At Your Service

New storyboards have appeared in St George's Churchyard in Douglas - Archdeacon, and Vicar of St George's, The Ven Andie Brown, explains why they're there,  saints and sinners - and if you go to St George's (Upper Church St, Douglas)  on Saturday 17 July at 2.30pm you can hear more, and enjoy a strawberry tea, too!  Tours of St George's Bell Tower will be availab...

When a Methodist Minister retires, tradition says that they are 'sitting down'.  So, having completed 9 years as Chair of the Isle of Man District of the Methodist Church, Reverend Richard Hall is 'sitting down' and he  and is wife Ruth will shortly be leaving the Island.  On today's programme, Richard reflects on his life as an ordained minister, hints at some o...

This week, we're in the bell tower in St Thomas's Church in Douglas, to talk to Tower Captain Edwin Creer as he makes the Island part of a little bit of bell ringing history.   Next, Pastor John Powell of the Elim Community Church explains why he's leading an hour of prayer for our Island on Tynwald Hill from 7pm - 8pm on Tuesday 6 July - and as the Isle of Man Flower Festival pre...

Dr Graham McCall could be enjoying a relaxing retirement in Patrick, following a varied career in medicine, as a general surgeon and a GP in inner city Sheffield.  But instead, he's reinstated his medical qualifications and works on the Covid 111 Helpline.  He's also deeply involved in the life and ministry of his local church - Kirk Patrick - and keeps his vibrant Christian...

Agneash Chapel, in the hills above Laxey village, has been a place of prayer and worship for over 1,300 years - since a monk first lived in a  keeill (a tiny chapel) built on the boundary wall of the current chapel, in AD690.  The present chapel was built in 1857 after 17 years of services being held in nearby cottages.  In the 1800's Agneash was in a mining and farming communit...

The Port St Mary Beach Mission is a firm fixture on the Manx calendar - those two weeks of fun and faith-sharing, in August each year, began in 1901 - and the outreach has only ever been completely stopped by the two World Wars.   It attracts around 400 children and teenagers, and a team of adult volunteer leaders give up their own holiday time, to help with the mission.  Even last year,...

Laxey resident Sheila Sutton is no stranger to suffering, having recently undergone major surgery to remove a cancerous tumour - yet she remains happy - and hugely hopeful! On today's programme, she explains where her hope really lies, with a reflection, a favourite poem and a few moments of prayer.   Rev'd Nicky Gumbel is an Anglican priest based in Holy Trinity Church,  Brompto...

Manxman Brendan O'Friel spent his entire working life in seven different penal institutions, including Strangeways Prison in Manchester before and during the riots of 1990.  He's just published a fascinatingly detailed and informative book which has already been acclaimed as essential reading for anyone considering a career in the prison system, and joins us on the programme to explor...

WELCOME to an AT YOUR SERVICE special podcast-only programme.   This is the full service to celebrate the Centenary of the Royal British Legion, recorded in St George's Church, Douglas, the Civic Church of the Isle of Man's Capital Town, on Sunday 16 May 2021.  The service is led by the Archdeacon of Mann, The Venerable Andi Brown, in the presence of His Excellency the Lieutenant...

For the past sixteen years, Praying the Keeills Week has offered eight days of varied walks, talks, coach tours and times of fellowship - all in the glorious Manx countryside - exploring, with the help of well-informed guides - our Island's ancient keeill sites.  Keeills are Christian chapels built on the Isle of Man between the  8th and 12th centuries. The earliest ones were small,...

Whereas our western 'wealth' affords us at least some certainty in difficult times, a combination of the pandemic and the effects of climate change have widened the gap between us, and our poorest global neighbours.  This year’s Christian Aid project will help young unemployed people in Burundi - still one of the world’s most poverty-stricken countries, with over 70% of th...

Lockdown is easing, Spring has sprung and today is the final day of National Gardening Week!  Run annually  by the Royal Horticultural Society,  the focus this year has been  on encouraging people to keep growing things and enjoying green spaces for their proven benefits to health and general wellbeing. This morning we hear three stories of how churches are using...

Do you remember the KB Krew? If the answer is 'yes' you'll love today's programme - and if you've never heard of them, you'll enjoy meeting them for the first time.   On At Your Service this week, we're delving into the archives to listen to a service recorded in Kirk Braddan in 2007, entirely prepared and presented by members of the KB Krew - the parish youth grou...

We begin this week's programme with edited highlights from the ceremonial funeral for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, held yesterday in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, under strict Covid restrictions. Every detail of the service was planned in advance by the Duke himself, to reflect personal elements of his life and his close military ties.   There was no...

Following the death of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, we reflect in words, music and prayers on 'a life well lived' for the benefit of others - and including not only the late Duke, but all who have died recently.   We also recall an exceptional man who, at the age of 90,  died in March  - Reverend Canon Dr John Polkinghorne -  a distingui...

The Easter Halleluia is here!  At Your Service on this most important day, comes from St German's Cathedral in Peel, and includes a welcome from the Dean, the Very Reverend Nigel Godfrey,  a challenging message from Bishop Peter, and Reverend Ruth Walker, curate at the Cathedral, shares a very vivid Easter memory.  The St German's Cathedral choristers also play a major part...

Today is PALM SUNDAY, the first day of a week that the Christian church calls HOLY - today we recall Jesus - riding into Jerusalem on a humble donkey - yet greeted like a king by the huge crowds cheering and shouting his praises So - how could a week that begins with so much joy and excitement - end with a sordid and painful death?  But it did - and yet still we call it ‘Holy Week&rsquo...

We now know that for the second year, our celebration of Easter will be different - with none of the special church services, walks of witness and other ways that we mark the feast that’s at the very heart of the Christian faith. And although this might at first seem disappointing, it COULD also make the Easter message even more meaningful.   Because the message of  Easter - the ab...

On this - Mothering Sunday - the programme looks at women - at loving relationships, and how they shape our lives.   For Margaret Tooth, Mothers Day has a double significance, and Reverend Jo Dudley, vicar of Christ Church in Laxey, speaks movingly of a truly life-changing relationship. We also delve into the archives to hear from women who visited the Island some 15 years ago, and in so doin...

Once again, we're AT YOUR SERVICE with words, thoughts and music to lift you up, whilst we're locked down.  This week, we feature another Gareth Moore recording, as he sings and plays a fine male voice choir arrangement - by John Tudor Davies - of 'I hear thy welcome voice'. We know the  top priority now is to bring the Covid-19 situation under control, but I think all of...

We're constantly told that "it's OK to be not OK" - yet why is there so often still a stigma attached to mental health? Why do we feel it's a sign of weakness? That we should be able to "snap out of it" .... That we don't need anyone's help .... And could going to church make things even worse, when we're told in our hymns and prayers to "rejoi...

Lent started last week , with pancakes on Shrove Tuesday followed by Ash Wednesday - and now we have  6 weeks to prepare for the great celebration of Easter.  We start this week's programme by asking how we might make best use of this time -  should we be be 'giving up something'  and just be grumpy for the whole of Lent? - or would it be better to look on these wee...

Good morning - and happy Valentine’s Day! Louise Whitelegg is the Island’s Christian Aid representative  - she’s also a Methodist Local Preacher, and deeply committed to caring for our planet - which is why she’s  calling us to a greener way of life - and on this Valentine’s Day - when so many tokens of romantic love will be exchanged - Louise is asking us t...

If you've ever wondered why the Mariners Services are so popular - attracting full churches wherever they are on the Island, then today's edition of At Your Service might provide some answers.   We're going back in time - some 20 years - to listen to extracts from a Mariners Service recorded in July 2000 in Trinity Methodist Church at Rosemount in Douglas - You’ll hear famil...

This week, the Christian church celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - also known as Candlemas - marking the day on which Mary and Joseph took the 40-day-old baby Jesus to the Temple, as required by Jewish Law.  In many churches, candles are blessed on this day - symbols of the light of Christ driving out the darkness of the world - hence the name of Candlemas Day.   But wh...