The Vicar's page ...
Dear Friends,Over the next two months Anglican Bishops from around the world will be gathering at Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference; this takes place every ten years. Many issues, some controversial, will be discussed, but the emphasis is to be on prayer, study and reflection, mutual encouragement and mission. How we need to see the church and Anglican Communion uniting in Jesus Christ and the core convictions of the Gospel, and to be focused on the Lord!
Let us pray for our bishops and Christian leaders to be full of grace, strong in faith, holy in living, faithful pastors of the church and passionate in mission and evangelism. Leadership needs to model what the church is all about. In these days of political correctness and marginalizing of Christian faith as a consumer choice or just one option amongst many, we need leaders who are prepared to speak up and proclaim that all people of all faiths and none need to come to a living faith in Christ and experience salvation. “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
Whilst there may be some good principles in other faiths we have a duty to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all so that they come to know the love and liberation that Jesus came to give. We are to spread the Faith and baptize into Christ, not our traditions or style of church. We are not, as a South Korean mission partner said to me in Tokyo, bringing others to our church or even taking our church out to others, but creating a church around those who are seeking God – a church which is to be orthodox in faith, radical in living out the Gospel but culturally relevant!
The General Synod and The Lambeth Conference are of some importance and can seem impressive, but it is the Mission of God to which we must give our energies, and this is for most of us done best at the local level. One of the things that spoke to me most from my recent short visit to Japan was the commitment of Christians to local unheralded mission and small church planting even when the investment and sacrifice in terms of language study, self-giving and embracing the culture is great and costly. The Pains are a witness and challenge to us. Pray for them and let their way of life speak into our lives.
I have recently been reading a book called, “Signs of Emergence” by Kim Brewin. It is a call for the church to be organic, networked, bottom-up, communal, flexible and always evolving. This is the type of church we read about in the Acts of the Apostles and is surely what Jesus had in mind when he called his disciples to himself and sent them out.
Whilst we may not be able to start with a clean sheet of paper, we should be seeking to be a Kingdom community not an organization. In this way the church will always be mission-centred, rather than a movement, monument or mausoleum!
At St Luke’s we operate at different levels – all are important but maybe the small gatherings for the sharing of ideas, food and recreation, meeting and bearing one another’s cares, the homegroups, Holiday Club and CAMEO, and maybe a kind of tea-party evening service gathering are more the way forward than an “all face the front and be led in a fixed liturgy” type of church to which we are more used. It takes some adjustment in our thinking and practice – but which is more authentic and effective?
In August we say goodbye to Eva Scott-Farnell, our youth-worker of 4 years (+ 2 with PACE before that). We are grateful to Eva for all that she has contributed to St Luke’s across the whole age-range and we will miss her enthusiasm, creativity and fun a great deal, and I know the children and young people will join with me in saying, “Thank you Eva”. There is to be a Party / Games Evening for all on the last Saturday of August (30th) from 6.30pm onwards assuming the new floor is down. Do come along and celebrate. There will be a bring-and-share supper and a few words will be spoken.
Before then there is the Holiday Club (23rd – 27th July) which Eva and I want to be the best yet! Do support us in this, enroll your young people and pray for God to bless and use this event to bring children to know God through Jesus.
CAMEO, our seniors’ Holiday Club takes place in the hall from 5th – 7th August. It is always a great event and you are welcome to come along. Please register
The Church is not the building or organization or building. Nevertheless the building we have has for over 100 years been a place in which his people have encountered and served God. It has an important place in our life. The last Diocesan ‘Quinquennial’ report did point out works that needed attending to. We are now needing to spend about £40,000 on works of repair which if unattended will present us with problems in the future. We are writing to all our members in this connection and we look to you for a generous response so we can undertake what is necessary and equip the church for the future. We thank you in anticipation of your generous support!
In September Richard, Charmaine and Claudia-Jean Garton will be joining us. We much look forward to welcoming them and the new chapter in our life together. Pray for them as they move and settle and be ready for new things.
Yours ever,
Chris Strain
Personal Tribute to John Haslam-Jones
How we shall miss John at St Luke's in the years to come. For 7½years I found John and Jo to be wonderful colleagues at St Luke's. John never really retired, but always gave himself wholeheartedly to the work of the Lord. I shall always be indebted to him for sharing the ordained ministry with me at St Luke's, for his practical help, pastoral concern and insightful preaching. John's experience in a number of parishes and situations provided him and us with much wisdom, and his comments were helpful in assisting me to think through every situation, even if at times we agreed to disagree!
John had prepared meticulously for his Funeral and Thanksgiving Service. In that he is a good example to each of us to be prepared for that day when we shall pass from this mortal life. Unusually, he also wrote a ‘Last Word' for his Thanksgiving Service. As ever this expressed his warmth and personal convictions. Andrew read John's words at the thanksgiving and photocopies are available at the back of St Luke's if you would like to read these words.
I know I, like many others will miss John's presence at St Luke's, but we rejoice that he is with the Lord and that the perishable now puts on the imperishable. ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ'. We continue to remember Jo and all the family in our prayers.
Some Goals for 2007 – 2008
In order to help us fulfill our mission statement at St Luke's, the PCC spent some time at its last two meetings considering some areas of our Church life which we need to focus on. This does not mean that other things are less important, but these might be priorities for the next year or so. We do hope that more teams and groups will see how they can develop these.
- To further develop, improve and widely use the Church premises (now so much improved)
- To take forward both the prayer life of St Luke's, and prayer ministry
- To continue outreach through Alpha, Rico Tice's mission in February, and welcoming newcomers
- To renew our children and youth work vision, and begin the proces of ensuring we have a Youth Worker in September 2008 onwards.
- Integrating and involving new members, so that we can further develop other ministries which at present we may struggle to sustain (eg mens' ministries and work, 20-30s, further home groups and pastoral care)
