Dear friends,

I’m sending you two news updates this week.

This first one includes a quick reminder about Ascension Day tomorrow, and a copy of my sermon from last Sunday. We welcomed Jackie Newton to our services in Lealholm and Goathland. Jackie is a licenced lay minister (LLM)-in-training. It was wonderful to have her with us, and we look forward to getting to know Jackie over the coming months.

I’ll be back in touch tomorrow with some exciting details about this coming Sunday.

With love and kind regards,

Reverend Anthony

Join us at 10 am on Thursday morning at a special service of Holy Communion at St Mary's in Goathland as we begin the Thy Kingdom Come journey from Ascension to Pentecost. If coming by car you can park at the Homestead Kitchen (with grateful thanks to the owners) across the road.

Quite a few members of our congregation were fined for parking on the road outside St Mary’s in Goathland on Sunday. If that affected you, and you haven’t been in touch with Reverend Anthony, please reply to this message, and please appeal your parking ticket while we try to work out a solution.

Please follow this link for the Readings that go with the sermon Reverend Anthony preached on Sunday:

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts together be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our rock, and redeemer. Amen.

As we gather today, with Jackie here with us, we’re reminded of our collective calling to serve God and His people. And I think our readings today, from Acts and John’s Gospel, illuminate the path of our vocations, whether that’s inside or outside the Church of England. In terms of ministry, we have various appointed roles in our church: sacristans, intercession leaders, sides people, lay Eucharistic ministers, churchwardens, PCC members, deanery synod representatives, licensed lay ministers, deacons, priests, archdeacons, bishops… The list goes on, but all those roles are appointed within the church in accordance with its rules and regulations.

In Acts, we see the Holy Spirit poured out on all who heard the word, a testament to the inclusive nature of God's call on all of us as Christians. The Spirit knows no bounds and is freely given to all, irrespective of our backgrounds or previous roles in life. Our passage from Acts invites us to consider the universal nature of our vocation, to serve in various capacities within the body of Christ. That includes within the Church of England, of course, but not exclusively. I wouldn’t like to say that our church has the monopoly on the best way of doing things. But there are some commonalities across denominations. At my ordination as deacon, and then priest, I was admitted into ‘The Church of God’ not the Church of England. And, as we will say in our creed, we believe in ‘One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.’ The structures we have I think do their best to reflect that. We are part of a ‘broad church.’

Turning to our reading from John, we’re commanded to abide in Jesus’ love and to love one another as He has loved us. This is the cornerstone of our vocation—love. And we’ve talked about that a lot since Easter.

It’s a love that compels us to put others first,

to bear fruit that will last,

to be Jesus’ joy in the world.

Let’s have a think about the roles of licenced lay ministers, deacons and priests within that context. All are ministers, and there are ten of us across the three benefices of the Moorlands, Middle Esk, and Lower Esk. According to the various definitions for the different roles, agreed by the Church of England, Licensed Lay Ministers, LLMs, formerly known as Readers, are “called by God, trained, and licensed by the Church to preach, teach, lead worship, and assist in pastoral, evangelistic, and liturgical work.

“They are the bridge between the secular and the sacred, embodying the Church's mission in their daily lives and professions.

“LLMs are vital in nurturing the faith of others, leading educational courses, and ensuring that the connection between faith and daily life remains strong and vibrant.”

And, isn’t it wonderful that Jackie has almost finished her training to become an LLM!

Deacons are ordained ministers. They have to do more training than LLMs generally, and they have certain specific roles, which are in many ways complimentary to LLMs. Their role arises from the deacons we see in acts, as the church grew and spread.

Deacons are heralds of God's kingdom. They’re called to serve the community, bringing to the Church the needs and hopes of all people. According to the Deacon’s ordination service, “they work with the Bishop and priests, proclaiming the gospel in word and deed, and reaching into the forgotten corners of the world that the love of God may be made visible.” It was that phrase about ‘hidden corners’ that really struck me at my ordination as deacon.

How good am I at seeking out the forgotten corners of the world?

How good are we at seeking out the forgotten corners of the world?

OK, it’s named as a Deacon’s responsibility. But I think all the roles, LLMs, deacons etc, they all emphasise different aspects of what it means to be a Christian. And, we’re all very much in it together. Part of my job, I guess, is to help us work out together hoe to seek out those forgotten corners.

The ordination service for Deacons goes on to say that they “are ministers of pastoral care, ensuring that the needy receive practical help and that the Church responds to the signs of God's presence as He reveals His kingdom among us. Priests, like me in Anglican and Roman Catholic roles (or presbyters as they’re called in the Methodist Church, or pastors in the Baptist Church), aim to represent Jesus and His Church through a ministry of teaching, preaching, celebration of the sacraments, and pastoral care.

The ordination service for Priests in the Church of England goes on to say that Priests “are called to be servants and shepherds among the people, proclaiming the word of the Lord and watching for the signs of God's new creation. “Priests lead the community in worship, share in people's joys and sorrows, and encourage all to live out the Good News in their everyday lives.”

My role here as an Interim Minister has a primarily Priestly focus, because that is what I have been trained and appointed to do. But it’s focus is mainly on leadership, as servant and shepherd. And Priests like me, that have been selected and trained for paid leadership roles, can apply for those roles. You wouldn’t be able to apply if you were an LLM or a Deacon, or a Priest that hasn’t done sufficient leadership training.

A specific training pathway is needed into all these ministries. But it’s possible to progress from LLM to deacon to Priest to Archdeacon to Bishop to Archbishop.

I started out doing LLM / Reader training. I’ve ended up as a Priest in a paid leadership role. But I have no ambitions to work my way up the career ladder and become an Archbishop. Sorry to disappoint you!

Each of these roles is a response to the same call - a call to love, to serve, and to be Jesus' hands and feet in the world. Whether we’re called to be sacristans, intercession leaders, sides people, lay Eucharistic ministers, churchwardens, PCC members, deanery synod representatives, licensed lay ministers, deacons, priests, archdeacons, bishops, archbishops, or any other role, we’re all part of the one body of Christ, each with different gifts, passions and skills, but each with the same Spirit.

As we contemplate our vocations, let’s remember that we’re not alone. We’re part of a community of believers, each discerning and responding to God's call in our daily lives. And the Church of England is essentially a tapestry of ministries, woven together by the threads of our diverse callings.

In our journey of faith, let’s be attentive to the movement of the Holy Spirit, guiding us to where we’re needed most. Let’s be courageous in embracing our vocations, knowing that God equips those He calls.

If, listening to this, you feel that you are being called to a specific ministry within the Church of England, please do have a chat with me. We can talk, and I can arrange for you to speak to someone to discuss further. We have various people appointed to help discern vocations.

So, dear friends, let’s hold fast to the love of Jesus, abiding in Him as He abides in us.

Let’s love one another as He has loved us, and in doing so, let’s fulfil our Godly vocation to bear lasting fruit for the kingdom of God. May the love of God with you as you live out your calling and may the love of Jesus inspire you to serve with joy and faithfulness.

Amen

---

The Reverend Anthony Bennett
Interim Minister – the Benefice of Middle ESK Moor