This psalm is appointed for 28th February, with a prayer afterwards; it seems appropriate when some rulers are following false gods.Psalm 821 God has taken his stand in the council of heaven; ♦in the midst of the gods he gives judgement:2 How long will you judge unjustly ♦and show such favour to the wicked?3 You were to judge the weak and the orphan; ♦defend the right of the humble and needy;4 Rescue the weak and the poor; ♦deliver them from the hand of the wicked. R5 They have no knowledge or wisdom;they walk on still in darkness: ♦all the foundations of the earth are shaken.6 Therefore I say that though you are gods ♦and all of you children of the Most High,7 Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals ♦and fall like one of their princes.’8 Arise, O God and judge the earth, ♦for it is you that shall take all nations for your possession.Refrain: Arise, O God, and judge the earth.God our deliverer,when the foundations are shakenand justice has departed,defend the poor and needyand give your people strength to fight all wrongin the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
St Mary’s Church Billingsley is just off the B4363, halfway between Bridgnorth and Cleobury Mortimer (SO705853). The church was established around 1140 and was largely rebuilt in 1875. It is Grade II* listed. The churchyard has two ancient yews which are particular features of interest. We hold two services each month: at 8am on the fourth Sunday of each month we have Holy Communion with a short sermon and a hymn, which is attended by those throughout the benefice who prefer an early service. From March/April to October, on the second Sunday of each month we have an evening service; the form of this ranges from “God and the sounds of the sixties”, a celebration of God through the popular music of that decade, to sung evening prayer following the Book of Common Prayer; the emphasis is on diversity and also welcoming those whatever their faith may be. Typically attendance at the 8am communion is from 2 to 5, the evening services attract around 10 people. In addition we organise special services; there is an act of Remembrance which may be in the village or lay-led in the church (Facebook link) and for the last two years we have moved our carol service into the community which has resulted in more local support and the attendance of some families. We have also begun “Forest Church” this year, outdoor services designed to attract both the committed but also those who would not call themselves Christians but none-the-less find a spiritual dimension in the natural world. The church is active in the community and over the last three years has strived to increase its profile. Most months, leaflets publicising church activities are delivered to every household; the real value of this is that a church member, usually the assistant curate, visits every house in the community and is available to talk. In the summer, there are monthly evening walks, occasionally accompanied by a meditation. We hold occasional coffee mornings or other social events, which are well supported by all members of the community. Our main fundraising is done by a 100-Club, with a monthly draw, when members of the club are invited to draw the winning numbers. We also have a website (in addition to ACNY) and a Facebook page; as well as publicising church activities, these host a “thought for the week”. Analysis of responses to this from Facebook show that over a 12-month period, over 50 individuals responded to this. We have recently gained our bronze Eco-Church award and we use that to publicise the churchyard as a place for reflection. The church is unlocked and the visitor book indicates people value it as a place to come and reflect. We are members of the Small Pilgrim Place Network and feature in their publicity and that of the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust. The church has been through something of a roller-coaster ride over the last six years. At the start of the period, the three young families who had been the bedrock of the faith community all left the village within a six month period and there was real discussion about closure, with bank balance at just over £1000. Since then there has been a period of rebuilding, with particular emphasis at increasing our profile in the community. The electoral role now stands at 11, with four lay people on the PCC and a co-opted treasurer. We have no churchwardens; administration is shared between PCC members, the treasurer and the assistant curate. Our finances are now much better, with a balance in excess of £10,000 meaning we can undertake the necessary work to maintain the church building in its current good state. We see ourselves as providing for the spiritual care of all who live within the parish, working alongside whatever faith or belief they have, to be agents of God’s Kingdom in transforming our world with the Good News proclaimed by Jesus Christ.
At Billingsley and indeed throughout our benefice, we are privileged to live and worship in a rural setting, where we live in close proximity to the natural world. Many find comfort and sustenance from being alongside nature; some may even call this spirituality! From a Christian perspective, we recognise the world as God’s creation (albeit most of us would see God operating within the boundaries of the laws of science, starting with the “Big Bang” and proceeding by evolution). We are called to care and nurture the world, not to selfishly exploit it. As a result, we should try to live in as environmentally-friendly ways as possible. What this means in practice depends on individual circumstances; rural isolation means that most of us depend on cars! But we can at least periodically examine our lives, perhaps once a year, to see if we are doing all that we can. Below are some ideas; I am aware I need to apply some to my own life! Every month, if you check the Highley Forum, available for download on every parish website within the benefice, you will find tips for more environmentally friendly living, written by Alistair McNaughton from Highley. When you go shopping, select Fairtrade or other ethically-sourced goods if you can. Grow your own vegetables (if I can manage this, anyone can…). Look out for marks that show high standards of animal welfare such as Red Tractor (see https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/red-tractor-the-pros-and-cons-of-farm-assurance-schemes for a rounded view of this). Support our local producers; mixed arable and livestock farming has always been the bedrock of local agriculture, because of the soils. Is it possible to share a car when you travel? Billingsley Church is awkwardly sited along a busy main road, but I do give people lifts when I go to do services (and of course, some people can walk!). Think about cycling! We have refreshment facilities in the church. Are there other ways you can reduce car use? We have a council recycling scheme that makes it easy to recycle; please use it! Can you reuse items such as bags? Do you need that many bags in the first place? Recycle, re-use, reduce. How energy efficient are you? Simply turning the TV or computer off rather than having it on stand-by makes a difference. Smart energy meters make it easy to track consumption. You can check on websites to work out your own carbon footprint, perhaps once a year (e.g. https://footprint.wwf.org.uk/#/ ) Do you invest your money ethically? Google “ethical banking UK” and do your own research!
We hold regular draws for out 100 Club on the first Friday of each month. It's not too late to buy a number for the next draw on Friday October 2nd; contact Sue Bates for details (suebates@uwclub.net). We are already using some of the proceeds from the lottery to pay for a new gas heater for the church.
