St Leonards Church - April 2026

Nothing can be more peaceful than sitting on the church bench in springtime surrounded by the wild daffodils and primroses thinking of those family who rest nearby, and this year the flora display has been fantastic. Especially appreciated as during Lent no flowers are displayed inside the church. People will pass by going to or from the tending of the graves of their loved ones – thank you to those who take the time to do so too, it benefits us all. Many of the family names on the headstones still live on in the village which must be very comforting to those making the decision to choose St Leonard’s as a family member’s final resting place, surrounded by many generations of other families. Safety. A small rural parish church (yes, indeed St Leonard’s is quite large, but you know what I mean!) is a lynchpin in a community, it experiences the highs and lows of every family’s journey through life, and this is really the story of Christianity. We enjoy Christmas and the nativity, the story of the birth of baby Jesus, and then swiftly 4 months later we have Easter, when the story takes us to Jesus dying on the cross. Highs and lows. Sitting on a bench enjoying the spring flora and fauna whilst remembering those you have lost. Highs and lows. Chatting to people at our busy coffee mornings on a Saturday and then taking part of the communion service on the Sunday – ok, so not really highs and lows at all, but it shows how one building can have so many different atmospheres, moving seamlessly between the informal to formal, and enjoyed equally by those who attend both occasions. Laughter in St Leonard’s is never far away, more obvious at a coffee morning maybe or one of our big events – ( N.B. 4th July 2026 for all things Winnie-thePooh, knitted and crafted) but it proves the resilience of those joining us, supporting our church, when they take time to say hello or attend a service. We are very lucky at St Leonard’s to be able to offer 3 different types of church service. A more traditional communion on 1st Sunday usually with our Rector James Pitkin, and on 3rd Sunday a family service led by our associate vicar, Sara-Jane Stevens, with our curate, Yin-Yin Bull assisting at either service. Then on the other 2 Sundays Clare and I lead a morning prayer service, yes, we did have service training! If you want to try a more relaxed service, and are happy to enjoy yourself, then family service is the one to give a go, and we have refreshments afterwards! Morning Prayer follows a modern format, but with Clare and I you never quite know what you are going to get – this week we had Beryl, a first-time reader, as Jesus, and Caroline, a many time reader, as the Samaritan woman. They were brilliant – those playing the crowd were a bit truculent, but they just got fully into their part, or so they said! And that leads us through Lent to Easter when we hope that you might dip your toe into a service at St Leonard’s. It might be you want to have a time away from the hustle and bustle of the weekend chores and rest a while contemplating how the words or songs you hear relate to your life and experiences you are trying to get a handle on in this unsettling world. You may want to just slip into the service and slip out again afterwards, but someone will always be willing to share a few words welcoming you and then next time maybe a few more and then that will build into an additional part of your life in Sherfield English. What is not to enjoy? Oh, and on Easter Sunday, we get chocolate eggs – and please do not ask me how that fits into the story of Jesus, because I must have been poorly the day they covered that in the service training! Julia Noble, Churchwarden