page 2 caversham bridge, june 2020 caversham clergy talking point anglican st barnabas rev’d derek chandler, 20 st barnabas road. tel: 947 8239. www.saintbarnabas.org.uk st andrew rev’d nigel jones, st andrew’s vicarage, harrogate road. tel: 947 2788 www.standrewscaversham.org caversham thameside ministry - st peter, st margaret, st john rev’d mike smith, the rectory, 20 church road, caversham rg4 7ad tel: 9479505 rector@ctmparish.org.uk rev’d john dudley tel: 9470265 rev’d penny cuthbert tel: 07825 331810 rev’d judith ryder tel: 9473783 rev’d andy storch tel: 07365 555 905 caversham park church (lep) (anglican, methodist, baptist and urc) contact: dr alison johnston tel: 0118 947 5152. www.cpvc.org.uk methodist team ministry rev’d martin beukes, 72 highmoor road. tel:0118 947 2223 rev’d d jenkins tel:0118 327 1592 caversham baptist church pastor colin baker church office tel 0118 954 5353 email: secretary@cavershambaptistchurch.org.uk riverside church (reading) www.riversidechurchreading.co.uk grace church (formerly caversham hill chapel) pastor keith saynor www.gracechurchcaversham.org.uk tel 9474529 roman catholic our lady and st anne mgr patrick daly, the presbytery, 2 south view avenue. tel: 947 1787. st michael fr michael sharkey, st michaels, sonning common tel: 972 3418 new testament church of god rev’d h r gayle tel: 946 3009 a community newspaper produced by caversham christian news ltd on behalf of the churches of caversham editors: dr alison johnston, mrs janet offord, mrs carol moloney, mrs heather gale, phil chatfield. c/o church house, 59 church street, caversham. rg4 8ax tel: 947 1703. email: editors@cavershambridge.org advertisement manager: mr a wright, tel: 947 6958. email: advertising@cavershambridge.org circulation manager: mrs carol moloney. tel: 947 1370. email: circulation@cavershambridge.org company chair: mr philip chatfield email: chair@cavershambridge.org company secretary: mr tony holland. company treasurer: mrs j belcher. tel: 947 4772 email: treasurer@cavershambridge.org postal subscription manager: mrs j. belcher tel: 947 4772 the editors wish to make it clear that the views expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the board. the editors reserve the right to edit contributions submitted for matters of style, grammar, vocabulary and factual correctness, and to conform to the standards of our established editorial practice. in cases of difference the editors will endeavour to refer back to the submitter of content for resolution. published by caversham christian news ltd, church street, caversham, reading rg4 8ax tel: 0118 947 1703. typeset and layout by rp character graphics, tel: 07949 980 982 printed by: mortons print, media centre, morton way, horncastle, lincolnshire ln9 6jr by dr alison johnston caversham park church over the weekend of ve day 75 we had heard some wonderful memories, some so inspirational. those stories felt so familiar in our world today, with our current battle against covid-19 and the resultant impact on mental health. they are helping many of us to get through the troubles we encounter in isolation due to the lock down. we are learning again from the building of relationships in ways we had forgotten over time, and to help and share with each other, just as god has done in being here for us. let us not forget it is a battle for survival we fight; and our front-line key workers are doing this for us. in this we must not forget, and pray for them and for the wonderful work they do. reading from john 14:1-14 (niv), we find the words “do not let your hearts be troubled. trust in god; trust also in me. in my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, i would have told you. i am going there to prepare a place for you. and if i go and prepare a place for you, i will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where i am”. now wouldn’t it be great if we had a dream for our church that was so big that we would have to depend on god to accomplish it? and wouldn’t it be great if we searched our hearts and souls with prayer so that our dream would match god’s dream? wouldn’t it be great if we yearned for the pure spiritual milk that will helps us to grow in our salvation - and which affects the whole world around us? there have been many surveys in recent years years. on general questions asked of church leaders is how christ would rate their church if he were to return today. fifty- three percent of those leaders believed, on average, that christ would rate their church as having little or no positive impact on souls or society. how sad. how very sad indeed. wouldn’t it be great if we could see concrete evidence that ours is a better community and caversham is a better place because god’s church is here? christ tells us we can see such evidence - if we dream great dreams and if those dreams are to god’s glory and not our own. what do we desire? what do we long for? all prayer is answered. even the prayers that we ask strictly for ourselves and for our families. sometimes the answer is no, ‘i have plans, trust me in this’. sometimes it is, ‘no, not yet, the time is not right’. other times it is ‘yes - i thought you’d never ask’. and still other times it is ‘yes - and just wait to see what else i have in store for you’. what god does for the faithful, what god allows to happen to them, how god answers their prayer, always works out for the greater good. as that is true for each of us who believe, it is doubly true for us as the church, for those who gather in god’s name to worship, either in the physical sense, which is currently difficult, or virtually, through the technology god gave us the knowledge to develop, so as to work together the works he calls us to. if we dream a dream for our church and if it is truly god’s dream, then great things will happen and each of us can be part of it. what is your dream? what do you desire the most? is it pure spiritual milk that you may grow in your salvation and continue to know that god is good? is it to do the works of god, even greater works than christ did, that god’s name may be glorified? we have a purpose - and we have the tools that we need to accomplish that purpose, so much so that we can do even greater things than did christ - should we desire to. verse 14 of john chapter 14, jesus says to us “you may ask me for anything in my name, and i will do it.” so therefore, i leave you with a question to ponder upon, one which only you can answer - why not put christ to the test? are you a people person? caversham good neighbours is a group formed to offer essential transport to the elderly and disabled in our neighbourhood. if you would like to give to the community by joining us as a volunteer driver or helping in our office, then please do get in touch with us. www.cavershamgoodneighbours.org.uk 0118 948 3466 monday to friday 9.30am –11.30am church house 59 church street caversham rg4 8ax sunday services anglican st peter, st peter’s hill 8.00am holy communion – bcp (first, second and fourth 9.30am holy communion (second, third and fourth sundays) 6.30pm holy communion with healing prayers usually 1st sunday, evensong (usually choral on second sunday) sundays) matins – bcp (third sunday) service of the word (first sunday) st john, gosbrook road 9.30am holy communion (first, third and fourth sundays) 9.30am all age worship (second sunday)) fifth sunday – parish wide service (check website for details) st margaret, mapledurham 11.15am holy communion (first, second and fourth sundays) morning worship (third sunday) fifth sunday – parish wide service (check website for details) st andrew, harrogate road 8.00am the eucharist 10.00am parish eucharist (sung) first sunday, family eucharist 11.30am the eucharist first sunday bcp st barnabas, grove road, emmer green 8.00am said communion (bcp) 9.30am parish communion 9.30am cogs for all ages (1st sunday of month) riverside church (reading) meeting at hemdean house school, hemdean road, caversham 10.00am morning worship & teaching caversham park ecumenical partnership meeting at caversham park school 11.00am holy communion (1st, 3rd and 5th sundays) morning worship (2nd and 4th sundays) all age worship (at festival times) caversham baptist church, south street 10.30am morning worship each sunday 6.30pm house of prayer (praise and prayer) – 3.45pm messy church – for all the family fourth sunday of the month 2nd sunday each month grace church, old peppard road 10.30am worship and ministry, children’s church the methodist church in caversham caversham heights, highmoor road 9.00am (first sunday), 10.30am 6.30pm (second and fourth sundays) gosbrook road 10.30am roman catholic our lady and st anne, southview avenue saturday 5.30pm, sunday 10.00am and 6.30pm mapledurham house 6.00pm mass (last sunday of the month) st michael, sonning common 5.30pm 9.00am and 10.30am sunday saturday society of friends (quakers) church street, reading 10.30am (house study groups sept-june tel: 9475783) new testament church of god church street, caversham 9.30am sunday school 11.00am divine worship 6.00pm evening service parish offices parish of caversham thameside and mapledurham st peter, st margaret, st john church house, 59 church street, caversham rg4 8ax tuesday and friday 9.30am to 2pm tel: 947 1703 email: secretary@ctmparish.org.uk st barnabas st barnabas centre tuesday and thursday 8.30am-10.30am tel: 947 6310 website: www.saintbarnabas.org.uk caversham bridge the caversham bridge is sold for 40p per copy and is available in caversham at the caversham emporium in church street and in emmer green at the true food community co-op in grove road, opposite st barnabas church. if yould you like to have the paper delivered to your home monthly, the annual subscription price is £5.00 (12 copies). e-mail circulation@cavershambridge.org with your name and address. contributions for the july 2020 issue should be sent to the caversham thameside and mapledurham parish office by monday 1st june. the date for the august 2020 issue is monday 29th june. email address is: editors@cavershambridge.org advertising copy for the july 2020 issue should be sent friday 29th may. the date for the august 2020 issue friday 26th june. email address is: advertising@cavershambridge.org