Recap

For any new readers. Hello!

In April 2016 I began walking to every parish church (and redundant parish church) in the Diocese of Peterborough by a series of circular routes. My rule has been that each walk must start somewhere on the circumference of a previous one. The first walk began at my 'home' church, St. Peter's, Weston Favell, and the last one will end at Peterborough Cathedral, probably some time in early/mid 2020.

I'm now roughly two-thirds of the way there. I've visited every church in the southernmost of the two arch-diaconates (Northampton), and I'm just finishing my rambles around the old industrial belt which straddles Northamptonshire between Wellingborough and Corby.

It's been a fascinating project. I've learned an awful lot, and met some very splendid people. In this blog I've allowed myself to write about some of the town and country issues I've encountered, and publicly indulged in sharing a few of my interests and obsessions.

Most of all though, this has been about saying how much churches in our diocese need each other. We differ widely in our liturgical practice and theological nuance, but we all proclaim 'One Church, One Faith, One Lord', and we'd better mean it, because the World out there won't understand anything else, and there isn't enough money in the bank to sustain our every individual whim. We need to share - to really share.

I'm currently reading Diarmaid MacCullough's brilliant set of essays on the Reformation 'All Things Made New'. I highly recommend it. If you think you've got the Church of England down, after reading MacCullough's book, you'll probably realise you haven't. I wish I could write like him.

                                                    Dusk at St. Mary the Virgin, Weekley