Letter for Village and Parish Magazines

October 2024

‘Good, for nothing’ was the tongue in cheek description applied to Readers in the Church of England at Tina Henderson’s licensing service in Lichfield Cathedral a few years ago. In her sermon, the preacher declared Readers to be ‘good’ in that they are faithful people, called and equipped by God, who give themselves ‘for nothing’ to the service of the church.

The five parishes and six churches that make up the Staffordshire Borders Group of Parishes are blessed to be served by not only Tina Henderson but also John Underhill, who give freely of themselves in the ministry of Reader.

It’s not only Readers, though, who are ‘Good, for nothing’. Many people offer to undertake a wide range of tasks and activities in our churches – leading services, running Messy Church, taking Holy Communion to those who can no longer get to church, delivering food donations to the House of Bread, organising fund-raising activities, looking after churchyards, serving refreshments. The list goes on. Some people we know of, because their names are in the public domain on rotas and lists. Others we are unaware of. We can guarantee, though, that certain jobs will always get done, but by people who choose to do them quietly and unnoticed.

The word volunteer is perhaps a better term to use than ‘Good, for nothing’. Volunteers are a vitally important category of people. Without them much in our society could not be sustained. Volunteering is praiseworthy because it is not undertaken out of a desire for any reward. Volunteers are rewarded by the knowledge that they are making a difference, are ‘doing their bit to help’.

Volunteers are like glue. They hold together the life of our churches, whether Anglican, Methodist Catholic or any other denomination. At every point, from local through to national, committed people give generously of their energy, time and wisdom to supporting churches in a variety of ways. Many do so in addition to paid jobs that make heavy demands on their time and abilities.

Volunteers help to hold together not only church communities but also society as a whole. Without volunteers, so much that we take for granted in our society would simply come to a halt.

Young people’s organisations like Scouts and Girl guides are reliant on volunteers, so too are many charities. In our schools, parents and others take on the demands of being school governors as volunteers. In the police and fire service part-time volunteers are recruited to perform a wide range of duties. Community responders and Samaritans are volunteers who play a vital role in emergency situations.

These are challenging times for all involved in the life of our churches, most of whom are volunteers. At the start of September Revd Alison Hudson left the Benefice to take up a new opportunity in Scotland. She has now begun her ministry as Priest-in-Charge of Greyfriars, Kirkcudbright and St Mary’s, Gatehouse of Fleet. At this time of vacancy, the work of volunteers is more important than ever, as the Benefice seeks to serve the communities of Gnosall, Moreton, High Offley, Knightley, Norbury and Adbaston through the coming months and beyond.

As a part-time ‘retired’ priest in the Benefice, I thank God for all those people who are partners in this great work. My prayer is that we will be faithful in nurturing one another and all in our communities, as we look forward to the future to which God is calling. I pray too that our churches and our communities will flourish as more people take up opportunities for volunteering and discover the fulfilment and rewards that come from being ‘Good, for nothing’.

Revd Cathy Dakin

Associate Minister