St Johns and Clayton Brook Churches

Vicars Letter

The Parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist and Clayton Brook Community Church

Dear Friends,

First of all I must congratulate all those who successfully completed the 'Big Drop' and lived to tell the tale. The trickiest bit was getting over the parapet of the tower before beginning the abseil. However, it was managed by more than eighty people aged between 7 and 77. The weather was good, the crowds wonderful, the barbecue tasty, the prayer walk most helpful and we raised about £6.5k towards the cost of repairing the tower. A very big 'Thank You' to everyone involved.

There is a suggestion that others may have been inspired by what they saw of the abseil, and wish to 'have a go'. If so, there is a possibility of organising a Saturday morning, perhaps in September for the 'stragglers'. Anyone interested should give their name to Anne Harris so we can assess the demand.

On a different tack, this promises to be a rather difficult summer for the Anglican Church worldwide. The Lambeth Conference, the ten yearley meeting of Bishops from the 38 Anglican Provinces around the world is being held at Canterbury, but a number of bishops have felt unable to attend. Instead, they are joinging a meeting in Jerusalem to look at 'where the Anglican Communion is heading.' Some bishops are attending both.

The popular press present the issues as being around the possible appointment of women bishops in the Church of England, the consecration of an openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church of the United States, and the blessing of civil partnerships in North America, though there was a recent case in London too.

The underlying issue, which is clearly of little interest to the press, is concerned with our understanding of Scripture. The Anglican Church has traditionally stated that decisions must be made on the basis of Scripture, tradition and reason. These have served as the three legs of the stool upon which the church has stood. Those who take a more conservative view would argue that Scripture and tradition must take precedence over reason and popular culture. The more liberal minded would want to over-ride scripture and tradition with their greater emphasis on reason, especially that based on scientific enquiry. The problem with science is, that today's certainty is tomorrow's obsolescence. It is a shifting sand in which many a populist has sunk.

Please pray for the Anglican Communion as it wrestles with these issues, and particularly for the Archbishop of Canterbury as he chairs the Lambeth Conference. Pray too for our own bishop, Nicholas, John and Geoff as they take part. Pray that if there is pain ahead, it may be the labour pain of new birth.
Enjoy your summer break

Your Friend and Vicar, Alan

Noticeboard

Church Wardens

St Johns / Jean Grindrod
Clayton Brook / Diane Jones

Verger

St Johns / Don Harris