NEWSLINK
The Parish Magazine
of Saint Faith's Church, Great
Crosby
Saint Faith’s Prayer for
Mission
Faithful God, in baptism you have adopted us as your children,
made us members of the body of Christ and chosen us as inheritors
of your kingdom:
bless our plans for mission and outreach; guide us to seek and do
your will;
empower us by your Spirit to share our faith in witness and to serve,
and send us out as disciples of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
December 2006
From
the Ministry Team
Those of you who knew Emily Conalty will, I’m sure, have many memories
of her extraordinary personality. A devoted member of St. Faith’s, she
combined deep spirituality with passionate biblical scholarship and
penetrating theological insight. When Joyce Green and I began our
Reader training we had Emily as our first tutor. It was a great
disappointment to both of us when after a few weeks we had to change
tutor because Emily was in poor health. Emily’s was a profound
but often troubled soul. Strangely enough her character was brought
vividly to life recently by Revd. Rod Garner, the diocesan theological
adviser, in a lecture about Emily’s friend and mentor, the great
Michael Ramsey. Rod described Ramsey as ‘eccentric and strange,
other-worldly, yet life-affirming’. Both Emily and Michael Ramsay had
in abundance what Archbishop Cosmo Lang called ‘the sacrament of
personality’. For me at least, both of them were people who ‘made God
real’. If Emily were still alive she would not wish me to dwell on her
influence any further, but she would, I know, be happy for me to say a
little more about Michael Ramsey (much of it learnt from Rod Garner!).
Ramsey’s life was rooted in prayer, scripture and the sacraments. There
is a story that, when asked how long it took him to say his prayers, he
replied ‘A minute: the other 59 are preparation’. Open to mystery
and mysticism, at the same time he had an enquiring mind, ‘a faith
seeking understanding’. He was greatly concerned with the relationship
between faith, public life, and the social gospel: he was ‘a leader who
felt intensely the joys and sorrows of the world’. To my mind, this
characteristic had much to do with his theology of the Incarnation, his
view that the Christian had to take very seriously the ‘kenosis’ – the
‘self-emptying’ of God. In his own words “The mind of Christ is defined
as that of one who sees his divine status as an opportunity not for
grasping but for pouring himself out and taking on the role of a
servant. No phrase is more telling than ‘the mind that you have in
Christ Jesus’, for to act divinely is not to grasp, but to pour self
out. That is the secret of the Incarnation, and it is no less the
secret of fellowship. Such indeed is the Christian way”. For Michael
Ramsey, faith was life-changing rather than life-enhancing.
Most of us want, and at the same time do not want, to have lives which
are self-giving. Ramsey found the answer in prayer: attentiveness,
quietness and withdrawal lead him, not to self-interest and
introspection, but to a life of service in the world. Prayer inspired
and animated what he said and did; and his experiences of life –
the lows as well as the highs – inspired and animated his prayer. There
is so much we can learn from him, and I can do no better than to
recommend you to read one or
two of his books, which are classics of their
kind. In his writings he expresses perfectly the incarnational nature
of spirituality and of the Christian life. We will let him have the
last word: what follows is an excerpt from his book about prayer ‘Be
Still and Know’:
‘We need to see Christian prayer, not as an isolated religious
exercise, but as an aspect of a many-sided converse between human
beings and their Creator. In Christian belief, God makes Himself known
to men and women in many ways: through the beauty of nature, by
stirrings of conscience, through inspired men and women and their
writings, through events in history, and supremely through Jesus
Christ. To these intimations of God the human response is no less
varied: by gratitude, trust and love, by awe and wonder, by grief and
contrition, by acts of practical service and the pursuit of the
Christian way of life. In this response there is a movement of the
heart, mind and will towards God, partly but not wholly expressed in
words. A relationship of word and silence, passivity and action: such
is the context of prayer in Christianity’.
God bless.
Fred Nye
Christmas
Services and Events
Sunday
24th
CHRISTMASS EVE
11am
Normal Sunday
Sung Eucharist for Advent IV
4.00pm
BLESSING OF THE CRIB, CHRISTINGLE
SERVICE & CHRISTMAS COMMUNION at S. Mary’s
6.00pm
CHRISTINGLE SERVICE in S. Faith’s
11.00pm
Vigil of Carols and Readings in S. Faith’s
11.30pm
MIDNIGHT MASS at S. Faith’s
MONDAY 26th
CHRISTMASS DAY
11am
PARISH EUCHARIST
6pm
Evensong at the Crib
Tuesday
27th S. STEPHEN’S DAY
10.30am
Eucharist in S. Faith’s, followed by sherry and mince pies in the
Vicarage
CHRISTMAS COMMUNION
If there are people who are housebound and unable to attend church over
Christmas, Fr. Neil is more than happy to bring Holy Communion to them
on Christmas Day after the morning services. Please let him know on 928
3342 if that is the case.
Stewardship Campaign
Fr Neil
Very soon every member of S. Faith’s will receive a letter from me
asking them, once again, to consider their giving to the Church. The
letter will set out the facts and figures as they relate to the running
of this parish. I am slightly perturbed to hear that even in 2006, some
are still giving the 50p per week that they did ten years ago! We
cannot live in a time-warp! If we are looking to secure a bright
future, which I dearly hope and pray we can, we have to give
realistically.
For the moment, please consider the following facts:
2 BOTTLES OF WINE EACH WEEK - costs
£7.98 per week or £31.92 per month
1 DAILY + 1 SUNDAY PAPER - costs
£6 per week or £24 per month
10 CIGARETTES A DAY - costs
£16 per week or £64 per month
2 GALLONS OF PETROL -
costs £9.69 per week or £38.76 per month
Just how much
is YOUR Church worth to you?
For
the Diary
Sunday 3rd December - ADVENT SUNDAY
6.00 pm - Churches Together Advent Carol Service in S. Faith’s
BRING ALONG A TOY PLEASE!
At the 11am Parade & Family Eucharist on Sunday 3rd December there
will be the usual offering of toys. Please bring along a new toy
(unwrapped). These are given to Sefton CHOICES to distribute to needy
families at Christmas. All toys given will be taken to St. Nicholas’s,
Blundellsands on Monday 11th December to be distributed.
Monday 1st JANUARY 2007 - DAY OF
PRAYER FOR WORLD PEACE
12noon Sung Eucharist in S. Faith’s for both congregations, followed by
a glass of champagne to welcome and celebrate the new year together
Advent
The Advent wind begins to stir
With sea-like sounds in our Scotch fir,
It’s dark at breakfast, dark at tea,
And in between we only see
Clouds hurrying across the sky
And rain-wet roads the wind blows dry
And branches bending to the gale
Against great skies all silver pale
The world seems travelling into space,
And travelling at a faster pace
Than in the leisured summer weather
When we and it sit out together,
For now we feel the world spin round
On some momentous journey bound -
Journey to what? to whom? to where?
The Advent bells call out ‘Prepare,
Your world is journeying to the birth
Of God made Man for us on earth.’
And how, in fact, do we prepare
The great day that waits us there -
For the twenty-fifth day of December,
The birth of Christ? For some it means
An interchange of hunting scenes
On coloured cards. And I remember
Last year I sent out twenty yards,
Laid end to end, of Christmas cards
To people that I scarcely know -
They’d sent a card to me, and so
I had to send one back. Oh dear!
Is this a form of Christmas cheer?
Or is it, which is less surprising,
My pride gone in for advertising?
The only cards that really count
Are that extremely small amount
From real friends who keep in touch
And are not rich but love us much
Some ways indeed are very odd
By which we hail the birth of God.
We raise the price of things in shops,
We give plain boxes fancy tops
And lines which traders cannot sell
Thus parcell’d go extremely well
We dole out bribes we call a present
To those to whom we must be pleasant
For business reasons. Our defence is
These bribes are charged against expenses
And bring relief in Income Tax
Enough of these unworthy cracks!
‘The time draws near the birth of Christ.’
A present that cannot be priced
Given two thousand years ago
Yet if God had not given so
He still would be a distant stranger
And not the Baby in the manger.
John Betjeman
Holy Jesus,
to deliver us from the power of
darkness
you humbled yourself to be born among
us
and laid in a manger.
Let the light of your love
always shine in our hearts,
and bring us at last
to the joyful vision of your beauty,
for you are now alive and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
Feminist
Fulmination
Men are like place mats… they only show when there’s food on the table
Men are like mascara… they usually run at the first sign of emotion
Men are like bike helmets… handy in emergencies, but otherwise they
just look silly
Men are like lava lamps… fun to look at, but not all that bright
Men are like high heels… they’re easy to walk on once you get the hang
of it!
(from the magazine of St John the
Baptist, Great Meols)
Cyber
Psalm
The Lord is my programmer, I shall not crash.
He installed His software on the hard disk of my heart;
All of his commands are user-friendly.
His directory guides me to the right choices for his name’s sake.
Even though I scroll through the problems of life,
I will fear no bugs, for He is my back-up.
His password protects me.
He prepares a menu before me in the presence of my enemies.
His help is only a keystroke away.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life;
And my files will be merged with His and saved forever.
from the magazine of Crowhurst
Christian Healing Centre
Sermon
preached by Fr.
Neil on Dedication Festival Sunday at the United Benefice Joint
Eucharist.
It is a very logical argument, I am sorry to say, that before we can
decide the best way forward for the mission of the Church and how we
can fully utilise the whole church plant, it is worth seeing how much
money this piece of land would generate. We could build a much smaller,
easier to manage worship space, whilst having money in the bank to
enable the church to do all the many things we wish we could. That is
why the “For Sale” sign is on the front of the church. (and for that
Sunday a “for Sale” sign was indeed attached to the iron gates of the
Church!)
It is a very logical argument. It’s not mine. The truth is the sign is
there because I wanted to see what your reaction would be! I hope it
was shock, anger and disbelief. We couldn’t image this church not being
here. 141 years ago, when the parish of St. John’s Waterloo was built,
I am sure people said the same. It is being used for the very last time
for worship at 4pm today.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of how the current church faces
opportunity and anxiety in equal measure. The opportunities are there
as an unchanging God works through us in fresh ways as we seek to reach
out and minister to those around us. The anxieties centre on the fear
of losing the church we know and love, of meeting its financial demands
and of changing patterns of ministry and worship.
We know we have opportunities – through worship and social events, and
through pastoral care for people to see our churches in action. Friday
showed the family of Saint Faith’s at its best – pulling out all the
stops not just for the Patronal Festival Service but for the Funeral
Mass in the middle of the day. The dedication of all those involved
proved the high levels of commitment we have here, and that must never
be taken for granted.
Only the week before at St. Mary’s in the evening we had a large number
of people turn out for the Harvest Songs of Praise, an ideal service to
bring someone along to church who has never been before. Let’s hope
that is a regular fixture and perhaps, like the Crib Service which we
started in 1999 at S. Mary’s with some 30 people, it may grow to
something like the 200+ people we now welcome on Christmas Eve in S.
Mary’s. Again, these things don’t just happen on their own. They only
happen when people play their part and encourage others to do the same.
Our over 65’s holiday club was a resounding success and put the
church’s care for its senior members right into the heart of our
community. These are perhaps some of the opportunities of which the
Archbishop speaks.
However, we are only too aware of the anxieties: costly buildings: the
lack of many young professional people in our two congregations means
that when we appeal to money the appeal is going to people on pensions
or low incomes. Rising amounts to be paid to the
Diocese and sometimes it seems, little return for the work that goes
on. I’m sure people feel despondent at times when, for example, we
invite all the holiday club families back for a service and only one
comes.
Is that why we do it? To get something back? Well it is human instinct
and we must keep hoping that one day, through the connections we make
in our communities, they will bring people to come to worship God just
as surely as someone, once, brought us!
But it is a huge task. No longer are we dealing with those who have
lapsed from the church, but those have never been a part of it. A
generation of people bringing children for baptism and they themselves
have never experienced prayer and worship in school assemblies as
perhaps we did.
The starting point is a very different one – like it or not. The task
much harder. Bravery, boldness and openness are required if we are to
take the challenge seriously and not duck it.
You must be sick of hearing me. If it is any consolation I am sick of
hearing me say it too. I want to stop banging on about money and
numbers attending church because there are actually far more important
things for me to be saying and for us all to be doing!
The Church of today may not be what many of us would want it to be, but
it is the only church we have. It will always be the only church we
have.
The 2nd reading today (1 Corinthians 3 : 9 – 11. 16-17) makes an
important point. We are God’s building: living, breathing human
buildings, not bricks and mortar. We are the living stones. Yes, houses
of prayer are important and they are certainly needed in communities as
a place to gather on special occasions, baptisms, weddings, funerals,
weekly worship, but also as signs pointing to heaven. When we see
church buildings demolished it can often seem like a very sad statement
is made. And yet, many congregations who have faced closure of church
buildings have found that the anxieties they had have in fact been
turned into opportunities.
Our prayers and thoughts today are with the people of St. John’s
Waterloo as they gather for the last time in the church building which
has been a house of prayer for 141 years, and move temporarily to the
hall for worship whilst new premises are made ready in the school. What
a time of anxiety for the people of St. John’s and especially for those
involved in the decision-making process. And yet, each and every day
will present opportunities for witness and service. Challenging times
for any congregation in that position.
Very often when things have gone wrong in our lives (breakdown,
marriage break up, redundancy, court appearances, whatever it may be)
it is precisely at those times we find out who our fair-weather friends
and who our true friends are. How many friendships are secretly driven
by what we can receive rather than what we can give? If, as the Bishop
said on Friday night, St. Faith shows us the cost of discipleship, then
Mary certainly gives us an example of what it means to stand by
someone, right to the bitter end. How fortunate we are in our two
patrons for they set before us the pattern of life required of any
disciple.
A faith based upon a certain hymn book, a certain Vicar, even a
particular building, is not a faith based upon the one who gave his
life on the Cross.
And it is with true disciples that the Church of God will continue to
grow and face new opportunities. Armchair disciples are a different
matter. Because of course those congregations in places where church
buildings are closing are facing the things that really matter: the
needs of the people we serve never go away. There will always be those
around us who are suicidal, lonely, bereaved, unable to make ends meet,
slaves to debt, addicted to gambling, alcohol, drugs or promiscuity.
The needs of God’s people are not dependant upon the bricks and mortar
of a church building. People’s real needs are either served by us or
they are not.
As we consider the word DEDICATION today
we must ask ourselves some questions:
Do we want to be part of the growth or the demise of the Church?
How deep rooted is my faith? Would you still be here, even if this
building, or S Mary’s building wasn’t; is our faith based on a
building, or on a relationship with the living God?
Am I prepared to embrace anxieties head on, and help them to become
opportunities?
I don’t need them to tell me, but any time my priest-friends visit from
other parts of the country they tell me how lucky I am to be in this
United Benefice. I know that and I hope you all feel the same way. We
have such talents, gifts and skills which are offered in the service of
the Lord. We have no shortage of dedicated people who work for the good
of the community and those around us in need.
These are not times for complacency however. Today is a time of
rededication to the service of the Lord. We need to be bold, we need to
be faithful. We need to be more prayerful and more trusting of the
Lord. We don’t want a “for Sale” sign put on either of our two church
buildings!
As we come to receive Holy Communion the spirit of Jesus is given to us
to dwell in our hearts. Not simply to give us a feel-good, holy-glow,
but so that we have the strength needed to be a disciple in the world.
Perhaps we need our Bishops to assume the role of Lord Kitchener who
said “Your Country Needs You!” You will see on your way out I have
altered the famous poster so it reads: Your Church Needs YOU!
As we give thanks today for all that has brought us to the present
moment, people, events, everything: the tough question has to be faced:
How much are WE prepared to
dedicate to the Lord today?
ONE
WORLD WEEK
22nd – 29th October, 2006
BRIDGING THE GAP IN WATERLOO
One World Week is an annual opportunity to join a world-wide movement
of people taking action for justice locally and globally.
This year as usual Churches Together in Waterloo decided to mark this
special week by an ecumenical service held at the church of St Mary the
Virgin. Moreover we chose as our focus the project that encapsulates
all the aims of Own World Week, our own Waterloo Partnership that
bridges the gap between the communities bearing that name locally
and in Sierra Leone. We believe that this project offers a unique
opportunity to …
Globally…learn about the
widening gap between rich and poor and, in the spirit of 'ubuntu'
(active togetherness), take informed action for justice.
Locally… celebrate the
diversity of cultures, ethnicity, gender and creed in our communities
and recognise that we are part of one world in combating inequality and
discrimination.
Individually...
choose a lifestyle that reflects care for the Earth and its resources.
Many thanks to all who supported the service in One World Week and to
those who took part and gave so generously to the funds of the Waterloo
Partnership (£108 was raised in the retiring collection). During
the service we saw a presentation on the needs of our partners in
Sierra Leone and we joined the joint choirs of St Mary’s Church and St
Mary's guides in singing the South African hymn 'Siyahamba'
We were pleased to welcome staff and pupils from St Michael’s CE School
who manned the Fairtrade stall and led a meditation on the gap between
rich and poor worlds. One of their teachers will visit Waterloo, Sierra
Leone in the New Year with other teachers from Crosby as part of a
Commonwealth exchange.
WHAT IS ONE
WORLD WEEK?
In 1978, One World Week (OWW) was founded out of a desire that, for one
week in every year, people of all kinds should draw the attention of
their communities to the fact that the world consists of one human race
which shares one planet. Over the years it has been bringing people
together to learn about global issues, and to take action locally on
things which have an impact on the whole world. One World Week now
involves people of many nationalities and has events all the year
round, but there is still one week in October (the week containing
United Nations Day, 24 October) when the excitement is greater than at
any other time.
Thousands of local groups and schools use OWW as a focus for a range of
activities, events and celebrations to raise awareness and take action
on issues of global justice. The week is supported by CAFOD,
Christian Aid, Methodist Relief, and Traidcraft amongst others.
The movement is inspired by the belief that when we understand each
other's perspectives, our lives can be transformed and enriched.
One World Week exists to provide the space for people from diverse
backgrounds to come together to learn about global justice, to spread
that learning and to use it to challenge inequality, discrimination and
degradation, locally and globally.
WHY ONE WORLD
WEEK?
Not just a week of action but a life long commitment.
There are 1.6 billion people in the world who have a daily wage of less
than seventy pence per day. There are 3.1 billion people (just over
half the world's population ) who have a daily wage of less than
£1.40 per day. Millions of children have no access to decent
food, education, clean water and medicine.
In the face of this scandal can we ever say at St Faith’s that we
‘support the third world pretty thoroughly’ - to quote an
answer in a recent questionnaire? Could we ever do enough?
Kathy Zimak
When
in Rome…
Fr Neil
Like all things which are planned in advance, the pilgrimage to Rome
seemed a long way off but as the alarm went at 3am on Monday 22nd
October I realized it had arrived! 23 pilgrims headed off to the heat
of Italy in Autumn for what was a truly memorable week.
The week included a visit to the Anglican Centre with tea and talk by
the Director, Bishop John Flack, who was with us this year for Corpus
Christi. There were three masses we had as a group at which I delivered
homilies; we visited Basilicas, attended the Papal Audience at St.
Peter’s as well as days out to Assisi and Orvieto. Very soon we will be
publishing a full diary of the week but by way of introduction we print
some excerpts below. And you can see a selection of pictures by Joan
and Bill Tudhope on www.merseyworld.com/faith
Irene Taylor
- Tuesday
“…Then we organized ourselves for the evening. A group of us going by a
series of taxis (white knuckle rides!), but we arrived in one piece at
Piazza Navona guided by Father Neil to a very nice restaurant there,
here we were outside (in October – at night!) surrounded by street
sellers, artists painting and selling their pictures, street musicians
and jugglers with flaming torches, a fantastic atmosphere and an
excellent meal was then followed by the crowning point of the day – a
ten minute walk via little cobbled streets alive with people, stalls,
open shops, passing the Pantheon to the famous Trevi fountain
illuminated and surrounded by people. We all threw our coins over our
left shoulders into the fountain in time-honoured fashion to ensure our
return to the Eternal City. This superb climax to a truly wonderful day
was thanks to Father Neil – a real spur of the moment decision – only
he knew the way, and there was yet more to come….”
Audrey Dawson – Friday
“.Our first view of Orvieto was of a town set amid a beautiful
landscape on top of a volcanic outcrop whose precipitous walls made it
look like a fortress on top of a flat plateau, in blazing sunshine and
a clear blue sky. As Fr. Neil told me we had to walk up I was
very worried – until I saw the ‘Funicolare’ railway , a bus at
the top took us into the heart of Orvieto. The square was
awesome, the beautiful Cathedral sparkled in the sun showing all the
mosaic decoration to its full glory, it is built in two alternate
shades of natural stone, one in cream the other dark greyish red.
The town is famous for its wine, olive oil and its unique designs of
pottery, as we walked through the narrow, winding, cobbled
streets we saw plenty of evidence of their craft, highly decorated
plates and vases and other items in vibrant colours, unfortunately they
wouldn’t fit into our cases. Fr. Neil took us to the edge of the town
to visit a lovely old peaceful church named San Giovenale,
the view from the outside overlooking the surrounding countryside was
magnificent. Our next visit was to the Cathedral, on the way we
took time to take a fleeting look around the church of
Sant’ Andrea, a 12th century Gothic church. As we entered the
Cathedral the sun was shining, which showed up
the beautiful windows to
their best, the top third is stained glass and the bottom two thirds
are of amber. In 1263/4 Peter of Prague a Bohemian priest made a
pilgrimage to St. Peters in Rome in order to strengthen his
faith. On his return journey he visited the crypt of Santa
Cristina in Bolsena, and whilst celebrating mass he saw blood dripping
from the host, so much so that the corporal was soaked with it.
Pope Urban 1V was so impressed by the miracle he ordered the corporal
to be taken to the Cathedral in Orvieto and later established the Feast
of Corpus Christi. The shrine built to house the corporal
is the work of the goldsmith Unolino di Vieri. The surface is
decorated with scenes in transparent enamel ( the colour of a wild
iris) and silver gilt. The sacred corporal is displayed in a gold
frame and the creases of the cloth and the blood stains can clearly be
seen.
Having arrived back at the hotel later than anticipated, it was a rush
to get to the lovely peaceful chapel for 6 p.m. to celebrate the last
Eucharist of the week, it was so serene I was sorry when the service
ended. Then in true St. Faith’s fashion we all congregated under
the canopy of vines to drink champagne, after which we met at the
ristorante next door for our final meal of the week. The food was
excellent and the wine flowed, everyone was in a festive spirit and I
was sad to leave the party, but at 11 p.m. I realised I still had
packing to do, so I said goodnight (and it had been a good night)…”
Joan Tudhope -
Saturday
“…At 7.00 am a tired bunch of pilgrims wandered down to the lovely
chapel in Domus Nova Bethlem, for morning prayer and for a final
blessing before departing for the airport. Fr. Neil not only
blessed the pilgrims but also religious items that had been purchased
in Rome. We then all congregated for the last time in the foyer of the
hotel and awaited our coach to take us to the airport. Fr. Neil,
who was to preach at All Saints Church in Rome the next day, remained
at the hotel to eat 23 breakfasts, as we had left too early to enjoy
our usual fare.
On arrival at Ciampino Airport we joined the queue for check in.
Those of us near the front of the queue were able to witness something
usually seen on the television programme ‘Airport’, in that half a
dozen people due to take the flight to Charlrois in Belgium had missed
their check-in time and were not allowed to get on the flight. To
say there were some angry scenes is an understatement, but it provided
some entertainment for us while we were waiting.
Fr. Derek who had checked in before us for his flight to Stansted was
last seen with shades and mobile phone waiting to board his
plane. (We have since heard that he arrived home
safely). Our flight was on time leaving but landed a little later
than anticipated due to strong head winds. At Liverpool John
Lennon Airport the coach to bring us back to St. Faith’s was waiting
for us, and we were soon back on familiar territory. All safe and
sound, and no one missing ! A miracle.
PS If you notice Alan Morgan sporting a beard now, that is because he
had his shaving cream confiscated at security in Rome!”
Letter
to the Editor
I have been meaning to put pen to paper, or more literally, finger tips
to keyboard for some time, to show my appreciation at receiving a
regular copy of Newslink. My thanks to Joyce Green for supplying me
with a copy each month.
The last paragraph of Chris Price’s article, ‘Righteous Rage at the
Parish Pump’, October magazine, plus a few spare minutes in work, has
prompted me to do it now. Chris says he would welcome more reaction
from readers, if only to indicate that someone is reading the pages.
Well, Chris, I do indeed read the pages and enjoy keeping up to date
with what’s going on at St Faith’s, St Mary’s and further afield.
Information provided by the magazine is, of course, in addition to
anything that Mum (Peggy Mattison) tells me!
I have particularly enjoyed recent articles from Rick and Rosie Walker
about their “Retirement” trip and Hilary Pennington’s “A Letter from
Norfolk” and am looking forward to reading accounts of the trip to Rome
in future editions. I was a little saddened to read that the Parkfield
Playgroup has disbanded as my own daughter, Jennifer, attended the
group and was very fond of Mrs Dobson.
So, keep up the good work Chris, I’m sure you know that your work is
appreciated but it is nice to be told, isn’t it?
Barbara Howard
Counting
Heads
DENOMINATION
1998
2005
DIFFERENCE CHANGE
Pentecostals
213,600
287,600
+ 73,000
+34%
Smaller
Churches
93,100
101,100 +
8,000
+ 9%
Orthodox
25,200
25,600
+
400
+ 2%
Independent
Churches 191,600
191,500
-
1,100
- 1 %
New
churches
200,500 183,600
-
16,900
- 8%
Baptists
277,600 254,800
-
22,800
- 8%
Anglican
980,600
870,600
-
110,000
- 11%
Methodists
379,700
289,400
-
90,300
- 24%
Roman
Catholic
1,230,100 893,100
-
337,000
- 28%
U
R C
121,700 69,900
-
51,800
- 43%