On the pilgrim way: ‘It feels as if our church is dying’

29/06/2021 | Reform

Sheila Maxey sees a grim future for church and high street

Our high street seems to be dying, with shops closing or just not reopening after the pandemic. Maplin closed before Covid, but Laura Ashley, Edinburgh Wool, Fat Face, Dorothy … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘I am having an exciting Holy Week’

23/04/2021 | Reform

Sheila Maxey feels the excitement of being in church

It is Holy Week, and I am having an exciting week. We opened the church for Palm Sunday worship and we were a congregation of 20, quite a normal number pre-Covid. … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Do I want to come out of the cocoon?’

26/03/2021 | Reform

Sheila Maxey contemplates leaving the cocoon

Everyone is saying that there is light at the end of the tunnel and, as I am someone who tends to jump the gun, my husband is going to have to restrain me. I … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Virtual communication brings special blessings’

01/03/2021 | Reform

Sheila Maxey works on her technophobia

My family considers me technophobic. I find answering calls on my mobile phone difficult; I panic when a new sign arrives on my computer; I am liable to end up in tears of frustration … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘I must contradict Dylan Thomas’

29/01/2021 | Reform

Sheila Maxey rediscovers the spirit of Advent

I am, by nature, a long-term planner: holidays, family gatherings, theatre trips. So, among all the other challenges of Covid-19, I have had to accept cancellation after cancellation. As Christmas approached, the stripping … Read More

On the pilgrim way: ‘Is this meeting a new kind of witness?’

01/12/2020 | Reform

Sheila Maxey finds hope before lockdown

There is nothing like something new to cheer me up as I begin to face the fact that we might be in this Covid-19 world for a long, long time. In early October, we … Read More