Henley in Arden and Ullenhall Church of England
About The Parish
There are four church buildings in our Parish.
Henley in Arden parish consists of two beautiful medieval churches. Saint John's is located on the High Street and Saint Nicholas' on Beaudesert Lane with beautiful views of the Henley Mount.
St. Mary's, Ullenhall is a fine example of Victorian architecture, and it is close to the centre of the village. The Old Chapel, Ullenhall, is in a secluded rural setting in Chapel Lane.
The Rectors Monthly Thoughts
Monthly News from the Rectory
Today we often speculate about the future of our churches as the numbers of serving clergy shrink and with them congregation numbers too; the church buildings continue to fall apart with many beyond repair or too expensive to run; the administrative and management costs of dioceses burdened with regulations and compliance issues steal the resources needed to rebuild clergy numbers. But one thing is certain; no matter what, the presence of God is evident in all the wonders of creation that we see around us and take for granted every day; in the people who support, love and serve each other; in the light which shows through despite the darkness of life’s struggles and in the miracle of new-born babies; in the new Christians coming to faith in Christ all around the world Christianity is a way of life and the way of Jesus Christ and however important we might consider ourselves, our national and local customs, our regimes, our wonderful heritage buildings, God has always been there and will always be in every human being, every home, every workplace, every place of sorrow, every place of joy throughout the world. God is graciously constant in his love of humankind and his creation for our benefit. So let us worship and glorify God in everything we do wherever we are with others or on our own. The one God of justice and love whose peace in this life and the next is so wonderful that it surpasses all human understanding.
Recent posts
Today we often speculate about the future of our churches as the numbers of serving clergy shrink and with them congregation numbers too; the church buildings continue to fall apart with many beyond repair or too expensive to run; the administrative and management costs of dioceses burdened with regulations and compliance issues steal the resources needed to rebuild clergy numbers. But one thing is certain; no matter what, the presence of God is evident in all the wonders of creation that we see around us and take for granted every day; in the people who support, love and serve each other; in the light which shows through despite the darkness of life’s struggles and in the miracle of new-born babies; in the new Christians coming to faith in Christ all around the world Christianity is a way of life and the way of Jesus Christ and however important we might consider ourselves, our national and local customs, our regimes, our wonderful heritage buildings, God has always been there and will always be in every human being, every home, every workplace, every place of sorrow, every place of joy throughout the world. God is graciously constant in his love of humankind and his creation for our benefit. So let us worship and glorify God in everything we do wherever we are with others or on our own. The one God of justice and love whose peace in this life and the next is so wonderful that it surpasses all human understanding.
‘PLUS CA CHANGE’ ‘Change is in the air’ - Every good thing must come to an end – but then again so must every bad thing too. Whatever our own personal theories about life, politics, religion and so on we are governed by an unseen force which has a major influence on our way of life. This force creates patterns or seasons during the year and over the decades of our lives too. Hopefully some of us will have enjoyed the ‘summer season’ this year with families having the benefit of some extra time together. Grandparents, aunts and uncles and other family relatives may also have enjoyed some time with the younger members of their families. Some will miss them dearly when school is back but at the same time breathe a sigh of relief as the noise, disruption and turmoil eases off. The long school and college holidays provide a break in the drudgery of trying to balance work and home life for many, also a welcome break for the teachers and school staff too. Although the holiday period is still running as I write this there are signs of changes in the weather with the remnants of a hurricane blowing through and some flowers well past their best. It is time then to get back into routine as the new term looms, the challenge of new schools and starting college, picking up all of those emails waiting at work and rapidly disappearing into a pile of challenges and problems waiting for us. However Autumn season awaits and even nature itself will have a dramatic upheaval as our inescapable climatic routine kicks in. But although we will miss the bright greens of foliage and the glorious mixed hues of our flowers and shrubs some thing equally beautiful waits as various shades of yellows, gold, red and brown take over. Change is in the air! But behind and amongst all of this there a master being in charge – our Creator God. The supreme Lord of all that is seen and unseen who built the perfectly balanced universe and a very special planet earth with everything in abundance. The same God who gave all of this to the beings he created too called humankind and he gave it freely – it was not earned or deserved necessarily. Despite the changes in times and seasons our God does not change in nature and remains as the source of all love, generosity, wisdom and good. As we strive to succeed, prosper or even just survive, our creator is watching over his universe. His will is that we should all live our lives to the full as a community built upon caring, sharing, love and forgiveness amongst ourselves whilst respecting the awesome beauty and self-restoring powers of nature. Of course too we should speak to him and thank him every day in our prayers knowing that he looks forward to our returning to his heavenly kingdom at the end of our time. These are the only requirements of our creator; please keep in touch with him, you’ll be surprised how your life can change for the better despite everything else going on. The season of God’s love never ends!
