Dr Lesley is on holiday, so apologies for the lack of photographs.

The church looked beautiful as ever. As today is the first Sunday of the month it was a family service and the Sunday school took a lead in our worship today.

The gospel reading was about the Good Shepherd and the Sunday school expanded the theme. We were told that the area where Jesus preached was rocky and not very good for planting crops so sheep and goats were farmed. The life of a shepherd was very hard. He did not own the sheep but looked after them for someone else. If he lost one of his flock, he would have to pay for the lost sheep. It was a dangerous job as there were robbers and wild animals that would try to steal the sheep, usually at night. To try and protect the flock, the sheep were put into a fold, a circle of rocks with thorny and prickly shrubs on top. The only way in and out was through the “gate” (really a gap in the wall) and here the shepherd would stand guard. Often a few shepherds would band together for safety. If anyone or thing tried to get into the fold other than through the gate, they were up to no good. In the morning, the shepherd would call his flock, and the sheep knew his voice and would follow him out of the fold to graze. Jesus is our shepherd. We should know his voice and when he calls we should follow him. Some people stray but Jesus is aware of our problems. We should treat Jesus as the sheep treat the shepherd, as Jesus will lead us into eternal life. The intercessions were well read by a member of the Sunday school.

During communion, the choir sang, “The Lord is my Shepherd” by Howard Goodall, the junior choir taking the solo part.