The Archdeacon of Dudley's Charge 2009 : Deanery Synod reports : Christian books : Lay ministry : Licensing at St James's Wollaston
Archdeacon
of Dudley Admission Charge 2009
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley
compared scandal ridden Parliament last week to custard with the skin peeled off
to reveal what is bubbling underneath. A more sophisticated image was produced
by The Times connecting a French Impressionist with a Swedish Pop group. On
Friday they reproduced the famous murky painting of storm clouds over the Houses
of Parliament with the caption “Money, Money, Monet”. I quote the blessed
Joanna in this charge not only to show she is on the road to canonization, but
also because my theme concerns what lies beneath the surface. What lies beneath
the pretty foliage for it is by its fruit that a tree shall be judged. What lies
beneath an elegant facade when it is by the quality of its foundations you will
discover whether the house can stand.
One of the reasons for asking for a
photograph of your church notice board was to initiate a discussion within PCC
and at the visitation about the image which is presented and how far it is an
accurate reflection of the reality of your church. Is a rather dowdy board
belying a church with vibrant life, or does a bright new noticeboard flatter to
deceive? One church doubted whether their current board would pass muster s they
included with their own photograph one from a neighbouring church which they
would like to copy. Thank you for all the work that has been done in producing
these pictures. The standard is generally very good although a few of you forgot
and a few were quick in the interview to get your disclaimers in first.
In January the Bishop’s Council
spent a session or two on Bishop John’s priorities of mission, mission, mission . That emphasis is being worked out in,
for example, in my colleague Roger’s appointment to promote evangelism across
the diocese and in the promotion of
Back to Church Sunday. It was
intriguing to see how the Council’s discussion moved on to the kind of things
that need to lie beneath the surface activity of seeking to bring people to
faith.
I read you some of the comments that
were made:
We need to pray, discern, take our time, listen,
and learn humility.
We should teach people more about prayer
How do we encourage a deepening of spirituality in our parishes?
How about having schools for prayer?
Prayer is fundamental
The first message is to emerge from
the discussion was the undergirding of prayer and a deepening spiritual life.
People didn’t want to become like a
tree with lots of foliage and no fruit : to be full of frenetic activity in
maintaining and growing the church, raising the parish share, caring for the
building, consulting over Back to Church or Authorised Lay Ministries, and doing
evangelism – without there being something underneath.
Take the story of the Philippian
jailer in tonight’s appointed reading. Here is a man going about his daily
business when he encounters Paul and Silas.
What opens him up to believe is the depth of their spiritual life and the
integrity of their behaviour. He comes to faith not because they spend all night
preaching at him but because they spend the night praying and singing hymns. And
when the earthquake gives them the opportunity to save their skins, they behave
in a way that serves not their own self interests but in a way that saves his
skin.
Within this diocese there are many
sources of support for people who want to go deeper with God. There are places
where individuals can go for personal quiet and reflection like Glasshampton
near Shrawley and the House of the Open Door near Evesham. There are places for
groups to go such as Holland House and Barnes Close. There are people to go to
for direction and encouragement such as those connected with the Spiritual
Direction network. There are groups such as the Cursillo movement and those who
run the Retreats in Daily Life featured in Archdeacons’ News this year.
Bishop John is responding to this
message about the firm foundations of prayer and in the coming month will draw
together people connected with these and other agencies to begin seeing how such
foundations can be strengthened and the hidden things made firm.
The second clear message that emerged
from the discussion I mentioned earlier was summed up in the following comments
:
We need to give people a good show – it needs to
be good and worthwhile
Quality of worship and the Word is important
Authenticity and integrity are essential – showing that we
really are living the life ourselves
This is the more visible activity of
corporate worship – what the Bishop’s councillor rather crudely called
putting on a good show, and what others have called the shop window of the
church. What defines a good show of course varies from context to context.
The kind of “good show” which a
cathedral can muster with its resources cannot be achieved in many other
settings. And some churches need to acknowledge that. Robed choirs, for
instance, have their place but ones that have passed their sell-by date may
actively detract from rather than enhance the quality of the worship. I
recognise of course that this is a delicate area and that in many cases the
issues with choirs are less musical than pastoral and phrases like “strong
personalities” and “vested interests” come into play. But worship which is
turgid, lifeless, ill-prepared, alien to the surrounding culture neither
glorifies God, nor wins the hearts of unbelievers.
We are extremely privileged to have
Paul Carr guesting at his second Admission service tonight. Not all churches
have musicians of his calibre and it is important to pitch the music at a level
which your church can manage. Close your ears to this bit Paul but some PCCs are
facing difficult budget choices and in some cases that may mean not having an
organist at all. I have spoken many times about my experiences on the continent
where a spirit of awe and reverence has been sustained perfectly well with a
large congregation singing responsively to music played on a simple tape
recorder operated by the priest.
One of the secrets of quality worship
is of course preparation. You can always tell travelling round whether an act of
worship has been thoroughly prepared or not. You have your suspicions when you
see a music group choosing songs about three minutes before the service is due
to begin, or someone being nobbled during the first hymn to do the
intercessions.
And the preparation is not only the
work of the priest or the reader or the organist or the one on intercessions. It
is the work of the whole congregation. In some places you cannot miss a sense
that people are coming expecting to meet with God and he will turn up. You
cannot put your finger on it but you feel it is there.
Worship is our core activity. It is
what we are created for. Not just the doing or performing of worship but the
feeling and the spirit of it. Worship fills the heart and what the heart is full
of, the mouth speaks.
And finally, the third message to come
out of the Council discussion: the need for help to share our faith. Another
quote:
Simple and accessible resources to help people
express their faith are essential to engage the mind as well as the heart.
One of the things we talked about was
the idea of the church which is gathered in worship, prayer and ministry, and
dispersed in the community or the workplace.
Tomorrow night I shall be helping to
license a Minister in Secular Employment not too far from here. MSEs as they are
known in short are a reminder to the church that we have this double focus. The
work of most licensed ministers is orientated towards the church and parish, but
most unlicensed Christians live out their faith in a secular context. Their
faith underpins the quality of the work which they seek to do; the values which
they seek to promote in the workplace and live by; and the way in which they
relate to colleagues in the workplace. Work is not the place for aggressive
evangelism. But it is the place where the abundance of a person’s heart
becomes evident and their foundations are tested.
The Philippian jailer had a party that
night, being baptised and learning a new repertoire of worship songs, but he
also had to go back to work the next day. He would not have needed simple and
accessible literature, at least for a few days. But there is a place for giving
a reasoned and intelligent account of what underpins some of the more emotional
dimensions of faith. Help is on its way incidentally for people who find
themselves asked searching questions.
Much of what we are charged with in
our mutual responsibilities are matters of second order importance in the
greater scheme of God’s things. But many are necessary – and legal - so that
prayer and worship and sharing of faith, things of the first order, can be
sustained. Let’s present a good
image to the world: and let the life behind it be deep and abundant.
The importance of lay ministry
Robert Jones, Director of Development in the Diocese of Worcester, writes....
"...It is clear that lay ministry comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes in the parishes, and that there are in fact many local ministry teams of one kind or another in a variety of settings. Our hope is that this programme of training will supplement and inform that, as well as encouraging new forms of ministry to develop."
The programme of training he refers to has just been unveiled. Interested? Click here
Crown Books at 20, The Ryemarket, Stourbridge is the place to go. map
If you can't get down there, order online at www.crownbooks.co.uk/stourbridge
The Archdeacon of Dudley's Charge 2009 : Deanery Synod reports : Christian books : Lay ministry
What has happened at recent Deanery Synod meetings? Read all about it
June 2007 October 2007 February 2008 June 2008 September 2008 Bishop's address at the September Synod
Licensing at St James, Wollaston
Revd Diana Farmer and Revd Andrew Hazlewood were licensed at St James's Wollaston on Wednesday 20th May....