Parish News July 2021 - from St Matthew's Stretton and St Cross Appleton Thorn - WA4 4NT - St Matthew's Church, Stretton
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Parish News
from St Matthew’s Stretton and St Cross Appleton Thorn
July 2021
Vicar: Revd. Alan Jewell
The Vicarage, Stretton
Warrington
WA4 4NT
1
Vocation, Vocation, Vocation
On 29 June 1986, I was ordained Deacon in the Church of England in Dorchester
Abbey. (That’s Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, by the way, not the one in
Dorset). That means I have now marked the 35th anniversary of my ordination as a
deacon.
While I was writing this piece, I decided to check up on the bishop who ordained me
a deacon. His name was Conrad Meyer, and as Bishop of Dorchester, he was an
area bishop in the Diocese of Oxford. He wasn’t someone I got to know, as my
curacy was in Aylesbury, where we came under the Bishop of Buckingham. (Oxford
Diocese also has a bishop of Reading. The three area bishops support the Bishop of
Oxford.)
In the years between ordaining me (which I was sure was a highlight of his
episcopal ministry!) and now, what became of Bishop Conrad? I wasn’t too
surprised to discover that he had died in 2011, aged 89. He had retired from
Dorchester in 1987. (Nothing to do with having ordained me the previous year, I’m
sure.) He became an honorary assistant bishop in the Diocese of Truro (Cornwall) in
1990. And then, in 1994, I learned to my surprise, he became a Roman Catholic. He
was formally received into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and,
in June 1995, he was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest. In 2009, Pope Benedict
XVI gave him the title Monsignor.
From the date (1994), you might have guessed that the issue which led to bishop
Conrad leaving the Church of England was the ordination of women as priests1. So,
what to make of this? The man who ordained me as a deacon in the Church of
England gave up his own Anglican ministry in order to become a Roman Catholic
priest. Does that make my ordination less valid? Just to be on the safe side, I looked
up the Bishop of Buckingham, Simon Burrows, who ordained me as a priest in
Christ Church, Oxford, in 1987. (There was no Bishop of Oxford at the time – there
was a vacancy before Richard Harries was appointed.) As far as I can tell, Bishop
Simon remained an Anglican priest until his death in 2015. So, presumably my
ordination is valid. Of course, in reality, the validity of my calling to ministry doesn’t
rest in the hands of either of those two men, or anyone else, for that matter. I
believed then, and believe now, that it is God who has called me to ordained
ministry; and that God has called me to be vicar in these two parishes.
People speak about ordination as a vocation or ‘calling’ – which it is. But there is a
danger lurking there, if we miss the fact that all Christians have a vocation, not just
the ones who get ordained or licensed by bishops. Each of us who has been
baptised as a Christian has a calling, a vocation. Each of us needs to ask, What is
God calling me to? As we hear in the gospels, the call of Jesus to those first
disciples was ‘Follow me’ (e.g., Mark 1.17). Our calling is first to follow Jesus, in all
that we are and all that we do. That calling is to all of us, but each of us also has a
unique calling or vocation. The Church of England website has a page called ‘Your
calling’. Here it says that we “have come to understand Christian vocation in three
areas”:
1
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/9175860.rev-conrad-meyer-former-bishop-converted-catholic-faith/
2
Social vocations – our place within the workplace and the community and how we contribute to the common good; Relational vocations – our calling in relationship to God and other people such as family, friends and neighbours; Ministerial vocations – our calling to serve and build up the church community and equip it for mission. My vocation – and yours – is made up of a unique mixture of those callings. I would have put them in a different order: I would have put ‘relational’ first. So, that’s what I will do here! My ‘relational vocation’ is to do with who I am in everyday life, in my relationship with God and with family, friends, and neighbours. In particular, speaking personally, I have been called to be a Christian disciple, a husband, father, and now grandpa! So, how do I live out my faith in my relationship with family and friends? This is my ‘everyday faith’ and has little to do with going to church or (in my case) being a vicar. I think this is my most important vocation. Jesus says that he has come so that we might have “life, and have it abundantly” (John 10.10). The church side of things is simply a part of what we do. Life is the real business of faith, and, for most of us, that means life as it is lived in relationship with others. I think for many of us, that’s the real challenge. Not, Who am I in church? But, Who am I at home? And is there any tension between the person that I am in church and the person that my nearest and dearest know so well? (The one who gets grumpy and argumentative. The one who sulks when they don’t get their own way… Are we relieved that our church community doesn’t know that person?) Our ‘social vocation’ is to do with serving God in our communities and workplaces. As Christians, how do we contribute to the common good? This is ‘faith in action’. We live in a world in which a major question in people’s lives is how to be happy. I suspect that the pursuit of happiness is a wild goose chase. What if my happiness is not something to be pursued but rather the by-product of doing good, of having purpose? Jesus talks about the wise and foolish builders. The wise builder builds a house on a strong foundation. The foolish builder builds on sand. Jesus says that wisdom – the strong foundation for our lives – is not about hearing his words but acting on them (Matthew 7.24-27), putting faith into practice. Then there is our ‘ministerial vocation’. This is about who we are as part of the church community. Each of us is called to serve as a member of the church. There are no spectators in church: each of us is called to be an active participant. For some, that will mean ordained or licensed ministry – what we call ‘public ministry’, ministry that is recognised across the Church. It was while I was at university that I got a sense that God might want me to get ordained. But that inner sense had to be met by the Church’s affirmation. It’s not just that I ‘felt called’. The Church, through its selection process, had to recognise that calling in me. But not all public ministry is ordained. The Church of England also recognises lay ministry particularly in the form of Readers (often called ‘Lay Readers’, although some dioceses use the term ‘Licensed Lay Ministers’.). A Reader in this sense isn’t just someone who reads from the bible in church, although they may well do that. Historically, the Church had Readers, or Lectors, who did exactly that. If you were 3
going to become a Deacon or Priest, you might start as a Reader. It was one of what the Church called the ‘minor orders’, as opposed to the ‘major orders’ of deacons, priests, and bishops. (This distinction between ‘minor’ and ‘major’ orders seems to me to suggest that some orders are more important than others, which is exactly the opposite of the point I’m trying to make! What is important is to know and follow your unique vocation.The Church of England hasn’t held on to these ‘minor orders’ as steps on the way to ordination but in 1866, it revived the title of ‘Reader’. Readers are licensed to conduct services (other than holy communion, baptisms, and weddings, for which you need an ordained minister) and to assist the priest at communion. Readers may lead public prayer and preach, similar to a ‘Lay Preacher’ in other denominations. Many Readers also have other roles, including conducting funeral services. What Readers actually do varies with the particular Reader’s gifts and experience. Our own Reader, Linda, has developed a ministry which includes sharing weekly Reflections online. She also ministers to the Scouting movement and in other ways in the community. She has been called upon to officiate at funeral services where the person had a particular connection with her. The important thing about Readers is that they are lay people – part of the community in a way that is different from that of a priest. (There is something about ordination that ‘sets you apart’ from others. I wish there wasn’t, but it does seem to be the case!) Readers usually come from the congregation, as opposed to vicars who usually come from somewhere else. (Although it is possible for congregations to grow their own priests.) Readers are almost always volunteers, and they bring their experience of life outside church with them, as well as living out their Christian faith in the community beyond the church. This diocese also has Pastoral Workers who support the church’s pastoral ministry. Pastoral Workers are trained and licensed and, again, are volunteers. We have Sheila working across both parishes in this role. Pastoral Workers may support those who look to us for christenings, weddings, and funerals. They may also visit the sick at home or in hospital. As well as ministerial roles that are recognised by the wider church, each local church relies on every member fulfilling their ministerial vocation. So much of what we were doing before COVID19 arrived has been put to one side. But we have also developed new ways of ministering: the team that has been built up to lead worship via Zoom and Facebook continues in a way that we had not envisaged before the coronavirus. I’m very proud of them! As we recover from the pandemic, there are many roles that church members can pick up – including reading the bible or leading prayers in church, welcoming people to services and providing hospitality afterwards. There are also roles in our work with children and young people, as well as the practical jobs that need to be done in and around our church buildings. I did hear of a church where the vicar got fed up with preparing the Sunday service rotas. Instead of a quarterly rota they had some badges made with job titles on: ‘sidesperson’, ‘bible reader’, ‘coffee maker’, and so on. As people arrived in church, they had to pick a badge and that was their job for the service. I wonder whether we 4
might try something like this. (Although some jobs, like ‘musician’ or ‘bellringer’ are
probably best left to those who know what they are doing!)
Imagine you have three badges. One describes your ‘relational vocation’. One
describes your ‘social vocation’. And one describes your ‘ministerial vocation’. What
does each of those badges say on it?
‘Friend’. ‘Charity Shop Volunteer’. ‘Church Coffee Maker’.
‘Grandma’. ‘School Governor’. ‘Bible Reader’.
What are your vocations? Let me know if you need any help discerning, following, or
developing them.
Alan Jewell
Sunday Worship
We will be continuing with the pattern we have used for the last few weeks, with ‘in
person’ services at St Cross at 9.30AM and
St Matthew's at 10.45AM.
Livestreamed Worship
Our Sunday morning services will continue to be livestreamed on Facebook at
10.45AM. If you would like to join us via Zoom, please let me know and I will email
you the link. You can ‘attend’ the service via Zoom with your camera and
microphone off, so that you can see and hear what is happening without being seen
or heard! If you would like to contribute to a service by doing a reading or prayers,
we would welcome that too and can provide help if you need it.
For services in church, you must let the churchwarden know, so that we can make
the appropriate arrangements:
St Cross: Sandra 265294 St Matthew’s: Michele 450881
5
Calendar
July
Sunday 11th 9.30AM Holy Communion St Cross
10.45AM Holy Communion St Matthew’s
and Facebook
Wednesday 14th 7.30PM Reflections Facebook
Thursday 15th 10.30AM Holy Communion St Matthew’s
Friday 16th 2.00PM Praise and Play Facebook
Sunday 18th 9.30AM Holy Communion St Cross
10.45AM Holy Communion St Matthew’s
and Facebook
From the Parish Registers:
Weddings in 2021: We offer our congratulations to….
Saturday 17 April 2021 at St Cross Church, Appleton Thorn
Olivia Jane TYERS and James Harry BRAZENDALE
Saturday 22 May 2021 at St Matthew's Church, Stretton
Celise Jade TAYLOR and Ross Alexander NEALE
Funerals: We extend our sympathy to the family and friends of…
Monday 18 January 2021
Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Fox Covert Cemetery
Mavis Winnifred PROBERT (88)
Friday 22 January 2021
Service and committal at Walton Lea Crematorium
Gaina BOWEN (89)
Monday 25 January 2021
Service and committal at Walton Lea Crematorium
Ethel WARFE (94)
Wednesday 27 January 2021
Service and committal at Walton Lea Crematorium
6
Una DOUGLAS (88) Friday 29 January 2021 Service at St Cross Church, followed by committal in the Churchyard Betty DITCHFIELD (83) Wednesday 3 February 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium George BARNES (81) Friday 5 February 2021 Service and committal in St Cross Churchyard George MADDOCK (97) Wednesday 24 February 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Sheila Margaret WARHAM (87) Friday 19 March 2021 Service at St Cross Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Keith BROWN (78) Wednesday 31 March 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Mervyn Elias Glyn EVANS (94) Wednesday 28 April 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium James HUTCHINSON (72) Monday 24 May 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Jacqueline BURNS (81) Friday 4 June 2021 Service at St Cross Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Beryl SUTCLIFFE (81) Tuesday 15 June 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Jill Barbara HIGGINS (56) Tuesday 22 June 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium Robert Walker BUCHANAN (97) Monday 28 June 2021 Service at St Matthew's Church, followed by committal at Walton Lea Crematorium William ASHLEY (83) 7
St Matthew’s Primary School Year 1 Well, what an exciting start we had to our new half term! Our amazing children greeted us with their fantastic projects. We have been finding out all about great inventions in transport and we have been learning all about early trains and aeroplanes. Here are some of our creations. We hope you are impressed! We have also been reading the story of Joseph in RE and we have really enjoyed the music, drama and dance within our lessons. We had to imagine what it felt like to be Joseph and his brothers and go into role. It helped us to understand why Joseph is so important in teaching us the importance of following God’s instructions. We are really looking forward to the next few weeks, as we have lots of exciting things to learn before we move into our next class. We are especially looking forward to our new class book ‘Goldilocks and Just the One Bear’ which is a witty sequel to the traditional Goldilocks story. Keep checking our Tweets on Twitter where we will be sharing some of our work soon. Watch this space… 8
Holy Communion – at home There are various reasons why people may not be able to attend a service of Holy Communion in church. If you would like me to bring communion to you at home, following the appropriate COVID19 guidance, I would be happy to do so. Please let me know and I will arrange a visit. St. Matthew’s Church Hall 300 Club -2021 This is a scheme to raise money towards the maintenance of the church hall and to ensure that its appearance is kept up to a standard appropriate for its many purposes. The hall is used by the Pre-school group and other church organisations, for committee meetings and children’s parties when available. Members of the Club buy shares at £5 each, up to a maximum of 5 shares per person, and renew their membership in July, August, or September. Two draws each year are made, one during October and another in November. There have been 3 prizes at each draw, the maximum prize being £100. The results of the draws are published in the Parish Magazine and all members are individually informed by letter. The Club was formed in 1994 and since then has donated £14,209 to the Church Hall Appeal Fund and distributed the same amount in prizes. It is run by a committee who would like to thank all members for their generous support. The income of the church hall has been reduced as a result of the temporary shut down of the hall due to the coronavirus pandemic and the permanent closure of the Link Club. Contributions from the 300 Club will be particularly helpful. New members are always welcome, particularly this year, and anyone wishing to join should contact the under-signed or any committee member. David Hart 21st June 2021 Tel:01925 263080 Email dmr.hart1@gmail.com 9
Reflections At 7.30 PM on Wednesday evening, Reflections continue on Facebook. The live-streamed services are here: St Matthew's Facebook videos Online services are streamed on the church Facebook pages. https://www.facebook.com/stmatthewschurchstretton https://www.facebook.com/StCrossAppletonThorn. Quiz Linda will be hosting an online quiz on Wednesday 7th July at 8.00pm on Facebook. Join her if you can, but it can be accessed later on Facebook if that time isn’t convenient. Kitchen at St Matthew's I am very pleased to say that work on installing the kitchen at St Matthew's is under way, and we hope everything will be in place by the summer! There will be minimal disruption to services during the work, but I have cancelled Thursday communion on 1 and 8 July to allow the joiner to work uninterrupted. We are now waiting eagerly to hear from government and the Church of England about when restrictions are to be lifted so that social activity can resume. One dilemma I am currently facing: since early in 2020, very few christenings have taken place, which means I now have quite a few enquiries and bookings (from 18 July onwards). We usually hold christenings after the main morning service and, in normal times, having the families and their guests arriving while members of the congregation were still in church enjoying a chat over a cup of coffee was a positive thing. But until we know that the risks from new variants of the coronavirus are under control, we don’t want to encourage the two groups to mingle. Although many churchgoers are fully vaccinated, christening parties include guests from younger age-groups who won’t yet have had the jab. Even when the guidance allows us to serve refreshments after services, the church building will need to be vacated, ventilated, and cleaned, before the christening party arrives. This will put our poor wardens in the difficult position of having to act like pub landlords at closing time, encouraging people to drink up and make their way home! Obviously, these are not the ideal circumstances in which to launch this new phase in the development of our building and our ministry of hospitality, but, hopefully, these restrictions will be a temporary inconvenience and we can look forward to throwing our doors open wide in welcome (and not just for ventilation!). 10
Looking into Churches - Pulpits (4)
The pulpit is the raised, enclosed platform in a church from which to give sermons.
The origin of the word is the Latin “pulpitum” (platform or staging). A traditional pulpit
is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility and accessed by
steps.
Before the Reformation in the middle 1500’s there weren’t any pulpits, and sermons
were preached outside churches, in front of the altar or from the chancel.
A pulpit is generally located at the side of the chancel or nave.
Pulpits are usually made of wood or stone, have several steps and may be
hexagonal (six sided) or octagonal (eight sided) with panels which are often carved
or painted. Some stand on wooden bases, while others are on stone platforms.
Early pulpits were moveable and in unheated churches it was usual to move them to
the least draughty parts of the building, because at that time there weren’t any pews.
People could also move around more easily.
Some pulpits have canopies or sounding boards over them so that the preacher’s
voice is carried to the far end of the church.
When galleries were erected in churches in the 17th and 18th centuries to provide
extra seats for larger congregations, three decker pulpits were sometimes installed.
The preacher used the top part,
the reader the next part and the parish clerk sat in the lower part.
Further interesting facts.
In Chester Cathedral there is a stone pulpit in the nave. However, the north range of
the cloister gives access to the refectory built in the 13th century. The refectory
contains an early English pulpit, approached by a staircase with an ascending
arcade of pillars built against the wall. The only similar pulpit in England is in
Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire.
In the 1850’s Sir George Gilbert Scott was the designer and restorer of many
churches, including Westminster Abbey.
In Westminster Abbey he designed a Purbeck marble pulpit. However, for whatever
reason it was given to All Saints, a church in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia and then
moved to St. Matthew’s Abbey, New South Wales.
Another large limestone and marble pulpit for the nave designed in 1862 was also
removed in 1902 and given to St. Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast (later destroyed by
fire).
In St. Matthew’s Church, Stretton the pulpit is at the north-eastern end of the nave. It
was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and installed at the same time as the new
chancel in 1859. It is hexagonal, made of English oak panels, each containing
carved foliage, and standing on stone interspersed between red marble pillars. Four
steps lead to the platform. It is fitted with a brass lectern for the preacher’s notes
and can also accommodate the coloured pulpit fall, according to the church’s
season.
Extract from John Betjeman’s poem “Verses Turned”
And firmly at the end of prayers
The clerk below the pulpit stairs
Would thunder out “Amen”. Margaret Hart
11God in the Arts
Editor: The Revd Michael Burgess continues his series on God in the Arts with ‘The
Peaceable Kingdom’ by Edward Hicks. It now hangs in the National Gallery of Art in
Washington DC. You can see a copy of the painting at:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Hicks_-_Peaceable_Kingdom.jpg
Promise and Fulfilment
When St Peter preached his first
sermon on the day of Pentecost,
he showed how the life, death
and resurrection of Jesus had to
be understood in the light of the
Old Testament. The promise of
the Old was granted fulfilment in
the New. This is how we
understand the unity of the two
Testaments: the messianic hope
in one finds full expression in the
other. We read of the Suffering
Servant in Isaiah and look to the
life-giving sacrifice of Jesus.
Earlier in that prophet we read of a wondrous Child who is granted the spirit of the
Lord to bring Paradise once more to the world:
‘The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the
lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them…. They will not hurt or
destroy on all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as
the waters cover the sea.’ (Isaiah 11:6,9)
That vision of peace and harmony inspired this month’s painting, ‘The Peaceable
Kingdom’ by Edward Hicks. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1780 and worked as a
carriage and sign maker. After a rebellious adolescence, he became a Quaker, living as a
preacher and minister before taking up his brushes. His fellow Quakers were uneasy
with this pursuit of such a worldly profession, and so Edward Hicks tried his hand at
farming. His efforts proved unsuccessful, and he returned to painting, creating a whole
series of canvases on this single theme. He painted almost a hundred versions of the
Peaceable Kingdom of which over 60 still exist. This one is from 1834.
The foreground is occupied by not just one child, but several. They are innocent and
free, playing with the animals around – lion, tiger, leopard, bear, wolf, cow, and lamb.
There is no sign of ‘nature red in tooth and claw’ here for all is peace and tranquillity.
12The bear and cow nudge each other in the bottom corner with no fear and no assertion of strength. That vision of peace is being realised in the distant scene, where we see William Penn and his fellow Quakers working on a treaty of co-existence with the Indians. The animals in the foreground symbolise the human traits we see at work in the background: leadership and strength, sensitivity, and gentleness. As he worked on later versions of this painting, Edward Hicks knew that such peace was not an easy and simple achievement. Arguments and misunderstandings divided his own flock, and as a result the animals he painted look tired and anxious with sad eyes and white whiskers. But here in 1834 there is a freshness and a promise of paradise restored. The cow and the calf, the bear and the bear cub, and the other animals are at one with the children playing. That harmony can be realised in human affairs also, the artist is saying. ‘Follow the Inner Light’ and Isaiah’s prophecy can be fulfilled in our world. It needs both the innocence and strength we see here; it needs action and waiting, it needs wisdom and gentleness as we take counsel one with another. Follow those qualities to be channels of God’s peace to make this world the Peaceable Kingdom. Prayers When we feel shaken (Lk 10:42) Faithful Father, When we feel shaken by the events of the past; when we don’t know quite how to go forward; when our confidence in what we thought we could control is undermined; remind us that one thing is needed – to sit at your feet and listen to You. You are our security. You will never fail those who belong to You through faith in Your Son, Jesus. As we take time to listen to You, Lord, and to meditate on Your Holy Spirit-inspired Word, may we know Your peace – and Your good plans for us. In Jesus’ name, Amen. By Daphne Kitching 13
For the Children 14
15
Wordsearch 16
St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Cathedral has launched a campaign in partnership with the Daily Mail to raise £2.3m to build a physical memorial in St Paul’s Cathedral for those who died as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be the first build of its kind at St Paul’s for nearly 150 years and is part of the ‘Remember Me’ project, an online book of remembrance launched last year. More than 7,300 names of those who have died as a result of the pandemic have been entered into the book. The campaign will install the online memorial book at a permanent site within St Paul’s as well as on the internet. People entering the Cathedral by the new Equal Access Ramp will be able to go through the memorial into a tranquil space and take time to remember the many individuals who have died as a result of the pandemic. The memorial will be a portico in the North Transept on the site of an earlier porch destroyed by a bomb in 1941. Oliver Caroe, the Cathedral’s Surveyor to the Fabric, who has designed the memorial, lost his mother during the pandemic. 17
Deanery Evensong at Arley Hall Details to be confirmed, but the annual deanery evensong returns on Sunday 18 July at Arley. BYO picnic from 5pm, followed by a service (in the chapel or outdoors?) at 6.30pm. Wordsearch Solution Courtesy of parish pump.co.uk 18
St Matthew’s Stretton
St Cross, Appleton Thorn
Secretary contact details
Laura Booth – secretary@stmatthewschurchstretton.org.uk
Parish Office Hours 9.15am – 3.15 Wednesdays – 01925 732800
19You can also read
