Author: <span>Jim Seth</span>

Form the Turo Diocesan Magazine

Dear fellow Readers / Licensed Lay Ministers The blog / website will updated during this week with any documents mentioned below.Reader’s Day prompted questions about a few issues which were then discussed at the Wardens Group Meeting this week.Where can a Reader Minister?To avoid any confusion….. I can confirm that all licensed lay ministers, whether they have a full license or still have permission to officiate, may minister outside their own local area by invitation and with permission from their own incumbent.We briefly discussed whether the same was true for local worship leaders; although we felt that the same rule should apply, we could not find a definitive answer and that is being investigated.Transforming Ministry MagazineHaving consulted with Readers about how much, or little they read the magazine and whether they would pay for it the cost of £18 per head, is not tenable in the current financial climate especially as over half the respondents either did not read the magazine or only glanced at it. Therefore, the wardens group decided that if Readers want the magazine, they should subscribe for themselves. If any readers find the magazine particularly valuable but find the financial commitment difficult the diocese will provide some bursaries. Anyone in this position should speak to the Deputy Warden or to the Chaplain.Paperwork and Re-licensing: All readers will now have to be relicensed every three years and those who currently hold PTO will be fully relicensed when that PTO runs out. The paperwork for this process including the new work agreement / ministerial review has been agreed and will be sent out my Mel Pomeroy from the Admin team as licenses fall due. I will put finalised copies on the Chaplain’s Website in due courseDBS checks and the renewal of safeguarding training will be integral in re-licensing. Safeguarding As I sit on the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel (DSAP) I shared a paper on the positives and the problems of safeguarding faced by readers in their local churches. I will share that paper on the blog page. I do hope that it reflects your feelings and concerns. Report for the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory PanelReader Handbook:The Reader Handbook is well out of date and a group has been tasked with updating it. Readers Handbook - as at 17th October 2013This will include changes to arrangements for committees and meetings. Some of these changes are detailed in a paper from Bishop Hugh which will also appear in the blog when it has been updated. 2022 May - Readers update summaryDeanery Reader Stewards / Deanery Chaplains to Readers.It was agreed a while ago that the role of Steward should evolve into the role of Deanery Chaplains, and I am delighted that a few of our new chaplains have taken on the new mantle with effect and enthusiasm. David and John at different ends of the county have been telephoning Readers in their deaneries and Graham in the middle has arranged a programme of discussions and activities. We are aware that some Readers are fairly…

Emma, Bishop of Lambeth led our first session after morning worship led by Margaret Sylvester-Thorne. Please note that the worship songs have been muted to avoid YouTube Copywrite infringements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR24-JVRrs4In Part two of the Reader Day Bishop Hugh sent a video message and some questions to challenge. This section contains a good deal of interesting discussion between those present - especially in the AGM section and the general feedback / plenary. https://youtu.be/PhdOh_gHgBIhttps://youtu.be/bNUqAIWFt4ABelow is a video participants were encouraged to watch before coming to Reader Day..... worth a watch if you have not seen it already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDPzOLOdczA&t=2sSome people requested the report on Reader Ministry (spoken about by Bishop Hugh) by the sub-group of the Warden's Committee ReaderWPreport (Final) May 2021 Reader Day Chat Comments10:01:05 From Emma Ineson : “Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come” (Revelation 4.8).10:01:39 From Emma Ineson : : “He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (3.11).10:03:01 From Emma Ineson : “Remember the long way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, in order to humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart,” (Deuteronomy 8.2)10:03:42 From Emma Ineson : ‘A Christianity that seeks the Lord among the ruins of the past and encloses him in the tomb of habit is a Christianity without Easter’.10:05:51 From Emma Ineson : 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 19He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place..’10:08:24 From Emma Ineson : will power and way power10:09:50 From Emma Ineson : Proverbs 13.12 says: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”.10:13:05 From Emma Ineson : We had hoped ….10:14:54 From Jim : to meet in person..... but found the joys of zoom10:15:28 From Sandy Massie : … to be further On The Way and have a better idea of the destination. (Kerrier)10:15:46 From Claire Salzmann : we wouldn't seek to return to 'normal', but reach for 'newness'10:16:02 From Lydia Remick : Amen Claire.10:16:31 From Lydia Remick : … for more openness to lay ministries where they are not yet being utilised10:16:56 …

114 CV Thought for the Day – Easter IV by DidymusEvensong: ReadingsActs ch.9, vv36-endJohn ch.12, vv20-26 The Lectionary has requested that the reading from Acts should be read at the principal service, and as Evensong is St.Michaels’ principal service I have included in place of the OT reading.The reading from John describes an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees and their adherents. It was during the Festival of Dedication, or Festival of Lights during November – December. The crowd pressed Jesus to declare whether he was the Messiah. Jesus was quite explicit, and concluded with the declaration - “I and the Father are one”. It didn’t go down terribly well. Faced with the choice Jesus lays before us, do we follow him (to coin a familiar phrase), or do we stick with how our lives have been shaped and what we know for certain. The Jews stuck with what they had been told and what they knew.I remember Tabitha, or Dorcas in the reading from Acts from an unsuspected source. British Railways bought some very expensive diesel locomotives, and the first was to be named ceremonially. On learning of the name, the GM said that it should have been Dorcas. Why? Because it was full of good works. (Groan – Ed) The story of the raising of Tabitha is charming, as is the story of the healing of the lame man in Ch.3. The Book of Acts was almost certainly written by Luke as a second part of his Gospel, and it describes the acts of both Peter and Paul in response to the command of Jesus at his Ascension. Both men were the means of miracles, and in a sense they continued to be taught and led by Jesus in spirit. The Gospels take us from the earliest times to the Passion, the end of Jesus’ earthly life. The Book of Acts takes us, uniquely, from Jesus’ Ascension forward into the first century AD. The question that teases the mind is when and how Luke gathered his information. And from whom. What Luke tells us is unique. It is the only record we have of the miraculous deeds worked through the faiths of Peter and Paul. It is enormously valuable, detailing Peter’s post-Ascension ministry, and Paul’s journeys. The narrative of Acts, which is thought to have been written between 80 and 90AD, contains quite detailed information on the events. It suggests to me that for many years before embarking on his Gospel, Luke kept quite a lot of written records of the work of the Apostles which informed his Gospel and Acts. The alternative suggestion is that Luke had a remarkably long memory for detail and chronology which of course is quite possible. Whichever it may be, it is clear that our debt to St. Luke is beyond value and we give thanks for his words. We continue to pray for peace in this world, especially in Ukraine, and the other parts of this violent world obscured from us for the time being…

Rick Cowdery, an LLM with the Diocese's Saltash Hub, is taking the Christian Aid 300,000 Steps in May Challenge for Christian Aid.For more than 70 years, Christian Aid has been standing with the poorest of our neighbours. They work in 37 countries to stand up for dignity, equality and justice.Everyone is equal in the sight of God.Yet we live in a world where poverty still persists.Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of their dignity and lets injustice thrive. Find out more about it at the Christian Aid Website- where you might like to take up the challenge along with Rick! Just click this text or the picture below to go straight there! However, together, we have the power to transform lives.Step by step.Together, we can create a world where everyone can live.Step by step.Together, we can restore justice to our world.Step by step.Rick has set up a JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rick-cowdery where you can, if you feel so moved, chuck a few spare coppers to help some of your poor neighbours. Some are closer than you maybe think.Thank you.#CAW #300Ksteps

Watch out for emails like this one from me or anyone who is likely to be on the diocesan, or other public data base. Note that although this says it comes from me- the address is definitely not mine.... the link it leads to probably will attempt to load something suspicious onto your device, or computer. This type of scam is called clone phishing. I first came across it last year with fake emails from my Rector. Now my name has been used.It is different to hacking, where the criminal guesses your password and takes over your real account. This is a safeguarding issue for all the folks in our churches who use email and might inadvertently click on a link sent in an email of this sort and find their computers, bank accounts and email accounts compromised. Please be vigilant and pass on the warning. It could be your name that is used.... or you may be the person duped into clicking that link!

113 CV Thought for the Day – St. Philip and St. James and Easter III by DidymusNo Evensong: ReadingsIsaiah ch.40, vv27-endActs ch.9, vv1-22John ch.12, vv20-26 As Easter floats away into the recent past, having remembered St. Mark, we now remember both St. Philip and St. James. Remembering people from the past, be they described as saints or not, is important. They gave their lives both spiritually and often literally for the faith of Jesus Christ, a faith which we carry forward in our lives. Or should.The risk is that it encourages the church to live in the past – which much of it does (about 200 years at least – Ed) – but we must always look forward, as I am sure they would have us do. The celebration of the two saints is transferred to tomorrow.As there are at least six known Jameses in the Bible, we need to know which we are remembering. James is an Anglicisation of Jacob, the Hebrew name meaning “heel-catcher”. This strange name was given to Jacob, as he was born after his brother Esau, “on his heels” as one might say. The most eminent James was the son of Zebedee, James the Great, brother of St. John the Apostle, remembered on July 25th (Wait awhile, St. Kew! – Ed).James the Younger, (or more unkindly, “the Lesser”, probably due to his height) was a Disciple, spoken of as the son of Alphaeus. Carefully avoiding the complex world of genealogy, the Disciple Matthew was known as Levi and described as the son of Alphaeus, which suggests that they were related in some way, perhaps cousins or even brothers This James was also linked with the rather anonymous Disciple Thaddeus, possibly from the same family group. Little is known about James’ life and work. Clopas, who was one of the men on the road to Emmaus, had a son who was called James, and Jesus had a half-brother named James, but there is no evidence to connect either with this James, the Younger.St. Philip was a Disciple that we know a little more about. He was originally a disciple of John the Baptist, and left to follow Jesus. It is likely that Philip was the unnamed companion to Andrew, who left John the Baptist at his bidding, and followed Jesus. Later he introduced Jesus to his friend, the acerbic Nathaniel, whose initial scepticism turned to enthusiasm on hearing Jesus’ words. Philip was the Disciple who was given the staggering task of feeding the 5,000, and could not. Imagine his perplexity on hearing Jesus say, in effect, “All right. Tell the people to sit down.” Imagine also his wonder at seeing the miracle unfold before his eyes. Later, in his ch.12 John records Philip being approached by some Greeks who wished to see Jesus. It is a curious three verses, and no conversation is recorded: instead Jesus appears to be reflecting on the coming of his Passion. Philip again appears in the very important Ch.14, when Jesus talks about the…

Dietrich Bonhoeffer on StupidityA warning and an encouragement for 21st-century Christians?FROM: Martin Adams (Reader in St Illogan Parish)I recently came across the following article by Dietrich Bonhoeffer; andimmediately was struck that the points he was making in the closingyears and months of World War II are scarcely less relevant for Christianstoday. Anyone who goes to the trouble of reading this might wish toread Bonhoeffer’s words before mine. The article is below, at the end.Many of the tensions wracking the Church of Jesus Christ today — notjust the Church of England, but most institutional churches in the Westand in the English-speaking world — have arisen through attempts,especially over the last 50 years or so, to accommodate the Church’smission to the precepts of identity politics. It is inevitable, and evennecessary, that a church in a particular time and place will reflect thecultural and other characteristics of that society; and that point is amajor preoccupation of a classic of late 20th-century Christian thought,The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (SPCK, 1989), by Lesslie Newbigin (1909–1998). Among the the central ideas that Newbiggin tackles head-on arethe necessity for a Christian to: 1) exercise discernment about the culturein which he or she is living; 2) be willing to let go of cherished culturaland other presuppositions, ideas and practices that are not central to theGospel; 3) prioritise the core teachings of the Gospel of Jesus Christwhile seeking, as much as possible, to find an accommodation that willenable the believer to work effectively in that society as a disciple ofJesus Christ, especially in the Church’s main purpose in the world —mission.Here, I do not wish to attack identity politics beyond mentioning onemost-fundamental point. A central tenet of Judeo-Christian teaching forthe last 2000 and more years has been that we are all made in the imageof God, are therefore all equal in that most-basic sense, and that equalitybefore God should be the basis of our behaviour one to another. On that2idea, universally declared throughout scripture, have rested most of theChurch’s words and actions that have sought to tackle injustices of allkinds. Those actions have sometimes been too slow, sometimeschristians have perpetuated injustices; but that equality before Godstands as a fundamental aspect of His love for the whole world. (John3:16, for example)Identity politics does the opposite. It identifies injustices or other thingsthat might need to be remedied or ameliorated; but it does so byconcentrating on what divides us — black or white, slave or free, maleor female, rich or poor, etc. — and it understands these differences byclaiming to identify those who have power and those who do not. Itplaces the remedies in the hands of people, not in the hands of God. Itsideologies have an inexorable tendency to seep into all areas of life,affecting education (and not just higher education, where so much of itwas born and is nourished), government policies and the generalinstitutions of state and society. Unfortunately, the church (not just theChurch of England) is far from immune to such infection; and becauseof that it often fails…

Dear All There are regular bits and pieces put up in the news section of the website, (link at the bottom of the page) such as Peter's weekly thoughts of Didymus. I am not sending out emails for every post. Pleasebook Saturday 14th of May 9am to 1pm for Reader Day om Zoom..... we will use the Ministers in conversation link to keep it simple! (ask for a link) Speakers this year include Bishop Emma - who is Bishop to the Archbishops of York and Canterbury) more about here here: Revamped Bishop at Lambeth role boosts links between Archbishops of Canterbury and York (anglicannews.org) I will be chairing the very short AGM. Question: do we need an AGM after this year? Suggestions for answers please..... The conversation group, which always welcomes new contributors meets again on Monday morning on ZOOM...... it would be lovely to meet in person but as we stretch fromPenzance to Callington..... online is rather more convenient. Prayers: Please keep the candidates for selection for next year's training programme in your prayers before their selection day at Epiphany House on June 30th. Also in your prayers, a number of Readers who are in tricky situations in their ministerial areas - please pray for them for wisdom and guidance.112 CV EASTER II 240422[26034] Peter Coster's thoughts for Easter 2

As I have explained before, Easter, like the Nativity, is when every priest seeks an altar and a pulpit, for these are the major events in the Christian faith for everyone. With larger congregations Licensed Lay Ministers (formerly Readers) become servers and chalice bearers. I remember one occasion at Easter when the church was crowded, we had two patens (bread) and two chalices. A conversation in the vestry established the version of the stately gavotte that the two pairs would do to avoid unseemly collisions, omissions or horror of horrors a spillage of wine. One of the first communicants was a man with a baby and toddler. I turned to the priest, questioningly, as giving a blessing was a priestly privilege. He whispered “Then bless them, Peter”. So I did, as a prayer, since in my book only one being gives blessings and we know who. The number of children was amazing, most rather stunned at learning that Jesus was their friend who was always with them. It made Easter for me, an experience that remains with me.Peter's Easter thoughtsRead the whole illustrated text by clicking the title above!

110 CV Thought for the Day – the Sunday Before Easter “Palm Sunday” by DidymusEvensong Readings:Isaiah Ch.5, vv1-7Gospel: Luke Ch.20, vv9-19This weekend’s readings have a similar theme, the use of a parable to illustrate and condemn those who stood against God. It is powerful stuff, indeed Isaiah’s seven verses are one of the jewels of this great book. The poetic comparison of beauty and then barbarity give it greater force. Of course it was easy to ignore Isaiah, as many did, but later Israel and then Judah felt the weight of Assyria and Babylon’s anger.The Gospel follows the same prophetic theme. In my view it would be better to read from verse one, to understand the challenge of the Authorities, and the response. Jesus was much cleverer than his critics, as they discovered when he planted them neatly on the horns of a dilemma. He drove his point home in the parable of the vineyard, reading the minds of his opponents and their intentions.Our thoughts are no doubt on Palm Sunday, with lengthy dramatized readings, by reluctant friends conscripted by the clergy to simulate the events of the Passion. The proximity of the readings and the Passion with the events in Ukraine are painful, bringing the reality of human barbarity with TV and newspapers each day. Jesus being challenged by the PhariseesAmen