Churches May 2025

PCC Meeting

To Be Confirmed.

St Helen's Contact Details

During the Interregnum the Area Dean will be responsible for the Parish.

Rev. Chris Groocock  01670 813358      www.achurchnearyou.com

Thought for the Month

Power: Then and Now – A Reflection Inspired by Nelson Mandela  

When we think about power today, it often feels a bit… complicated. It’s everywhere – in politics, on social media, in the hands of celebrities, CEOs, and even influencers. Power can come and often seems to come today with flashy headlines, quick decisions, and often a fair bit of controversy. I often think about managers of people and leaders. How do they use the power they have been given? One of my objectives last year at work was to read the ‘One Minute Manager’ by Ken Blanchard and Spender Johnson. One of the learns I took from the book is that power can be shared. Then if we look back to someone like Nelson Mandela, we’re reminded that power can look – and feel – very different to the way power is often perceived today.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.” That could just as easily describe Mandela himself. His power wasn’t in control or command, but in resilience, forgiveness, and leading with compassion – qualities today that might feel especially precious in a time when public discourse can be so divided.

In today’s fast-paced world, power often seems to reward the loudest voice in the room. There’s a rush to be seen, to go viral, to win the argument. But Mandela’s leadership teaches us something else – that real influence is built in silence, in grace, integrity and in choosing peace over pride.

Here in our village in Northumberland, far from the glare of the world stage, we might wonder how this matters to us. But power isn’t just for presidents or billionaires. It lives in the small decisions – how we treat our neighbours, how we speak to one another, how we support our community. Mandela believed in the power of the collective, in the strength of ordinary people standing together. 

His life also echoes another example of quiet strength – the life of Jesus. Like Mandela, Jesus used his power not to elevate himself, but to lift others. He healed, forgave, and walked alongside the forgotten, showing us that true power is rooted in love and humility.

And maybe, as the old saying goes, “Power is not given to you. You have to take it – and use it wisely.” Nelson Mandela many would argue did just that!

Diane Armstrong, St Helen’s Longhorsley

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Other Sunday services by arrangement, information thereof being available from our Contact below.

For our other group meetings, please see the Group Activities sections.

Visitors are always very welcome to all our events.

Contact Ian Pagan 788263 idpagan@btinternet.com

Website: www.longhorsleymission.org.uk

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