| Volume 16 No. 15 | Friday 6 March 2026 |
The Friday Thought | Fr Anthony Lathe
Retired priest |
What causes it is a big subject. Is is fear of the unknown, is it past experience, the result of gossip? Can you put it down to history, or a desire simply to feel better yourself? Is it just plain contempt? Is it false science about brain size, or one of many other things from which we form what we think about other people? I am referring to racism which is the background to this week’s Sunday Gospel. Not what someone looks like, but the community with which they are identified. Here it is a familiar theme in the Gospels – Jews and Samaritans. Never the twain shall mix! Jesus’ story of the good Samaritan was shocking because a Jew was portraying a Samaritan in a favourable light. When they really wanted to hurt Jesus they labelled him a Samaritan. You couldn’t get lower than that! John tells us Jesus met the Samaritan woman because it was necessary for him to travel through Samaria implying some reluctance about going there. I am old enough to have spent my childhood being brought up in a time of war. Everything was focussed on how awful Germans were; Japanese even worse. I suppose I was brought up to be racist, fed by books, comics, newspapers and radio. It created fear. This meant having my hair cut by a German prisoner of war was a terrifying experience, which I can still vividly recall. Years later, sitting in a bar in Germany when approached by three men the first feeling was terror which only subsided when it turned out that all they wanted was a friendly chat with a stranger to their village. My home town of Wolverhampton was changed by immigration. People’s racist anxieties at the time were reflected in a speech by our then MP, Enoch Powell. That speech! Famous enough still to be referred to these days. Racism continues to be a subject of contention. We saw this in the discussions around the recent by-election in Manchester. Looking back, how daft yet how poisonous and destructive it all is. The kind of people we were taught to hate, distrust or just not welcome, became friends. We have benefited from their kindness, generosity, skills and insight. When Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well, just see how the barriers come tumbling down! Samaritan/Jew, woman/man. It begins with Jesus taking the initiative. He does the unthinkable. He, supposed to be superior, asks a favour. From that simple request for a drink of water the depth of common human experience and a common dependence on the divine is revealed. The knowledge of mutual dependence, and equality because we are all children of the same heavenly father, lies at the very heart of Jesus’ gospel of the Kingdom of God. Jesus not only spoke about it but demonstrated in action. If only people all over the world could manage the same! If only… |
Church news & notices Sunday 8 March at 6:00 pm
Choral EvensongAll are welcome at this service of music and prayer for the Lenten season, led by our choir. During Lent, the music in our worship is more subdued and contemplative, and the choir will sing plainsong, the ancient melodies of the Western Christian Church. Responses: Plainsong
Psalm: 46
Anthem: If we believe that Jesus died - Goss "In such circumstances, God exists for me as a background presence, like silently reading a book in the company of someone you love."
- Canon Giles Fraser | Wednesday 18 March at 12:00 pm
Christian Aid Lent Lunch There's another opportunity for you to enjoy a Lent lunch in the Courthouse from 12noon -1.30 pm. As usual there will be a choice of soups, followed by fruit crumble. All donations are for Christian Aid.
| Lent Course 2026 – To be a PilgrimThis year's Lent Course is continuing in the Court House on Wednesday mornings at 10am, and Thursday evenings at 8pm until 25/26 March. Fr Stuart will be exploring the theme of pilgrimages, the different forms they can take, and how they can help us to grow in faith, and each session will last around 60-90 minutes. Please do speak to Fr Stuart if you'd like join the groups - all are welcome. | Revision of the Church Electoral RollNotice is hereby given that the Church Electoral Roll will be revised by the Parochial Church Council (PCC), beginning on Sunday the 22nd day of March 2026, and ending on Saturday the 4th day of April 2026. After the revision, a copy of the Roll will be published by the PCC on paper in St Peter's Church for at least 14 days and a copy of the Roll will be available for inspection on a reasonable request being made to the PCC. This is a revision, so please fill in an electoral roll form at the back of church: - if you have recently moved to the parish or have started worshipping at St Peter's;
- if you have changed address
If your circumstances have not changed, there is no need to fill in a form. Our Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) is set for Sunday 19th April (2 weeks after Easter). | Gregorian chantThere are several church traditions associated with the season of Lent, which reflect to reflect the theme of penitence. As we prepare for the joy of Easter, we stop singing the Gloria, clergy wear purple robes, and choirs traditionally sing more subdued music - plainchant. BBC Music Magazine have an interesting piece about the origins of Gregorian Chant in the Early Church with video examples. The article traces the history of plainchant to its revival in modern culture as the soundtrack to meditation and mindfulness (mainly thanks to the 1990 mix of Gregorian Chant and dance beats by the group Enigma). Gregorian chant: the foundation of Western sacred music - and a source of deep calm and spirituality
BBC Music Magazine | St Peter’s raises £700 for the Children’s’ SocietySome belated Christmas news! Traditionally, a t our children's Crib Services at St Peters, we hold a collection for the Children's' Society, a Church of England charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged young people. We collected almost £700 in cash collections at the Crib Services. Thank you to all who gave so generously to this good cause. | Petertide Fair 2026 – help wanted! The Petertide Fair is back! The big day will be Sunday 28 June, when we welcome the whole Berkhamsted community to St Peter's and raise funds for our Renovation Appeal. Can you help?
We are particularly keen to hear from anyone who can organise a stall, entertainment or refreshments on the day. If you're willing to help, please let us know buy filling in the online form at the link below. There will also be a paper version available in church. Nearer the time, we will also be looking for donations of bottles (for the tombola), cakes, chocolates, sweets, bric-a-brac (no clothes), books (especially fiction) and toys so please start saving items for the Fair! |
 Church noticeboard
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Berkhamsted community news & events Friday 6 March at 1:30 pm
World Day of PrayerThis years World Day of Prayer will be a service written by Christian women of Nigeria, held at Sacred Heart Church on Park Street. There is plenty of parking space. Do come and take part in this annual 24 hours of prayer around the world! Light refreshments will be served after the service. All are welcome. | Saturday 7 March
Berko Repair CaféThe next Repair Café is coming up this Saturday at Northchurch Social Centre, Bell Lane HP4 3RD. Bring broken items along from 9:30am and volunteer repairers will assess your item and attempt to repair it. You can sit with your repairer and even learn some repair skills yourself, or come back to collect it. A donation is requested for your repair to support the Repair Café. Drinks and refreshments are available, free parking on site. Repair Cafés are held on the first Saturday of the month. | Saturday 7 March at 7:30 pm
Bridgewater Sinfonia: Bruch Violin ConcertoThe next Bridgewater Sinfonia concert will be at Berkhamsted School Deans' Hall on Castle Street, with soloist Emmanuel Bach playing the Bruch Violin Concerto No 1. Also on the programme will be Schubert's Symphony No 9 in C, "The Great". Advance tickets are available from Ashtons Estate Agents (next to Tesco) and online for £20, or £22 on the door, under-18s free. | Sunday 8 March
Ashridge Estate public eventThe National Trust have a project under way to make changes to visitor access at the Ashridge Estate. As new housing developments spring up around the local area, they forecast a major increase in visitor numbers. This will lead to damage to the landscape though soil erosion and overcrowding at the parking near the Bridgewater Monument. The NT plan to ease pressure on certain popular areas by encouraging visitors to spread over a wider area, and they are proposing to replace the current parking with new visitor "hubs" around the edge of the estate. For Berkhamsted, this will involve turning part of Northchurch Common into a car park and building a new visitors' centre. They are holding a public engagement event at Berkhamsted Civic Centre 10am-4pm, where you can see their plans and share your views with the NT team. You can find out more about the Ashridge Estate "Protecting Our Roots" scheme on the NT website: | Sunday 8 March
Berkhamsted Artisan MarketJewellery, candles, diffusers, bird and wildlife house, wooden homewares, ceramics, sculptures, artworks - just some of the handmade items on offer at Berkhamsted's thriving Artisan Market. Come and have a browse, grab some tempting street food and enjoy the creative vibe on our famous High Street! All stall fees go towards the Friends of St Peter's. | Wednesday 11 March at 8:00 pm
BLHMS Talk: Archaeology on the HS2 line Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society presents a talk by Doug Stuckey in the Civic Centre on Berkhamsted High Street. This talk explores the archaeological dig on the HS2 line at Wendover south and Stoke Mandeville, which is of national importance.
Non-members are welcome to the talk @ £5 at the door, or join BLHMS on the night. Please note that this talk is preceded by the society's AGM. | Saturday 14 March
Tring Choral Society concertTring Choral Society will be singing Vivaldi's ?Gloria' and Haydn's ?Harmony Mass' at St Peter & St Paul Church, Tring. Tickets available from choir members and online: | Saturday 21 March at 7:30 pm
CCC Spring ConcertThe Chiltern Chamber Choir will be back at St Peter's, presenting some radiant sacred music by British composers, including motets by Byrd, Britten, William Harris, John Ireland, James MacMillan and William Walton. This will be a relatively short concert, with a glass of wine on offer afterwards. Tickets: £20 in advance, £22 on the door, under-18s and full-time students free, available from choir members or Brown & Merry Estate Agents, or online: | The Swan refurb Last week, the Swan Youth Project re-opened after a refurbishment. Thanks to goodwill from many local traders, the interior now has a bright and fresh new look, complete with a modern kitchen for cooking workshops and of course a pool table! Dacorum Mayor, Cllr Catherine McArevey stopped by on her 100k Walk of the Borough boundaries for a ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony (no mayoral gold regalia - just hiking gear!). The Swan do incredible valuable work supporting our young people, providing a safe space to hang out, enriching activities that support their personal growth and development, and someone to talk to when the going gets tough.
| Mayoral PilgrimagePilgrimage is all the rage these days - the Mayor of Dacorum, Councillor Catherine McArevey, has just completed a 10-day 100k Walk around the boundaries of the Borough of Dacorum, visiting community organisations around the borough. Starting at Holy Trinity Leverstock Green, she has been to Boxmoor, Hemel, Tring, Aldbury, Wigginton and many other towns and villages. On her Berkhamsted stop, she stopped by at the Swan Youth Project and met Berkhamsted Castle Trust to learn about the Save Castle Fields appeal. There are lots of photos on the Mayor's Facebook page. Cathy has been raising money for the Dacorum Mayor's Future Fund, which provides grants to voluntary groups across Dacorum, and you can make an online donation at the link below. The Mayor also took a detour for a day trip into London to attend the installation of the new Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Richard Moth. At Westminster Cathedral, the Mayor met our new Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally. Both women have had careers in nursing - as Cathy says, "a reminder that compassion, care and service remain at the heart of leadership, whether in our hospitals, community, churches or our civic institutions." | Mowers wanted! The Rectory Lane Cemetery team are looking for mowers! If you can spare an hour or two every fortnight this spring and summer, please think about joining the mowing team, and help to care for this cherished piece of green space.
It's a great way to get out in the fresh air. You dont have to be very fit - they have just bought a new self-propelled mower which doesn't require pushing (thanks to a grant from Berkhamsted Town Council). If you'd like to volunteer, just turn up any Wednesday afternoon 2pm-4pm, or contact: | Beware of Rogue Roofers!Hertfordshire Trading Standards is warning residents about roofing fraudsters who are currently targeting Hertfordshire homeowners in St Albans, Harpenden and Hemel Hempstead. The rogue traders reportedly offered to do roofing and guttering work. They start off offering low-cost repairs, then claim to have found "additional problems", pressuring residents into unnecessary jobs costing thousands. Often, they put up scaffolding very quickly, making it harder to cancel the work. There's information on the Herts Connected website - please use this to protect yourself and vulnerable family or neighbours: |
Cartoon Church This week's cartoon courtesy of CartoonChurch
Copyright © 2026 Dave Walker
  | Worship with usThis Sunday: 8 March 2026
3rd Sunday of Lent |
9:30am Sung Eucharist
You are invited to join us at our main Sunday service
Next Sunday: 15 March 2026
Mothering SundayMusic this weekHymns: | Anthem: | Like as the hart Herbert Howells | | Voluntary: | Ich ruf zu dir, V 529 - Ludwig Krebs | | Choral Evensong | | Responses: | Plainsong | | Psalms: | 46 | | Hymns: | 76,360 | | Anthem: | If we believe that Jesus died - Goss |
ReadingsExodus 17.1-7From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ Psalm 95, Tone III; 41 O come, let us sing unto the Lord * let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and shew ourselves glad in him with psalms.3 For the Lord is a great God * and a great King above all gods.4 In his hand are all the corners of the earth * and the strength of the hills is his also.5 The sea is his, and he made it * and his hands prepared the dry land.6 O come, let us worship and fall down * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.7 For he is the Lord our God * and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.8 To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts * as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness;9 When your fathers tempted me * proved me, and saw my works.10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said * It is a people that do err in their hearts, for they have not known my ways;11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath * that they should not enter into my rest. Gospel: John 4.5-42So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’ Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’ Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’
 In our prayers this weekAnglican Cycle of Prayer:The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & The Middle EastIntercessions | Diocese | ✚✚Sarah, Archbishop of Canterbury, ✚Richard, Acting Bishop of St Albans, ✚ Jane, Bishop of Hertford, and Charles, Archdeacon of St Albans | In our
continuing prayers | Denis Beard, Mary Beard, Christina Billington, Patricia Cody, Barbara Conway, Nola Frost, Yvonne Hart, Judith Hill, John Malcolm, Ghullam Mutaheri, Frozan Mutaheri, Clare Wallington | In our
immediate prayers | Graeme Davis, Mark Few, Barbara Fisher, Stacy Giles, Peter Kirk, Hilary McVitty, Gwen Roberts, Fr Chris Rogers, Peter Rolfe, David Steadmann, Charlotte Szypryt, Neata Thomson, Sienna Vallance | Weddings
(next four weeks) | | Wedding banns
called this Sunday | | Baptisms
(next four weeks) | | | RIP | Jimmy Kay | | Memorial (year's mind) | Christian Gentil, Corrado Grassini, Robert Vamos |
 RotasWe are ever thankful for our team of dedicated clergy and volunteers who support our collective worship every week. If you are new to St Peter's, we encourage you to get involved in our parish life. Listed below are rotas for this coming Sunday and the week after. You can check future rota dates on the parish website at www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/rotas Sunday 8 March 2026 - Lent 3| 8am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr Stuart | | Preacher | Fr Stuart | | Reader | Ruth W. | | 9:30am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr Stuart (Margaret) ((Helen Rowland)) | | Preacher | Fr Stuart | | Sidesperson | Liz Y. | | Sidesperson | Nicky E. | | MC | Libby G. | | Acolyte | Will G. | | Acolyte | Emma G. | | Thurifer | Richard C. | | Cruficer | . | | Reader | Lea W. | | Intercessions | Will G. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Helen N. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Bev J. | | Sunday School | . | | Sound | Christopher G. | | Friday Thought | Fr Anthony |
Sunday 15 March 2026 - Mothering Sunday| 8am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr David | | Preacher | Fr David | | Reader | Sarah H. | | 9:30am Eucharist |
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| President | Margaret (Fr Stuart) ((Fr David)) | | Preacher | Fr David | | Sidesperson | Samantha O. | | Sidesperson | Barbara J. | | MC | Peter M. | | Acolyte | Hayley K. | | Acolyte | Emma G. | | Thurifer | Libby G. | | Cruficer | . | | Reader | Barbara C. | | Intercessions | Richard H. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Kate H. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Pru M. | | Sunday School | . | | Sound | Jeremy G. | | Friday Thought | Richard |
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www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk
01442 879 739
Contact Fr Stuart Owen
