St Andrew's Chaplaincy Newsletter Summer 2021

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Newsletter Summer 2021

Welcome

Welcome to our Summer Newsletter.

It has been wonderful to welcome a few visitors to our Churches over the last few weeks and we hope that as travel restrictions continue to ease, we will see more visitors and even some of our Swallows joining us in the coming weeks. Quite a few of our regulars have also been away for breaks, and we do hope they all return suitably refreshed.

I am really grateful to Caroline, Peter and Rev’d John Sutton for the recent extra duties to cover those Sundays when I was away. We are most fortunate to have such an active and willing Ministry Team!

Despite the easing of various restrictions in Spain and elsewhere, our lives continue to be dominated by Covid-19. It is a good thing that we remember the need to be careful when we gather in our Churches - and our Bishops have recently written to encourage us to continue taking the necessary precautions for the safety and well-being of all of us. While being vigilant, we are also extremely thankful for the freedoms that we now enjoy.

Our church numbers are quite low at the moment in each centre, for all sorts of reasons. But we are still trying to keep to our usual schedule of regular services, and I hope you will join us, whenever you are able. Around this time of year, I am reminded of these words written by the Rev’d Darren McCallig to his parishioners a few years ago, when he was the Chaplain of St Alban's Copenhagen:

I think that taking time away from the incessant demands of phones, emails and social media might be one of the most counter-cultural things that people of faith can do in today’s world. The practice of “switching-off” is, when you think about it, a beautiful act of trust and witness. It testifies to the conviction that God is able to act in the world apart from our human efforts or achievements — it is not all up to us!

Wise words to ponder this summer!

Fr Nigel

Just a thought....

I was reminded the other day that this picture of ‘The Light of the World’ by the English Pre-Raphaelite artist William Homan Hunt (1827-1910), was used by one the speakers leading a Bible Study at our Archdeaconry Synod back in February, so I thought it was worth taking another look….

It’s a popular picture, based on a verse from Revelation 3: 20 – “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

As a young man, Holman Hunt shook the artistic world when he exhibited the painting in 1854 – and it caused a sensation in both religious and artistic circles. John Ruskin, a leading Victorian art critic, at the time, described it as ‘one of the very noblest works of sacred art ever produced in this or any age.’

For the next 20 years after that first exhibition, many copies of ‘The Light of the World’ were made, while the original was housed in a private collection.On the death of the collector, the paining was presented to Keble College, Oxford. However, Holman Hunt wasn’t too happy with the way that the College kept the painting, so decided to paint the subject again, so that it might be available for the world to see. This time, the painting was twice as large as the 1854 version and was first displayed in 1904. It was then sent on exhibition around the world and was finally hung in St Paul’s Cathedral, where is is still on display today.

It would appear that Holman Hunt intended to show Jesus standing outside the door to the individual’s heart. The door may never have been opened. The doorway is overgrown with weeds, and there is no handle visible. As a consequence, Jesus can only knock, but it is up to the individual to open the door and to trust the ‘Light of the World’, with his symbolic lantern to guide him or her through the darkness of the world outside.

I think the image can remind all of us that through the lives we lead, we too can show something of the Light of the World. By the importance we place on coming together to worship as a community, and how we treat one another. For many people the world is still a dark place at the moment, even though restrictions are being lifted. Some are simply happy to get on with their lives, while others are being more careful. The ministry of Jesus, the Light of the World is ours today, as our congregations work creatively together, as we seek to build up the kingdom of God in this place.

We praise you, O God,
that the light of Christ shines in the darkness of our world,
and that the darkness has not overcome it;
we pray that his light may shine more and more into our lives,
illuminating our minds with the knowledge of the truth
and enabling us to walk in the way of holiness and love;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A crucial moment in our history . . .

What’s the big fuss about climate action in 2021?

At the start of the year, Sir David Attenborough described 2021 as ‘a crucial moment in our history’ in the fight against the climate crisis.

The climate crisis continues to grow in urgency each day. We’re still on course for catastrophic temperature rises that will put millions of lives at risk and push people further into poverty. So far this year we have seen record breaking high temperatures and unprecedented rainfall and flooding around the world.

In June leaders of some of the world’s most influential countries met in Cornwall for this year’s G7 summit to discuss how to build back better from the Covid pandemic and tackle global challenges including the climate crisis. There were some positive steps taken but generally the talks were disappointing and did not deliver the scale of action needed to meet the crisis we face.

With the G7 summit over, all eyes now turn to this year’s UN climate change conference, known as COP26, being held in Glasgow in November. This is a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change. Globally agreed targets have been set to limit global warming to well below 2, preferably 1.5Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels. The aim is to achieve a climate neutral world by 2050. The UN Secretary General has said, in advance of COP26, that ‘current levels of climate ambition and action are significantly short of what is needed to achieve these targets’.

Success at these talks is essential, the climate crisis is accelerating and, without urgent action, more deaths and destruction will follow, now in this third decade of the 21st century. So let us commit to praying regularly for world leaders to take ambitious climate action at COP26, coming together with a collaborative spirit and with courage.

It is worth considering that the General Synod of the Church of England has brought forward the year in which it aims to achieve carbon neutrality to 2030. We will certainly have a part to play in achieving this ambitious target.

Hilary Tompkins

Times of refreshing – by Lucy Mills

Only a few days left. And what a lot to do in them! As I’m writing this, I’m aware that I’ll soon be going on holiday with my husband, a time when we can at last unravel. By the time you are reading this, I will have returned from that holiday and will be making jokes about needing another.

You may have had a holiday recently; you may be about to have one. You may wish you could be having one but life’s circumstances just aren’t allowing for it at the moment. You may have mixed feelings about holidays. You may dislike traveling, or all the preparation beforehand. You may prefer to ‘holiday at home’.

What makes a good holiday? It depends on the person. When I have a holiday my main hope would be that I can switch off. I don’t work on holiday. I don’t check my work emails. (I’m a freelancer, so the lines can blur very easily.) I want to rest, my mind most of all. I prefer to be somewhere different. I do enjoy a break at home when I’m not working, but it’s no real substitute for me – I work from home, so there’s always that association. Not to mention the chores that need doing.

I like to stretch my horizons, discover new places – even if I go back somewhere I’ve been before. I like to find myself on a remote stretch of coast, the wind blowing against me, finding a soul-expanding-wildness in the moment.

Not to say I wouldn’t enjoy sunning myself by a pool on occasion. But being out there – in nature, exploring creation – has a certain appeal. I like a holiday with a slowing effect. We have time to wind down, and then enjoy where we are, when we feel a bit more recovered from life’s incessant busyness. We live in such a busy world, where achievement is crowned together with success. There are some who see holidays as a waste of time because they are not ‘productive’. But rest is productive. By slowing our minds, by putting aside the day-in-day-out cycles, we can ‘reboot’. We clear out the backlog in our brains and come back refreshed. That’s the hope, anyway!

I also need to remind myself that God comes with me on holiday. That may sound strange, but with a husband in church ministry I can stray into the subconscious idea that I am taking a break from my Christianity. But God is in every place. If I open my mind and my heart, as I breathe in the air of those wild shores, God can speak to me in new ways and my spirit, too, can be refreshed.

A Summer Read

At first sight, we might be forgiven for thinking that Christian Playfulness is slightly frivolous; that Faith is a far too serious and foundational reality in our Christian lives to link it to playfulness.

Not so! In his book, Peter Morris deals with the essential place of humour, laughter, and fun in the Christian life in a reflective and, dare I say it, serious way. His choice of quotations, drawing on other Christian writers, supports and brings a degree of gravitas to the need for more effective balance of work, life, play – and prayer.

Christian Playfulness – recreation in the spiritual life by Peter Morris
Redemptorist Publications @£4.94 www.rpbooks.co.uk

While many celebrities and others in the ‘public eye’ are generally very happy to appear on chat shows or give magazine interviews telling us about their lives and work, it is not so usual to hear them share something about their experiences of prayer. The closest may be their thoughts about ‘meditation’ and more recently about ‘mindfulness’. In A Comedian’s Prayer Book, the well-known TV personality, Frank Skinner, is a rare exception. He unashamedly declares in the introduction, ‘I am a practicing Roman Catholic, so, inevitably the book is a bit on the Catholic side in its understandings, through I doubt it would get a papal imprimatur [papal approval].’

There are many books on prayer dealing with a wide variety of themes, such as the theology of prayers, methods of prayer and books of prayers, but this is a slightly unusual book. It neither sets out to teach you how to pray, nor describes the theory of why we pray. Rather, Frank Skinner invites us to ‘listen into’ his way of praying. This makes it a very personal sharing, expressed colloquially, informally and with the touch of the comedian. It’s certainly a timely book on prayer for what many consider to be a ‘post-Christian time,’ where scepticism and unbelief are the order of the day.

Frank Skinner’s style may well irk you initially, but don’t give up! Perseverance will reap its reward. Despite his own inimitable style, he briefly addresses the profound mysteries of the Christian faith, God, the Trinity, sin, heaven and hell. There are some deep moments worth pondering and dipping into again. When you’ve finished and done with it, why not pass it on for others to dip into.?

A Comedian’s Prayer Book by Frank Skinner
Hodder & Stoughton @£9.99 available via Amazon or www.rpbooks.co.uk

A Summer recipe

Summer Salad Soup
This refreshing soup is served cold. Serves 4

Ingredients
350g cucumber
1 small lettuce, washed and dried
175g shelled peas
1 teaspoon butter
5 spring onions, finely chopped
850ml vegetable stock

Optional garnish for serving:
2 tablespoons single cream
1 tablespoon fresh snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the chopped spring onions and cook gently for 5 minutes. Meanwhile chop the cucumber into chunks and shred the lettuce.
Next add the lettuce, cucumber and shelled peas to the pan. Stir and then cover, leaving the vegetables to cook gently for about 10 minutes.
Pour in the stock, season with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Once at boiling point, reduce the heat to low, put the lid on and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and leave it cool for a bit, then process the soup in a blender or using a handheld blender in the pan.
Pour the soup into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and refrigerate.

When serving, taste for seasoning, and dress each bowl with some of the chives and a spoon of cream.

Charity of the month

Our Charity of the month, Let The Children Live, is a charity of last resort whose aim is that the forgotten children of Colombia may have life; life in all its fullness.

(There will be retiring collections at each church to support this work)

Many thanks indeed for all who have kindly donated to support the important work of this charity so far. We will continue supporting them through August and will change for September/October.

Ways you can help:

Please be generous in your donation on a Sunday – or using the Just Donate Button on our website…
Support us with your prayers! This, after all, is God’s work and first and foremost we need His help, so your prayers are extremely important.
Pray for all the staff and pray for the children and all the children in the streets and shantytowns.

For more information or a copy of their latest Newsletter go to: https://letthechildrenlive.org

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