Please read letters of Christian love – and please become a writer of such letters

Introduction

Dearly Beloved is a network of loving people, attached in some way to St Clements Church Cambridge, some of whom write, and all of whom receive, short letters that might inspire, comfort or amuse. It started during lockdown as a means of mutual encouragement and of staying in touch. Writers and readers alike continue to value it highly; and the network continues to expand.

Our leading writer at the start was Rowan Williams; and he may continue from time to time. And Alex Hughes, the archdeacon of Cambridge, is a regular contributor. The other writers, who are mostly unknown, have found a talent they didn’t know they possessed.

Everyone receives a daily email. This contains a letter written by someone in the network. It also contains a photograph, usually by someone in the Dearly Beloved network. And it recommends some Bible readings for the day.

Please join

It is entirely free. And you can stop receiving it at any time, with your email address and any other records erased from the records.

Please join the Dearly Beloved network by sending an email, containing your name, toat the address be
Email: sarah@vandeweyer.co.uk

And please encourage others to join. And especially encourage non-churchgoers; the letters give a wonderful insight into church life at its best.

Please write

Please write letters. Your thoughts and experiences possess great value to others. Just send letters to robert@vandeweyer.co.uk

Reading other people’s letters will give you an idea of what readers may appreciate. Here are some simple guidelines.

• Let each letter be between 100 and 500 words.
• Remember that you are writing a letter to friends – dearly beloved friends.
• Allow anything to prompt you: a personal event, an idea that’s popped into your head, a news story, a passage from the Bible, a book, something amusing, or whatever.
• Refer freely to yourself, and your own situation and experience; we all like reading about other people – and personal experience lends authenticity to the points you make.
• It’s okay to be wrong or make a mistake. You’re not claiming any authority over your dearly beloved friends; you’re just one of them.
• Don’t worry about grammar or style; the editor can correct howlers. Feel free to write as you speak.
• Generally, avoid political and theological controversy.

Please take photographs

Please take pictures of whatever catches your eye, and send them to sarah@vandeweyer.co.uk

Archive

The archive of past letters is a treasure trove of wisdom and insight. These are chronological, with a search facility for author’s names