St John the Evangelist
The Vicar Writes
August 2008
A little bit of history helps …
Of course we don’t believe all that we read in the newspapers. Neither do we believe all we see on TV. Remember the clips of the Queen (allegedly!) storming out of a photo session? ‘Not true!’ we were told a few days later. The film clips we saw were actually the Queen leaving after the photo session was over!
Over the past few weeks we’ve been fed a diet of headline-grabbing news announcing the ‘break-up’, or the ‘collapse’, or even the ‘end’ of our Anglican Church. Journalists love writing obituaries – of the Church, of the monarchy, of political leaders, and anyone else whom they think is fair game.
But a little bit of history helps. When the first Lambeth Conference of just 76 Anglican bishops met in 1867, it was, believe it or not, at a period of great controversy in the life of our Anglican Communion. Contemporary prophets of doom predicted things would soon fall apart. But here we are 141 years later, with over 650 bishops gathering in Canterbury, again against a background of controversy. Again, the cynics and sceptics are writing our obituary.
Go back further – quite a long time – to the earliest days of the Christian Church. There was a furious row going on. Not over women, or homosexuals, but over non-Jews. Could they be accepted into the Church without becoming Jews first? Read all about it in your New Testament: Acts chapter 15. Apostles and elders lined up on both sides of the argument….
And so it has gone on. There have been disagreements and breakaways throughout the Church’s turbulent history, resulting in massive splits: in the 11th century between the Eastern Orthodox and Western Catholic; again in the 16th century between the Roman Catholic Church and the Churches of the Reformation. And after each split, those on either side have claimed they are right and ‘the others’ are wrong. No wonder the world looks on in disbelief!
So for this year’s Lambeth Conference, the Archbishop of Canterbury wisely decided that the bishops have four days of silent retreat, to pray and study their Bibles together to prepare themselves for the next two weeks of discussion. In one of his addresses to the bishops, the Archbishop said that his prayer for the Conference "is not that after two weeks we will find a solution to all our problems, but that we shall in some sense find the trust in God and one another that will give us the energy to change in the way God wants us to change."
Trust in God and the willingness to be changed by God: that’s a prayer we could all pray – not only for our bishops, but for ourselves as well!
A splendid result!
Those planning this year’s Summer Fête said they wanted to give it a new look. So we had huge banners and posters (all donated) advertising the event, and an attractive programme showing people where to find their favourite stalls. And it certainly paid off!! The final total came to £5,000 which is more than double what we made in the last two years, and may be an all time record.
Warmest thanks to Sarah Collett who co-ordinated the Fête this year, and to all who prepared goods for the stalls, and of course thanks to all those who came and spent their money. This year’s new policy means that 25% of the proceeds of the Fête (and of all other fund-raising events) will go to the charities we have supported in the past, and 75% will go towards the work of the parish. As ever, we have so much to be thankful for.
Whether you will be spending the summer on holiday or at home –
May God bless and keep you all
Fr John
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