Harpley, My Life is my Message." Mahatma Gandhi
Revd. Sue Martin
Assistant Priest
MAY 2026
Dear Friends,
May is a beautiful month with hedgerows full of blossom, crops shooting upwards, longer days and warm sunshine. It’s a month full of hope and promise, time to enjoy the Spring and look forward to the summer months.
Six years ago, I visited the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. It was March 2020 and as we returned Covid became a huge problem, and they closed Bethlehem behind us. I had hoped to return but that seems a far distant dream in today’s world. The place we call the Holy Land is Israel, surrounded by countries of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. The crisis that is happening in the Middle East is severe and I am not going back any time soon!
But yet it is a beautiful place, it is where Jesus lived, developed his ministry and where the disciples started to preach the gospel. It is full of places we know from the Bible and is incredibly interesting, bringing to life the stories we know so well.
As a way of reliving and sharing with you, I am going to give two talks with lots of slides, personal memories, reflections and links to how people are living there today. I will be looking at places including the Sea of Galilee, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. I will talk about the links to the Bible and Jesus ministry.
The first talk will explore Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Capernaum and River Jordan. It is on Wednesday April 22nd, 7.00pm at St Nicholas Church, Gayton. The second talk will explore Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Dead Sea and Mt Temptation. It is on Wednesday May 20th 7.00pm at St Botolph’s Church, Grimston.
I will also be doing one session at Massingham in June, date to be decided.
I hope you will be able to join us, details are shown in the magazine or at www.ggmbenefice.uk
Meanwhile do enjoy May, as the days lengthen and hopefully become warmer.
With every blessing
Rev’d Sue Martin