Last Saturday I was at Chetton village hall for a concert by an Irish duo who go by the name of "Hooded Crow". The hall was full, the music good, the company even better. This wasn't a church service, I have no idea how many of the people who came would consider themselves to be Christian or even religious, but that does not keep God out. By a coincidence, the priest and poet/performer, Malcolm Guite, wrote a short piece in the Church Times along this theme. It was written after a colleague encouraged him to remember St Francis at one of his performances; the Rev Guite is a Franciscan and the poem is called "St Francis drops in on My Gig".I didn’t think I’d find you in this placeI guess you must have slipped in at the backI’m lifting my guitar out of its caseBut seeing you I nearly put it back!You smile and say that it’s your local too,You know the ins and outs of inns like this,The people here have hidden wounds like you,And you have bidden them to hidden bliss.‘Francis I’ve only straggled after you,I’ve never really caught your melody,The joy you bring when every note rings true…’But you just laugh and say ‘play one for me!’This one’s for you then, on the road once more,The first, the last, the hard-core troubadour.(St. Francis drops in on my gig! | Malcolm Guite (wordpress.com))
We are delighted to welcome the Rev Kina Robertshaw as our new rector, who was formally installed as rector of all the parishes in our benefice on April 18th. Kina was previously Associate Minister at Bromyard where she gained considerable experience of working in rural communities. Kina was born in Angola and left home at 17. She was a successful entrepeneur in the fashion industry until she started to train for full-time ministry. She carried out research on Christian entrepreneurs for a master's degree and has co-authored a book on the subject. Kina can be recognised by her broad smile, her enthusiasm for meeting and talking to people and her dog, which she takes for walks. For those who want to know more about Kina, her website is Kina Robertshaw