Today (25 Nov) the Church celebrates ...

Today the Church celebrates the life and martyrdom of Catherine of Alexandria, who is from the 4th century:

Tradition has it that Catherine was a girl of a noble family who, because of her Christian faith, refused marriage with the emperor as she was already a ‘bride of Christ’.

She is said to have disputed with fifty philosophers whose job it was to convince her of her error, and she proved superior in argument to them all.

She was then tortured by being splayed on a wheel and finally beheaded.

AND

The life and music of Isaac Watts who was born in Southampton in 1674, and educated at the local grammar school and had the opportunity to go to university, but declined because he preferred the dissenting academy at Stoke Newington.

He received there an education of high academic standard and he went on to become the pastor to the Independent (or Congregationalist) Church at Mark Lane in London. Because of his deteriorating health, he resigned this post in 1712 and retired to Stoke Newington. Seven years later, he opposed the imposition of the doctrine of the Trinity on his fellow dissenting ministers, which led to the belief that he had become a Unitarian.

He wrote many collections of hymns and his own faith showed clearly through them.

When I survey the wondrous cross, Jesus shall reign where’er the sun and many others still used in worship. He died at Stoke Newington on this day in 1748.