St Bartholomew’s, Tong
Parish news, views and muse
Feb 2026
Fast or feast the meaning of Lent
On 18th February 2026 we celebrate Ash Wednesday the start of Lent
The introduction to the Ash Wednesday Communion service opens with the words
‘I invite you, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting and self-denial. and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.’
Depending on our understanding of Lent these words can be received in different ways. There are those, to quote W.H. Auden, whose ‘mind begins to be vaguely aware of an unpleasant whiff of apprehension at the thought of Lent and Good Friday’ – those who associate Lent with doom and gloom, self-denial, and unwelcome restrictive discipline. It’s Lent again, so I must find something to give up! Yet, for others, Lent is a celebration. It is a celebration of self-discipline, blessing and pilgrimage as we prepare to journey with Jesus to the cross. One such person who considered Lent to be a celebration was George Herbert, the seventeenth-century Anglican priest and poet. George Herbert wrote a poem cheering at the prospect of Lent’s approach, which begins with the line, ‘Welcome dear feast of Lent: who loves not thee.’
In the poem George Herbert describes Lent not as a fast – something to be apprehensive about, but as a feast – something to relish. He believed that there was more to Lent than merely giving things up. He believed that giving up material things for the love of God is what really matters. So, the disciplines of Lent, whatever we choose to do, can enable us to draw closer to God, and come to know God’s love more fully as we journey with Jesus to Jerusalem. Lent is about making a fresh start and it begins on Ash Wednesday with being reminded of where we have come from and where we are going. ‘Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.’ The meaning and purpose of our life is not to be found in anything material. Our purpose in life is to come to know the things that last forever. May God bless us during this Lent. May these weeks be made holy by our effort and by that blessing.
Revd Mike
Jan 2026
Each new year begins during the cold, dark days of winter. Perhaps that’s why people often celebrate with fireworks and sparkling decorations, lighting up the midnight sky with festive radiant colours. Perhaps we can make 2026 a year of light. Light that overcomes darkness. Light that fills people with hope. Light that reveals truth and goodness.
Jesus calls us to “let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” Let me invite you to pray in the coming days – maybe all year long – for God’s light to shine brightly in our world. Here are some ways to pray that 2026 will be a year of light:
Ask God to keep our church focused on the mission of sharing Jesus’ love and message with the world. Jesus tells us to put our light on a stand and let it shine for all to see. We reflect God’s glorious light as we fellowship together, love our neighbours and share the good news of our Savior.
Pray that we will remain a welcoming church, with door and hearts open to everyone God sends our way.
Seek God’s blessing and peace for people around the world, especially those who have suffered through violence in recent days. Pray for an end to the war in Ukraine. Pray for peace to be restored in Israel and the Middle East. Pray that the light of Christ would shine from churches throughout the world, offering peace to people everywhere.
Lift up the Church, here at home and throughout the world. Ask God to bless, protect and strengthen His people so they can spread His light into every corner of creation.
Pray for yourself and your family, that God’s peace would flow in place of anxiety and fear. Ask God to fill you with the light of His truth, His hope and His grace. May our homes be places of light where we feel safe and cared for. May our families receive the assurance of God’s blessing even as we seek to be a blessing to our neighbours.
Through it all, pray that the light Jesus placed in our hearts will “shine before others.” and radiate from us. Don’t hide the light away or put it under a bowl. Instead, put Jesus’ light on a stand so everyone will see the glory of our Savior.
I pray that 2026 will be a joyful and blessed year for each of you and our church family.
A very happy new year to you all
Revd. Mike
Dec 2025
November 2025, A Month For Remembering
All Souls at the beginning of the month is a chance to remember with thankfulness those whom we have loved but see no more. And, of course, there is also our national act of Remembrance, on Remembrance Sunday. As the son of a man who served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, I never fail to be moved as the poppies fall down from the roof of the Royal Albert Hall during the Festival of Remembrance. That remembrance is all the more poignant in our own day as the reality of war and its human cost is once again apparent. There will be services at war memorials and in churches across the diocese as we remember those who died fighting to protect us and bring peace and justice to our world, and we pray for those serving in our Armed Forces today.
Memories, and remembering, are such central parts of our personalities and character, and in many ways make up part of who we are. Being remembered is very important to us, and the thought that we might be forgotten can be heart-breaking.
For Christians, of course, the most significant act of remembering is when we come together to remember in bread and wine the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ willing sacrifice of himself on the cross for the sake of others is, for Christian believers, the ultimate expression of the self-giving love at the heart of God, when Christ’s hands were marked by the nails of the cross. “Do this in remembrance of me.”
So, in this season of Remembrance, as we remember with candles, poppies, or bread and wine, join us in our services here in Tong in November and may we all take time to pause, reflect, and be thankful.
October 2025
The month of October brings us the celebration of harvest across the benefice and at St Bartholomews our service will take place on Sunday 5th October at 11 am.
You shall keep the Feast of Harvest, of the first fruits of your labour, of what you sow in the field. You shall keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labour.”
Exodus 23:16
Even today with modern farming methods It is still an opportunity to give thanks to God for his provision for us and an opportunity to share with generosity the riches we have received. Paul was very clear in his teaching that generosity begins in our hearts and is a reflection of the gratitude we have towards God for what he has done for us. Generosity is not something we have to be coerced into but instead it is something freely given. We perhaps need this reminder because our wealth and belongings ultimately belong to God, and we are simply stewards of what we have.
“So, I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:5-7
Please come and join in our harvest service as we reflect this attitude of generosity, because it points to what is at the heart of our faith that God has given us new life in Jesus freely and without condition. This is the grace of God at work in our lives. However, as Christians we are also called to work in God’s harvest field. Jesus in his teaching told the disciples that they were called to be labourers in the Kingdom.
As disciples we are called to share the good news of the Kingdom and to help bring in God’s harvest of new followers of Jesus. These are the disciples that Jesus calls us to make in the Great Commission, and it is part of our role not simply to make converts but to mentor and coach the next generation. We need to see the harvest not just in terms of crops, fruit and vegetables but as a spiritual reality that sees us offer the story of Jesus to a world in need.
With all blessings
Revd Mike
Would You Like To Support Us?
The Tong Vision for 2020 and beyond has a target to raise £500,000 over the next 3 years in order to fund urgent and
essential restoration work, and to ensure that all visitors and congregations can continue to enjoy this unique building!
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