The coming and going of church ministers are significant events for the churches concerned and the wider community.

One such change is the departure of a beloved figure, Reverend Dr. Charles Miller. After serving as Rector of St Helen’s Church for 18 years, Dr Miller will deliver his final sermon on All Saints Day (November 3rd).

Another exciting change is that Revd Georgina Bondzi-Simpson MBE has become the new Minister of All Saints and Trinity churches. At a recent welcome service held at All Saints, Revd Bondzi-Simpson was officially welcomed by church leaders and by the Deputy Mayor of Abingdon, Councillor Rawda Jehanli.

The churches of St Nicolas and Our Lady and St Edmunds both stand at junctions where they are a focus. The tower of St Nicolas can be seen looking along Stert Street

or back along High Street.

St Edmunds is a focus going up the Vineyard.

They were more dramatic this evening with the low evening sun on them and with a grey backdrop of clouds behind.

In Oxfordshire, a fundraising event called Ride and Stride takes place each year.

This year’s Ride and Stride was a bit different from the others. It was the hottest day of the year, and automotive traffic was gridlocked in places, most notably a place called Abingdon because of road works on the Drayton Road, a notorious black spot for traffic. But that didn’t stop the intrepid cyclists, walkers, and mobility scooters from making their way to the different churches.

One typical church in Abingdon is Trinity Church. The church welcomed visitors from Abingdon, Drayton, Hagbourne, Harwell, Milton, Oxford, Peppard, Sutton Courtney, and West Hendred.

One family visiting Trinity included a young boy who was interested in exploring the flower beds. After a short time, he returned with a collection of artifacts, including part of a clay pipe dating from about 1700 AD, part of a bone, and part of a roof tile.

The bells of St Helen Church were ringing this evening for the 7:30 pm Service of Celebration for the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.

The church choir were joined by other Abingdon choirs and sang some of the anthems that will be sung at the Coronation tomorrow. The church was full.

We were told about some of the significant stages of the coronation: The Recognition, The Anointing ( as with Queen Elizabeth II, this will not be shown publicly), and The Crowning.

There were bible readings by the Mayor, Councillor Andy Foulsham; Revd Rachael Hughes, Minister of Abingdon Baptist Church; and Deputy Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Mrs Felicity Dick.

Revd Paul Smith told us his thoughts on the coronation and its religious significance, and at the end, we sang God Save the King.