Of all the saints, St Francis of Assisi must be one who has most caught the popular imagination.Born in 1182, the son of a wealthy woollen merchant, Francis embraced the leper, swapping clothes with a beggar and devoting himself to the created order of Brother Sun and Sister Moon. His love for animals has inspired writers, artists, film-makers and followers through the ages.It was Francis who introduced the Christmas crib and a more visual spirituality. The hymn attributed to him, Make Me a Channel of Your Peace, is much-requested at weddings and funerals and not least by those who never go near a church. Those words have significantly shaped their world view since they were children.On Monday, Christians celebrate the feast day of St Francis, whose story really began in the Church of St Damiano in Assisi when he had a vision of Christ on the Cross saying to him, “Go Francis and rebuild my church”.Not only did those words change his life, but they present a profound challenge to the church today.The pandemic over the past two years has brought into sharp relief the problem of how to keep the church sustainable for new generations. What was going to become the challenge ten or 15 years hence has become a present reality. It has become a regular mantra that there are too many church buildings, too few people going to church (many of them elderly) and crippling financial problems.At a time when the church should be connected we seem disconnected. Should we be surprised that many get their spiritual sustenance from Gardeners’ World?In 1986 Walbert Bühlmann, a Swiss Capuchin, wrote The Church of the Future: a model for the year 2001. One chapter is entitled “Francis, Brother To All”.For him Francis is a prophet of a new apostolic presence in the world of today as people search for a less structured and freer church.This year in the Anglican Communion the Society of St Francis celebrates the centenary of Hilfield Friary in Dorset. Many of the brothers and sisters down the years will be remembered.Among them is Brother Neville, who went to live in their house in Cable Street in London’s East End. The house, with a chapel at its heart, was a rat-infested former brothel. Neville’s deep pastoral care, together with non-judgmental commitment to the poor, were in every way as much a byword and part of the texture of East End life as that of the Anglican sisters of Nonnatus House in Poplar of Call the Midwife fame.Rooted in the Gospel and sacraments, the radical yet orthodox vision of St Francis was a universal one. One of the great Franciscan prayers is: “We adore you, most Holy Lord Jesus Christ, here, and in all your churches throughout all the world.” It continues to be outward looking and not constrained by any ecclesiastical bubble we inhabit. It is about lifestyle and not just pious platitudes. It is about the simplicity of deeds and actions.The prophetic action of St Francis reaching out to the Muslims is a fillip for a vision of ecumenism as we look to the future of the church, a vision of the ark of salvation for the whole earth. The greatest ecumenical challenge is not how Christians might get on together but rather, as we look to future generations, how Christians and Muslims might share one world.After his papal election the Jesuit Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio chose the name Francis. It is more than an act of prophetic symbolism. It gives us a sense of direction as we look to the future.GK Chesterton wrote of the age of St Francis as one of a fresh flowering of culture and an awakening of the world. In our own time the nature of many of our institutions seems fragile as we await the dawning of something new.As we look back to St Francis and his vision, living in a time not dissimilar to our own with all its division and pain, we can see in God’s bricklayer an important building block for our age.The Ven Peter Townley is the archdeacon of Pontefract
The Queen has sent a message of congratulations to BBC One's Songs of Praise as it celebrates its 60th anniversary.The pre-recorded message was broadcast during Sunday's show, which was filmed in Westminster Abbey. The Queen praised the show for bringing together churches and showing Christianity "as a living faith". "For 60 years Songs Of Praise has drawn together congregations and BBC viewers throughout the United Kingdom in collective worship," she said."During that time, the programme has shown Christianity as a living faith, not only through hymns and worship songs, but also by featuring the many people who have put their faith at the centre of their lives."I congratulate Songs Of Praise and all those involved in the programme on its 60th anniversary."Songs of Praise first aired in 1961 and is the world's longest-running religious TV programme. The first episode took place in the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cardiff. Since then it has been filmed in churches and cathedrals across the UK, and remains a Sunday evening fixture.Current host Aled Jones was joined by past presenters for the celebratory episode. Patrick Holland, director factual, arts and classical music at the BBC, said the show had become even more important during the pandemic, when churches were closed."For 60 years, Songs of Praise has held a very special place on BBC One," he said. "Never has this been more important than the past year - when as churches had to close their doors, Songs Of Praise continued to bring together people of faith across the UK every Sunday."He added: "It is a great honour to pay tribute to the world's longest-running religious television programme - long may it continue."
Please click on the the Zoom link below for tomorrow's Harvest Festival service at St Peter's Church, Hascombe. The service will start at 10am and our celebrant is Reverend Rutton Viccajee.Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us02web.zoom.us/j/89025714590?pwd=L2VWSHNyWFljb0VjUkt0SGxZMGdJdz09Meeting ID: 890 2571 4590 Passcode: 119824
More than 9,000 churches (78%) offered ‘Church at Home’ online, via email, post and telephone during the March to July 2020 lockdown when collective worship was suspended because of the coronavirus restrictions. More than 8,000, or 69%, offered livestreamed or pre-recorded services, while more than 5,000, or 44%, offered services downloadable from a website or emailed. More than 4,000, or 33%, offered printed and posted services and more than 2,000, or 21%, provided telephone or dial-in services. The majority were continuing to offer these services in October last year even though most were also open for in-person collective worship.The findings, from data gathered from 12,700 Church of England churches, show that rural churches were as successful as urban churches in providing remote worship once the size of parishes’ pre-pandemic congregations was taken into account.The rise in ‘Church at Home’ services and remote worship came as the Church of England stepped up its programme of training in digital communication for congregations and clergy over 2020 to help churches provide remote worship during the pandemic.A total of 7,000 people were trained in digital communications, live streaming and running online communities, seven times the figure for the previous year.Hymns were downloaded more than a million times as part of resource provided by St Martin-in-the-Fields church, working with the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) and the Church of England. The facility was launched during the lockdown through the A Church Near You Resource Hub website.Writing in the report, Dr Ken Eames, from the Church of England’s Research and Statistics Unit, said: “It would have been fascinating to have asked people early in 2020 whether they thought the Church of England would be able to switch at a moment’s notice to worshipping online and in other innovative ways; my guess is that the Church of England massively exceeded expectations.”Welcoming the findings, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: “I thank God for the work of the churches over the pandemic including the huge effort that was made to provide worship at home."This has been a source of comfort and strength to so many people during a very difficult and challenging time. “It has also meant that many have been able to discover the Christian faith and hear the good news of Jesus Christ for the first time."Online services and videos have become part of a toolkit for how churches can offer worship. It is inspiring to see the life of our parishes sustained and revitalised in this way."
