Dear Friends

 

As I write the harvest is well and truly under way, everywhere I look I can see golden clouds surrounding combine harvesters!  It has been a patchy harvest this year with many of our farmers experiencing issues with yield after a very wet spring.

 

Towards the end of September, we celebrate harvest in our churches, giving thanks to God for all that our fields and gardens have produced.  As a rural benefice we are quite aware of the rhythm of the farming year but, we may not be as aware of the stresses and strains that our farmers go through as they try to produce the food we need to sustain ourselves.

 

This harvest we will be praying particularly for our farmers and giving thanks for the wonderful work that they do to help sustain the economy, keep our food as local as possible and support wildlife on our farms.  As well as growing crops to sustain us, our farmers shape the countryside around us – caring for woodland, hedgerows, and planting for bees and wildlife.  It is a hard and often thankless job – please join us as we thank our farmers this summer.

 

Our harvest services are listed on our service schedule and our website – if you can’t make it to church, spare a moment to think about our farmers as you drive through our beautiful villages.

 

Blessings

 

Jenny