Harpley, My Life is my Message." Mahatma Gandhi
Revd Sue Martin
July 2024
Dear Friends.
Summer has arrived! Or at least I hope so.
The school year comes to an end and holidays start. Across our benefice we have five primary schools; eighty-four children will be leaving at the end of Year Six and going on to secondary schools. It is a real joy to have so many children in our schools, all of which offer so much to the children, and a wonderful start in their learning and education.
Two years ago, as a group of churches, we decided to give all our Year Six leavers a Bible, as a gift from the church, and as a way of saying that we value each child and their time at our schools. We hope they will remember the time in their village primary schools, and their visits to church.
To be fair, the Bible is a complex book, and it’s very large. It offers stories and insights to God and Jesus. We can learn so much from just reading a little at a time. There are guides and helps to finding your way into the Bible and how to find verses to help you at certain times. It's one of those books which is hard to start at the beginning and read through. I usually suggest that you start with the New Testament, about Jesus.
Interesting facts about the Bible, did you know…
It is the most stolen book ever! Many copies disappear from various places. It is the most read book in the world. There are 100 million copies sold or donated every year. It has 600,000 words and 1189 chapters. It was written over 1566 years from 1450 BC (around the time of Moses) to 160 AD.
For our children, we hope they will enjoy the gift of the Bible. Whether they open the pages and look at the maps (which is what I would have done) or start to read some of the chapters, or simply put it away for a later time, they will all have a Bible to support them in their life's journeys ahead.
I always think the Bible is a book to have and to hold.
Once school is finished, I hope you all enjoy some holiday time, at home or further afield and we look forward to bringing the magazine to you again in September.
God Bless
Rev'd Sue Martin