From
the Ministry Team
September 2003
Lets
talk
about sex, baby...
No, I am not ignoring the
Editors directive that
certain subjects have had enough airing! Ive never been one for pop
music,
as many of my friends will tell you. I do however remember a song from
the
1980s (correct me if the date is wrong) which had those words as its
title. At
the end of each stanza was the phrase lets TALK about sex.
Some would say thats all the
Church does talk
about. Others comment not so much on the subject of sex, but on the
fact that
all the Church does is talk. Talk about God. Talk about compassion.
Talk about
community involvement. Talk is safe, and for those who enjoy endless
committee
meetings and are able to talk for England, talk is to be welcomed.
But when does the spoken word
move to action, if indeed
it ever does? The anonymous writer of a letter in last months Newslink
said
quite rightly lets open discussion on things that really matter, such
as
poverty, disease, fair trade, mans inhumanity to man.
All very easy to say. However
these issues rarely (if
ever) are brought to the agenda of PCC meetings. We have talked for
over ten
years about community involvement (meaning really we want to say the
right
words to get funding for a posh church hall). Fr. Mark at our PCC
away-day
suggested the formation of a mission committee to help us in our
thinking about
where we are going as a parish. Two people on the PCC offered to join
(its a
start) and I hope there may be others among the congregation who feel
they
would like to be part of that discussion.
At the recent Holiday Club one or
two people said Do
you think it will get people into Church? I would love time to
unpack what
that question means. Some of our so-called
regular congregation
only
come on average
every six or seven weeks.
Were told from them that know that that is the pattern of
things
these days. (Why?) And if they do come to church, what are they coming
to? A
body of people who want to work for change in the community? A body of
people
100% committed to worship? A body of people who spend more time
criticising,
bitching or moaning than they should? What is it exactly we want people
to come
and join?
Unless we have the courage to
face that question, and I
hope the mission group will help us in our thinking, then we will never
really
know as a parish where we are going or what we have got to offer. I am
firmly
convinced that any plans to re-apply to the Community Fund, or indeed
any other
grant-making body, must be put on hold until we as a Church have really
come to
terms with this question.
Fr Mark Waters reminded us in the
sessions he did with
both PCCs that God is already active in the world. God doesnt need
approval or
permission from his local parish church! God doesnt need a faculty in
order to
change the world. But do we wish to join in that activity? Doing the
will of
God may well be encouraging others to share in the worship of the
Church and
all that springs from that. But are we in the church brave enough to
embrace
Gods activity outside in the world? (There is actually no separation
if we
truly understand what Christmas is all about!) Perhaps it is the
regular
church-goer who needs to get involved in things outside the church
building
in order to discover the true nature and identity of God who is
intimately
involved with His creation in so many exciting and diverse ways.
It must be clear that we all have
different talents to
offer and we must never compare the different gifts people have and use
in the
service of the Lord. Some people say to me all I can do is pray: I
cant do
much else. Prayer is not to be underestimated. It is, or ought to be,
at the
very heart of all we do. Each one of us must think about our own
Christian
discipleship and whether we are offering to God our very best. For each
one of
us, offering our best will mean different things. But God knows, and
you know
deep down, when we are only offering 50, 60, 70%.
Golf clubs thrive, as do music
societies, football
clubs, swimming clubs, health clubs, fancy restaurants, posh clothes
shops and
so on. They do so because people are committed to them! In our
congregation,
and in the wider community, we are blessed with many people who possess
such
tremendous gifts, skills and talents. People who have time for other
people;
people who pray daily for the sick and needy in our world and in our
community;
people who will travel an hour and a half on the bus to visit someone
ill in
hospital; people who have skills working with younger people; people
who have
the gift of working with older people; small acts of kindness which
often go
unnoticed. We need to rejoice in this and somehow draw it all together
for the
good of the Church and the wider community in which we are set. That is
the
challenge. So, sisters and brothers, do we talk about it, or do we do
it?
With my love and prayers,
FatherNeil
A
Reflection
...for the Feast
of the Birth
of the Blessed Virgin Mary: 8th September
IvoneGebara
In my view, Mary
is, for women
and men alike in the poorer areas, more than an individual person, even
if a
relationship with her is established in a personal way. She is the
expression
of a desire for fulfilment, which expresses itself as a response to the
various
needs of daily life. She is the one who is able to understand my
difficulties
with my husband or with my wife, or with my children, my problems at
work, or
with my health, my difficulties in relationships, and in all the other
things
that make up the innumerable sufferings of human life.
Mary is wife and
mother. In
Latin America she is above all mother: a mother who cares for her
children, who
feeds and protects them. She transcends all historical images of a
mother. For
in these images lies a fundamental human need to find symbolic
expression,
which is what happens in the different forms of devotion to Mary.
The devotions
reveal the power
which is accorded Mary by the believing people. She has the power to
intervene
in our history, to change certain events and difficult situations. In
this way
she is a powerful woman, a woman possessing a strength which is
different from
that of the ordinary run of mortals, a divine strength capable of
fighting the
evil which is present in history.
If we set ourselves
to listen
more to the faith of simple people in their relationship with Mary
which
expresses their need for survival and for a fuller life, we will
understand
much better that theology has to be poetry, helping us to live more
richly, and
that it has to be prophecy, denouncing all forms of religious
pharisaism and
every kind of injustice. Theology is finally a Magnificat sung by women
in the
name of all the poor of the land who need bread, justice, liberty and
love.
Mary is, today as
yesterday, not
only present in the individual struggles of each person, but is
involved in the
collective struggles for liberation in Latin America. She is with all
those who
need land to live on; with all those
who campaign for better living conditions all round. Mary is an ally in
the
various campaigns for liberation and, in this sense, she is more than a
model
for women to imitate. She is the symbol, or rather, one of the symbols
of a
people in search of economic, cultural and religious autonomy and
identity.
That is why, in the
popular
songs, she is called mother of the oppressed, ally of her people,
liberator of us all.
Prayer
for
Michaelmas
Viola Garvin
from Uncommon
Prayers by
Cecil Hunt
Good St Michael,
if we must
Leave our bodies
here to dust
Grant our souls a
heaven where
we
Still your
Michaelmas may see
Do not make me
quire and sing
With radiant
angels in a ring,
Nor idly tread a
pearl-paved
street
With my new
unearthly feet;
Do not shut me in
a heaven
Golden bright
from morn to even,
Where no shadows
and no showers
Dim the tedious,
shining hours,
Grant that there
be Autumn
still,
Smoke-blue dusk,
brown, crisp
and chill,
And let the
furrowed plough and
bare
Curve strongly to
the windswept
air;
Make the leafy
beechwoods burn
Russet, yellow,
bronze by turn,
And set the
hedgerow and the
briar
Thick with
berries red as fire.
Let me search and
gather up
Acorns green with
knobbed cup,
And prickly
chestnuts, plumping
down
To show a glossy
kernel brown.
Splendid cities
like me ill
And for song I
have no skill;
Then let me in an
autumn wood
Sweep and pick up
sticks for
God.
Autumn
Bazaar
Not too soon to
be advertising
the Grand Bazaar, to be held on Saturday October 25th. We shall be
asking for
helpers and appealing for items to sell, so please be ready to support
this
vital annual fund-raising event. Please note that there will be a
Planning
Meeting for the Bazaar at 8.15 pm on Thursday 4th September in the
Upper Room,
following on from the Healing Service.
Dates
for the Diary
Patronal
Preview
Sunday, October 5th
7.00pm Sung Compline and Benediction for the Eve of
St Faiths Day
Monday, October 6th
8.00pm
Procession and High Mass
Celebrant and Preacher: The Right Reverend Nigel
McCulloch
(Bishop of Manchester) followed by buffet supper
11.00am Solemn Eucharist
Preacher: Canon Peter Goodrich
6.00pm Festal Evensong, Procession and Te Deum
Preacher: Canon Paul Nener (S. John
the Baptist, Tuebrook)
St
Faiths and the
Jackdaw
ChrisPrice
Scanning the papers in the long
idle days of summer
(joke), I came across a book column devoted to the Ingoldsby Legends.
I knew
it ought to mean something, and I was relieved to find that the most
famous
poem in the collection of that name was The Jackdaw of Rheims,
familiar from
many a school poetry anthology.
The author called himself
Thomas Ingoldsby, but his
real name was Richard Harris Barham (1786-1845) which meant nothing to
me,
until I found that he was a priest (the reviewer called him the
Anglican
saint-sceptic Barham) - and that he was the vicar of St Faiths, in
the
City.
Curiosity aroused, I used the
splendid, and
splendidly-named, Google internet search facility and soon found out
more. In
an article about bell-ringing, of which there is seemingly quite a lot
in the
poems, I discovered that Barham was at one stage a minor canon at St
Pauls
Cathedral, and was indeed Vicar of St Faiths from 1842. The church of
St
Faiths was apparently destroyed by bombs in the Second World War but
the tower
survived, and is now incorporated with its replacement fibreglass spire
in the
East end of the Cathedral.
I had remembered knowing that
there was a St Faiths
Chapel in St Pauls, but this latest discovery fills a gap and explains
why it
is there, as well as providing a link with an intriguing Victorian
poet-priest.
Verily the internet is a treasure-trove of information. When I get a
spare hour
or two (dont hold your breath, its coming up to September, with Fr
Denniss
D and then the Flower Festival) I must try and follow the St Faiths
trail
further.
An
Evening of Song
..bringing you Operatic Arias,
Musicals,
English Art Songs and Folk Songs
presented by Pupils of
RANEE SENEVIRATNE
at St Faiths Church, Great
Crosby
SATURDAY
13th
SEPTEMBER at 7.00 pm.
Admission 4 (concessions
2.50)
Proceeds to Church funds
Cistercians
and
Benedictines in the Vienna Woods
BarbaraWolstenholme
The first Sunday
in July, and
after several days in Vienna, capital of Austria, we had tired of the
Prater,
colourful and cheerful funfair, the lively pedestrian squares near
Saint
Stephens Cathedral, the formal gardens and museums of the Belvedere
Palace and
everywhere, references to Strauss, Mozart, Brahms. Schubert, Beethoven
and many
other composers who had been drawn to this part of the world. We had
been
chilled by the bleak Holocaust Memorial by English sculptor Rachel
Whitehead, unveiled
in 2000, which we found in the quiet Judenplatz, once the site of the
Jewish
ghetto and so with some relief, took a leisurely drive through Danube
villages
with orchards of apricots and vines to Heiligen Kreuz.
Here a Cistercian
Abbey was
founded in the twelfth century and a community of 52 priests still
worship God,
teach in the seminary, look after the library of 50,000 volumes and
minister to
the needs of the people in the neighbouring parishes. In the sixteenth
and
seventeenth centuries, Turkish assaults caused the monks to flee along
the
Danube to Passau, carrying with them precious manuscripts. Now safely
back in
the library, many still show signs of water damage.
All was silence in
the Abbey
courtyard. Local people arrived reverently in family groups for the
Mass and
quietly knelt. The white-robed priests processed slowly to the east end
of the
church and then calmly and without haste their plainsong led the
worship.
The next day.
still in the
Danube valley, we found Melk, where above the village is an ornate
collection
of baroque buildings. once a royal palace, later given to the
Benedictines as a
monastery, now a museum dedicated to Saint Benedict, but with the
church still
in use.
Born in Italy in
the fifth
century, Benedict was educated in Rome but then for three years, lived
in a
mountain cave, during which time, he made a close study of the
Scriptures and
for the rest of his life gave all that God asked: The finger of God
had only
to point and he followed whatever it cast.
His Rule changed
and renewed
monastic life in Europe, much of which is as relevant today as it was
1500
years ago:
Prefer nothing to
the love of
Christ,
Help those in
trouble.
Console the
afflicted,
Speak the truth
from your heart
as from your mouth.
Attribute the good
you find in
yourself to God,
Listen willingly
to the Holy
Scriptures.
Daily confess your
faults to
God in your prayers and in the future, correct them,
Honour those who
are old
Love those who are
younger.
Pray for your
enemies with the
love of Christ,
Make peace before
the setting
of the sun with those
from
whom you have been separated by discord,
And never despair
of the mercy
of God.
Flower
Festival 2003 MaryCrooke
The Flower Festival is looming
ever closer. As well as
lots of flower arrangers, we will need volunteers for a bit of an
(Autumn!)
Spring Clean before the actual festival. Also, many helpers will be
needed to
welcome visitors and generally act as stewards and to provide
refreshments at
the back of church, as we do for the Saturday recitals.
In due course lists will appear
on the notice boards
at the back of church asking for volunteers. Please sign up to help. We
will
also need lots of greenery, so if you have a generous garden, or know
of a
friend who has some greenery to spare, please let me know. Many thanks
in
anticipation.
The proposed opening times for
the Festival are:
Friday 3rd October, 11.00 am -
4.00 pm
Saturday 4th October, 11.00 am -
4.00 pm
Sunday 5th October, 1.00 pm -
4.00 pm
Santa
Fe...?
Captain Brian
Heaton Jones, who
paid us a visit from the United States some months ago, has written to
cast
further light on our continuing quest to throw new light on our Patron
Saint.
He points out that
when
Christopher Columbus was out and about, he named the islands of the
Caribbean
after such saints as Saint John, Saint Thomas and St Martin. When the
Spanish
were settling places in the west, they did the same. California has
many of
these: such as San Diego and of course San Francisco. But he wonders
how many of
us realise that the city of Santa Fe in
New Mexico was named after Saint Faith?
HOLIDAY
CLUB
2003
At the beginning
of August some 45
children attended the first ever St Faiths Holiday Club. A week of
activities
and outings was blessed with fine weather and, as they say, a Good Time
was
definitely Had by All! Below we print Joan Tudhopes report, and one of
the
prayers written during the week. Next month we will print a poem
created during
the week. It was read out during the Sunday morning service at St
Faiths
following the Holiday Club, at which it was lovely to welcome some of
the
children and their parents and to hear some more of the prayers they
wrote (and
the noise they made!).
Why
did I volunteer? Joan Tudhope
It was with some reserve, and
wondering about my
sanity in doing so, that I volunteered to help with the first St.
Faiths
Holiday Club. Little did I know how it
would all turn out.
I thought it wise to go to St.
Marys Holiday Club
first to get a feel of how things happened and what was expected of
those
helping. St. Marys Holiday Club has
been running for 15 years and Lynne Connolly, who has organised it for
some
years now, readily agreed to help St. Faiths to set up the Club. She ordered equipment, completed funding
applications and undertook the administrative work
for both churches. Some
of the people who helped with groups at St. Marys also helped at St.
Faiths.
The children were divided into
four Groups: Disney,
Bugs Life, The Mowglis and Tiggers, according to their ages. The group
I was
helping with in both churches were 6 and 7 year olds, known as The
Mowglis.
They were, without exception, delightful, polite, well-behaved children.
The sessions for the week were
laid out as activities
in the hall in the mornings and trips out in the afternoons. We were
very
fortunate with the weather in the week the Club was running at St.
Faiths and
Fr. Neil made the Vicarage garden open to all the children so they
could eat
their lunches outdoors.
The children made masks and clay
models, they baked,
decorated biscuits, made mobiles, listened to stories, painted
pictures, did
quizzes, played in the sandpit and on the bouncy castle.
They enjoyed playing games on Chaffers
playing fields, visited the Fire Station where they sat in the fire
engines,
squirted water from the large hoses and dressed up as firefighters.
We went on an afternoon out on a
double decker bus to
the Botanic Gardens in Southport and had a full day out at Park Hall,
near
Oswestry, where the fun and activities laid on for families was superb. The Sports Bus came for an afternoon and
they organised lots of games for the groups.
When we were outside of the hall
on any occasion what
so ever the children wore baseball caps, bright yellow ones for St.
Marys and
bright red ones for St. Faiths. They
had St. Faiths Holiday Club, or St. Marys Holiday Club printed on the
front. The sight of so many children
going out with these brightly coloured hats on attracted attention and
people
were genuinely interested in what was going on. The
hats also made it easy for us to recognise the children
belonging to us and to make sure we brought the same number of children
back as
we had taken out.
On the Friday of each week the
children did a short
presentation to their parents of what they had done for the week; they
went
home early that day in order to get themselves ready for a barbecue and
disco
in the evening.
The 110 or so children had a
wonderful time and lots
of fun, and we the helpers had an amazing time. What
an experience! Hard
work but every minute well worth the effort to see the pleasure on the
childrens faces and getting to know them.
They all made new friends at Holiday Club as did we.
I have already volunteered to
help with both weeks
next year - just let anyone try and take my place!
We do need more helpers from St. Faiths and I would encourage
anyone who has half an inkling to do so, to go ahead and volunteer. This has been yet another example good
example of working together within the United Benefice.
Thank you, children!
The
Vicar adds...
Many thanks to all who helped
in any way towards the
success of this event. Particular thanks to those who bravely coped
with two
weeks of it! Lets hope that for us here at St Faith's its the first
of
many... (another St Faiths
tradition? Ed.)
A
Prayer for the
Holiday Club
Written by Evangeline
Dear God
Thank you for the good weather
and for all the news
friends I have made.
Thank you for all the helpers
and all the days out I
have had.
Thank you for all the activities
that we have done.
We hope our parents enjoyed the
rest while were so
busy in Holiday Club.
Thank you Lord. Amen.
The
Soham
Story ChrisPrice
Just a year ago, the tragic
murders of schoolgirls
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman shocked the world and filled the
papers. A year
later, a 'Daily Telegraph article has revisited the Cambridgeshire
town and
spoken with some of its people. This is no ghoulish tabloid exercise
but a
sober and reassuring account of a small
town that has coped well with its suffering and displayed a commendable
and
encouraging community spirit.
I remember a year ago being
impressed by the pastoral
care and quiet dignity of the vicar, Fr Tim Alban Jones, who seemed the
epitome
of the caring parish priest. A year on, he reports, the people of
Soham have
been supporting each other in the past 12 months in a way that has
surprised
the professionals. It is very fashionable, he goes on, to say that
the idea
of community is dead, but here it is alive and well. I have always
believed
that goodness is stronger than evil and what has happened in Soham over
the
year has reinforced my belief.
It is so good to read of such
positive news in a media
world which usually only gives space to scandal and stories of decline
and
schism. And there was one final thing to gladden at least this writers
heart.
The article more than once mentions the provision of a wide range of
therapeutic services lined up for the people of Soham, but reports
that it
has been scarcely used! The head of the Village College, where one of
the
accused was caretaker, says: We had an army of counsellors ready in
September,
but no one asked for them. It seems to me very good that this was the
case:
good that the faintly ludicrous ever-present obligatory counselling
armies of
the nanny state have been sidelined for once. Even better that the
homely and
compassionate wisdom of a community and its clergy has been shown to be
sufficient for Soham. If this can be a pattern for the future then,
once again,
God will have wrought some good out of evil.
Certified
Winners!
Jenny Kemp writes....
Way back in 1977, St Josephs
Secondary Modern School
in Virgins Lane, Thornton, became Holy Family Catholic High School,
and on
July 4th this year a Gala Day was held to celebrate the 25th
anniversary and
the opening of a fine, purpose-built Sixth Form block which will house
over 200
pupils - the largest Sixth Form ever!
During the afternoon, to my
complete surprise, I was
presented with a beautiful parchment certificate giving me an Apostolic
Blessing from Pope John Paul II for my long and dedicated work at the
School
as a Governor. It shows a coloured picture of the Pope, with trailing
vine
leaves and bunches of grapes, with loaves of bread and ears of corn. It
is
signed by Oscar Renato, Archepiscopus Eleemosynarius Apostolicus.
I am
very
proud of the school and its pupils, who come from all walks of life and
who
attain excellent results academically, in sports and games and in music
and
singing. They have as their Mission Statement:
We want each young person to:
Grow
in the Faith
Develop
as a well-rounded individual
Make
a contribution to the Church, the Community and the World
Care
about themselves, others and their environment
Enjoy
learning, developing and growing.
I couldnt ask for more.
The Editor adds....
Another CERTIFIED WINNER in
recent weeks was
none other than Father Neil who, on Sunday 22nd June last, took part in
St
Marys Sunday School Sponsored Run and received a certificate to mark
the
occasion. It doesnt say how far he ran, but it must have been miles
and
miles...
Silver
Jubilee Concert
(not
HM but Fr.
Dennis!)
Saturday
20th
September 2003
at
7.30pm in Saint
Marys
GED
CALLACHER
and NEIL KELLEY
will
be performing
on both organs in St Marys
Lots
of popular
and patriotic tunes.
Bring
along your
Union Jacks to wave!
Tickets: 5.00
(to
include a
free glass of champagne during the interval!)
From
the Registers
Wedding
26
JulyLeslie John
Birtles and Paula Crawford
Holy
Baptism
3
AugustBecci-Jane
Louise Wildman
daughter
of
Reginald and Angela
E-Mail
and Viruses
Denis Griffiths
Many members of the
congregation
now have access to the internet and to e-mail and anybody who uses the
internet
must be aware of computer viruses. A computer virus is a small
programme which
infects the computer and has an effect on its operation. It is
generally
introduced by means of an infected e-mail attachment, an infected
downloaded
file or an infected file transferred to the computer by means of a
floppy disc
or CD.
Some computer
viruses are
malignant and cause serious damage to the computer operating system,
resulting
in the need for a complete reformatting of the hard disc and reloading
of the
operating system and software. Other computer viruses are less damaging
and
simply cause the computer to display irritating messages on the screen.
However, all viruses are a problem to the computer user and nobody
wants their
computer infected.
Before you panic
and pledge
never to use your computer again, it should be realised that there is
much the
computer user can do to prevent infection. Having a virus protection
programme
running on your computer is the primary means of defence; anti-virus
programmes
from MacAfee and Norton are probably the most commonly available but
there are
others. It is essential that the anti-virus software is kept up to date
by
downloading the latest virus data files; dont worry about this as
todays
anti-virus software will automatically check for updates and download
these
whenever you go on the internet provided that the option to do so is
selected.
The anti-virus software will start automatically when the computer is
started
and will run in the background, monitoring activity and checking for
viruses
which may be present or which may attempt to infect your computer.
Many viruses
transmit themselves
over the internet via e-mail attachments by using the e-mail address
book of
the infected computer. Basically the virus sends an e-mail to everybody
on the
computers address book, thus the infecting e-mail will appear to come
from a
friend or acquaintance; the subject of the e-mail will appear friendly
or
informative such as Here is the information you wanted, I thought
you would
like to see this, This will interest you, etc. The unsuspecting
recipient
will then open the attachment which will contain the virus programme
and that
computer will be infected. The process is repeated as the virus then
has access
to a new e-mail address book.
NEVER open e-mail
attachments directly
even if the e-mail appears to come from a friend, me or (even) the
vicar. If
you are at all suspicious about an e-mail do not open it but delete it
immediately, then it cannot cause damage. If you have received an
attachment
which you believe is genuine do not open it directly but save it to a
folder on
your hard disc; when you click on the attachment heading in the e-mail
you will
be given options to open it or save it
to disc: always save it to disc. Save it to a particular folder
on your hard disc or to the desktop,
then run your anti-virus software on that folder to check the
attachment. If
the anti-virus software indicates that the attachment is virus-free
then you
can open it. The same procedure should be adopted when loading up files
from
floppy discs or CDs which somebody else has given you. Before loading
the file
check the floppy or CD using the anti-virus software.
Remember, it is
essential to
keep your anti-virus software up to date by downloading the latest
virus
definitions. Without these latest definitions your anti-virus software
may not
be able to detect the current range of viruses.
Two further points are worthy of
noting when it comes
to internet and e-mail use. You may receive an e-mail purporting to
come from a
virus-checking laboratory telling you to check your computer for a file
of a
certain name and to delete this file as it is a virus. DO NOT delete
the
file! The message is false, as no virus laboratory would send such a
message
and deleting the file will probably stop Windows or some of your
software from
working.
You may receive a pop-up message
or advertisement with
an amazing offer over some product or service (often these
advertisements offer
links to a pornographic web site). DO NOT click on the icon to
visit the
site or seek further information about the offer. Many of these pop-up
advertisements are linked to Premium Rate Dial-up services which will
cost a
fortune in telephone bills. By clicking to visit the site or obtain
further
information software is loaded on your computer which will
automatically
reroute your normal internet calls via the premium rate dial-up
connection
which charge your telephone bill at the rate of 1.50 per minute or
more. In
some cases the dialer will operate automatically when you are not at
the computer
and may even start the computer automatically to do this. The first you
may
know about this is when you receive a massive telephone bill. It is
always
worthwhile switching off the computer at the mains socket when not
using the
machine and unplugging the modem from the telephone socket. Firewall
software
is available to prevent unauthorised access to your computer and if you
are
worried about such access, particularly if you spend long periods of
time on
the internet then you should consider loading firewall software.
The main safeguard against
computer viruses and other
problems is vigilance. Never visit any site or download any software
you have
doubts about and never allow any site or software access to your
computer. Use
a virus checker and keep the virus definitions up to date. Never open
any
e-mail attachment you are not expecting without putting it through a
virus
checker and preferably e-mail the supposed sender to check that the
attachment
has actually been sent by them.
If the above
precautions are taken most of
us should remain virus free and enjoy the many benefits of internet
access and
e-mail communication.
Thank
You!
On behalf of Lisa,
Simon and
James, Chris and Angie Price would like to thank the whole family of St
Faiths
for their prayers, messages and many kindnesses in the past weeks and
months,
and for the moving healing services at both churches. Lisas
chemotherapy is
ongoing, but we give thanks for the safe arrival of a brother (Daniel
Jack) for James. We all look forward to seeing you at the baptism
before too
long!
Jubilee!
Once every twenty five years, we
allow a priest his
centre spread. Nothing to do with waistlines (as if we would...!)
this is to
give due and respectful prominence to our esteemed assisant priest.
'For
the past thanks: for the future yes!'
Hope is the future tense of
faith, writes Bishop
Richard Holloway in his book Anger, Sex, Doubt and Death. It is hope
that
compels the Christian faith to be forward-looking, conscious of divine
purpose,
anticipating future glory, encouraging a sense of destiny.
That awareness of divine destiny
manifested itself
frequently in the Bible. Speak unto the children of Israel that they
go
forward, God tells Moses. It is an invitation to reach out and fulfil
their destiny
within Gods purpose.
St Paul saw his destiny as the
attainment of the
spiritual goal. I press toward the mark for the high calling of God in
Christ
Jesus, he told the Philippian church. It is a sense of destiny that
helps to
create the energy which makes us go on.
We have therefore four elements
that provide a secure
base from which we can face an unknown future in an uncertain world: a sense of direction, a sense of
perspective, a sense of adventure and a sense of destiny. But what of
security?
Such is the potential violence of our modern world that not a day
passes
without a mention of that word. How ironic it is that this same world
is
psychologically, emotionally and spiritually gravely insecure!
The loss of theological and
ethical landmarks and
boundaries, the decreasing authority and influence of the church, the
constant
erosion and dismissal of traditional standards and values, the
questioning and
belittling of institutions, the revolution in attitudes to marriage and
relationships, the preoccupation with possessions and material gain -
all these
trends have combined to create in many people those negative
characteristics
already mentioned: rootlessness, alienation, meaninglessness and
lostness.
Inevitably, nervous and mental breakdown abound, while others
increasingly find
themselves unable to cope with the economic, psychological and social
demands
of life. It is, sadly, dis-ease rather than health that dominates our
times.
It is part of our belief in a
living Providence to
feel not only that God is with us, but that He goes before us. The
Eastern
shepherd who leads his sheep to ensure their safety is one biblical
model for
that truth. Another is the picture of the Israelites on their journey
to the
promised land as God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to
lead
them the way.
We love him because he first
loves us, John writes
in the New Testament. His, in Emil Brunners phrase, is the divine
initiative. We have a sense of destiny because we know that he leads
the way.
In a few weeks time, family,
friends from near and
far, former clergy and parishioners of St Faiths, fellow priests,
colleagues
and pupils past and present and, hopefully, many who worship in our
United
Benefice, will join me in celebration of twenty five years of
priesthood. It
has been an enormous privilege to serve God in this hallowed place and
I am
profoundly grateful for all the love, encouragement, prayers and
support I have
received from so many over the years. I am only too conscious, also, of
my own
unworthiness, and of my many faults, failings and shortcomings which
have, no
doubt, prevented or hindered my ministry from being as fruitful or as
effective
as it might have been.
Father William Hassall, of
blessed memory, often used
a prayer which has also long been a favourite of mine, and is apposite
at this
time of thanksgiving and expectation:
Go before us, Lord, in all our
doings, with thy most
gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all
our works,
begun, continued and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and
finally
by thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
With my love, thanks and prayers,
Father Dennis
Dennis's words, originally
designed as the Ministry
Letter for the month, have been promoted to a centre spread (still no
comment
on his waistline) to mark the special significance of the forthcoming
celebrations.
The whole family of St Faiths
join in congratulating
Dennis on his Silver Jubilee. This writer, as Churchwarden during all
but the
last few of his years of priestly service to our church, is well aware
of the
enormous debt of gratitude we owe him, not least for his sterling
services
during the long interregnum that preceded Fr Neils appointment. As
editor of
Newslink throughout that period, I have always been able to rely on
Dennis for
a supply of material, sacred and secular,
snippets of news and thought-provoking 'Reflections' to help
fill these
pages. From the pew I have shared the delight of the congregation at
his
erudite and informative sermons, and also his splendid and
idiosyncratic
announcements and notices: not least the badinage with a succession of
incumbents in general and the current one in particular.
The forthcoming High Mass of
Thanksgiving, on Friday
September 19th at 8.00 pm, to which of course absolutely everyone is
invited,
promises to be another St Faiths Great Occasion. There will be more
priests
than you can shake a stick at, with Denniss old friend Bishop Graham
James of
Norwich at the head, and the solemnities will be followed by the
traditional
refreshments, at which the Jubilee Boy, in keeping with another St
Faiths
tradition, will doubtless mark the happy event by an evening of
Conspicuous
Consumption, leading, as ever, from the front...
Well done, thou good and faithful servant, as someone once said. Heres to the next twenty five years.