Letters from the Rectory 2006
FEBRUARY 2006
Dear friends
Although it is already February may I take this opportunity in this first issue of 2006 to wish you all a very happy and peaceful New
Year. It has been a busy start to the year (as usual at St Agnes'!) with the visit to Reddish to celebrate the Epiphany, the Amnesty
greeting card campaign, the arrival of Nigel Dawkins (an ordinand on placement from Westcott House) and the celebration of our
Patronal festival with a St Agnes Mass and party. On top of this Junior Church have met to plan out their own future (more of this
later in the year), the Mission and Action group has met and the first meeting of a new Pastoral Care and Nurture coordination
team produced some very interesting comments and plans.
Although the calendar year is only just beginning I must remind you that we are coming to the end of the parochial administrative
year. Yes, the Annual Parochial Church Meeting takes place in April (Sunday 2nd at 12noon) which means it is time for various
people to start writing their submission for the Annual Report which needs to be published at the end of this month.
Perhaps February is also the time to think about your plans for the year in terms of your church commitment. Lent starts next
month (March 1st) and that will occupy are spiritual thoughts and life so this month would be a good time to look at the less
spiritual but still important issues of time and work.
Are you interested in being a part of the church’s decision making and becoming a PCC member? Do you want to help and assist
through being a Sidesperson? Is there a group or committee that you feel you want to join?
It is your church and your parish: together it is all part of our ministry. Is there a new way for you to serve God in this parish?
With my prayers and thanks for all your continuing support
Stephen
MARCH 2006
March's letter consisted of an article about the Triduum - it is reproduced here.
APRIL 2006
It’s all too much…
The wonderful rich liturgy of the Great Easter Vigil – the service held during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Morning is
full of powerful images, beautiful poetry and solemn movement appealing to all our senses. It is the chief act of worship of the
Church celebrating the chief mystery and crown of our faith: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified for our sake, is risen! Alleluia!
At the beginning of the service the new fire is blessed outside the church and then the large Paschal Candle is lit and brought
inside to illuminate the darkness. Slowly the light fills the church as each person present receives the light themselves. This
powerful movement from darkness to light is followed by the words of two ancient texts proclaiming our Easter faith. Again the
words are powerful, coming down to us over the centuries; they speak of the sheer jubilation and power of God’s work in raising
Jesus from the dead. The first poem is the Exsultet:
The second prayer of thanksgiving includes image after image – vibrant phrases and pictures about the Resurrection story:
This is the night that gave us back what we had lost; beyond our deepest dreams you made even our sin a happy fault. Evil and
hatred are put to flight and sin is washed away, lost innocence regained, and mourning turned to joy. Night truly blessed when
hatred is cast out, peace and justice find a home, and heaven is joined to earth and all creation reconciled to you. Therefore,
heavenly Father, in this our Easter joy accept our sacrifice of praise, your Church’s solemn offering. Grant that this Easter Candle
may make our darkness light.
All this imagery, these powerful words are almost too much! They speak to us of an amazing event which is so mysterious and so
powerful that we need to use pictures and words beyond our usual everyday means so that we can get a glimpse of just how
amazing the Easter life is.
Try to explain the intricacies of resurrection to a non-believer, try to explain what Easter reality means to you, to the Church, to the
world and we find ourselves in difficultly. This is because the reality of the Easter mystery is not there to be explained or to be
analysed. It is to be lived; to be experienced.
This is the power of the Church’s presence in the world today and the power of God in your lives as his children: that through the
Spirit of the Risen Christ you can live, experience and dance in the joy of the Resurrection. This is all too much for human words –
this is the very power of God himself at work within you.
May the risen Christ bless you all with the power to live his Easter joy!
with my love and prayers, Stephen.
MAY 2006
Eternal changelessness
As a child, and in fact until only recently, I remember being frustrated by other people complaining about trying to keep up with
things changing. ‘Why cant they keep things as they are?’ I used to hear people say. Or, ‘I’m happy with my old record player, I don’
t want a CD player.’ Well now, of course, I have to admit that I am getting older and can hear myself saying the same thing!
I struggle to keep up with the best offers and long for the days when gas was from British Gas and electricity from Norweb. As
Victoria Wood noted, is it safe for my water to be supplied by an electricity company? Having just got into sending video messages
via my mobile phone apparently now I am completely out of date and will need to upgrade again soon. There was a time when I
relished change and eagerly looked forward to buying the latest gadget, but now I look at people with mp3 players with
bemusement and read adverts for the latest playstation games console with bewilderment!
Is this just because I am getting older? Or is it because I am just more content with what I have and know? I think it may be a bit of
both. I certainly find it hard work keeping up with new things and I have less interest in doing so, but I enjoy the feeling I have when
I am able to say to myself that it’s ok not to understand the latest things. We all know that sense of relief, sense of freedom by just
letting go of the world around us.
Well the more rapidly the world progresses, the more technology we are surrounded by and the greater the pressure to live life
faster than ever before, then the more I see the sheer beauty of the eternal changelessness of the God who stays right with us
and for us, irrespective of the ‘changes and chances of this fleeting world’.
Seventeen years ago this summer I first visited the community of Taize in southern France and experienced the beauty of its
worship and life. The simplicity of living in a field of tents, sharing basic food and trying to use basic words in order to speak to and
pray with people of hundreds of different nationalities and language stuck with me for many years. With the busy-ness of life and
the growing up I have tried to do since then, I had forgotten one of the most valued lessons I had learned at Taize.
In Manchester Cathedral last month, on a busy, noisy Monday evening I was reminded of what that lesson was.
I sat in the darkened, candle-lit cathedral and surrounded by 200 or so strangers singing simple evocative chants I focussed on
the icon of the Cross that had been set up before us. I felt immediately transported back to Taize. Not just to the village of Taize on
a hillside in France but rather to the lesson it taught me so long ago, that no matter what the complexities of life, the journey that
we take with its technology, stress, noise and confusion; no matter where we are on hillside or in city centre, whether we are filled
with the energy of youth or moving towards the wisdom of old age: Christ is the same. Yesterday. Today. Forever.
His message of Peace to us this Eastertide is the same as his message of Peace to the apostles in the locked room after the
resurrection. It is the same message of Peace that he speaks to the saints of old. It is the same message of Peace that he spoke
to our forbears.
And what’s more, despite playstations, mp3 players, plasma screens and the creation of a million new life enhancing
technologies, that same Christ will still speak to our world tomorrow and for eternity with the same words: Peace be with you, do
not be afraid.
In a world of change and chance may you know the constant and everlasting love of God.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
JUNE 2006
The shape of the Church of tomorrow…
Over the past few months each PCC in the Diocese has been working through a ‘Toolkit’ which helps parishes to look at the state
of their buildings, their ministry and their mission with realistic eyes. The result of all this paperwork will hopefully be a relevant,
practical and accurate picture of the life of each parish. The Deanery Pastoral Committees will look at each parish’s response and
use it to create a strategy for the whole deanery.
Now it is no great secret that because of falling numbers of clergy being ordained and, more significantly, a shortage of money to
pay for these posts, most deaneries will have to loose a number of clergy in the next 5-10 years. This may seem a little harsh –
and for some areas the results may be quite striking – but it is also true that because the present parish structures and certainly
the position of buildings were decided mainly during the growth period of the 19th Century we often find that now our church
buildings are in the wrong place in terms of population growth, or that they are unsuitable for mission and worship, or that parish
boundaries and groupings are not the most efficient.
The present exercise will look at the deaneries and indeed the whole diocese to rationalise some of these problems. This may
mean that parishes merge, churches close and buildings change. St Agnes, St John and St Cyprian are of course no stranger to
any of this! But we need to face the realities of today – and the hope of the future – with confidence and strength. The Church of
tomorrow will be very different from today and very different from the church of even my youth (and I’m only young!)
The Church of England has helped this whole process of managing change by producing a report, ‘Mission Shaped Church’
which shows new ways of being and doing Church. One of the results of this is to identify different ways in which Christians
worship or meet together – often in completely different ways from the traditional Sunday morning service. These new and
different ways are termed, ‘Fresh Expressions’ or sometimes, in more radical ways, ‘emerging Church’. All of this is very new and
can be challenging – for the young as well as for the old.
To help us as a parish to look at all this I propose to introduce the themes of Mission Shaped Church by speaking about them
during my addresses at the Parish Eucharist from Trinity Sunday onwards. (Details of each topic are listed below.)
What the Church of the future will look like is very unclear at the moment. What the future of each building, parish and community
will be is also very unclear. But we must remember that God never abandons us and that the message of the Ascension and
Pentecost which we are celebrating as I write these words, is that Christ is for ever present with his people. The Spirit of the Risen
Christ is here – now and for ever. The future may be uncertain and will look very different from the ‘St Agnes of old’ but we are
promised one thing: where two or three gather together in Christ’s name he is there. The Church will not disappear – it can’t
because YOU are the Church of Christ!
May God send his Spirit to guide us as we work for the future of our Church.
Stephen
JULY 2006
Exploring worship this Summer
As I write this letter we are in the middle of the series of sermons/addresses about Mission Shaped Church which I spoke about
in last month’s magazine. The PCC has already begun to look at some of the topics raised and over the next year we will be
inviting comments and discussions about this important review of out church and parish structures.
But as a lighter load for the Summer months we will spend the Sundays of August talking about some of the things we do, say
and see in church. For many these talks will be like Confirmation classes revisited. A couple of years ago when I spoke briefly
about the colours and vestments used in church I was interested at the response. Most people seemed to appreciate the
explanations and the opportunity to find out about things without the embarrassment of having to ask.
So often we do things in church simply because we always have done them. The Mission Shaped Church report is encouraging
us on a ministerial and theological level to re-assess our parish life. But the talks during August will help us look at why it is we do
certain things in church at all.
During July we are also experimenting with a different layout for worship in the church nave. The pews will be arranged in a
circular fashion surrounding the altar. For some people this will feel wonderful and enhance their corporate experience of worship
– the community of God gathered around her Saviour at the altar. For others though the feeling will be less positive. It is always a
shock to worship in a different setting and it will feel strange at first for those who have been worshipping here at St Agnes’ for
many years. But the Worship Committee, PCC and I hope that it will give us an opportunity to re-assess our worship and think
about what we value in our liturgy and why. As I have said so many times, we cope with change and its challenge precisely
because of our faith in a God who never changes and never fails.
So, pews moved in July, texts, rituals and ceremonies explored in August. And all in the context of rediscovering what it means to
be the family of God in the parish of St Agnes’ Longsight. Mission Shaped Church is not just a stuffy report – it is a handbook, a
starting point to experiment and explore the living faith of parish life. So as Summer comes let us relax into our faith – into the
changelessness of God’s presence in our worship – and so explore new ways of meeting Christ in his Church.
with my love and prayers
Stephen
What we do in church and why
6th August Transfiguration The times of worship:
the shape of the Church’s year
13th August Blessed Virgin Mary The words of worship:
things we say and hear
20th August Trinity 10 The signs of worship:
things we do and watch
27th August Trinity 11 The colours of worship:
vestments, furniture & colour
September/October 2006
I know why it’s there. Do you?
In the middle of the back lawn of the Rectory garden is a rectangular patch of land about the size of an adult lying down which is
cordoned off rather crudely using some white metal poles and a bit of string. The patch is un-mown and uneven. It has been there
now for just over twelve months and I have lost count of how many people have asked me what exactly it is for. I know why it’s
there. Do you?
It looks a mess actually, although because it is rather strange and also because it is probably the most exciting thing in the
Rectory garden it arouses a great deal of interest. (It must be said that there actually very little else of interest in the Rectory garden
as gardening is probably my least favourite pastime!)
‘Is it an unmarked grave?’ one person asked, or perhaps it is a large hole, fenced off so as to prevent an accident. It is actually the
base of a bonfire from a couple of summers ago where the remains of glass bottles, tin cans and other debris have been ground
into the earth and made the lawn uneven. Last year at the Ice Cream party I didn’t want visitors to the garden falling over and
cutting themselves so I roped it off. I know why it’s there. Did you?
Human nature and inquisitiveness makes or want to find out about things. Those of you with children will know just how many
times they ask, ‘what is this?’ Adults are no different, although instead of being inquisitive children, adults are usually described
as nosey! But, there is no harm in asking the question, ‘what is this?’ It is how we find out more.
I never thought that other people were intrigued by the roped off rectangle in my garden. Why should they be? But they were. To me
the whole thing was obvious because I had lived with it for a good twelve months and I know what it is for and why it is there.
So, if people can be so inquisitive (nosey?) about the mess in the middle of the Rectory lawn, what do they make of other things
which, perhaps, make little or no sense?
We take our church building for granted. We know it is used every week – in fact every day. We know there is a parish family of all
ages and all sorts. We know we are active in our ministry, our mission, our care and our worship. We know that the building is
beautiful, that it speaks to us of God’s presence in this community. We know what the church building means to those who use it.
But a good number – perhaps even the majority – of local people do not know these things. We know why it’s there. Do they?
Of course they might not know that we have worship and prayer time every day… that we care for one another and support one
another with visits and prayers… that we campaign to change injustice and hatred through our mission & action group… that we
teach young children the good news of Christ by making them part of our fellowship and family… that we welcome the new-born,
bless those in love, and speak hope to the bereaved…
St Agnes’ Parish Church stands in the centre of our streets as it has done for over 120 years. This magazine can help spread the
word about some of what we do. The parish website can reach more people. The children in the school visit us regularly. But still
many people pass by. Nosey perhaps, or inquisitive, but probably unaware of the love, passion and energy that this house of
prayer contains.
You know why it’s there. Do they?
Please, for God’s sake. Go and tell them!
May God bless you this summer.
Stephen
November 2006
Suspension of Benefice
At the last PCC meeting we were asked to respond as a parish to a
recommendation that the Parish of St Agnes remain suspended. For
those of you who have not heard of this process before, let me explain
briefly what this means.
Normally a priest in a parish is called a Vicar or a Rector and enjoys what
is known as ‘freehold’ – in other words he or she can remain in post as
long as they wish. Occasionally when there is a chance that a parish may
be altered in some way – either by its boundaries being changed, a
possibility of merging with another or combining with others to form a
team, the parish is ‘suspended’ and the priest appointed is called Priest-
in-Charge. In day to day terms there is little noticeable difference for the
parish.
In 2001 the Parish of St Agnes Birch in Rusholme with St John with St
Cyprian Longsight was suspended in order that it could be moved from
Heaton deanery and into Ardwick and also so that boundaries could be
changed to make the population a more manageable 12,500 as opposed
to the original 16,000. So when I was appointed I became Priest in
Charge rather than Rector in order to allow these changes to take place.
This suspension was for five years and was due to be reviewed during
October 2006. The PCC recommended that the suspension be lifted in
order to allow for a period of stability and growth. However the Deanery
Pastoral Committee working in line with the Diocesan policy
recommended otherwise and the Churchwardens have now received
confirmation that the parish remains suspended for a further 5 years. In
affect nothing changes for us.
However we must realize that great changes lie ahead in this deanery (as
throughout the Church of England) and that in the next 5, 10 or so years
clergy numbers may alter significantly in a way that affects us and
neighboring parishes. A Longsight ‘team’ of churches or parishes – or an
even bigger team structure - is inevitable. The PCC are committed to
keeping involved in this discussion and will of course always work to
ensure that the worship, ministry and mission of St Agnes Longsight is
maintained in the best possible way.
This may be an uncomfortable or difficult time for some parishes locally
and there may be a need for us to alter and adapt our patterns of ministry
to cope with all this but we can be certain of the future of St Agnes Parish
Church and its future ministry – the PCC discussed the present state of
the parish and are confident that we are in a good strong position for the
future growth of the parish.
Please continue to keep the PCC in your prayers and pray for the future of
the Church in this community. Remember that the One who calls us is
faithful and, despite the ‘changes and chances’ of the world around us,
Christ’s presence with us as a Christian community is never in doubt. We
go forth in his name.
May I finally add my thanks for the kind words and encouragement that the
PCC has shown to me during this ‘suspension process’ and the
discussion that followed – I very much appreciate them. Thank you.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2006/January 2007
The Mystery of Christmas
Each year around about the end of summer I start thinking about the nights drawing in, the darker evenings and inevitably I start
thinking that the next big thing is Christmas. This year nothing changed and as if pre-programmed I started thinking about
Christmas. Inevitably each year I say to myself exactly the same thing: I am going to make this year a traditional Christmas. What I
mean by that is that I suppose I want to regress to my childhood and bring back the happy memories of Christmas that I am so
fortunate to have.
I remember school carol concerts, nativity plays, craft work making Father Christmas figures and snowmen, making a special trip
into town one evening simply to see the Christmas lights, visiting relatives and being allowed a small glass (a very small glass!)
of sherry. I remember the excitement of learning carols in the church choir, of hearing the Bible stories over again, the Christmas
specials on TV and the constant Christmas songs played in shops and on the radio.
I have very vivid memories. I have a wonderful sense of happiness, contentment and joy when I look back at the Christmas of my
childhood. And I vow, year by year, to recreate that feeling, that experience and the sense of wonder.
So what happens? Well, the reality is that I do my best to re-create some of those childhood memories. I play my carol CD’s
continuously during December, I set up a nativity scene in my house, I prepare for the Christmas services and I still enjoy the odd
glass of sherry! I love the lights, the music and the buzz of preparation. But I still can’t quite re-create that wonder and awe that
characterised my childhood.
As we get older the stresses, trials and experience of life can both help and hinder us. They help us by increasing our experience
and so increase our learning and perhaps our ability to cope with whatever life throws at us. But they also take away our
innocence and sometimes our ability to accept things simply for what they are. Hearts and minds that have travelled through life
can too easily be hardened against things (as Psalm 95 puts it). Hardened not just against the things which hurt and break us,
but also against the very things which can give us hope and life. And so it is with the Christmas story. Years of hearing, listening
and getting used to the story may have hardened our hearts and minds to the wonders of its truth. Bit by bit doubts or questions
can cloud our understanding of its simple mystery. The maturity of the years can lead us to over-complicate its message and try to
read too much into the verses.
But already at the time of writing we are seeing Christmas sights and hearing Christmas sounds. Already we are hearing wishes
of Christmas greetings and seeing the constant stream of adverts and sales. It is not always easy to re-create that feeling of awe,
wonder and trust that built up our faith in the past. But we must. We have a responsibility as people of faith – not just as people of
Christian faith, but as people of faith. a responsibility to place the birth of the Christ child at the centre of everything we do for the
next few weeks. And if we cannot directly influence other people’s faith or answer their questions about Jesus or about God then
let us at least strive to influence the world around us by bringing back the essential Christmas gifts of joy and peace, wonder and
awe.
Have a Christmas full of wonder and awe and may the peace of the Christ child dwell in your homes.
love and prayers,
Stephen
Dear friends
Although it is already February may I take this opportunity in this first issue of 2006 to wish you all a very happy and peaceful New
Year. It has been a busy start to the year (as usual at St Agnes'!) with the visit to Reddish to celebrate the Epiphany, the Amnesty
greeting card campaign, the arrival of Nigel Dawkins (an ordinand on placement from Westcott House) and the celebration of our
Patronal festival with a St Agnes Mass and party. On top of this Junior Church have met to plan out their own future (more of this
later in the year), the Mission and Action group has met and the first meeting of a new Pastoral Care and Nurture coordination
team produced some very interesting comments and plans.
Although the calendar year is only just beginning I must remind you that we are coming to the end of the parochial administrative
year. Yes, the Annual Parochial Church Meeting takes place in April (Sunday 2nd at 12noon) which means it is time for various
people to start writing their submission for the Annual Report which needs to be published at the end of this month.
Perhaps February is also the time to think about your plans for the year in terms of your church commitment. Lent starts next
month (March 1st) and that will occupy are spiritual thoughts and life so this month would be a good time to look at the less
spiritual but still important issues of time and work.
Are you interested in being a part of the church’s decision making and becoming a PCC member? Do you want to help and assist
through being a Sidesperson? Is there a group or committee that you feel you want to join?
It is your church and your parish: together it is all part of our ministry. Is there a new way for you to serve God in this parish?
With my prayers and thanks for all your continuing support
Stephen
MARCH 2006
March's letter consisted of an article about the Triduum - it is reproduced here.
APRIL 2006
It’s all too much…
The wonderful rich liturgy of the Great Easter Vigil – the service held during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Morning is
full of powerful images, beautiful poetry and solemn movement appealing to all our senses. It is the chief act of worship of the
Church celebrating the chief mystery and crown of our faith: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, crucified for our sake, is risen! Alleluia!
At the beginning of the service the new fire is blessed outside the church and then the large Paschal Candle is lit and brought
inside to illuminate the darkness. Slowly the light fills the church as each person present receives the light themselves. This
powerful movement from darkness to light is followed by the words of two ancient texts proclaiming our Easter faith. Again the
words are powerful, coming down to us over the centuries; they speak of the sheer jubilation and power of God’s work in raising
Jesus from the dead. The first poem is the Exsultet:
Sing, choirs of heaven! Let saints and angels sing!
Around God’s throne exult in harmony!
Now Jesus Christ is risen from the grave!
Salute your King in glorious symphony!
Sing, choirs of earth! Behold, your light has come!
The glory of the Lord shines radiantly!
Lift up your hearts, for Christ has conquered death!
The night is past. the day of life is here!
Sing, Church of God! Exult your joy outpoured!
The gospel trumpets tell of victory won!
Your Saviour lives; he’s with you evermore!
Let all God’s people sound the long Amen!
The second prayer of thanksgiving includes image after image – vibrant phrases and pictures about the Resurrection story:
This is the night that gave us back what we had lost; beyond our deepest dreams you made even our sin a happy fault. Evil and
hatred are put to flight and sin is washed away, lost innocence regained, and mourning turned to joy. Night truly blessed when
hatred is cast out, peace and justice find a home, and heaven is joined to earth and all creation reconciled to you. Therefore,
heavenly Father, in this our Easter joy accept our sacrifice of praise, your Church’s solemn offering. Grant that this Easter Candle
may make our darkness light.
All this imagery, these powerful words are almost too much! They speak to us of an amazing event which is so mysterious and so
powerful that we need to use pictures and words beyond our usual everyday means so that we can get a glimpse of just how
amazing the Easter life is.
Try to explain the intricacies of resurrection to a non-believer, try to explain what Easter reality means to you, to the Church, to the
world and we find ourselves in difficultly. This is because the reality of the Easter mystery is not there to be explained or to be
analysed. It is to be lived; to be experienced.
This is the power of the Church’s presence in the world today and the power of God in your lives as his children: that through the
Spirit of the Risen Christ you can live, experience and dance in the joy of the Resurrection. This is all too much for human words –
this is the very power of God himself at work within you.
May the risen Christ bless you all with the power to live his Easter joy!
with my love and prayers, Stephen.
MAY 2006
Eternal changelessness
As a child, and in fact until only recently, I remember being frustrated by other people complaining about trying to keep up with
things changing. ‘Why cant they keep things as they are?’ I used to hear people say. Or, ‘I’m happy with my old record player, I don’
t want a CD player.’ Well now, of course, I have to admit that I am getting older and can hear myself saying the same thing!
I struggle to keep up with the best offers and long for the days when gas was from British Gas and electricity from Norweb. As
Victoria Wood noted, is it safe for my water to be supplied by an electricity company? Having just got into sending video messages
via my mobile phone apparently now I am completely out of date and will need to upgrade again soon. There was a time when I
relished change and eagerly looked forward to buying the latest gadget, but now I look at people with mp3 players with
bemusement and read adverts for the latest playstation games console with bewilderment!
Is this just because I am getting older? Or is it because I am just more content with what I have and know? I think it may be a bit of
both. I certainly find it hard work keeping up with new things and I have less interest in doing so, but I enjoy the feeling I have when
I am able to say to myself that it’s ok not to understand the latest things. We all know that sense of relief, sense of freedom by just
letting go of the world around us.
Well the more rapidly the world progresses, the more technology we are surrounded by and the greater the pressure to live life
faster than ever before, then the more I see the sheer beauty of the eternal changelessness of the God who stays right with us
and for us, irrespective of the ‘changes and chances of this fleeting world’.
Seventeen years ago this summer I first visited the community of Taize in southern France and experienced the beauty of its
worship and life. The simplicity of living in a field of tents, sharing basic food and trying to use basic words in order to speak to and
pray with people of hundreds of different nationalities and language stuck with me for many years. With the busy-ness of life and
the growing up I have tried to do since then, I had forgotten one of the most valued lessons I had learned at Taize.
In Manchester Cathedral last month, on a busy, noisy Monday evening I was reminded of what that lesson was.
I sat in the darkened, candle-lit cathedral and surrounded by 200 or so strangers singing simple evocative chants I focussed on
the icon of the Cross that had been set up before us. I felt immediately transported back to Taize. Not just to the village of Taize on
a hillside in France but rather to the lesson it taught me so long ago, that no matter what the complexities of life, the journey that
we take with its technology, stress, noise and confusion; no matter where we are on hillside or in city centre, whether we are filled
with the energy of youth or moving towards the wisdom of old age: Christ is the same. Yesterday. Today. Forever.
His message of Peace to us this Eastertide is the same as his message of Peace to the apostles in the locked room after the
resurrection. It is the same message of Peace that he speaks to the saints of old. It is the same message of Peace that he spoke
to our forbears.
And what’s more, despite playstations, mp3 players, plasma screens and the creation of a million new life enhancing
technologies, that same Christ will still speak to our world tomorrow and for eternity with the same words: Peace be with you, do
not be afraid.
In a world of change and chance may you know the constant and everlasting love of God.
with my love and prayers,
Stephen
JUNE 2006
The shape of the Church of tomorrow…
Over the past few months each PCC in the Diocese has been working through a ‘Toolkit’ which helps parishes to look at the state
of their buildings, their ministry and their mission with realistic eyes. The result of all this paperwork will hopefully be a relevant,
practical and accurate picture of the life of each parish. The Deanery Pastoral Committees will look at each parish’s response and
use it to create a strategy for the whole deanery.
Now it is no great secret that because of falling numbers of clergy being ordained and, more significantly, a shortage of money to
pay for these posts, most deaneries will have to loose a number of clergy in the next 5-10 years. This may seem a little harsh –
and for some areas the results may be quite striking – but it is also true that because the present parish structures and certainly
the position of buildings were decided mainly during the growth period of the 19th Century we often find that now our church
buildings are in the wrong place in terms of population growth, or that they are unsuitable for mission and worship, or that parish
boundaries and groupings are not the most efficient.
The present exercise will look at the deaneries and indeed the whole diocese to rationalise some of these problems. This may
mean that parishes merge, churches close and buildings change. St Agnes, St John and St Cyprian are of course no stranger to
any of this! But we need to face the realities of today – and the hope of the future – with confidence and strength. The Church of
tomorrow will be very different from today and very different from the church of even my youth (and I’m only young!)
The Church of England has helped this whole process of managing change by producing a report, ‘Mission Shaped Church’
which shows new ways of being and doing Church. One of the results of this is to identify different ways in which Christians
worship or meet together – often in completely different ways from the traditional Sunday morning service. These new and
different ways are termed, ‘Fresh Expressions’ or sometimes, in more radical ways, ‘emerging Church’. All of this is very new and
can be challenging – for the young as well as for the old.
To help us as a parish to look at all this I propose to introduce the themes of Mission Shaped Church by speaking about them
during my addresses at the Parish Eucharist from Trinity Sunday onwards. (Details of each topic are listed below.)
What the Church of the future will look like is very unclear at the moment. What the future of each building, parish and community
will be is also very unclear. But we must remember that God never abandons us and that the message of the Ascension and
Pentecost which we are celebrating as I write these words, is that Christ is for ever present with his people. The Spirit of the Risen
Christ is here – now and for ever. The future may be uncertain and will look very different from the ‘St Agnes of old’ but we are
promised one thing: where two or three gather together in Christ’s name he is there. The Church will not disappear – it can’t
because YOU are the Church of Christ!
May God send his Spirit to guide us as we work for the future of our Church.
Stephen
JULY 2006
Exploring worship this Summer
As I write this letter we are in the middle of the series of sermons/addresses about Mission Shaped Church which I spoke about
in last month’s magazine. The PCC has already begun to look at some of the topics raised and over the next year we will be
inviting comments and discussions about this important review of out church and parish structures.
But as a lighter load for the Summer months we will spend the Sundays of August talking about some of the things we do, say
and see in church. For many these talks will be like Confirmation classes revisited. A couple of years ago when I spoke briefly
about the colours and vestments used in church I was interested at the response. Most people seemed to appreciate the
explanations and the opportunity to find out about things without the embarrassment of having to ask.
So often we do things in church simply because we always have done them. The Mission Shaped Church report is encouraging
us on a ministerial and theological level to re-assess our parish life. But the talks during August will help us look at why it is we do
certain things in church at all.
During July we are also experimenting with a different layout for worship in the church nave. The pews will be arranged in a
circular fashion surrounding the altar. For some people this will feel wonderful and enhance their corporate experience of worship
– the community of God gathered around her Saviour at the altar. For others though the feeling will be less positive. It is always a
shock to worship in a different setting and it will feel strange at first for those who have been worshipping here at St Agnes’ for
many years. But the Worship Committee, PCC and I hope that it will give us an opportunity to re-assess our worship and think
about what we value in our liturgy and why. As I have said so many times, we cope with change and its challenge precisely
because of our faith in a God who never changes and never fails.
So, pews moved in July, texts, rituals and ceremonies explored in August. And all in the context of rediscovering what it means to
be the family of God in the parish of St Agnes’ Longsight. Mission Shaped Church is not just a stuffy report – it is a handbook, a
starting point to experiment and explore the living faith of parish life. So as Summer comes let us relax into our faith – into the
changelessness of God’s presence in our worship – and so explore new ways of meeting Christ in his Church.
with my love and prayers
Stephen
What we do in church and why
6th August Transfiguration The times of worship:
the shape of the Church’s year
13th August Blessed Virgin Mary The words of worship:
things we say and hear
20th August Trinity 10 The signs of worship:
things we do and watch
27th August Trinity 11 The colours of worship:
vestments, furniture & colour
September/October 2006
I know why it’s there. Do you?
In the middle of the back lawn of the Rectory garden is a rectangular patch of land about the size of an adult lying down which is
cordoned off rather crudely using some white metal poles and a bit of string. The patch is un-mown and uneven. It has been there
now for just over twelve months and I have lost count of how many people have asked me what exactly it is for. I know why it’s
there. Do you?
It looks a mess actually, although because it is rather strange and also because it is probably the most exciting thing in the
Rectory garden it arouses a great deal of interest. (It must be said that there actually very little else of interest in the Rectory garden
as gardening is probably my least favourite pastime!)
‘Is it an unmarked grave?’ one person asked, or perhaps it is a large hole, fenced off so as to prevent an accident. It is actually the
base of a bonfire from a couple of summers ago where the remains of glass bottles, tin cans and other debris have been ground
into the earth and made the lawn uneven. Last year at the Ice Cream party I didn’t want visitors to the garden falling over and
cutting themselves so I roped it off. I know why it’s there. Did you?
Human nature and inquisitiveness makes or want to find out about things. Those of you with children will know just how many
times they ask, ‘what is this?’ Adults are no different, although instead of being inquisitive children, adults are usually described
as nosey! But, there is no harm in asking the question, ‘what is this?’ It is how we find out more.
I never thought that other people were intrigued by the roped off rectangle in my garden. Why should they be? But they were. To me
the whole thing was obvious because I had lived with it for a good twelve months and I know what it is for and why it is there.
So, if people can be so inquisitive (nosey?) about the mess in the middle of the Rectory lawn, what do they make of other things
which, perhaps, make little or no sense?
We take our church building for granted. We know it is used every week – in fact every day. We know there is a parish family of all
ages and all sorts. We know we are active in our ministry, our mission, our care and our worship. We know that the building is
beautiful, that it speaks to us of God’s presence in this community. We know what the church building means to those who use it.
But a good number – perhaps even the majority – of local people do not know these things. We know why it’s there. Do they?
Of course they might not know that we have worship and prayer time every day… that we care for one another and support one
another with visits and prayers… that we campaign to change injustice and hatred through our mission & action group… that we
teach young children the good news of Christ by making them part of our fellowship and family… that we welcome the new-born,
bless those in love, and speak hope to the bereaved…
St Agnes’ Parish Church stands in the centre of our streets as it has done for over 120 years. This magazine can help spread the
word about some of what we do. The parish website can reach more people. The children in the school visit us regularly. But still
many people pass by. Nosey perhaps, or inquisitive, but probably unaware of the love, passion and energy that this house of
prayer contains.
You know why it’s there. Do they?
Please, for God’s sake. Go and tell them!
May God bless you this summer.
Stephen
November 2006
Suspension of Benefice
At the last PCC meeting we were asked to respond as a parish to a
recommendation that the Parish of St Agnes remain suspended. For
those of you who have not heard of this process before, let me explain
briefly what this means.
Normally a priest in a parish is called a Vicar or a Rector and enjoys what
is known as ‘freehold’ – in other words he or she can remain in post as
long as they wish. Occasionally when there is a chance that a parish may
be altered in some way – either by its boundaries being changed, a
possibility of merging with another or combining with others to form a
team, the parish is ‘suspended’ and the priest appointed is called Priest-
in-Charge. In day to day terms there is little noticeable difference for the
parish.
In 2001 the Parish of St Agnes Birch in Rusholme with St John with St
Cyprian Longsight was suspended in order that it could be moved from
Heaton deanery and into Ardwick and also so that boundaries could be
changed to make the population a more manageable 12,500 as opposed
to the original 16,000. So when I was appointed I became Priest in
Charge rather than Rector in order to allow these changes to take place.
This suspension was for five years and was due to be reviewed during
October 2006. The PCC recommended that the suspension be lifted in
order to allow for a period of stability and growth. However the Deanery
Pastoral Committee working in line with the Diocesan policy
recommended otherwise and the Churchwardens have now received
confirmation that the parish remains suspended for a further 5 years. In
affect nothing changes for us.
However we must realize that great changes lie ahead in this deanery (as
throughout the Church of England) and that in the next 5, 10 or so years
clergy numbers may alter significantly in a way that affects us and
neighboring parishes. A Longsight ‘team’ of churches or parishes – or an
even bigger team structure - is inevitable. The PCC are committed to
keeping involved in this discussion and will of course always work to
ensure that the worship, ministry and mission of St Agnes Longsight is
maintained in the best possible way.
This may be an uncomfortable or difficult time for some parishes locally
and there may be a need for us to alter and adapt our patterns of ministry
to cope with all this but we can be certain of the future of St Agnes Parish
Church and its future ministry – the PCC discussed the present state of
the parish and are confident that we are in a good strong position for the
future growth of the parish.
Please continue to keep the PCC in your prayers and pray for the future of
the Church in this community. Remember that the One who calls us is
faithful and, despite the ‘changes and chances’ of the world around us,
Christ’s presence with us as a Christian community is never in doubt. We
go forth in his name.
May I finally add my thanks for the kind words and encouragement that the
PCC has shown to me during this ‘suspension process’ and the
discussion that followed – I very much appreciate them. Thank you.
With my love and prayers,
Stephen
December 2006/January 2007
The Mystery of Christmas
Each year around about the end of summer I start thinking about the nights drawing in, the darker evenings and inevitably I start
thinking that the next big thing is Christmas. This year nothing changed and as if pre-programmed I started thinking about
Christmas. Inevitably each year I say to myself exactly the same thing: I am going to make this year a traditional Christmas. What I
mean by that is that I suppose I want to regress to my childhood and bring back the happy memories of Christmas that I am so
fortunate to have.
I remember school carol concerts, nativity plays, craft work making Father Christmas figures and snowmen, making a special trip
into town one evening simply to see the Christmas lights, visiting relatives and being allowed a small glass (a very small glass!)
of sherry. I remember the excitement of learning carols in the church choir, of hearing the Bible stories over again, the Christmas
specials on TV and the constant Christmas songs played in shops and on the radio.
I have very vivid memories. I have a wonderful sense of happiness, contentment and joy when I look back at the Christmas of my
childhood. And I vow, year by year, to recreate that feeling, that experience and the sense of wonder.
So what happens? Well, the reality is that I do my best to re-create some of those childhood memories. I play my carol CD’s
continuously during December, I set up a nativity scene in my house, I prepare for the Christmas services and I still enjoy the odd
glass of sherry! I love the lights, the music and the buzz of preparation. But I still can’t quite re-create that wonder and awe that
characterised my childhood.
As we get older the stresses, trials and experience of life can both help and hinder us. They help us by increasing our experience
and so increase our learning and perhaps our ability to cope with whatever life throws at us. But they also take away our
innocence and sometimes our ability to accept things simply for what they are. Hearts and minds that have travelled through life
can too easily be hardened against things (as Psalm 95 puts it). Hardened not just against the things which hurt and break us,
but also against the very things which can give us hope and life. And so it is with the Christmas story. Years of hearing, listening
and getting used to the story may have hardened our hearts and minds to the wonders of its truth. Bit by bit doubts or questions
can cloud our understanding of its simple mystery. The maturity of the years can lead us to over-complicate its message and try to
read too much into the verses.
But already at the time of writing we are seeing Christmas sights and hearing Christmas sounds. Already we are hearing wishes
of Christmas greetings and seeing the constant stream of adverts and sales. It is not always easy to re-create that feeling of awe,
wonder and trust that built up our faith in the past. But we must. We have a responsibility as people of faith – not just as people of
Christian faith, but as people of faith. a responsibility to place the birth of the Christ child at the centre of everything we do for the
next few weeks. And if we cannot directly influence other people’s faith or answer their questions about Jesus or about God then
let us at least strive to influence the world around us by bringing back the essential Christmas gifts of joy and peace, wonder and
awe.
Have a Christmas full of wonder and awe and may the peace of the Christ child dwell in your homes.
love and prayers,
Stephen
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |