The Revd Writes… “Let all the world in every corner sing…” It has been a delight in these past months to listen to a song thrush who perches himself, most evenings, atop a very tall conifer in my garden, before giving the sweetest performance for all to hear. Wikipedia tells me an “individual male may have a repertoire of more than 100 phrases; many copied from its parents and neighbouring birds. Mimicry may include the imitation of man-made items like telephones, and the song thrush will also repeat the calls of captive birds, including exotics such as the white-faced whistling duck.” I have never seen a white-faced whistling duck in my pond, but apparently, I may have heard one from atop the conifer! Bird song is good for the soul. At the end of the day, I find there is nothing more able to connect me with the natural world around me than the harmony of the quitquiqit of the master soloist. I sit and listen until he has finished all thirty verses of his hymn. Music and spiritual songs have always been the go-to for humanity when struggling to adequately capture the mood in words, particularly so at moments of need. How to make sense of a situation or feeling when everyday words fail? The poetry of the musician and lyrics of the wordsmith blend to release the anguish and ecstasy, helping to make sense of who and where we are in relation to ourselves. I am sad and heartbroken. I am tired and exhausted. I am frightened and know not what to do. I am in love and drunk on romance. Music and song come to my aid, comfort me, and liberate me to find words of my own. Glastonbury celebrates this truth as much as Westminster Abbey. Singing is good for us. Those who sing in a band or choir benefit directly from using the words and tunes of others to find a rhythm that resonates for themselves. Human tastes know no bounds as we are all drawn to affirm our own identities in different styles and cultures of music. What is common is being able to find a song that ‘works’ for you. Why do you like this song and I another? What matters more is that we both find songs that, though different, lift our souls to an inspiring place, cause us to reflect and, in our own words, help us to put life into context. We are blessed that in our own Churches, both traditional choral music and less formal worship songs and music have a strong place at the heart of our worship. The 17th-century poet, George Herbert, famously called on ‘all the world’ to sing. It is today one of the more popular hymns and with good reason, as the song thrush reminds me in my garden. God Bless Mark
I am writing to say Thank You to you, and to everyone who supports the work of our five Churches across the Benefice. The work of the Church is sometimes taken for granted, standing alongside those in the hour of need at bereavement for a loved one recently lost; celebrating the arrival of a new member of the family at a Christening; sharing in the hopes and dreams of a couple pledging themselves to each other in Holy Matrimony. It is easy to assume that the local Church, which has been there for generations, will simply continue to be there. The truth is that the Church continues to be there because local people give generously of their time, energy and money. Without this trinity of giving, the Church would cease to be. So, Thank You in whatever way you lend your support. It is because of you that pastoral care is made available to those in need, our ancient buildings continue to inspire and give sanctuary to many, both near and far, and we, as a ‘Living Church’ are able to be the community hub used and appreciated by those looking for a spiritual home. A special Thank You to everyone who volunteers in whatever capacity to ensure that we can continue to offer worship in all of our Churches. Thank You in particular to those who have committed themselves to serving on our Parochial Church Councils for the next year. We are blessed with a number of hardworking Churchwardens, Treasurers and PCC Secretaries who deal with a myriad of tasks and mountains of paperwork between them. Welcome to Clare Wood, Churchwarden at St Peter’s, Benington and Christopher Evans, who has joined the PCC at St Lawrence’s, Ardeley. Quite rightly, Safeguarding is a top priority for all of our Churches. This year, safeguarding training has become mandatory for all PCC Members. This training is an important step in raising awareness about the different kinds of abuse that, sadly, continue to impact the lives of so many. We are all vulnerable at times - financial scams are but one example of this - so, Thank You to PCC Members for undergoing this training and for helping us all to remain vigilant. Thank You to Beverley Harlow – Parish Safeguarding Officer at St Mary’s, Walkern and to Rachel Hurst, Parish Safeguarding Officer at St Lawrence’s, Ardeley, for taking on these roles. I am the main point of contact for St Peter’s, Benington, Cottered and Throcking Churches, for anyone with a safeguarding concern. A big Thank You to Wendy Waygood, who has stepped back as safeguarding officer at St Lawrence’s after having served in this role for a number of years. Contact details for safeguarding officers are available on our websites and in all Church porches. Welcome to Kim Horton, who steps into the shoes of Heather Ferguson as Benefice Administrator. Kim brings to the role a wealth of business and administration experience, and it is very good to have her on board. Heather has been an outstanding administrator, and we wish her well as she finally, finally retires! On the 16th of June, at St Mary’s, I was licensed as Rector of the Benefice by Bishop Jane, Bishop of Hertford. It was an opportunity for everyone from across the villages to come together. So many people contributed to the occasion, not least musically. Thank You to the Benefice Choir for an amazing rendition of ‘All people that on earth do dwell’, to Mike Stevens for being so masterly at the pipe organ, and to the Three Schools Choir – Ardeley, Benington & Walkern Primary Schools – for warming everyone’s heart with, ‘One and a million’. This was the first time that the schools had worked together, and we hope there will be more opportunities in the future to do so again. One or two folks have asked what the difference is between a priest-in-charge and a rector. Not a lot is the answer! What it does mean is that there are no plans for the foreseeable future for reorganisation, in other words, our five Churches will continue to work as a unit without fear of more churches being added to the Benefice. A relief for everyone! One project that has been brought to fruition in these past six months has been to see Holy Trinity Church at Throcking opened at weekends. The Church was occasionally opened in the past, but very rarely in more recent years. The Church is an ecclesiastical gem with stunning memorials by Joseph Nollekens of Westminster Abbey fame, and is well worth a visit. It is hoped that all of our Churches will be open at weekends in the not-too-distant future. This is dependent upon volunteers willing to open and lock up and keep an occasional eye. This year, two people from the Benefice were Confirmed on Holy Saturday in St Albans Cathedral. Congratulations to Abigal Moffat - Benington Primary School - and Alison Galer-Warren – St Mary’s, Walkern. This was the first year that Confirmation was offered to one of our schools, and it is hoped to repeat this next year. All Year Six children are eligible. This year also saw several parents being Christened with their children. This is a new trend in which adults who weren’t Christened as babies have asked if they could be Christened too. Yes! Just ask. Finances continue to be stretched across all of our Churches. There are three strands of expenditure: day-to-day running costs, e.g. electricity, communion wine, candles; building and churchyard maintenance – this includes everything from architects’ reports, repair to ancient stonework and removal of dead trees; the cost of a vicar – including housing, ongoing training and the running of the Diocese. Neither component in the equation comes cheap, unfortunately. At present, the post of Rector is currently being subsidised by the Diocese – a mix of support from other Churches and Diocesan resources, e.g. glebe and investment income. A big Thank You to all our regular donors who give so generously. If you would like to make a financial contribution to the work of your local Parish Church – either as part of a regular pattern, e.g. £5 a month or make a one-off donation, please be in touch with either me, a Churchwarden or Church Treasurer. Our Parish Churches are here for all of us, and their care and the ministry they provide is a shared responsibility. Thank You. Looking ahead, plans are progressing with the design of oak cabinets for the chapel at St Peter’s, along with works to the drains under the chapel. The quinquennial report by the architect for St Lawrence’s has been received – much to ponder. It is hoped that a brass plaque in memory of Neville Chuck, organist for 70 years at Cottered Church, will soon be in place. And there will be Harvest. And there will be Christmas. Watch this space! If you think the Church can be of any help to you, don’t hesitate to be in touch! God Bless, Mark(Photo: The Licensing of the 'new' Rector with Bishop Jane, Bishop of Hertford and colleagues.) Follow our Churches on Facebook for the latest news and details of events!
The Revd Writes… Saint Benedict, way back in the fifth century, wrestled with the big question of how to live a balanced life. Benedict concluded that moderation was the key concept – too much of any one thing was likely to corrupt and endanger the possibility of living a godly life. So, balance, moderation, reasonableness, to which we might now add ‘common sense’, were values which he eventually wrote down in what became known as ‘Benedict’s Rule’. A balanced life in the Benedictine tradition is summed up in the motto, Ora et Labora, the Latin for ‘pray and work’. For Benedict, a balanced life was striking the right mix between being active and being contemplative. That sounds quite simple until you dig deeper into the negatives, e.g. too much work is not good for you. Sometimes that means having to push back against the adage that ‘hard work never did anyone any harm.’ We know, today more than ever, that that is not true. Too much hard work can be very damaging – true for those who work from home as it is for those who work in the office! On the other hand, Benedict also calls out that too much contemplation can lead you to become so introspective that you become so self-absorbed that you end up with no capacity to think about anyone else. Benedict would say that too much contemplation leads to laziness! A balance needs to be struck between ‘prayer and work.’ Some of us are given more to the active – we sometimes need to be helped to slow down and even to stop. Others are drawn to the contemplative – we sometimes need to be encouraged to ‘do something!’ Six hundred years after Benedict, St Bruno of Cologne came up with another idea. He, too, was concerned with the question of how to live a balanced life. He came up with the idea that well-being is best achieved by centring on simplicity – less talk, less ‘stuff’ - care for the soul and body together, as an integrative whole. Bruno’s model focused less on compartmentalising life into segments, ‘pray and work’ as Benedict taught. Bruno came up with the understanding that is best summed up as, ‘My prayer is my work, and my work is my prayer.’ He draws no distinction between the two. God is present in both, and it is recognising this that engenders a balanced life. So, two models which challenge us on how to live a balanced life – Benedict’s model, ‘Pray and Work’ and Bruno’s model, ‘My work is my prayer, and my prayer is my work.’ Both challenge us to think about options for a healthy lifestyle. Which would you choose? God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… In his first address to the crowds gathered in St Peter’s Square in Rome, Pope Leo XIV shared his vision for the future and emphasised the importance of building bridges. “We have to look together how to be a missionary church, building bridges, dialogue, always open to receiving with open arms for everyone…” He was speaking not only to the church but equally to a world in desperate need of “a disarming and humble and preserving peace.” Building bridges is a necessary tool in order to foster an environment in which peace is enabled to flourish. It is only in a state of peace that human creativity reaches its full potential. As such, ‘peace’ is a goal desired by everyone, no matter how long or hard the work required to bring this about. Yet building bridges to achieve peace is more often than not complex and requires certain skills from the start. Ask any parent of a two-year-old! Fundamental to bridge building is the ability to listen to a story objectively; to hear without prejudice the words that are being told and to hold with empathy the feelings that lie behind the words spoken. It is fair to say that sometimes the words verbalised are so abhorrent and traumatising that the common impulse is to reject them. Such rejection needs to be checked by the hearer, however, if the one telling the story is to feel heard and understood. ‘I can’t believe my child would do such a thing’, is a common response of parents to young people receiving a prison sentence. It is a challenge to work through this shock and pain if a necessary bridge is to be built and a resolution achieved. ‘I still love my child. ’ Reaching out to others who are different from ourselves, be it culture, language, sexual orientation, etc, requires a certain generosity of spirit and a willingness to engage even if at times it means stepping back from those groups with which we have a natural affiliation. Clergy working in multi-faith communities are often at the forefront of experimenting with bridge-building in order for a degree of community cohesion and harmony to exist. Such work is to be lauded, particularly so in some of our more deprived urban areas where tensions can surface very quickly. Pope Leo has rightly asserted that bridge-building is a walking exercise, not running. The pace might be slow, but being sensitive and paying attention to detail is important. The nuance of the story being told, the impact of the pause and sigh in the midst of the storytelling, emphasising the point being made, is all critical to the narrative. All of this builds the bridge that leads to enduring peace. Our shared responsibility. God Bless Mark
