Our 10 0'clock service this morning was a Sung Eucharist, with Father Stephen as the Celebrant. The promised rain had started and we arrived rather soggy! The first signs of Autumn in the churchyard, Rowan berries and Cuckoo pints in the hedgerow herald the turning of the year.

We remembered in our prayers today those killed or injured, and their families, so near by in the Shoreham Air Crash, as well as our regular intentions for our persecuted Christian Family in the Middle East.

The Gospel reading was from St John's Gospel chapter 6. In this passage Our Lord states that He is the bread of life, all who eat this bread will have eternal life. We are familiar with these sayings, but they must have been very shocking for the Jewish people of first century Palestine, we know the rest of the story, and understand the meaning of this idea, they did not, and many turned away. Father Stephen told us of the many other uses of the analogy of bread in the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, from Exodus and the making of bread from manna in the desert, through Proverbs and Isaiah to the ultimate use of bread at the Last Supper and beyond. Although many interpretations of the earlier references are possible, in the Eucharist we have the one sure and certain route to Salvation and Heaven.

The Choir are in recession in August so a communion hymn was sung.

There was coffee after the service.

Still a few tickets for the evening Boat Trip on Chichester Harbour on the 6th of September starting at 4:30. Tickets £12 from the Church Wardens includes refreshments.

Don't forget Alex Palmer and Friends make Music on the 20th of September at 3:00pm followed by Tea. All proceeds from both events to the New Church Annex, which is now at the stage where we have applied to the Diocese for the Faculty to Build! A sign of progress!