It was wonderful
that the Bishop of Durham, the Rt. Revd. Paul Butler, was able to join us at
St. Cuthbert’s on Sunday 19th May. It was only on the morning that
our last issue of the Parish Magazine went to press that I found he was free,
so there was some hasty editing and we weren’t able to give much by way of
detail. We knew that we wanted him to be able to lead us in worship and
thanksgiving as we celebrated our return to using the church with its new
heating system - but we hadn’t been able to make an invitation until we had the
system installed and knew everything was working. So to find he had a space in
his diary less than three weeks after I picked up the phone to his office was
quite amazing!
And to get the
morning organised together with a celebratory lunch and all the invitations
which needed to go out was amazing too! Thanks to all who worked so hard - and
had the confidence that we could get everything sorted out. Thanks to those who
went back to do still more cleaning in the church and decorated it so
beautifully and put up special displays - and to those who enabled the service
itself to go so well.
Now we have to get
on with the job of being the Church. Not that we stopped doing that while
“camped” in the church hall. But it’s been hard to be able to plan with
confidence or to say, Yes, the church is available for your Baptism or
wedding or funeral… And the building is there as a statement of our
presence in the community as well as an expression of the sacred. Now we need
to be enabling people to see that again.
The Bishop has set priorities
of addressing poverty, concern for children & young people and church
growth. These are to be explored across our diocese in the coming months with a
big conference in which we’ll be involved in October. But these priorities are
themselves simply a part of our fundamental calling to be the Church -
that is to be Christ’s people in this place; to express that in our celebration
of the sacraments, in prayer and worship; to put it into practice by our service
of others.
What do people see
and expect in our building - and in us? Are we making our faith visible? Where
can people see it?
Martin Jackson
No comments:
Post a Comment