Tower and Town, December 2025 (view the full edition)Editorial: Opportunities And ChallengesTower and Town began life in September 1960 as St Mary's Church magazine. It has, however, changed considerably over the years. In the 50th anniversary edition in July 2010, the late Eileen Nancarrow wrote: "Its title was chosen 'to suggest that the Christian is both churchman [sic] and townsman [sic]'. This reveals that the magazine was for church people interested in the town and not as now is the case for everyone whether they attend church or not." It is poignant to be quoting from Eileen who died in October; her life of kindness and service is beautifully recorded in a tribute to her on page 20. In recognition of the magazine's origins and in discussion with clergy and church representatives I suggested an edition in which the churches themselves were the theme. The title 'Opportunities and Challenges' was agreed upon with each contributor choosing how they would interpret it. Unsurprisingly, given the range of Christian denominations present in Marlborough and the individuality of each writer, the contributions differ widely. This is all to the good, as eight similar articles would make for very dull reading. All face different challenges from maintaining an old building or finding one in which to worship to the challenges of 21st century social media and how to take the Christian message beyond church walls. Opportunities abound in the energy engendered by faith in God and care for one another and the wider community. December is an appropriate time for such reflection. Amid the very commercialised version of Christmas bombarding us it is good to be reminded of the powerful Christian message of love and hope embodied in the promise of a newborn baby. My warmest thanks go to all the contributors and to Rachel Rosedale, secretary of Marlborough Churches Together, for her invaluable help in bringing this edition to fruition. Sarah Bumphrey |