The Chaplain’s Blog

First a couple of reflections by the amazing peter Coster who continues to producece these thoughtful reflections every week.

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200 CV CHRISTMAS 2 311223

I could not resist reposting this meme from social media- it just about sums up how I feel about the amount of rainfall this winter- even Noah only had to put up with it for 40 days.

A few years ago we were having Sunday lunch with the gathered children and grandchildren and the subject of Noah came up, I can’t remember the context, but it was unlikely to have been deeply theological.

“I dont like God, he’s nasty,” said one of the kids

“but God saved Noah and his family and the animals from the flood.” one of the adults reminded them gently.

“yeah- but he killed everybody else!” was the instant riposte.

Patronise children with easy answers at your peril!

it is well known that I keep my New Year resolutions – at least the one I made as a teenager that I would never again make a new year resolution.

That is not to say that I never resolve something, such as not taking on too much and like the cartoon, doing exactly the opposite- but the difference is that if the resolution made on NYE falls at the first week of January, that’s it for another year whereas if you make one on other days of the year and fail at it you can always begin again the next day and have another go. (there is a sermon in there somewhere!)

The temptation, particularly in times of transition / vacancy / interregnum is to cover anything we are sked to keep the show on the road- but it should not be a the expense of our health, after all if we get ill we are of no use to anybody!

Chaplain’s Blog Christmas 2023

I can’t quite believe that 2023 is almost over and 2024 looms ahead full of the promise of…… well uncertainty, turmoil, change and opportunity. How we deal with hose things will depend on our attitude and outlook whether they are personal, church or wider-afield.

Locally, like many of you, we in Redruth will be hoping to appoint and welcome a new Rector and in the Diocese we have the search for a Bishop in the knowledge that whoever is chosen they will not be the right choice for everyone.

In the National Church the discussions around Living in Love and Faith and the ceremonies /prayers used for same sex unions will rumble on and the various pressure groups from GAFCON to the Single Parish movement will be fighting for their causes while the rest of us will be desperately trying to just keep our churches going in times of ever decreasing person-power. Whatever the views and I am avoiding writing about my own here, my hope is that love will be the key factor in all discussions rather than dogma and legality. my further hope is that all engaging in discussions will get to know people who disagree with them and try to see things form their point of view. tough I know, but it is the only way that we can be true disciples… “love one another as I have loved you.”

With the increasing age and decreasing energies of our retired priests, and the growing need for oversight ministers to manage ever larger groups of churches the desire or perceived need for weekly communion services is problematic. But how do you change the mind-set of folks who believe that a diet of weekly communion services has been something that has happened for ever, or at least as long as they can remember. I am not at all sure that Communion by Extension is the answer!

So maybe the church, in its widest sense will have to think more creatively. Here are some thoughts in no particular order of importance and not necessarily my view on things!

- Struggle on regardless
- Allow for communion by extension by wider groups of folk with some sort of training…. Eg church wardens and worship leaders.
- Change the designation of readers to permanent deacons….
- Make readers who go through a local discernment and training process local ordained ministers who can officiate at communion.
- An edict across the board that says one communion service a month is to be the standard – and other services will be made up of traditional Morning or evening prayer, evensong and matins or worship in Fresh Expressions.
- Close a few more churches!
- Join more congregations with the Methodist church

I am sure you can think of more…… which do you think have mileage and which would you throw out without a second thought?

In Redruth, our ministry team is pretty realistic about what can and cant be done and we do not expect a miracle worker for our new rector- we will be supporting them rather than looking for them to rescue us!

Back to Christmas. Christmas Eve With the Children is the manic festive offering at St Andrews – this year led by two young people in year 7 and 8 with support from willing adults! I only hope that social media advertising and tradition bring folks to it because the resources to do the normal leaflet drop were poor. The congregation has suffered a number of illnesses and worse that reduced our volunteer capacity- something, I suspect, is true of most places. But we are people of hope, people of faith and people who live the joy of Christ each day.

So I wish you a merry Christmas with as much peace as you need and enough energy to send you into 2024 with hope and joy. I leave you with a little something to make you think…..

A possibly unsettling / thought-provoking / challenging (depending on your own belief) poem by Kaitlin Hardy Shetler from her book “I hope they sing Christmas carols in hell”

i hope they sing christmas carols in hell: holiday poetry for heretics: Amazon.co.uk: Shetler, Kaitlin Hardy: 9798867523466: Books

sometimes i wonder

if mary breastfed jesus

if she cried out when he bit her

or if she sobbed when he would not latch

and sometimes i wonder

if this is all too vulgar

to ask in a church

full of men

without milk stains on their shirts

or coconut oil on their breasts

preaching from pulpits off limits to the mother of god

but then i think of feeding jesus

birthing jesus

the expulsion of blood

and smell of sweat

the salt of a mother’s tears

onto the soft head of the salt of the earth

feeling lonely

and tired

hungry

annoyed

overwhelmed

loving

and i think

if the vulgarity of birth is not

honestly preached

by men who carry power but not burden

who carry privilege but not labour

who carry authority but not submission

then it should not be preached at all

because the real scandal of the birth of god

lies in the cracked nipples of a

14 year old

and not in the sermons of ministers

who say women

are too delicate

to lead

#poemsfortheresistance

A month had passed since the last blog piece and what a busy month it has been! In amongst the normal call of a few funerals and sermons to write there has been the pressure of all things Transition (interregnum/ vacancy) and the deep relief at all the key players agreeing that the profile and the advert are fit for purpose. ((if it interests you – they will be published at … Vacancies- Rector – The Benefice of Redruth with Lanner & Treleigh (redruthchurch.org.uk) )) I think I succeeded in consulting so much that it battered people into a state where they were happy not to be consulted any more!

I have also had the great joy of doing a couple of days of chaplaincy for the Foundations in Christian Ministry Course and for the First Post Licensing training day for the new Readers. The two things have a connection in that the FICM course is a must for all potential Readers / Licensed Lay ministers and is so well put together that as Readers we should be looking around for people who might just benefit from it and then pointing them in the direction of Sally Piper to begin the discernment process. https://trurodiocese.org.uk/resources/ministry/foundations/

Four Readers (including me!) have been taking part in the latest cohort of Sens Kernewek ((Sens Kernewek Archives – Truro Diocese : Truro Diocese ))exploring aspects of Local Lay Leadership. I have found the sessions to be interesting, occasionally inspiring and always valued for fellowship. This week we were asked to write a litany working in pairs. I was working with Alice who is doing some amazing work with Night Church as well as working with the homeless at st Mary’s in Penzance so our litany reflects the recent issues there with the vandalism of the tents and few possessions of the homeless folk being helped by the church. It is published in the next box! If I were to add an illustration it might be the cartoon in the Guardian today.

A Litany for Sens Kernewek

Alice and Jim

Call: For those who are chained by addiction

Response: This is not a lifestyle choice.

Call: For those who live and tents and doorways

Response: This is not a lifestyle choice.

Call: For those who struggle with mental illness

Response: This is not their choice.

Call: For those who are stigmatised for using foodbanks and warm spaces

Response: This is not a lifestyle choice.

Call: For those who occupy the family pew and deny change & growth for others

Response: Is this a lifestyle choice?

Call: For those who hunger and thirst to know God

Response: Life is the choice!

If I were to add an illustration it might be the cartoon in the Guardian today.

Sermon for Reader Service, 30-09-2023
Rebecca Greenough – LLM
I had to come into Truro early today, not just to make sure I was ready for the service, but to go to
the market to buy these. They are cherries, one of my favourite fruit. And I discovered they were
also my daughter’s favourite fruit when I first gave her some in the summer just before she was
one.
The only problem was that she also liked the feel of the stones in her mouth and didn’t want to give
then up. Clearly, they were a choking hazard so we came to an agreement that I wouldn’t give her
another cherry until she had given me the stone from the previous one.
We hit a problem however when we came to the last one. Obviously, she had no reason to give up
the last stone, so she naturally swallowed it. Despite her young age her reasoning and logic were
well and truly established. We are not born as empty vessels. We are born with a sense of self, with
personality. Probably the most important thing to achieve in a child’s first years is to get to know
who they are and not impose on them who we think they should be.

But God has none of those problems. He knows us from the moment we are formed, as David says
in Psalm 139
13 For you, God, created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

God knows us perfectly, long before we are born, equally when we are ten, twenty or a hundred.
And his love for us is unconditional.

I am not saying that we remain the same throughout our lives, ‘we change with changing seasons’
but God doesn’t. He is a constant. And it is in this relationship with God, that we grow.
And so, with that in mind we find ourselves here, Readers, Licenced lay Ministers. Following a call
that has always been part of God’s plan for us. One which we may have been aware of for decades
or something that has come to light much more recently. I admit it came as a shock to me, but
when God calls, he calls! And he doesn’t take no for an answer.

Part of our training as Readers is through formation, the bringing together of our disparate parts, to
become one whole. Through this process we come to understand ourselves better. And as the 14th
C English mystic, Walter Hilton, explained – if we want to know God, look first to ourselves, because
we are all made in His image. And the better we understand ourselves, the better we come to know
God. Vital, as we train to be Readers and vital if we are to continue to grow as Christians.
But formation is only one part of our calling. We are all individuals and bring an array of qualities to
the Church. Some of us are teachers, preachers, evangelists, pioneers. Some are called to be there
for the housebound or bereaved. And all of us are called to be disciples and witnesses, the face,
voice and hands of Christ in the world.

As teachers, we are encouraged to help develop our students by giving guidance on areas that they
can improve on but to counter this by identifying what they are doing well. But, oh boy, the real
world seldom does that to us. The reality is closer to what we heard in our first reading. One long
list of do nots. One must search for the positive amongst the rough ground we often find ourselves
in. But sometimes in order to grow, we must first acknowledge and overcome the ‘do nots’.
If we are to grow God’s Kingdom on Earth we have to climb through the metaphoric jungle of
weeds that surround us, only then can we discern what God wants us to do and what he wants us
to be. This takes faith, which is itself a gift to us from our redemptive God.

As the Sower, in our Gospel reading, broadcasts his seeds widely it is inevitable that some seed will
fall on unfruitful ground. It is inevitable that some will fall on good earth, only to be choked by
weeds. But some will fall on good, rich and fruitful ground in which the seeds will flourish.
As disciples we cannot know which soil will be the most fertile and productive. This is why we have
to broadcast our seed as far as we are able. What may at first glance appear to be the best ground
may actually be shallow and barren. And equally what does not look very promising may be exactly
where God is looking to plant his seeds of love, redemption, and eternal life.
When things feel insurmountable, we need courage and faith as we go forward. God has his own
plans for us and by his grace we are here, now, responding to his call. Known, and enveloped in his
love.
Amen

188 Thought for the Day – Trinity XVIII

By Didymus

Evensong:

Prov. ch.2, vv1-11

1 John ch.2, vv1-17

Gospel: Mark ch.10, vv2-16.

Well, we have some interesting and thought provoking readings this week. My old friend the Book of Proverbs starts magnificently with a lecture of wisdom, the love of God and the respect for his wishes. Proverbs has wisdom running through its very spine. John’s letter dwells on the sanctity of marriage, which will not go down well among those with problems of a sexual nature. Mark speaks of the same topic.

God made us as we are, and loves us as his own. Yet the emerging problems with gender and matrimony lead us away from the Biblical teaching. Quite how the churches can deal with this problem is difficult to say. I do not feel that Jesus would have withheld his love from a same-sex union. I hope that however the church varies the procedures to accommodate the needs of faithful people, God in his loving mercy will forgive what might be seen as sinful by some.

On Friday we remember a man who, if the CofE had recognised sainthood, would surely have been canonised. William Tyndale, priest, translator and martyr. Tyndale was one of the people who realised that there was something completely wrong with the church. His objective and that of his friends (paraphrased) was to place in each church a translation of Holy Scripture which would enable the man (or woman) in the pew to hear and read the words of God. He once rebuked a senior priest – “I defy the Pope and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost!”

In the 16^th century, England was a member of the RC church. The services were in Latin, and only the priests were, I believe, communicated. Thus one might say, the tradition of taking the congregation for granted became an integral part of church life. Worse still the church charged for indulgences, such as absolution, baptism, and so on. The church used a derivative of the Vulgate, the Latin version of the Codex Vaticanus Bible, dating back to the 4^th century produced mainly by Jerome. The copies in use were imperfect, and even RC theologians were worried about the errors, and still more about the degree of understanding by the parish priests.

The first to study the earliest documents was a philosopher, John Wycliffe, in the late 14^th century. He produced English translations for his students. Others followed his work both here and on the Continent. The discovery of people translating Latin into English caused a furious reaction in the RC church, and those who were caught were denounced as heretics and executed. This struck at the power of the church to continue soaking congregations for indulgencies, and had to be stamped out.

A number of prominent scholars were at work, but it was Tyndale, an exceptionally learned and faithful man from Gloucestershire, who led the translation of much of the Bible into English. He excelled at Oxford and was made a priest, moving to Cambridge as an instructor. The fury of the RC church was such that in 1524 he fled to Belgium to continue his work. Curiously, his predecessor at Cambridge was a Dutchman, Erasmus, a brilliant RC priest, who was concerned at the errors and poor understanding by the RC church priesthood.

The invention of the printing press in 1436 by Johannes Gutenberg had flourished, and by the 1520s, Tyndale and others could have their translations printed by Merten de Keyser and circulated in England. A desperate church bought up copies for burning, which simply financed further copies. People in Europe of the same mind used the same methods to spread their words. Copies had actually reached King Henry VIII.

In 1536, two years after the CofE was formed, agents of the RC church located Tyndale, arrested him and executed him by strangling and burning at the stake. His dying words were “Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes.” Within three years Henry had ordered that each church would have a Bible in English and someone to read it.

Tyndale’s work had precipitated an avalanche, and it was taken up by Myles Coverdale, Bishop of Exeter, and Thomas Rogers, who produced the first English Bible in 1535. During the reign of Queen Mary, work continued abroad. The Geneva Bible, comprising 90% of Tyndale’s work, was produced in 1560, now with numbered verses. By 1582 the RC church accepted that the day had been lost, and commissioned an English translation. The Geneva Bible went to America with the Pilgrim Fathers, and was accepted by the Puritans later on.

In 1611 the Authorised Version was approved by King James, and became known as the King James Version. It is a translation dearly loved by so many, who were brought to Christian faith by its rolling Shakespearean passages, many of which have passed into our language. Approximately 80% comes from Tyndale’s hand

I am sorry for those who regard the KJV with anathema, for they lose so much. The English language is beautiful and capable of expressing emotion, wonder, visions and even spirituality as well as much else in the day. Read it, several times if necessary, and think about it, rather like a glass of whisky, port or wine. (Teetotallers? – Ed). Think what the original writers were trying to say.

I am tempted to say that if it doesn’t strike any chords in you, give up and go back to the Mail or the Sun. (Naughty – Ed)

I remember being taken to task by a very dear friend because there was no KJV in church. OK, I’ll get one was my reply. I spoke to the Rural Dean, there being an interregnum (You’ll get burnt as well my lad! Interregnum – we only have transitions now. People are too dense to understand Latin – Ed).

The RD said “What on earth do you want that for? Nobody uses that now. I’ve no idea where you would get one.”

I gave up, disgusted.

I should add that the deeds of the RC church centuries ago, referred to above, bear no relationship to our sister church today. In the past it was our church as well, and since 1534 our record as the CofE has not been perfect.

The illustrations are of Tyndale, Wycliffe and Coverdale. In our prayers let us remember those who gave everything, so that we may read of the life-giving words of God.

AMEN

well that was an interesting week… someone for Spiritual Direction on Monday- thankfully they were very cheerful and reasonably happy with how things were going! Tuesday morning is our normal Ministry Team meeting here in Redruth which seems doubly important in this time of transition when looking after our curate and each other as the work-load increases. I also had a Wardens Group meeting which discussed amongst other things the final details for the service on Saturday so I crept off into the Curate’s study and logged into ZOOM for an hour before rejoining the original meeting. Thankfully there were still some biscuits! In the afternoon I met with one of our ‘retired clergy’ to plan the informal harvest service for two churches- but that will keep for the moment- but that is what the picture is for.

Wednesday and Thursday were two full one days with a lovely group of people who were inspiring and engaging – but it made me think so hard that my brain was exhausted and I need my Friday morning to catch up on the emails for the week, safeguarding requests and so on. Saturday of course was the Readers service and what a joy that was!

The new precentor Sue Wallace brough a breath of fresh air – almost flying in to the canon’s vestry where I was chatting to the brand new Readers about to be licenced. She managed to smile through most of the organisation over the next couple of hours and I made a point of thanking her afterwards not just for me but for the readers as a body.

Having had such a busy week I had little time to prepare anything particularly new for the two harvest services this morning so I wet for my trusty harvest assembly kit of some paper plates and 21 or so plastic cups. its an all action give the cups out to various groups around the church and see how the worlds resources are shared… and then linking that with the gospel about the rich man and building barns….

They all seemed to love the idea and the activity and even the sermon…. but Redruth Town has ‘banned single use plastic’ and we have a Creation Care crusader who I knew would take me to task. It cut no ice that I said that if I replaced the cups with others I would have to throw these away and that would contribute to the plastic waste. The discussion was curtailed by having to go off to harvest number two…. but it made me ponder about the things that keep us from God’s view of things.

Jason, our assisting minister took a couple of photographs during rehearsals beforehand which he posted on social media. I peered at the blue scarved figure deep in conversation with Canon Paul and Bishop Hugh and mused about how old he looked…. then I realised it was me.

More About the Reader Celebration

It was wonderful to catch up with folk I had not seen for some time and to hear about answered prayers.

It was also wonderful to see Readers who I had known since they began training preaching, leading the prayers and reading- apart from Deryck that is who after 57 years of Reader Ministry is hanging up his scarf. How fabulous to hear him read the gospel as a last part of that ministry.

More about the service when I get the official photographs.

Last Monday I went to the introductory session of Sens Kernewek, The Saints Way, course which laid out the plan for the next 14 sessions and the commissioning of some local leaders.

I don’t really see myself as leading any one church but I do see myself as a key player in our church ministry team as well as part of the leadership team for the Readers in the guise of the Warden’s Group and so on.

So why Sens Kernewek?

Firstly, by the end of the course I want to be able to speak about it with first hand knowledge.

Secondly, it is important o get outsssde one’s normal pattern and speak to people in other situations.

Third some personal challenge especially in focussing my reflections. It is all too easy to be so embedded in Benefice life that we do not see the bigger picture. The diocese for example becomes “them” and or own patch becomes “us” and spiritual / theological manure rains down from on high. Now if we are happy being parochial we could go on with that metaphor and suggest that the gifts from above can be seen as just so much dung or it can be seen as fertilizer to help growth.

I would rather everyone saw themselves as ‘The Diocese’ we are all in this together. hmmmmmmmm …… a thought……..

One of the challenges set for Sens Kernewek is to read a book of the Bible we had not read for a while- or indeed a book we had never read. My mind went immediately to the book of Amos which I did read many moons ago. The example of Amos the Prophet watching the world go by while tending his figs or whatever fruit it was appealed to me greatly.

In the circular from the Center for Action and Contemplation today, Richard Rohr writes about prophets as inside outsle people and comments that ithe longer we are in an organisation the harder it is to be critical of it……. email.cac.org/t/d-e-vtittn-tlkrdthytr-f/ but it is better to click the link and read it for yourself.

Sens Kernwek is certainly already accomplishing my hope of challenging me to think!

email.cac.org/t/d-e-vtittn-tlkrdthytr-f/

When the rector announced that he had been appointed Rector of Calne (somewhere east of the Tamar) I found myself the link person between the Transitions Adviser and everyone else…. it meant work, but then it also meant that I could have some input. I am a firm believer in putting one’s money where one’s mouth is!

So the first thing I did was to send out a questionnaire to as many people in the five churches as I could reach – link here…

The response was excellent and the next task was to compile the responses into some sort of working document for discussion by the various church councils. The compiled responses can be seen at the bottom of our vacancies webpage.

There was now much trading of text between church wardens, keen folk on various church councils and our excellent transitions adviser (Andy Harris) who managed, skillfully, to make us focus on that which was most important.

We are now on version eleven of the document ready for a chat with the archdeacon and the PCCs next week. I really hope I do not have to change much now. The knock-on effects for me have been to do with the sheer hoovering up of time! People have been wonderfully diligent in spotting typos, grammatical errors, incorrect service times, things that need mentioning….. things that should not be mentioned but each one takes time to correct and time to disseminate the new working of the document.

The thing that surprised me most, and I suppose it should not have done, was how much unity there was between our churches and how much desire there was to work as a team. Team work or the lack of team seems to be the cause of most of the problems for Readers that land on my desk but in Redruth we have been fortunate in having a strong team that meets weekly for discussion, prayer and support and the thought of losing that to ‘father (or mother) knows best’ type of priest who takes everything on themselves and does not know how to consult or delegate effectively is a worrying one.

The person specification is important is such an important part of the process- which should guide the questions for interview.

In amongst all that profile writing has been planning the rota for the next six months…. Caspar was really keen to make sure he left us with as much in place as he could…. taking on some extra funerals and so on.

Our Curate, now in his second year has a suddenly increased workload….. and the rest of us , congregations and churchwardens as well as the ministry team have a duty of care! I wonder how many priests face burn out because of workload and unreasonable expectation.

I know many of you are going through periods of transition – if you would like to share your experience please do let me know

Essential	Desirable
· Be an experienced team leader (in any context) having a heart for identifying and encouraging vocations in the widest sense of the word.	·
· Excellent communication skills, a pastorally minded active listener, comfortable with talking to young and old alike.	· Have experienced or have perspective of working life beyond the church.
Be inclusive, with a heart for diversity- a servant who serves all God’s people with tenderness and humility and open arms.	· Be competent with Information Technology including ZOOM.
Be a person of prayer and sensitive to the call of the Holy Spirit for themselves and for their people, with the ability to help us in evolving and developing our vision.	· Can show experience of working with young people and children, and the frail elderly and/or housebound.
· Be flexible and able to work with a range of churchmanship valuing individual traditions and have a heart for ecumenism across denominations and faiths, especially in building relationships with the Methodist Circuit.	· Understand what is required to work with deprived communities. ·
Have a good sense of their own strengths and weaknesses and ability to delegate appropriately.	Full driving licence

Erm…… There’s No Hole……

A while ago in the blog I wrote about the privilege of taking the funeral service for an ex-student of mine – a young mum who I had sat down with and planned her funeral the year before she died. A couple of weeks ago I was to preside over the interment of her ashes at St Euny in Redruth.

Because I expected quite a group, there were about 20 folks who gathered, I planned to begin the service in the church lighting candles around the container with the ashes while we shared memories, read a psalm and said some prayers before heading up to the churchyard for the interment. I had enlisted our newest Reader, Jason, to assist – a good move because he has a key to st Euny and I would be sure of the Church being open.

Out early dog walking I made sure I passed the churchyard and the likely interment spot to check where it would be……. But I could find no evidence of any preparation by the stone mason. “never mind,” I thought, “plenty of time- he is probably going to come in the hour efore the service begins.”

I arrived three quarters of an hour before the start time of 9am and still no sign of the mason. The family began arrive……..

As ZOOM morning prayer was at 9 and I knew that Caspar, the rector was leading that morning I quickly logged on and explained before they began. Caspar in his normal phlegmatic calmness sai he had a spade in the garage and would come down and dig a hole if nothing had happened by the end of morning prayer.

Andy, the husband of the Anna whose ashes we were burying arrived and he tried to phone the mason who it turned out was on holiday in Croatia! So it was a message to Caspar who said he would message when the hole was ready. Jason, luckily had discovered the commemorative slab wrapped in sack leaning against a nearby tree.

So the little service in the church grew with not only lighting our candles but also blowing them out with some ceremony before leaving the church. Luckily I have a store of extra poems and readings I the back of my funeral folder which meant I had enough material to keep going until the message arrived and we were able to head for the church yard.

The family and friends were all amazingly supportive and felt that the occasion had been very special. You can imagine my personal prayers of thanks!!

Lesson learned about checking fully for each occasion- I hate to think what would happen if a grave had not been prepared!

The Burial of Ashes

Introduction and Welcome and we invite those present gather around the ashes.

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Though we are dust and ashes, God has prepared for those who love him a heavenly dwelling place. As we prepare to commit ANNA’s ashes to the earth, we entrust ourselves and all who love God to his loving care.

We light candles around the ashes as we listen to one of Anna’s favourite songs “a thousand years” by Christina Perri .

A reading from Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me out and known me; you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

You mark out my journeys and my resting place and are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue, but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

You encompass me behind and before and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, so high that I cannot attain it.

Where can I go then from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there your hand shall lead me, your right hand hold me fast.

If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will cover me and the light around me turn to night,’

Even darkness is no darkness with you; the night is as clear as the day; darkness and light to you are both alike.

I thank you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are your works, my soul knows well.

The Sharing of memories

Let us pray: Heavenly Father,

we thank you for all those whom we love but see no longer.

As we remember ANNA in this place,

hold before us our beginning and our ending,

the dust from which we come and the death to which we move,

with a firm hope in your eternal love and purposes for us,

in Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

Reading: 1 Corinthians 13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.

It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong doing, but rejoices in the truth.

It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known.

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

A time of prayer ending with the words Jesus gave his disciples:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come; thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

We process to the place of burial

God our Father, in loving care your hand has created us,

and as the potter fashions the clay you have formed us in your image. Through the Holy Spirit you have breathed into us the gift of life. In the sharing of love you have enriched our knowledge of you and of one another. We claim your love today, as we return Anna’s ashes to the ground in sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life.

In the name of the all-powerful Father, in the name of the all-loving Son, in the name of the all-pervading Spirit:

we pray that you be free from dependence upon human ties,

that you may free as the wind, soft as sheep’s wool, straight as an arrow; and that you may journey into the Heart of God,

Lay the Ashes as these words are said

Into the darkness and warmth of the earth we lay you down.

Into the sadness and smiles of our memories we lay you down.

Into the cycle of living and dying and rising again we lay you down.

May you rest in peace, in fulfilment, in loving.

May you run straight home into God’s embrace.

Minister

God of hope, grant that we, may be united in the full knowledge of your love and the unclouded vision of your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Dismissal

May the infinite and glorious Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, direct our life in good works, and after our journey through this world grant us eternal rest with all the saints. Amen.

Latest News:

We welcome four new Readers in Training who will be starting with SWMTC in the Autumn. Claire, Richard, Joanna and Mary…. welcome to the Reader Community! Please add them to your prayer lists as they embark upon their studies at the beginning of their Reade journey.

It was a privilege and a joy to be part of the interviewing panel and to be part of the discernment process which is much MUCH more rigorous that it was in 1986 when I began Reader studies!

Reader Service Details_ please put this in your diaries and make this a wonderfully celebratory event- especially as support to those who are about to be licensed for the first time.

Quiet Day at Epiphany house – Friday 28^th July.

Storytelling and Building Everyday Faith – Epiphany House

Good to know it is going ahead with a cluster of bookings 🙂

I am leading a quiet day on Friday 28th of July to which anyone is welcome….. but booking is essential through Epiphany House.

Please book a.s.a.p. the last one was cancelled and several people were disappointed because they had not got round to booking.

Cost £25.00 to include all hot drinks & a light lunch, for all information and to book a place please contact bookings@epiphanyhouse.co.uk or call on Tel. 01872 857953

Currently I am nursing a sore jaw and a sensitive tooth and occasionally feeling sorry for myself while wondering the ideal time to go back and do the negotiations with the dental surgery reception. I was delighted to get the emergency appointment to replace my broken filling – I only had to wait six weeks – however I fear more radical treatment may be required. Possibly something to do with a partially impacted wisom tooth.

But I am lucky to be on the lists of an NHS surgery and to have receptionists to negotiate with having heard of so many people who cannot get a dentist at all, let alone an NHS dentist!

So my stock of Sensodyne is helping…. but the jaw is an irritation that gets in the way of thinking about important stuff like the next sermon…. or a creative way of doing a burial of ashes. Mind you, the Ashes cricket is also a distraction!

In Redruth we are about to have a period of transition as our Rector, Caspar Bush heads up country to a new job at the end of August. It has been interesting collecting up the views of folk in all our five churches – more about how i went about this and the questionnaire will appear in the next blog. Next week we have a ZOOM with our transition adviser and anyone from the various councils and congregations who want to take part so life should get interesting!

Yesterday I went down to Penzance for the funeral of my old friend John Wallis who gave so much, not only to reader ministry but also across many other areas. It was lovely to have a part to play in the service, reading a lesson… draping his Reader Scarf across the coffin and praying; i leave you with the prayer i used….

Loving Creator God

We give thanks today for the ministry of your servant, and our friend, John.

For the lives he influenced and the lives he touched.

Through his ministry in education for children. teachers and parents

through his music his art and poetry

and- his balance and sanity when in tricky discussions.

We thank you Lord, for all the moments he left with each of us.

Today we are sorrowful as we celebrate john’s life

but in his words, “it is what it is!”

and we are grateful for all you inspired him to leave with us.

In Jesus’ name – Amen.

Rev Sian Yates writes:

I write to inform you that John Wallis, a Reader in the Penlee Cluster, died last night after a number of years of living with an aggressive cancer.

He has served the church and this diocese faithfully over many years both as a Reader and a Head teacher. Many years ago he also helped with writing the RE syllabus for the country and he brought great insights and sense of fun, along with an unswerving faith.

He was just so humbled last week when bishop Graham said that he would visit him and pray with him on Thursday when he came to Newlyn for a confirmation….real tears of joy. Bishop Graham was the person who confirmed him many years ago. Of course, he has not died before this was able to happen

So after prayers and Last Rites yesterday morning, and with his music grouo singing their hearts out and making a recording for John as the parish mass, John took his next steps towards his death, bravely, humbly and full of confidence. One of the pastoral team who is a nurse sat with them throughout the night until his death .

John’s phrase of “‘Tis what it is my ‘ansome” summed up his philosophical approach to illness and life in general summoning up energy for his daily sketches and posts on Facebook and early in his journey with cancer he even took on being deanery Reader Steward and attempted to promote meetings, a quiet day and prayer. He was a little disheartened that the response was less than he hoped but then not everyone had John’s passion!

Rest in Peace John and Rise in Glory!

As Chaplain to Readers I very much appreciated John’s wisdom and wit. He had the special talent of being able to sidetrack any discussion that was floundering and to insert a pithy comment that would temper a more extreme view. I knew John for many years, our paths in teaching crossing fairly frequently – usually on courses but I got to know him much more in retirement in his last years as a driving force in the church and in his dedication to reader ministry. He was vociferous about the fact that when he had asked the bishop about being a reader, the (then) bishop had suggested ordination and John turned it down flat!

Stroy Telling in Pennoweth primary school

Every year since I retired from teaching I have given the teachers at Pennoweth an afternoon of story telling and music in the summer term so the children get something different and the teachers get some time for reports or the million and one other things they need to do when not actually teaching.

I find it really annoying when i see the posts in social media about children needing to be taught manners or about worsening behaviour because over the years the evidence has been to the contrary and this year has proved no exception. the children have all been a delight and make an excellent audience able to listen and participate with enthusiasm. what a fab job their teachers do!

the Nature of Retirement

I have always believed the retirement is work without the benefit of a pay cheque – or these days a monetary payment into one’s account, and, that the drawback of retirement, apart from increasing decrepitude, is not getting a day off!

However, having retired from teaching in 2009, I would far rather be useful and busy than be slowly assimilated into an armchair before the wonders of daytime TV- even if the cricket is on.

in the last week, we have had the delights of the annual Arts Festival at St Andrews in Redruth- organised as always by my lovely wife who, despite rattling like a maraca with pills to stave off heart failure attacks these things with huge enthusiasm and drags everyone else along with her. My jobs have included collecting our grandson from school, running a clay workshop making grotesques, running a story making workshop for 10 year olds and driving back and forth as requested.

Quiet Day at Epiphany house – Friday 28th July.

Storytelling and Building Everyday Faith – Epiphany House

i am leading a quiet day on Friday 28th of July to which anyone is welcome….. but booking is essential through Epiphany House.

Please book a.s.a.p. the last one was cancelled and several people were disappointed because they had not got round to booking.

Cost £25.00 to include all hot drinks & a light lunch, for all information and to book a place please contact bookings@epiphanyhouse.co.uk or call on Tel. 01872 857953.

Transition and other Business

With our rector (and rural dean) leaving us for a new challenge across the border in England we are about to go into transition and so i am thoroughly involved in trying to coordinate, collate, collect and otherwise communicate between the congregations of five churches. What we will come up with for our parish profiles and person specifications remain to be seen but my own list of attributes would include:

A prayerful listener who is…..
used to running / working with teams who…
knows their own limitations and can delegate appropriately
Someone who has a heart for equality and diversity who will encourage and develop the vocations of all involved in our churches at whatever level.
Someone prepared to take a risk and to encourage others to push the boundaries.

What would your list be?

Assistant Chaplains

I am delighted that we are in the process of recruiting some Assistant chaplains who will be on post once we find time to do due diligence to Safer Recruiting which is an imperative in these days of Safeguarding. More news soon.

Discernment

Yesterday I spent most of the day at Church House in Threemilestone with the panel and two dedicated and selfless people who had put themselves forward to train as Readers.

They had been asked to prepare two tasks including chairing a group discussion on a passage they found tricky and telling a story to illustrated a Bible reading for an inter-generational service. Between tasks they met the warden’s group whilst balancing coffee and cake as they spoke and in the afternoon they had lengthy conversations / interviews with the selection panel.

Over the years that I have been involved in the discernment for new Readers the process has become much more rigorous and the demands of training every higher. I trained with a colleague in the Redruth Team with a Tutor based in a nearby parish, the Rev David Stephens who set and marked our essays. I remember going to a few lectures in Truro with Canon Peter Boyd and doing a placement of sorts in another setting, the local Methodist circuit. I managed to complete the course and be licensed back in 1988 while working full time as a Primary School deputy head teacher and with a young family. I really doubt whether anyone in their thirties with a full time job and young family could train these days. I certainly could not although the study part was relatively easy following on the back of a Masters dissertation and an NPQH!

These days training with the ordinands is a wonderful opportunity especially when we rely on teams to run our multi-church clusters and benefices.

these days all the trainees have to attend 7 weekend sessions at MARJON in Plymouth and 14 reflective practice groups in Turo. Before that they must complete the Foundations in Christian Ministry Course ad afterwards complete the rigours of the very practical post Licensing year. Only after all that is done will a full three year license be granted.

It would be good to record here any thoughts you have about your own path to Licensed Lay Ministry and any thoughts you have about how training might be done differently for today’s needs.

i have signed up for some training myself with the next Sens Kernewek Course which i am thoroughly looking forward to having heard excellent feedback from other Readers who have attended.

Visitors

For the last three weeks we have had a friend to stay and as a result the Garden has been transformed and many tasks that I have had on my To-do list for the past several years have been completed. ( I will post some pictures at the bottom later)

Having a visitor, especially a really helpful visitor, is great but it changes all routines and as I get older I value my times of solitary meanderings more and more. Those times of prayer are time to mull over sermon thoughts, to pray for those in particular need and for others more generally and when that time goes there is certainly a sense of something missing.

There is however ‘no rest for the wicked’, as my mother used to say. This week we have readers in Conversation tomorrow morning and safeguarding training in the afternoon supporting the new leadership course. Tuesday morning is our weekly ministry team meeting where thankfully we will be discussing the readings I am preaching about next Sunday! Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are story telling in a local primary school and Thursday I am off to see my Spiritual director. Everyone should have a spiritual Director!