THE

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‘The world ismy parish’

Summer 2003 Volume 100 No.2

£1.75

© copyright TM

CP

Cover: The Elements of Holy Communion by Jacques Iselin,born 1933. Painted 1963, Oil 180cm x 105cm. Methodist Art Collection. © Reproduced by permission of the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes (TMCP)

The Reader aims to assist the ten thousand Readers in the British Isles in the exercise oftheir ministry by stimulating them theologically and encouraging them to spread thegospel of Jesus Christ effectively in their dioceses. The Reader reflects the work of theCentral Readers’ Council and the Church of England generally, while being aware of theworldwide Anglican Communion.

The Central Readers’ Council of the Ministry Division of the Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England.Chair: The Bishop of Carlisle, The Rt Revd Graham Dow Vice-chair: Gloria HelsonHonorary Secretary: Canon Pat Nappin

The Reader production team:Editor: Clare Amos Reviews Editor: Peter Watkins Advertising Manager: Edwin Parr Designer: Andrew Milne Editorial Committee Chair: Nigel HolmesEditorial Committee Vice-chair: Christine McMullen

The Reader is available from the Central Readers’ Council,Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3NZ Tel: 020 7898 1415 Fax: 020 7898 1421email: thereader@c-of-e.org.uk

Website: www.readers.cofe.anglican.org

The Reader is available in the UK for £5.00 for four issues a year.Cheques should be made payable to The Central Board of Finance.ISSN 0300-3469

This issue contains:-

A HEART AND MIND FOR A MISSION– Revd David Deeks ...................................................... 2

JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY & THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND– Revd Barrie Tabraham ..................................................4

GETTING IT TOGETHER - ADVENTURES IN ECUMENICAL TRAINING– Peter Relf ....................................................................6

THE PREACHER AS BIBLICAL CRITIC– Clive Marsh..................................................................8

AN ANGLICAN-METHODIST COVENANT ..........................10

A WELL KEPT SECRET– Carolyn Wicks, Jennifer Woolley, Albert Jewell ..............12

METHODISM’S CHILDREN – Judy Jarvis ................................................................15

ANGLIAN METHODIST RELATIONS– Dudley Coates............................................................18

OURSELVES THROUGH METHODIST EYES– Ian Yearsley ..............................................................19

A METHODIST MISCELLANY– Clare Amos ................................................................20

THE PAINFUL WORK OF AN ORDINARY READER– Ian Yearsley ..............................................................21

FOR YOUR BOOKSHELF ................................................22

GAZETTE ......................................................................27

GLEANINGS ..................................................................28

THE LAST WORD– Pat Nappin ................................................................29

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Summer 2003 Volume 100 No.2

THE READER

CONTENTS EDITORIAL

© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England 2003. Copyright of The Reader is held by the Central Readers’ Council. Material is accepted for publication on the basis that it may need to be edited or shortened. The views of contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those held by the Central Readers’ Council. The acceptance of advertisements does not imply endorsement.Permission to reproduce material that appears in The Reader must be sought in writing.

There is something in my past I have always felt a bit guiltyover! When I was 21 I was offered a World Council of

Churches scholarship to study at the Roman Catholic EcoleBiblique in Jerusalem. It was a real privilege. One of the condi-tions of the scholarship however was that I should beprepared to return to their own country afterwards. Thethought behind that was the belief that the ultimate purposeof such a scholarship was to enable people to be involved inworking for ecumenism and unity in their own country. Well inmy case, after that year’s scholarship – I was offered anotheryear’s study by the Ecole Biblique itself… and then I wastempted by the offer of a job as Course Director at St George’sCollege, Jerusalem where we ran short courses on the Biblefor clergy and lay people. It was too good an opportunity toturn down. After I had been working there for a couple of yearsor so I met the Anglican chaplain in Beirut, Lebanon who hadarrived for a visit – and five days later we decided to getmarried. So that led to nearly five years living in Beirut throughsome of the most difficult times of the civil war (that’s a storyin itself!). All in all it was almost ten years before I finallyreturned to England to live permanently – and could be said tohave started fulfilling the condition under which I had receivedthe original scholarship.

But one result of all this, and particularly of my experienceat the Ecole Biblique is that working ecumenically has for menever been an ‘optional extra’. I would gladly acknowledge thatI have learned so much from the Christians of other churcheswhom I have studied and worked alongside. Not onlyChristians of the Roman Catholic tradition – although that isalways a particular pleasure, when opportunities arise. One ofthe other Christian denominations with whom I have most todo is the Methodist Church, both through my involvement withthe Cambridge Theological Federation, and as a Methodistemployee during the years when I edited the ecumenicalworship and learning resource Partners in Learning. Duringthose years I not only deeply appreciated the integrity and grit-tiness of my Methodist colleagues, but came to realise therichness of the Methodist tradition – and the many resourcesit had to offer of which I had been ignorant before. Our coverpicture, for example is a painting by Jacques Iselin, whichcomes from the Methodist Art Collection – one of Methodism’slesser known treasures, although we have used another paint-ing from the same collection – the Crucified Tree Form - as thecover of The Reader once before. (Spring 2001)

17 June 2003 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth ofJohn Wesley, Methodism’s founder – though he himselfremained a member of the Church of England till his dying day.The event will be celebrated with a major ecumenical servicein Lincoln Cathedral which is near to Epworth Rectory whereWesley was born. With this anniversary and the currentAnglican-Methodist Covenant process in mind, this issue ofThe Reader draws particularly on Methodist contributors toshare with us some insights that I believe are relevant tothose of us who are Anglicans, whether or not we work inspecific ecumenical settings such as LEPs. We owe theMethodist tradition a great deal, not least that famous phraseof John Wesley that many Readers may well feel in tune with –‘The world is my parish’.

Clare Amos,Honorary Editor

4JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY& THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

12A WELL KEPT SECRET

18ANGLIAN METHODIST

RELATIONS

FEATURES

2

CA: Can you explain for our readers just what this new post is?DD: The Methodist Church prides itself on being a‘Connexion’. That is, a visible statement that we belong toone another. Basically the role will involve taking a lead insetting out our vision of what it means to be Church, help-ing to shape our missionary strategy, and articulating thefaith in a way that enables it to be attractive in the contem-porary situation. It will also involve enabling the currentdiverse leadership in the Church to pull together effectively.

CA: Can you explain a bit more about Methodist structuresand the various forms of leadership?DD: There are various structures that help the MethodistChurch in Britain work together. There is the annualMethodist Conference held each year in June – of whichthe Presidency (a minister) and Vice-Presidency (a deaconor lay person) changes each year. This is abody that Methodists from all parts of thecountry send representatives to, and it iswhere major issues of policy are discussedand decided. One of my tasks will be to actas Secretary to this Conference. On theground, throughout Britain, the MethodistChurch is organised into Districts andCircuits. We have approximately 600Circuits, grouped in 33 Districts. Each Circuit has aSuperintendent, and each District has a District Chair. Andthen finally, as you know, we have a Team of people whoserole it is to service the entire Connexion – rather like yourArchbishops’ Council staff – in areas such as Unity andMission, Church Life and Social Justice and Public Life.They work under the direction of Coordinating Secretaries– six of these as from September. One of the GeneralSecretary’s new responsibilities will be to act as line managerfor these Coordinating Secretaries; I shall also be the execu-tive leader of the District Chairs and Co-ordinatingSecretaries working together.

CA: The $64,000 question! What do you think is the mostimportant thing for Anglicans to understand aboutMethodism?DD: It is that we see ourselves as fundamentally a commu-nity in mission, believing that that mission is enriched byperspectives drawn from all over the world. Here in Britain– and the Methodist Church in Britain is a Church thatincludes Christians in Scotland and Wales as well asEngland – ‘mission’ affects everything we do. It affects ourconstitution, our worship, our commitment to social justice.Obviously we have to prioritise – but this commitment tomission is, I believe, at the heart of what we do. That isn’t tosay that the Church of England with its parochial systemisn’t also committed to mission throughout England. Inmany ways Anglicans and Methodists are natural partners.However for Methodists the particular relationship theChurch of England has to the State does make a significantdifference – though not, I hasten to add, in terms of ourmutual understanding of mission.

CA: At the moment there is a Covenant process beingexplored both by the Church of England and the MethodistChurch. If this Covenant is accepted by both partnerswhere do you think will be what I call the ‘ouch’ points inour future relationship?DD: I think wherever there is a partnership system the issueof relative resources can become a potential difficulty.

Clearly in most – though not all – areas theChurch of England currently seems to havemore resources than the Methodist Church.It will be important that mechanisms arefound to enable the Methodist Church toplay to its strengths. I also feel that success-ful partnerships require commitment to ahigh quality of personal relationshipsbetween the leaders of the Churches – at all

levels. This is something we have to continue working at –it is not something where we can stand back and think‘we’ve arrived’. We have to go on deepening such relation-ships to ensure that good will is sustained.

CA: An area where it seems to me that the MethodistChurch has a strength that the Church of England canlearn from is in its relations with the World Church. Yourrelations with the ‘World Church’ are an integral part ofnational Methodist structures – unlike the situation in theChurch of England where such concerns are the responsi-bility of separate missionary agencies. I suppose that alsothe ‘balance’ and comparative strength of the Methodistand Anglican Churches feels rather different in Scotlandand Wales – as compared with England. Moving on, if theCovenant goes ahead, what do you think that theMethodist Church will particularly bring to closer workingwith the Church of England?DD: A tradition of flexibility and innovation, of respondingto the challenges of mission in today’s world. I hope thatsingly and together we will be challenged to support thosewith a vocation to do quite risky things. We certainly acceptthe need for a proper discipline and accountability, but feel

Revd David Deeks will be takingup a new position in September2003 as General Secretary of theMethodist Conference. ClareAmos recently spoke to thisintriguing and talented man whowill have a key influence in BritishMethodism during the next fewyears.

The gospel of Christknows no religion butsocial; no holinessbut social holiness. John Wesley

AHeart –

and Mind– for Mission

3

the need to encourage new ways of being church – such ascell churches – or to engage with sections of our societywhich have become unchurched.

CA: As I well know from our time as colleagues on the staffof the Cambridge Theological Federation, you yourself haveworked closely with Anglicans – both in Cambridge andprior to that on the staff of Lincoln Theological College.What can you say out of this experience?DD: I think that joint training is fundamentally important –not simply because of resource constraints, though it is rightto share resources sensibly and creatively. I found working intheological education in an ecumenical context on the wholea very positive experience. I do however also rememberoccasional moments when I felt that the lack of clarity inthe Church of England as to where responsibility for deci-sion-making and authority lay could be frustrating andcause difficulties.

CA: One of the things that fascinates me is that the recentChurch of England report on ministerial training – it issometimes called the Hind Report – owes quite a lot to thedevelopments in Methodist training patterns, both forministers and for lay people. For example the regionalmodel – and I think also to some extent the concept offoundation training. I think we owe Methodism quite adebt for that, and I hope we are gracious enough to recog-nise it! Moving on, to a couple of final questions. Is thereanything else you feel that it is important to say to Readersabout the process of growing together through theCovenant?DD: We have to acknowledge that there is a variety of viewsin Methodism on the Covenant itself. For most Methodiststhe position of women in ministry is non-negotiable – andwhile some forms of ministry within the Church ofEngland, such as the episcopate, are not open to women,there is going to be a sense of unease. But I think it is alsoimportant that people do not assume specific ‘equivalences’between the patterns of the two Churches – even thoughthat may sometimes feel a natural thing to try and do. Forexample, Methodist District Chairs are not the same asChurch of England bishops – though the link is sometimesmade. Both are equally valid patterns, I believe, but they arenot the same.

CA: And finally, have you any comment on the newArchbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams?DD: I am sure that he will be very warmly received by boththe Free Churches and the Roman Catholic Church in thiscountry. During his time as Archbishop in Wales we methim at a number of conferences and ecumenical gatherings.We are looking forward to the future with him in this keyrole that will surely influence the life of all the Churches inthis country.

CA: Thank you David. As always it is a pleasure – and alearning experience – to talk with you! I wish you everysuccess in your own new and challenging tasks.

2003promises to be a signifi-cant year for those of us

who are Methodists. The GeneralSynod of the Church of England andthe Methodist Conference will bevoting shortly on the CovenantingProposals which, if both bodies givetheir approval, will commit the twodenominations to work more closelytogether in the future – with ‘full visi-ble unity’ as the ultimate goal. 2003 isalso the tercentenary of the birth ofJohn Wesley.

It is, therefore, worth re-examining:• What happened to John Wesley on24 May 1738 – a date that has alwaysbeen regarded by Methodists as beingof great significance, and• Did John Wesley and his youngerbrother Charles want to found a sepa-rate denomination, and what factorsmade separation inevitable by the endof the eighteenth century?

A flame being kindledOn Wednesday 24 May 1738 JohnWesley’s heart was ‘strangely warmed’at a meeting he attended in London’sAldersgate Street. It has often beenreferred to as the date of his ‘conver-sion’. But what was John Wesleyconverted from? And what to?Certainly not from an unbeliever into aChristian; neither from a reprobateinto a model citizen; nor from anAnglican into a Methodist! Indeed, theterm ‘Methodist’ was used in a veryloose sense to describe many evangeli-

cal Anglicans – for example, GeorgeWhitefield – and not just the followersof John and Charles Wesley.

Thirteen years earlier, when he wasordained as deacon in the Church ofEngland, John Wesley wrote:

‘In the year 1725, being in thetwenty-third year of my age, I resolvedto dedicate all my life to God, all mythoughts and words and actions.’

Hardly the words of an uncommit-ted Christian. Wesleywas a decent, respectableAnglican clergyman.Between 1725 and 1738he was nothing less thana devout, conscientious,hard-working servant ofGod. In fact, if hewasn’t, then what are weto make of the faith of millions ofpeople today who call themselvesChristians? Even John Wesley himself,made remarkably little reference to hisAldersgate experience in subsequentwritings, and seemed to feel that hehad over-emphasized his lack of faithprior to 1738. Indeed, both he andCharles tended to write about theirown spiritual state in exaggeratedterms, and their mother Susannagently (but firmly) pointed out that, inher considered opinion, it was not thatthe brothers were devoid of faithbefore May 1738, but rather their spir-itual crisis had enabled them to appro-priate the grace of God that wasalready present in their lives.

Something had been lacking, ofcourse. What Wesley lacked – andwhat he longed for – was a personalassurance of the forgiving love of Godfor him. During the meeting atAldersgate Street, as he afterwardswrote:

‘I felt my heart strangely warmed. Ifelt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone,for salvation; and an assurance wasgiven me, that he had taken away my

sins, even mine, and saved me from thelaw of sin and death.’

He had found peace of mind at last,or – as we would say today, perhaps –‘the penny dropped’.

Whatever one’s views of the precisenature of ‘conversion’, the fact remainsthat 24 May marked an importanttheological, as well as a psychological,turning-point in Wesley’s life. Beingreleased from the introspection which

had characterized hisearlier years, JohnWesley was now able tocombine the notion ofpersonal holiness withpersonal faith. It was asif he now had the bestof both worlds.Wesley’s deep concern

for holiness and the importance of thesacramental life was now integratedwith a fervour and a simplicity of faithin the grace of God. From that pointonwards, John and Charles Wesley(who had gone through a similar expe-rience three days before that of hisbrother’s) were the centre of whatbecame known as the MethodistRevival.

The early cracksBut how did the break with the Church ofEngland happen? Was it inevitable? Andto what extent did Charles share hisbrother’s views on the subject? It was clear that, from the earliest daysof the Methodist revival, relations withthe Church of England would pose aserious question. Many Anglican cler-gy, especially the hierarchy, saw theearly Methodist preachers as a threat.Some were jealous of the Wesleys’success, but many had genuine (ifmisplaced) fears that Methodism wasencouraging wild emotionalism amongthe common people, and that open-airpreaching and the development ofMethodist groups (or ‘societies’) were a

FEATURES

4

JOHN AND CHARLES

WESLEY& THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

I am grateful to Revd Barrie Tabraham, a Methodist minister working in a Local Ecumenical Partnership in WorcesterPark, London, for providing this interesting and accessible study of one aspect of the early history of Methodism.

...I resolved todedicate all my lifeto God, all mythoughts and wordsand actions.

The infant John being recued from the burning Rectory at Epworth

challenge to church order and theauthority of the regular clergy.

To his life’s end, John Wesleyaffirmed his loyalty to the Church ofEngland – just a few years before hisdeath he stated that ‘when theMethodists leave the Church, God willleave them’. Both John and CharlesWesley had, from their childhood,been deeply immersed in the Anglicantradition. It is often forgotten thatJohn Wesley began preaching in theopen-air – ‘field-preaching’, as it wastermed – only with the greatest reluc-tance. As a high churchman, he had abuilt-in reverence for consecratedplaces of worship, which in his viewwere the proper places to preach. Thefact that open-air preaching was oftenwithout invitation or permission fromother Anglican clergy increased hismisgivings. However, John Wesley‘submitted to be more vile’ (his ownwords, written in 1739) because he sawfrom the example of GeorgeWhitefield, that it actually worked,though he was no peddler of ‘hellfireand damnation’.

With the benefit of hindsight, wecan see that it would have been impos-sible for Methodism to continue as akind of ‘ginger group’ within theChurch of England, and John Wesleyhimself probably acknowledged in hisheart that separation would come oneday. Charles Wesley had, in manyways, a much greater attachment andcommitment to the Church, and thisexplains why he was to disagree sostrongly with his brother when thequestion of Methodism’s separationreached crisis proportions in the 1780s.Even as early as 1744, before the veryfirst Methodist Conference had assem-bled, he warned his brother that towrite about the Methodists as a sepa-rate body ‘would constitute us a sect; atleast it would seem to allow that weare a body distinct from the nationalChurch’.

In 1747 the Methodist Conferenceexamined possible causes of frictionand had come to the conclusion –guided, of course, by John Wesley –that in fact they were not ‘guilty ofmaking such a schism’ and were beingcareful to abide by the rules of theChurch of England. Further tensionsappeared almost immediately, this timeconcerning the administration of HolyCommunion, another area in whichCharles and John did not exactly seeeye to eye.

The Conference of 1755 also tack-

led the issue of separation, and Charlesreported to his wife Sally that ‘allagreed not to separate. So the wound ishealed – slightly’. Undoubtedly,Charles was worried by his brother’sshifts in attitude, and published anopen letter entitled An Epistle to theReverend Mr John Wesley, by CharlesWesley, Presbyter of the Church ofEngland, which was widely circulatedand, indeed, read out aloud by Charlesto large numbers of people.Interestingly, it was written in verseand was a stout defence of his positionas a loyal member of the Church ofEngland. The following couplet, atwhich John must have squirmed, issufficient to illustrate its general tone:

‘Was it our aim disciples to collect,To raise a party, or to found a sect?’

A little later, Charles confessed to afriend with remarkable candour, ‘Ishould have broken off from theMethodists and my brother in 1752’,adding that the probability of separa-tion ‘has made me tremble for yearspast’.

In the years that followed, however,Charles felt increasingly uneasy withsome of the ways in which heperceived Methodism to be develop-ing. Its growth as a movement, albeitwithin the Church of England,inevitably created problems which wecan think of in terms of ‘centre’ and‘circumference’. As Methodism spreadfurther and further throughout thecountry, inescapable tensions grewbetween the Conference of preachersat the centre – largely controlled byJohn Wesley – and the scattered soci-eties and their members at the grassroots.

The divergence of brothersWhy did Charles Wesley not leaveMethodism?From a study of his correspondence, itbecomes obvious that he felt he coulddo more to control the dissidents fromwithin the movement than fromoutside it, even though his struggle todo so both pained and wearied him.Charles also felt torn between loyaltyto his brother, who seemed to changehis stance from one year to the next,and loyalty to the Established Church.In a letter to his wife Sally in 1760, ayear which saw a fresh crisis over theadministration of Holy Communionby unlicensed (lay) preachers and yetanother clash between the Wesleybrothers, Charles gave what was

perhaps the clearest summary of hisposition.

‘My chief concern upon earth, Isaid, was the prosperity of the Churchof England; my next, that of theMethodists; my third, that of thepreachers; that if their interests shouldever come in competition, I would giveup the preachers for the good of thewhole body of the Church of England:that nothing could ever force me toleave the Methodists but their leavingthe Church.’

In 1766, John urged Methodists notto absent themselves from Anglicanworship, the preachers not to endMethodist services with the Lord’sSupper, and for the services to be heldat a different time from the Anglicanones. However, despite the Conferencepassing resolutions of loyalty periodi-cally, Charles remained unhappy andfearful.

In April 1777, when the foundationstone of New Chapel in City Road waslaid, John Wesley denied any breakwith the Church of England. However,it was a place of worship with provi-sion for a communion area, togetherwith a burial ground. One cannot helpfeeling that many of those who werepresent on that occasion were aware ofthe inevitable trend and drew theirown conclusions. By 1780 some of thepreachers were beginning to put pres-sure on John to be ordained by him,rather than by a bishop. When Johnasked Charles if he would come to theConference, Charles declined, sayingthat he would be able neither to influ-ence proceedings, nor control histemper!

The eventual separationThe year 1784 saw the long-awaitedcrisis finally break. Three eventshastened the separation which for solong Charles had feared.

The first was the signing of theDeed of Declaration in February,which constituted the Methodist 5

John Wesley preaching at a market cross

Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprisedthat a new town like Milton

Keynes should have been the cradle ofecumenical training for lay people inpreaching and leading worship. At atime when that town was advertisingstrongly for people to re-locate theiroffices, a number of denominationswere re-locating their thinking abouttraining. Since then in Milton Keynes,the Church of England has been work-ing collaboratively with the UnitedReformed Church and with Baptistsand Methodists – all of them pioneer-ing a new approach to training.The grapevine began working so thatin other parts of the country peoplewondered if something like the MiltonKeynes venture could also be set up. In

two places, trainers listened to andlearned from Milton Keynes and begana similar journey themselves. Theinterest is much wider, though, and weare likely to see comparable develop-ments emerging in the next few years.This article draws on first-hand expe-rience of joint training by Anglicansand Methodists on the Isle of Wightand in the Bristol area to explore howthese new initiatives have been taken.Someone has to take the first step.Where there are already good relation-ships between denominations, the stepis easier to take. Key people in thePortsmouth and Bristol Dioceses werethe ones who made the approaches anddiscussions followed. Each Diocesebrings its own approach to training

Readers, so there is no blueprint forsuccess. For Portsmouth, the relativeisolation of five people training to beReaders on the Isle of Wight made anecumenical solution both pragmaticand attractive. For Bristol, the successof joint in-service training events forthe continuing development ofAnglican Readers and MethodistLocal Preachers encouraged good linksbetween trainers and led to explorationof joint working in initial training.

Faith and worship togetherTrainers in the Portsmouth Dioceselooked closely at the MethodistChurch’s national course for LocalPreachers: Faith & Worship. Theyaccepted the basic course with its

FEATURES

6

Since September 2002 Peter Relf has been Connexional Secretary forLocal Preachers in the Methodist Church. He is the first person to haveheld this role while being a Local Preacher himself. In this article heexplores the new possibilities and conections that have arisen through thedevelopment of ecumenical training for Anglican Readers and MethodistLocal Preachers.

Getting it together– adventures in ecumenical training

Conference – the ‘Legal Hundred’, asit was termed – as John Wesley’ssuccessor and therefore guaranteed itscontinued existence as an independentbody. The second event was the deci-sion by John to ordain preachers toserve in America, where the firstMethodist Society had been formed in1766, which was a contravention ofAnglican Church order and in directopposition to the Bishop of London.Charles, needless to say, was notinformed, almost certainly becauseJohn knew that he would have raisedthe strongest of objections. When heheard the news (two months later!) hewrote to a friend, ‘I am thunderstruck’– and no wonder. To ordain RichardWhatcoat and Thomas Vesey wascertainly irregular, but the ordinationof Thomas Coke was altogether differ-ent. Coke was already an ordainedminister and his new title ‘superinten-dent’ suggested the office of bishop.Thirdly, John Wesley’s revision of theBook of Common Prayer, which waspublished under the title The SundayService of the Methodists in NorthAmerica, with other occasional services,helped exacerbate worsening relationswith the Church of England because,

although the book was intend-ed to be used in America, itwas but a small step to allow itto be used by British Methodistsin their preaching houses – whichin fact it was, in 1788.

These three factors: the Deed ofDeclaration, the ordinations forAmerica and the revision of the PrayerBook, simply accelerated a processwhich, by the 1780s, had becomevirtually inevitable.

Charles’ reaction to these develop-ments was, as we would expect, amixture of sadness, disappointmentand anger. In September 1785 Johnwrote to Charles, ‘I see no use of youand me disputing together; for neitherof us is likely to convince the other.You say I separate from the Church; Isay I do not’. The following year, writ-ing from Manchester, he tried toappease his brother by saying, ‘I lovethe Church as sincerely as I ever did;and I tell our Societies everywhere,“The Methodists will not leave theChurch, at least while I live”.’ Charleswas not to be mollified. It was,perhaps, fortunate that he did not liveto witness the further, crucial step of apreacher being ordained to serve in

England, which took place inAugust 1788, just four months

after Charles’ death. Coke, andothers who wished to make a

clean break with the Church, sawthe death of Charles Wesley as theremoval of a major obstacle.

For his part, John Wesley continuedto protest his loyalty to the EstablishedChurch until his death in 1791, but hecould see the impossibility of reversinga process that had begun long before.In his heart he knew that the Churchof England could no longer containMethodism. Its development hadsimply gone too far.

Readers may be interested to note thatthis short article has been written by onewho has had Methodist ministers in hisfamily ever since 1814, who is deeplycommitted to ecumenism and who, atpresent, shares with his Anglicancolleague in a joint ministry at one of theoldest Local Ecumenical Partnerships inthe country. Much of the material in thisarticle can be found in the author’s TheMaking of Methodism (Epworth Press1995) and Brother Charles (EpworthPress, June 2003). Photos:www.gbgm-umc.org

Thomas Coke

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open-learning style materials, butneeded some modifications to it. Thecourse is made up of the followingUnits:

Introductory UnitsUnit 1 Starting outAn introduction to preaching and tothe course including its content andmethod of study.

Unit 2 Introduction to worship andpreachingAn initial look at the structure ofworship, and sermon and servicepreparation.

Unit 3 Jesus through the eyes of MarkAn introduction to the study of theGospels through the study of Mark’sGospel.

Section AUnit 4 The teaching of JesusHow the different Gospel writerspresent the teaching of Jesus.

Unit 5 Exploring the BibleThe variety of material, theimplications of its variety and anoutline of the biblical story.

Unit 6 Picturing GodHow do we know God? What can weknow about God?

Section BUnit 7 Origins of Christian worshipWorship in the Old and NewTestaments, the early Church andworship today

Unit 8 Praising GodA practical unit on offering praise toGod through hymns, psalms, prayersand worship.

Unit 9 Picturing JesusAn introduction to the traditionaltheological language describing theperson of Jesus.

Unit 10 The Holy SpiritThe nature and work of the HolySpirit through the Bible, Church andworld.

Section CUnit 11 The human conditionAn exploration of what it is to behuman, using biblical and otherinsights.

Unit 12 The work of ChristHow the work of Christ brings Godand humanity together.

Unit 13 Alive in ChristAn exploration of spirituality, thedevotional and social life, personaland social ethics.

Section DUnit 14 The prophetsWhat prophets were, said and did,their relevance for New Testamenttimes and for today.

Unit 15 The kingdom of God and the ChurchThe nature, purpose and mission ofthe Church and its relationship to thekingdom of God.

Unit 16 The bright successionAn overview of Church history withemphasis on the place of worshipand preaching.

Unit 17 Enduring convictionsA study of St John’s Gospel whichexplores further key themes from thecourse.

What of the modifications that wereneeded? First, its tone needed tobecome more ecumenical. Second, itneeded three additional modules toequip Readers for their particular role.Interestingly, Local Preachers joinedthe first module The role of a preacherwithin the life of the Church and foundit a valuable experience. The othermodules are: Pastoral dimensions ofLocal Preacher and Reader Preacherministry and Working with groups andTeaching within the life of the Church.The Methodists and Anglicans sharetutorials together. With hindsight,assessment arrangements for eachdenomination should have been moreexplicit from the outset. This has notbeen helped by national changes to theMethodist Church’s assessment ofFaith & Worship.

The Bristol trainers drew on the Isle ofWight experience. Graciously, theBristol Diocese also accepted a modi-fied Faith & Worship course, but notwithout much fact-finding, discussionand anxiety along the way for allinvolved. The revised course in Bristolis called Equipping God’s People. It, too,has additional modules planned – fourof them in all, which will take theform of one-day events. The workingout of a local solution has tested and inthis case strengthened ecumenical rela-tionships.

An enriching experience The use of one course cannot (anddoes not seek to) hide the differencesbetween the role of the Reader and theLocal Preacher. There are other organ-isational differences too. However, thestudents and their tutors are findingthat the differences enrich and enlivenstudy and understanding.

Inevitably, there are teething trou-bles. That is the nature of pilotschemes. For example, students have

little opportunity to see each otherbetween tutorials. In Bristol, they haveset up a Yahoo on-line discussiongroup to post questions, ideas,resources, and generally keep in touch.So far, it has not been much used, butit is available. Because most of thegroup has Internet access, assignmentscan be e-mailed to tutors.

The timing of the course may causeproblems. Methodists are used to flexi-ble starting times at almost any pointduring the year while Anglicans have a different system which is geared toarrangements for course completionand an annual recognition service.This may cause recruitment problems.Boundaries are rarely the same. TheIsle of Wight has the sea helping todefine boundaries, of course, but interms of church organisation,Methodist Districts and Church ofEngland Dioceses tend not to coin-cide. The scope for ecumenical traininglinks is not helped by this. BristolMethodists are keen to extend thescheme across their District, but thatwill involve negotiations at some stagewith three other Dioceses. Otherboundaries blur when one denomina-tion has a local ecumenical partnershipwith another. Already there are someMethodists in ecumenical training whoare members of a local partnershipwith the United Reformed Church.Formal ecumenical discussions areunder way with several denomina-tions… and the Milton Keynes experi-ence is starting all over again.

Sharing in ministry and missionThis article is an amalgamation ofreports from Methodists involveddirectly in the two schemes. There isno doubt about the effort and determi-nation required to get a scheme up andrunning. Until recently, I myself wasinvolved in setting up ecumenicaltraining on the safeguarding of chil-dren in Nottingham andNottinghamshire by five denomina-tions and two social services depart-ments. I can identify with the hardslog that the two reports describe, butalso with the mutual trust, respect andfriendship as well as the sense ofachievement. It is good that denomi-nations are exploring closer relation-ships. But ecumenical ventures likethese are showing how churches arealready coming together in practicaland significant ways that really doenrich and enliven our Christianministry and mission.

FEATURES

8

How much of a biblical critic does apreacher need to be? It’s a question

I’m left asking on many Sundays. As afather of two children, with a spousewho’s a Methodist Minister (andusually at a different church from theone we’re at) I currently listen to manymore sermons than I preach. I havebeen surprised over many years at howlittle impact biblical criticism of anykind appears to make to the way thatthe biblical text is being used insermons. I’m surprised too that when Iraise the question I still need to explainthat ‘biblical criticism’ doesn’t meancriticism of the Bible, but searching,creative analysis of its contents, from avariety of perspectives. There remains,in other words, a lingering senseamongst many that the kind of workon the Bible that ‘scholars’ or‘academics’ do is not really relevant tothe task of preaching. Moredisturbingly still, it is often held thatonly when scholars write ‘popular’books, or turn their hand to devotionalmaterial that their work is really prov-ing of use to the church.

In this article I want to do fourthings. First, I shall define ‘biblicalcriticism’ in a way that shows that apreacher cannot do without it. Second,I shall illustrate briefly some ofapproaches currently being adopted inthe reading of biblical texts. Third, Ishall suggest what this all means fordiscussion of the ‘authority of theBible’ in the church. Fourth, I shalldraw out some consequences.

A modern phenomenon?‘Biblical criticism’ is often regarded as amodern phenomenon. It’s talked about

as if it began with the rise of themodern version of history in the post-Enlightenment period. This is a half-truth. The Bible began to be scruti-nized historically from the eighteenthcentury onwards. But textual and liter-ary critical approaches of differentkinds had been around before then. Ifthe ‘historical-critical approach’ (as themodern version of biblical criticism isoften called) was new, and seemed tobe a challenge, then this was onlybecause it threatened to displace allother ways of reading the Bible. Itseemed to imply that the only way ofgetting the ‘right’ reading was to get tothe ‘original’ meaning (probably theauthor’s own). This would be whatGod wanted the reader to get from thetext.

Of course, this historical way ofreading never has established itself asthe main way of reading the Bible, andcertainly not in the church. In manyrespects this limited impact is to bebemoaned not rejoiced in. Even if itoverreached itself, the historical-criticalapproach has, perhaps more than anyform of reading of the biblical text,demanded the closest possible readingof a text. It has stressed a text’s objec-tivity. No-one comes without presup-positions, but historical readingsdemand that the reader does her bestto play prejudices down in order to leta text do its work.

Biblical criticism is not, though, tobe seen as confined to historical criti-cism alone. The textual analysis whichpreceded it, and the literary readingswhich both preceded it and havefollowed it in themselves remind usthat we should see biblical criticism

more broadly as the careful, detailed,creative task of working with a textwhich we do not own, but have aresponsibility to interpret. Biblical crit-icism won’t of itself produce a theolog-ically-informed or spiritually profoundreading of a biblical text. But it’s atleast possible to suggest that withoutsome form of biblical criticism, theremay not be much theology or spiritualprofundity around.

The face of biblical criticismBut what does biblical criticism looklike today? In theology, religious andbiblical studies departments of univer-sities, and in theological colleges andcourses, the ways of reading the Bibleare wide and varied. Historical-criti-cism remains alive and well. But itslimits are now more clearly seen thanthey may have been 30 or 40 years ago.More recent forms of literary criticismhave appeared focusing on how a textworks. Whether or not we can know anauthor and tease out from a text whats/he may have meant, we do still havethe text. It’s an object which is there tobe interpreted, whatever we bring to it.It has its own integrity. Clearly, somebiblical texts are meant to be treated astexts (Proverbs, for example) and arenot intended to be read as historicalsources, however much the historicalcritic will want to treat them as such.Even when we can know more about atext’s purpose and origin (a Gospel, ora Pauline letter, say), it is not simply ashistory that we best read them. Butthis does not, then, mean we shouldtreat the texts, even as preachers,uncritically. A literary-critical readingwill force us to pay attention to how atext is structured. And what’s the genreof the book that a passage is from?How does that help us tease out whatany given text means? If there’s a story-line to the biblical book we’re reading(Genesis, Ruth, John, for example),then how will narrative criticism(which helps us look at plot and char-acterization) help us in our reading?

Again, seeing how a text works, andthe art with which it is put together,won’t of itself inevitably produce apreacher’s material. But a literaryapproach may sometimes be betterthan a historical approach. Teasing outa meaning from Mark’s Gospel may,for example, come more easily bynoting the role that opponents play inMark’s narrative than worrying aboutwhether Mark was historically right atall points about Pharisees and Scribes.

Clive Marsh is a Local Preacher in the Rotherham Circuit of the MethodistChurch, and Secretary of the Methodist Church’s Faith and Order Committee.He has taught theology and biblical studies for nearly fifteen years. Thisarticle marries his roles as academic theologian and Local Preacher andfollows on appropriately from John Barton’s contribution Biblical StudiesToday, which appeared in the previous issue of The Reader, February 2003.

ThePreacher as Biblical

Critic

9

But there are all sorts of other read-ing methods around at the momenttoo. Canonical criticism looks at the wayin which a Christian interpreter shouldalways be appreciating the location of atext in the canon of scripture withinthe task of interpretation. Feminist crit-icism invites all readers to scrutizinecarefully the place of women figureswithin biblical texts and the contribu-tion women readers can make to thestudy of the Bible. It is a form of liber-ationist criticism when it is interpreta-tion with a purpose: clarification ofwhy women have so often been disem-powered and how women’s empower-ment might be enabled through inter-action with the Bible’s content.Liberationist criticism is broader still,though. It recognizes that respect forthe results of contextualized biblicalinterpretation undertaken amongst andfor any socially marginalized group canopen up one of the main threadsrunning through the Bible as a whole.Like all biblical interpreters, thepreacher is pressed to keep on asking:what is your biblical interpretation for?Whom is it serving? Whose interestsare driving your interpretation? Andhow are you involved in your interpre-tation?

In theory,I suppose,Methodistsshould be atthe forefrontof welcomingmore reader-related meth-ods. Often accused of ‘doing’ theirtheology (or having little theology tostart with), Methodists have longknown that theologically-informedbiblical interpretation is a self-involv-ing exercise. Indeed, has notMethodism modified (refined?) theappeal to scripture, tradition andreason by referring to a quadrilateral,including experience? This is true,though what is meant by ‘experience’needs close checking. And ‘reason’never did mean simply ‘rationality’. Butthe location of scripture within thiswider interpretative framework isworth noting. For it exposes what isactually going on when preachers(indeed, all Christians) read theirBibles. There is no escaping the life-history of the one who reads. The taskis simply (!) to ensure that the inter-preter does not speak only about him-or herself when using that life-historywithin the interpretative task.

As people under authorityThese, then, are just some examples ofthe kinds of contemporary biblical crit-icism that are around. Where does thisleave the question of the Bible’sauthority for the preacher? It should bestressed that not all of these methodsare offered or practised by peoplesympathetic to the use of the Bible asscripture for the Christian community.I’m not, however, sure that thismatters. Preachers have to evaluatewhatever interpretations of texts theycome across, whatever methods ofreading have been used. The onlymistake – it seems to me – is theassumption that these methods havenothing to do with the preacher. Theauthority of the Bible, though, resides,as recent studies have reminded us, asmuch with what the Christian commu-nity does with the text as with anyintrinsic properties which the text maybe held to have. Authority only countsif people actually respect it. So withregard to the authority of the Bible, thepreacher’s task is to demonstrate, with-in and out of the Christian community,that the Bible is worth acknowledgingas an authoritative text, rather thanmerely assuming or asserting that

authority inabstractterms. If thisis so, then Isuggest it isessential forthe preacherto be a livelybiblical critic.

This will have three consequences.First, continuing interaction with arange of critical reading methods willkeep the preacher’s use of the biblicaltext dynamic. It will not be possible fora preacher to re-use an old sermon inany simple way. S/he is more likely tosay: ‘This may be the way I preachedon that passage in Galatians last time,but seeing x or y’s reading…’.

Second, the preacher as biblical crit-ic in the present context is likely to bea creative reader of texts. Creativity andhistorical-criticism didn’t always gotogether easily. Varieties of readingmethods, ironically, have the reverseeffect: creativity overload. Preacherscan be prone to want to try out theforty-three new ways of critical readingthat they have just discovered, but allin the same sermon. There’s a self-discipline needed here. In the sameway that a sermon has to be focused, sothe application of reading methods

needs to be too. To try out one newway of reading in relation to a passagebeing interpreted in a sermon may beenough. Another way may have to beleft for next time. And it’s also impor-tant to apply self-discipline to what’ssaid. ‘I’ve just discovered canonical crit-icism, and...’ is not the kind of line apreacher needs to use. Preaching is notlike doing long-division sums in math-ematics. The working (the applicationof a reading method) is to be lefthidden rather than exposed. At issue isalways what a preacher does with anymethod in the service of offering aninterpretation of a biblical text, in theform of a contemporary word fromGod, within the context of Christianworship.

Third, as a lively, creative biblicalcritic the preacher can also fulfil anevangelistic task. Too often we assumeas preachers that we’re preaching tothose who’ve sat in pews (or chairs) formany years. The reality is often differ-ent, not only on ‘special Sundays’.People are returning to church in laterlife. There are often ‘eavesdroppers’ inservices, who want to remain anony-mous. Parents with little Christianbackground find themselves in ourservices for all sorts of reasons becauseof what their children get up to.Shoddy, dated, ill-informed, childish,uninspiring, mind-numbing use of theBible in a sermon can be the biggestturn-off, not just of church, but of thewhole ‘Christian thing’. By contrast,evidence of contemporary wrestlingwith this old, old text in a way whichclearly shows why it’s a classic, not justof literature, can prove one of the mostpersuasive forms of Christian evangelism.

I’m fond of quoting Ian Hislop’squip about his ambiguous attitude toChristianity: ‘Sometimes I sit in churchand think: “This is complete bollocks,all of it, and always has been,” and thena month later I’d sit there thinking:“This is all there is”.’ The preacher’suse of critical methods of reading theBible is one good test-case, it seems tome, for whetherHislop’s firstresponse is themore likely.

Clive Marsh’smost recent book isChristianity in a Post-Atheist Age(SCM Press 2002)

Neither the learned or the unlearnedare saved from the trouble ofthinking. All are to think. This is theway to understand the things of God.Meditate day and night. John Wesley

FEATURES

The PresentSituation

At its meeting in York in July2002, the Church of EnglandGeneral Synod voted by a verysubstantial majority tocommend the proposedAnglican-Methodist Covenant toits dioceses for discussion.Anglican Diocesan synods havebeen asked to vote on theproposals by the end of May2003. Members of the twochurches have therefore beenasked to consider the proposalsboth together and separatelyand also to engage in dialoguewith their ecumenical partners. The Methodist Conference andthe General Synod, bothmeeting in July 2003, willreceive the opinions gatheredfrom around the two Churchesand will each decide whether togo forward with the Covenant. The text of the Covenant,together with the Affirmationsand Commitments, is asfollows:

AN ANGLICAN-METHODIST COVENANT We the Methodist Church of Great Britain and the Church of England, onthe basis of our shared history, our full agreement in the apostolic faith, ourshared theological understandings of the nature and mission of the Churchand of its ministry and oversight, and our agreement on the goal of fullvisible unity, as set out in the previous sections of our Common Statement,hereby make the following Covenant in the form of interdependentAffirmations and Commitments. We do so in a spirit of penitence for all thathuman sinfulness and narrowness of vision have contributed to our pastdivisions, believing that we have been impoverished through our separationand that our witness to the gospel has been weakened accordingly, and in aspirit of thanksgiving and joy for the convergence in faith and collaborationin mission that we have experienced in recent years.

AFFIRMATIONS 1. We affirm one another’s churches as true churches belonging to the One,

Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ and as trulyparticipating in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God.

2. We affirm that in both our churches the word of God is authenticallypreached, and the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist are dulyadministered and celebrated.

3. We affirm that both our churches confess in word and life the apostolicfaith revealed in the Holy Scriptures and set forth in the ecumenicalCreeds.

4. We affirm that one another’s ordained and lay ministries are given by Godas instruments of God’s grace, to build up the people of God in faith, hopeand love, for the ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral care and to sharein God’s mission in the world.

5. We affirm that one another’s ordained ministries possess both the inwardcall of the Holy Spirit and Christ’s commission given through the Church.

6. We affirm that both our churches embody the conciliar, connexionalnature of the Church and that communal, collegial and personal oversight(episkope) is exercised within them in various forms.

7. We affirm that there already exists a basis for agreement on the principlesof episcopal oversight as a visible sign and instrument of the communion ofthe Church in time and space.

COMMITMENTS 1. We commit ourselves, as a priority, to work to overcome the remaining

obstacles to the organic unity of our two churches, on the way to the fullvisible unity of Christ’s Church. In particular, we look forward to the timewhen the fuller visible unity of our churches makes possible a united,interchangeable ministry.

2. We commit ourselves to realise more deeply our common life and missionand to share the distinctive contributions of our traditions, taking steps tobring about closer collaboration in all areas of witness and service in ourneedy world.

3. We commit ourselves to continue to welcome each other’s baptisedmembers to participate in the fellowship, worship and mission of ourchurches.

4. We commit ourselves to encourage forms of eucharistic sharing, includingeucharistic hospitality, in accordance with the rules of our respectivechurches.

5. We commit ourselves to listen to each other and to take account of eachother’s concerns, especially in areas that affect our relationship as churches.

We commit ourselves to continue to develop structures of joint or sharedcommunal, collegial and personal oversight, including shared consultationand decision-making, on the way to a fully united ministry of oversight.

AN

AN

GLIC

AN

-ME

THO

DIST C

OVE

NA

NT

‘A Church shaped for a mission’ by John

Cole, Unity-in-Mission Adviser of the Council

for Christian Unity, provides an interesting

and helpful way for groups and individuals to

explore the Covenant more deeply.

The following comments on theCovenant proposals and the processwhich led up towards them havebeen provided by Prebendary PaulAvis, General Secretary of theChurch of England’s Council forChristian Unity.

11

This report is clearly not proposingimminent structural unity between

the Church of England and theMethodist Church of Great Britain. Itis not a re-run of 1972. For some thismakes it something of a non-event.But for others, both Methodist andAnglican, it seems to push things toofar, too fast. So what exactly is itspurpose? The Covenant report offersstepping stones to greater unitybetween Anglicans and Methodists. Italso contains theological buildingblocks of mutual understanding. And,if agreed, the Covenant will cementthe excellent local and regional rela-tionships that exist betweenMethodists and Anglicans and willreplicate them at the national level.

The Formal Conversations were setup by the General Synod and theMethodist Conference in 1997-98,following the preparatory InformalConversations that resulted in thereport Commitment to Mission andUnity. They ran for two and a halfyears and the report was published atthe end of 2001. In July 2002 theGeneral Synod and the MethodistConference agreed to refer the reportto the dioceses and districts for studyand evaluation. The two bodies willdecide in July this year, in the light offeedback from the grassroots, whetherto enter the Covenant. If that isachieved, a body will be set up to over-see and monitor the implementation ofthe Covenant. The Council forChristian Unity and Methodistcolleagues have developing extensivesupporting material at various levels, toassist the process of study andresponse, particularly A Church Shapedfor Mission by John Cole and aTheological Study Guide by MartinDavie, both available from the CCU atChurch House, Westminster.

The method that has guided AnAnglican-Methodist Covenant is themethod that underlies the MeissenAgreement and subsequent agreementsat the same level that the Church ofEngland has made (Fetter Lane withthe Moravian Church and Reuilly withthe French Lutheran and ReformedChurches). Essentially it is the methodof moving by a series of stages towardsfuller visible unity. The ultimate goal isthe full visible unity of Christ’sChurch, but this cannot be realisedbilaterally. The stage represented bythe Covenant is that of mutualacknowledgement and mutual commit-ment (ie a covenantal relationship).

Working towards an agreementThe Formal Conversations weremandated by the General Synod andthe Methodist Conference to worktowards a Meissen-type agreement,involving a description of the full visi-ble unity of the Church of Christ, withspecial attention being paid to agree-ment in the apostolic faith. The otherareas covered are the sacraments, theordained ministry and oversight. Onthe basis of this fundamental theologi-cal agreement, the two churches will beinvited to make a joint declararation intwo related parts: first, mutual affirma-tion of the ecclesial authenticity of thetwo bodies, including the authenticityof their ministries of word, sacramentand pastoral oversight (episkope);second, mutual commitment to worktogether in all possible ways and toseek to overcome the remaining obsta-cles to fuller visible unity.

The affirmation on the part of theChurch of England of the authenticityof Methodist ministries of word, sacra-ment and oversight is not sufficient initself to bring about the interchange-ability of ministries between the twochurches. Although the report includessome vital groundwork on that issue,further work is earmarked for the nextstage. An important part of the contextis the fact that the Methodist Churchhas accepted the principle of episcopa-cy and is currently working on viablemodels for a Methodist episcopate. Sothe Anglican-Methodist Covenant doesnot bring about a Porvoo-type rela-tionship and the Methodist Churchdoes not yet become a church withwhich the Church of England isformally ‘in communion’.

The Formal Conversations were notasked to resolve all outstanding issuesbetween Anglicans and Methodists.For example, church, state and estab-lishment questions were not part oftheir remit. Their task rather was tobring about the kind of trustful rela-tionship within which such questionscould be tackled constructively together.

The distinctiveness of the reportThe report is distinctive in several ways:1. It begins by telling the story of thechequered relationship betweenAnglicans and Methodists over thetwo and a half centuries since JohnWesley (an Anglican clergyman) beganhis extraordinary itinerant ministry. Itacknowledges the need for the healingof the relationship and the reconcilia-tion of memories.

2. It refines the model of ecumenicalagreements that the Church ofEngland has developed in dialoguewith ecumenical partners in recentyears. The portrait of unity is expound-ed in greater depth. Attention is givento remaining differences. There isgreater realism about future prospects.3. Mission concerns run through the

report like a thread. It holds missionand unity together in an indissolublebiblical and theological unity, ground-ed in God’s mission (missio dei) and inthe pattern of Christ’s life and work.4. The method is not only theological,

but also reflects the experience of localcovenantal relationships, as well asregional and national forms of collabo-ration. Local unity experience was wellrepresented on the FormalConversations.5. The report is frank about differ-

ences of theology and practice andpoints out that several important issuesremain to be resolved by future work ifthe two churches are to move closertogether in a more integrated way:• For Methodists, all senior positionsof leadership are open to women as amatter of fiercely held principle, but inthe Church of England women cannotat present be bishops.• Anglicans do not accept the

Methodist practice of lay eucharisticpresidency (permitted in situations ofeucharistic deprivation).• The Church of England’s Canons

require wine to be used at HolyCommunion, whereas Methodist rulesinsist on unfermented grape juice.• The Methodist diaconate is essential-ly a pastoral ministry, whereas forAnglicans it is an assisting ministry ofword and sacrament as well as ofpastoral care.• Anglicans practice or cumulativeordination (so that priests remaindeacons and bishops remain deaconsand priests), whereas Methodistsordain directly to the presbyterate.• While the Methodist Church hasresolved in principle that it is willingto become an church ordered in thehistoric episcopate, it is not yet clearwhen or how this will happen.

Within a new relationship of mutualaffirmation and commitment thesedifferences can be considered in aconstructive spirit. MeanwhileAnglican and Methodist collaborationin mission in every area of theChurch’s life will receive an enormousboost if the Covenant is approved.

12

FEATURES

The Editor writes: It is sometimessaid that Readers are one of thebest-kept secrets of the Church of England! One of the well-keptsecrets of the Methodist Church (as far as non-Methodists areconcerned at least) is surely theWomen’s Network, and its quarterlymagazine Magnet. I still rememberthe penny dropping – clang! – whenI realised one day a few years agothat Magnet was so called becauseit was the MAGazine of Women’sNETwork. Women’s Network definesitself as aiming to encourage,enable and equip women toparticipate fully in the life of theChurch and in society. It does thisby helping them to be trained inspecific skills, by conferences, byencouraging different styles ofworship – and offering creativeworship resources, and by focusingits members attention on specificcampaigns in which women can get involved. It also encouragesmembers of the Network to givemutual support to one another.Magnet is in a sense the ‘publicface’ of Women’s Network – and the articles and resources itcontains enable the Network’s aimsand goals. Magnet itself is editedcollaboratively and in such a way as to give those involved in theprocess new skills. The followingselection of recent articles andresources that appeared in Magnetgive a taster of the magazine –perhaps particularly its ecumenicalbreadth. I am grateful to LindsayPeniston, the Business Manager of Magnet, for her assistance inputting this selection together.

The sacred ground ofprayer: ourselves? by Carolyn WicksCarolyn is Director of the AmmerdownRetreat and Conference Centre, and amember of the Roman Catholic communi-ty of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion.

When I blow out my prayer candle, thewisps of smoke float off into every remotecorner of the house. Prayer begins for realwhen the light goes out – out into thedark places.’ – Margaret Silf 1

Prayer is our route on the mysticaljourney as we deepen our unique

personal relationship with God, ourself, others and indeed the whole ofcreation. Our own life stories are‘Sacred Ground’. On our journey weseek wholeness and holiness, andweave together the many strands ofour life, as we struggle to integrate allour activities and relationships. Thereare as many ways to and with God asthere are people on this earth. God isthe extravagant artist who delights inall of creation, including us, and we allreflect the artist. Sometimes we missthe beauty the artist has placed bothwithin ourselves and within others. Wemust also be good listeners in order tohear God. For Elijah, God was foundin a still small voice. We need to listenwith a compassionate and open heart.

How do we pray?There is no right or wrong way to pray.Over the years our prayer changes anddeepens. God calls us to be ourselves,to be truly authentic. God is tenaciousand is not going to give up on us, evenif we are tempted to give up! For many,the most difficult task is to accept thelove God offers. I remember walkingdown a lane in North Wales one day,and suddenly the wonder of the state-ment that God actually loves me hitme like a bolt out of the blue. I hadalways known this in my head, but thiswas new. It was the sort of experiencethat makes you want to leap for joy or

do a handstand in the middle of thefield! Many of us said night prayers aschildren, encouraged by those aroundus. Now, our task is to move from‘saying prayers’ to ‘living prayer’. Onedamp November day I boarded a bus.Everyone was miserable and grumblingaway for all they were worth. An elder-ly lady got on the bus. She smiled atthe driver, and then as she travelleddown the bus, she smiled at eachperson, looking them in the eye. Theatmosphere changed immediately. Thatnight when I reflected on where I hadmet God during the day, that elderlylady was at the top of the list. Love inaction, a smile, a word, an affirmation,a listening ear – one to many…. Livingour prayer with and in God. God’s lovecomes to us in unexpected ways.

As we get older we may need fewerwords and deeper silence. We need todiscover what helps us and follow thatway, while deeply respecting the way ofothers.

The Jesus Prayer has given life tomany during difficult times. It is sosimple and can be repeated very slowlyover and over again. ‘Lord JesusChrist, Son of God, have mercy on mea sinner.’ This method can be usedwith any words from scripture orindeed words of your own choice. Likewater on a stone, slowly it impregnatesthe stone and makes a difference. Theprayer enables us to become moreaware of the presence of God and tobecome more God-like.

The scriptures are a wellspring ofwisdom and resources, where we maydrink deeply in prayer. Stay with apassage. Enter ever more profoundlyinto its meaning and strive to under-stand the people mentioned. How dothey interact with Jesus, what do theytell us of God? We can begin to graspthe perfect human Jesus as he relateswith ordinary people in their everydaylife.

The monastic tradition, ‘to work isto pray and to pray is to work,’ is livedby many people, both within and with-out monasteries. This prayer is formal,

Awell-kept

secret{ }

based on scripture and discipline, andtouches the whole of life. This may notbe your way, but it is life-giving tomany. God has given us five senses,and the use of one or more of these inprayer is enriching. Many years agowhen I was struggling with prayer mydirector suggested I paint. It wasamazing, a real transformation. I beganto rediscover myself and God. Thesame is true of clay, embroidery, crafts,drama and dance. One woman said tome, ‘ I am alive now. I pray to Godwith all my being, my limbs dancingand my heart singing. God is with me.’

A prayerful placeChrist frequently withdrew. He neededspace. I remember a frosty, mistyautumn morning when, walking in thegarden, surrounded by stillness, andturning around a hedge, I lookedacross the orchard and knew with acertainty that God was there. This wasindeed Holy Ground and in the silenceGod was with me. Over the yearsothers have shared with me specialsimilar experiences. You may haveexperienced this too.

Many people find it helpful to go totheir prayerful place and there create asacred space. This could be a chair, acorner of a room, a chapel, a garden.There you place a candle, a Bible, abowl of water, a flower, an icon orobject which has a deep meaning foryou. A number of people I havespoken to over the years then try to‘still’ themselves and bring silence intotheir being so that God may fill it.

We can pray in the most unlikelyplaces – in the shower, at the bus stop,in the train, at the airport. And we arenot alone. We share our journey withothers. We need them as much as theyneed us in the journey with God.

One single candle lights a little dark place.Many candles light a world full of peopleDesperately in need of each other’s glow.Each lone light makes us strongerWhen we all stand together. 2

The pain of prayerPrayer is not always easy. Indeed it canbe excruciatingly painful. Sometimeswe pray and feel absolutely nothinghappens. God just seems to be onanother wavelength. In the midst ofour sorrow we search for the answer inthe loss of a loved one, a fatal accident,physical or mental abuse, illness anddisease. We ask why so many womenhave no voice. Often there is noanswer, but we try to hang in therewith God. Look at Christ’s ownsuffering in Gethsemane. He pleadedfor things to be changed. In a real rela-tionship, anger and frustration are asmuch part of life as love and joy.

Silent God,empty, sound-less,like the long dark nightswithout life,I wait, gently hoping,for your touch which says,‘I am here’But the void remains,Unfilled,Silent God,Why do you hide your faceFrom me? 3

A wise priest I know said many yearsago, ‘Don’t worry if distractions come.Just name them and hand them over toGod. Leave them on the back burnerfor a time. Just rest in God. They willnot disappear, but, maybe, after prayerwe can see them in a new perspective.’

Prayer is such a massive subject, Ifeel I have hardly put my toe into thewater.

The journey taken seriously meansencountering the God of surprisesalong the way. God, our friend andlover, calls us .., May we respond withopenness, enthusiasm, joy, peace anddelight.

Notes1 Silf, Margaret. Daysprings.Darton, Longman and Todd 1999ISBN 0232 52350 9. p672 Rupp, Joyce. The Cosmic Dance. Orbis

Books 2002. ISBN 1570754063. p853 Gateley, Edwina, I Hear A SeedGrowing. Source Books (USA)ISBN 0 940147 07 6, 1990, rp 2002.Available in the UK and Irelandthrough Gracewing Publishing,Leominster.

Ding-dong merrily by Jennifer WoolleyJennifer Woolley is a member ofSittingbourne Methodist Church and aSenior Staff Nurse in Elderly Care at StBartholomew’s Hospital, Rochester. At theage of 50 she took up Marathon running.She regularly takes part in church organrecitals throughout the Southeast and isa keen member of Sittingbourne OrpheusChoral Society.

‘Look to. Treble’s going. She’s gone.’With that command more than

47 hundredweight of cast iron beginsto swing at the end of six bell-ropestwo floors above in the tower of StMary the Virgin Church, Newington,Kent. This Sunday morning’s assemblyof ringers is a real assortment; a teach-er, a sailor, a student learning to ring aspart of the Duke of Edinburgh AwardScheme, a retired executive, a land-scape gardener and me, a nurse whoprefers campanology to rheumatology.

So how did I, a lifelong Methodist,get involved in bell ringing? After all,no Methodist church that I haveknown has ever had a bell tower. Myinterest started after a visit to a FlowerFestival and Open Day at a villagechurch near my home inSittingbourne. The visit included aconducted tour of the bell tower andan opportunity to watch the bells beingrung. Unable to resist the chance tohave a go myself, I agreed to join theringing team and over the last twoyears I have enjoyed every minute ofthe experience.

My first lesson was on a warmSeptember evening and I climbed thenarrow stone spiral staircase of thelovely flint and stone eleventh century 13

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church, with its tower dating fromabout the fourteenth century, that sitsamid cherry orchards and farmland. StMary’s tower houses six bells, one amediaeval bell still in fine tune. Somechurches have eight bells, biggerchurches and cathedrals havinganything up to fourteen. Having beenwarmly welcomed, I was to learnquickly that safety and complying withthe tower captain’s instruction was vitalin a bell tower. I promptly did what Iwas told, as I did not relish thethought of being lifted to the rafterson a bell rope and having my hair rear-ranged by an oak beam. I was oftenreminded by the tower captain, ‘Ifanything goes wrong, let go of the ropeand stand well back. The bells are muchheavier than you are and if you try tofight them they will win every time’.

The skill lies in being able tocontrol a bell that rotates full circleusing a rope attached to a wheel. Mostbell-ringing sessions begin with ring-ing down the scale, a sequence whichringers call ‘rounds’. The order inwhich the bells sound is then altered togive different sequences, called‘changes’, and each ringer must knowwhen his or her particular bell mustsound in each change.

Nothing really prepared me for thatinitial, spine-tingling feeling just as sixbells burst into life and the wholetower sways to and fro, causing the oldfaded photographs of ancient ringerson the walls of the room to nodapprovingly from their picture hooks.Gradually, as the months passed, Imastered the technique of handling achurch bell and managed to learn howto keep to the required sequence. Ittook a lot of concentration and I oftenfound myself enjoying the glorioussound so much that I inevitably lostmy place. However, someone alwayscorrected me with a raised eyebrow ora nod of the head. It really is a matterof listening, watching and learning thevarious patterns in order to create atuneful sound. Eventually I began tounderstand terms like ‘plain hunting’and ‘dodging’ which, I discovered, havenothing at all to do with foxes orducking!

After two years I consider that I amstill learning, although I now ring forweddings and regular Sunday services.No one in the ringing team has everscolded me for going wrong. We laughat each other’s mistakes and sternlyresolve to try harder. I still get a thrillwhen I take up my bell rope, knowing

that Mrs Parsons in Church Lane willhear the bells, button up her coat, tuckher hymn book under her arm and setoff for church. She and others havebeen summoned to Sunday worship inthe same way for centuries, and being apart of that is indeed a great privilege.For me it is yet another meaningfulexperience combining fellowship,fulfilment and, above all, fun.

How much more? by Albert JewellUntil his retirement Albert was SeniorChaplain of the Methodist Care Homes.

When I retired a year ago peoplesaid the usual things about being

so busy I would wonder I had had timeto work... True – but what is thepurpose of all our busyness? Where arewe going in life? And, whatever ourage, are we continually growing? To goon growing as spiritual beingsthroughout our lives has a sound theo-logical and psychological basis.

According to Jesus, our God is ahow-much-more God and that samehow-much-more quality should markGod’s people. ‘If you, bad as you are,know how to give good things to yourchildren, how much more will theheavenly Father give the Holy Spirit tothose who ask him’ (Luke 11.13).There is always so much more in store.

Register the astonishment at theclimax of John’s account of thewedding at Cana: ‘Everyone else servesbest wine first, and the poorer onlywhen the guests have drunk freely; butyou have kept the best till now’ (John2.10 ). William Temple writes ‘As wedeepen our fellowship with him’, madeknown in Christ, at every age we maysay “Thou hast kept the good wineuntil now”.’ John Wesley’s mostdistinctive contribution to Christiantheology was arguably his emphasisupon the path to perfection. Hedescribes the evolution of this doctrineof sanctification or perfect love in hisPlain Account of Christian Perfection of1767. He concludes that it is a gradualwork of God in the believers that isusually completed at point of death.Appended is brother Charles’s hymn‘God of all power, and truth, and grace’– all 28 verses! Spiritual growth is alengthy, indeed an eternal, process.

According to Viktor Frankl, sur-vivor of Auschwitz and Dachau con-centration camps, the greatest chal-lenge we face as individuals is to retain

or refashion our sense of meaning inlife through times of suffering. For thevery old the most fertile time of spiri-tual growth may well lie in discoveringhow frailty, dependency and death canprove the path to ultimate gain.

Older people in the care of MHA(ie Methodist Homes for the Aged)were invited to submit contributionscelebrating the pluses of ageing. Poetryand prose flooded in. Whilst someremembered the past, many morerejoiced in the given-ness of God’screation and looked forward in surehope to the yet-to-come. A publicationwas created entitled Saving The BestTill Last – always true of our how-much-more God.

The autumn of life is above allothers the time for harvesting. At aspecial service all members of thecongregation were invited to choose acolourful cardboard apple, orange orbanana and write on it what theybelieved to be the most important fruitof their lives so far. Then the fruit wasbrought forward and placed on thebranches of a ‘tree’ at the front of thechurch. They included learningpatience... praying for others... retiringafter 50 years service... supportingyoung people... grandparenthood...becoming more grateful... the wisdomof experience. What a hybrid! Butwhat a reminder also that Christiangrowth has a vital corporate dimension.

The gifts and fruit of the Spirit arenot intended to be individualistic butto build up and beautify the Body ofChrist. Identifying and affirming suchgifts is one of the cardinal principles ofchurch growth. A praying, caringchurch whose members explore andengage with the varied riches ofChristian spirituality will become anattractive growing church! Such issurely the calling of God’s how-much-more people.

Editor’s note: You can see more samplesof articles from Magnet and discover howto subscribe to the magazine on theirwebsite; www.methodist.org.uk/magnet or call 01778 391 180.

‘Thou hast kept the goodwine until now’.

FEATURES

15

Judy Jarvis is Children’s Secretaryof the Methodist Church. She hasbeen elected Vice-President of theMethodist Conference and will takeup this role for a year beginning inJune 2003. A former headteacher,she is a Local Preacher inBuckinghamshire and the author ofseveral worship and teachingresources. Here she explores thehistory of Methodist work withchildren.

In this tercentenary year of the birthof John Wesley, the founder of

Methodism, it is inevitable, and appro-priate, that this article begins with himand a brief historical perspective.Wesley had strong views on thenurture and education of children,having been brought up in a verystructured learning environment by hismother, Susanna. As a student hewrote to his father that it was impor-tant to ‘contribute what little we areable towards having children clothedand taught to read’ and to ensure thatthey were ‘taught their catechism andshort prayers for morning andevening’. Soon afterwards he beganwork on a Catechism for Childrenand, as a missionary, he experimentedwith the practice of catechising select-ed children during the service ofworship, and then enlarging on thetheme selected for both the benefit ofthe children themselves and for theadult members of the congregation. Anearly example of ‘all age worship’!

In addition to continuing to instructchildren as he had opportunity, Wesleyalso experimented with the idea ofpreaching to children without usingwords of more than two syllables. Healso recorded that when he visitedKingswood School on 2 October 1784he found that some of the childrenwanted to receive Holy Communion. Hetalked to them about it and adminis-tered it to them the following morning.

Wesley, the Methodist societies andthe Sunday SchoolsThroughout his life Wesley and hisMethodist societies supported theSunday School movement. AfterWesley’s death the movement contin-ued to grow. The rapidity with whichMethodist Sunday Schools sprang upwas one of the most predominantfeatures of denominational historyduring the first twenty or thirty yearsof the nineteenth century. By 1838 theSunday School Movement becamemore closely related to the mainstreamconcern for elementary education forall children. At that time the WesleyanMethodist Connexion had 3400Sunday Schools, with 60,000 teachersresponsible for 342,000 scholars. Inaddition there were a considerablenumber of Methodist day schools, thepattern having been set by Wesley’ssupport for the establishment ofKingswood, in Bristol, for the childrenof colliers. In this combination ofSunday Schools, day schools and infantschools the Authorised Version of theBible was the basis for reading andexpositions, the Wesleyan catechismwas used, Wesley hymns were sungand children attended their localchapel unless their parents weremembers of another church.

Following the Education Act 1870,which brought universal elementaryeducation, the Methodist positionbegan to change. The WesleyanMethodist Conference supported ‘aChristian unsectarian school within areasonable distance of every family’.This decision brought Wesleyans clos-er to the other branches ofMethodism, but in following years theincreasing separation of schools fromthe Nonconformist churches was agreat cause of concern. In additionattendance at Sunday Schools of alldenominations began to drop – adecline which has continued to thisday. Sunday Schools were no longernecessary to the provision of basiceducation. A new approach was need-ed, though it took many years forMethodists, and other denominations,to become fully aware of the changedcontext in which they were working.

Methodists became part of theBritish Lessons Council which repre-sented all the major Free Churches andhad Anglican observers. There was anew emphasis on grading work andintroducing new teaching methods inSunday Schools to meet the needs ofdifferent age groups. In addition therewas concern to close the gap betweenSunday School work and the life andteaching mission of the Church itself.

ChildrenMethodism’s

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FEATURES

The Way AheadIn 1961 the Methodist Churchproduced its own report on SundaySchool work The Way Ahead instigatedby Revd Douglas Hubery, who was toplay an influential part in the thinkingof the Church. It includes these words:

‘It is high time for all SundaySchools to see themselves as an expres-sion of the church’s mission to childrenand young people. It is also high timefor the Church to realistically fulfil itsown obligations towards those childrenand young people. They are to be caredfor, not because they may in timebecome the Church of Tomorrow, butbecause they are here and now theChurch of Today.’

Seven years later Hubery wasinvolved in the publication of the newBritish Lessons Council syllabusExperience andFaith. This had fourmajor emphases: theplace of the Bible,the place of theChurch, the place ofthe Christian calen-dar and the place ofthe pupil’s ownexperience andinterests. The unique feature was thatfor the first time a syllabus addressednot just work with children but workwith young people and adults as well.This was followed by the publicationof Partners in Learning whichcontinued, with majorMethodist input, until2002. ROOTS, itssuccessor, an ecumeni-cal venture, also hasconsiderableMethodist support.

Junior Mission for AllFrom the time of JohnWesley, Methodism hasbeen a world-wide churchand much effort has been put intosupporting sister churches, boththrough the provision of missionaries,or mission partners as they are nowcalled, and through financial support.Children have been involved in raisingmoney since 1812 when Joseph Blakeheard an inspiring sermon aboutmissionary work. In his village ofWandsworth, Surrey, he started toencourage children in his SundaySchool class to contribute each week.He doubled, and put in a box, anymoney they raised. By 1841 JuvenileSocieties were set up, each child having

a collecting book for no more thaneight names. The money was collectedfrom the adults each Saturday and paidin on Sunday. In 1903 the idea of amedal was conceived. The JuvenileMissionary Collectors DistinguishedService Order (or bar) was awarded toany child collecting more than £5 ayear. The Juvenile MissionaryAssociation ( JMA) was updated in the1970s and again more recently. JMAnow stands for Junior Mission for All,and raises over £500,000 each year tosupport mission, both at home andabroad.

Social needs tooIt is very clear from the historicalrecords that much of the concern foreducation among children and youngpeople expressed by John Wesley and

the Methodists whofollowed after himwas motivated bysocial as well aseducational reasons.However, it was notuntil 1869 thatmoves were made tosupport children indeepest need. Revd

Thomas Bowman Stephenson, whowas a minister in East London,appealed to two business men ‘to joinhim in doing something for theragged, shoeless, filthy, hungry chil-

dren’ he saw as he walked thestreets of Lambeth. Premises

were made available in thelocality and the firstgroup of boys cameunder his care. Fouryears later Stephensonbecame full-timePrincipal of the

Children’s Home,appointed by the

Wesleyan MethodistConference. In 1908 it became

the National Children’s Home andOrphanage (NCHO). By this time itwas established as a charity, receivinggrants from the Government for itswork. It had 13 branches with just over2,000 children in residence and nearly500 children boarded out with foster-parents. 20 years later there were 28branches with 4,600 children in themand 800 in foster care.

NCH, as it is now known, contin-ues to meet the needs of children andfamilies. It supports almost 500projects, usually in partnership withlocal authorities or other bodies. The

projects cover a wide range includingfamily centres, counselling services andsome residential care. In the quarter 1 July to September 30 2002 the chari-ty worked with 66,100 children, youngpeople and adults. The largest childcare charity in Britain, it still reportseach year to the Methodist Conferenceand a significant percentage of itsincome comes from direct Methodistgiving. It is one of the jewels in theMethodist crown!

Children and Holy Communion In 1976 The Child in the Church waspublished by the Consultative Groupon Ministry among Children(CGMC), an ecumenical group inwhich the Methodist Church hasalways played a significant part. Alongwith many other recommendationsChurches were encouraged to ‘under-take a serious re-examination of theirpractice in nurturing children into fullmembership of the worshippingChristian community.’ In theMethodist Church reflection on theimplications of Christian initiation ledto the production of the reportChildren and Holy Communion (1987).The report recommended that baptisedchildren should be welcomed to HolyCommunion and allowed to receivethe elements as long as they showed‘an awareness of its significance.’ Theresponsibility for deciding whether thisshould happen lay with the ChurchCouncil. Over the next ten years manyMethodist churches adopted therecommendations of the report,though, inevitably, an inconsistency ofpractice developed, often to the detri-ment of children. Finally, in a secondreport in 2000, the anomalies wereremoved. It was to ‘be normal practice

‘(Children) are to be caredfor, not because they mayin time become the Churchof Tomorrow, but becausethey are here and now theChurch of Today.’

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that all baptised children, as membersof the Body of Christ, (should) partici-pate in Holy Communion by receivingthe bread and wine, irrespective of age.’

Training – and safetyTraining of teachers was of majorimportance when the Sunday Schoolwas in its heyday, Recently, in all theChurches, there has been a renewedemphasis on training. Since the early70s the Methodist Church hasrequired workers with children andyoung people to be trained and hasprovided training programmes. In the1990s it became possible for all thechurches to work together to produceKaleidoscope, which has become thecore training material for workers withchildren in the churches. Once againthe Methodist Church was able to playa significant part, enabled particularlyby its connexional (national) structureand organisation.

In recent years child protection hasbecome a major issue for society, notleast for the churches. Following theissue of the Home Office GuidelinesSafe from Harm in 1993, the MethodistChurch produced its Safeguarding poli-cy (1994). Since then much work hasbeen done to protect children and

those who have contact with them inthe life of the Church. With thesetting up of the Criminal RecordsBureau in 2002 the Methodist Churchhas become the lead-agent in theChurches’ Agency for Safeguarding,which works with more than a dozendenominations, acting as an umbrellabody for workers with children andyoung people and others, who, by thenature of their work in the Church,require Disclosures (police checks).

It seems a long way from JohnWesley to police checks. But it isworth quoting again from the 1961report The Way Ahead. ‘Whatever poli-cies and programmes are pursued, it isstill ultimately the ‘caring’ Churchwhich really succeeds with its children’.Caring was at the heart of everythingWesley said or did concerning chil-dren. Caring about and for childrenlies at the heart of all the changesthrough the years. The challenge forthe Methodist Church in this centuryis to keep on adapting: to the needsand interests of children, to thedemands of the society in which welive, to a new role for the Church, andto the contribution and insights ofchildren both inside and outside theChurch.

Part-time courses in Christian Education & Ministry

SAOMC is not only an ordination training course. It also provides scope for lay peopleto take up individual modules (5-10 evenings) or to follow a full programme leadingto Oxford University’s Diploma in Theological Education and Ministry (3yrs part-time).

More than simply a course of academic study. SAOMC is a fellowship of peoplewho believe they have been called to minister in the Church and for the world.

Modules available include:(Tuesday evenings in Oxford – Thursday evenings in St Albans)

For details of courses available each term visit:www.saomc.org.uk/openl.htm

or send for a prospectus from Mrs Gill Pratley,Diocesan Church House, North Hinksey, OXFORD 0X2 ONB

Tel: 01865 208 260 Email: admin@saomc.fsnet.co.uk

Web: www.saomc.org.uk

Introduction to Biblical Studies Secular Culture & Inter-Faith IssuesJesus and the Gospels The Early ChurchSpiritualityCommunicating the Gospel

Creation, Theodicy, Redemption. New Testament TheologyThe ReformationPaul and the Emerging ChurchThe Doctrine of God & Person of ChristIntroducing the Old Testament

Timetravellers’ children’s material with projectslinked to the life of John Wesley; http://www.methodist.org.uk/information/timetravellers_resources.htm

Caring about and forchildren lies at the heartof all the changes throughthe years.

Modern Churchpeople’s Union91st Annual ConferenceHigh Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Herts Tuesday 15 July – Friday 18 July 2003

Globalising GodWhat is the Good News for a world

in the throes of globalisation?Where is God in a world of poverty, terrorism & consumerism?

Have we finally become one world, or are the divisions & inequalities greater than ever?

Chair: John AthertonCanon Theologian, Manchester Cathedral

Speakers Include:NT Wright Canon Theologian, Westminster Abbey

Duncan Forrester Em Prof Theology & Public Issues, EdinburghGrace Davie Reader in Sociology, Exeter

Andrew Davey Board of Social ResponsibilityAndrew Bradstock Editor, Radical Christian Writings

Andrew Shanks AuthorMalcolm Brown East Anglian Ministerial Training Course

Bookings & details: Mrs E Darlington, 1 The Woods, Grotton,

Oldham, Lancs, OL4 4LP Tel 0161 633 3132 Email: ebeth@fish.co.uk

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FEATURES

ANGLICAN-METHODISTRELATIONS:

A personal and public

perspectiveDudley Coates, formerly a seniorcivil servant, is a Local Preacher in the Dorchester Methodist Circuitand Chair of the Board of theMethodist Publishing House. He is the Methodist ecumenicalrepresentative on the GeneralSynod, one of eight ecumenicalrepresentatives on Synod – whohave the right to speak but not to vote.

Ibecame a Methodist Local Preacherin 1970, whilst the then Anglican-

Methodist conversations were still aliveand kicking. The previous year I hadmarried an Anglican. We had hopesthat before long we would not have tomake difficult choices about where andhow to worship. But those hopes weredashed when the General Synodturned down the then Anglican-Methodist Conversations in 1972. Wedecided that both of us should staywith the church which had nurtured usand we have tried to make sense ofbeing an ecumenical family ever since.Thirty years on and much hashappened: I am still a Local Preacherbut Jean has trained first as a Readerand later for the priesthood. We nowlive in a Rectory in a Dorset village setbetween the Parish Church and theMethodist Church, both of which aretwo minutes from our front door!

Thirty years ago whenever Ipresented myself to receive commu-nion in an Anglican Church I wasaware that strictly speaking I could berefused – though I never actually was!Canon B15A has largely regularisedmy position, though a rule-mindedincumbent might see me as too regularan Anglican communicant and chal-lenge me to seek confirmation; and afew (including the current incumbentof the parish where I grew up) stillinsist on episcopal confirmation. TheChurch Representation Rules nowallow me to be on the electoral roll

without denying that I am first andforemost a Methodist (though last yearI turned down an invitation to standfor election to the PCC!). Things havechanged in many ways. Much of thesuspicion has gone. We co-exist morehappily and even cooperate at leastsome of the time. I have preached inAnglican Churches and even conduct-ed Morning and Evening Prayer. But,whilst I know that some people arenow both Reader and Local Preacher, Ihave never sought to become a Readerand the fact that I have never beenepiscopally confirmed would still be astumbling block.

Where do we stand?So where do our two traditions nowstand? The formal position is in thereport An Anglican-Methodist Covenantwhich will come to the MethodistConference and the General Synodthis summer. I served as a Methodistmember of the formal conversationsand I stand by our report and by theprocess which it proposes. That process(not a scheme) allows for discussion tothrash out properly the issues whichstill divide us rather than sweepingthem under the carpet (as someclaimed was happening during theconversations in the 1960s and 1970s).There are theological issues whichneed further work: as the Covenantreport indicates most Methodists couldnot swallow a Calvinist interpretationof Article XVII and some Anglicanshave trouble with John Wesley’s (ratherinconsistent) views about Christianperfection. Ecclesiologically, mostAnglicans have trouble with lay presi-dency at the Eucharist, however limit-ed it may be in current BritishMethodism, and most Methodists findthe current disunited state of theChurch of England over womenpriests, let alone women bishops,offensive. And, having listened, as theMethodist representative at theGeneral Synod of the Church ofEngland, to depressing debates lastyear about the role of the State in theappointment of bishops I have veryprofound doubts as to whether there isscope for agreement between us onChurch/State issues.

On the ground, there are the thingsabout which we can be thrilled andother things which can be deeplydepressing. Anglicans and Methodistswork together in LEPs and in lessformal ways in many, many places. Ihave been encouraged at many of the

joint meetings which I have addressedon the Covenant report. But I havealso met what I can only call sheerignorance amongst many people - cler-gy as well as lay people – about theissues. I was asked recently by oneAnglican whether Methodists cele-brate the Holy Communion. In agroup discussion in my hearing, anAnglican priest who had clearly notread it called the Covenant report ‘atheology free zone’; I imagine that thetheological adviser to the House ofBishops who helped write it wouldhave something trenchant to say aboutthat!

On the other side, many Methodistsare simply unaware of changes in theChurch of England, like the ecumeni-cal canons or the huge freeing up ofworship both in practice and in theway in which Common Worship autho-rises a huge variety of material, espe-cially in Services of the Word. Thetruth is that we all tend to rememberthe negative things we learned,perhaps from our parents’ memories,perhaps from our youth, perhaps atsome significant point in our lives,much better than we remember posi-tive things. People who have beenrefused marriage or baptism can carryhuge chips on their shoulders for manyyears. Even faithful churchgoers canand do carry equally damaging memo-ries. That is why one, albeit brief,chapter of the Covenant report is calledThe Healing of Memories. We may haveto unlearn some of our memoriesbefore unity between our traditionsbecomes possible.

Will there be a will?Yet all around me I sense apathy. Thediocese in which I live has cancelledthe Diocesan Synod at which theCovenant report was to be discussed.One of the bishops said to me ‘But youcan’t vote against it’. But clearly youcan. I have watched Anglicans voteagainst it in Deanery Synods in anoth-er diocese at which I have spoken(though there has always been a clearmajority in favour). There are certainlyMethodists who are voting against,often as far I can work out becausethey are opposed to any step towardsreconciliation with the Church ofEngland and especially with the notionof bishops – who are often describedin terms which are at least a centuryout of date. There is, I think, a realissue in that for Anglicans theCovenant report requires nothing more

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OurselvesthroughMethodist eyesIan Yearsley, Reader in SouthwarkDiocese and a regional Moderator of Reader Training.

How would Methodist LocalPreachers view the Readers’ admis-

sion and licensing service at SouthwarkCathedral? What differences wouldthey see between this and their ownservices of recognition?

Three Local Preachers from theRichmond and Hounslow Circuitcame to the service on 28 October.Their dedication was such that tosecure seats where they could seeeverything, they came an hour early.So they saw all the preparations for theservice, and from the constant greet-ings they became aware how much theReaders of the diocese form a ‘family’to one another. Methodist LocalPreachers are usually ‘recognised’ indi-vidually, in one of the churches of theircircuit. They receive a personal letterfrom the President of Conference,

which underlining that they are minis-ters of the wider church. But theirselection and training take place atcircuit level, equivalent to an Anglicandeanery. So to see 19 people admittedand licensed all at once, plus twoadmitted for other dioceses and threewelcomes from elsewhere, was some-thing very different for them. ‘Morelike the ordinations that take place atConference time,’ Methodists said.

Preaching and pastoringThey noted differences of emphasis inthe service. ‘We are essentially preach-ers and leaders of worship. From thisservice it appears that Readers havemore of a pastoral responsibility too.’Local Preachers have a significant rolein Methodism and in some circuitsthey maintain 85% of Sunday services.They usually work singly, moving fromchurch to church according to aPreaching Plan, unlike Readers whooften work with a priest and frequentlyin the same church, Sunday afterSunday. Another difference is that onlyafter experience as a fully accreditedLocal Preacher can a candidate goforward for ordination in theMethodist Church.

They asked questions about initial

training and about preparation forfunerals. But they were also intriguedby the varieties of dress at theCathedral. Why was the crucifer’sparty in albs? What was the officialuniform for a Reader, and did Readersalways wear it? Local preachers tend totake their style of worship with themaround the circuit rather than trying toadhere to a particular local church’stradition, and almost always weareveryday dress to take services.Methodists look for enthusiasm as wellas style and content in worship. Theyfound that at the Cathedral: wouldthey find it in our ordinary services,Sunday by Sunday?

Recently Anglicans and Methodistshave studied the Covenant proposals.This visit was hopefully a contributionto that process. Meanwhile Readers arerecommended to attend recognitionservices for Local Preachers; one suchservice I attended at Putney was thecatalyst for the visit to the Cathedralby Christine Robson fromRoehampton and Mary and MartinLudlow from Putney.

(This article first appeared in SouthwarkReader, Spring 2003)

than they have agreed with theEvangelical Church of Germany in theMeissen agreement (andless than they have agreedwith ScandinavianChurches in the Porvooagreement). This is noaccident. The mandate tothe conversations fromboth the General Synodand the Methodist Conference specifi-cally told us to use the Meissen reportas a model.

But those agreements – and thelater ones with Moravians (FetterLane) and the French ReformedChurch (Reuilly) are essentially withchurches abroad (though there areMoravian congregations in Britain).The Covenant proposals relate to aBritish church and I am not sure thatmany Anglicans have yet grasped thatthis means that their implications aremuch, much more direct. It is mucheasier to be nice to foreigners whomyou will not meet very often than to bechallenged to work with people youmay meet in the village shop or thesupermarket any day. It is clear to methat Methodists, however apathetic,

tend to see these proposals as moresignificant than Anglicans. I find that

worrying for the risk isthat Anglicans may agreenow and regret later.And, because we are aBritish rather than anEnglish church, weMethodists cannot helpnoticing that another

(very different) proposal for unity inWales was turned down last autumn bythe Governing Body of the Church inWales after the Methodist and UnitedReformed Churches had, albeit withhesitations, agreed them.

Does unity matter?Many people ask the question whetherunity matters at all. Can we not simplykeep on being nice to each other as wenow are? Is it not good enough that wehave left competition behind us? Dowe need to go any further? My answerto that question is a firm ‘yes, we mustgo further, for the sake of the gospel’.For the primary calling of the church isnot as a human institution. Our prima-ry calling is to be the Body of Christin the world and, as Paul dramatically

puts it ‘Has Christ been divided?’ (1Corinthians 1.13, NRSV). In a longchapter which stresses that it is God’smission in which we, weak and sinfulhuman beings, are asked to share, theCovenant report makes the case for theindissolubility of the link betweenmission and unity better than I can inthis article. That is why, despite timesof depression, I remain convinced thatwe must keep working away at theissues of church unity.

Many in all our congregations areno longer died in the wool denomina-tionalists but have ended up some-where for entirely pragmatic reasons.In general the next generation has evenless denominational identity thanmine. The result is that church struc-tures are increasingly out of line withwhere people actually are and that isincreasingly dangerous. Whilst wemust respect the traditions which comefrom our histories we must not becometheir prisoners. I do not know exactlywhat full visible unity will mean interms of church structures, but I amclear that we need to find a wayforward which serves the gospel in the21st century.

Can we not simplykeep on beingnice to each otheras we now are?

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RESOURCES

On this page I have tried to collecttogether references to some addi-

tional resources and references thatpeople might find useful. First, themain website of the Methodist Churchin Britain www.methodist.org.ukThis well organized site containsa section detailing the ‘essentials’about Methodism – whatMethodists believe and how theChurch is structured. The site alsocontains an accessible sectionentitled ’Prayer and worship’ –which has ideas and resources forprivate and public worship. At thetime of writing the focus of thesite was on the recent war in theMiddle East, and as well as usefulprayers it contains a couple of relevantand unusual modern hymns. (As onewould expect from the spiritualdescendants of Charles Wesley!)

The special site set up to mark the300th anniversary of John Wesley’sbirth www.wesley2003.org.uk is alsoworth a look. It contains a timeline ofevents in his life, an article on thehistorical situation in England duringWesley’s lifetime, and a diary of thevarious events being held around thecountry to celebrate the Tercentenary.

The Methodist Publishing House –the in-house publishing arm of theMethodist church – has its ownwebsite at www.mph.org.uk As well asa catalogue of books, etc. available forsale it features an ‘Epworth article’ –one of the articles that has recentlyappeared in the Methodist publication,the Epworth Review. As I write thefeatured article on the site is Selling theSermon by Graham Peacock – a helpfulreflection on preaching – with adistinctly pastoral focus. One of theinteresting questions Graham Peacockthrows out is: ‘What might be meantby engaging with the Bible “as alover”?’ What indeed!

The Methodist commitment tosocial justice is well expressed – ininternational terms – on the MethodistRelief and Development Fund sitewww.mrdf.org.uk It contains newsand resources about a number ofcampaigns promoting a fairer world –and seeking to alleviate the injusticesof the present one. Any church (of anydenomination) concerned about reliefand development issues in the poorestcountries of Asia, Africa and LatinAmerica would find helpful tools onthis site.

There are a number of other usefulMethodist related website links

referred toelsewhere inthe magazine which I will not repeathere.

A small book Called by Nameproduced by members of theMethodist Connexional Team hasbeen (deservedly) selling extraordinari-ly well. Its subtitle is ‘Being a memberin the Methodist Church’ – and that isexactly what it is seeking to helppeople to discover how to be.Exquisitely produced, it is attemptingto share in an accessible way thedistinctive aspects of the Methodistheritage. It is interesting to ponder if asimilar kind of book could be producedfor Anglicans – someone recentlyasked me that very question. I suspectthat for a variety of reasons it would beconsiderably more difficult. Called byName can be obtained for £3.50 (plusp&p) from Methodist PublishingHouse – Tel 01733 325002, or viatheir website.

I regret that we haven’t included asmuch as I would have liked aboutMethodist spirituality, worship – andof course hymns – in The Reader. Butat least I want to include that particu-lar treasure of Methodist spirituality –the Covenant prayer. Here it is – lovelyto read, challenging to pray:

I am no longer my own but yours.Put me to what you will,

Rank me with whom youwill,Put me to doing,Put me suffering,Let me be employed for you,Or laid aside for you,Exalted for you,Or brought low for you,Let me be full,Let me be empty,Let me have all things,Let me have nothing:I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

To your pleasure and disposal.And now, glorious and blessed God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit,You are mine and I am yours.So be it.And the covenant now made on earth,Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.

And from the sublime to the humor-ous – this story of John and Charles’parents:

‘The revolution of 1688 threatenedto disturb the early married life ofSamuel Wesley and his spouse. Thehusband wrote a pamphlet in which hedefended revolution principles, but thewife secretly adhered to the old cause;nor was it until a year before DutchWilliam’s death that the rector madethe discovery that the wife of hisbosom, who had sworn to obey himand regard him as her overlord, wasnot in the habit of saying ‘Amen’ to hisfervent prayers on behalf of his suffer-ing sovereign. An explanation wasdemanded and the truth extracted,namely, that in the opinion of therector’s wife her true king lived overthe water. The rector at once refused tolive with Mrs Wesley any longer untilshe recanted. This she refused to do,and for a twelvemonth the coupledwelt apart, when William III havingthe good sense to die, a reconciliationbecame possible. If John Wesley wasoccasionally a little pig-headed, needone wonder?’ (from Augustine Birrell’s‘Appreciation of the Journal’ in TheHeart of Wesley’s Journal)Clare Amos

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The Painful Work of anOrdinary ReaderThese interesting observations by Ian Yearsley of Southwark Diocesecomplement our ecumenical focus.

Reader ministry died out in much of England at the timeof the Reformation, and although it was briefly revived

by Archbishop Parker in 1561 to meet an expected shortageof clergy, it soon died out again and was revived again onlyin 1866. This is the view that most writers who bother evento mention Readers seem to take, and they differ largely onthe question of whether the canon of 1571 was meant torestrict Readers or to prevent puritan clergy employing unli-censed people to take services. JH Moorman in his Historyof the Church in England simply says that Readers wererevived, ‘but did not last very long.’

More recent research, however, shows that almostthroughout the period when no new Readers were licensedin the Church of England, its bishops were busy licensing‘lecteurs’ or Readers, for the French Huguenot Protestantchurches in England. In his book Huguenot Heritage, DrRobin Gwynn, himself a former Reader in SouthwarkDiocese, shows that not only were these French-speakingReaders licensed by English bishops, but from 1600onwards many of the French churches became ‘conformist’,using the French version of the Book of Common Prayeroriginally intended for the Channel Islands.

An appeal from John de Champs of the Frenchconformist church of the Savoy to the Bishop of London in1758 says that the three ministers ‘should not have to doconstantly the painful work of an ordinary Reader’, andrequests that the Bishop will licence Sieur Massy, already areader at the French Church of Leicesterfields. He wouldnot, set up for a preacher; he was already too busy as aschoolmaster.

French protestants began to settle in England in 1535and the earliest mention of an organised French congrega-tion in England was in 1548. French and Dutch churcheswere founded in London in 1550. All had royal approval,and Robin Gwynn has commented that Edward VI or hisministers may have viewed them as a possible model for theemerging Church of England. They followed a Calvinistpattern of worship, and the ‘lecteurs’ not only read the scrip-tures but chanted the psalms, often for an hour before theminister took over with the sermon. In some of theconformist churches, the lecteur read the Anglican MorningPrayer and Evening Prayer, then left the minister to preachthe Calvinist sermon for the next hour or more.

Further waves of refugees from persecution in Francearrived following the St Bartholemew’s Day massacre in1572 and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685,and in all some 40,000-50,000 French people came to thiscountry, bringing many trade skills such as weaving. Notuntil 1787 were Huguenots tolerated again in France. Overthe years Huguenot descendents more and more adoptedthe English language and the 20 churches in London in1731 declined to eight by 1800 and three by 1900.

From all this it would appear, however, that throughoutthe period from Elizabethan times to the mid-Victorianyears when Reader ministry was largely absent from the

Church of England, the English bishops were licensingReaders or lecteurs for the French Huguenot churches. Wasthis experience in the minds of those who proposed therevival of Church of England Reader ministry in 1866?

Huguenot Heritage by Robin Gwynn was published in 2001by Sussex Academic Press. Robin Gwynn was admitted as aReader in Southwark in the mid-1960s and served at StPaul, Wimbledon Park until the late 1970s, when he movedto New Zealand.

Parcevall HallDiocese of Bradford Retreat

& Conference Centre

Parcevall Hall has excellent facitilties for conferences,retreats and holidays. It offers the comfort of an old house, the peace of a rural situation and the

scenic beauty of Wharfedale. It is available to church andsecular groups and can be booked for weekends, midweek

or longer periods; also for day, par t-day or evening functions.Bookings from individuals and groups are invited.

Please contact the warden to find out about theprogramme of events for individuals and groups in 2003.

Appletreewick, SkiptonNorth Yorkshire, BD23 6DG

Tel: (01756) 720213Fax: (01756) 720656

E-mail: parcevall@bradford.anglian.org

(Charity No 247858)

RESOURCES

THE READER MISSIONARY STUDENTSHIP ASSOCIATION

Registered charity no: 1049012

President:The Revd Professor Owen Chadwick OM

The Association, a registered charity, was founded in 1904 to providegrants to Readers who are training for the priesthood and who intend

to serve the Church overseas.

Further enquiries and donations should be sent to:

Mr Hugh MorleyHon Secretary, 6 Kilworth Drive,Lostock,

Bolton, Lancs BL6 4RP

Mr Ron Edinborough,Hon Treasurer, Glendevon, 3 Manor Road,

Paignton, Devon TQ3 2HT

Plaque of the French hospital, Rochester, analmshouse for elderly people of Huguenot descent.

JohnMark A Matson Westminster John Knox£5.99 pbk.0 664 22580 2

This is a clear and helpfulexposition of medium

length (128 pages) of theFourth Gospel. It does notattempt to give as muchinformation as a commen-tary but it faces the difficul-ties and indicates solutionsto them. It is intended foruse by study groups and aleader’s guide providessuggestions for running agroup, but the only sugges-tions specific to this Gospelare four questions after eachof the ten units. This formatis imposed on the series ofbooks and in this Gospel aunit covers too much for asingle session. This bookwill be useful for group orindividual study.JOHN TAYLOR

Paul for everyone: theprison lettersNT Wright SPCK £6.99 pbk.0 340 75697 7

Although the bishop-electof Durham is a scholar

he writes in a plain, enthusi-astic and accessible style.His translation of the text isrefreshingly clear and direct,as appropriate for 21stcentury readers as wereMoffat or JB Phillips for theearly and mid-20th century.Excellent not only for thosenew to the scriptures butalso for those more familiar

with the text but for whomit may have lost its firstexcitement. The author usesillustrations well, linking thebig picture to the smallerincidents. The glossary isalso useful. Each shortpassage of text is followedby a readable discourseincluding background infor-mation. This volume cover-ing Ephesians, Philippians,Colossians and Philemonwill make an excellent addi-tion to the library of anyReader.DEREK REDMAN

New Testament exegesis Gordon D FeeWestminster John Knox£12.99 pbk.0 664 22316 8

This book is a step by step,how-to-do-it, guide to

moving from NewTestament text to the fullestand most accurate accountof its meaning in English.Very thorough and ratherintricate, it is not reallydesigned for cover to coverreading. Knowledge ofGreek would be an advan-tage although the author iskeen to give the Biblestudent without Greek themaximum amount of help.Full exegesis requires 15main steps and a serioustime commitment. Readersmight find more useful a 22page chapter entitled Shortguide to sermon exegesis withsix main steps. This takes alittle under five hours toreach the point at which oneactually starts to write thesermon!JOHN MUNNS

In the beginningAlister McGrathHodder and Stoughton£7.99 pbk.0 340 78585 3

In the Middle Ages literacywas largely confined to the

clergy. The Renaissancerenewed European culture,

owning books raised one’sstatus and the demandsoared. Printing had inter-esting possibilities.Gutenberg produced thefirst printed Bible in Latinin 1456. The English peoplewanted a Bible in their ownlanguage, which they couldread for themselves insteadof the clergy reading it tothem. The clergy disagreed.In the early 14th centuryonly Latin was used inchurch and it was illegal toproduce an English Bible soa struggle ensued. In 1526at Worms, William Tyndaleproduced a version of theBible in English, copies ofwhich were smuggled intoEngland. When James Ibecame king in 1603 heauthorized a new translationof the Bible, which appearedin 1611. This was the KingJames Bible based substan-tially on Tyndale’s version.Alister McGrath explainsthe difficulties which had tobe overcome. His compari-son of different Englishtranslations is an interestingfeature. This is an excellenthistory running to 340 pageswhich any Reader will enjoy.ANGELA TIPPETTS

Who are the Celtic saints? Kathleen JonesCanterbury £16.99 pbk.1 85311 493 6

The lives of the Celticsaints are wreathed in

folklore. What records havesurvived are scanty. KathleenJones has attempted todisentangle the truth fromthe web of legend and hassucceeded in painting a vividportrait of their yearning for

solitude, their dedicationand love of learning. Sheprovides a compellingaccount not only of thebetter known among them –David, Patrick and Columba– but of the little known aswell. Few Readers, I suspect,will be familiar with Erc,Tysilio or Congar! Therevival of interest in Celticspirituality in recent yearshas called for a comprehen-sive account of its originsand character as well as for ascholarly approach to themen and women whoshaped it. This book fulfilsthat need and for Readerswho wish to know moreabout the origins ofChristianity in the Celticfringes of Britain, it can bewarmly recommended.ROBERT BEVAN

The Church that could beDavid L EdwardsSPCK £10.99 pbk.0 281 05455 x

This is a difficult book todescribe and not quite

what you expect from thetitle. Dr David Edwardsdraws on the experiences ofhis life at Oxford,Cambridge, and as Chaplainto the Speaker of the Houseof Commons, CathedralDean in Norwich andSouthwark, to describemovements of faith anduncertainty and to draw outthe hopes and possibilitiesfrom the challenges ofscience, the Gospelaccounts, the confrontationwith government andcatholic and evangelicalimpulses. The last chaptercentres on the needs of thepeople of China as aparadigm of how theChurch might meet theneeds of the world todayand tomorrow. There ismuch of interest in thesechapters but it would havebeen good to have more ofDavid Edwards’ views onthe Church of tomorrow.AUDREY BAYLEY

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For yourbookshelf

REVIEWS SUBJECT KEY: BIBLE ECUMENICAL CHURCH HISTORY SOCIAL JUSTICE PASTORAL SPIRITUALITY THEOLOGY WORSHIP & PREACHING B J P WTSE H

Faith worksJim WallisSPCK £12.99 pbk.0 281 05525 4

If you believe that thechurch should keep out of

politics this book is not foryou. If you are comfortablesitting within four walls donot read this book. I writethis because the author ischallenging us to get out ofthe house, and do some-thing. The majority ofexamples are from America.The book is challenging usall to get involved in doingsomething to combat theawful fact of poverty. Theauthor is not writing onlyabout the poverty in unde-veloped countries but pover-ty much closer to home. Hetells us how people areresponding in America, howpeople are getting over theirmutual distrust and strivingto work effectively to chal-lenge the system and topromote change for thebetter. Putting it simply themessage is that Christians,from whatever backgroundthey come, can and shouldwork together for the bene-fit of those who have littleor nothing. He poses thequestion, ‘What would Jesusdo?’CHRIS GREGORY

The Road HomeSara Covin Juengst Westminster John Knox£9.99 pbk.0 664 22426 1

Subtitled Images for theSpiritual Journey, this

very readable book enlargeson reasons why many words

associated with journeys areused to describe spirituallife. It brings together awealth of scriptural andsecular information aboutroads as it explores ideas oftravel. From the first chapterit makes fascinating reading.Dealing with reasons forand ways of travel, we aretaken on the stages fromleaving home; movingaround; solitary journeys toarrival at crossroads. Thencomes an in-depth explo-ration of the way and theimplications for those whoare following it, with somegeographical, moral,behavioural and theologicalexamples. Finally we arriveat a discussion of home andsome connotations linkedwith that, including theheavenly one. There are fourpages of biblical referencesand a useful bibliography.For me, the inclusion of somany non-biblical quotesand the author’s personalillustrations add to theexcellence of this volume. Atthe end of each chapterthere are Guideposts intend-ed for personal reflectionand encouragement. Thesethought-provoking sectionsmake the whole a very suit-able resource for Readertraining or home groups.

Its skilful presentationcommends this book to allserious followers of ‘TheWay’.CYNTHIA WHITTLE

To Canterbury with love Gavin ReidKingsway Communicationspbk.1 84291 066 3

Gavin Reid’s aim is toshare a lifetime’s experi-

ence as a committedChristian serving theChurch of England in manyroles, from Sunday schoolboy to bishop who oftendeputized for theArchbishop of Canterbury.He is avowedly an evangeli-cal but not aggressively so.He loves his Church andrejoices in its best aspectsbut has eyes wide open to itswarts and he makes sensibleand practical suggestions foreliminating some of them.He also recognizes thatsome warts are deep rootedand that we may have to livewith them. Above all he seesthe future lying with today’schildren and that presentday structures and traditionsdo not impress them normost of their parents. Hespeaks plainly and wisely onsome of the most controver-sial of current issues. All thishe illustrates with amusingstories taken from his ownexperience. Altogether agood read from which muchcan be learnt.LYNN FERRABY

Nature, human nature and GodIan BarbourSPCK £12.99 pbk.0 281 05545 9

Avery great deal is packedinto this short volume

which lucidly discusses theever more complex relation-ship between science andreligion. The problem todayis to find a natural theologywhich really does justice tothe developments across thespectrum of scientificenquiry and yet retains theintegrity of theologicaldiscourse. One way forwardand one which Barbourdevelops in his own way isthat of process theology.Process theology takesscience seriously but it does-n’t fall into the simplistictrap of saying ‘science askshow and religion asks why’.

For there to be a modelwhich works, God and theuniverse have to be seen todepend on each other. Thatmeans that theology has totake seriously the scientificmodels which account forthe open-ended dynamic ofnature. One such modelwhich scientists favour is anidea that matter somehow‘communicates information’through its complexity. Thisprovides a point wherescience and religion canwork in partnership. If Godis envisaged as the ‘topdown’ cause giving thecosmos its organizationalpotentials, then it can alsodraw attention to the innerspiritual dimension of naturewhich science only dimlyperceives. This is not a bookfor beginners but it coverssuch a wide range of topicsincluding evolution, geneticengineering/cloning, artifi-cial intelligence and envi-ronmental ethics, that it isworth reading many times,even if you are not an advo-cate of process theology.MICHAEL WILCOCKSON

Understanding my MuslimNeighbourMichael Nazir Ali Canterbury £5.99 pbk.1-85311-506-1

One strength of this shortbook (about 100 pages)

is that it should cause nooffence. Bishop Michael,answering questions fromChristopher Stone, managesto convey the complexity ofIslam in a rounded andsympathetic manner. Hedisarms many of the pettyprejudices of the West by

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REVIEWS SUBJECT KEY: BIBLE ECUMENICAL CHURCH HISTORY SOCIAL JUSTICE PASTORAL SPIRITUALITY THEOLOGY WORSHIP & PREACHING B J P WTSE H

writing with charity as wellas clarity. I was surprised bythe ease with which he putacross the breadth of Islamictradition and teaching, and Iwas pleased to find 9/11 putinto a balanced perspective.This sympathy can be also aweakness. The author is notalways forthcoming enoughabout the less attractivetraits of Islam – the treat-ment of women, forinstance. However, in hisfinal chapters he becomesmore robust about suchmatters and he certainlypulls no punches about theneed to maintain an evange-listic approach.

Overall, this is an excel-lent brief summary ofIslamic thought and prac-tice, as perceived by athoughtful, charitable andevangelistic Christian.Appropriate for the inquir-ing young as well as for theentrenched older members!ED WICKE

The calling of a cuckooDavid JenkinsContinuum £18.99 hbk.0 8264 4991 3

David Jenkins wassurprised when, in 1984,

already in his 60th year, hewas called from his profes-sorship of theology at LeedsUniversity to become bishopof Durham. Within a fewweeks he had become ‘thecontroversial bishop ofDurham’ and remained sountil his retirement ten yearslater. The title of what hecalls ‘not quite an autobiog-raphy’ is taken from aremark made by Mrs

Thatcher about ‘cuckoos’amongst clerics and bishops,which he took to refer tohimself. David Jenkins’views on the literal truth ofGospel miracles includingthe Virgin Birth and theempty tomb are common-place in university depart-ments of theology and arewell known to clergy whohave trained in them. Theyare however still deemed bymany clergy as too complexand unsettling to be taughtto lay churchgoers orincluded in sermons. Someat least feel that such viewscould be held and taught bya university teacher but notby a bishop. To DavidJenkins ‘truth is indivisible’ –‘I found the suggestion thatI should keep quiet abouttruths I had discoveredthrough a life of academicstudy … when I was preach-ing and teaching …franklyblasphemous’. This is apassionate and eloquentbook. David Jenkins asserts

that the behaviour of thechurch over this and othermatters – for example theordination of women andsame sex relationships –drove him to see ‘that thecase for atheism is verystrong’. ‘The present quar-relsome and institutionallyobsolete state of the C of E.’renders it ‘not fit or able toserve the Christian gospel ofthe future’. Despite hispessimism about the C of E,he remains a passionatebeliever convinced in thefinal words of his book of‘the hope, the risk and thewonder of going on’.PETER WATKINS

Christianity in a post-atheistic ageClive MarshSCM £9.95 pbk.0 334 02869 8

Once upon a time every-one went to church.

Then came the

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St Martin Vestment Ltd

Lutton, Near Spalding, Lincs PE12 9LRTel/Fax 01406 362386

For over 30 years our workshop has beenproducing individually made church regalia

for churches and cathedrals at home and abroad.

The firm remains in the hands of a clergy family but is managed by Mrs Dorothea Butcher who will be pleased to discuss your requirements. Send for details and fabric samples.

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Enlightenment and westopped going. Clive Marshcalls this the Atheistic Age.Now he sees a rise in spiri-tuality and he calls this thePost-atheistic Age. Peopleare hungry for belief, but donot actually know this. Hebelieves Christians need tomeet this spiritual hungerand recommends we adopt aliberal Protestant style to doit. He recommends alsotaking appropriate insightsfrom other faiths and hetakes a good swipe atconsumerism on the way.All Christians should sharein this work and we willneed less formal churchstructures to achieve ouraims. Marsh propounds 95topics for discussion afterthe manner of Luther’stheses and suggests we couldgroup these to make a six-session discussion groupprogramme, but the groupsI know would probablyprefer an easier writing stylefor their textbook.PETER THORNTON

Christian thought – a briefhistoryEdited Adrian Hastings,Alistair Mason, and Hugh PyperOUP£5.99 pbk.0 192 802 1

This book was a joy toread. The chapters are

derived from the OxfordCompanion to ChristianThought published in 2000,[reviewed in The ReaderVol.98 No.1 Spring 2001], sothis book is a digest of thelarger parent volume.Church history is workedthrough chronologically inchapters in the two sectionseach of which is written byscholars of repute in thevarious eras. The firstsection is Christian Thoughtin the East and includesGreek, Syriac, Byzantine,Eastern Orthodox andArmenian theology andtradition. Each chapter gives

a splendid overview ofchurch history and all arewritten by people who knowthat tradition well. Thesecond section, ChristianThought in the West, is divid-ed up into centuries, thefinal chapter being a heart-ening overview of the 20thcentury by Adrian Hastings,where he says, Christiantheology may well be in ahealthier state, more internallycoherent and less schismaticthan has been the case formany centuries. A very usefulbook for preachers!CHRISTINE McMULLEN

Enacting the wordJames O ChathamWestminster John Knox£6.99 pbk.0 664 22570 5

Sermons are not oftenillustrated by drama

with actors but this bookinvites you to try the ideaand gives scripts for Jonah,Psalm 107 and creation,Rahab, prayer, God’s calling,light and darkness and theResurrection. It is aimed ata dialogue between preacherand actors in a sermon.When this is done well itcan be effective and gain theattention of the congrega-tion. The script of Jonahincludes two songs. Thepreacher also has a script tofollow as if he or she wereone of the actors. Will itwork? I think it will but Idid wonder if some of thepreacher’s words were diffi-cult for minds not attunedto them. No doubt the usercould adapt the text ordevise other dramas alongsimilar lines.CHRIS PORTEOUS

Creation and last thingsGregory CootsomaGeneva £7.99 pbk.0 664 50160 5

This is one of a series of12 books on The

Foundations of the ChristianFaith produced by thePresbyterian church of USA– the author ministers in aNew York city Presbyterianchurch. The subtitle is Theintersection of theology andscience. The author rangesover many of the collisionpoints between Christianityand science in a CS Lewissort of style: evolution, thenature of humanness, provi-dence, evil and the fall,determinism, eschatologyetc. His treatment couldprovide ammunition forpreacher or teacher. Thebook does not pretend to bework of profound scholar-ship but it has a clear, posi-tive and scriptural approachwhich would provide a goodbasis for a house or youthgroup discussion. It wouldbe useful for anybodybemused by RichardDawkins, TV docudramasand the like.SAM BERRY

Healing death’s woundsMichael Mitton and RussParkerArcadia £8.99 pbk0 86347 468 3

This is a revised version ofRequiem healing written

following 9/11, which seeksto address issues of grieffollowing bereavement,particularly sudden death.The co-authors each writeseparate chapters and one of

their main aims is toconfront the point of viewof the traditional evangelicalChristian who views withsuspicion prayer for thedead. In tackling this subjectthe book includes what wasfor me an uneasy mix ofpersonal stories of contactwith the dead, theologicalreflection and scripturalreferences that may pointtowards understanding whathappens to people whenthey die. There is a chapteron Remembering and releas-ing with prayers for thosewho have died, includingchildren who die beforebirth and prayers for ‘theunquiet dead’.WENDY AIRD

The wine dancedAngela AshwinEagle £7.99 pbk.0 86347 472 1

This book contains a seriesof meditations on the

Eucharist, divided into foursections. The first series ison the Cup of Life withmeditations on the variousways in which Christ poursout his love for us; the nextis on the Cup of Sufferingwhere we follow thepatterns of suffering fromChrist’s anguish in thegarden to our own suffer-ings. Next comes the Cup ofOpenness examining howwe respond to God’s love forus. Finally comes a series ofmeditations based oneucharistic liturgy withparticular reference toCommon Worship. Thesemeditations will help tostimulate new ways ofthinking about the meaningof the Eucharist either forour own use or in our teach-ing ministry.RALPH H CRAMPHORN

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Talking to the neighbours Ronald BlytheCanterbury £16.99 hbk.1 85311 478 2

The location of RonaldBlythe’s ministry as a

Reader is in three parisheson the Essex side of theriver Stour. The 35 items inthis collection are a crossbetween sermons andconversations – (shouldthere be too much differ-ence?) – and are a delight toread. The author is a distin-guished writer, a poet and acountryman, whose insightsinto the Christian faithshow depth and understand-ing of the part played byancient churches with theircenturies of worship in thehearts and minds of thosewho live in the countrysidewhich surrounds them. Inthese pages nobody couldfail to find sympathy andwarmth.GEORGE MACKNELLY

Counting sheepPaddy Benson and JohnRobertsGrove £2.50 pbk.incl.p.&p.1 85174 517 3

This important and stimu-lating Grove Book is

based on a survey of churchattendance in the WirralNorth deanery in thediocese of Chester. We areused to news of steadilydeclining church attendanceand the authors see noreason to question this.They do however argue thatthe picture is rather morecomplex than mostpublished statistics suggest.They divide church goersinto four categories accord-ing to frequency of atten-dance: core attenders – 6-8attendances in 8 weeks(14%); mobile core 4/5 outof 8 (12%); casual attenders2/3 out of 8 (49%), andworshipping fringe 1 out of8 (25%). The size of the lasttwo categories is particularlysignificant. The book isconcerned however not withbald statistics but with thepastoral and organizationalconsequences. How forexample do we communi-cate parish news and activi-ties to the last two cate-gories? Are these last two

categories people on theirway in or on their way out?What are the consequencesfor preaching and teaching –no use starting a sermonwith ‘Last week we consid-ered Romans 1 so I shallthis morning begin onRomans 2’! Does reducedchurch going mean dimin-ished belief? The book endswith practical suggestionsfor clergy, Readers and PCCand advice on how to set upa similar survey in yourparish or deanery.Altogether a thoughtprovoking book – stronglyrecommended.PETER WATKINS

Launcelot FlemingGiles HuntCanterbury £19.99 pbk1 85311 523 1

In its 75 years’ existence thePortsmouth diocese has

had eight bishops. Thefourth, appointed in 1949,was at the age of 42 theyoungest, the least qualifiedand yet perhaps the mostloved. Launcelot Fleming’ssole previous clericalappointments were Chaplainand Dean of Trinity Hall,Cambridge and wartimenaval chaplain. He hadnever served in a parish,even as a curate. His earlyenthusiasm was polar explo-ration. He had a natural giftfor friendship and was theleast pompous of men. As abishop he preferred not totravel first class, did notwish to accept the LambethDD then conferred ondiocesan bishops and didnot like wearing the gaitersrequired by ArchbishopFisher. After ten years inPortsmouth he was translat-ed to Norwich, a wide ruraldiocese where he introducedthe first group ministry atHilborough. Norwichbrought contacts with theQueen and when his healthrequired a less onerous posthe accepted the Deanery ofSt George’s Chapel,Windsor It was his least

happy appointment. He wasinhibited by reactionarycanons, determined to resistchange. Launcelot Flemingwas active in many otherspheres: he was a founder ofVSO, he chaired the C of EYouth Council, and wasinvolved in the founding ofthe University of EastAnglia. Giles Hunt, theauthor of this portrait, wasFleming’s chaplain atPortsmouth and Norwich. Itis a good read though thereare in my view rather toomany quotations fromundistinguished speechesand sermons and the book ishighly priced – £20 is agreat deal for a 270 pagepaperback.PETER WATKINS

And finally….

The Canterbury Presspublishes a revised

edition of So the Vicar’s leav-ing… subtitled The goodinterregnum guide (£5.99pbk. 1 85311 505 3) SPCKpublishes The FuneralHandbook (Giles Legoodand Ian Markham £8.99 0 281 05413 4). ThreeGrove books in addition tothe one reviewed above arelikely to be of interest toReaders. Wisdom, the Spirit’sgift (Christopher Cocksworth1 85174 521 1); When is warjustified? (Andrew Goddard1 85174 520 3) and The newperspective on Paul (MichaelB Thompson 1 85174 5111). They are available fromGrove Books, Ridley HallRoad, Cambridge CB39HU and cost £2.50 eachincluding postage and pack-ing.

H

P

PW

26

REVIEWS SUBJECT KEY: BIBLE ECUMENICAL CHURCH HISTORY SOCIAL JUSTICE PASTORAL SPIRITUALITY THEOLOGY WORSHIP & PREACHING B J P WTSE H

College of Readers

An independent membership organisation providingfellowship and support to those Readers of the Anglian

Communion in the British Isles who affirm (1) theauthority of holy Scripture; (2) the grace of the

sacraments; and (3) the traditional understanding of theordained ministry of Bishop, priest and deacon.

Membership costs £10 a year and benefits include aquarterly periodical, Blue Scarf, the beginnings of a

network of circles and chaplains, an events programmeand a developing range of publications and distance

learning opportunities. The College of Readers (“CoR”)aims to supplement and complement the official Provincial

and Diocesan provision for Readers. For a prospectus and a membership form please contact:

The Registrar CoR, The Vicarage, London Road,Swanley, Kent. BR8 7AQ

BIRMINGHAM11 JANUARY 2003Admitted and licensedSandra Baty, St Peter and St Paul, Water OrtonLesley Blythe, Christ Church, Burney LaneAllannah Brennan, St Philip and St James, Hodge HillRoger Caleb, St. Cuthbert, Castle ValeKenneth Costley, St Peter and St Paul, AstonLeonard Cox, St. Martin in the BullringPaul Duckers, Holy Trinity, Sutton ColdfieldDebra Dyson, St. Paul, HamsteadBobbie Frere, St Stephen and St Wulstan, Selly ParkGillian Gough, Christ the King in Shirley Team MinistryPauline Griffiths, St. Leonard, Marston GreenDavid Grist, St. Boniface, QuintonAlan Hopkins, The Whitacres and ShustokeVanico James, St Peter and St Paul, AstonJohn Kennedy, St. Peter, HarborneJeannie Lynch, St. Philip and St James, Hodge HillLicensedMary Edwards, Birmingham Diocesan Director ofEducation

CHICHESTER22 SEPTEMBER 2002Admitted and LicensedPatricia Deasy, Fairlight. Guestling and PettTimothy Dumps, St Phillip Hove and St LeonardAldringtonRoland Ell, PaghamLinda Holmes, CopthorneRobert Lowes, St Andrew, Burgess HillElizabeth Peart, Clymping, Yapton and FordJohn Sherlock, RudgwickRodney Shotter, St Luke, PrestonvilleJohn Stirland, Clymping, Yapton and FordRichard Thirkell, GroombridgeLicensedSamuel Pearce, St Andrew Burgess HillJanette Smith, St Peter, BexhillHilary Terry, Uckfield, Isfield and Horsted ParvaJohn White, East Preston with Kingston

EXETER2002-2003Admitted and licensedMargaret Andrews, North Devon Coast Team MinistryAndrew Bourne, Okehampton Team MinistryKeith Butler, St Paul, WolboroughChristine Chandler, Little Dart Team Ministry Rose Clark, Yealmpton and BrixtonPenny Elsom, Sid Valley Team MinistrySue Gay, Kingsteignton, St MichaelPeter Hadden, Plymouth, St JudeJenny Harris, Stoke FlemingCatherine Jenkins, Silverton, Butterleigh, Bickleigh andCadeleighMarion Sanders, Barnstaple Team Ministry

Isolde Summers, Crediton, Shobrooke and Sandford withUpton HellionsMike Taylor, North Devon Coast Team MinistryLicensedJenny Davis, Culm Valley Team Ministry David Hortop, Hemyock with Culm Davey, Clayhidon andCulmstockAnne Marshall, Otter Vale Team MinistryMichael Piper, Britannia Naval College, Dartmouth Roena Wraighte, Little Dart Team Ministry

HEREFORD2002Admitted and licensedPhilip Core, WorfieldRosemary Havard, HolmerCarilyn Simkin, CoalbrookdaleLicensedMelvyn Evans, HighleyTony South, Leominster

LICHFIELD11 JANUARY 2003Admitted and licensedPaul Benton, ShifnalAlison Carp, Leek and MeerbrookAndrew Carp, Leek and MeerbrookSally Day, ShifnalMary Edwards, AldridgeKeith Eaton, St John the Baptist, StaffordBenson Ewbank, AudleyMargaret Foxall, Lapley with Wheaton AstonRoger Hodkinson, ShifnalMary Jephcott, AlstonfieldMichael Moffatt, MiltonLaurence Myatt, WilnecotePeter Phillips, St Chad, Burton upon TrentJill Richards, CheddletonRichard Sainsbury, St Martin, WalsallDavid Southerton, HarlescottSusan Taylor, Leek and MeerbrookErica Thomas, St Martin, WalsallTony Townsend, Weston Under LizardShayne Trinder, AudleyRichard Walker-Hill, Wrockwardine WoodAnn Wright, Lapley with Wheaton Aston

ST ALBANS1 MARCH 2003Admitted and licensedAllan Budgen, St Mary, AshwellAnn Edwards, St Margaret and St Mary, Stanstead AbbotsPatricia Fry, St Mary, Little WymondleyJoyce Galliers, St James, High WychWendy Hughes, St Mary, CarltonMargaret Inegbedion, St Owen, BromhamVivien Marlow, St John the Evangelist, HatfieldValerie Mclntosh, St Nicholas, ElstreeAngela Newton, Dunstable Parish TeamKatharine Roper, St James the Great, ThorleyMerle Thompson, St Saviour, St AlbansJohn Wood, All Saints, Riseley

27

GAZETTE

Gazette of newly admittedand licensed Readers

MarkingsHardinge Pritchard marked his retirement after 51 years as a Reader in Southwark Diocese with a party held in hishonour in February 2003.

Lisle Sharp was installed as an Honorary Lay Canon ofCoventry Cathedral in June 2001. He has been a Reader for 43 years at Alveston St James, and is currently HonoraryModerator for Reader Training in Coventry Diocese andChair of the West Midlands Moderators Group.

Arthur Spikins will celebrate his golden jubilee as a Readeron 10 July 2003, having been admitted at St Paul’sCathedral in 1953. He has spent the whole of his ministryat St John the Baptist, Isleworth. In his secular life heworked as a teacher, becoming headteacher at four differentchurch schools.

Please feel feel to send brief notes ‘marking’ memorable momentsfor individual Readers for inclusion in this new section.

GleaningsArchibald Patterson Following on Bishop Graham Dow’s article in the February2003 issue of The Reader about how a Reader founded theAnglican Church of Angola, I received a letter containingthe following information. ‘Archibald Patterson (the Readermentioned in that article) was my “Uncle Archie.” Hemarried my father’s sister, Alice Rankin in 1946… we aremulling over the germ of an idea to suggest to our localchurch the possibility of supporting the Angolan Church.Alan Rankin (Reader Emeritus in the Parish of Hagley,Diocese of Worcester)’

Training then and nowDavid Bowen, a Reader in Salisbury Diocese commentsafter the article on training in the last issue, ‘In November1965, Bishop Mortimer of Exeter admitted me as a “Readerin the Church of God”, as he wrote in my New Testament.I was nineteen years old, a student at St Luke’s learning tobe a teacher of RE. Equipped with the confidence of youth,an ability to speak in public and little more, I had told myPersonal Tutor at college that I wanted to be a Reader. I hadno idea about age limits, selection criteria or trainingrequirements. All he said was, “I suppose you want me towrite to the Bishop to get you exempted from the examina-tions.” Naturally I agreed.

I presume he did so because the next I heard was an invi-tation to meet the Warden of Readers in the beautifulchurch at Bradninch near Exeter for what turned out to bemy selection. The whole process was brief. A short inter-view was followed by my being required to read a lessonwhile the Warden stood at the back of the church. He couldhear me and so I was acceptable. My admission and licens-ing took place after Evensong one weekday in the LadyChapel of Exeter Cathedral.’

David goes on to reflect on his years of Reader ministrysince then and comments that he ‘cringes’ to remember someof his early sermons – he is sure that he would have been abetter Reader if he had received the training now provided.

QuestionnaireThank you for all the completed copies of the Questionnairewe have already received. There is still time – till 31 May –to send in your form, which is also available on the website.We will share the results of the Questionnaire in our next(August 2003) issue.

Request for designerThe Reader needs to look for a new designer, to be paidcommercial rates. Contact Pat Nappin at Church House(see inside front cover for contact details) if you are interested.28

MARKINGS AND GLEANINGS

In MemoriamThe deaths of thefollowing Readers have been notified to us:

BirminghamVictor Head-WrapsonGeoffrey Sanders MBEArthur Spencer

BradfordPeter Kennedy

ChelmsfordMoyna HendersonRon Keeble Ian Rogers

ChesterJohn Heath

ChichesterReginald DayMarjorie Osborn

DurhamEddie Bennett

ExeterMargaret Vickery

GuildfordBill AlcockSr Christine Alice SSB

HerefordDr Douglas ChandlerJoe Taylor

LeicesterMuriel King

LincolnHarry Stanhope

LondonMichael Levete

ManchesterAllen Booth

NorwichKenneth Durant

OxfordCarol Neilson

PeterboroughPat FinneganLyn Prout

PortsmouthMichael Gladwell David HampshireColin LiningtonAlan Obin

RochesterAlfred CoveneyLeslie RogersPeter Walsh

St AlbansRobert FryHugh Lawson-Johnson Gerry Mortimer

YorkRon SykesHarry Widdas

MonmouthFrederick Phillips

We give thanks for their work and witness and remember those who grieve.

I am very pleased to be able to welcome a number ofReaders in the Diocese in Europe as new subscribers to

the magazine. It’s a particular pleasure to welcome oneReader in training in Moscow! I hope that they will find themagazine a useful resource in their ministry and we hope tobe able to meet more of them at the national conferencesand other Reader events. We are now also sending themagazine to Readers in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobagowhere resources are few and the Diocese finds it difficult toprovide for both islands.

I write this just after the Annual General Meeting. It wasgood to be able to welcome our Chair, the Bishop ofCarlisle to his first annual meeting and we look forward toour partnership together as ministers of the gospel. We weredelighted that William Fittall, the new Secretary-Generalto the Archbishops’ Council and the General Synod andhimself a Reader, came to speak of his work. There was,inevitably, business to transact. The Warden of Readers forthe Diocese of Blackburn was elected to the vacancy on theExecutive Committee and the annual reports and accountswere agreed.

During the morning each section ie Wardens, Secretariesand Representatives met together to discuss matters ofconcern. Among other issues, they discussed the way inwhich Holy Communion by Extension is being used in the

dioceses, the recruitment of Readers under 40, the provisionof CME (continuing ministerial education), and whetherthere should be an upper age limit for those wishing tocommence training.

In the midst of it all…Of course, those who came to the meeting were aware ofthe fact that the weekend also saw another anti-war demon-stration in London and saw that the grass in the centre ofParliament Square was covered with flowers in memory ofthose whose lives have been lost.

Events change rapidly and the war in Iraq is over and thework of reconstruction and the provision of aid well underway. It is sobering to recall on Palm Sunday that Jesus rodeinto a city on that day, in peace and joy and yet a few dayslater the crowd called for his death. Events and peoplechange so quickly. In the last issue I wrote of the threat ofwar and that war has come to pass and brought suffering toso many innocent people. I am reminded of the Thought forthe Day of Bishop Jim Thompson on 12 September 2001when he said, quoting from Psalm 46: ‘God is our hope andstrength, a very present help in trouble, therefore will wenot fear though the earth be moved’ and he went on to say‘The earth has moved. Please God help us’.

Pat Nappin, Honorary Secretary

The Last Word – from Church House

29

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