A Greeting from Fr Bernard Minton.
As I hope you all know by now, I have been appointed as Team Vicar of Linslade. The date for my Licensing is May12th, and I have been asked to write something for the magazine, as a way of introducing myself.
I married Rowena in 1994 and we have three daughters: Arianwen (whose name means something like"silver-white") who is seven, Gwenllian (named after a Welsh princess) who is 5, and Angharad (which means "Much loved") who is 7 months. We are not Welsh but my Mother's family are, and she is proud of her Welsh roots.
I spent my childhood in Sussex, where my parents still live. I have a younger brother who is married with two teenage son's, and who is an Army Officer currently serving in Afghanistan.
After leaving University I had a number of jobs and spent some time unemployed. Before going to Theological College I trained and worked as a Chartered Building Surveyor. I trained for the Priesthood at the College of the Ressurection in Mirfield for three years, and was ordained Deacon in 2004 and Priest in 2005 in Lancing, in the Diocese of Chichester, where I am currently Curate. I am still working on a Research Doctorate in Theology and Hermeneutics I strated while at Mirfield, and which I hope to finish in the next year: if you want to know more details, make sure you are sitting down and then ask me!
I am an avid reader; like listening to classical and folk music; am a Science Fiction fan; and love cricket, though I am definitely a spectator not a player. I grew up in the Liberal Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England, which means that things like Walsingham Pilgrimages and a strong focus on the Sacraments are important to me but that I am also in favour of developments such as the ordination of women. The overriding spiritual influence in my life has been the gift of the awareness of the love of God, which has formed my desire both to respond to that unfathomable love in prayer and worship, and to make that love tangible in my life.
I hope that this gives you some sort of an idea of who you are getting. I am very much looking forward to the opportunity of ministering with you and as part of the Leighton-Linslade team. Our move to Linslade is going to be a bit of a scramble: our last Sunday here in Lancing will be May 4th, which will give us a week to move and unpack! But I hope to meet lots of you at my Licencing, and to get to know you all over the following months.
Many readers will know that the PCC recently approved a policy to admit children to Holy Communion before they have been confirmed. Jenny Hyson, the diocesan children’s adviser has commended us on our proposals and now, at the time of writing, we await permission from Bishop Alan to go ahead. Meanwhile a group is working on behalf of the PCC to plan how the children and their parents/carers should be prepared for this significant step in their spiritual journey.
This will have a considerable impact on the life of the whole parish. For a start, now we accept that baptism is the starting point for sharing in Holy Communion, we must take much more seriously the significance of baptism and ensure that baptism services aren’t an optional extra that usually take place at noon without the presence of the regular congregation – apart from the priest conducting the service. Already members of the baptism preparation group take part, as well as PCC members who take it in turn to help prepare for the service and welcome the congregation as they arrive. Perhaps we should offer a service of thanksgiving for the gift of a child as an alternative to baptism for parents and godparents who are not yet ready to make a solemn commitment on behalf of their child.
Is worship accessible to everyone? The first Sunday All-age Eucharist is now under review, to make it more accessible to and really involve people of all ages, and young members of the congregation are being consulted. In the past we weren’t very good at asking for the opinions and ideas of our younger members. This was wrong.
We need to review how well we enable all our people, young and old, to keep on growing in faith, from cradle to grave. We will review how children are included in everything – social events, stewardship (including how they can offer their time and talents), and ensure that their voice is heard. This is not easy for people who have been taught that children are not old or mature enough to make a meaningful contribution. But we have as our example Jesus, who told his disciples not to shoo the children away. Rather, said Jesus, we adults need to become like little children if we are to enter the kingdom of Heaven .
Arthur Cowburn until recently the Methodist minister at Stewkley did some research on what made for a growing congregation. He found that the most important factors were the quality of genuine welcome and the cheerful acceptance of children in the congregation. An ecumenical church publication stated as long ago as 1976:
Children are a gift to the Church. The Church that does not accept children unconditionally into its fellowship is depriving those children of what is rightfully theirs, but the deprivation such a Church will suffer is far more grave.
It is my hope and prayer, that as we learn to accept children unconditionally into our fellowship at St Barnabas’, we will all grow in faith and love, and be enabled to share Christ’s unconditional love with people who long to be loved and valued in a world obsessed with materialistic values.
With love and prayers
Catherine
Dear Lord, let us start our work in faith, continue in obedience, and finish with love.
“If you knew each other, you would love each other” (an Arabic proverb). Understanding is the first step to love. We need to get to know each other.
Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was loaned to you by your children.
A Kenyan proverb