Lifeline has arrived!
Our community magazine, filled with news, articles and dates. Happy Reading!
Click to read Lifeline 209 May 2025
Please read our Church Notices for dates and handy information.
You can also read more about the online Diocesan Service for Prayer to to mark the 20th anniversary of the International Day against LGBTQIA+ discrimination.
Diocesan Online Service of Prayer poster
Each year many unsuspecting Nederlanders find themselves invited to their town hall to be granted a national honour in the “Lintjesregen” in honour of the King’s birthday.
Amid great secrecy, this year, on April 25th, our Organist and Director of Music, Martin van Bleek, ended up being one of them. At the 2025 ceremony, for his many achievements in his professional and voluntary roles over more than fifty years, Martin was awarded Ridder van de Orde van Oranje by the Mayor of Haarlem, Jos Wienen, in the Gravenzaal at Haarlem’s Stadhuis.
Ridder – knight – Order of Oranje Nassau – learn more about it here
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On the Second Sunday of Easter our children’s church take the opportunity to look back over the Easter story. After all, its one of the most important stories our children will ever hear… From Palm Sunday to Easter Day, we will make an Easter Story box to remember the key moments of this important time. With crafts and games we will retell the story.. Then everyone can take a story box home – and tell it again and again.
I am aware that some of you will be busy with activities at your church while others will be unable to attend church, so here is a short reflection. During my preparations for Good Friday, I came across this reflection by Janet Lees from the Iona Community, the reflection is called the ‘Jerusalem Juice Bar’ after a Juice Bar on the Via Dolorosa.
The Via Dolorosa is a traditional route where Jesus carried the cross and where many pilgrims remember the Stations of the Cross. It can be a noisy and busy place, perhaps not unlike the noise of the Jerusalem streets as Jesus carried his cross. I walked Via Dolorosa many years ago, probably before the juice bar was established.
Click here to cotinue reading Jerusalem Good Friday reflection pr
We continue our pilgrimage northward arriving at Applecross the name has come from Apor Crossan, the mouth of the river Crossan, so it has nothing to do with apples or crosses. It is not surprising that as we continue our imaginative pilgrimage, we come across another Irish saint St Maelrubha (AD642-722) pronounced MAHL-roo-ah. He was born in what today is known as Londonderry and was educated at Bangor Monastery, Northern Ireland. St Maelrubha was a descendant of Niall of the Nine Hostages, King of Ireland.
Click here to continue reading 07 Applecross – St Maelrubha pr
Our pilgrimage takes us further norther to the Inner Hebrides to the west of mainland Scotland. (the green islands on the map) We will visit Eigg which is about 10 miles from mainland Scotland. The island is about 5 miles long (8 km) by 3 miles wide (5 km) and an area of 11.6 miles, (30 sq km) and has a permanent population of about 100.
Click here to continue reading 06 Eigg Refelction pr
On our pilgrimage we visit the Isle of Lismore, in Gaelic Lios Mor or the ‘Great Garden’. It is an Inner Hebridean Island near Oban and is about 10 miles long and 1 mile wide with a population of under 200. To travel from Iona to Lismore would involve a drive across the Isle of Mull, eastward, then a ferry to Oban and followed by a ferry from Oban to Lismore, a journey of just under an hour. The there is also a smaller ferry from Port Appin for foot and bicycles.
Click here to continue reading 05 Isle of Lismore pr
Here are the Church Notices with all the information you need for the next few weeks.
Click to read ACH Newsletter W14-2025
In August 2021 I wrote a reflection featuring Iona, we had just started the third wave of Covid, the Delta variant. I never thought I would still be writing reflections let alone revisiting Iona. But here we are!
Iona is a tiny and beautiful island, barely 3 miles long, off the west coast of the Isle of Mull. Columba and his 12 monks landed on the island in 563AD and established a simple religious community. From Iona Columba and his followers set out to evangelise much of Scotland. It became the cradle of Christianity in Scotland. Over the centuries it became a centre of Celtic learning and an important centre for European Christianity.