December 2009 

One of the hardest tasks I have to do each month is to write this letter: trying to write something that will be equally accessible to regular church members, those who don’t attend that often but faithfully receive the magazine, and those who ‘surf on by’ on the internet, can be very difficult at times! The language has to be carefully thought out if I don’t want to put some people off, or be misunderstood by others.

I wonder if God had similar problems when he was planning the salvation of the world? For long years he had sent his prophets and law-givers to prepare his people, all working towards that moment when his own Son, the Word made flesh, would enter the world to be our saviour.

There must have been all sorts of options open to God as to how his son might enter the ‘time/space continuum’ (as Doctor Who might say). He could have done it with a great show of power: Jesus could have arrived as an adult, with all the trappings of authority and a vast army to lead his people to ultimate victory, and that is probably what the people expected. Or he could have arrived more like an earthly king, dripping with wealth and influence and inspired other men and women of greatness to use their wealth for the benefit of others.

But he did neither of these, nor any of the other possible ways open to him. Instead he chose a way that was to all intents and purposes a very foolish way indeed.

His Son, the great Saviour of the world and King of Kings, was born as a helpless baby to unwed parents in a borrowed stable at a time in his people’s history when then they were occupied by a foreign power. 

It seems foolish, but of course it was truly inspired. God ‘spoke’ his Word into a time and place in such a way that he became truly accessible. The humbleness of his birth means that you and I need not fear that we aren’t rich enough or powerful enough to approach him. The fact that he was born as a baby and grew through childhood and adolescence into adulthood means that he understands our growing pains. And when, on the cross, he asked his disciple to look after his mother shows that he understands what it is to care for an ageing parent and have them at the forefront of your worries.

All of life is there, real life. That is what we celebrate at Christmas: that God found the language to speak into our lives to bring hope, love and peace.

However you spend your Christmas, I pray that you will seek out a better understanding the hope, love and peace that Christ brings. Perhaps you will come to one of the services or events mentioned elsewhere in this magazine; if you do, and if you want to talk, please seek out me or one of my colleagues.

God Bless,

Fr John

First, the ceasing of the 8am service at St James doesn’t mean that the building will not be used for other Christian Worship: during Advent, prayers will be said there each afternoon at 4.30pm to which everyone is encouraged to come. Other services may well take place there until the keys are actually handed over to the Preservation Trust, and I hope that Christian Worship will occasionally take place there when they are the new owners.

So, what are these new ways of worshipping? Well, it is a subject about which much has been written. It is generally agreed that there are four key themes:

They should be…

missional – serving people outside church;

incarnational – listening to people and entering their culture;

educational – making disciples of Christ;

ecclesial – forming church.

As the church of God in this place we are not called to form a Holy Huddle or a Members Only Club – we are called by Christ to tell others the Good News about him! 

For lots of people that happens now in the way we already do church: but for increasing numbers we need to find new ways of being missionaries, of reaching out to them where they are and not expecting them to conform to our ways. 

That is what Christ did at his incarnation: when he left the glory of heaven to walk about on the earth and become just like you and me. He didn’t sit in heaven bemoaning the fact that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”… he did something about it. He entered our culture, our world, and now represents us to our Father God, having won for us forgiveness through his life, death and resurrection. 

But he didn’t leave it there: his ministry was above all educational. He continually taught his followers, and through them has taught you and me, what it means to be his disciple: to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind; and to love your neighbour as yourself”. 

The last point might be harder to grasp: being ecclesial these new groups won’t have to become part of the Sunday morning congregation or Evensong to become ‘Church’ in their own right. I already consider the Friday Luncheon Club to be ‘Church’ in its own right, even though it meets in a different building and on a different day. In lots of ways it is already a Fresh Expression of Church, and has been for some time. Lots of people would recognise the worship as being very similar to a Sunday morning – but that is because it makes sense to those who come, and meets their needs. Besides the worship there is lunch and fellowship, and although most of the members don’t also come to St George’s each Sunday, they are church, and they are still part of the worshipping community of the Parish Church.

What will our new types of worship be like? You may have heard of Cafe Church and messy church (worship using craft activites designed for all ages to take part in) - we will be trying out these and other ideas to see which work best in our situation. They will happen at 3pm on Sundays in the parish hall, and we had a sample of what it may be like on October 4th, with our Pets Blessing Service.

The Worship & Mission group of the PCC are meeting and planning, and we are meeting with various people over the coming weeks – including the Revd Michael Mitton (our Diocesan advisor on such things) and the Revd Jane Barron, our friend and Minister of the town’s United Reformed Church, whose current sabbatical leave is devoted to studying this area of worship.

I am very excited about these prospects, and about how you and I can reach out to the people around us in new ways. If you would like to be involved, please get in touch with me: you don’t have to be on the PCC! Already two members of the congregation have said that they want to be actively involved, and that did my heart good.

As your Parish Priest I am called to work with the whole parish of over eight and a half thousand people, not just the couple of hundred on the Electoral Roll. And, as the people of God in this place, it is your mission field too!

God Bless,

Fr John

I was just sitting down to write this letter when a friend rang, telling me to turn BBC1 on: the house I grew up in was on TV! He’d noticed it on “Escape to the Country” and recognised it, and sure enough when I turned it on, there was Alastair Appleton showing a couple of prospective purchasers around my old home.

Except, of course, it wasn’t my old home… two families have lived there since my family moved out, and each had made changes. So I was watching something both familiar and yet different, with the mixed feelings of “oooh, I remember that” mixed with “how DARE they change that!” and “that looks good, how they’ve got that now”.

It is tempting to always remember the past with affection – the summers were always sunny, there was always enough snow at Christmas to go sledging, and the home-made bread from the kitchen range always tasted like heaven. We naturally edit out all the mundane things, or the times we would rather not remember.

But change does happen, usually so slowly that we don’t notice. It’s the same in church – we don’t do things now like they did in the Victorian era, or like they did in the mediaeval period or even when the foundation stone of St George’s was laid in the 19^th Century. Just like my old home, built in the 1950s, reflected it’s time, it’s successive residents had each adapted it to suit their needs and hopes – while still keeping essentially the same shell.

The past is the foundation on which each of us builds, and the past of St George’s is important to us here, which came home to me not only as I watched BBC1 just now, but also when a dusty book fell open on my lap. It was a book I found in the attic when I moved in, and it records the Annual General Meetings of this church from 1942 to 1976.

In this book are the yearly reviews and ‘vision setting’ of my predecessors and those of you in church on Sunday 16^th August have already heard part of it: “There is no room in the church for the part-timers who are more interested in television than worship. The church’s task today is the conversion of this country to what in Acts is called ‘the Way’ – and the amount of indifference both inside and outside the church proves how immense a task this is; this cannot be accomplished by the clergy alone, the laity must play the bigger part.”

Challenging words – and spoken by my predecessor Leslie Weatherhead in 1957. His words are as true today as they were then, and just as tough. You and I are not mediaeval, we’re not Victorian – and we aren’t even living in the 1950s. The world we inhabit is one that is changing everyday, one in which it is easy to get left behind by the latest technological advance and feel left out by the constantly changing ‘buzz words’ (do you twitter, by the way?), and yet we are called to live out the timeless and unchanging Gospel of Christ – and to faithfully re-package it so that message remains true, even if the method of spreading it adapts to our 21^st Century world.

The best start you can make, perhaps, is to be yourself and start from where you are. Sunday 27^th September is ‘Back to Church Sunday’, when you are invited to bring a friend back to church. It will only work if you take the initiative. Start by praying now about who you are going to invite, and then actually invite them. Together we could double the congregations on that day at the 8am Eucharist, the 9.30 Eucharist and at 6.30 Evensong

If you do not attend church regularly but would like to come, you do not need to wait for a personal invitation – all are welcome. On 27^th September, it is also our Harvest Festival at 9.30 at St George’s – an opportunity for us all to just be aware and be grateful that we are fortunate to have abundance of food available to us. Do join us. If you would like to bring some food as an offering, make it something in a tin or packet so that it will not spoil before being donated to local projects for homeless people.

God Bless,

 Fr John

I recently came across a magazine called “Inspire”. The magazine really impressed me – it has lots of inspirational articles, and, as they are available for a donation, I have placed a regular order for ten copies per month (they will be placed at the back of church for you to take if you wish… if they prove popular I shall order more).

One of the articles that really caught my eye was this one…

Something to think about…

• Three in four UK adults are currently rethinking their core values and big issues like ‘the meaning of life’, according to a survey of 2,000 adults released at this year’s Christian Resources Exhibition.

• Out of more than 2,000 adults interviewed by Research Now for Christian Research, 70% said they were searching because of the Credit Crunch, or worries about personal finances and job security.

• Most were turning first to family and friends: 56% of those interviewed said they had considered spending more time with family and friends, while 50% said they had actually done it. Of those, 47% said it had been worth it.

• The second most popular way of finding meaning was in contacting past friends: 36% of respondents had considered doing this, while 31% said they’d actually done it.

• Fourteen per cent of those searching said they had tried prayer, with 12% saying they had found it worthwhile. 

• While 23% of unchurched respondents said they were searching, only 3% said they had considered going to church. Of them, only 1% actually went, and none said they would go again.

“This presents a real challenge for the Church” said Benita Hewitt, Director of Christian Research. “Three out of four people are looking for meaning in relationships, in love, in community, and that’s what we can give them.”

And this leaves you and me with a challenge: how are we to respond? The church – you and I – are in the business of relationships, of love, and of community. How can we live that out in a way that attracts others? How can we speak in a language that connects with those who are searching? That’s something that I want all of us to think about, to consider and discuss. Talk to me, talk to the PCC, talk to each other – and talk to God.  

God Bless,

Fr John

I know that wherever I go I can find my way around in a supermarket. Most of them follow a few simple rules, and it’s comforting.

There will probably be baskets or trolleys somewhere near the door, often fresh fruit and veg. on the way in and loo rolls on the far aisle. On the way out will be the checkouts, where there will be someone to take my money and sell me carrier bags.

I also tend to know what to expect in church services, after all it is a big part of my job! 

However a short while ago, whilst on Pilgrimage in Asia Minor (or Turkey as it’s now called), I went with my party to an Orthodox Service lead by someone who rejoices in the title of His All Holiness, Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. He is the spiritual leader of the world’s 250 million Orthodox Christians, and the service took place in his Cathedral in Istanbul.

It was a lovely service, but to my western eyes quite a strange one: it was in a foreign language; people stood, sat, knelt and prostrated themselves in unison to a rhythm that I didn’t understand, and men dressed in attractive robes came and went and performed actions that I couldn’t fathom. Whilst lovely, it was certainly disconcerting to be in such a situation.

But it did make me think. I felt out of my depth, and I ought to know what’s going on… which made me wonder if that is how people sometimes feel in the services that I lead. Are you ever unsure of what is happening and why? Do you sometimes wonder what the meaning of this piece of ritual is, or what that ‘thing’ is for?

Over the next couple of months Martyn, Thyra and I will be tackling some of these issues. We will be preaching sermons on such things as: “What is the Creed, and why is it important?”; “Why do we do that during the Eucharist?”; “Why is Evensong important?”; “How should I pray?”; “Why is there suffering in the world if God really exists?” – plus many more! What I want is for you to organise the programme: there will be a box at the back, and if you have any topics you want covered you can pop your question in there – you can even do it anonymously if you want!

Finally, two words: the first to non-regulars. If you find coming to church a bit off-putting (for any reason), I would like to know why - please get in touch, it could be valuable for both of us to talk it through. To the regulars: a lot of people seem to have a habit of coming some Sundays and not others. You probably have very good reasons, and that’s fine. But please remember – the rest of us are impoverished whenever you aren’t here!

God Bless,

Fr John

Over the last few weeks in church we have been using a particular sentence near the start of the service to ‘invite people to make their confession’, a form of words with an ample pedigree and for a worthwhile reason. But I don’t like it. Even though it comes from the Bible (in 1 Corinthians 5 verses 7 & 8), and it can also be found in the Book of Common Prayer and in Common Worship, it doesn’t sit well with me.

The phrase is: ‘Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart’. “Where on earth can the problem with that be?” I hear you ask. Let me explain.

Summer is upon us at last, and I am rejoicing. One of the ways I am rejoicing is by washing the winter duvet and putting it on the washing line to give it a good blow through before I fold it up neatly and put it at the top of the wardrobe until autumn. I’m doing the same with my woolly jumpers. And all of this neatly folding and putting away means that I know exactly where my shorts are, so I can get them out ready to wear again.

All this activity reminds me of that verse above. I have visions of people neatly folding their malice and evil and putting it away, safe. It’s not needed now, but as soon as it is wanted again, it will be there ready and waiting and only faintly smelling of moth balls… and that is dangerous!

We’ve probably all met people like that in our lives: who say they’ve forgiven, but the moment they need to, they can dredge up details of wrongs from 40 years ago! I’m not trying to condemn anyone; heaven knows that’s what humans are like, what we are all capable of.

But what I would like you to ponder on, though, is how God fits in to all this. 

You see, you and I have a God who goes a step further, who goes beyond Forgiving and Forgetting. Our God Forgives and then chooses not to remember. That for me is the joy of being a Christian: that you and I can confess to God, and then be allowed to begin again as if it had never happened, and hopefully with the strength to avoid the same pitfall again.

If you’ve got a neat filing cabinet in the recesses of your heart, with all the wrongs done to you – or by you to someone else – neatly filed away, and you want to get it off your chest with a view to beginning again, then do get in touch with me – let’s get it through the Heavenly shredder!

Fr John

This month sees the great (yet often ignored) feast of The Ascension, one of my favourite days in the church’s year.

All that is a terrible shame.  You see, the Ascension is a pivotal moment in the church’s – the world’s – history, in every way as important as Christmas and Easter.

So Ascension is an important feast, one worth remembering, and I invite you ponder the joy of an ascended saviour – whether or not you come to the Ascension Day service  

God Bless,

Fr John

PS – just like Jesus in his earthly ministry, I can’t be everywhere at once, and unlike Jesus in his heavenly realm I don’t know what you are thinking unless you tell me… and so sometimes the few minutes shaking hands at the door or over coffee after the service are not enough for a proper chat.  If you want to talk, or if you think I’ve missed something important to you, please get in touch with me!  I’ll gladly set aside time for you, to either visit you or for you to come here so that we can talk and pray together.  That goes equally whether or not you are a member of the congregation:  I'm the Parish Priest of the whole of New Mills, not just the chaplain to an 'in club'!

Your all too human Vicar,

Fr John

Fr John

I’d like to share this story with you…[1] “A father and daughter were saying goodbye at an airport. Her plane had been called. I was sitting near by and heard him say, ‘I wish you enough.’ They kissed goodbye and she added, ‘I wish you enough too.’ Then she left to board her plane. As he watched her go, he was crying. I asked him if there was anything I could do. He shook his head, but smiled and thanked me. ‘I am saying goodbye to my daughter for ever. I am old and I have an illness that will soon take its toll. My daughter lives a long way away. She has work to do, and so have I. We both know that when she returns it will be for my funeral’.

“I said, ‘I heard you say, “I wish you enough”; what did you mean?’ He smiled again, ‘It’s a saying in our family, passed down through generations. I don’t quite know where it came from, but it’s precious to us.’ Then he closed his eyes a moment and spoke it from memory:

I wish you enough sun to keep your outlook bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit strong. I wish you enough pain to make life’s joys seem precious. I wish you enough luck to satisfy your needs. I wish you enough loss to appreciate what you keep. I wish you enough hellos to help you through the final goodbye.”

As Christians we are not untouched by death, but we also have the hope of springtime: the springtime of the eternal life to come. 

In our own parish we are not untouched by death: Neville Holt, that powerhouse of St George’s, has died after almost a year of illness. It is a great sadness, and my heart goes out to Edna and the rest of the family, yet whilst it is hard, there is also something to be celebrated in the transforming power and the impact of a life lived well in the service of God.

My friends, I wish you enough.

Fr John

It was with this in mind that the PCC met the other week to discuss what our Mission in this place might be. After some quite thought provoking discussion we settled on this statement:

 To offer a welcoming God-centred environment to the people of New Mills.

 Over the coming weeks I and the PCC need to hear your views – does his statement attract you? do you agree with it? what do you want to say about it? I invite you now to give it some thought and prayer. Here are some of my own reflections to start you off.

 It might seem like a simple statement: but it is really one full of depth. It doesn’t just talk about ‘the faithful’ or ‘the members’, or even those who broadly agree with us about everything. It also talks about a ‘welcoming God’: and you and I are called to demonstrate that welcome in the way we live… our lives and actions should shout about the love of God to all who we meet. I might be the Parish Priest, but together you and I are the people of God in this place, part of the world-wide body of Christ: a body whose hands and feet we are in this parish.

 It talks about being ‘God-centred’, not ‘God-only’. Remember the commandment “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…” not “Seek ye only…”? You see, as humans we seek (unwittingly I hope) to fit God into a nice neat box and often forget that God is interested and involved in the whole of your life and my life. By being God-centred we recognise that we are the representatives of the welcoming God whether that is in the church, over coffee afterwards or in the queue in the Post-Office on a Tuesday morning. 

 Let me end with this: at its heart is the call to actually be name-droppers. It isn’t vulgar if that name is the Name Above All Names, and we are sharing the Good News. I’ll tell Prince Charles that when next we chat!

God Bless,

Fr John

I don’t particularly like Golden Delicious apples, I’d much rather have a Braeburn.  That’s not to say there is anything wrong with other apples, just that they don’t appeal!  In my garden here at the Vicarage there is a Crab-apple tree, the fruit of which stay on the tree for the birds to eat, although I’m assured that it’s possible to make a very nice jelly out of them.  Even so, I never collect them.

Of course, my preference in apples is not a worthy subject for a parish magazine:  I simply wanted to make you think about some of your own preferences.  We all have preferences, and sometimes our preferences stop us seeing the good in an alternative, or what defines one thing from another. 

Elsewhere in this magazine you will find details of the ‘Come and See’ event that the churches of the town are running.  It is part of the New Mills Festival, and it is a chance to meet in the church buildings in turn for a look round, a short talk about what goes on and the opportunity to chat over some light refreshments.  Most of you reading this letter in the magazine will have been into St George’s:  but have you visited our brothers and sisters at the Roman Catholic Church, or at Revival?  Is the tea and biscuits better after the service at Providence URC, and what really goes on at Low Leighton Methodist Church?  We pray for our brothers and sisters regularly, and this is your chance to visit them and show your interest.

The culmination of these events is ‘Back to Church Sunday’ on Sunday 28^th September.  Whereas the Come and See events are local, most of the Church of England is

observing Back to Church Sunday.  I’m sure we all know people who used to come to church, and through one reason or another no longer come along.  Sometimes it’s just getting out of the habit or a change in circumstances, but whatever it is, this is your opportunity to invite them back!  The service will be the usual Sunday service, so will be a chance to share with people our usual style of worship, without the razzmatazz of Christmas or Easter – the sort of worship that feeds you and me week by week.

I hope that in coming along again at your invitation, they will feel like they are returning home to the God who loves them and to the family they’ve missed.

 God Bless,

Fr John

Bishop Alastair recently asked me to become the Spiritual Director of Derby Anglican Cursillo. It was an honour to be asked, and I gladly accepted: any role that shepherds God’s people is special, just as his people are. This doesn’t mean that I will be leaving you however! Derby Anglican Cursillo is an organisation that you have perhaps not heard about, so I would like to tell you more about it.

What is Cursillo? And what does the name mean? Well, the first thing to say that it is an international organisation with its roots in Spain, hence the Spanish name. Cursillo (pronounced Kur-See-Yo) means ‘short course’. Essentially it is a short course in being a Christian, designed to encourage and equip ordinary Christians to live their lives as Christians with more understanding and with a fresh vitality.

Is it different to going to church? The Cursillo group can only exist in a Diocese with the blessing and support of the Bishop, and is not an alternative to church – it is a movement within the church that supports and encourages people within their own parishes and organisations… so you will find that members of Cursillo are often also members of the Mothers Union, or bible study groups, or friends of the Churchyard groups! It embraces the insights and good teachings of all the traditions of the Anglican Church.

Who is it for? People like you! People who want to find out more, who are curious, looking for refreshing or wanting to celebrate their faith.

So what happens on the course? It lasts for three days, and involves talks by fellow Christians about subjects like: prayer; study; grace; obstacles to grace; action; sacraments; the value of the Christian Community – nothing new or shocking, just the solid time-honoured good news for all people. The talks lead into lively discussions and practical applications… the group becomes a learning, living, praying, sharing, singing, laughing, crying, celebrating Christian Community discovering afresh what it means to say “we are the body of Christ”.

And is that it? Well, yes and no. The weekend course is designed to be a catalyst for the rest of your life – and the ‘fourth day’ is where members of Cursillo – also called pilgrims - continue the journey together. Members are encouraged to meet together for prayer and encouragement, and there are regular gatherings of members (called Ultreyas – another Spanish word!) where a Eucharist is celebrated and sharing and encouragement takes place. The next one is here in New Mills, and you are warmly invited – it is for all, whether members or not, and is a chance to find out more without committing yourself to anything!

It will take place at St George’s Church on Saturday 2nd August, and will be followed by a barbeque at the Vicarage. Both are free, but you’ll have to bring your own meat for the barbeque! If you want to find out more, either speak to me or ring the Parish Office on 01663 749323

Fr John

July 2008

From Our Reader Martyn

A friend at work was telling me the other day, how much she enjoyed the summer months. At this time of year, she was able to spend so many more hours in her garden.

Last weekend, she found herself pottering around the garden; and a description of her activities might go something like this. First she moved to one plant, which she noticed needed some dead flowers removing. She carefully and purposefully removed the wilting blooms so that it encouraged more flowers to come, as well as making the plants so much more beautiful. Then she might wander slowly along the borders, or sit and watch each plant, one by one. She spent time admiring the growth of each of her garden plants. When she spotted something of interest, she would move closer. Perhaps a weed needed lifting up, or perhaps a leaf needed removing, or an area of soil needed raking through. All of these she did slowly and surely. Each time, as soon as she had a handful of waste, she wandered off to the compost heap and back again, but not necessarily to the same plant, as something else had caught her attention on the way. Tending each plant might therefore take several visits, and a considerable journey via the compost heap and around other parts of her garden.

Over the garden fence, her neighbour challenged her on what she had been doing. He had watched her actions and was bold enough to suggest that her gardening was very inefficient. Why not concentrate on one area at a time. “Take a bucket with you”, he suggest, “so that you are not wandering back and forth to the compost heap with only a handful of material. If you methodically worked on each area at a time, you would not waste so much time and effort.”

My friend was politeness itself, listening but not arguing with her neighbour. However, as she told me, her neighbour’s ideas of gardening were far removed from her own. She simply did not want to be efficient in her garden. Here was something, which she enjoyed. Revelling in each plant, as the mood took her. Looking after her garden was not to be seen as a chore, which required the maximum of efficiency and minimum of work. Indeed, being in the garden was its own reward, whilst each small task became a thrill and a pleasure.

In many ways, this seems to me to be like our journey of faith, and our actions of worship. Surely as we try to live out our faith, it is not to be measured by how quickly or efficiently we do this. These are measures for this world.

Instead, it is our attention to small tasks, to detail, to individuals that matter. Spending time to take care of the tiny attentions that each individual needs is the most important aspect of our care for one another. Being distracted by events, turning one individual to another often happens. But we make sure we return to each individual relationship, until we are satisfied that all is well. Sometimes, that takes the whole summer, a whole lifetime!

The same is true for our worship of God, for here too we cannot possibly measure our actions by the speed and efficiency of a service. Surely, the most important thing is the desire just to be there – to spend enough time so that we engage with God, and enjoy being with Him.

So, may each of us find, in our worship and our journey with God, that pleasure of simple being there with Him. May we not judge by human standards the efficiency of what we do, or think of our time spent as a chore, but instead feel that being in the ‘garden with God’ is its own reward, with each small task and act of worship becoming a thrill and a pleasure in itself.

Enjoy your ‘Garden’ this summer.

After John Hawksford and his colleague undertook an ecological survey of the churchyard and the field, and mentioned to me how the blossom is often cut off in its prime, I thought it would be interesting to leave the field for a while and see what other wild-flowers might be lurking, waiting to come into blossom if given the chance. (Click Here to be taken to the Ecological Survey)

The field will be cut a couple of times a year, and it will be tidied up so that it presents a good image – but all of the comments I’ve received about the ‘meadow’ so far have been very positive! The Borough Council will also be playing their part with the churchyard, and by the time you read this letter the cutting will have commenced – again, I have asked them to leave some parts so that the wild-flowers will have a chance, but this is in the Victorian parts of the churchyard that are seldom visited. Did you know we have some interesting plants here, and indeed a very rare plant?

I must also say a big T H A N K   Y O U for all the presents I received for my 40^th birthday. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted, I asked for something for the wildlife of the churchyard – and several people (mainly from the lunch club) have sponsored bat- and bird-boxes which are now safely installed by John Lord (who also made them – thank you!), and I have been given lots of bird food, and with the money given to me I’ve bought some wild-life friendly plants, such as buddleias and lavenders for my garden.

As you wander through the church-yard and the field, spend a moment to see the beauty of God’s creation, and reflect that you are the crown of that creation – and if God can clothe even the humblest flower in great beauty, how much more can he supply your needs. He loves you, and holds you precious, even if sometimes you feel like a weed in the wrong place!

God Bless,

Fr John

I’ve just returned from Evensong at St George’s Church, where the first lesson was from the Book of Ezra, chapter 3 verses 1-13. If you’ve got a bible handy, get it out now and have a look at the passage – it is full of meaning, especially for us in our parish.

The Children of Israel have been released from captivity, and they are returning to the Promised Land. They are frightened of the people around them who have moved into the land in the intervening years. I might have expected them to devote all their energy and money to building fortresses or walls, yet one of their burning actions is to build an Altar to God.

It seems odd yet in reality it was a profound statement to the people around. It said, “God is important, and he is worth worshipping. We will build this site where we can make sacrifices worthy of our God.” When that had been accomplished, they began actually worshipping. And it was only when that worship was underway that they began thinking about building foundations and a structure.

Last month we heard that English Heritage would not be able to support us financially with our roof and steeple repairs this year. It’s an odd state of affairs, in as much as we have passed their stringent criteria and we are eligible for assistance – but there is a lack of funds in the English Heritage purse, which means they can’t help everyone who needs it.

It would be easy to be despondent, but what you and I need to do is to seek God. We have a place to worship and a structure: a visible statement that says, “God is important and worthy of worship” so let’s live that out – let’s worship him together and re-commit ourselves and our structures to him. 

What we don’t have is a museum, so it is important for you and me that we present our faith as a living, vital and active faith. That is what the world around us is seeking: a God worth worshipping. All of us are called to be statements that say, “God is important.” 

So where does that leave us now in New Mills? We need to continue declaring that God is good, that his message of love and forgiveness is for all the people of our town, worshipping him and praying. 

We’ve also got to continue trying to raise funds – and that is going to mean a lot of work for lots of people, especially our PCC members. Besides the fund raising events, we are also applying for funds from all manner of Grant Making bodies. One the many ways you can help is by completing one of the ‘Members and Activities Survey’ forms: it will help us to work out where our priorities should lie.

I’m not pretending that it will be easy though: remember the end of the passage from Ezra? Mingling with the shouts of joy were cries of anguish. There were some people amongst them who remembered the old Temple, and who were distressed at the idea of rebuilding it. They have conjured up a picture in their minds over the years of the perfection of the ‘good old days’. Will the new meet their expectations of the old? Should they even be doing this? Should it be exactly like the old one, or might they take the opportunity to bring in some new innovations – and would that be a good or a bad thing?

Please, if you feel any anguish about the future of our parish, or about St George’s, the Parish Hall or St James’, speak to me or one of the PCC. Similarly, if you have any ideas, let one of us know. And please hold the PCC in your prayers as they meet for a day of prayerful planning on 13^th May.

Remember, this parish, this church, you and I are precious to God, and hand-in-hand with God we are capable of great things.

With love and prayers

We’re going to consider some questions from the Bible, four questions asked by God, which it may help us to contemplate as we consider the Parish of St George with St James today, tomorrow and long into the future. 

“Where are you?”

God asks this of Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3.9). Adam and Eve have just eaten of the forbidden fruit. They’ve heard God walking in the garden, and they’ve hidden themselves because they are ashamed. God knows full well where they are; yet he still asks the question. If God asked that today of you and me, or of us as a church, what would we answer? Where are we? Not where were you ten years ago, or where do you think you are, or even where you hope to be. Where are you? You and I need to be honest before God. It is the basis of growth – for ourselves and our church.

“What is that in your hand?” 

God asks this of Moses (Exodus 4.2) when he has given him the task of leading the children of Israel out of slavery into the Promised Land. Moses is scared of approaching Pharaoh and God asks him “what is that in your hand?” Moses has a staff – a walking stick – and God uses it to become a snake (which eventually eats up the snakes of Pharaoh’s advisors). What he was really asking was, “what resources do you have at your disposal?” How would you and I answer if God asked us that? What resources do we have? 

We’re the Parish Church – we have a unique position in this town. We have an image and an identity – is it everything it could be? We have a committed group of people who get stuck in to all sorts of activities.   We have buildings and resources, a base from which to reach out. We’ve got a Parish Magazine that reaches into around 300 homes in this parish. We’ve got a new Website – that has the potential to reach into countless homes around the world! Our new office is beginning to get established – a base for our administration, and part-time administrator. We’re in the process of setting up a Friends of the Churchyard group – which might draw in people who want to help in practical ways. How can you and I start to recognise what we’ve got and start to use it more and more for God? How can we start to lead the people around us out of slavery – slavery to sin, to consumerism, to selfishness – into the Promised Land of God’s love and forgiveness? “What is that in your hand?” Moses had a lowly walking stick. What mundane thing do you have that God can transform?

“What are you doing here?” 

God asks this of Elijah (1 Kings 19.9) when Elijah is hiding in a cave. He’s just defeated (with God’s help!) all the prophets of Baal, and he is fleeing for his life. He’s had a great success in many ways – but all he seems to see is failure, and he’s terrified that after killing so many prophets, he’ll be next. “What are you doing here” is an important question for you and me. 

Elijah was frightened because he wasn’t looking through God’s eyes: he didn’t see the great plan that he was a part of. You and I need to try and look through God’s eyes and see ourselves and our church as he sees us. You and I are precious to him, and this parish is a holy thing in his sight. We need to keep that in focus, and remember that you and I are part of God’s great plan for this town.

“Can these dry bones live?” 

(Ezekiel 37.3) In his vision, Ezekiel saw dry bones – but God saw a host capable of living and breathing. There is so much that can be drawn out of this passage, but the thing I want you to consider is this: what happened after the question was asked? Ezekiel was told to prophesy to the bones – and it was only as he uttered the word of the prophecy that things started to happen. He had to speak out and give words to his vision. 

As the people of God in this place, we are called to answer all these questions we have been asked by God – we are called to speak out and make real: to back up our words with actions. Together, you and I are called to bring about the Kingdom of God in this place, to live it out daily. When we are asked, “Can these dry bones live?” what will our answer be?

Fr John