We welcomed Arthur Mitchell to lead worship last Sunday at Danbury URC. This was Arthur's first visit to Danbury; coming to us from Maldon URC, and the welcome was extended to him by our church secretary David Whiteing.

Arthur opened with the words Merciful God; you have prepared such good things for us, and then the hymn Morning has broken, like the first morning.

The first bible reading was from Matthew which told the story of the wise man who built his house upon the rock.

Arthur said that Jesus was a good story teller, and that he would also tell us a story this morning, which was about a visit he had made to a small village in Scotland and nearby St. Conan's Kirk.

This was a small impressive structure built over the last 100 years on solid granite and is still in use today.

Arthur said that if our projects are built on firm foundations they will be completed and they will endure, but only if we build on the one true foundation, and in keeping with this theme we then sang the hymn The churches one foundation is Jesus Christ the Lord.

Arthur thanked us for the invitation to preach in Danbury, and said he was getting the chance to preach in most of the URC churches in the Chelmsford District.

Our second reading was from Isaiah and Arthur had chosen from it the text of exchanging beauty for ashes, where he told us that on Good Friday, when Jesus was crucified, the disciples must have thought that all had turned to ashes, but from the ashes of destruction came the beauty of the good news of the resurrection of Jesus. Refreshments and fellowship followed the service.

Next Sunday our service will be led by Alan Sayles from Writtle URC at our usual time of 9.45a.