September brings a new season and a new start for many with the beginning of the academic year so Faith Focus had a ‘Back to School’ theme this month. Our ‘school dinner’ was cottage pie then rice pudding & jam but both courses were more appetising and tastier than how we remembered them from school days of yesteryear! With the resurgence in popularity of some primary school hymns for a certain generation, we enjoyed singing 2 hymns from our school assemblies of years gone by – All Things Bright and Beautiful and He Who Would Valiant Be – and many of our guests could sing these verses from memory!
We had fun trying to guess which of our volunteers matched the school pictures we showed – see if you can guess who the 2 students below are when they were sweet & innocent! The afternoon ended with a very thought-provoking word from Reverend Rachel Homer, reminding us that each day we step into the classroom of life where our patient and loving teacher Jesus waits to work with us, helping us to grow and learn. And that whatever mistakes we might have made the before, every day brings a new fresh page to begin with again if we receive the Lord’s forgiveness and love – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness” – Lamentations 3:22-23
– Catherine Griffiths
In related news…
The BBC’s Songs of Praise are currently running The Big School Assembly Singalong, a chance to relive cherished school memories and help crown the ultimate favourite from a list of 50 beloved hymns. Everyone can have up to five votes for their favourites and the results will be announced during a special programme on Sunday 23rd November 2025. Find out more and have your say
The school photos above are the one and only Ann Conroy and Phil Cook!