Forgiveness, faith and friendship

The history of a church in Chorley has been made into a book

It was shirt and tie time again this Sunday with two of the top men in the Methodist church amongst the guests on the programme.

Firstly there was the Reverend Stephen Poxon, who has just returned to his role as the Chairman of the North Lancashire District of Methodists after having a one year tenure as the President of the Methodist Conference which many see as the world Methodist leader.

In that role, Stephen toured the country and also made overseas trips so was able to bring to our programme a wide perspective of the Methodist Church and a vision of some overseas challenges. He told us he's optimistic for the church, he wants there to be a permanent Presidency and Stephen enjoyed his time as the church's earthly figurehead.

Stephen's successor as President Of The Methodist Conference is the Reverend David Gamble who has been in Lancaster this weekend to preach at the centenary celebrations of the city's Methodist Church. David has only been in the job for three months, but told us he is already travelling far and wide, having just returned from India and Sri Lanka.

The Reverend Stephen Poxon has just returned to his previous role

Splendidly airy

I've been to Chorley this week to hear the fascinating story of the history of a church in Chorley which has been made into a book.

The Making Of A Parish tells the eventful past of St. George's Church which is situated in the centre of the town. Though the book's author Bill Walker told me the church's history was rooted on the other side of Chorley at St. Lawrence's Church and St. George's being a kind of overflow parish.

It is the kind of splendidly airy and well appointed church that takes your breath away. If you are in Chorley, have a look inside St. George's, you won't be disappointed.

Did you realise that this week it's 25 years since the Brighton bomb? It was planted by the IRA and came within a whisker of wiping out the entire British Conservative Government at their party conference. In all, five people were killed and 34 were injured.

Patrick Magee was charged and convicted of the attack and sentenced to 35 years in jail. The man directing the Conservative Party Conference at the time was Harvey Thomas. He was a former tour manager with the famous American Evangelist Preacher Billy Graham. We heard Harvey's story which is an amazing one of forgiveness, faith and friendship with the very man who planted the bomb.

Five people were killed and 34 were injured by the bombing in Brighton

We also heard about a political faith initiative taking place in Manchester next weekend. According to the posters, 10 years ago thousands of people walked in protest against poverty and in 2009, the need is still the same. Pilgrimages Against Poverty is organised by Church Action On Poverty and we spoke to John Freeman, a man who was on the original march ten years ago.

Meet the demands

We also spoke to a Muslim aid worker, Noor Drummond, from the charity Muslim Hands. Noor's been out in Indonesia this week and said people are beginning to rebuild their lives, after last week's massive earthquake. More than 170,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in Padang, when an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Western Sumatra. But now, schools and shops in the predominantly Muslim country have begun to reopen - even though some bodies are still being pulled out of the rubble.

Do you remember we told you about the All Saints in Higher Walton where 50 parishioners were given a fiver each to see how much they could raise from that one note? Well, they divvied up the first phase of the campaign this week and it turns out they have turned £250 into well over £2,000.

Vicar Simon Hunt, who used his loaf and his dough (sorry!) to become a baker, is now up to four bread making machines which he is using to meet the demands of Higher Walton.

Pastor Waldamor Flake and his wife Pastor Sabine Behrens

Finally, we said auf wiedersehen to two Lutheran vicars who are leaving the team ministry at Colne to return to Germany. Pastor Waldamor Flake and his wife Pastor Sabine Behrens have spent three years in the Blackburn Diocese as part of an exchange. We learned they leave the county with a heavy heart.

We had a long conversation and you can hear more of about their work and also more about St. George's Church in Chorley on next week's programme.

Joe Wilson

Joe presents the faith programme on BBC Radio Lancashire from 6am each Sunday.