| Volume 16 No. 11 | Friday 6 February 2026 |
The Friday Thought Hilary Elliott
Deputy Churchwarden and Safeguarding Officer |  Rachel Below
Safeguarding Officer
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This week’s Friday Thought is provided by our parish Safeguarding Officers On Sunday, 16 November 2025, churches across the UK came together for Safeguarding Sunday – a national awareness-raising campaign led by Thirtyone:eight, the UK’s leading independent Christian safeguarding charity. Now in its seventh year, Safeguarding Sunday is a powerful opportunity for churches of all sizes and denominations to pause, reflect, and take meaningful action to create safer communities for all. Last year, more than 5,000 churches participated, united by one simple belief – safeguarding matters. Why do we have Safeguarding Sunday in St Peters in February when the rest of the country have it in November? As a parish we recognise that November is a very busy time both in the church and at home, and a Sunday in February allows us the space to give safeguarding the attention it deserves. The national campaign theme this year “Actions speak louder” urges churches to go beyond good intentions and conversations and take concrete steps to improve safeguarding in their communities. “When we look at the life of Jesus, he didn’t just teach – he took action,” says Peter Wright, Head of Strategic Communications at Thirtyone:eight. “It’s time for us to move from talking about safeguarding to taking action that reflects our calling to love, protect, and care for others.” 
This Sunday in church we will pray for those who have suffered abuse, and those who work towards keeping everyone in our community safe. That is all of us. It is the time to make a personal commitment to understand what is expected of us in our parish roles, and to continue to ensure all training and checks are up to date. Getting these basics right helps build a robust safeguarding culture and keeps St Peters a safe place for all. |
Church news & notices Safeguarding SundayThis Sunday is designated as our Safeguarding Sunday. At our 9:30am Eucharist we will be reflecting prayerfully on our shared responsibilities to protect vulnerable people. We will also celebrate and give thanks for the good work that is being done by so many behind the scenes to make our churches safer for all. This is also an opportunity to remind everyone of our commitment to the safety and welfare of children and adults at here St Peter's. If anyone has any questions or concerns, there is detailed information about our safeguarding policies on permanent display on the noticeboard inside St Peter's, with leaflets providing useful guidelines and confidential contact details in the parish and the St Albans Diocese. This information is also available on our website at:  www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/safeguarding
| Sunday 8 February at 6:00 pm
Choral EvensongAll are welcome at St Peter's as we worship God through the beauty of music at our next service of Choral Evensong. Responses: Rose
Canticles: Stanford in G
Anthem: My eyes for beauty pine - Herbert Howells | Thursday 26 February - Thursday 26 March
Lent Course 2026 – To be a PilgrimFor this year's Lent Course, we'll be reflecting on the experience of pilgrimages, the different forms they can take, and how they can help us to grow in faith. Fr Stuart will take as a starting point for each session, some of his experiences from his pilgrimage last year from the birthplace of St Columba in the north of Ireland to the island of Iona. The groups will meet in the Court House on Wednesday mornings at 10am, and Thursday evenings at 8pm, and each session will last around 60-90 minutes. The course starts on Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th February. Please do speak to Fr Stuart if you'd like to know more. All are welcome. Contact:  Send an email to: Fr Stuart Owen
 01442 879 739
| Sunday 1 March
Sundays Together lunchSundays Together is a friendly social luncheon held once a month in the Court House. It's for friends in the parish of more advanced years, who may be on their own and find it difficult to socialise. For a small cost of £6, guests receive a welcome drink and enjoy a hot meal cooked by our lovely team of chefs. If you or someone you know would benefit from this lovely event, please get in touch to find out more. Sundays Together 2026 dates
(first Sunday of the month) - Sunday 1 March
- Sunday 5 April
- Sunday 3 May
- Sunday 7 June
- Sunday 5 July
- Sunday 2 August
- Sunday 6 September
- Sunday 4 October
- Sunday 1 November
- Sunday 6 December (Christmas lunch)
Contact: Send an email to: Carole Dell 01442 864 706 www.stpetersberkhamsted.org.uk/groups/sundays-toge | Palm CrossesLent is just around the corner and we will mark Ash Wednesday on 18 February. This service will include imposition of ashes as a sign of penitence, and it is our tradition to burn palm crosses that were blessed at the previous year's Palm Sunday to make the ash, symbolising the continuity of our church seasons. If you have palm crosses at home, please bring them to church and leave them in the box at the back of church. | Video streamingJust a reminder that we have some technical problems with our live video streaming, and we may not be able to broadcast our Sunday morning services from St Peter's. At the moment, we are only able to broadcast our worship as a silent movie! We do appreciate that these services are greatly valued by people who are unable to join us in person, and we are looking into ways of improving our (admittedly Heath-Robinson-eque) setup. This may take some time, but in the meantime, other live video streams are available on Sunday mornings, offering virtual spiritual sustenance: These links are all on the St Peter's website. | Vicar of ChislehurstCongratulations to Fr Stephen Jullien, who was licensed by the bishop of Rochester as Vicar of the Church of the Annunciation, Chislehurst in south London last week. The mass was celebrated by the bishop of Richborough, and Stephen (along with his dog Rafferty) was given a celebratory welcome by his new congregation. We hold Fr Stephen and the people of Chislehurst is in our prayers as they embark on a new journey together, walking in the light of Christ. www.facebook.com/annunciation.chislehurst/posts | Sunday on BBC Radio 4This week on BBC Radio 4's Sunday programme, presenter William Crawley discusses the government's new VAT rules, ending the exemption on VAT for listed places of worship. Listed buildings are historic structures that are registered with Historic England (or Historic Environment Scotland, Cadw in Wales, or the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland), protecting them from alteration or demolition. St Peter's Berkhamsted is a Grade II* listed building. Listen to the discussion on BBC Sounds: 
"Every listed church in the country - and there are 20,000 of them - is going to have to spend 20% more when they need to repair the building."
Sir Philip Rutnam, Chair of the National Churches Trust www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play | Parish Office phoneEE's exciting digital switchover continues, and once again this week, the Parish Office phone and broadband have been cut off. Please bear with our team through the protracted negotiations. Enquiries to the Parish Office are welcome by Basildon Bond or carrier pigeon. |
 Diocesan news
Snowdrop Garden Open DaysThe Bishop of St Albans' Garden will open to visitors this February, offering a much-loved chance to enjoy God's creation in its early spring beauty. Thousands of snowdrops and other early bulbs will be in bloom, creating a peaceful, uplifting place to wander and reflect. This year's openings may be the last time the garden is made accessible to the public, making the occasion especially meaningful. Abbey Gate House, Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans AL3 4HD - Saturday 14 February
- Sunday 15 February
- Saturday 21 February
- Sunday 22 February
Time: 2pm-4pm Entry: £5 per adult (all proceeds to the Trust)
All proceeds will go directly to the Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust, which helps fund essential repairs to historic churches across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. |  | The Parish of Great Berkhamsted is in the Church of England's Diocese of St Albans |
www.stalbansdiocese.org St Albans Cathedral:
www.stalbanscathedral.org
 Church noticeboard
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Berkhamsted community news & events Saturday 7 February
Green & Eco-Friendly MarketThis Saturday there will be a pop-up market in Berkhamsted Town Hall 10am-3pm, featuring eco-friendly homewares, natural skincare, handmade soaps, plastic-free living products, clothing, recycled / upcycled goods, plants and seedlings, and food & drink. Free entry. | Saturday 7 February at 9:30 am
Come and Sing Fauré’s RequiemJoin Berkhamsted Choral Society for a workshop singing the choruses from Fauré's Requiem (Novello edition) and Handel's glorious Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest, led by Graham Wili and accompanied by pianist Fei Ren. Doors will open at 9:30am for a 10am start, with a free informal concert for friends and family at around 3:30pm and a 4:15pm finish. Music will be available to borrow for the day, although you are welcome to bring your own copy if you prefer. This event is for everyone, from experienced singers to those who would like to give choral singing a go in an informal and friendly atmosphere. You may even be inspired to join the choir! Bring your own lunch. Tea, coffee and cake will be on sale. Array | Saturday 7 February at 7:30 pm
Winter Daydreams concertHemel Symphony Orchestra are playing a "Winter Daydreams" concert at St John's Church, Boxmoor in Hemel Hempstead, featuring music by Prokofiev, Khachaturian and Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky's magical Symphony No.1. Tickets £15, under-18s free. www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select | Wednesday 11 February at 8:00 pm
BLHMS Talk: Berkhamsted in 50 buildings Berkhamsted Local History & Museum Society presents a talk by Paul Rabbitts in the Civic Centre on Berkhamsted High Street. Discover the history of our town and how it developed by way of 50 buildings. Paul has written many books and his latest, Berkhamsted in 50 Buildings, should be available in time for this talk
Non-members are always welcome @ £5 at the door, or join BLHMS on the night. | Accommodation wantedWe have a request from a gentleman who has recently come to worship at St Peter's, and who is looking for a flat to rent: I am a retired male teacher aged 66. I am single and a non-smoker. I am looking for a one bedroom/studio flat. Ideally I am looking in Berkhamsted. Although retired ,I am still kept busy by offering private tuition in Maths. For this reason, I would need to be close to transport links as I would wish to travel into London at least two days/week for the remainder of this academic year. Also I am looking for somewhere that is quiet. I no longer drive so have no use for a parking space. I come from an Irish background. (Both parents).
Contact: Send an email to: John Kinoulty | Historical burial: Bruce Burge If you live near the Castle, you may be interested to learn about one of Berkhamsted's architects, Bruce Burge - he designed the Dutch-style houses that stand on Brownlow Road and Castle Hill. He died in 1992, and his grave is in our cemetery on Rectory Lane. Its simple slab was designed by renowned German sculptor Ralph Beyer (who worked with Basil Spence in the 1950s on the new Coventry Cathedral). Burge was the last person to be buried in the lower part of the cemetery.
You can read more about his life in a feature in this month's newsletter from the Rectory Lane Cemetery team - and you can find out about the volunteering opportunities to help care for St Peter's historic cemetery this spring! |
Cartoon Church This week's cartoon courtesy of CartoonChurch
Copyright © 2026 Dave Walker
  | Worship with usThis Sunday: 8 February 2026
2nd Sunday before Lent |
9:30am Sung Eucharist
You are invited to join us at our main Sunday service
Next Sunday: 15 February 2026
Next Sunday before LentMusic this weekHymns: | Anthem: | The Heavens are telling - Franz Josef Haydn | | Voluntary: | Fanfare - William Mathias | | At Evensong: | | Responses: | Rose | | Canticles: | Stanford in G | | Hymns: | 389, 267 (tune 244) | | Anthem: | My eyes for beauty pine – Herbert Howells |
ReadingsGenesis 1.1 - 2.3In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. Psalm 136 (vv 1-8, 23-26)1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, for his mercy endures for ever.2 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures for ever.3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures for ever;4 Who alone does great wonders, for his mercy endures for ever;5 Who by wisdom made the heavens, for his mercy endures for ever;6 Who laid out the earth upon the waters, for his mercy endures for ever;7 Who made the great lights, for his mercy endures for ever;8 The sun to rule the day, for his mercy endures for ever;23 Who remembered us when we were in trouble, for his mercy endures for ever;24 And delivered us from our enemies, for his mercy endures for ever;25 Who gives food to all creatures, for his mercy endures for ever.26 Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his mercy endures for ever. Gospel: Matthew 6.25-34‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ‘So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
 In our prayers this weekAnglican Cycle of Prayer:Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui/the Anglican church in Hong Kong and Macao. Intercessions | Diocese | ✚✚Sarah, Archbishop of Canterbury designate ✚Richard, Acting Bishop of St Albans, ✚ Jane, Bishop of Hertford, and Charles, Archdeacon of St Albans | In our
continuing prayers | Christina Billington, Judith Hill, John Malcolm, Denis Beard, Mary Beard, Patricia Cody, Ghullam Mutaheri, Frozan Mutaheri, Nola Frost, Barbara Conway, Yvonne Hart, Clare Wallington | In our
immediate prayers | Peter Kirk, Charlotte Szypryt, Hilary McVitty, Mark Few, Sienna Vallance, David Steadmann, Gwen Roberts, Neata Thomson, Peter Rolfe, Stacy Giles, Graeme Davis, Barbara Fisher | Weddings
(next four weeks) | | Wedding banns
called this Sunday | Andrew Crawford & Elizabeth Verney
| Baptisms
(next four weeks) | | | RIP | | | Memorial (year's mind) | Sheila Hartley, Edna Brennan, Marion Bellaby |
 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 February 2026 - 2nd before Lent (Safeguarding Sunday)| 8am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr Stuart | | Preacher | Fr Stuart | | Reader | Sarah H. | | 9:30am Eucharist |
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| President | Margaret (Helen Rowland) ((Fr Stuart)) | | Preacher | Fr Stuart | | Sidesperson | Cathy I. | | Sidesperson | Carole D. | | MC | Richard C. | | Acolyte | Hayley K. | | Acolyte | Stephen L. | | Thurifer | Emma G. | | Cruficer | . | | Reader | Hilary E. | | Intercessions | Hilary E Below. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Helen N. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Bev J. | | Sunday School | . | | Sound | . | | Friday Thought | Hilary E & Rachel B |
Sunday 15 February 2026 - Sunday next before Lent| 8am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr Stuart | | Preacher | Richard Hackworth | | Reader | Mike H. | | 9:30am Eucharist |
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| President | Fr Stuart (Fr David) ((Richard Hackworth)) | | Preacher | Richard Hackworth | | Sidesperson | Uli G. | | Sidesperson | Helen P. | | MC | Peter M. | | Acolyte | Mark G. | | Acolyte | Stephen L. | | Thurifer | Richard C. | | Cruficer | . | | Reader | Geoff P. | | Intercessions | Dagna H. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Kate H. | | Eucharistic Minister (Chalice) | Pru M. | | Sunday School | . | | Sound | . | | Friday Thought | Fr Stuart |
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