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It was on this day in 1942 that Robert Ballard, the marine biologist with experience in deep-sea diving and exploration, was born. His name became well-known after his discovery of the Titanic along with the retrieval of a number of artifacts as well as underwater photographs. At a de

June 27, 2022

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I don’t know about you but I love those documentaries that follow the efforts of search teams that are looking for some long-lost treasure. The other day I was fascinated to read the story of the discovery of the royal ship HMS Gloucester, 27 miles off the coast of Norfolk. It took fo

June 14, 2022

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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For countless decades people living in Britain have been changing their names, and no, I’m not thinking about maiden names but rather their first names. For those who have a different cultural heritage, names can quickly become a challenge – people don’t pronounce them right and frequ

April 19, 2022

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Since 1840, the way we send letters, affixing a stamp with an image of the monarch’s head, has changed remarkably little. Well, not any longer. Perhaps you have already bought some of the new definitive stamps and noticed that there is a QR code on the side. So, did you scan it

February 09, 2022

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It seems that storm season is when large numbers of sea creatures get washed up on beaches and then stranded. Storm Arwen produced this along a short stretch of the Murray Firth near Inverness with some starfish. There have been many adaptations of a story called “The star thrower”. I

January 04, 2022

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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There are a few jobs in life, when you survey them, especially the dangers, that make you seriously wonder why people do them. I can identify with those in the military that go on dangerous tours in places like Afghanistan and yet there are others that go within a very short distance

December 08, 2021

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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If you’ve been lucky enough to get away for a holiday recently you might have noticed, when you returned, that the spiders have been particularly busy leaving those calling cards all around the windows and ceilings. Apparently, this is the time of year when they tend to get a bit fris

September 13, 2021

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It should have been just another day in the office, but it was not to be. The man was a public figure, virtually a household name, a man at the top of his game. Of course, I am referring to Matt Hancock, who until recently, was the government’s health secretary. If anyone should have

July 01, 2021

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The death of anyone, however long-expected, always comes as a shock. What has been unsurprising, with the passing of Prince Philip at age 99, has been the genuine national sadness and sense of pathos for what the Queen must be going through after 73 years of marriage. Prince Philip wa

April 14, 2021

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Until recently the name GameStop would not have rung many bells but that has all changed thanks to a bunch of users on the popular Reddit platform, recently ranked the 17th most-visited website in the world. The story centres around numerous small shares investors, the “Reddit army”,

February 02, 2021

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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In the same way that we all know that hindsight is a wonderful thing, similarly there can be benefits, even substantial ones, that are only observed, as it were, in the rearview and not up front. I once heard someone giving thanks for COVID and I could see that immediately there opene

November 09, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Due to the large amount of recent rain, one morning I perched myself atop a nice stable three-legged iron garden table and pushed out the large volume of water that had collected on our gazebo. It made light work of all that heavy water. However, within the space of half of one second

October 07, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The time is fast upon us where we are, much more widely, going to have to don our masks out in public places. So, have you decided yet what type of mask you are going to wear? Will it will be a bulk buy of the cheapest and most basic mask? Alternatively, will you do even better than t

October 07, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It has been now a couple of weeks’ worth of lockdown changes with: 2 million primary children invited to go back to school, more people back in work, and the restrictions generally somewhat eased. Opinions are pretty mixed as to whether we are truly following the science or whether we

October 07, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Just 10 days ago the world learned that the renowned African-American mathematician, Katharine Johnson, had passed away at that grand old age of 101. Ms Johnson was hired by NASA in 1953 to be, what they called at the time, a “human computer”, using nothing much beyond pen

February 24, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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By now the decision has likely been made and the result out in the public domain – I refer to the choice over whether to let Huawei equipment form the heart or just a lesser part of the 5G national network. For some of us “early adopters” we might be quite excited ab

January 28, 2020

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Very recently I came across a fascinating article on the subject of distraction. Even for the most focussed and work-efficient people, getting distracted is nigh on impossible to avoid. So you’re sitting having an intensive discussion with someone and then you hear that faint &#

December 16, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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They call it a story of greed, deceit and herd madness. Over the last couple of months there has been a series of BBC podcasts with the title: The Missing Cryptoqueen. It has to do with the sudden disappearance of Dr Ruja Ignatova, founder of the amazing cryptocurrency scheme OneCoin,

December 16, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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We’ve probably all had the experience of a removal lorry stopping right next door. For most of us we’re a bit wary of the newcomers since we don’t know whether they’re going to be good, bad or truly monstrous! In one recent case a lady called Hillary had a woma

October 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Thinking of the most basic staples of life, our bread and water, I wonder how far you would be willing to go for them? I recently came across a couple of stories which showcase what people have been willing to do. The first is from a village in East Java province called Klepu. There t

August 27, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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You have to feel sorry for the poor guy. He went into Leicester Royal Infirmary for a botox injection and came out full on circumcised! Not the best way for a hospital to make their mark. Of course I understand that, with the best will in the world, we are all fallible people. Even wi

August 27, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I was amused hearing about the family that got a celebratory takeaway when their child was threatened with a detention for talking in class. As may not surprise you, the backstory for this news item was a bit more complex and involved. A girl called Red had gone through nursery school

June 10, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It comes under a raft of names: a bonanza, a treasure trove, a windfall etc. It was just the other week we were hearing about the lady who scooped the lottery jackpot and walked away with a cool £1m in prize money. What was particularly interesting was that the lady concerned, Paula W

April 09, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Stories coming back from conflict zones, that are generally cheering and put a smile on your face, are fairly scarce.

March 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Being just into the New Year, whether we would admit it or not, many of us entertain high hopes.

March 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The amount of sheer mayhem caused in the run up to the Christmas period at Gatwick Airport

March 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The other week Sotheby’s auction house put under the hammer one of Banksy’s best known images

March 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Very recently household debt has been hitting the headlines again. Apparently: “Up to 8.3 million people in the UK are

March 14, 2019

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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That President Trump promised to build a wall along the US-Mexican border is common knowledge, yet just recently

September 13, 2018

by Ayanda

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As a Christian minister it is one privilege to come alongside those that are facing the grief of losing a loved one. And yet

September 13, 2018

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I remember hearing a story many years ago about a mystical forest. Some children stumbled upon

September 13, 2018

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Knives making better lives London has just opened a new outdoor gym by the name of Steel Warriors. There’s no membership fee, there’s even a free coaching facility. Now if this doesn’t already sound too good to be true, this gym has been built from two tonnes of surr

January 25, 2018

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The picture on the front was that of an elephant pushing the baby along with its trunk, the title: “Nudge” by Prof Richard H Thaler who has just now been awarded a Nobel prize. The previous Prime Minister took up some of his ideas in the creation of an internal depar

November 04, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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One thing I admit I’ve been completely in the dark about is how much fun can be had gathering together for a game of indoor footie.

August 05, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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This week will have seen Sotheby’s auction an exceptionally sized diamond weighing in at 26 carats

August 05, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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How would you like to die at the grand old age of 146? Mbah Gotho, a Christian man from Sragen

May 15, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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No doubt, at some point, someone has asked you one of those rather silly questions

March 13, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I still remember the day just as vividly as when it first happened 30 years back.

January 24, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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First it was Stacey Solomon reading her lines from a clipboard at the panto and then it was Patti Smith

January 24, 2017

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Every year Girlguiding in the UK carries out a survey on Girls’ Attitudes.

November 01, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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About the closest I ever come to a supercar is the Top Gear calendar! Yes, sad, I know.

August 30, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It was just the other month when the story broke of an 86-year-old grandmother who

August 01, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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They say that, “X marks the spot”, but what would X be in your life that makes you most human?

May 31, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Humankind’s greatest friend is …? The latest edition of the Smithsonian Institute Magazine had this opening statement:

May 02, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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They say that a picture is worth a thousand words – well recently some research

February 03, 2016

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The celebrity chef, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, has recently been in the spotlight

November 20, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I read in the paper an article which stated: “The robots are coming.

November 02, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It was the image of policeman Mehmet Ciplak carrying the three-year-old Alan Kurdi’s

November 02, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Vincent Uzomah was doing the job he loved and, for now at least, he cannot face going back to it.

August 24, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The headline read: “Cheerleading world mourns ‘founder’ Lawrence Herkimer”.

July 20, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It was playful stuff recently appointing the Speaker of the House of Commons by re-enacting the centuries old

June 09, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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As an occasional radio presenter with Newbury & Thatcham’s very own Kennet Radio, you will not be overly

May 04, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Until very recently, if you had asked me what blind people see, I would have answered without any real hesitation,

March 10, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The events of the Paris massacres at the Charlie Hebdo magazine offices and elsewhere

January 15, 2015

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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November 12th witnessed the Philae lander’s bumpy arrival on 67P. The new birth had taken 10 years from when the Rosetta

December 08, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

November 02, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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What would create a festival atmosphere in Tokyo, causing thousands to take to the streets in fancy dress?

October 14, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

It was voted top joke this year at the Edinburgh Fringe by the comedian Tim Vine: “I decided to sell my Hoover… well it was just collecting dust.”

September 02, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

It was this month I bumped into a BBC article highlighting a new word that seems to be doing the rounds at the present: ableism. The article explained:

July 22, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

A brief story if I may: Two pastors’ wives were sitting mending their husbands’ trousers. One of them said to the other, “My poor Andrew,

February 26, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Bola, whilst out and about talks to Andrew Peach on his morning show and introduces him to Puff-Puffs etc.

January 31, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Minding my own business out and about in Thatcham Town Centre on Monday 27th January 2014 and I spy the BBC Radio Berkshire car and Bridgitte Tetteh scouting around for likely interview candidates – so here we go Lord – in for a penny in for a pound.

January 27, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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BBC Berkshire Radio

Bola talks about her faith and her love of cooking and how they combine.

January 26, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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2014 is here, normality has returned and the festive season is barely more than a fading memory.

January 04, 2014

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

I’ll save you some taps diving off to Google for a quick Latin refresher. The term tertium quid:

November 21, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

The story of Noah and his ark is one that is well known. The bible is literally chock full of stories

November 13, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Newbury Weekly News

What if you could create a world exactly the way you wanted it? I could imagine that for many the construction would include:

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Bruce Forsyth was recently in the news voicing concerns that there could be a shadow side to Britain’s Got Talent with young

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Having quite a fair slice of good old British reserve, I’m not usually the type who likes to make a big fuss.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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You could be forgiven for thinking that it is only in more recent days that people have really learned how to party.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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In a great many settings today commitment is seen as something which is highly likely to limit our lifestyles

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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If there is anything that people routinely hate and can even drive them to distraction, it is interference.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Have you ever said or heard someone else say: “Well of course we’re not under law but under grace”.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Fear would always grip me when my mother would suddenly say “Hedley, I have a bone to pick with you”!

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I think we can take it for read that no one much likes paying taxes. On one occasion Jesus got cornered over this rather

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee has granted people up and down the land occasion to truly celebrate.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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The apostle Paul wrote a very odd thing in a letter to Christian believers, he said:

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Many in our day take a somewhat dim view of God. Perhaps, right now, that’s you.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Do you sometimes think that your life has neither rhyme nor reason. You look back over

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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From our earliest moments we crave security, to be gathered up in our mother’s arms. And which

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It was one of the strangest prayers ever uttered. He was called to preach before the

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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No doubt many of us have seen the “Where’s Wally” books. Double-page colour spreads

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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We all know the common-sense proverb which says “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I want you to picture a day where God, without any warning, decides that mankind will have

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Jesus did much of his teaching by telling stories and he even gave us a couple of trilogies,

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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At this time of year people celebrate Epiphany and only one month ago Susan Philipsz won

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Two professors were having breakfast together and were debating whether making a contribution or making

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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I came across the story of a rally car driver who was a truly forward thinking person. He had a sign which he placed on his

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Reading the Bible, even for seasoned readers like me, has its challenges and I want to share a simple tip with you

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Did you ever bring home your school report thinking you would get praise? You looked at your parents face to see whether

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Talking about whether the Bible is a divine book or a thoroughly human production is one of those subjects that usually

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Baptising two Christian believers yesterday has put me in mind of a story. A sailing vessel was at the point of

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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We’ve all seen scary adverts about fire safety in our homes. Images of being rudely awakened from sleep by the

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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It is wonderful to be at the start of a new year and let me take this opportunity to wish everyone all of God’s richest

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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To many of us the word repentance, at least on first hearing, comes across as a bit

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Some of us have what is called the gift of the gab, well the apostle Paul, who wrote many

August 29, 2013

by Pastor Hedley Clemo

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Sunday morning at 10.30AM & Sunday evening at 6PM

Thatcham Parish Hall Chapel Street on the A4 RG18 4JP

A wreck with rusticles! June 27, 2022
Keeping things secret! June 14, 2022
Pride and prejudice April 19, 2022
Stamps to make an impression February 9, 2022
The star thrower January 4, 2022

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