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Well it has come
and gone - the general election that is, and as Bishop Tom remarked in his
May letter "The old argument whether or not the Church should be involved in
politics has been given a fresh spin with Archbishop, Cardinal and Prime
Minister all addressing the issue". Prior to the election our peripatetic
organist Brian Lamble kindly sent me a copy of a letter from the Bishops'
Conference to Catholics in England and Wales and its conclusion which I
believe holds fast for all Christians, states "Within the restlessness,
fragmentation, moral confusion and preoccupation with celebrity, the lives
of many people are still guided by faith and hope in the mystery of
God..…and we are called to personal conversion through prayer and the
sacramental life of the Church. We are also called to work for social
transformation, through love compassion, peace and justice in our homes,
work places, parishes and the wider human family of God." We therefore
cannot and should not escape our calling to challenge injustice in the world
and to seek to change those things that are in opposition to the Christian
Gospel. In the parish this can involve us in local issues and encourage us
to be involved in Church activities, and so it is good that so many members
of the congregation are involved in so many ways in supporting the church.
The Church is the body of Christ here on earth. Involvement may be in
generally unseen activities such as church cleaning and flower arranging or
in more visible activities as members of the PCC or its sub-committees, or
in participating in leadership roles. An occasion involving a band of
willing volunteers is the Church Fair on 18th June which promises
to be a memorable event for the whole community. All are important to the
life of the Church and without such activities and without the support of
Church members, the Church would quickly die.
St
Mary's is demonstrably an active church, but we should not be complacent and
the New Initiative's Committee is currently considering ways in which we can
encourage growth. One opportunity will be a Newcomers Welcome, where those
who have recently attended services or church events for the first time in
recent months, will be invited to meet the PCC and other church members in
the evening of 1st July to find out more about the Church. Light
refreshments will be provided. Details of this event will follow, but
readers who would like to come to this welcome evening are invited to speak
to the Churchwardens or myself for more details.
Another initiative currently under consideration is the Beta Course, which
is designed to help Christians develop their faith, personal lives and the
church Community. If the PCC decision is to run a Beta course, information
about the course will be given in future editions of the magazine.
One
occasion for the strengthening of our faith was the celebration of the feast
of Pentecost with our brothers and sisters from the mainstream churches in
Merton Park And as we have progressed via the Feast of Pentecost from the
season of Easter we have reached what is termed a period of Ordinary Time.
This period continues until the season of Advent in November and it is
particularly marked with Trinity Sunday and the Sundays after Trinity until
we reach All Saints Day. The Trinity is the symbol of the Triune Godhead,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the symbol of unity. And so as we move forward
I urge you to hold onto that symbol as we work together with our friends in
other churches to grow in our faith and bring others the message of the
Christian Gospel.
John Hillier (Honorary Curate)
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