May you know the peace and joy of the Lord.

Our Text for 2008 is from Nehemiah 8 verse 10 "The joy of the Lord is your strength."

Tony, our Vicar, writes in the January Magazine:- This is our text for 2008 and for 8 or 9 months the book of Nehemiah has been going round in my head. Perhaps you remember the story; the people of Israel have been taken into exile and the walls of Jerusalem have been broken down, the people are defeated and there seems little hope for the future. That is how many people see the future of both the church and our nation today: defeated, demoralised and becoming increasingly ’broken down’. Nehemiah was only one man, but he mobilised a nation and turned round the fortunes of Jerusalem, and so they gave hope to the country. We need that hope today. We pray that this year we will have the church re-roofed and will start on the new toilets and kitchen in church. That is physical building, but we are also involved in HOPE2008 which is a national movement to share the Good News of Jesus to every town and village in the country; that is the spiritual building. Remember who God is, remember what He has already done, remember what He’s done in your life and turn to Him for joy and peace and strength for the coming year.