into account those who have had a very mixed experience, or a bad experience of fathers, we should qualify what we say of God and call Him ‘the Good Father’, or ‘our Good Father’.
| WHAT’S ON IN JUNE 2026 | |||
| SUNDAY | 7th | MORNING WORSHIP LED BY SR SUSAN FLINT | 11 am |
| Monday | 8th | Church Committee on Zoom | 7.30 pm |
| Wednesday | 10th | M.W.A. Meeting at ROYTON | 1 pm |
| SUNDAY | 14th | MORNING WORSHIP WITH HOLY COMMUNION LED BY BR JAMES | 11 am |
| SUNDAY | 21st | FATHER’S DAYMORNING WORSHIP LED BY SR PENNY WEIR | 11 am |
| Friday | 26th | FAMILY QUIZ (see inside for details) | 7 pm |
| SUNDAY | 28th | DISTRICT GATHERING AT FAIRFIELD Note: no worship at Dukinfield | 10.30 a.m. |
PRAYER FOR JUNE 2026
Father, here we are in June – a beautiful month and a month when we remember a beautiful follower of you – Barnabas. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith and he encouraged Your people to remain true to You in what must have been dangerous times.
Lord, in these dangerous days, when so much seems alien and out of control, how we all need to be encouraged to be steadfast in our faith and in our lives.
How we need to remember that You are our faithful, sovereign Lord; that You never change; that in Jesus You have won the victory over sin and death. If we put our trust in Jesus, we are secure for all eternity.
Thank you for the example of Barnabas. Help us to be encouraged and to encourage others. May we all enjoy June in all its beauty, knowing that nothing can separate us from You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen by Daphne Kitching
