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Parish Magazine Letters 2007

December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
January 2007

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Rector's Letter - December 2007

Dear Friends,

Last year a friend gave me this poem to read.

I cannot think of a better Advent “message” to share with you ...

Advent 1955 by John Betjeman

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 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 send 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 praise 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 from 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.

Maybe, after reading that, we might want to think again about how we are preparing this year for the celebration of Jesus's birth. How about joining some of us at “All Saints”, in our side chapel, during Advent, for just 45 minutes of music, and stillness with a meditation, ending in the simple service of Compline. I've chosen a different night each week ...

8pm Tuesday 4th December
8pm Wednesday 12th December
8pm Thursday 20th December

Do wrap up warm and join us ... and ...
Have a Very Happy Christmas, when you reach it!

Much love ..

Gill

Rector's Letter - November 2007

Dear Friends,

I have heard it said that matching a priest to a parish is a bit like computer dating.

You can do lots of reading up on where you each have come from, ask lots of questions as to where you are now, and look together at what your hopes and dreams are for the future. But in the end, it's when you meet and start doing things together that you find out whether it can work or not.

To continue the dating analogy, Antoine de Saint-Exupery once wrote: “being in love does not mean looking at each other, but looking together in the same direction.”

Well, as we say “goodbye” to curate John this month, I know you would agree with me, when I say that the match between him and Staplehurst has been a pretty good one. He and our church most certainly spent much of his three years here, looking in the same direction. He has enriched so many areas of our community life in village, school and church that I could not possibly list them all here. We are hugely grateful and know he will be much missed, as he goes to take on responsibility for the parishes of Willesborough and Sevington.

We shall be saying our proper “thank you” for all that John, Sophie and Jacob have given to us, when over one hundred of us are away on our parish weekend in Eastbourne. If you'd like just to come down on the Saturday evening to join in the farewells then do join us at the York House Hotel at about 8.30pm on Saturday 17th November.

Of course the “computer dating”, or “marriage”, or “falling in love” analogy falls down as we say our sad goodbyes. For, although we are not “serial monogamists”, it is only right for our curates to move on, to use their God given gifts we have seen develop, in new places and we rejoice in that.

What is also exciting is that God keeps on calling people to new things and new relationships in our church life. Kevin Fulcher and Steve Bennett are now firmly on the path of training for their new ministries. Adie McCall from Hawkhurst parish is in her third month of parish placement with us now, and John Walker, an experienced priest, has just joined us, as an associate self supporting minister who will be much involved in what we do here in Staplehurst.

What is also underway is the search for a new training curate who will join us next summer. We have written a parish profile and have already begun the process of looking for someone. Of course this person has to be able to work with me, so I meet them first. Then they meet our wardens and other church officers who are around on a weekend when they stay in the village. It's only after these experiences that we make our decisions.

Please pray for our parish and prospective candidates, as we search for the “right” person, and also hold the Mackenzies in your prayers, as they take that daunting step into a new parish.

Much love ..

Gill

Curate's Letter - October 2007

Dear Friends,

As I write this, school children are going back to school. new schools or new classes, and as you read this, our young adults are going back to or starting college or university. A time of endings and new beginnings, a time of transition (winter must be coming as I have already had my first Christmas gift catalogue!!), uncertainty and, perhaps, upheaval.

With my own departure from Staplehurst imminent, we move to Willesborough at the beginning of November, I am reflecting on endings and beginnings more often than usual at the moment.

Staplehurst has been a very happy place for Sophie, Jacob and me. We have felt very welcome in both the church and village community. All Saints has been a very good training environment, especially with the tremendously wide-ranging services that are offered. Truly a worship experience for all - with High Mass and Charismatic Praise, the formality of an Evensong together with the informality of our Youth Service, but whatever the style or genre of worship it is still God being worshipped here. If you haven't tried out a different style please do, as the experience could be enriching for you!

I have been especially grateful for the support of my fellow ministers in Staplehurst and a real highlight for me, as I'm sure for many of you, was the `Celebration of Life' event held on the Surrenden Road field last year. How much can be done when the churches work as one!

Back to All Saints now, the number and variety of people who have leadership and ministerial roles within the life of the church have inspired me. The growth of the number of people able and willing to lead services - including our young people - is a real tonic for the clergy. It is a sign that the church is moving away from a 'Father knows best', 'top down' church into a more participatory, mutual church where all have the opportunity to respond to God's calling. To have two people starting training for leadership roles (one as a priest, the other a reader) this year, and others discerning what calling they have, helps to make this a very vibrant and stimulating worshipping community.

Endings, of course, can be very sad. We will be very sad to leave you, this community and this village. Though I know that change is tough I also believe in a God that will be there for us, especially in the tough times. New beginnings can be scary, stepping into the unknown, our minds often leap to the worst possible situations, but God can also reassure us that whatever the path we do indeed have to walk, He is there to comfort and guide us.

So, as I have been sad over ending and scared about what lies ahead, I have found great assurance in the loving God of my faith, the reality of whom I have glimpsed as I have looked back on my time here. Seeing God at work here in our village, in the churches and in the lives of ordinary people. Thank you for all you have done for us here and for the preparation you have given me to continue ministering next in Willesborough with Sevington.

Much love,
John

PS. I am already jealous of whoever will be my replacement !!!

September 2007

Dear Friends,

During the last couple of months we have had two wonderful sun soaked, summer afternoon church events. Firstly there was that inspired July 14th Summer Fete with a French theme. It was a resounding success, both socially and financially. From participation in snail racing to savouring baguettes and brie, a good time was had by all. Similarly the Teddy Bears Picnic once again attracted a crowd of children, parents and grandparents. The adults were able to lounge in the sun as we watched the children taking part in the races or having a go on the bouncy castle.

This year, we were conscious of how fortunate we were to have two such glorious summer days. The devastation of so many people's lives during the summer, by the flooding of homes and businesses, has reminded us that we cannot take hot sunny days for granted. Many people have not just had to put up with rain falling on a summer party. Their lives have been turned upside down by the weather in a way that would never seem possible in the UK.

All this takes us back to the need of people, down the ages, to give thanks for the Harvest, when the farmers' efforts have been blessed with the right weather conditions to produce enough food. Maybe we will never fully understand how a loving God allows flood and drought to prevent abundant harvests in many parts of the world. We can only hold fast to the knowledge that our God created a world which, together with its people, has “free will”. He does not just pull our strings like puppets and suffering seems to be an integral part of our human condition.

That, however, does not mean we don't want to say “Thank you” when things go well. In Deuteronomy we read of traditional harvest festivals when the Hebrew people brought a tenth of their produce to God as a thank offering after harvest. My in laws (country people from Suffolk) told tales of the last sheaves coming home, with the children sitting on top, and the “harvest home” (supper and service) following the next weekend.

Our customs evolve and we at “All Saints” try, as hard as we can, to give opportunity for everybody to have a chance to celebrate the Harvest Festival. In recent years we have used the first Sunday in October to mark our celebrations. Our monthly first Sunday 10am slots throughout the year, have now become the services when we often have a band, sing some more modern songs and where the children take part in leading worship.

So this year we are holding two services to cater for all tastes and we hope you'll come to both, or maybe just the one of your preference. In the morning we shall have a more informal service to which all are welcome, in which our growing band of young people will be involved, as is normal on a first Sunday. In the afternoon at 3 pm, we shall run a service more like those held when I was young, with some of our well loved old hymns, a robed choir, a sermon and I shall be inviting the members of our local farming community to bring up symbolic offerings reminding us of their vital part in providing us with our “daily bread”. Our social committee have generously agreed to put on an afternoon tea in the parish room after the service and it will be an opportunity for all of us to mingle. I look forward, to hearing from our farmers, over a cuppa, just what it's been like, trying to do their job, in this strange summer.

I have already heard that some find an afternoon difficult, so maybe next year we'll try two morning services, but I do hope as many of you as possible will join us at these events ... and come for tea!

With much love

Gill

August 2007

Dear Friends,

Coming back home after a holiday, or a spell on a conference or course, is not always easy. Apart from all the jobs which seem to accumulate in our absence, the prospect of getting back to the daily routine can easily dampen our spirits. But returning from a spell away can also remind us of the good things about life back home.

Arriving home from York, where I was attending General Synod last month, I was particularly conscious of those parts of my life here in Staplehurst which I value. There are many, ranging from dog walking to catching up with “Eastenders”. (sorry, but its probably healthier than being a football addict!) One even more important part in the daily rhythm of my life is those 8am and 5pm half hour slots for morning and evening prayer in church (“bookends” as one regular attender calls them).

Of course all of us who have been ordained as priests in the Church of England, are bound by canon, to that discipline of what is called the Daily Office. morning and evening prayer. But what I have found so helpful over the years, is saying that office together with other members of the congregations with whom I share in ministry. A tiny group have prayed daily together for the five years I have been here. We pray for our village and our world, as well as the people and situations that are on our hearts. Sadly, as our curate Phil and his mother have moved away and as curate John prepares to leave us, our regular group who pray for our village daily is shrinking. If you look in the service register, you will find that sometimes only one person is marked as attending and occasionally no-one.

So this letter ends with an appeal. If any of you readers (over 1000 of you) could join me, maybe just for one session in the week, it would be a real way of undergirding all that is happening in our village and our lives. It would also help me to pray. Not only that, but such regular praying together is a constant exposure to God. It changes us, as well as the situations we pray for, and enables him to mould us and refill us with his spirit, through scripture, psalms and canticles, as well as in the silences.

Don't forget on weekdays the services are at 8am and 5pm (with a half hour Eucharist on Tuesday at 8am and Wednesday at 9.30am) Then we have a lie in on Saturday and our half hour morning prayer slot is at 8.30am with a short Eucharist at 6.30pm (ideal for those who cannot make Sunday services that week).

I do hope we might see some of you at these services. These are occasions when we, as it were, “switch on our radio”, to tune in with all the thousands of voices throughout our world which are, just like us at that moment, breathing deeply of the spirit of God.

With much love

Gill

January 2007

Dear Friends

Have you done any shopping in the January sales yet? You may have seen the adverts for one of our local shopping centres promising us “guilt free shopping”. I have to confess I'm quite good at that already. Although maybe I'm not quite so practised as one of mv daughters who always adds up what she has saved, when clothes shopping in the sales. rather than what she has spent!

“Guilt free shopping” may come easy to some of us, but I, for one, find “guilt free living”, rather more difficult. So many of us spend much time and energy berating ourselves for what we should have done, or said, or what we wish we hadn't done or said. When we think back over a day, or a week, or even over our lives, we so easily hang on to those times where we know we made a mess of things. Lots of us even live in the present, feeling guilty about what we're not doing well .... what has been called “suffering from a hardening of the oughteries”. We seem almost incapable of viewing our lives in a positive light, thinking of what we have accomplished. Sometimes it seems as if the church and those of us who preach there, or lead worship are just reinforcing that sense of guilt. There are prayers in some of our old prayer books where we grovel and go on grovelling about our sinful life which is “grievous unto us”.

Yet surely that's not the good news Jesus came to bring. It seems from all we read of him that he wanted people to know that God keeps no score of wrongs but forgives ... and forgives ... and forgives. In the story Jesus told of the “prodigal son”, the Father even forgives the young man set on a dissolute life before he says “sorry”. It seemed to be that knowledge of God's forgiveness, which Jesus came to bring, enabled many to blossom into people living generous, purposeful and loving lives.

So maybe this New Year we need to take stock of how often we feel guilty, without doing anything about it. How about taking some simple steps to deal with guilty feelings:

firstly, recognise the false guilt that other people put on us unfairly or we take on, when we are giving ourselves a hard time.
secondly, say sorry where we do need to start the mending of broken relationships or where we have really messed up.
thirdly acknowledge before God the places where we need to receive his forgiveness (some people find it helpful to hear the words of God's absolution said by a priest when the burden seems really difficult to lay down).
fourthly spend some time recalling what we've done well today.

And then, let's stop being ground down by guilt and walk tall in the freedom of forgiveness. None of us will ever get it all right but our God is a God who knows us through and through and still thinks each one of us is pretty worthwhile and special.

Thank God for that! Have a really good 2007.

With much love

Gill