Dear friends

There has been so much change even in the space of a week. Not least the weather – I’ve commented a number of times this week, that restrictions seem a lot tougher when the weather is wet and chilly.

There’s also been change in perceptions of our city. Bristol has been mentioned so many times over the last week, since the Black Lives Matter protests, and the removal of Colston’s statue. I know that there are many different views on not just the removal, but the way in which the statue was taken down. We know we are people who don’t worship statues, but worship God. We follow the one who raises those who are oppressed and calls us to speak out against injustice. It’s so important that we reflect deeply, and go beneath the surface of our instinctive reactions, whether we cheered the protestors on, or feel furious. Whether we want to hold our banners to show that we too believe that “Black lives matter”, or whether we somehow feel diminished that somehow this might mean that our own life doesn’t. David Hoyle, the previous Dean of Bristol Cathedral, invites us to consider our own history, the story that has shaped us, both in our living memory, and in the legacy that goes before us “History is an exercise in humility, it demands that we face difficulty, dig deep and confront our limited understanding … it requires us to acknowledge that understanding, and relationship with one another takes patience, sensitivity and an open mind. Good history, like faith, knows to take a knee”.

We are living in a significant moment of history. How do you want to remember your response? I am about to start reading “Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race” by Reni Eddo-Lodge. If you would like to share this reading experience with me, please get in touch, we can learn together.

We are all being shaped by the story of the last 3 months or so. Society has changed in this time. The way that we have been church has changed. For some, families have changed as loved ones have been lost.

And now we begin the journey of reconnection with each other – hopefully, as David Hoyle suggests, with patience, sensitivity and an open mind. We have learned things about society, about community, what it is to be a neighbour, about justice and equality. We have learned things about how we pray, or what we rely on in our faith experiences. Some of us have had a really steep learning curve on using technology!

I really want to invite you to spend some time considering what it is you have learned, or are even still learning. We will need to consider this as a church community, particularly thinking about what has been lost, and what has been gained, and where we understand God to have been in this Over the next few weeks, I would really appreciate hearing from you as we navigate the impact of the change.

With every blessing, as always

Becky

Rev Becky Waring

Vicar St Martins Knowle

Area Dean Bristol South