tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73937901714107263592024-03-13T01:34:10.430+00:00The Vicar's BlogThe Benefice of the Went Valley Parishes
Darrington with Wentbridge,Kirk Smeaton with Little SmeatonRev Adrian Judd, Vicar of the Went Valley Parishes 01977 704744http://www.blogger.com/profile/10232497638364214051noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-37393947553707154252010-12-04T16:36:00.001+00:002010-12-04T16:38:58.969+00:00Church Representation Rules - suggested update<a href="http://www.churchofscotland.org.uk/extranet/xchurchlaw/downloads/xchurchlawppintro.pdf">From the Church of Scotland.</a><br /><br />Ideas for amending the church representation rules:<br /><br />'Responsibility for diligence<br />There is a responsibility and presumption of diligence in two senses. First, there is an expectation of attendance at Kirk Session meetings, and an elder failing to exercise that diligence for a whole year should be removed from membership of the Kirk Session [Act III 2000 Section 36(a)]<br />Second, there is a presumption that an elder has been present for any decision-making. Therefore no item of business should be raised again at a future meeting, or appealed against, because the elder was not present at the original debate and wishes to have that original decision reversed to suit his or her own views on the matter.'Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-38134333417501082032010-11-07T17:47:00.002+00:002011-04-02T10:06:59.422+01:00What happens in Church?<span style="font-size:130%;"><br />A Guide for those who have never been before.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(A Dramatic Performance in Two Parts)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cast in order of appearance:</span><br /><br />Greeters - 1 or 2 church members say hello and give out hymn books and a service book<br /><br />Organist - Michael or Ann play music before the service starts and during the service play the hymns and music<br /><br />Congregation - the people arrive and sit down. If in doubt ask a greeter where you can sit.<br /><br />Crucifer - John carries a cross on a stick into Church as the service begins.<br /><br />Choir - some people in robes walk up the central aisle as the service begins, that's the cue to stand up<br /><br />Vicar - Adrian, or a colleague walk in behind the choir and welcomes everybody, reads notices of marriage, and announces the hymns.<br /><br /><br />Reader - Lisa sometimes takes the first half of the service, wearing a black cassock, white surplice and blue scarf.<br /><br />Readers - members of the congregation may read the Bible readings and lead the prayers.<br /><br />Chalice Assistant - helps with the cup<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Act One </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The drama takes place half way up the church.</span><br /><br />Scene 1 - the Opening Hymn, the welcome<br />Scene 2 - the confession - we say sorry to God for the things that we have done wrong and hear that he forgives us<br />Scene 3 - the Bible Readings are read - the Old Testament Reading which tell us how God loved his people the Jews<br /> - the New Testament Reading which tells us about how the church started<br /> - the Gospel Reading which tells us about Jesus, God's Son who was born at Christmas and died at Easter and came back to life again.<br /> - the Bible Readings are explained to us<br />Scene 4 - the Prayers - prayers are said for the church, the local community, for people in need, including the sick and bereaved<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Act Two</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The drama takes place at the top of the church.</span><br /><br />Scene 1 - the Offertory Hymn and prayers - bread and wine are placed on the table and a collection of money is taken to help pay for the upkeep of the church<br />Scene 2 - the Communion Prayer - which reminds us of the Last Supper Jesus had with his friends<br />Scene 3 - the Lord's Prayer - which is a prayer Jesus taught his friends<br />Scene 4 - the Communion - the vicar gives most people some bread and wine, or a blessing to others.<br />Scene 5 - the blessing and dismissal - the vicar encourages us to go out and live a Christian life.<br /><br />Refreshments may follow - tea, coffee, juice and biscuits rather than anything stronger!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Dress Code</span><br />This is a Church of England church. You do not need to wear special clothes to go to church, unless you are taking part in the drama itself. Some like to wear Sunday Best, but you don't need to, smart casual is fine.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">What to take with you.</span><br />Some money to put in the collection, preferably more than a £1 coin.<br />Glasses if you wear them<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Timekeeping</span><br />Try to arrive 5 or 10 minutes before the service starts, to allow time to park.<br />People sometimes arrive late or leave early, that's fine.<br /><br />Membership<br />People become church members through a ceremony called baptism or christening, which often happens to babies, but can happen to adults.<br />People do not have to be members to come to church, but we encourage it.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">How much does membership cost?</span><br />Membership is free because your membership price was pre-paid by Jesus.<br />We hope you will make a donation when you come to church though.<br />To receive communion you should normally be confirmed in the Church of England or have received the Lord's Supper in another church.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Club Rules</span><br />Men should not wear hats.<br />Women may wear hats but don't have to.<br />Please do not smoke or drink in church.<br />Please switch off your mobile phone.<br />Please join in singing hymns and saying prayers in bold text.<br />Please do not run or shout out<br />Children are welcome. There are toys to help keep them interested, and family services help them join in.<br />If you want a blessing please take a service booklet with you.<br />If you want to receive the bread and the wine but have never done so before please speak to the vicar.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Facilities</span><br />There is a toilet at the back of Darrington church which is suitable for all, but the door is heavy.<br />The service lasts about an hour you may need the toilet! (Unfortunately there is not one at Wentbridge or Kirk Smeaton yet.)<br />Please join us for refreshments at the end of the service.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-4040878581202428062010-10-30T13:18:00.001+01:002010-10-30T13:20:53.861+01:00vicar suspended 'for unauthorised practices'- what a disgraceful 'carry-on' said the verger<br /><br />The Rev SRS Colquhoun, was suspended for six months in 1937 by a Church of Ireland court for carrying out <a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/1030/1224282312356.html">unauthorised practices.</a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">October 30th, 1937</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-37101745849784557232010-10-14T13:40:00.003+01:002010-10-21T22:25:06.315+01:00Remembering the Great War - a tribute from Woodbine WillieGeoffrey Anketell Studdert Kennedy MC a.k.a Woodbine Willie, for his custom to give woodbines to the blokes in the trenches in the Great War, died March 8th, 1929.<br /><br />Woodbine Willie was a man of a great down to earth faith. Here are two of his poems which speak for themselves:<br /><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><em><span style="font-weight: bold;">Faith.</span><br /></em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><em>HOW do I know that God is good? I don't.<br />I gamble like a man. I bet my life<br />Upon one side in life's great war. I must,<br />I can't stand out. I must take sides. The man<br />Who is a man a neutral in this fight is not<br />A man. He's bulk and body without breath,<br />Cold leg of lamb without mint sauce. A fool.<br />He makes me sick. Good Lord! Weak tea! Cold slops!<br />I want to live, live out, not wobble through<br />My life somehow, and then into the dark.<br />I must have God. This life's too dull without,<br />Too dull for aught but suicide. What's man<br />To live for else? </em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><em>...<br /></em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><em>So through the clouds of Calvary--there shines<br />His face, and I believe that Evil dies,<br />And Good lives on, loves on, and conquers all--<br />All War must end in Peace. These clouds are lies.<br />They cannot last. The blue sky is the Truth.<br />For God is Love. Such is my Faith, and such<br />My reasons for it, and I find them strong<br />Enough. And you? You want to argue? Well,<br />I can't. It is a choice. I choose the Christ.</em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><br /><em></em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px; font-weight: bold;"><em>War.</em></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">There's a soul in the Eternal,<br /> Standing stiff before the King.<br /> There's a little English maiden<br /> Sorrowing.<br /> There's a proud and tearless woman,<br /> Seeing pictures in the fire.<br /> There's a broken battered body<br /> On the wire.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">Woodbine Willie's poetry can be bought at all good bookstores, for example <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rough-Rhymes-Padre-Willie-Woodbine/dp/1104376687/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1287696146&sr=8-10">Amazon</a> stcok<br /></p><h1 class="parseasinTitle"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span id="btAsinTitle">Rough Rhymes of a Padre (1918) </span></span></h1><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">November is a time to remember, and never to forget.<br />God bless you as you seek to do his will, and may we all work for peace.</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">Your friend and vicar,</p><p style="margin-left: 40px;">Adrian<br /></p><p style="margin-left: 40px;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-88260822942135182902010-09-11T13:48:00.001+01:002010-09-11T13:51:07.561+01:00We do not expect vicars to be experts in immigration law<p>The UK Border Agency said nine people had already been arrested and charged in other suspected sham marriages in Sheffield over the summer.</p> <p>Steve Lamb, operations director for the agency in Yorkshire, said: "We will not tolerate immigration abuse and our immigration crime teams are cracking down on sham marriages all over the country.</p> <p>"The UK Border Agency is working closely with registrars to identify marriages that may not be genuine.</p> <p>"We do not expect vicars or registrars to be experts in immigration law or spotting forged documents - that's our job.</p> <p>"But if they have any suspicions about whether a relationship is genuine, we would urge them to get in touch with us."</p><p><br /></p><p><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Well that's encouraging to know... </span></span><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-72379273304845153992010-09-07T13:53:00.007+01:002010-09-08T09:22:39.345+01:00Born Free? A Duck's Journey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rduS2UEH70A/TIdHyNgfzXI/AAAAAAAAAHU/-iRNK_w5THA/s1600/07092010037.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rduS2UEH70A/TIdHyNgfzXI/AAAAAAAAAHU/-iRNK_w5THA/s320/07092010037.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514455196683455858" border="0" /></a><br />One day at Knowsley Safari Park a commotion in the Lion's enclosure got the keepers' attention. There in the middle of the enclosure, was an old tree stump, and walking across from that tree stump to the wire perimeter fence was a Mallard, followed by three ducklings.<br /><br />A lion ate one, the duck flew away and two ducklings followed, but left in the tree stump was another duckling. The keepers rushed in with their cars to try to sort out.<br /><br />That duckling was taken home to be looked after, then at 10 weeks old came to live with us. Chauffeur driven across the Pennines.<br />She wasn't welcomed much by the chickens, perhaps because she was different, but she eventually grew to ignore them or keep out of their way.<br /><br />Several months later that duck has narrowly avoided being eaten by a Great Dane, and a Newfoundland, on separate occasions. She brought variety into my sermons and has been on exploratory trips visiting neighbours and walking along the street.<br /><br />We decided not to clip her flight feathers. Her flying abilities increased, and one day we saw her sat on top of the garage.<br /><br /><br /><br />Today she has been taken to Fairburn Ings run by the RSPB to join the thousands of ducks and geese and swans there.<br /><br />She likes to swim and dive, and will be happier there, and I can imagine her catching fish and dabbling among the weeds in the water.<br /><br />That duck has had a strange beginning to her life, and she is running out of lives.<br /><br />The duck didn't want to get out of the car carrier which took her there. In the end she got out, and stayed by Sylvia and her friends. Dfor looked at the water, but didn't go anywhere near it. Sylvia picked her up, and gently launched her towards the lake, and she soared up and up, flew all round the lake, above the houses and back, then disappeared over towards the other lake.<br />'Like the Battle of Britain' it was so graceful.<br /><br />Many people have difficult starts in life. Childhood isn't always what it could be.<br />The spiritual journey can also have rocky beginnings, ups and downs, joys and pitfalls, and companions on the way, friends or strangers.<br /><br />Here in the Went Valley we try to help those who are struggling with faith, are unsure about belief, as well as those with bucket loads. But we are often just a step along the way. But when we see people make even the smallest steps in their spiritual journey...<br /><br />it's a duck's life!<br /><br />I would be pleased if our paths crossed soon, please phone or email if you would like a visit, your friend and vicar,<br /><br />AdrianUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-33801945285153621202010-09-04T17:41:00.000+01:002010-09-04T17:42:01.547+01:00Getting lost on the way to my ordination rehearsal...<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /> Dear friends,<br /><a target="_blank" href="http://wentvalley.blogspot.com/2010/05/getting-lost-on-way-to-my-ordination.html"><br /></a></span> <h3 style="font-weight: normal;" class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-size:100%;"> The beginnings of ministry in a new place, among new people are very difficult.People are sussing you out, as you are getting to know them. Will you be their kind of curate/vicar? How long will you stay? Will they like you?<br /><br />Lots of questions.<br /><br />When clergy move to curacies on ordination the questions they ask include the following:<br />where's town? where's the supermarket? where am I? where is the cathedral / retreat house? will I look stupid in this clerical shirt? what on earth will I do? will I get on with the vicar? How can I get the house decorated and move in and still manage to go on the retreat and cook for 30 people the day of the ordination?<br /><br />I remember being in my curate's house before ordination, I didn't know which way was north and south, or where the house was...I didn't know which way Worcester was, nor where the cathedral was in Worcester, so I arrived late, having eventually found it thanks a a local man whose car I followed. And the ordination retreat? I got there, but with no directions or instructions it was a little testing. And did I say I got lost on the way back from the ordination and arrived home an hour after everyone else - so much for preparing a meal for all my family and friends.<br /><br />Note - send people a map and directions so they know how to get to the cathedral and to the ordination retreat house, or to wherever you want them to go!<br /><br />And after ordination? A clear desk... on the first morning for the first and last time ever in ministry. Desks gradually get buried then reappear after a concerted effort to clear them. But there is always something which calls clergy's attention, and much of this is administration in multi-parish benefices. Urgent? Important? Desirable? Sadly much is obligatory, but neither urgent nor important. That which is desirable, but neither urgent nor obligatory gets left to the end.<br /><br />What value do you place on spiritual things? Prayer, bible reading? What priority do they have in your life?<br />As harvest draws near, say a prayer for farmers as they bring in the crops, and those who work in logistics, distribution and retail.<br /><br />With best wishes, your friend and vicar,<br />Adrian</span> </h3>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-60707844144568143742010-09-03T11:25:00.002+01:002010-09-03T11:30:45.643+01:00Pontefract Deanery PlanOur deanery plan has got nowhere very slowly. It was as I forecasted. The Ugley Vicar in chelmsford diocese started his deanery plan about the same time as us - it seems like it has taken three years already. You can read all about it <a href="http://ugleyvicar.blogspot.com/2007/02/hopeless-vision-deanery-strategy-in.html">here</a> and I commend it to you. His analysis is spot-on, and what deanery plans fail to do is address the issue of too many churches and too few clergy to staff them. So, if you are interested in what could happen if we were to think creatively, read his post, and wonder why every diocese seems to reinvent the wheel each time a reduction in clergy posts is announced.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-22647401274593249382010-08-29T22:13:00.002+01:002010-10-21T22:31:10.215+01:00Wentbridge Parish Rooms for SaleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-67443492570509788882010-08-29T21:55:00.002+01:002010-08-29T22:00:18.635+01:00Child Protection, historic cases reviewI wrote earlier about Kendall house, in Canterbury Diocese, a home for teenage girls in the 1970s and 80s.<br />A former resident has reached an out of court settlement with the CofE.<br />I hope this does something to help her rebuild her life.<br /><em></em><a href="http://www.no2abuse.com/index.php/articles/comments/church-of-england-pays-out-after-child-sex-and-drug-abuse-scandal-press-rel/">http://www.no2abuse.com/index.php/articles/comments/church-of-england-pays-out-after-child-sex-and-drug-abuse-scandal-press-rel/</a><br /><br />Do pray for Teresa Cooper and all former residents (and staff).Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-76987777531691348562010-08-28T16:54:00.000+01:002010-08-28T16:55:11.499+01:00Twitterfeed testWelcome to twitter. Click this link to view my blog.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-65409999970072747542010-08-28T16:28:00.001+01:002010-08-28T16:28:35.954+01:00Seeing the InvisibleDear friends,<br /><br /> Who can boast of being free?<br /><br /> Who has not got<br /> secret prisons,<br /> invisible chains,<br /> all the more constricting<br /> the less they are apparent?<br /><br /> Archbishop Dom Helder Camara, Brazil.<br /><br />The longer in the tooth I get the more I think that Dom Camara was right. It's easy to see many physical disabilities, but there are hidden disabilities like asthma, anxiety and depression. Our responsibility is dual: to ensure that we do not discriminate against those who have disabilities, and to work as Christians to set people free from those invisible chains which imprison. This month I want to talk about a couple of those things: bearing grudges against others, and being unable to forgive yourself. The two are related.<br /><br />In families people bear grudges for years, decades and half-centuries. They hold them so long that the original reason for holding the grudge is forgotten. A sleight, a deliberate insult, an accidental upset, a forgotten birthday or invitation.<br /><br />In communities people do the same, you can choose your friends, but not your families or for that matter your neighbours.<br /><br />Some people feel guilty about things they have done, thought, or not done, they can hold on to that guilt for years, decades, and longer. Guilt destroys lives, and the inability to forgive ourselves leads inevitably to the inability to forgive others as we should do, remembering that God forgives us through Jesus Christ.<br /><br />God wants to set people free: you, and me, your family, friends, neighbours, our communities. Have a great summer, enjoy some holiday if you can, and try to forgive and forget. Holding on to anger, grudges, upset or guilt is very bad for you.<br /><br />God bless.<br />Your friend and vicar,<br /><br />AdrianUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-67815469644242186212010-08-28T16:24:00.000+01:002010-08-28T16:27:25.667+01:00When it gets dark all of a suddenDear friends,<br /><br />Back in the autumn of 1992 I spent three months at theological college at Trinity College in Singapore. It was a fabulous experience training with Christians from all over the world, with different cultures, languages, and from different denominations.<br /><br />One thing which has remained with me is the suddenness with which it gets dark. One minute it is light, but pop into a shop for a moment, come out and it is dark. Here in Britain there are lengthy periods of twilight and dawn and dusk, but there it's all over before you can blink. (Not literally, but it does get dark all of a sudden.)<br /><br />When children are trying to learn something for the first time they have to work really hard at it, often for a while before the penny drops. It's as though they have a sudden moment when it all makes sense.<br /><br />Faith is like any learning - it either makes sense or it doesn't, and if it doesn't make sense then trying to grapple with faith will be like trying to grapple with my maths homework as a child. I just couldn't do it. Faith is a strange thing, which might sound odd to hear from me, but I don't assume that it comes easily to many people, although children have an innate sense of awe and wonder and with that there is often a belief in God.<br /><br />The rest of us have to work at faith, we have to learn, or as it is put 'read, mark, learn and inwardly digest'. I am writing this just before St Peter and St Paul's day. St Paul worked really hard at his religious education lessons with the Pharisees, but the penny didn't drop, it was only when he met God on the road to Damascus that he really understood. His lifetime of learning suddenly made sense, and it provided him with such a deep insight into Christianity that we are still reading what he wrte to help us make sense of the Gospel.<br /><br />Spiritual illumination can come slowly or suddenly, and oneis not better than the other. But we need to work hard at learning about faith so that when illumination comes we recognise it for what it is and see God at work through Jesus Christ. The greatest danger would be to meet Jesus and yet not recognise him.<br /><br />With best wishes, your friend and vicar,<br /><br />AdrianUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-48855609978073546982010-05-24T13:21:00.003+01:002010-05-24T13:31:09.947+01:00Getting lost on the way to my ordination rehearsal...The beginnings of ministry in a new place, among new people are very difficult.<br />People are sussing you out, as you are getting to know them. Will you be their kind of curate/vicar? How long will you stay? Will they like you?<br /><br />Lots of questions.<br /><br />When clergy move to curacies on ordination the questions they ask include the following:<br />where's town? where's the supermarket? where am I? where is the cathedral / retreat house? will I look stupid in this clerical shirt? what on earth will I do? will I get on with the vicar? How can I get the house decorated and move in and still manage to go on the retreat and cook for 30 people the day of the ordination?<br /><br />I remember being in my curate's house before ordination, I didn't know which way was north and south, or where the house was...I didn't know which way Worcester was, nor where the cathedral was in Worcester, so I arrived late, having eventually found it thanks a a local man whose car I followed. And the ordination retreat? I got there, but with no directions or instructions it was a little testing. And did I say I got lost on the way back from the ordination and arrived home an hour after everyone else - so much for preparing a meal for all my family and friends.<br /><br />Note to DDOs - send people a map and directions so they know how to get to the cathedral and to the ordination retreat house.<br /><br />And after ordination? A clear desk... on the first morning for the first and last time ever in ministry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-8058769658421161732010-05-24T13:08:00.002+01:002010-05-24T13:19:55.466+01:00Don't take it personally<div class="author comment-author vcard">when people say all kinds of things <span style="font-weight: bold;">to </span>or <span style="font-weight: bold;">about</span> clergy. Keep a sense of humour and proportion.<br /><br /><br />Sometimes it is about their own bitterness, which just has to come out somehow as gossip, other times it is about the faults of their clergy (and we all have faults, there's no denying that), other times it is about perceptions and how they view the world. Do you ever moan and complain? Is that complaint valid? Is moaning or gossipping a proper way of expressing that unhappiness? It may be, but it might also be disrespectful...<br /><br />I am not posting this because people are moaning, but because clergy regularly are on the receiving end of people's moans and groans... it is part of the package, it's our job to listen to people and to offer them spiritual advice and godly conversation. But do we recognise where they are coming from? Their world seems at times to be a different one from our own.<br /><br />Think of the occasional person who after a cataract operation can see UV light - it's the same thing, some people's worldview is just totally different to our own, and other peoples.<br /><br />Sometimes people want to moan and the vicar is a good person to moan to. In these cases this comment about trust from 'Proclaiming softly' fits the bill. Read the origninal post it is worth your time. The comment below was posted in response to it.<br /><br /><a href="http://maggidawn.com/dont-take-it-personaly-ii/" rel="external nofollow" class="url">proclaimingsoftly</a></div> <div class="meta comment-meta commentmetadata">(<a class="date" href="http://maggidawn.com/dont-take-it-personaly-ii/#comment-3080" title="Permalink to this response">June 30, 2006)</a></div> <p>'My son, who has always been very verbal and emotionally expressive, used to come home from school, bounce off the walls, say all kinds of words that I felt were innapropriate, and tell me all sorts of things most kids don’t tell there parents about what he had done and what other kids had done.<br />When this would cross the line into innapropriate behavior and words, I’d ask him, “How come your teachers say you are so well behaved in school, but you act like this at home?” He told me, “Because I have to let it out somewhere.”<br />I almost always took everything personally, in a negative way.<br />But my friends told me, “He feels safe at home and trusts you.” Other kids aren’t like that. It is a credit to your relationship.<br />But oh, how hard.<br />Quite frankly, I think people in general have a hard time expressing themselves to the person/institution that is really at the core of their discomfort. And they have a hard time identifying the cause of their anger(s).<br />My son was, at the same time, more mature and less mature than most people in this regard.'</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-32584351538362830542010-05-13T15:32:00.000+01:002010-05-13T15:33:15.208+01:00A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate careScience Fiction Books I enjoy: Frank Herbert's Dune<br /><br />'A beginning is the time for taking the most delicate care.'<br /><br />Thus begins the story of the book.<br /><br /><br />I prefer reading to television because it requires more imagination and with reading and radio the pictures are so much better. Television does it all for you, and fails to engage the imagination in quite the same way.<br /><br />As I write this the nights are cold, and frosty, new shoots on plants have died, and spring seems a long time coming. The grass has had its first cuts, and the garden bins are being collected.<br /><br />Our world is changing around us, though whether we will notice the difference is a moot point. Of course I am thinking of the coalition government and the appointment of the cabinet and of junior ministerial posts. The beginning is a delicate time, and we do well to remember to pray for politicians.<br /><br />Churches change, it is part of the nature of human society that they change less slowly than any other organisation, but they do change whether we like it or not and whether we oppose that change or not. Our national church, the Church of England is a very different animal than it was 20 years ago, and the discussion at General Synod in July about Women Bishops will lead eventually (in 2014 at the earliest) to the appointment of women bishops. Some of my colleagues from college from 1990-1993 are in elevated positions in the church as their bishops seem to queue women candidates for the episcopate ready for the legislation to be passed. Very good ministers of the gospel they are too.<br /><br />Our diocese continues to change, and the Church of England Boundaries Commission which reports in July this year may recommend no changes, or might recommend that a diocese for the whole of Yorkshire is formed. I can see no rationale worthy of keeping Wakefield, Bradford and Sheffield dioceses as they are, and with three months reserves or less and huge operating deficits with collection rates in Wakefield Diocese for quota / common fund being the lowest in the Church of England plainly there is something wrong.<br /><br />How will the Church change? Will it have to change locally as well as nationally, will we notice the difference, and will we mind? Those are a few thoughts to ponder as our nation marks a new beginning and an end of one era and the beginning of another.<br /><br />May God bless you, your friend and vicar,<br />AdrianUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-57549843480509104552010-04-27T08:51:00.003+01:002010-04-27T09:00:12.573+01:00Institutional Child Abuse & Reporter escorted from question timeI do wonder what are the real issues in this election<br /><a href="http://www.no2abuse.com/index.php/articles/comments/bill-maloneys-account-and-explanation-for-his-ejection-from-bbc-question-by/">http://www.no2abuse.com/index.php/articles/comments/bill-maloneys-account-and-explanation-for-his-ejection-from-bbc-question-by/</a><br /><br />'Keep it real' #AliG (SachaBaronCohen)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-15650398670905384642010-04-25T20:34:00.000+01:002010-04-25T20:35:59.412+01:00Humour in ministry<ul><li><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;">Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves; they will have no end of fun.<br /> </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;">Blessed are those who can tell a mountain from a molehill; they will be saved a lot of bother.<br /> </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;">Blessed are those who know how to relax without looking for excuses; they are on their way to becoming wise.<br /> </span></li><li><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;">Blessed are those who are sane enough not to take themselves too seriously; they will be valued most by those about them.</span></li></ul>http://www.stantonyspriory.co.uk/resources/15guard.htm<br /><br />Seel also:<br /><p><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;"><i>Out of Darkness, Out of Fire</i> A workbook for Christian leaders under pressure by Ross Kingham and Robin Pryor (ISBN 0 85819 729 4)</span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Book Antiqua;font-size:100%;"><i>Ministry Burnout</i> John A Sanford (I982 Arthur James)</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-88222215342550228952010-04-04T15:17:00.000+01:002010-04-04T15:19:38.038+01:00Teleological ethics and Easter - a simple sermon.The Easter story tells us a deep truth about life:<br />life with all it's ups and downs, joys and sorrows is hard to understand at the time; only in retrospect wth the benefit of hindsight can we understand the significance of things.<br />The disciples didn't grasp the necessity of the crucifixion. They did not understand why he washed their feet, nor why he shared bread and wine with them, nor why the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning. Only afterwards did the disciples finally get the drift of what had been going on and what Jesus had been doing.<br />God is at work in the Church, and in the world, but we can be slow to recognise him. Sometimes only a while later do we look back and have that eureka moment when we discover truth and understand the past.Small trivial events or conversations can have life-changing effects.<br />We don't know how what we say and do affects others. Hidden consequences are as common as visible obvious or even intended consequences. Making moral judgements solely on the basis of likely consequences is as flawed as making them on someone's intention with no regard to the intention. 'We may not know, we cannot tell...' goes the hymn, and awareness of our ignorance is a necessary precursor to learning and change.<br /><br />As we celebrate the Easter message, we rejoice that Jesus is alive, that the tomb is empty, the grave clothes set aside, and Jesus was walking and talking among his friends he had come back to life again, and he does so today, not through physical presence, but through the sending of his Holy Spirit to set us free from our sins and all that imprisons us. The Spirit of Christ helps us recognise those attitudes and behaviours which limit and prevent us from growing in the Christian faith, those things which we have identified as we prepared for Easter throughout Lent, and the truth sets us free from them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-24553709054038393142010-04-03T20:15:00.000+01:002010-04-03T20:16:54.782+01:00Life is a Roller-Coaster - an Easter Sermon.Hallelujah Christ is Risen!<br />He is risen indeed, hallelujah.<br /><br />Life can be an emotional roller-coaster, with its ups and downs, changes in pace, and direction, happiness and terror all mixed up. I am not an adrenaline junkie, Alton Towers is not my idea of a trip out, and the thought of going on Nemesis scares me to death. I am told it's brilliant... Imagine that - people choose to be scared.<br /><br />Think of the disciples and the Easter story. The week had started so well Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the crowds had hailed Jesus shouting Hosanna to the Son of David they welcomed him as a king, they laid palm branches and their cloaks in front of him.<br /><br />The celebratory meal fell flat, their Passover had very quickly turned from the celebration of the Exodus from Egypt all those years ago, to the confusion of the Last Supper.<br /><br />Jesus washed their feet, the disciples didn't yet understand him, though they had spent so much time with him. More confusion as Jesus shared his body and his blood in the bread and the wine.<br />Seeds of doubt and uncertainty as he shared the knowledge that he was about to be betrayed.<br /><br />The misery of his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, betrayed by a kiss from his friend.<br /><br />Peter and the disciple Jesus loved had the courage to witness the trial, but even<br />Peter denied him three times, and the crowd had quickly turned on him called for Barabbas to be released, rather than Jesus. Were they bribed by the chief priests? Bought like Judas Iscariot?<br /><br />Fear, terror, anxiety, disappointment, spread among his disciples, their expectations unmet, hopes dashed, dreams vaporised.His death on the cross, and his burial in the tomb - not quite how the disciples had planned to spend the day of preparation for the most holy Sabbath in the Jewish year. But the women remained faithful, they knew what had to be done and they went to the garden tomb to do it.<br /><br />Mark tells us about that first easter morning, at the end of his Gospel:<br /><br />When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.<br /><br />This is the backdrop to the resurrection. Only with hindsight do we know the rest of the story, the hidden meaning of the Last Supper, the servant ministry of Christ, the prophecies of Isaiah fulfilled, Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene, to Peter and the other disciples. Only with hindsight do we know the joy of the resurrection, how different it must have been then for terror and amazement had seized them. But today is a day for rejoicing, a day to be happy, a holy day, a holiday, a day to forget the pain, the suffering and to reinterpret the past, to understand the day of the crucifixion as Good Friday, to see the empty tomb as the evidence of the resurrection of our Lord, and to see in his life and death a pattern for Christians to follow.<br /><br />Holy Week was an emotional roller-coaster for the disciples with its ups and downs, changes in pace, and direction, happiness and terror all mixed up.What a week to live, and what a week to die and come back to life.<br /><br />Hallelujah Christ is Risen!<br />He is risen indeed, hallelujah.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-90894079334697878872010-03-21T20:46:00.004+00:002010-03-22T16:24:02.134+00:00Remembering Oscar Romero<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LSk34NGhAqQ/S6aF0fnHsqI/AAAAAAAAALA/ENSTHCT57Cg/s1600-h/romero.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 238px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LSk34NGhAqQ/S6aF0fnHsqI/AAAAAAAAALA/ENSTHCT57Cg/s320/romero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451191535863837346" border="0" /></a>Archbishop Oscar Romero.<br /><br />Priest, bishop, pastor. Martyred for the Gospel 30 years ago this week.<br /><br />+Romero spoke it how it was, he told the truth each week in his Sunday sermon, he told people what was happening in El Salvador, the killings, abductions, the grinding poverty, the injustices and suffering of the poorest and most vulnerable.<br /><br />He spent his time alongside the people, getting to know them and their lives, listening and learning, as a shepherd and pastor to the people.<br /><br />He was not scared of death, but his enemies were scared of the truth, and of the Gospel with its preferential option for the poor. In this icon compare Oscar Romero standing with the vulnerable, and the American Huey helicopters.<br /><br />Analogous to this comparison is the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosuke_Koyama">Kosuke Koyama</a> - Water Buffalo Theology and The Three Mile an Hour God.<br /><br /> <br /><p class="wp-caption-text">A 2005 mural by J. Reyes Yasbek entitled Verdad y Justicia (“Truth and Justice”). All photos by Richard Amesbury, with thanks to <a href="http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/damnation/presente/">http://killingthebuddha.com/mag/damnation/presente/</a><br /></p> <p style="text-align: right;"><em>“If they kill me, I shall arise in the Salvadoran people.”</em></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSk34NGhAqQ/S6eZC1LWRpI/AAAAAAAAALI/PKXJFz3TZVc/s1600-h/RomeroDSC00340.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LSk34NGhAqQ/S6eZC1LWRpI/AAAAAAAAALI/PKXJFz3TZVc/s320/RomeroDSC00340.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451494147868739218" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-67423195927802590682010-03-21T16:17:00.002+00:002010-03-21T16:28:18.684+00:00Polycarp on Presbyters'let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful to all, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick, and not neglecting the widow, the orphan, or the poor, but always "providing for that which is becoming in the sight of God and man ; " abstaining from all wrath, respect of persons, and unjust judgment; keeping far off from . all covetousness, not quickly crediting [an evil re port] against any one, not severe in judgment, as knowing that we are all under a debt of sin. If then we entreat the Lord to forgive us, we ought also ourselves to forgive; for we are before the eyes of our Lord and God, and "we must all appear at the judgment-seat of Christ, and must every one give an account of himself." Let us then serve Him in fear, and with all reverence, even as He Himself has commanded us, and as the apostles who preached the Gospel unto us, and the prophets who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Lord [have alike taught us]. Let us be zealous in the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offence, from false brethren, and from those who in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord, and draw away vain men into error.'<br /><br />Patience, trust, kindliness, seeking and saving the lost, compassionate for the vulnerable, dilligent in pastoral care, generous in judgement, aware of our humanity and our offences...<br />humble.<br /><br />And now there's a certain type of sermon which I no longer preach.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-43560619304834106642010-03-16T17:01:00.000+00:002010-03-16T17:02:03.983+00:00Easter draws near - an Easter sermon or magazine articleDear friends,<br /><br />Happy Easter! God bless you this Eastertide.<br />You can read the vicar's blog and follow him on twitter - <a target="_blank" href="http://www.darringtonchurch.com/">www.darringtonchurch.com</a> ; <a target="_blank" href="http://www.wentbridgechurch.co.uk/">www.wentbridgechurch.co.uk</a> or <a target="_blank" href="http://www.smeatonchurch.co.uk/">www.smeatonchurch.co.uk</a><br /><br />There's a lovely parable where Jesus tells of workers who started at different times in the day but at the end of the day each got the same reward - a full day's pay. Those who had worked the full day were grumbling because those who had only worked an hour or two got the same as them. St John Chrysostom in his Easter sermon wrote about the wonder of the Easter message:<br /><br />If any have toiled from the first hour,<br />let them receive their reward.<br /><br />If any have come after the third hour,<br />let them with gratitude join in the feast!<br /><br />Those who arrived after the sixth hour,<br />let them not doubt; for they shall not be short-changed.<br /><br />Those who have tarried until the ninth hour,<br />let them not hesitate; but let them come too.<br /><br />And those who arrived only at the eleventh hour,<br />let them not be afraid by reason of their delay.<br /><br />For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.<br />The Lord gives rest to those who come at the eleventh hour,<br />even as to those who toiled from the beginning.<br /><br />To one and all the Lord gives generously.<br />The Lord accepts the offering of every work.<br />The Lord honours every deed and commends their intention.<br /><br />Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!<br /><br />We can all celebrate the day - 'conscientious and lazy' as he puts it. On Easter day we recognise no differences between Christians, church-goers or not, those who do much, and those who do little, all are welcome in God's kingdom as 'forgiveness has risen from the grave'. What a wonderful message.<br />However you celebrate Easter may God bless you, and I hope that you will join us in church.<br />with best wishes your friend and vicar<br />AdrianUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-8269469308448404142010-02-23T16:29:00.003+00:002010-02-23T16:57:18.201+00:001838 Pluralities Act - Meaning of Benefice and ClustersThis part of the 1838 Pluralities Act has never been repealed:<br /><br />'in all cases where the term “benefice” is used in this Act, the said term shall be understood and taken to mean benefice with cure of souls, and no other (unless it shall otherwise appear from the context), and therein to comprehend all parishes, perpetual curacies, donatives, endowed public chapels, parochial chapelries, and chapelries or districts <span style="font-weight: bold;">belonging or reputed to belong, or annexed or reputed to be annexed,</span> to any church or chapel, anything in any other Act to the contrary notwithstanding.'<br /><br />I like the phrase belonging - or reputing to belong, or annexed or reputed to be annexed to any church or chapel.<br /><br />'Reputed to belong / to be annexed' covers a mutitude of situations.<br /><br />The obverse is the obvious - if a parish or district belongs in one benefice by repute, or annexation, it does not belong in the benefice that is was annexed from, or no longer belongs to by repute / reputation.<br /><br />The application of this is clear as mud - where a cluster is formed by whatever process, and a parish or district is clustered to another it is as if the clustered parish or district belongs to the benefice which it is clustered with.<br /><br />Formation of clusters of parishes : if you don't want to appoint a vicar to a parish, and don't feel like sequestering the living, cluster the parishes together and create in people's minds the belief that they belong together.<br />If you wish to avoid being clustered your freedom of action is to appeal to the Archbishop to present an incumbent to the benefice, once the parish has been vacant for a 6 month period.<br />Alternatively just say no thank you... but that might not work.<br /><br />Clusters allow both abrogation and arrogation without sequestration.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7393790171410726359.post-88908983968582745342010-02-21T10:53:00.004+00:002010-02-21T11:23:23.101+00:00Myers-Briggs Intuition and LentParanoia, melancholy and stress, three factors which can make clergy difficult to relate to. As an INTP, so theory goes, I relate to the world through my intuition primarily. Hunches, guesses and piecing together jigsaw puzzles, it's rather like turning a kaledioscope and waiting to see what appears.<br /><br />Why do washing machines and cars breakdown in Lent? Because it is Lent! Why do PCC members cause trouble in Lent? Why does the prospect of Annual general Meetings fill clergy with trepidation in Lent? It's not just their proximity. Things go wrong in Lent - take it as a compliment. <br />Lent is also a time when clergy are more likely to get tired, frustrated, fed-up, stressed, miserable and grumpy. It is something to do with that spiritual warfare between good and evil - whether you understand it as structural sin permeating society, or a force for bad exisiting both in individuals and ontologically (in as far as God permits evil). Is the devil real? Hashatan - Hebrew for God's adversary is there in the heavenly court in the book of Job, and the devil or Beelzebub, the Prince of the Air is there in the Gospels. Reality is that Lent is when clergy are most vulnerable because of the spiritual warfare which surrounds us and in which we play a small part, as we exhort our flock to turn away from sin and to turn to Christ.<br /><br />I am not sure if there is any research into paranoia and the Myers-Briggs Typology Indicator (MBTI), though there can be a correlation between depression and paranoia.<br /><br />I am not suggesting for a minute that if you are an INTP you will be more paranoid than other personality types, but I think it is clear that if your under the weather, perhaps with a cold, flu or just down in the dumps, bacause things seem to be going wrong, so anyone is more likely to be a little melancholy. Those people with INTP brood, they mull ideas over, and if those ideas are intuitions about others, and you are a little melancholy to start with those intuitions are more likely to be negative, tainted by your experiences of Lent.<br /><br />Add together the tendency to brood over things, an atmosphere of challenge to mental equilibrium, and the likelihood that some people are being nasty - your paranioa is more likely to surface. Are people out to get you? Do they intend to cause hurt and distress?<br />Undoubtedly some do, but if you relate to everyone based on your hunches you will be more likely to have a hunch that they are somewhat untrustworthy, potentially harmful or dangerous.<br /><br />Lent is a time for self-examination, it can be a time when hunches get acted upon, but those hunches are more likely to be wrong at Lent than at any other time. Jimminy Cricket on our shoulders may not be our conscience speaking. So at Lent try to pull in the intuition, treat everyone the same as normal - hopefully everyone equally as well, though that may be too much to hope for - analyse your hunches and see if there is any basis to them, and recognise that any melancholic feelings you have are likely to be projected onto others. Motes, beams and suchlike. Withdraw your projections, recognise that some of your hunches will be correct, but that you aren't able to work out which at the moment. Hold your fire when you want to explode, and time will make things seem better. The Easter message is that Christ is the victor and conqueror of sin and death and it's his victory not ours, spiritually preparing ourselves to celebrate his resurrection will keep us rooted in his love and psychologically more healthy.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com