The Uplands Group of Parishes consists of Guilsborough, Hollowell, Thornby, Cold Ashby, Ravensthorpe, Cottesbrooke, Creaton and Spratton                       

Message from Reverend Caroline Burnett, the Uplands Group of Churches

Uplands Group of Parishes Office (Answerphone): 01604 743444                                

joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are not things that appear overnight. They are nurtured gradually through life’s seasons, often in quiet or hidden ways, shaped by our experiences, our relationships, and the choices we make each day.

Just as strawberries or cherries need sunshine, rain, good soil, and careful tending to flourish, so these fruits within us need nurturing. We grow in them when we take time to rest, when we practise patience with others and ourselves, when we choose kindness even in small and unnoticed moments. And like the garden or orchard, there are times of pruning and challenge too, which in the end can help us grow stronger and bear more fruit.

So as you savour summer’s sweetness this month – whether picking berries from your garden, sharing a bowl of cherries with friends, or enjoying a fruit tart at a village gathering – may it be a gentle reminder of your own life’s ripening. May you find joy in who you are becoming, and may your life continue to grow in the fruits that bring goodness and hope to those around you.

With every blessing for a joyful Summer,

Reverend Allison

Email: uplandsgroup@btinternet.com

  As we move into the warmth of high summer, many of us find ourselves pausing to savour the simple joys that this season brings. The longer evenings invite us outside, whether to tend the garden, take a gentle stroll, or simply sit and watch swallows dance across the sky. There is a sense of life in full bloom at this time of year – hedgerows heavy with elderflowers and early berries, roses opening to their fullest, and vegetable plots yielding peas, broad beans, and early courgettes.

One of the greatest delights of summer is fresh fruit. Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and soon plums – there is something deeply satisfying about enjoying fruit in its season. Perhaps it’s the burst of sweetness after waiting so long through winter months, or perhaps it is the knowledge that these fruits carry within them months of preparation: the hidden work of roots reaching down for water, stems strengthening, blossom attracting bees, rain nourishing them to ripeness.

For me, this is always a reminder of how our own lives grow and bear fruit over time. In the Christian tradition, we speak of the ‘fruits of the Spirit’ – qualities such as love,

GUILSBOROUGH CHURCH

CELEBRATION OF HARVEST
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH

The church will be decorated with flowers and produce from village gardeners

PLEASE DO JOIN US FOR HARVEST FESTIVAL SERVICE AT 9.30 AM - with traditional harvest hymns.

PIMMS AND PUDDINGS AT THE CHURCH 2.30 TO 4.30 pm (donations welcome). Enjoy browsing round the flowers and produce with a glass in hand, tuck into a home-made pudding, have a close look at the special features of our historic church. (Do not miss the William Morris/Burne-Jones windows, the “Green Men”, the roof bosses, St Etheldreda’s window...)

• Raffle in aid of transport for the Blythswood Christmas Shoeboxes appeal
• Paintings by local artists for sale
• Donations of tinned and packeted goods are welcome for the Daventry Food Bank (please bring to either of the above events)
• If you have any garden produce it would be useful if it could be brought to church on Saturday between and 9.30 am and 11.00am. Offers of puddings please ring Janet Minney (740640) or Hilary Worton (740694)

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the Guilsborough Christian Aid collection this year, either via the envelopes, in church, or online.  We raised  just over £300 plus Gift Aid and any online donations.

The focus this year was for agricultural training and support for farmers in Guatemala who are suffering from the harsh effects of climate change. Every pound goes a long way. Many thanks.