Oh, Danny Boyle

27July 2012 was an historic day, and no self-respecting contemporaneous blog should allow it to pass unmentioned.

I'd like to think that I will always remember where I was when the London Olympics were declared open, but in case memory evaporates in old age, I will record it here now: Kathryn and I were in our house in Ripon, and were joined part way through the Opening Ceremony by Andrew and Jenny, who had come to North Yorkshire for a wedding the next day.

I was thrilled and delighted by the Opening Ceremony. It takes a lot to stir national pride in my soul, but Danny Boyle's masterpiece did so. Each new element produced surprise and wonder as we watched in amazement. I couldn't even look away when the athletes from all the different countries were parading in. It was brilliant, and I am chuffed to bits that we took the plunge and applied for tickets to some of the Olympic events all those months ago. I'm as excited as any sport-mad teenager about the Games, and will be heading to Old Trafford for a couple of football matches and to London with Jessica on the weekend of 4/5 August for sessions of hockey and volleyball.

It was a very good idea to plan a sabbatical during the Olympics. The ideal way to recharge and re-energise!

Someone suggested to me later that Britain's heritage of faith was missing from the occasion - there was no church on the village green, for example. But 'Abide with Me' was sung, after all. And Rowan Williams got a good seat in view of the TV cameras, even if he didn't have quite the same impact as the other Rowan.....

And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules.

2 Timothy 2:5

Archdeacon in the Dales

After Liverpool, back to Ripon and my final meeting with a colleague archdeacon. Janet Henderson, Archdeacon of Richmond (Ripon and Leeds Diocese), lives just outside Ripon in the village of Hutton Conyers. She's not, of course, an urban archdeacon, but the diocese includes the city of Leeds and she has been longer in post than her colleague in Leeds, whose diary unfortunately didn't fit with mine. 

Janet Henderson

I look up to Janet for two reasons. First, because she was one of the archdeacons involved  in the training event for new archdeacons that I attended shortly before coming into post four years ago, and secondly because she writes a proper blog - Archdeacon in the Dales. It is a good read, and Janet tells me that it helps her foster a sense of belonging among the parishes and people of her rural archdeaconry.

She not only gave me a generous allowance of her time, but  with her husband, Dave, entertained me to supper at their home. She had some interesting stories to share of mission initiatives in her diocese. For example, three posts have been created in the city of Leeds, including a lay post as 'Pioneer Minister to the Night Time Economy', and there is a network church, Kairos, in Harrogate, based on the 'missional communities' principle.

I cannot express too strongly how grateful I am to all the archdeacons and others, from 7 dioceses, who have given me their time this month. It has been an extremely encouraging and worthwhile exercise. I need to spend a little longer reflecting on our conversations and drawing together the threads, but it has been heartening to see creative mission touching the lives of people who would be extremely unlikely to have contact with the church in any other way. And it's not just a case of reaching individuals. The Church is giving a message to the world that we are not necessarily locked into ways of being church that many have come to see as irrelevant. A common thread, though, is that most of the projects and initiatives I have heard about are being questioned by others, either locally or in a diocese, who are less than convinced that they represent the best use of resources. This does place a responsibility on dioceses to monitor and evaluate projects carefully, but I am saddened if any of this questioning arises from fear or insecurity about inherited forms of church that remain rich in mission opportunities. I am certain that both approaches have a place and should be developed and supported appropriately. It has been helpful to see how dioceses are doing this.

So, with the tour of dioceses complete, I pick up the pace of reading once again, reflecting that Charles Simeon, in his day, was not afraid to adopt different approaches, and was criticised for it. He set up, for example, 'societies' in his parish, of a similar size to 'missional communities' today. Their purpose, in a Christendom context, was somewhat different, and he had difficulties with independently-minded leaders, but he was determined to make sure they flourished within the structure of the established church despite those who who saw them as foreign to it.

Anyway, it was back from Ripon via Headingley, where Yorkshire succeeded in reaching 20/20 Finals Day for the first time. It was a decent game of 20/20 cricket against Worcestershire, so it was a small consolation for the loss of so much cricket over the last couple of months. Shame about all the noise.

And back in Bury we welcomed back Jessica, accompanied by boyfriend Nick and his mother who were visiting Manchester for the Olympic football matches at Old Trafford, and had fun taking them round the area earlier in the day.

Proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable.

2 Timothy 4:2

P.S. For those of you 'collecting' the Bible verses at the end of each post, a couple of missing ones from earlier in the month have been restored!

Back to School

Norris Green is an area of Liverpool made up of a large housing estate and known, sadly, for its social problems and gang culture. Not quite the place you would have expected Kathryn and me to go to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary, but we had gone to visit our friends Helen Edwards and her husband, Andrew.

Helen, a Liverpudlian, is Vicar of Christ Church, Norris Green, and was my curate in Beverley from 2001 to 2005. The two places could hardly be more different but Helen is richly gifted and has won immense respect in her diocese and beyond for the work she has done at Christ Church. The parish church was closed soon after she arrived, and subsequently demolished, and the congregation now meets in the local community primary school. 


'Church in School' is a model that interests us very much in neighbouring Manchester Diocese, where we have an excess of church buildings that often prove impossible to maintain, and more church schools than any other diocese. A number of congregations have transferred to a local school when their building had to be closed and we are eager to make the most of the mission opportunities this brings. Our visit to Christ Church was an opportunity to see a growing school congregation at first hand and learn more about the ministry of the church, which is effectively engaged with the local community.

We enjoyed a relaxed service of Holy Communion, by no means informal, but relevant to the people of Norris Green and their lives. Candidates who had been confirmed the previous week were welcomed, interviewed, and presented with a Bible at the front, and  the congregation prayed hard for their summer play scheme which was to start the following day. As soon as the service was over everyone got to work making preparations for the influx of children from the estate.


Over coffee we met some of the members of the congregation. The 'old hands' spoke freely of how they had overcome the sorrow and fears of losing their church building, and were altogether convinced that worship in the church had enabled them to grow. Newcomers spoke of how they had found their way much more easily into the school than they could ever have done into a traditional church. One woman had joined the church via a regular 'knit and natter' group that Helen had established. She made a telling comment that since she had belonged to Christ Church she felt more secure in the neighbourhood because she realised that there were good people in the neighbourhood after all. It was a happy church family, where people obviously appreciated and cared about one another. It was a joy to find it in Norris Green, and a reminder of how important it is to look behind the reputations that communities are given by the media and others.

We spent the afternoon with Helen and Andrew (who is Vicar of a nearby parish himself), with an excellent lunch in a restaurant in the city and then a walk along the redeveloped waterfront. The sun was shining, the 'three graces' basking in its warmth. The crowds of locals and visitors alike were enjoying themselves. Bradley Wiggins had won 'Le Tour'. After the dismal end to the week in Chesterfield it was a restorative day.


For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2  Corinthians 4:6

Spire-alling downwards

The most famous thing about Chesterfield is its iconic crooked spire. It dominates the town and seems to appear in the name of every other business based there. The local football team are nicknamed the 'Spireites'. 


It's actually the spire of the Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints. From what I can discover, the twist is a deliberate design feature but the lean is not. It certainly is a sight.


But it's not all that Chesterfield boasts. It has a large outdoor market, the railway engineer, George Stephenson, ended his days there and is commemorated in a statue outside the station, and it has produced some famous goalkeepers. World Cup winner Gordon Banks began his career with the Spireites and Arsenal's Bob Wilson and John Lukic (who also won the old first division with Leeds) both came from the town. And it has a delightful cricket ground, Queen's Park, inside a public park close to the town centre, which I had not visited since the early 1980s when I was a curate in nearby Worksop and Geoff Boycott batted for Yorkshire against the home side, Derbyshire.

Blog readers may recall that I had planned 11 days of cricket-watching during my sabbatical, two four-day county matches, two one-day internationals and the first day of the Headingley test match against South Africa. The first four-day match came to a watery end at Colwyn Bay, and one of the ODIs had also fallen foul to the abysmal summer weather.


I arrived, exhausted after my day in London, at ten o'clock on the evening of Tuesday 17 July  and collapsed into my bed in the chain hotel that had offered accommodation for four nights at a knock-down price. The next morning dawned cloudy but bright and I was in good spirits as I arrived at the ground before the start of play. In fact, I was almost elated. This was how I'd planned it. A picturesque county out-ground, a top-of-the table battle (OK, Division 2), and the promise of some sunshine. It doesn't get much better.

I settled down on the boundary in the midst of a group of cheerful but phlegmatic Derbyshire supporters, starved of cricketing success and programmed to expect failure. Their glass of Old Speckled Hen (the team's shirt sponsors) was half-empty all day, even when Yorkshire wickets fell. County cricket watchers are a slightly eccentric, but always entertaining, bunch. The banter usually provides a day's entertainment in itself. A woman behind me put a stuffed dinosaur called 'Dino' on the next seat to encourage Derbyshire's opening bowler, Tony Palladino, and regularly shouted, 'Come on, Dino'. What's good about cricket on grounds like this is that he could hear, and waved to her at the end of his run-up. A visiting Yorkshire supporter mistook my identity and had to be persuaded that he hadn't met me at a cricket dinner at Headingley. 


It was a terrific day's cricket. 17 wickets fell in the day and Yorkshire ended the day marginally on top, partly due to an erratic, but somehow successful, spell of bowling from former England player, Steve Harmison, on loan from Durham to cover an injury crisis. The one fly in the ointment was a thundery downpour which, fortunately, fell during the lunch interval and caused minimal loss of play. I ended the day with an excellent curry in the town, and all was well.


The next morning it was not well. Nor the morning after that. Nor the morning after that. 


I saw no more cricket in Chesterfield. The 'summer' took over once again. Heavy overnight rain after day 1 continued into day 2, overnight again, and into day 3. The outfield, with limited drainage facilities, just couldn't cope. All I did see was the inside of my hotel room, and Chesterfield's shops and coffee shops. At least I could get on with some reading. And I visited the church, which has some very good stained glass and some interesting side chapels. Frankly, the less said about those three days the better. In fact, with abandonment all but certain I left for home after breakfast on the final day and cut my losses. It was the right decision.


So the 'score' so far, out of ten planned days of cricket: 
7 completely washed out
1 reduced to 2 hours
2 full days' play
1 day still to come. 
I am wondering how to make the case for a further sabbatical next summer to make up for this.


Desperate for cricket I booked a ticket for the forthcoming 20/20 Quarter-Final at Headingley. This is like eating at McDonalds when all the best restaurants in town are closed.


And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth

Genesis 7:10

Capital City - Part Two

Tuesday 17 July was the most exhausting but perhaps the most rewarding day of the sabbatical so far. I was up before 6 a.m. to bid farewell to Jessica and leave Dorking on an early train for the city. I deposited a suitcase in left luggage and had breakfast at St Pancras Station and then headed out to north London for a meeting with the Archdeacon of Hampstead, the Ven Luke Miller, in Wood Green.

Luke Miller

We had never met before, but soon struck up a lively and very enjoyable conversation. Luke is from the Anglo-Catholic wing of the Church and offered me a different perspective to other Archdeacons I had met on my travels. It was extremely helpful, and it was good to hear of significant growth in parishes of that tradition in London, both through conventional and innovative forms of ministry and mission. There were some very encouraging stories of partnerships forged with local authorities that are inviting and trusting the Church to make use of facilities and run community programmes that are no longer affordable from the public purse. He had some penetrating insights into the way his Diocese facilitates mission, and there were some interesting comparisons to be made between our two cities of London and Manchester. Once again, I was very grateful to a busy Archdeacon for his precious time.

Rachel Treweek

I left Wood Green to head back to the city and a rendezvous on the steps of St Paul's Cathedral with the Archdeacon of Hackney, Rachel Treweek. Rachel is a friend of my former curate from South Cave days, Hilary Edgerton, and we got to know each other about three years ago when we both participated in a week-long training course on 'Conflict Transformation'  run by Bridgebuilders for senior church leaders. Rachel and I were chosen near the end of the course to lead the whole group of denominational leaders in a major conflict exercise, which was about as stressful an experience as I can recall in any training event, but established something of a bond between us, I think, through shared suffering.


We talked over lunch in a nearby restaurant and Rachel was able to fill out my understanding of the approach to mission in London Diocese in a way that was extremely useful. She knows London well, having served there throughout her parish ministry and also as Archdeacon of Northolt before moving to Hackney Archdeaconry. As in other conversations over the last few weeks the time flew by, and the Church of England was put to rights. It was beginning to come home to me just how much that is good in the Church just 'happens', and Diocesan strategy has to try to catch up. I guess that is a mark of the Holy Spirit at work.

By now I was glad of a rest afforded by a change in my schedule that left a gap until 5 o'clock. I had been carrying my camera around London with me and was able to walk on the Millennium Bridge, sit by the Thames, and take a few photographs around the river and St Paul's. It was a chance to observe the city preparing for the Olympic Games. Looking downstream the Olympic Rings are suspended from Tower Bridge, which is now dwarfed by the Shard, the city's latest skyscraper. Olympic bunting is festooned everywhere and tourists carried Olympic souvenirs. In a couple of weeks' time I shall be back in London to attend two games events, and the anticipation and excitement began to build.

My final appointment was in Shadwell, an inner-city area on the north bank of the Thames,  formerly dockland,  and now inhabited by a multi-cultural community with significant degrees of deprivation. In 2005 the Bishop of London invited Ric Thorpe and a team from Holy Trinity, Brompton, in West London, to plant a new congregation in St Paul's Church to bring new life and a fresh mission. Rachel had already spoken highly of the way in which the team had immersed themselves in the local community, some moving house to do so, and developed ministries of service to the local people. As a result, St Paul's Shadwell  has grown and, more recently sent its own teams out to plant congregations in two other churches that might otherwise have closed, St Peter's, Bethnal Green, and All Hallows, Bow. There are now quite a number of church plants across London (and elsewhere) that go back to Holy Trinity, Brompton, and it seems as though the Diocese now explores the possibility of a plant as a matter of course before closing a building.

Ric & Louie Thorpe

Ric told me the story of church-planting from HTB as well as showing me round the church and its facilities and giving me a glimpse of the area. This has not been an easy exercise, but God has given growth through faith and a great deal of hard work. For the Diocese and for other local churches, the church-planting process brings challenges, but there is no doubt that the principle and the practice of church-planting has had a major impact on the growth of the Church in London Diocese, which is now firmly part of the Diocesan Strategy, London Challenge 2012, and a Diocesan church-planting policy exists.

After an extremely worthwhile visit to Shadwell it was back to St Pancras to reclaim my suitcase, grab a bite to eat, and jump onto the 19.55 to Chesterfield - tired but excited by my visit to the capital and the people I had met - to begin what was meant to be a 'chill-out' period of the sabbatical. 

The next blog entry will tell how things didn't quite work out as planned....

And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Acts 2:47

Capital City - Part One

I love London. Even as a northerner, I am completely unashamed to say so. For me it's a thrill to stand on Westminster Bridge, to look at Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the cityscape up and down the river Thames, and to know that I'm standing at the heart, well, not of the Empire any more, but of a nation with a rich and compelling history of which, by 'accident of birth', I am a part. Any excuse to visit London I will make.


Kathryn and I had four happy years in London in the 1980s when I was Curate-in-Charge of St Andrew's, Broadfields in Edgware, right on the edge of what was then Greater London. Tim was born during those years. But we had then neither the time nor the money to enjoy the cultural and sporting riches that London offers, and only once did I dare to drive a car closer to the centre of the city than Regent's Park. And that was with a London cabbie in the passenger seat.


My visit to London last week, though, was not driven so much by my love affair with the capital, but by a genuine interest in a Diocese which, according to official statistics, is growing in numbers. God is blessing something that they are doing down there. Perhaps it is the creative and innovative mission that I am 'researching' during this sabbatical. I had arranged meetings with two Archdeacon colleagues: Luke Miller, Archdeacon of Hampstead, and Rachel Treweek, Archdeacon of Hackney. I had also been put in touch with two people involved in creative mission, Annie Kirke, an Ordained Pioneer Minister who holds a full-time post in the Diocese developing Missional Communities, and Ric Thorpe, who led a  church plant from Holy Trinity, Brompton to St Paul's, Shadwell - a plant which has now given birth to further plants of its own.


Jessica's home in Surrey is a convenient base for visiting London these days, and I made my way there on Sunday 15 July. She had gone to the Paul Simon concert in Hyde Park (which made me very envious) and so I let myself into the flat, went for a meal in a favourite restaurant in the town, watched 'Wallander' (I've still to blog about my passion for Scandinavian crime thrillers) and was asleep well before Jessica arrived home.

Annie Kirke

First up next morning was my meeting with Annie Kirke, in a coffee shop just off Carnaby Street [with a plug here for the Speakeasy Espresso and Brew Bar, owned and run by friends of Annie]. This video and Annie's blog tell the story of the missional communities in London that she is involved with and demonstrates her passion to find ways in which the Church can engage with people, especially young people, who have had little or no contact with it, and are never likely to set foot near a conventional church.

I had a terrific couple of hours with Annie. Her enthusiasm is infectious and her commitment is inspirational. I was left with no illusions about the level of commitment and perseverance that is needed if the Church is going to work in this way, and there will be scepticism from those who feel that the priority for resources has to be with reinforcing more conventional models of Church. But I came away convinced that missional communities on this model - if necessary at some distance from traditional church, and especially in cities - have a part to play as we face up to the challenges of the present and future.




The meeting with Annie was my only Monday appointment, so I took time out in the afternoon to visit the Royal Academy, and take a look at their Summer Exhibition of works by contemporary artists and their special exhibition of 19th century French art, majoring on Impressionists, from the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. I loved these exhibitions, especially the Impressionists. Amongst the exhibits was this painting by Corot of the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, which Kathryn and I had visited just a month ago.

Go therefore into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet

Matthew 22:10

Tour of Britain

The blog has been silent for a some time now because I have been touring England. Since the last post I have met with six more Archdeacons and some others who are involved in innovative mission projects.


After Bradford came a day's break in Ripon and then a trip to Sheffield, where I met with the Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham, Martyn Snow. Then it was on to the Sheffield Diocesan House in Rotherham to meet with their Director of Mission and Pioneer Ministry, Canon Mark Wigglesworth. A distinctive feature of mission in that diocese is the contribution of some very large churches: St Thomas, Crookes, St Thomas, Philadelphia, and Christ Church, Fulwood among others. But they don't tell anything like the whole story. I met a few other Sheffield clergy and laity with Mark and heard from Abi Thompson, a vicar in Rotherham, about how she was growing her church in a tough area of the town through singing - evangelism on a 'Gareth Malone' model - by forming youth and community choirs. There are a couple of links about that here and here. Driving home to Bury across the Woodhead Pass I was able to reflect on another helpful set of conversations. 


Then I was up early again next morning for a visit to Liverpool, by train this time, and a meeting with Archdeacon Ricky Panter at St James' House in the shadow of Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. It was a sunny day for once and a graduation ceremony was taking place in the cathedral, adding to the atmosphere in what is always a colourful city. I love visiting Liverpool. Just 40 miles or so from Manchester, it feels like another country altogether. Certainly the language is different. There is a lot to learn from the Diocese, as well, which has been shown by recent statistics to be growing. It joins London as the only dioceses where that is demonstrably the case. I was grateful to Ricky for a couple of hours of his valuable time, reflecting on this and other topics, and for a generous lunch. 


On Friday I was back in the car, with Kathryn this time, for a rather different kind of visit. We were returning to Beverley, for a rare visit in these last three and a half years since we left the Minster. The purpose was a meeting of the 'Archdeacons' Cell' that I belong to, with the Archdeacons of Carlisle (Kevin Roberts), the East Riding (David Butterfield), and Walsall (Chris Sims). We've been meeting for about three years now and it's a valuable group for mutual support and fellowship. Our wives join us as well, share part of our time together and then organise their own excursion in the afternoon, usually to the local shops! We've got to know each other well, and David and Irene are special friends because he was my Archdeacon for the last year and a half or so of our time in East Yorkshire. We stayed with them on Friday night, after a difficult journey because the M62 was blocked. We did manage a couple of calls to old friends from the parish, but the main purpose of the visit was our cell meeting. Chris and Catherine Sims were unable to join us this time, but the rest of us enjoyed one another's company as ever, and I was able to ask a few pertinent questions on my sabbatical theme to two more Archdeacons from different contexts. 


It was a busy, but very valuable week, and there would be no chance for rest and reflection because the next day, Sunday, I would be heading for the capital, and two days of meetings in the Church of England's largest diocese (by population and by number of churches) - London. 


Be hospitable to one another without complaining 

1 Peter 4:9

Simeon's blog

I've been pressing on with Simeon's memoirs and correspondence. In fact, the mental stimulus of the week in Nottingham has accelerated my progress through the 862 pages. Today I reached the point in 1807 when Simeon had an enforced sabbatical. He experienced a chronic loss of voice, no doubt through over-exertion in preaching, and withdrew almost entirely from public ministry for about two years. I was delighted to discover that he kept a blog - well, a diary - during this time. He wrote,

'That I may second the intentions of his providence, I purpose, during this interval of relaxation, to keep

A DIARY

that I may the more carefully observe what benefit accrues to me from this affliction. And I am not without hope, that this purpose of mine is, as proceeding from my God, a token for good; and that it will be attended with many salutary efforts to my soul. May God enable me to state my feelings with sincerity, and keep me from yielding to vanity and hypocrisy, which find much scope for exercise in records like these.'

I love the last sentence and will do my best to note it!

Anyway, I returned from Nottingham to Ripon, where Kathryn was already in residence for the weekend. The next phase of the sabbatical is going to be rather busy, perhaps too busy. But it began, praise be, with cricket.

I'd bought a ticket for the One-Day International between England and Australia at Durham. The weather forecast looked bleak all week and I was fully expecting yet another washout, even as I drove northwards on Saturday morning, listening to the reports of frustrated spectators at Silverstone for the Grand Prix being turned away from flooded car parks. But the Durham groundstaff did an outstanding job, somehow the rain held off, and we not only started on time, but had a full day.

That was the good news, but these days England can beat Australia so easily that it was a pretty one-sided match and not particularly exciting. But it was cricket, and it was an England victory over the Aussies. Thanksgiving all round.

On Sunday morning I kept up the pattern of worshipping in a different church every Sunday by visiting Ripon Cathedral. As I walked in I recognised the back view of two good friends, Terry and Liz Munro. Terry and Liz retired to Beverley some years ago and have served Beverley Minster faithfully and loyally ever since. Terry was a tremendous support to me at the Minster and I hold them in the greatest respect and affection. It was a delightful surprise to see them again. Terry was ordained 50 years (and three weeks) ago in Ripon and had taken the opportunity to make a return visit.

And there was another Beverley reunion in the afternoon. We had arranged a visit from Richard and Rachael Carew and their three young children. Richard was curate at Beverley from 2005 until I left, and beyond, and was another rock. We kept half an eye on Andy Murray's gallant effort against the incomparable Federer while the children played in the garden and around the house. A brief excursion to a local playground ended in tears. I had forgotten how often small children fall over. But Richard and Rachael will be returning to the cottage next week, on their own, to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Yesterday I began a programme of visiting Archdeacon colleagues in various dioceses over the next two or three weeks. The aim of this is to learn more about how other dioceses facilitate, support and resource innovative forms of mission.

I started in Bradford Diocese, with Kathryn and I travelling across in convoy and calling in at Salts Mill for a look at the David Hockney works and lunch. As Kathryn headed home to Bury, I met with the Archdeacon of Bradford, David Lee, and Andy Milne, leader of 'Sorted', a Fresh Expression and a Church Army Centre of Mission in the city. 

I won't be blogging about all the conversations I have, and what I learn, over the next few weeks, but suffice to say that this was an excellent start, and it was tremendous to learn about the work being done with unchurched young people through 'Sorted'. Here is a video that tells some of the story.

I was grateful to David for a passing comment about sabbaticals. 'A sabbatical is about the imagination', he said. That's right, I'm sure. The last few weeks have been an opportunity for my imagination to be restored and renewed. That's a rich blessing, especially for when the time comes to re-enter Manchester Diocese.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, I'm off to Sheffield, and to Liverpool on Thursday. The pace is hotting up.

I become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.

1 Corinthians 9:22

A Rumour of Angels

My return to academia continued with a day led by the former Principal of St John's, Canon Dr Christina Baxter. Christina arrived on the staff of St John's in 1979 when I was a student, and became Principal in 1997. She has been one of the most senior and influential lay people in the Church of England, and served as the Chair of the House of Laity of the General Synod for fifteen years until 2010. She was awarded the CBE in 2005. She began a well-deserved, but very active, retirement in March this year. Our paths have crossed many times during my ministry, especially when I was a member of General Synod, and it has been a privilege to know her and learn from her. 


So I was looking forward to her sessions on the ministry of women, and I was not disappointed. She led us with characteristic clarity and depth through the Biblical and theological issues, and discussed with us the current debate in the Church of England about the consecration of women bishops. I have never had reservations about any aspect of the ordination of women, and remember seconding a motion (proposed by an American woman priest) in a college debate on the subject when I was at St John's. But to be taken through the issues from first principles once again was extremely valuable at this critical point in the life of the Church. Many of the discussions have moved on considerably since I last gave them serious attention, especially the interpretation of the Biblical texts and the study of early Christian church life and theology. Not everyone in the group had the same views but my convictions were further strengthened. 


A couple of days later it was announced that a contemporary of mine at university and at St John's, Vivienne Faull, the Dean of Leicester, had been appointed Dean of York. I couldn't have been more delighted. It has been a privilege to know, and to work with, so many outstanding women clergy during the course of my ministry, and I look forward to the consecration of the first woman bishop - I hope, before I retire!


Christina's successor as Principal of St John's is the Revd Dr David Hilborn. I'd not met him before, so it was good to do so and to benefit from his expertise in another completely different area of theology: the evolution of the Charismatic Movement and the styles of worship associated with it. This was a fascinating, and somewhat unnerving experience. I was being taught about history I had, to all intents and purposes, been part of. I was greatly influenced by the Charismatic Movement as a student at St Aldate's, Oxford, as an ordinand at Nottingham and in my subsequent ministry. I have personal recollections of nearly all the key figures in this country who played a part in leading the movement to a place of acceptance and even respect in the mainstream churches of this country. I attended 'Spring Harvest' and John Wimber conferences in the 1980s, engaged in the debates about the 'Toronto Blessing' in the 1990s and have been thankful to God from the beginning until now that the Charismatic Movement has been part of my spiritual lifeblood. But what was fresh and new when I was at St John's was now being taught in the self-same place - as Church History! Shortly after leaving St John's I wrote the very first course module about the Holy Spirit for their Extension Studies Department. Much of that was concerned with theological controversies (especially about 'baptism in the Holy Spirit') that were overtaken within a very short time as the Charismatic Movement matured and evolved, and found its, place in the Church of England and other denominations. At one level it made me feel old, but at another I am thankful to God that my personal story has been so closely interwoven with what he has been doing in his Church for the last few decades.


If I had told you that I was going to be taught about the 'Spirituality of Angels' by Dr Andrew Angel, you would probably have thought I was making it up. But I kid you not. Andy Angel is Director of Extension Studies and Lecturer in New Testament at the College. He has recently written a book called, 'Angels: Ancient Whispers of Another World'. 


I have to admit that this was the subject that 'grabbed' me least of the five when I had looked at the programme. It felt, well, rather esoteric, and hardly relevant to the life and ministry of an archdeacon!


But the beauty of studying theology, and of being taught it well, is that it is full of surprises. I really enjoyed the day, not only because of Andy's excellent and enthusiastic teaching, but because the topic proved to be really helpful. Study of ancient Jewish and Christian texts on spiritual beings helps us to understand the Bible much better and all kinds of unexpected new insights emerged for me. There was a very valuable consideration of the 'principalities and powers' that are so often mentioned in the New Testament, and, of course, it is intriguing to assess the popular interest in angels in contemporary songs, books, TV and films (try 'Googling'!), and how the Church responds to contemporary and 'new age' spiritualities. In fact, attracted by the generous e-book price, this was the first book I purchased to read after the course.




So, "Thank-You, St John's" for a terrific week that re-kindled in me the desire to read and learn and, through that, to grow closer to God, that I had felt so strongly when I studied there all those years ago - exactly what a sabbatical is meant to do! There was also a helpful pattern of worship to support all the learning that went on. I would thoroughly recommend the 'Top Up Your Theology' Week in future years to clergy and laity with some knowledge of theology who would like to explore some new directions. I had been quite unsure of the decision to book in to the course and somewhat nervous about how I would feel, but I need not have worried. I enjoyed getting to know other course members, and I'm not going to have enough time in the sabbatical to read all the books I want to read now!


But it wasn't all brain exertion. Nottingham not only boasts an excellent theological college, but also one of my favourite cricket grounds, Trent Bridge. It just so happened that Yorkshire were playing Nottinghamshire there in the 20/20 competition on the Thursday evening of the course. I was able to slip out, in a very narrow window of dry weather, and watch the match. 20/20 cricket doesn't push too many of my buttons, but any cricket this summer is better than none, and a Yorkshire win, which they achieved quite comfortably, certainly does push them!


‘Very truly, I tell you,^* you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’

John 1:51

Back to the Beginning

Early yesterday I set off on the 2 hour drive to St John's College, Nottingham, to begin the 'Top Up Your Theology' course that I have booked into.

I trained for ministry at St John's, arriving there in 1977 when Jim Callaghan was Prime Minister, the Queen had just celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years), and Geoff Boycott had just scored his 100th hundred at Headingley. In my first term I remember volunteering to sleep in a local old people's home as an emergency fire warden during the 9-week firemen's strike which gripped the country that winter. It was a different world, and a different Church that I was preparing to serve for the rest of my life.

So it is eerie to see things that haven't changed here, the layout of the bedrooms, some of the furniture and fixtures, and a carefree atmosphere that I remember with fondness and gratitude. I lived for one year in the single student accommodation before Kathryn and I were married. We then moved into the married flats in Peache Way as our first home. I'm staying in the single student block, known as 'Northwood' after the college's former home in London, but on a different corridor, which is a mirror image of the one I lived on. Last night I turned instinctively the wrong way out of the Common Room to go to my room, as though it was 1977  again.

I had three very happy years at St John's and have remained thankful to God for my training ever since. It was forward-looking in its time, and also ensured that I was parachuted gently into the real world after six years studying chemistry at Oxford. I have nothing but good memories, save for the sudden death on St Luke's Day 1978 of the Principal who was there when I arrived, Robin Nixon. This isn't the first time I've been back. I've been to a number of courses and events, the last one about 8 years ago, and I've had opportunity to visit other theological colleges for various reasons, but St John's still excites and inspires.


I am hoping that this week will do exactly what it says on the tin. My theology needs topping up, and I readily admit that I have not read or reflected nearly enough in the last four years. Each day is devoted to a different topic, with three lecture/seminars, two in the morning and one after an afternoon break. The subjects range far and wide:
- Contemporary Christian Apologetics and the New Atheism
- Christian Ethics and Economics
- Facing the Abyss: Women holding onto Scripture and Vocation in Ministry
- New Directions in Charismatic Worship
- Spirituality of Angels


All of these promise to speak to situations and issues that were unknown, or would hardly have registered on the scale of concern, when I was here 35 years ago. Some of them are especially topical, and most of them will take me some distance out of my comfort zones.


The group is a fairly even mix of clergy and laity. Most of the laity are St John's Extension Students. Some attend for single days. I've met some very interesting people already, including one clergyman in a Simeon's parish, and laity from other European countries.


I was on more familiar ground yesterday that I will be for the rest of the week. I have given some time and attention over the last few years to the New Atheism of Richard Dawkins and others. As a former scientist, albeit long since time-expired, I have needed from time to time to be able to produce some answers to the challenges they raise, and I gave a couple of talks on the subject in the twilight of my time in Beverley. But college staff member Tim Hull brought us right up to date, with the use of an impressive range of multimedia resources. My impression is that the New Atheists have gained far more ground  in popular culture than they should have done against a Church that has not given sufficient attention to Apologetics in recent generations. The media love their sound-bites and have no time for a carefully-argued Christian response. I was introduced to some writers and speakers who were new to me and  particularly appreciated elements of the day which considered Darwin's attitude to Christian faith, and Dawkins' contempt for Scripture, especially the Old Testament.


We awoke this morning to the news of the resignation of the Chief Executive of Barclays, and another banking scandal dominates the headlines. Roy McCloughry's day on Christian Ethics and Economics couldn't have been more topical, and was particularly valuable to me because I have never really taken the time and trouble to try to understand the ethical issues underlying the financial calamities of the last few years. It wasn't easy, but it was immensely worthwhile. And there was light relief.*


*A few years old, but relevant and enjoyable nonetheless.


Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel**

2 Cor 9:16

** St John's College motto