Episodes
Celebrating the second day of Christmas in words, music and reflections.
The children of Marown Primary School, assisted by their teacher Mrs Jacqueline Shirtliff, share a selection of poems on different aspects of the Christmas story.
Church leaders - Anglican Bishop Peter and senior priest in the Roman Catholic Church on the Island, Monsignor John Devine - both reflect on celebrating Christmas at the end of a particularly challenging year - and there's great music, too!
As this is the Feast of St Stephen, when good King Wenceslas went out in the winter weather to give alms to a beggar, t...
Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, with an hour of carols, Christmas songs, Bible readings and reflections. The music is :
Angel Tidings (Rutter)
Once in Royal David's City
Mary Did You Know? (Peter Hollens version)
Gabriel's Message (Matt Creer version)
Away in a Manger (Kings College Cambridge Live Recording
In the Stillness (Kings College Cambridge - composer Sally Beamish)
What Sweeter Music? (Choirboys)
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
The Shepherd's Pipe Carol (Rutter)
The Little Road to Bethlehem (Adult Aled Jones and young Aled)
The Nativity Carol (Rutter)
Christmas Hallelu...
Two very different Carol Services held this week provide words and music to help us prepare to celebrate the deeper significance of Christmas - that lies beyond gifts and gatherings.
We have two carols - "Gabriel's Message" and "Jesus Christ, The Apple Tree" - sung by the Choir of King William's College, Castletown, conducted by their Director of Music, Mr Steve Daykin, and recorded during their recent Carol Service.
The programme also features music and prayers recorded at the Tynwald Carol Service in St Mary's Roman Catholic Church earlier this week. The service was led jointly by Bi...
Welcome to Week 3 of Advent - the time which the Christian church uses to prepare for the great celebration of Christmas.
The coming of Jesus Christ as a helpless baby - a human like us - sharing our earthly life, but leading us to an everlasting life - is often likened to the darkness of our world being driven out by the light of Christ. So it's appropriate that, at this time, we celebrate the Feast of St Lucy - Sankta Lucia - which falls on 13th December. We do this with a short Service of Light - a partnership between Birmingham Cathedral, and the Church of Sweden - with some glorious ...
Pioneer Minister Reverend Alex Brown is constantly looking for ways to offer the powerful and life-changing Christian message in ways that will speak to the many people who don't feel drawn to formal, organised religion and attending church services.
He's also passionate about keeping Christ at the very centre of everything about Christmas - and once again he's leading a re-telling of the Christmas story, on a grand scale, outdoors in central Douglas on 16 December.
Listen to the full story here - and get your free tickets via the website - christmaslive.im
Plus there's an exceptiona...
A nostalgia podcast to celebrate the start of the season of Advent - the four weeks of preparation for the great feast of Christmas.
We go back to the year 2006 when Oliver King and Nigel Pemberton led the music in the Cathedral in Peel - as Musical Director and Organist respectively, and Canon Brian Kelly was at the helm!
There's a lovely piece by the Manx Children's Choir, directed by Adele Parsons, and Bible readings from members of the Cathedral and wider community, including Dr Fenella Bazin, Mrs Betty Deans and Mrs Helen Parry.
There's also a Manx carval from Sarah Hewson and J...
It's an Inter Faith Special on At Your Service this week, as we explore the Baha'i Faith in conversation with Dr Tim Anglin and David Joughin.
Deborah Taubman, of the First Church of Christ, Scientist, has composed a prayer specially for Her Majesty the Queen, our Lord of Mann, and in our second feature today, I'm starting my Christmas shopping - in Churches Bookshop in its new home, in one of the rooms that form part of St Thomas's Church in Finch Road, Douglas. The Bookshop is open Monday - Saturday from 11am to 5pm with limited-time parking in the lane immediately outside the shop d...
A special programme for this Remembrance Sunday - words and music for reflection and for hope - hope for better, peaceful world.
Singer/songwriter Ralph McTell (of Streets of London fame) has always been interested in the First World War but it was a visit to the Menin Gate that compelled him to write his latest song - Unknown Soldier. On today's programme he not only sings the song, but talks in detail about his inspiration for it, and is moved to tears at the thought of the 50,000+ men who could never be identified, or went missing in action.
Reverend Eddie Cubbon will long be rememb...
On the programme this week ..... the similarities between Southwark Cathedral on the South Bank of the Thames and Cathedral Isle of Man in Peel might not seem instantly apparent - but they're there - and we explore them this morning in conversation with the Dean of Southwark Cathedral, the Very Reverend Andrew Nunn.
We'll also discover why he and two colleagues are here on the Island for a few days, and discover the powerful lessons to be learned from two cats, playing an important part in the ministry of Southwark Cathedral!
World Alzheimer's Month seeks to raise awareness and dispel t...
Chine McDonald is Christian Aid's Head of Community Fundraising and Public Engagement. Ahead of the COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow, she spent a day on the Island, meeting Government officials and fulfilling speaking engagements - she also recorded today's conversation about her own faith journey that led from her home in Lagos, Nigeria to London in the UK - where she found inspiration for her newly-published book - God Is Not A White Man, and Other Revelations.
We might want to think that slavery belongs to the Victorian era - but Dan's story is a chilling reminder that it is still ...
Author, broadcaster and Head of Community Fundraising and Public Engagement at Christian Aid, Chine McDonald will be visiting the Island on Tuesday 26 October to host an evening at the Manx Museum talking about COP26 and the impact of our changing climate, and after a networking break, an 'in conversation' session will explore Chine's own experiences of racial injustice and inequality. The evening - at the Manx Museum in Kingswood Grove, Douglas - is on Tuesday 26 October, starting at 7pm - to get your FREE tickets, register with Eventbrite using this link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/......
Manx-born Baptist minister Ruth Rice knows at first-hand how it feels to completely burn out.
But from a personal crisis came a formula for wellbeing that's spread all over the UK.
On this week's AT YOUR SERVICE Ruth tells her inspirational and searingly honest story - including the birth of Renew Wellbeing - quiet shared spaces where its okay not to be okay.
There are two Renew Spaces developing on the Island, in Peel Methodist Church and at The Well at Broadway Baptist Church in Douglas. If you'd like more information or to contact Ruth herself, you can do so via the main websit...
Today is the start of Prisons Week - it's a call to pray for all those affected by crime and imprisonment - prisoners and their families, victims of crime, their families and their communities, those working in the criminal justice system, and the many people involved in caring for those affected by crime - inside and outside our prisons.
Today's guest is Reverend Helen Dearnley, an Anglican priest and an experienced Prison Chaplain based in Leicestershire, who shares some views on her present role and the opportunities it offers for ministry in places of fear, loneliness and conflict.
You...
Just a few weeks ago, Roman Catholic priest Canon Thomas Neylon was ordained bishop by Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King in Liverpool. Warrington-born Bishop Tom is now an Auxiliary Bishop, ministering in the Archdiocese of Liverpool which covers a large area of the North West, and includes the Isle of Man.
Immediately after his episcopal ordination, Bishop Tom spent a few days on the Island, meeting the Catholic communities, our ecumenical partners, and members of Government. He also recorded a conversation, looking back over his priestly min...
The Annual Isle of Man Charity Challenge - sponsored by AFD Software of Ramsey - invites teams of 6th form students from the Island's secondary schools to select a Manx-registered charity, then learn about it, raise funds for it, engage in advocacy work to present its message to others, and then prepare an original presentation summarising its aims, achievements and objectives in the most compelling way possible.
The presentations are judged by an independent panel, and the one judged best is awarded £5,000 - to be given to advance the work of the featured charity.
The winning team thi...
Songwriters Noel Robinson, Andy Flannagan and Graham Hunter took a familiar hymn tune and added words to inspire us all to understand that, wherever we are, and whatever we're doing, we can see our daily tasks through God's eyes, and through our very presence bring His kingdom here on earth - as in Heaven.
Anne De Leyser believes we are all able to bless our community, our family, our colleagues and our friends, by allowing God to work through us - wherever we are. Anne travels the world, talking to people about establishing Local Houses of Prayer (you can do it with just 2 people!) an...
This year marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 - a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks on targets in the United States - over 3,000 people were killed in New York, when two planes were flown into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Centre; 184 people died when another plane hit the Pentagon, and a further 40 people died in Pennsylvania, where another hijacked plane crashed in a field after passengers attempted to retake control - that plane was believed to be heading to the Capitol building in Washington DC. In New York, more than 400 police and firefighters were kil...
3Generate is the children's and youth assembly of the Methodist Church, and it aims to create an inclusive and diverse space for the voice of children and young people to emerge and be heard. It enables them to speak courageously, and listen to God and each other. Through 3Generate, children and young people are equipped to understand and handle change and growth, and so have a positive impact in their local Christian communities. 3Generate calls the Church to listen to, and form relationships with and amongst children and young people, so that change can happen together, as a flourishing ...
Manx-born Reverend Dr Janet Corlett is the new leader of the Methodist Church on the Island.
We bring a flavour of her Service of Welcome held in Trinity Methodist Church at Rosemount, Douglas, on Saturday 28th August, as she becomes Chair of District, Superintendent of the Circuit and Minister of Trinity and Promenade Methodist Churches.
Artist Anne House has been inspired to create a series of 34 silk paintings which tell the story of the Gospel from a fresh and unique perspective. The exhibition is opening in Onchan Methodist Church on 4th September, and it will be curated by Onch...
No one could fail to be moved by the pictures and reports coming from Afghanistan this week - but local Christian Aid representative Louise Whitelegg was determined to put the despair she felt, into positive action. So in a matter of days, she had organised, and advertised Island-wide, a 4-hour Prayer Vigil - last Thursday evening in Trinity Methodist Church at Rosemount in Douglas - praying for Afghanistan and for Haiti - one country devastated by violence, the other devastated by earthquakes, storms and political unrest which is hampering the delivery of essential aid.
On today's pr...
After an absence of two years due to the pandemic, Canon Philip Gillespie is back, spending summer on the Island, and taking care of the churches in Ramsey and Peel whilst resident Parish Priest Fr Brian O Mahony is on holiday. Canon Philip will be warmly remembered for his time on the Isle of Man as Parish Priest of St Mary of the Isle in Douglas, and as senior priest with oversight of all the Island's Catholic Churches. Now the Rector of the Pontifical Beda College in Rome, Canon Philip reflects on life during Italian lockdown, and shares some Scripture, prayers and hymns from the So...
On this exact weekend 15 years ago, a group of German visitors were enjoying exploring our Island and building strong bonds of friendship with their Manx hosts.
I joined them for a service of Celtic Evening Prayer when they were in Maughold, and today's programme features that recording, and the story behind the visit.
There's wonderful Manx music from Emma Christian, who entertained the group before and after the service, plus our usual notice board, and a word of warning if you like cooking with onions ...... !!
Information for the notice board, and requests for your favourite hymns t...
Reverend Dr Janet Corlett is the new Chair of District - leader of the Methodist Church on the Island - and will take up her post at the end of August. In an interview first broadcast in. 2018, when she came to the Island to visit her parents, we learn something of her background, and the extensive experience she will bring to her leadership role in ministry on the Island.
And Sheila Sutton joins us with some gentle thoughts with powerful messages!
Hymns today are from the Lincoln Minster School Chamber Choir
And there's notice board news, too.
If you'd like to choose a favourite hymn fo...
The Venerable Andi Brown will retire in a few days' time, having completed ten years as Archdeacon of Mann and Vicar of St George and All Saints Church in Douglas. On At Your Service today, he talks about the challenges and blessings of doing two demanding ministries at the same time, and reflects on the other experiences he's gained during 41 years as a priest in the Church of England.
It's been over four years in the making, but this weekend a dream came true for Jean Faragher, as her project to draw together willing volunteers from local Christian churches of all denominations, to ...
Research has shown that we fear dementia more than we fear cancer - and we find it such a hard subject to discuss - yet most of us know a friend or family member living with the illness.
On the programme this week, three very different but hugely positive and inspirational women share their message. Gina Shaw was diagnosed with dementia when she was in her early 50's but she refuses to be worried or miserable - Jackie Kline is a teacher in Liverpool and she's thrilled that all the children in her school are dementia-aware, and love their weekly visits to the local care home - and Profes...
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 available - and it's all free (but donations to Graih would be appreciated!)
The Cathedral in Peel has been part of a Green Pilgrimage - encouraging us to be more eco-aware and live more sustainable lives - and their major exhibition is s...
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 of the challenges facing the Methodist Church, and chooses some music which is particularly meaningful to him.
Mrs Olive Dobson first played the harmonium in Abbeylands Chapel on the first Sunday in July, 1941, for the Sunday School...
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 prepares to open at St John's Mill from 3th - 5th July, we get the details from organiser Judy Matthews, and also chat with Pat Jackson and Eileen Speers - founder members of the original Manx Heritage Flower Festival...
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 faith at the very heart of all he does. On At Your Service this week, he tells his story - chooses a favourite Bible passage, and adds some uplifting music.
There's also a full Notice Board of events during the coming...
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 community and often there would be around 200 people at services and events in the tiny chapel.
Numbers are less now, but the chapel still has a dedicated congregation with a deep desire to preserve the 'specialness' of ...