Pewsheets

From the Rector…

Pewsheets

In the church services on Sunday, you heard something of St Thomas’ story and had the chance to reflect on it.  I’d like to use these few inches to draw attention to our “Charity Cabaret” on 16 July.  This will be a great event to invite some friends and show them that we have fun together whilst also taking seriously our commitment to the wider community.  The “Cabaret” reference in the evening’s title is pretty obvious – and one of the reasons it is a “can’t miss” event.  The “Charity” reference has, I gather, given rise to some confusion.

So, to explain one aspect of that … The PCC puts aside a ‘tithe’ (10%) of its income each year (not counting any given for a specific purpose and after the deduction of certain costs) to give to other charities.  This is one of the means by which we seek to be friends and “constantly there” for those beyond our church family.

Each person who comes to the Charity Cabaret evening will have a part in distributing up to £2000 of this money amongst a range of charities – local, national and international.  There will be display boards on show at the Cabaret evening giving information about these charities.  The boards will also be on display at St Barnabas’ after the event until the end of July to allow those who were not at the Charity Cabaret to have a chance to have a say in which charities we support this year.

Do, please, take part and use your vote!

Anthony

The Curate Writes…

Pewsheets

Last week I was on a residential course.

The first things we were asked to do was to draw four pictures, each indicating part of who we are.  Apart from revealing that I am no Monet, I drew myself as a child of God, then a husband, then a father and then a priest.  And as I sat in my room on the course and contemplated the news headlines that as a nation we have voted to leave the EU, I reflected on the passages that we had that Sunday.

Our Galatians reading was written to a Church which is strictly wanting to define who is in and who is out. While, our Gospel reading described how Jesus is rejected by a village.

Whether you voted ‘Leave’ or “Remain’, as Christians we could do a lot worst but to read and re-read again the Galatians passage. Ironically, it is a passage I have read as part of the course this week. What course do I find myself on this week?  Bridge Builders – how to deal with conflict.

The essence of the course is that conflict – disagreement – is inevitable.  It is not how you avoid it that matters as a Church, but how you handle it well and almost embrace it as a sign of a healthy Church.  I believe looking at the breakdown of the vote in Crawley that the churches have a role to bridge build.  Finally, Jesus describes how he has no place to put his head – he is a nomad or pilgrim with no home apart from as a child of God – so then too am I.  I am off for a while to a new church – St Peter’s in Brighton – to learn more and experience how they are bridge building to the homeless in Brighton.

Let us love one another – and build strong bridges,

Steve

Pewsheet for Week Beginning 26th June 2016

Pewsheets

Click here for the pewsheet for the week beginning Sunday 26th June 2016.

Tip: If this, or any other, PDF document opens at too large a size, here’s what you do:

  1. Open Adobe Reader, for example, by opening a *.pdf document you have on your computer.
  2. From the Edit menu, click Preferences.
  3. With Page Display selected in the left hand list of Categories, on the right hand side of the window, choose a Page Layout and Zoom level that suits you, for example Single Page and Fit Page.
  4. Now any time you open a PDF, it will open at this zoom level.

From the Rector…

Pewsheets

All of our readings today speak in some way of God reaching out to all, offering love. The gospel reading in particular shows how sometimes the transformation that an encounter with Jesus brings (and demands) can be rather disconcerting – and how some retreat from it, preferring things to remain as they were before.  The PCC meeting on Thursday evening recognised that some of the energy and changes that have flowed from last month’s Vision Day, coupled with the forthcoming interregnum, have left some parishioners rather disconcerted – unsure of where authority and responsibility for implementing their ideas for change (or maintaining the status quo) lie.  There will, next month, be a general letter from the Wardens and me answering that question.  In essence, ‘though, whatever the offer of involvement, proposal or query, you should speak to one of the Wardens (contact details in pewsheet) who will be able to say whether there is a group already working on the matter and let you know with whom you should connect or whether you can go ahead with implementation.

You can, of course, also speak to Steve or me – although our main focus in the coming weeks is to enable and prepare those who are going to take forward the parish’s mission during the interregnum.  That mission, in the form of the Parish Plan – which is substantially the same as that circulated last month – was agreed by the PCC.  The PCC also agreed an exciting development – to employ a part-time Children & Families Worker.  This should ensure continuity for this growing area of our ministry and ongoing support for Messy Church and the family worship services.

Have a great week!

Anthony

Statement in Response to the Shootings in Orlando

Pewsheets

In case people haven’t seen this, we repeat here the joint statement of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in response to the shootings in Orlando:

After Sunday’s attack in Orlando as Christians we must speak out in support of LGBTI people, who have become the latest group to be so brutally targeted by the forces of evil.

We must pray, weep with those affected, support the bereaved, and love without qualification.

The obligation to object to these acts of persecution, and to support those LGBTI people who are wickedly and cruelly killed and wounded, bereaved and traumatised, whether in Orlando or elsewhere, is an absolute call on our Christian discipleship.

It arises from the unshakeable certainty of the gracious love of God for every human being. Now, in this time of heartbreak and grief, is a time for solidarity. May God our Father give grace and comfort to all who mourn, and divine compassion to us all.

The Curate Writes…

Pewsheets

In the Home Group that meets at Saxon Road, we have started looking at the Ten Commandments this week.  One of the questions that we were asked to think about was, ‘What kind of legacy in life would you like to be remembered for?’  There was a variety of answers, but our reading from Acts today offers one of the best legacies, attributed to St Barnabas; he was ‘a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith’. Not bad!

As we prepare, Anthony and I, to move on to pastures new, there is an inevitable moment when we both pause and think about what we will leave behind.  One of my mentors wisely said these words to me as I began ministry – ‘Steve, show me a middle-aged vicar and I will show you a building project’. For we all want to leave a legacy behind and when the middle-aged vicar has stopped hoping to change the people by bringing them closer to God, he reverts to wanting to alter the building – much easier to control and change!

So as I sit in my study at St Barnabas’ and think of Worth Parish, I think about the Vision Day and the writing of a plan – and I believe that we are in a position to develop and grow, while loving each other.  The Church is much more than a building, but all of you. Yes, we are sad on one hand, that as the Burstons’, we won’t be hands-on in the mix with you, but at the same time we are excited about what God has been doing, is doing and will do in Worth Parish – we have all been given gifts and how we use them will determine our legacy.

Steve

From the Rector…

Pewsheets

My first reading of today’s passage from Galatians left me a little uneasy about the model of church leadership it presented. Where would we be as a community if everyone – or even just the leaders – decided what needed to be done and then simply went ahead and did it without any consideration of or consultation with others in the leadership team? Or, as St Paul claims, waiting three years before checking- in that it was O.K.? Great, you might think. No committees, no negative comments, just action. But, to be banal, imagine the seating in church being constantly rearranged to the personal taste of whoever feels like moving it! In reality, a balance is needed between the freedom to get on with things and the value of ensuring that activity is directed towards a common purpose. That purpose is giving glory to God and enabling lives to be transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ. When Paul’s letter is read in context and with an understanding of his life and ministry we quickly see this is the purpose on which he focuses. When he says (as in today’s reading) God has set him apart before he was born, he is expressing his profound sense that in meeting Jesus he is ‘coming home’. He responds with a life of service in which he experiences all manner of hardships, disappointments and persecutions – as did his Saviour – but always directed towards the building up of individuals and communities in faith and witness to the gospel “received … through a revelation of Jesus Christ”. As you offer yourself in response to God’s call, please pray for, and help, the leadership team (clergy and wardens) as they seek to encourage and co-ordinate all those responses and keep them focused on God.