Guiness and Brimstone

May 2008

2008-04-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Reflections from the Vicarage

We are very fortunate to have such a beautiful and historic church building here in Whalley. We are also fortunate that it has been cared for so lovingly and diligently over a very long period of time. Successive generations of churchwardens have all taken their responsibilities for the upkeep of the fabric very seriously. We have also been fortunate to have had a number of legacies and grants over the years which have enabled all the work recommended in the Quinquennial reports. Until recently our fabric fund was in a very good state. Unfortunately, now we have obtained estimates for the repairs called for in the latest Quinquennial we find that we do not have enough money in the fabric fund to tackle all the repairs this time. Scaffolding will soon be going up and work will be done on the pointing of the tower, on the flashing at the end of the north aisle and on the decaying stone work in the east window. These are all necessary to prevent the ingress of water, and to prevent the fabric deteriorating. There is, however, a whole list of repairs called for in the report which we are not able to tackle at this time.

The PCC of Whalley has always fully accepted that the upkeep of the ministry of the church is the responsibility of the congregation. However a building like ours is part of the heritage of the community as a whole, and we have been very fortunate over the years to be supported by the generosity of those who recognised that fact.

The financial burden on the church seems to increase year by year. Without a very significant increase in regular giving it is difficult to foresee any surpluses which can be transferred into the fabric fund. We very much hope that we will be able to continue to keep our church building in such excellent state for the future. So many visitors remark on what a gem it is, and on how well the building and the grounds are maintained.

This magazine circulates to a far wider range of people than the regular Sunday worshippers. If you count yourself in that category perhaps you might like to consider making a one off gift or perhaps a regular donation towards the ministry fund. I can assure you that any donations so marked will be ring fenced for the church fabric. Such donations can, of course be gift aided.

It is now two years since our partnership with Sabden and Pendleton began. Our Eucharist on 1st May will be the third of our joint celebrations. The arrangement seems to be working well, and one of the major advantages has been a reduction in the Parish share. There are disadvantages however. I feel like I am juggling plates sometimes when I am doing the rotas, trying to cover all the bases, trying to give everyone a job to do, and trying to be in the right place on significant occasions. Though I enjoy being in all three churches I find the lack of continuity some what difficult, as, I believe, do some of you. I was particularly disappointed recently when a young couple whom I married a couple of years ago brought their new baby down from Newcastle to meet me, only to find I was at Sabden and Pendleton on that day. However that is all part of the reality of life in a 21st century church. I gather that someone made a comment on Good Friday that the vicar had managed to put in an appearance even though he was late. By the time I arrived in Vale Gardens I had already participated in two services in Sabden, plus finished the washing up from Thursday night. Because the walk at Sabden was shorter I found myself driving back into village just in time to catch the end of the Whalley event. That was an added bonus to me and I much enjoyed being part of it. It is important to remember however that I am now vicar of three parishes and cannot be in two, let alone three, places at the same time.

Much of this may seem rather negative. On May 11th, however, we celebrate The Feast of Pentecost, and rejoice at the gift of God’s Holy Spirit. After that gift was received the apostles were changed men. Gloom and despair had been replaced by boldness and joy. May the Holy Spirit, through his work in each of us transform our church, and give us the confidence to pray for what we need.

April 2008

2008-04-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

Notes from the Vicarage Garden

On Passion Sunday we held our annual Healing Service for the third year. I always find this a deeply moving occasion and it seems to be much appreciated. More people than ever came up to receive the Sacrament of Anointing, many for their own needs and concerns, but many as an act of prayer and love for someone else. We will be holding another service on the evening of Sunday 13th July; meanwhile there is a leaflet available in church giving an explanation of the sacrament. Do remember that it is available at any time on request, in times of serious illness or when facing an operation. Please do ask any of the clergy for details.

As I said last month Easter is extremely early. By the time you read this Easter Sunday will be a distant memory, and probably all the eggs will have been eaten. We are however in the middle of the great fifty days of Eastertide. The church places great emphasis on doing things during the forty days of Lent, but we need to be reminded each year that Christ spent forty days after his resurrection with his disciples. The Bible emphasises two things about this period of fellowship with the Risen Lord: firstly that they shared meals together and secondly that he continued to teach them. The early church continued to emphasise these aspects of fellowship with Jesus. Holy Communion was a very different thing then. Christians came together on the Lord’s Day to eat a meal together. At this they remembered The Last Supper, but also those joyful Eastertide meals with the Risen Jesus. As the Acts of the Apostles tells us the new Christians were full of an enthusiastic desire to learn more about the Jesus who they were now following. Those twelve untaught men, some of them fishermen, one a tax collector, became teachers of the faith - - one of the gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

I particularly love the services at Eastertide with their joyful hymns and repeated Alleluias. Every week we repeat the Easter greeting “Alleluia Christ is Risen” and its joyful response “He is Risen indeed Alleluia”. We may not come out of Holy Communion feeling as physically full as the early Christians did, but we can certainly come out feeling spiritually full. But what about the other aspect of those forty days with Jesus? Are we keen to learn about our faith? Are we keen to teach others? The new Home Group will be starting after Easter; it will meet for the first time on Wednesday 16th April at Rosemary’s home, 3 Green Park. The first meeting will be an open one and all are welcome. This will be an opportunity to learn, to share our own Christian experiences and to share some fellowship. Do give it a try.

The forty days finish, of course with Ascension Day. Our joint service of Holy Communion with Sabden and Pendleton will be here at Whalley this year on Thursday 1st May at 7.30pm, followed by a Jacob’s joint supper in the school.

Don’t forget that the Annual Parochial Church Meeting is after church at 11.30am on Sunday 20th April. Coffee will be served in school after the 10am service. Please do come along to hear reports about the life of our church over the past year and to elect churchwardens and members of the PCC.

I will be doing tours of church again on Friday evenings during the summer. The first will be on Friday 25th April at 7.30pm. The topic will be The Chancel. Tours cost £5 and include a glass of wine. These proved to be a very good fundraiser last year. I get a lot of pleasure out of doing them, and always seem to get a positive response from the punters.

Eastertide is also as season of looking forward. Pentecost will soon be here and the last ten days of Eastertide were a period of intense expectation as they waited for “The Promise from the Father”. As I do every year I am looking forward to the double pink cherry blossoms, which are always a highlight in my calendar. I am also looking forward to warmer weather, to happy days spent in the garden, and to a delicious harvest of French beans!

March 2008

2008-04-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Thoughts from the Vicarage

Spring has sprung, and at last the sky is blue and the sun shining. Easter is so early this year—not (as I thought) on the earliest possible day, but next to it. According to one newspaper report it has not fallen on 23rd March since 1856! For those who are baffled by the unreliability of Easter, it falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox! For the whole of my lifetime there have been occasional rumblings about fixing the date of Easter, for example on the first Sunday in April. Personally I hope they don’t—nor do I expect that so many Churches will ever be able to agree on anything. There is something powerful about the fact we are still tied, in some way to the movements of sun and moon which put us in our place, and remind us that it is God’s creation! However the early date of Easter means we have hurtled straight from Christmas into Lent without even the breathing space of the ‘gesimas’ in between.

The single white cherry on the Sands blossomed on 11 February this year, five days earlier than last year, but I note from last March’s letter that the snowdrops were three days later this year, and the hellebores are keeping me waiting, so we seem about equal on the global warming front.

However we cannot forget about the subject, and one Lent resource available in Church helps us to do something simple and practical on each day of Lent to reduce our ‘carbon footprint’. It’s not too late to take one.

The snowdrops, crocuses and cherry blossom all help me to look forward, and there is a lot to look forward to this month!

March 2nd is Mothering Sunday when, once again, there will be a Family Service (no Communion). This is always a joyful occasion, with many young families present. Our thanks to the Mothers Union for distributing invitations!

March 9th, Passion Sunday we will, for the third year offer Healing after the 8.30 service and during the Parish Communion. Many people have commented in the past two years how very moving they have found this service, and how much it has helped them

Then we are into Holy Week! The Maundy Thursday Dinner and Communion will be at Sabden this year. I hope this will not put people off from going! Cliff is intending to organize a minibus, and transport will be found for everyone needing it. Once again an £8 donation is suggested, but give what you can and place it in a sealed envelope.

I am always surprised by how few people come to Church on Good Friday to commemorate the incalculable price God paid to save you and me! Please try to make it a priority. We have a wide range of services available: Morning Prayer at the Abbey, the Ecumenical Walk of Witness, and the reading of the Passion and Holy Communion at 3pm. Please think carefully about this, and make attendance at at least one service a priority!

Finally we come to what used to be called “The Queen of Festivals”, Easter itself! The Proper Preface we use at 8.30 says
“And now we give thee thanks because thou dost give us the spirit of discipline, that we may triumph over evil and grow in grace, as we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed.”
The discipline of Lent is a personal ‘spring clean’, to renew our hearts and minds so that we may be as bright and full of joy on Easter Day as our Church will be!
Happy Lent, and (when it comes) Happy Easter to you all!

February 2008

2008-04-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Reflections from the Vicarage

Christmas seems a long time ago now, but the problem of not having a magazine in January means that we often don’t reflect on the wonderful things that happened during that season.

The Christmas Fair was the best ever and raised £1100, the school hall looked magnificent when I walked into it, full of attractive things to buy, and smiling faces ready to welcome (and sell!). Father Christmas seems to be growing in confidence since he seemed much more at ease with young children this year.

Pickwick night was another good occasion for the church. A combination of terrible weather and a quarter peal rung on the bells brought in more visitors than ever. They were greeted by Gertrude’s glittering display of jewellery and many enjoyed the opportunity to listen to the Whalley Singers, to have a warm drink and to browse through the extensive selection of books. Our thanks to Judith Davies and her friend for producing the wonderful Christmas Cards of the south-west window.

Many thanks to all who worked so very hard for these two occasions they are not only good fundraising events but serve to welcome people into our church.

The Carol Service this year was better attended than for a long time and brought in many people who were new to the church. While it is always good to see familiar faces it is even better to see some new ones from time to time.

The Living Crib at Hawthorn Farm was another high point of Christmas. Despite the bitter cold everyone found it a truly magical event, even the three goats which had to pretend to be camels for the occasion. The afternoon session brought in a large number of families with toddlers most of whom had a wonderful time petting the animals, though there were one or two little boys who had more fun with the tractor! Thanks to the Tennant family for all their hard work, and to everyone else who helped in any way. A mug of hot soup was veryw welcome at the end.

I was looking forward to the Christmas Services as the high point of the Feast when laryngitis struck on Christmas Eve, I enjoyed the crib service (in a non speaking role) and I am very grateful to Diane Weaver for taking the plunge and leading the service with such a natural and joyful way. She has already become a well established part of our family in a very short time. After the service I went home to bed and stayed there for 24 hours until the antibiotics began to kick in. Tesco Value Meatballs were certainly not the most usual Christmas Lunch!

Though I was able to take the services the Sunday after Christmas at Sabden and Pendleton, and enjoyed a wonderful Nine Lessons and carols service at Pendleton on the Sunday morning, having to miss Midnight Communion left a hole in the middle of my Christmas and left me feeling more down than I usually do in the New Year.

This of course happens to many people immediately after Christmas. Some have had to spend time with family where there are tensions, others feel alone and forgotten, and many feel that there is nothing to look forward to in the dark days of January especially when the weather is so bad.

Fortunately in the church’s calendar Christmas does not end on twelfth night but carries on for forty days until the feast of Candlemas on February 2nd which celebrates the presentation of Jesus in the temple. Simeon, holding infant Jesus in his hands recognised him, in the words of the song we know as the Nunc Dimittis, as the “Light of the Gentiles”. Candlemas has always had the focus of light. Coming as it does just before spring it helps us to look back to the joy and light of Christmastide, but also forward to the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.

As I write this my heart is cheered by the sight of the snowdrops which opened on January 13th. Candlemas use to be known in the middle ages as “Our Lady in winter” and snowdrops were regarded as the lilies which came out to greet that feast.

BACK AGAIN

2008-04-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

For a while the password was lost, and the instructions to reset kept sending me round in circles. At last I have had the time and patience to sort it out. Mors blogs will be posted soon :-)

REFLECTIONS FROM THE VICARAGE - DECEMBER 07

2007-11-13T03:09:00.000-08:00

One of the assumptions of the Christmas ‘experience’, which has been building up slowly since the mid-1800s, is the creation of a dream world of light and warmth, good company and good food. We all have our own fantasies of what Christmas should be like, and many, over the next month will be struggling through shops, financial pressures and dismal weather, to bring that dream to reality.

Christmas, in the Middle Ages and beyond, was a blaze of light and festivity at the darkest time of the year. It was always more popular in the Germanic and Scandinavian countries where the winter was (and still is) darkest and coldest. For pagans it was a reminder, at the depth of the year, that the light would return. It’s not surprising that the birth of the “Sun of Righteousness” should become attached to this long established festival, and that our Christmas should be so filled with the language and imagery of light!

On Christmas Day we don’t read the Gospel stories from Matthew and Luke about the birth of Jesus, but the incomparable prose of John’s prologue—his meditation on ‘the Word made flesh’. That Word, says John, through which the universe was created, ‘pitched his tent among us’. Jesus is the pledge of God’s ‘down-to-earthness’. A bit of romance or escapism never does us any harm, especially at this time of the year. But we must keep it in proportion, and remember that Jesus entered in to human affairs, and so must we. Christians, filled with his Spirit, are called to be lights in the darkness of this world. May that lights of Christmas rekindle that true light in each of us!

Joanie and I always get many more cards than we are able to send, so may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy and Holy Christmas!

TEN YEARS ON

2007-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

What a celebration! It was very different from the occasion ten years ago. This time it was a personal, and rather self-indulgent, Choral Evensong. No Bishops present, but the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, our Member of Parliament, and a decent congregation of about sixty.

We started with “I will sing with the Spirit” by David Goodenough, then straight into the opening responses, “Goodenough in D”. Thank God my voice has recovered enough for me to be able to sign the Office. Psalm 122 was to my favourite chant. Nigel Evans MP read the first lesson and Jim Holt our Curate read the Second. The Mag and Nunc were to Murrill in E—what a fantastic few moments of nostalgia for me, and a real auditory treat.

The Anthem “O what their joy” by Harris could only be described as magnificent, well worth the nine minutes! The Choir had learned it especially for this occasion, the darlings! I had expressed the wish to have ‘O quanta qualia’ as one of the hymns. Anthony responded by sending me a track of this anthem. It was magic! Utter self indulgent joy, as well as a very deep moment of personal worship—one of those moments which one wishes one could hold on to for ever and ever.

Marion Russell’s prayers were spine tingling. I hope she has a written copy of them!

The hymns ‘Disposer supreme (Old 104th) was slightly marred by the choir having a different versions (NEH) than the congregation (AMNS), but no-one minded, and it was wonderful.

Canon Norman Atty’s sermon was exactly what I expected it to be—one or two scurrilous stories, including one which he acknowledged was quite apocryphal—accompanied by some deep reflection on what it is to be the Church of England, with some stimulating historical and contemporary analysis. It ended with the tale of his mythical venture into the nuns’ underwear department of Barbiconis in Rome, and many visits later, his eventual purchase of a Roman hat, which was presented to me as the finale of the sermon. Picture to follow!!!

“O God of earth and altar” sung to ‘Kings Lynn’ was spine tingling as always, then the blessing, and finally, “Crown him with many crowns” to ‘Diademata’. How else could we finish? Garry and I had a great time with the bass part :-)

Afterwards a few drinkies in the Dog with the Mayor and Consort, Norman and Christine.

What a magnificent feast of music, performed so consummately. Thank you Anthony and all the Octavius singers. You are megastars, and I go to bed glowing with so many happy memories of my 10th anniversary as Vicar!!!

Now we look ahead to the next ten!

CENOTAPH OR WAR MEMORIAL

2007-10-26T04:01:00.000-07:00

People often refer to the War Memorial as the ‘Cenotaph’. In fact there is only one Cenotaph in England—the one in Whitehall.

The name comes from the Greek kenos taphe, meaning ‘empty tomb’. It was designed by Sir Edward Lutyens on the model of ‘representative’ memorials in ancient Greece where an empty sarcophagus was surmounted by a monumental ‘pylon’. If you look at the Cenotaph in Whitehall you will see that this is exactly what it is. Before the Unknown Soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey the Cenotaph was designed as a memorial to all the dead in battle, known and unknown. It is rightly the centre of our national commemorations, just as our own War Memorial with the names of local men, is the centre of ours.

NOTES FROM THE VICARAGE - NOVEMBER 07

2007-10-26T03:54:00.000-07:00

What with the Lady Farmers Service at Sabden earlier in September by the time we got to Harvest at Whalley on 14 October I was beginning to feel I had heard it all before—indeed I had! By the evening service it was my fifth singing of “We plough the fields”, and I have to admit I was not looking forward to it all. But, as always, God can surprise us. All the Harvest services were good, and all different, but the two sung services at Whalley could only be described as wonderful.

On Remembrance Sunday quietness and silence will, quite rightly, be a major part of our service. I am very impressed, as I noted recently, at the way in which the children of Whalley School, taught through their experience at Collective Worship each day, are able to be very still and reflective. Many adults would be able to learn from them!

The atmosphere at the morning service at Harvest was very different. As I walked in the Church was full of excited chatter. We had a larger attendance by children from the school than we have for many years, and they were supported by a wonderful cast of teachers, parents, younger brothers and sisters and other family members. The buzz before the service began was like that at the theatre before the curtain goes up. None of that, though, detracted from the worship we offered together to God. Quiet and reflection was part of it, but so was joy, exuberance and a deep spirit of gratitude. It would, I’m sure, be claiming too much to say that no-one was bored, but I certainly saw no evidence.

During the service there was lots of noise from younger children. Perhaps that put some people off, but does that matter from time to time? I’m sure God loves their inarticulate cries of delight, and sympathises with their wails of frustration, just as he delights in the hymns and prayers of those who sometimes believe—in the face of a God who takes our breath away and reduces us to awesome silence—that we are articulate. During the service I told the story of Bishop Peter Ball of Gloucester. When a child began to cry during his sermon at a Parish visit the mother hurried to take it out. “Stay where you are, my dear!” cried the Bishop. “I delighted that someone is awake and listening.”
Sometimes the cries of infants remind us that God is a loving Father, just as other elements of our worship remind us of other attributes of God.

Worship on Harvest Sunday was a wonderful affirmation that we are indeed a family, having fun together in our worship, and focusing on the generosity of our loving heavenly Father.

REFLECTIONS FROM THE VICARAGE - OCTOBER 07

2007-10-26T03:49:00.000-07:00

They say that a week is a long time in politics. These days ten years is certainly a long time in ministry.—the average incumbency nowadays is under five years! At the end of this month I shall celebrate the tenth anniversary of becoming Vicar of Whalley.

Whalley has a reputation of having long serving Vicars. Only three since the Reformation has served less than ten years, Richard White (1694-1703), Thomas Gregory (1895-1904) and Charles Brown, the shortest serving of the lot (1945-51).

Whalley certainly has a great attraction to it, and it is not hard to see why Vicars want to stay. Even with the advent of so much new housing it is small enough to be a large village, where people know each other, but large enough to be, in effect, a small town with Bank and supermarket, and a variety of shops and businesses. I certainly rejoice at the fact that, despite house prices and its inherent beauty, Whalley has not become a ‘chocolate box’ village, but remains a thriving working community. We have three lively churches, all very different in character, with two smaller congregations in Barrow and Billington, and ecumenical friendships are closer and warmer than anywhere I have ever ministered before.

For someone who loves history and church architecture as much as I do the Church building is a constant delight. Every time I sit in the Sedelia at the 8:30 service I am overwhelmed by a sense of historical continuity—sitting in the very same seat where the priest has sat to listen to the Epistle at Holy Communion since the 1230s.

Significant Anniversaries always tend to make us look back, remembering some events with joy and others with sadness. When I came to the Parish Church I was also Warden of the Abbey. The events which led to the current changes at the Abbey, and the way in which the decisions were made, have been the cause of a great deal of deep sadness for me. It was impossible to imagine ten years ago that a place which had become so dear to me would no longer be part of my life. The depressive illness, which had been building up for some years and which came to a head in January 2005, has meant that I have not been as energetic or effective a Parish Priest as I should like to have been. I deeply look forward to recovering my energy and joie de vivre again. When you pray for me, as I know so many do, please pray especially for that!

I was taught by the priest who prepared me for Confirmation that thanksgiving is always a good antidote to gloom. “If you can’t think of anything else”, he said “count five things on your fingers and say ‘Thank you’ to God for them. It’s a piece of advice I have never forgotten and which has helped many times during my life. So now I’m feeling gloomy about the failures and the dark patches of the past ten years it’s time to turn to Thanksgiving. I need many more fingers than ten to count the blessings of that time—so many friendships made; new people welcomed into our fellowship; Saturday at Six and the After School Service; a wonderful Church School; the journeys I have been privileged to make with people in their faith and in their lives; the refurbishment of the Church in 2001; the welcome and encouragement of the congregations at Sabden and Pendleton…. There, I feel better already

My Anniversary falls on Saturday 27th October. It will be celebrated by a Choral Evensong sung by the Octavius Singers at 4:30 p.m., with Canon Norman Atty as the preacher. There will be a proper ‘setting’ of the Mag and Nunc, as well as an Anthem. If you love music do come along. It will be a real treat!