Yesterday 280 families received food bags, in Esperanza and today Severet will receive theirs too! Crazy to think that 9 weeks ago we had no idea this would happen every week! Amazed to see how God has promoted people to give and help. It's not too late to donate and help www.gomadtoday.org

This Sunday is the celebration of Pentecost and sadly it is another major festival in the life of the church where we will not be able to come together to celebrate. However, the pandemic has brought new opportunities and we have been able to move services online and this is quite likely to be something that we will continue in the longer term. We are really grateful to Kate Nolan, David White and various volunteers who have taken on the responsibilities and challenges of streaming the worship of St Mary’s. I am not sure of the date when we will be able to meet again, but when this happens, the most important thing will be that people feel safe. We have been following the Church of England g

It has been a bean based few months! For me, this will be the lasting image of this time in my personal history! Ever since COVID began to impact the Dominican, my life became about beans…and rice! And sourcing them, and finding funds for them, and transporting them, and finding bags to put them in, and splitting 100lb bean sacks into 3lb sacks, and splitting 125lb rice sacks into 6lb rice bags, and handing them out. Then 2 days later, sourcing them, finding funding for them, etc etc. All helped by road blocks, bank closures, cash points not being stocked, not being able to drive myself, not wanting to be in the truck and share air space,, flat tires, 5pm curfews, etc! There have definitely

We are delighted to be joining with churches in Berkhamsted on a prayer journey. Have a look on the Prayer for Berkhamsted Facebook group or download the Thy Kingdom Come App. The group has been set up to pray for the town of Berkhamsted during the 10 days of “Thy Kingdom Come” 21st May- 31st May 2020. This is a global initiative inviting all Christians to pray for people to come to know the love of Jesus in their lives. During this COVID-19 pandemic it seems very appropriate to pray for our town, for all the people in Berkhamsted regardless of their faith. To pray for their health and wellbeing, to pray for the key workers, the NHS staff and for all the shops and businesses in the town, whe

DONATE HERE The Coronavirus outbreak threatens the health of our neighbours near and far. Together we must respond quickly to help the most vulnerable. Coronavirus has shown us that our futures are bound more tightly together than ever before. And now it is spreading across the world’s poorest countries, putting people living in poverty at great risk. These people are already facing a lack of water, food and healthcare. Some are homeless. Some are living with underlying health issues such as HIV. As this virus spreads across the world, love rises up in response. You’ve already shown incredible kindness to your neighbours. Now is the time to reach out to your neighbours both near and far. Cor

We have had several conversations with Jonathan and the churchwardens and it is with a very heavy heart that we have decided to cancel this year’s St. Mary’s Church Fete on 4th July 2020, rather than postponing it to a later date. We are of course all hoping that some of the restrictions will be lifted by then, but we do not believe that any mass gatherings of people will be allowed in the next few months. And of course we wanted to give everyone as much notice of the cancellation as we could. This is of course particularly disappointing for the charities that we usually support but also for those who have already started to prepare for the fete. However, we are optimistic that the pandemic

Public events have been cancelled but we can still have commemorations locally online! Bishop Stephen Venner will preach at the online Evensong from the Cathedral at 3.00pm on 8 May. The Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire will be participating. Further details will be available at www.stalbanscathedral.org and https://www.youtube.com/user/stalbanscathedral The Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire will also make a short service available online. A link to this content will be circulated shortly. You may also want to make use of two events being organised by the Royal British Legion: 1. Live streaming will take place of a 45-minute long service beginning at 11.15am on May 8th. https://www.britishlegi

Keep up to date with the latest Parish news in the May 2020 edition of the Parish Newsletter. If you have any advertising or editorial queries please direct these to Editor, Jill Hipson.