#216 : September 2010

Win Bishop John’s new book- turn to page six

Reporting from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire www.oxford.anglican.org

‘Jesus-inspired’ vision for church schools

A tribal visit

By Jo Duckles

Pic: KT Bruce

THESE four Maasai warriors captivated children with their story telling during visits to church schools this summer.

They also sang and preached in churches during their month-long visit to the Diocese of Oxford.

Chief, Peter, came to the Diocese with pastor John and Sabina and Dan to raise awareness of the challenges climate change is posing to their nomadic way of life.

Some Maasai people are opting to stay put, so that their children can go to school and so that they can find enough water to feed their cattle. Traditionally Maasai have been nomadic, living in Kenya and northern Tanzania for 500 years. The visit was organised by the African Children’s Fund. For more information see www.africanchildrensfund.org.

JESUS’S attitude to children should be at the centre of the vision and values of Church of England Schools.

That was the message from the Rt Revd Alan Wilson, the Bishop of Buckingham, as he took over as chairman of the Oxford Diocesan Board of Education.

He was speaking this month as teachers were preparing lessons and parents ironing uniforms ready for the return to school after the summer holiday.

Bishop Alan said: “There is a lot of talk in the education world about vision and values. I have met people who are waiting for the Government to decide what it wants to do. As Christians I don’t think we should look to the Government for our vision and values. We have a perfectly clear vision of the importance of the child in the Bible. Jesus changed the way society thought of children, putting them first.

We should do that too.”

Bishop Alan has taken over at a time when nationally, the Coalition Government is making major changes to the education system. The Academies Act, introduced earlier this year, means any school can apply to become an academy, with those classified by Ofsted as outstanding being pre-approved.

Meanwhile, many school buildings programmes, planned under the Labour Government, have been axed, and others are under review, as part of a cost cutting scheme.

Bishop Alan said: “I think there is a bundle of logistical and technical questions about the detail of the academies process and no one knows yet how it will work out. We have experience of setting up academies and have learnt an enormous amount about the opportunities they can offer, as well as some of the snags.”

Over the last two years the diocese has been involved in the creation of the Oxford Academy, on the site of the former Peers School and the Aylesbury Vale Academy, which has replaced the Quarrendon School. A third diocesan sponsored academy in Buckinghamshire has been proposed.

“Academy status won’t suit every school and we are concerned to provide a high standard of education in all of our schools.

“Church of England Schools were by and large founded for the education of the poor. We want to stand by our commitment to run schools for everyone, especially the poor and disadvantaged in our society.”

September 20010 No. 216

Inside: News What’s your promise?

Do your bit to end poverty PAGE 3

News Bishop Colin runs the Great South Run for Cecily’s Fund PAGE 5

Feature

First tastes of New Wine PAGE 7 Meet our 44 new curates PAGES 10 and 11

Letters & Comment Church supports Amnesty PAGE 19

God in the Life of

Tony Baldry, MP PAGE 20

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Prayer & reflection

To the edge of the world takes us to a monastic island once known to its inhabitants as ‘the edge of the world.’

Edmund Newell

T

here is something deeply attractive about Skellig Michael. This rugged, mountainous island juts out of the Atlantic Ocean eight miles off the west coast of Ireland.

Mysterious and alluring from the mainland, as you approach the island appears wild and inhospitable.

Yet, remarkably, this ‘skellig’ (the Gaelic for rock) named after St Michael, the archangel associated with high places, was for six hundred years the home of a monastic community. Later it became a pilgrimage site, and today it attracts pilgrims and visitors drawn to what is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Only a handful of facts are known about the island’s monastic community, but they are enough to fire the imagination. The writer Geoffrey Moorhouse used this scant information to speculate about what life might have been like for the monks, and his book Sun Dancing was short-listed for the Booker Prize. It paints a vivid picture of the harsh monastic life, and the deep impact of living by faith on what was believed by its inhabitants to be, quite literally, the edge of the world.

Skellig Michael and its twin Little Skellig (a gannet colony) are renowned for their inaccessibility, and this adds to

September prayer diary

compiled by John Manley

Prayer to the Father through the Son in the power of the Spirit for: W E D 1 Grove: clergy John Robertson, Paul Gooding, Paul Eddy; LLM Sue Powditch. Grove (VC) School.

T H U 2 Hanney, Denchworth & East Challow: clergy Anthony Hogg. Hanney (VC) & East Challow (VC) Schools.

F R I 3 Ridgeway: clergy Alan Wadge.

Childrey The Ridgeway (VC) School.

S A T 4 Wantage: clergy John Salter, George De Burgh Thomas, Paul Faint, Keith Kinnaird, Michael Berrett. Wantage Primary (VC) School.

M O N 6 Wantage Downs: clergy Elizabeth Birch, Sr Patricia Gordon, Jean Page. Hendreds (VA) School.

T U E S 7 Blenheim team: clergy Adrian Daffern, Andrew Parkinson, Shaun Henson, David Muston, Stephen Pix, Brian Wood.

Bladon (VC), Woodstock (VC), Woodstock Marlborough (VC) Schools.

W E D 8 Eynsham & Cassington: clergy Morey Andrews, David Salter, John Underwood, Roger Aston; LLM Neil Grady.

Cassington St Peter’s (VA) School.

T H U 9 Hanborough & Freeland: clergy David Tyler, Jackie Gardner, Peter Ball, Sr Mary Britt; LLMs Clive Berry, Hugh Dalton, Elizabeth Sharples; pastoral assistants John Fox, Peter Langley. Long Hanborough (VC) & Freeland (VC) Schools.

F R I 1 0 Steeple Aston, North Aston & Tackley: clergy Sarah Parkinson. Steeple

the attraction. Geoffrey Moorhouse made four trips to Ireland before he could land on Skellig Michael. It took me almost a week of waiting before I could make the crossing in choppy seas.

The monks who arrived in the sixth century would have travelled in small, flat-bottomed curraghs, made from animal skins stretched over wooden frames. Why is the island so fascinating?

Not only does it give us an insight into medieval monasticism and the compulsion to find a ‘desert in the

ocean’, but it speaks the truth about Celtic Christianity.

For those of us influenced by this tradition today, with its strong emphasis on the natural world, it’s a powerful reminder not to romanticise this expression of faith. The essence of Celtic Christianity is not so much sensing God through the beauty of nature, but an awareness of God’s providence in the struggle for survival. Through the eyes of those who lived with the constant threat of storms and starvation, the

island was as much hostile and sometimes terrifying as it was a dramatic and spectacular home. For the early Celtic Christians, sensing the Creator was first and foremost about recognising our absolute dependence upon God as our provider.

The threat of global warming and our apparent culpability in causing climate change is helping bring about a renaissance of Celtic Christianity of the authentic kind – a genuine sense of our dependence upon God and the need to treat scarce resources with reverence.

There’s no more powerful way of heightening awareness of this than visiting Skellig Michael. Crossing rough seas, landing on a tiny jetty, ascending hundreds of stone steps up a precipitous slope ensures the journey is a pilgrimage where even the unreligious may offer a prayer or two along the way. The pilgrim is rewarded by entering the remarkable settlement of dry-stone ‘beehive’ monastic cells. It’s impossible not to be moved by an awareness of what generations of monks endured for their faith and shared, huddled together on the side of a cliff.

The priest and poet David Scott has written of his own pilgrimage to Skellig Michael. Describing the moment he entered the monastic settlement, he wrote: ‘…Stop. Breathe. Let in the peace, and if you don’t kneel there where on earth will you kneel?’

Anyone who has visited Skellig Michael will know what he means.

Edmund Newell is Sub-Dean of Christ Church, and writes about the relationship between theology and the sea.

(The following is for guidance only, please feel free to adapt to local conditions and, if you wish, produce your own deanery prayer diaries.)

Aston Dr Radcliffe (VA) & Tackley (VC) Schools.

S A T 1 1 Stonesfield with Combe Longa: clergy Roy Turner. Combe (VC) School.

M O N 1 3 Westcote Barton with Steeple Barton, Duns Tew and Sandford St Martin: clergy Graeme Arthur.

T U E S 1 4 Wooton with Glympton and Kiddington: clergy Stephen Jones; LLM Jenny Wagstaffe. Wootton-by-Woodstock (VA) School.

W E D 1 5 Flackwell Heath: clergy Christopher Bull, Martin Courtney, Graham Hartnell, Jill Roth; LLM Sue Simpson; youth/children’s worker Ellie Wartew.

T H U 1 6 Great Marlow with Marlow Bottom, Little Marlow and Bisham: clergy Nick Molony, Elizabeth Macfarlane, Gabrielle Smith; LLM John Bustin. Bisham (VC), Little Marlow (VA), Marlow Holy Trinity (VA) and Marlow Infant (VA) Schools.

F R I 1 7 Hambleden Valley: clergy John Wigram, Rachel Wigram, Jeremy Mais; LLMs Susan Brice, Annette Jackson. Frieth (VA) School.

S A T 1 8 Hazlemere: clergy Clive Collier, Michael Wynter, Mark Meardon; pastoral worker Derek Hopwood. Widmore End The Good Shepherd, Rose Avenue and Cedar Avenue congregations. Hazlemere (VA) School.

M O N 2 0 Hedsor with Bourne End: clergy Ann Trew, Rosemary Payne, Maggie Rode; LLM Lyn Gooch.

T U E S 2 1 High Wycombe team: clergy David Picken, Simon Dust, Yvonne Murphy, Nicky Skipworth, Stephen Whitmore, Paul Willis, Jackie Lock, James Kennedy, Marie Jackson, Ruth Wooster, Peter Viney; CA Sr Debbie Orriss; LLMs Maureen Lampard, Derek Lancaster, [withheld], David Tester, Peter Kent, Janice Allerston (& pastoral assistant), Josie Martin, Allison Smale; pastoral assistant Heather Graham. High Wycombe (VA) School.

W E D 2 2 Hughenden: clergy Simon Cronk, Frederick Friend; LLM Bill Geers.

Great Kingshill (VA) School.

T H U 2 3 Loudwater: clergy Timothy Butlin; LLMs David Clarke, Patrick Finlay.

F R I 2 4 Lane End with Cadmore End: clergy Robert Jennings; LLMs Judy Taylor, John Coombs. Cadmore End (VA) School.

S A T 2 5 Stokenchurch with Ibstone: clergy Alistair France. Ibstone (VA) School.

M O N 2 7 Terriers: clergy Tony Dickinson; LLM Valerie Evans.

T U E S 2 8 West Wycombe with Bledlow Ridge, Bradenham and Radnage: clergy Nigel Lacey, Veronica Beaumont, Linda Richardson; LLM Robert Hutton. Radnage (VA) School.

W E D 2 9 Wooburn: clergy Martin Wallington; pastoral assistant Brenda Hadley. Wooburn St Paul’s (VA) School.

T H U 3 0 All who are sick in the hospitals of the diocese: the chaplains and staff ministering to their needs.

Sundays As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. (Matthew 9.9 NRSV)

S U N D A Y 5 Wantage deanery: area dean John Robertson, lay chair Nigel Baring, treasurer Mrs K Mackenzie, associate clergy Antonia Cretney, deaf church chaplain Roger Williams. The people, PCCs, wardens & support staff of the deanery. The Episcopal Church of the Sudan.

S U N D A Y 1 2 Racial Justice Sunday Woodstock deanery: area dean Stephen Jones, lay chair Pauline Richardson, secretary Rosalind Gerring, treasurer Paul Atyeo. The people, wardens, PCCs and support staff of the deanery. The Anglican Church of Tanzania. The diocesan committee for Racial Justice: link persons Richard Chand, Mark Charmley, Mervyn Williams.

S U N D A Y 1 9 Wycombe deanery: area dean David Picken, associate AD Robert Jennings, lay chair Wendy Goodier, treasurer Marie Jackson, associate clergy Elaine Carr, chaplain to High Wycombe Deaf Church Ben Whitaker.

The people, wardens, PCCs and support staff of the deanery. The Anglican Church of Uganda. Ecumenical relations in the diocese, officers Moira Astin, Tony Dickinson, Chris Collinge.

S U N D A Y 2 6 The diocesan Rural Officers’ Team, diocesan rural officer Glyn Evans. The Episcopal Church of the USA. The members of Parliament serving the people of the diocese.

theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

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News What’s your promise?

By Jo Duckles

THE Bishop of Oxford is urging Christians to make small promises as part of a national campaign to help us remember those in poverty.

The What’s Your Promise campaign has been launched by Micah Challenge UK, and aims to make a difference through millions of tiny promises.

The Rt Revd John Pritchard has pledged his support to the campaign. The campaign simply allows everyone to make a promise to do something to help the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to be met.

Bishop John said: “What’s Your Promise’ is a simple but far reaching campaign idea that I’m very happy to support. I promise to keep the MDGs as the touchstone of my concern to fly the flag for those trapped in poverty worldwide. I hope many in the Diocese of Oxford will join me in making this promise and then keeping it.“ Across the UK some are promising to write to their MPs, others are promising to eat less to show solidarity with the hungry and one man is committing to help people in seven developing countries start their own income generating projects.

People from Oxfordshire,

Berkshire and Buckinghamshire have made promises on the What’s Your Promise website.

Here are a few examples: “I promise to pray regularly for those who suffer from poverty and injustice throughout the world,” says Pam Cooper from Kidlington.

Jacqui from Oxford stated: “I promise to pray once more today with the poor in mind and for God’s grace to turn my prayer into action.”

“I promise to volunteer one day per week of my time by no later than September 2010 to charitable organisation that adds value and helps the disadvantaged,” said David Richardson of Reading.

“I promise to be more generous in my giving and to continue to buy Fairtrade whenever I can,” said Tricia, from Gerrards Cross.

The global Micah 2010 campaign will reach a highpoint on 10.10.10, when 100 million Christians in 40 nations will pray the same prayer. They will be praying in unity to encourage world leaders to remember the Millennium Development Goals – their commitments to halve extreme ONLINE poverty 2015.

To read by more promises or join the campaign visit http://whatsyourpromise. org.uk

@

The image of the Baby Jesus in the womb will be on buses and billboards across the UK this Christmas. See www.churchads.net for more information.

Premiere of Eucharist music

IN BRIEF Pray for Pakistan CHRISTIAN Aid has published prayers and resources for churches to highlight the floods in Pakistan in their Sunday services.

To download the resources go to www.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies/ current/pakistan-floods-appeal/ prayer.aspx. To give to the emergency fund call 08080 004004.

Hospital peal

THE choir from All Saints Church, Ascot raised the roof as they sang the new music for a sung Eucharist at Christ Church Cathedral.

The Trinity Mass, composed by David Thorne, was sung during the Petertide ordination services. The Ascot choir was proud to sing at the service at which its new curate, the Revd Rosie Webb, was ordained. Christopher Goodwin, choirmaster, said: “It was exciting to do something new. “I think the congregation enjoyed it and I would recommend this setting to choirs.” The setting is published by Culver Music www.culvermusic.com. For full details of the ordinations see pages 10 and 11.

Heritage highlights churches TWO Anglican churches in Oxford Diocese have been highlighted in a national campaign by English Heritage.

St Laurence’s Reading and St Mary’s, Milton Keynes, were highlighted in a publicity campaign after a survey revealed 14 per cent of the South East’s listed places of worship were in need of major repairs. The survey was part of English Heritage’s Heritage at Risk initiative.

St Laurence’s is a Grade I listed building and winner of this year’s Regional Award for Caring for a Historic Place of Worship in the South East. The church was built originally in the Norman period, with additions made in the 15th century and restoration work carried out in the 1860s. It has a congregation of 400.

Groups for young mothers, youth clubs and after school clubs, as well as holiday activities for social services and youth offending team clients are held there.

The Revd Matt Stevens, curate, said: “To win an award is always a surprise. The work we do at St Laurence revolves around

relationship, and one aspect of this is the relationship between a precious historic building and faith lived practically in daily lives.”

St Mary’s has been highlighted as exemplifying best practice in protecting a place of worship.

The building is a Grade II Anglican Church and is the oldest building in the village.

Dating from the 13th century, the church was rebuilt by architect William Butterfield in 1848.

In 2007, the church received a grant from the Repair Grant for Places of Worship Scheme, for repairs to lead roofs.

The Reverend David Lunn, Team Rector, said: “St Mary’s sits in the middle of a rapidlygrowing largely non churchgoing population and we wanted to become more involved with the wider community. The first step was to renew our aging lead roofs and this was completed last year with the invaluable help of ONLINE English Heritage.”

English Heritage has produced Caring for Places of Worship, a practical guide, DVD and website www.englishheritage.org.uk/ powar

@

THE bells of St Mary’s, Banbury rang out to celebrate the community’s achievement in winning a campaign to keep key services at the Horton General Hospital.

The peal, of 5003 Grandsire Caters, marked the victory of the people of North Oxfordshire and the surrounding area, who campaigned to retain the Children’s and Maternity Service at the hospital.

A peal board to celebrate the event will be hung in the bell tower, along with peal boards to mark similar peals including one to mark victory in the Crimea and a muffled peal for the funeral of Winston Churchill.

Attorney General Rides and Strides THE UK’s new Attorney General, Dominic Grieve is one of thousands of people expected to take part in the annual Ride and Stride.

Dominic, the MP for Beaconsfield and Marlow, will be taking part in the Buckinghamshire section of the national event. In previous years the Door has reported that Witney MP turned Prime Minister, David Cameron, has taken part in Oxfordshire.

The event sees people walk, cycle or ride horses as they visit as many churches as possible in the alloted time, often stopping to explore historic buildings. In East Berkshire, for example, riders and striders might like to visit John the Baptist Shottesbrooke, built in 1337 by Sir William Trussell as an ecclesiastical college.

It is expected that nationally 10,000 churches will open their doors for the event, on Saturday, 11 September, between 10am and 6pm. Money raised will be used to support maintenance and repair work at historic churches.

To take part or for more information on the Ride and Stride in your area visit: Buckinghamshire see www.bucks-historic-churches.org or call Patricia Burstell on 01628 482754. Oxfordshire: www.ohct.org.uk/bike.htm or email rideandstride@ohct.org.uk; Berkshire: www.berkschurchestrust.org.uk or email clive.betteridge@ berkschuchestrust.org.uk.

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Advertisement Feature

Focus on Adult Education

Foundations for the future Deciding on full time education is a tremendously important choice. In many cases the subject chosen can have repercussions throughout life, forming for many students the foundations of a lifetime’s career.

For a Christian of any age the choice of a theological, secular or social subject is likely to be considered as it will become a foundation stone for the future.

In September we stand at the start of a new education year for learning at all levels.

PRAYER AND ADVICE CALLED FOR A lot of prayer and advice will be undertaken in deciding what path to follow, even when inherent talents seem to make the choice a little more obvious.

For younger Christians the path may have already been discussed when choosing subjects for ‘A’ levels but for many older Christians starting a course could well be a part of a change in life’s direction. It is worth spending time with family, friends and even the Vicar when making these important choices.

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STUDYING CLOSE TO HOME There are all sorts of reasons why some students prefer to study somewhere close to home. This can be due to the commitments such as family responsibilities or commitments to the local church or other organisations.

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

News Ready to run for Cecily’s Fund

IN BRIEF The bells, the bells ALL Saints Church in High Wycombe has launched an appeal to raise £250k to rebuild its crumbling bell tower.

The bells and frame will be taken out of the tower as townspeople watch. The tower was built about 500 years ago and since then the bells have been heard across the town, marking services and weddings. It is believed the tower will fall down if the work is not carried out.

Wooden beams have been eaten by death watch beetles and the masonry is cracked.

To raise funds All Saints is selling notelets for £2 per pack and mugs for £6 each as well as holding other fundraising events.

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High hopes for hall In training are Bishop Colin and Pippa.

THE Bishop of Dorchester and his daughter are limbering up to take part in the Great South Run to raise funds to educate Zambian children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV. The Rt Revd Colin Fletcher and his daughter Pippa, will take part in the 10mile run on 24 October to raise funds for Cecily’s Fund, an Oxfordshire-based charity set up by Alison and Basil Eastwood in memory of their daughter Cecily who died in a traffic accident 12 years ago while volunteering with orphans in Zambia.

“I first got to know about Cecily’s Fund when I was working with the Archbishop of Canterbury and we visited Basil and Alison in Damascus,” he said. “My wife Sarah and I subsequently saw them in Switzerland and it was a particular delight to me when I was appointed here 10 years ago to find out that they planned to ‘retire’ to this part of the world. Cecily’s Fund and the work that it is doing is quite magnificent.

“I count it as a great privilege to be running for it this year, even if it means

I’m discovering all sorts of aches and pains en route.

“I tried to sign up for the Great South Run last year but missed it so it’s great that I can do it this year. Pippa, my daughter, will be running with me. She’s just qualified as a doctor so it’s great to have a physician running with me. Her wedding will have taken place three weeks before so October promises to be pretty eventful. Kate, our other daughter, will also be running.”

All sponsorship raised by the Bishop and his daughter will go to help Zambia’s poorest children to go to school by providing them with shoes, uniforms, books, pens and help with school fees.

Education will not only help these children to gain knowledge and skills so that they can earn a living, but has also been shown to reduce their risk of contracting HIV.

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To sponsor Bishop Colin and Pippa visit www.virginmoneygiving.com/Colinand Pippa

Painting Christian art work

The SKY was the limit for six daredevils from All Saints’ Didcot, who did a tandem sky dive to help raise £550,000 to build a new youth and community hall.

The Revd Karen Beck, Nicola Campbell, Catherine Kiely, Dr Helen Walker, Dr Sally Reynard and Mark Scane all carried out the sky dive.

Fundraising for the hall has already seen local people raise £100,000 and South Oxfordshire District Council allocate a grant of £100,000 to the project. It’s hoped that work on the new hall will be able to start next spring when all the funding is in place.

Go to www.justgiving.com/Karen-Beck to sponsor the sky divers.

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Son PICTURED is Alex, 12, a pupil at the Ormerod Special Educational Centre at the Marlborough CofE School, Woodstock.

Alex, who is autistic, is a talented artist with a passion for stained glass, churches and Christian art. His work includes several Oxfordshire churches and images from inside them.

He is one of the students who took part in We Were There, Now We’re Here project, which culminated in two exhibitions in Oxford and a book, with a foreword by David Cameron.

For more information see http://weweretherenowwearehere.word press.com. The painting is Alex’s version of St Francis and the Birds.

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

6

The Lodge Trust require Residential Care Workers

Feature

‘Who do you say I am?’

40 hours per week on a 3-week rota (including evenings/weekends) Set in the beautiful countryside of Rutland, The Lodge Trust provides homes and places of work for adults with learning disabilities. We need Christian people to support our residents with the day to day tasks of living and to assist in enabling individuals to plan, action and attain personal goals in a way that promotes increased independence. Experience of learning disabilities desirable but not essential as training will be given.

Interested?

Please telephone for more information on 01572 767234 e-mail admin@lodgetrust.org.uk Registered Charity No.516835 Main Street, Market Overton, Oakham, LE15 7PL

Bishop John takes a fresh look at the pivotal and transformational role Jesus has played throughout history. was staying in the fascinating community of Taizé in France where 5,000 young people come each week in the summer to pray, talk, work and share stories. As I wandered around the site I began to notice the variety of messages on the young people’s T-shirts.

The first one I saw said boldly: ‘It’s all about me.’ That didn’t seem to be quite in the spirit of Taizé, I thought. But then I saw another: ‘If found, please return to the pub.’ We’re still not there, I mused. I became more positive as I began to read the next. ‘Devote yourself,’ it started hopefully, ‘to Heavy Metal,’ it ended solemnly. Finally, coming through the crowd, I saw a T-shirt that said simply: ‘Love your enemies.’ At last! Here was the authentic spirit of Taizé. Here was the echo of Jesus.

I

‘...some geezer years ago turning water into wine.’

All Saints’ Church, Marlow Director of Music The current Director of Music is retiring in September 2010; therefore the Clergy and PCC are inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced musicians to fill this important position as soon as possible.

All Saints’ Marlow has a rich and varied musical tradition, and is one of the few Parish Churches in the country where there is a full Men and Boys’ choir which sings Evensong each Sunday and many other services & festivals throughout the year. In addition, there is a Girls’ choir, a mixed adult choir, and a number of other less formal music groups which lead the music for the wide range of traditional and contemporary worship styles that are offered. A full Choral Evensong is sung each month. Further information on the church and music can be found at http://www.allsaintsmarlow.org There is a very fine 3 manual Father Willis organ (rebuilt in 1997), and a good grand piano in the church. These instruments are used both for worship and for the many concerts and recitals that take place. The music library is extensive, and has been extended every year. The Director of Music is assisted by a Deputy, an Assistant Organist, and a number of other volunteers.The church is affiliated to the RSCM. For a full Job Description and further information, please contact

All Saints’ Parish Office, The Causeway, Marlow SL7 2AA

Tel: 01628 481806 parishoffice.marlowteam@btinternet.com The deadline for applications is 10th September 2010, and interviews will be held on 27th September.

We live in a spiritually confused culture. Liam Gallagher of the rock group Oasis once said ‘I don’t pray and I don’t go to church but I’m intrigued by it, I dig it. I’m into the idea that there could be a God and aliens and incarnation and some geezer years ago turning water into wine. I don’t believe when you die, you die. All the beautiful people who have been and gone – Lennon, Hendrix – they’re somewhere else, man. Whether it’s here or whether it’s there, they’re doing some musical thingummyjig. They got to be somewhere else, haven’t they?’

It’s hard to know where to start in deconstructing that statement, but it’s not unusual to find ‘pick’n’mix’ believing. One article in The Times on spiritual gurus said, ‘In philosophy or spirituality gurus are our cocktail shakers – mixing up a bit of Buddhism, a touch of Kabbalah, some feng shui, a dash of wicca and a pinch of shamanism.

So where does that leave our traditional religious leaders, with their old-fashioned single-brand approach to theisms?

Increasingly obsolete.’ Religion is being rebranded for the consumer age. There’s a mini-industry of ‘gurus’ telling us how to take control of our lives with easy slogans: ‘There is a power greater than you’; ‘Open your heart to love’; ‘The past is not the future.’ Christian concepts are even slipping on to the perfume counter: you can spray yourself with ‘Purity’ and cover your skin with ‘Grace’.

However, the answer to profound complexity often lies in profound simplicity. To me, and to millions of others, that profound simplicity is found in the person of Jesus. ‘Profound’ because he is not just one who wants me for a sunbeam.

‘Simplicity’ because the experience of countless people is that when Jesus is put into the centre of our picture, the rest of

life seems to rearrange itself rather satisfactorily.

Note how, even for Liam Gallagher, there in the middle of his observations is a reference to ‘some geezer years ago turning water into wine’. Jesus is remarkable for his hold on the popular imagination. A recent survey by the company behind the cult television drama Primeval asked which people, now dead, the British would most like to meet.

Princess Diana was second and William Shakespeare third, but the clear winner was Jesus Christ.

But who is this Jesus? It turns out that he is deeply elusive. People have tried to co-opt Jesus into their team ever since the stone was rolled away from the tomb, but they never actually manage to recruit him. In the famous words of Albert Schweitzer: ‘He comes to us as One unknown, without a name, as of old, by the lakeside, he came to those men who knew him not. He speaks to us in the same words: ‘Follow me!’ and sets us to the tasks which he has to fulfil for our time.

‘He commands. And to those who obey him, whether they be wise or simple, he will reveal himself in the toils, the conflicts, the sufferings which they shall pass through in his fellowship, and, as an ineffable mystery, they shall learn in their own experience who he is.’

It’s true that we each have to come to

‘Here is a man who had no PR machine, no shadowy ‘advisors’ no lap top...’ our own understanding of this multifaceted human being, and yet, through all the countless millions of words spoken and written about Jesus and the three brief years of his ministry, here is a genuine ‘man for all seasons’. He has the ability to speak across ages and cultures, across glories and tragedies, across the entire sweep of human emotions, and to do so with a freshness and authenticity that no other person possesses.

Here is a man who had no PR machine, no shadowy ‘advisers’, no lap-top, email or internet. He wrote no book, syndicated no newspaper articles, had no social networking site. He spoke to no more people in his lifetime than would fill the football stadium of a team in the

lower reaches of the Championship. But he changed the world more than any person has ever done, and he touches the imagination of more people today than ever before.

The essayist R. W. Emerson said that ‘the name of Jesus is not so much written as ploughed into the history of the world’.

You can’t miss him. Even at the trivial level one can see how ubiquitous the name of Jesus has become. When a golfer misses a golf putt it would be strange if he were to shout ‘Winston Churchill!’ or when he stubs a toe to yell, ‘Mahatma Gandhi!’

The effect of Jesus on every layer of human experience is remarkable, however it is evaluated. He’s the magnificent outsider who strides through the pages of the New Testament with glorious freedom. He’s the centre point of history, the pivot on which human affairs have so often turned.

He’s the transforming presence who has turned more lives upside down than anyone could dream of. He’s the dynamic personality who has rewritten the rule-book of whole nations, reframing their laws, their customs, their values, their politics.

This Jesus is our partner in prayer and in pain. He’s strangely crazy about his Church, and he’s been the inspiration of some of the greatest artistic achievements of humankind. Truly, the wake of this apparently minor figure from small-town Palestine has been spectacular in the extreme.

This is an edited extract from Living Jesus

by John Pritchard, (SPCK ISBN 978-0-28106040-5).

Win Living Jesus The Door has three copies of Living Jesus to give away to the winners of this month’s prize draw. To be in with a chance of winning send your name and address to Living Jesus Competition Diocean Church House, Oxford, OX2 0NB to reach us by Friday 3 September.

theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

7

Family TWO families who packed their camping gear and headed to New Wine for the first time this year describe their experiences. or some years we had talked about going to New Wine but had never booked. However, this year God had decided the Washbourn Family should be going to camp at New Wine – Central and South East at the Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallett.

What an amazing week.

How are we so certain that God wanted us to be there? Well we entered a competition in the April edition ofThe Door and we won a family ticket.

Nicky Gumbel described New Wine as being like a “foretaste of heaven” but was sure that Heaven would have better toilet and shower facilities. Actually, they weren’t quite as bad as friends had led us to expect, although the central ‘Shower Court’ caught us out, being one of the show ground facilities for showering the cattle.

New Wine was fantastic providing a much needed spiritual lift with lots of good solid teaching, great children’s groups covering all ages, pastoral prayer, food court, market place (with bookstalls and many other offerings for shopaholics), and a medical service where advice and treatment is given followed by prayer.

On arrival we were welcomed by our village host who helped us find a place to pitch our tent and then offered us a very welcome hot drink. From the area outside our tent we had many moments

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Front are Charles (left) and Alistair Washbourn with friends Jackie, Mark, Wilhelm, Pat, and Louisa. Pic by Karen Washbourn.

drinking and eating whilst contemplating the wonderful scene and seeing God in creation.

Charles (our son aged 8) registered for Rock Solid and happily joined in all the varied activities during the week. The rock band and drama were highlights for him. The other youth sections were also completely rocking and a real inspiration for future growth.

There was plenty for those involved in church growth. For example, one speaker’s wife had a vision to weigh babies at church during the week. The speaker could not see the reasoning or the end game but trusted his wife and let her go ahead with the vision.

The wife involved local health visitors

and offered the church as a meeting place to weigh babies. With coffee provided, 90 mums regularly attend and some go on to Alpha and become church members. There was a recurring theme of ‘Freedom of Control’ — communicate the vision, become trusting in execution and pray for positive outcomes.

After such a great week it was hard to leave, however it was easier with the knowledge that we plan to return to New Wine in 2011. Thanks again to The Door and to New Wine for such a memorable week.

Karen, Alistair and Charles Washbourn.

The Washbourns live in Henley and worship at Holy Trinity, Henley.

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Ruth Reavley’s A to Z of New Wine LAST year our daughter Lizzie went to New Wine with friends and came back saying: “We’ve all got to go next year.”

So my husband Cedric, associate clergy at St John the Baptist Burford and a full-time pharmacist, Lizzie, and David, 14, joined a 35-strong group from our parish. Between us, we have done parish weekends away and occasional church conferences, but nothing like this.

Affirmation – the reassurance that we are all on journeys, that there’s loads of ways to travel, that paths differ and that New Wine has loads to offer.

Bands – lots of them, leading worship, doing gigs.

Children’s/Teenagers’ programme – Gems, Boulder Gang, Club One, Thirst… Masses of coloured t-shirted leaders and pastors, happy teenagers and children Day off – on Wednesday when people went exploring the local area. We mooched and chatted.

Evangelical – was the flavour throughout. Early morning bible study for the larks. We owls went for evening socials with our pairsh, and didn’t burn

the candle at both ends.

Friendships – Lots of time to chat with the family and the parish group. Lots of one to one and small group conversations, and quite a bit of mentoring between adults and teenagers – and the wise words weren’t always from the older to the younger…

Getting to events on time – essential. Be half an hour early for the more popular events.

Holy Spirit – evident often in responses at the end of morning worship and teaching and the end of evening celebrations and talks. The ministry team was huge and no one was left unsupported. No one was left unchanged either.

Ice Block exchange – meant we could do the serious food preparation at home, bring it frozen and keep our food and the white wine cool.

Jokes – the hallmark of a speaker at ease.

Kindness – was apparent everywhere along with respect for differences of taste, opinion, lifestyle, music and privacy.

Love Offerings (with a Gift Aid option) gave us the chance to join in social justice work and support the bursary fund, which enables people from disadvantaged urban churches to attend could anyone you know benefit?

Marketplace – bookstalls, CDs, charities, paintings, camping kit, clothing and lots more.

Next time – could it be you?

Outstanding – I’m an administrator and

I’d give the admin team who put this event together an ‘Outstanding’ rosette.

Prayer shed – a place dedicated to space and stillness – not a lot of that to be had at New Wine, so it’s precious.

Quiet – from midnight, until 8am Radio New Wine – don’t get out of your sleeping bag and still hear worship, talks, interviews and music Speakers – from the globally celebrated to the just-starting-out, men and women, multi-national, young and not so young, offering 120 seminars on nine themes – fantastic choice!

Teams – the ones who cleaned the loos and showers were my heros.

Unstoppable! – the theme for this year, with everything giving you the means to live in the belief that God is unstoppable.

Venues – One and Two and the Big Top Tent. Stick with one for the morning worship and talks as they are a series, but otherwise pick and choose.

Worship – with thousands of other people was a moving experience.

X Marks the spot – I’ve come away with quite a few spots that have been hit, and that’s as someone who wouldn’t usually consider herself an evangelical.

Yes – we’re going again in 2011 – and thinking together about how to make it possible for others to come – encouragement, publicising the dates (31 July – 6 August for the Oxford Diocese), funding, tents and kit pooling/loans.

Zealous for the Lord – how New Wine wants you to be.

Photo: St John’s Burford

Tel:01373 462069

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

9

Feature

Chequers and Chilterns Archdeacon Karen Gorham

spots a red kite and discovers the history of the Chilterns in the seventh of our series of prayer walks.

S

tart at the church of St Peter and St Paul, Ellesborough (parking opposite, (1). Aylesbury Vale stretches out before you and in the distance are the low hills around Whitchurch, Waddesdon and Brill.

Around the church run the Chilterns, with Coombe Hill as a high point. The whole area abounds with the remains of burial mounds and fortifications dated back to pre-Roman times. Ellesborough church is a welcome respite for walkers on a warm day, offering hospitality on summer weekends and interesting in its connection with Chequers, the big house on the other side of Coombe Hill.

There are few churches that can boast a collection of signatures in their visitors’ book such as Dwight Eisenhower, Alec Douglas-Home, Harold Wilson and Edward Heath. Prime Ministers residing at Chequers and their visitors have frequently worshipped in the local church. Margaret Thatcher was known to have prayed here, finding comfort during the Falklands War. You may like to pause and pray for our political leaders and the difficult decisions they have to make.

We leave the churchyard and walk towards the Kimbles. The road from Wendover to Princes Risborough follows the route of the Icknield Way, an ancient track said to be pre-Roman, which ran from Norfolk to Avebury in Wiltshire. It was paved in Roman times, and is one of the oldest roads in the country.

The peaceful church of All Saints, Little Kimble (2) has stood here for 700 years.

In the 14th century the chancel was added along with a series of wall paintings and tiles. These paintings were whitewashed over in the 16th century but rediscovered after restoration work in the 19th century.

The paintings are considered to be artistically the best in Buckinghamshire and their complete restoration is planned. They show St George having killed the dragon; St Christopher, and St Bernard of Clairvaux – who was linked to the mother churches of the time, Missenden Abbey and Chertsey Abbey.

The font is probably older than the church, and the medieval Chertsey tiles tell the romantic tragedy of Tristan and Iseult.

Further up the hill stands the Bernard Arms (3), a good lunch stop. This is the pub which Yeltsin and other foreign dignitaries tend to visit when staying at Chequers. Inside is a collection of photographs of British Prime Ministers.

You may like to pray for peace between nations.

Next door stands the magnificent church of St Nicholas, Great Kimble (4), first built in 1265, and dominated by the magnificent Aylesbury Font.

In the 16th century the patronage of the church came to the Hampden family who were major landowners and influential politicians. John Hampden’s

disagreements with Charles I had a significant impact on the start of the English Civil War in which both Hampden and the King died.

St Nicholas’s church was famed for the stand Hampden took against paying Ship Tax money in 1637. Legend has it that he galloped up the hill and into the church to make his protest to his assembled tenants and neighbours. During the war Hampden’s “Buckinghamshire Greencoats” drilled in the churchyard. A statue of him stands in Aylesbury, and another in the lobby of the Houses of Parliament.

The Aylesbury font in the church is one of 14 made at the end of the 12th century, of stone from the Totternhoe quarry in Bedfordshire. A local story is that Edmund Hampden ordered the removal of the font as he disagreed with infant baptism. The villagers removed it before it could be destroyed and hid it in a nearby pond.

We cross the road and walk uphill onto the Chilterns (5) following part of the Ridgeway footpath, an 87-mile national trail based on an ancient chalk path from Avebury to Ivinghoe Beacon.

The fantastic Red Kite can usually be seen overhead, a spectacular bird of prey distinguished by its russet plumage and forked tail. The kite is a well-loved feature of the mid and southern Chilterns. Give thanks for the beauty of God’s creation and the delights of the countryside.

We now pass the entrance to Chequers (6), the estate which was bequeathed to the nation by Sir Arthur Lee as the country residence of our Prime Ministers in 1917. Pray for refreshment for those with important jobs and heavy responsibilities. Think about your own work/life balance. Where do you find rest?

The Ridgeway National Trail crosses Victory Drive, the private drive along which Churchill had beech trees planted, offering good views of the house. Lady Mary Grey, sister of Lady Jane Grey, was imprisoned in Chequers in 1566 and the house was later owned by a grandson of Oliver Cromwell.

We cross the road and continue our way downhill (7) back to Ellesborough Church. To our right, footpaths take walkers up Coombe Hill (8), once part of the Chequers Estate but given to the National Trust in the 1920s.

From the summit it is possible to see six counties. The Coombe Hill Monument,

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erected in 1904, is Grade II listed and represents one of the first examples of a war memorial set up in dedication of the men who fell fighting for their country. It was erected by public subscription in memory of 148 men from Buckinghamshire who died during the Second Boer War. You may like to pray for our soldiers serving overseas today, especially in Afghanistan. Pray for peace there.

Back in Ellesborough, the backdrop for the church is Beacon Hill, known also as Cymbeline’s Mount. It’s a climb worth making again for the views. Cymbeline’s Mount was the stronghold of the British King Cunabelin or Cymbeline, from whom Great and Little Kimble derive their names. A gold coin depicting him was found here.

A podcast of the Revd Jan Henderson and Archdeacon Karen talking to Sarah Meyrick about the prayer walk can be found at www.oxford.anglican.org/prayerwalks.

Do you have a favourite walk where you pray that you’d like to share?

Contact us on 01865 208225 or jo.duckles@oxford. anglican.org

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theDoor

10

Feature

Bumper ordinations see 4 The Door introduces the 44 new deacons who are settling into parishes in Oxfordshire Berkshire and Buckinghamshire after our new-style annual Petertide ordination services in July.

Andrew Allen, Aston Clinton with Buckland and Drayton Beauchamp Spending his childhood in Cyprus, among other places, meant Andrew was bitten by the travel bug. After schooling in Ulster, he moved to Oxford to study law and German law, then headed to London. He has just returned from living with the Old Catholics in Bonn.

Andrew Thomas, The Cookhams Andrew was born and brought up in Surrey. Apart from his first five years after leaving school, he worked as a children’s nurse in intensive care. His spare time is filled with running, swimming, his nephew and niece and spending time in the great outdoors.

Gareth Lane to serve in Bedgrove Whenever he gets the opportunity Gareth likes to go surfing. Two years ago he helped save the lives of a man and his daughter who were body boarding and being dragged out to sea, but didn’t have the strength to swim to shore. He says: “It seems ironic that now two years later I am about to be ordained into a position where I will be responsible for the safety of people’s spiritual lives.”

Glynis Beckett, Radley with Sunningwell and the Benefice of Kennington Glynis says she remembers a line in a sermon which stated “This is the day you said ‘yes’ to God, or at least when you stopped saying ‘no!”. She feels deep joy at getting to this point in her life.

Ben Williams, St John’s, Cowley, Oxford Ben was the youngest member of the Oxford Ministry Course, the preordination training course, and is finishing a doctorate. He is also a concert harpist and pianist.

‘This is the day you said “yes” to God...’

Carolyn Bailey, Great Missenden with Ballinger and Little Hampden There‘s nothing animal loving Carolyn likes more than taking her dogs up into the hills on a glorious day for a good long walk. Her other hobby is horse riding although she doesn’t seem to have much time for it nowadays.

Graham Choldcroft, Thame and as a chaplain for Thames Valley Police Influenced by boyhood memories of reports of ‘a man helping police with enquiries’ Graham went on to enjoy a career in the criminal justice system. He is looking forward to using that experience in his ministry as a police chaplain.

Christian Hofreiter, St Aldate’s, Oxford Christian’s path to ordained ministry has taken him from the moutainous valleys of his native Tyrol, where he was a university lecturer and a translator, to the corridors of power in Washington DC, where he represented foreign governments, to Oxford University for a doctorate in theology.

Helen Barnes, Haddenham with Cuddington and Kingsey and Aston Sandford Helen Barnes is a mother-of-two, business partner with her husband, operations manager for a large international charity and is now following God’s prompting and becoming a curate.

Claire Alcock, Langtree Claire was a primary school teacher in Eastbourne where she taught music and RE. After having a family she completed the Writers’ Bureau Correspondence Course. She also loves to compose music for piano and guitar.

Daniel Inman, Deddington with Barford, Clifton and Hempton Daniel grew up in the grittiness of the Surrey-Hampshire border, the wastelands of southern California, and Hayling Island. He became a Christian as a teenager and studied theology at Oxford.

He is a keen musician, walker and traveller.

Daniel Lloyd, Stony Stratford A priest’s son, Daniel went to school in Witney and then to Merton College, Oxford, where he studied history and German. He was also a teacher in Vienna.

James Kennedy, High Wycombe Team Ministry James came to Oxford as a surgeon, to research a novel non-invasive cancer treatment. On finishing his DPhil, he was appointed Clinical Lecturer and SurgeonScientist in Oxford University’s Nuffield Department of Surgery, where he worked until 2007, when he left to start theological training.

Jane Baun, Abingdon Team Ministry Jane Baun grew up on a wooden sailing boat, exploring the Chesapeake Bay on America’s east coast. Fluent in Russian, she worked in Moscow during the Cold War. Marriage to an Englishman brought her to Oxford, where she teaches Byzantine and Eastern Orthodox history for the Oxford University Theology Faculty.

Janet Minkkinen, Cippenham Janet is married to Paul, and has a son,

From left, Margaret Yates, June Hattaway, Stuart King, Andrew Thomas, Pam Rolls, Graeme Fancourt, Rosie Webb, Peter Day Tina Molyneux and Cath Mackrell. In front of Bishop Stephen are Sally Robertston and Marion Pyke.

Philip. Her working life serving customers at Marks and Spencer’s was good training for ministry. During her training, both of her parents died. Her mum had her ordination stole made and had ‘love mum X’ woven onto it.

Jean Pryce-Williams, Cumnor Jean is a psychotherapist, spiritual director, artist and photographer. She paints larger than life Beryl Cook type characters which remind us to make friends with our ‘wobbly bits’ and to take ourselves far less seriously. She says that a life lived gratefully and enthusiastically proves for all to see that Christians can have fun.

‘A life lived gratefully and enthusiastically proves for all to see that Christians can have fun.’

Jill Roth, Flackwell Heath Jill says her dream of becoming a famous ballet dancer fell flat as a little girl because her mum said she was too tall, so she took up Latin American and ballroom. She says: “I love reliving my dancing days watching Strictly Come Dancing. I’ve now taken up tap dancing to keep me in trim.”

Jitesh Patel, Abingdon Jitesh is looking forward to serving as curate at Christ Church Abingdon. He is a former science teacher who loves spending time with friends, reading a good book and enjoying new places.

Jo Reid, Brize Norton and Carterton Jo grew up in an Army family and started school in Cyprus. She experienced her first war when Turkey invaded in 1974 when she was five. She says: “I remember

being crouched under an upturned sofa in our house as shells dropped around us.

We were evacuated eventually and put on a Hercules back to the UK. We landed at RAF Brize Norton in just the clothes we stood up in.” Jo joined the Army aged 24 and served with the Royal Corps of Signals for 12 years.

Jonathan Hunter Dunn, Burford with Fulbrook and Taynton, Asthall with Swinbrook and Widford Jonathan is a physicist. His hobbies are metalwork and mechanical engineering and he applies these to repairing and restoring things that are contributing to needless waste and pollution. He says: “Because of Jesus, neither is it necessary for our sin and brokenness to resign us to the eternal burning rubbish tip.”

Judith Hattaway, Hurst Judith says being married to a Shakespearean scholar with a name like Hattaway is always going to make for an interesting life. The couple have four children and six grandchildren, two of them with special needs. Judith is a chaplain at a high security mental hospital and at The Avenue Special School in Reading, where she is also a governor. and she runs a private counselling practice.

Kevin Wright, Radley with Sunningwell and the Benefice of Kennington Kevin, a grandfather of two, taught deaf children at Mary Hare School for more than 20 years. He was also head of science and head of ICT. He is a steward at Newbury Rugby Club, is married to Chris and has four cats.His interests include music, art, real ales, Greek holidays and online Scrabble. His silk ordination stole was hand woven by his wife, Chris.

Lucinda Heyn, Goring and Streatley with South Stoke

11

SEPTEMBER 2010

44 curates take up calling

From left, Dan Inman, Ben Willams, Jonathan Hunter-Dunn, Stephen Blake, Graham Choldcroft, Paul Chamberlain, Christian Hofreiter, Peter Scammen, Philip Atkinson, Kevin Wright, Claire Alcock and Glynis Beckett. Front are Martin Henig, Sok Han Yong, Lucy Heyn and Jo Reid.

From left, Pippa Soundy, Jitesh Patel, Pat Butta, Janet Minkkinen, Paul Norris, Andrew Allen, James Kennedy, Peter Dockree, Carolyn Bailey, Jill Roth and Helen Barnes. Front are Jean Pryce-Williams, Pam Fielding, Jane Baun and Gareth Lane.

Lucinda is excited to be leaving the world of publishing after 20 years to work alongside the people of her benefice. She is a Franciscan who loves to be outdoors, walking or running. She is hoping to visit Uganda again next year where she has been helping to support a new primary school.

Peter Day, St Paul’s, Wokingham Peter has been a graphic designer, a mod, a bank clerk, a collector of ska and rhythm and blues, a rider of Vespas and Lambrettas, a theology student, a conference organiser, a fan of 60s influenced clothes, a lecturer, a soul dancer and an RE teacher.

Marion Pyke, Caversham, Thameside and Mapledurham Marion was an opera singer in the 1960s and when she was not singing she taught.

She also became a Relate counsellor and psychotherapist. In 1975 she became a psychiatric social worker. She is also a mother and grandmother and spent 49 years of her married life in Caversham.

She became a Licensed Lay Minister in 2004. Her husband John died in February, as she was approaching ordination, but she knows he will be by her side supporting her as he always did.

Martin Henig, North Hinksey and Wytham and the benefice of Oxford St Frideswide with Binsey Martin is an archaeologist and has wrtitten books on Roman art. He is a vegetarian who campaigns for and is passionate about animal rights. He is also an Honorary Professor at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London and is writing with others a definitive catalogue of sculpture from Roman London.

Pam Fielding, Sherington with Chicheley, North Crawley, Astwood and Hardmead Pam is a retired modern languages teacher who served as an LLM for 10 years. During an interregnum, people began asking her if she was the new vicar.

She says: “I felt God’s calling as a sense of a warm hand in the middle of my back, encouraging me.”

‘I felt God’s calling as a sense of a warm hand in the middle of my back...’

Pam Rolls, Harwell with Chilton Pam trained on the Local Ministry Pathway with five others who she says have become dear friends. She says: “My passion is reaching others with the love of Jesus through the ministry of our local churches and through an after-school club in Chilton School. My other interests include history (especially World War One) and music.”

‘My passion is reaching others with the love of Jesus...’

Patricia Bhutta, Cumnor Patricia Bhutta was born in Egypt and moved to Oxford in 1987 where she brought up four children while running her own legal firm. She describes herself as the radicalised older woman. She says: “I’m radicalised by a passion for sharing my love of God in creative and caring ways.”

Paul Chamberlain, Thame Paul is a former environmental scientist, specialising in soil and things that live in it. His wife described his job as ‘bugs and dirt’.

Paul Norris, Woughton Paul has been a ten pin bowling enthusiast for the last 40 years. He says: “It is a great game for fellowship, and in my youth I was quite good.”

Pictures by KT Bruce. www.ktbrucephotography.com

Peter Dockree, Wolverton Peter was a frontline social worker in child protection and family support and set up a rehabilitation project in rural Nigeria. He is married with three young children and has a passion for children, young people and cross cultural working.

Philip Atkinson, St Aldate’s, Oxford Phil was a Consultant in Public Health in the NHS. He will be based at St Aldate’s Church in Oxford, with responsibility for leading their work with the poor and marginalised.

Pippa Soundy, Amersham on the Hill and Church Mission Society Pippa has been an oil company executive, a music teacher and a community volunteer.. She says: “I’m excited about new possibilities in my curacy, a partnership between the Acknowledged Mission Community of CMS and the parish of St Michael’s, Amersham. I’m married to Andrew and we have three children.”

Rosie Webb, Ascot Heath Rosie trained as a nurse, has five fabulous children has climbed mountains, run half marathons, shared the labours and fruits of an allotment and yet says it seems that life is just beginning at 50.

She says: “Life is an adventure to embrace and explore, so we go to Ascot Heath in faith.”

Sally Robertson, Purley Sally has lived in Purley on Thames for 14 years. She says: “I particularly enjoy leading Purley Puppets, a group of children and adults who present the Christian story in new ways.”

Sok Han Yong, St Aldate’s, Oxford Sok Han is Chinese and says coming to faith encountered challenges as it provoked serious opposition and persecution. She says: “I was threatened with banishment from the family if I did not renounce Jesus Christ and was forced to burn the Bible instead.” She says Christ has called and affirmed her, and she has conviction, dedication and commitment to ordained ministry.

Stephen Blake, Burford with Fulbrook and Taynton, Asthall with Swinbrook and Widford Dr Stephen Blake will serve as a curate alongside full-time General Practice in Chipping Norton. He is a tutor in substance misuse for the Royal College of General Practitioners. He also works at the Bayberry Clinic, a residential rehabilitation centre near Bicester.

Stuart King, Bearwood Stuart is a school master in Berkshire. As well as teaching physics and RE, he is heavily involved in the Combined Cadet Force, Duke of Edinburgh and sailing.

Tina Molyneux, Burchetts Green Tina is married with 10 year old triplets who daily test her background in management consultancy and human resource management. She says: “I am rarely described as a domestic goddess which makes it ironic that my call to the priesthood dramatically came during a quiet moment in my kitchen.”

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

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The Doorpost Courses, training, conferences & workshops in September 2010 The Doorpost is a free service for churches to advertise their events and is designed to be hung on church noticeboards. Please send your events to doorpost@oxford.anglican.org or by post to Church House. The deadline for the October 2010 issue is 3 September.

Saturday 4 September BECKLEY: Organ recital by Carl Jackson at St Mary’s Church at 6.30pm. Details 01865 351270.

UPTON: St Mary’s Church fete at 2pm.

Sunday 5 September AMERSHAM ON THE HILL: St Michael and All Angels at 6pm .

‘Living Water’ - Sustaining the Sacred Centre. A time of stillness, Gospel reading. 01494 726680.

DORCHESTER ON THAMES: The Principal of the Oxford Academy, Mike Reading, will preach at Dorchester Abbey’s morning service at 10.15am. Details 01865 340007.

A barn dance will raise funds to restore stone work around effigies at St Mary’s, Aldworth. (See entry for September 25th.) Pic: Pauline Sheppard.

Saturday 18 September

Thursday 9 September

MONKS RISBOROUGH: St Dunstan’s Church fete from 2pm 4pm.

NEWBURY: An organ and mezzo soprano recital at St Nicolas Church at 1.10pm. Admission free.

NEWPORT PAGNELL: St Peter and Paul Parish Church flower festival at 10am - 5pm. Concert at 7.30pm.

Saturday 11 September

HEADINGTON: The Oxford Christian Institute for Counselling are holding a half day experimental workshop ‘The importance of creative activity for those involved in the caring professions’. To be held at Headington Baptist Church from 9.30am - 1pm. Details 01865 308889.

GARSINGTON: St Mary’s Church fete in the gardens of Garsington Manor at 2pm - 5pm. Detail 01865 361429.

MAIDENHEAD: St Luke’s Church is open for Hertigate open days from 10am - 4pm.

ABINGDON: St Helen’s Church.

Abingdon Artists’ summer exhibition until 18 September from 11am 5pm. Free admission.

OXFORD: St Giles’ Church at 10am - 4pm. Workshop on Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius and Cardinal Newman’s poem. £5. Details 07789866870.

Wednesday 15 September DORCHESTER ON THAMES: ‘Climate Change - is it a problem?’ presented by Dorchester Abbey and Dorchester Carbon Project at the Abbey at 7pm. ‘What can you do as a Christian to protect our environment?.

Questions and answers, fun group quiz, stalls, refreshments. Details 01865 340007.

Thursday 16 September AMERSHAM ON THE HILL: St Michael and All Angels at 8pm.

Millennium lecture by Dr Sheila Cassidy ‘God beyond Church’.

Details 01494 726680.

ASTON TIRROLD: Drop-in quiet day at the Centre for Reflection from 10.30am - 3.30pm with Revd David Bunney. Details 01235 850423.

ABINGDON: An Acorn Christian Healing foundation course ‘Listen to Listen’ on 7, 14, 21 October and 4 November at 7.30pm at Christ

Friday 24 September FINGEST: Hambleden Valley, Near Henley. Healing service with laying on of hands and anointing at Holy Communion at 10.15am. Details 01491 571231.

Saturday 25 September

SLOUGH: St Paul’s Church at 6.30pm.

‘Living Faith’ service with the Bishop of Buckingham.

DRAYTON (Near Abingdon): St Peter’s Church are holding a jazz and swing concert from 7.30pm 9.30pm. Details 01235 531683.

ABINGDON: St Helen’s Church open from 3pm - 4pm for teas to live background cello music, followed by choral evensong.

Tuesday 21 September SLOUGH: St George’s, Britwell - talk with Fiona Castle at 8pm. Details britwellstgeorge@googlemail.com

Wednesday 22 September OXFORD: Conference at Worcester College until 24 September. ‘Conflict and Convergence: Jewish and Christian Approach to the Psalms’.

Details www.oxford-psalmsconference.co.uk SLOUGH: Open day for Slough Religious Studies Centre at IQRA School from 2pm - 5.30pm.

HENLEY: A day of encouragement for women at Highmoor Hall. Guest speaker - Jennifer Rees Larcombe ‘Beauty from Ashes’. Details 01491 641112.

Thursday 23 September

Church, Northcourt Road. Cost £32.

Details 01235 532759.

ROOM FOR EVERYONE: Growing Church in a changing culture - This important diocesan conference is being chaired by the Bishop of Dorchester on 25 September at The Kings Centre, Oxford from 10am 4pm. £5. Details ruth.wilson@oxford.anglican.org LEARN SIGN LANGUAGE: The Deaf Direct Centre in Oxford are running courses to learn sign language starting in September. Email training@deafdirect.org.uk

(TD 9/10)

TILEHURST: St Michael’s are holding a ‘Harvest of Talents’ festival weekend this weekend. The Bishop of Oxford will preach on Sunday 26 September at 9.30am.

Sunday 19 September

Courses & special events MAKING GOOD PREACHING BETTER: Saturday 11 September at The Soltau Centre, Stubbings from 10am - 4pm. Cost £18.

ETHICS: How do Christians make decisions about ethics and lifestyle in a complicated world? This is a Level 2 rolling programme course and begins on 27 September at 7.30pm 9.30pm in Gerrards Cross (10 sessions). For details of the above courses contactsheila.townsend@ oxford.anglican.org

SLOUGH: St Anne’s Church, Dropmore (Littleworth Common).

Experience a prayer labyrinth from 10am - 4pm. Details 01628 661182.

HAMPSTEAD NORREYS: ‘Save the Giants’ barn dance and hog roast at 7pm in the village hall. Tickets 01635 578624.

THEALE: Holy Trinity Church are open from 9.30am - 12.30pm for ‘Macmillan Biggest Coffee Morning in the World’.

SLOUGH: Langley Marish Primary School - Happy Families Fun Day from 12 noon - 3pm.

Sunday 26 September DORCHESTER ON THAMES: Praise@7 - Informal worship at Dorchester Abbey at 7pm.

Tuesday 30 September CHAVEY DOWN, ASCOT: St Martin’s Church Hall SL5 8RR at 7.30pm. A talk given by Ann Memmott (Autism Consultant for the diocese) - ‘ Welcoming people with Autism and Asperger Synodrome’. Details 01344 886234.

Services at Christ Church Cathedral Sundays: 8am Holy Communion; 10am Matins (coffee in Priory Room); 11.15am Sung Eucharist; 6pm Evensong.

Weekdays: 7.15am Morning prayer; 7.35am Holy Communion; 1pm Wednesday only Holy Communion; 6pm Evensong (Thursday Sung Eucharist 6pm).

After Eight: Time to reflect, time to pray. Contemporary liturgies for mind and spirit on Sundays at 8pm.

Tel: 01865 276155 www.chch.ox.ac.uk

To advertise in The Door Call 01752 225623

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Arts South African link up for book launch THE latest book by the Revd Michael Wenham, who has Motor Neurone Disease and retired from his post of vicar of Stanford in the Vale, was launched in Grove, Oxfordshire, with a simultaneous live link-up to South Africa.

The book, I Choose Everything, was cowritten with fellow MND sufferer, Jozanne Moss, who lives in George, near Cape Town. “We’ve never met,” said Michael. “But she read my book My Donkeybody last year, and contacted me by email. This book is the result. Much of it is her journal and moving reflections on becoming terminally ill. She has amazing faith.”

The Cornerstone Coffee Shop in Grove, run by the local churches, was packed for the book launch, while from her bedroom in South Africa Jozanne with husband, Dave, and children, Luke, 12 and Nicole 9 joined in via Skype.

Jozanne’s MND is in an advanced stage and she can no longer move or speak.

Michael said that MND covers a spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions of which most were very aggressive and fast. ‘The average time between diagnosis and dying is 17 months which means of course there are people whose life expectancy is less than a year. I’m a lucky exception. I was diagnosed in 2002.

“I’m very grateful to Lesley Ogden from our local MND Association for coming. The association does a fantastic job in supporting us all. The MNDA is campaigning for a National Strategy for

A C T S

ddiction

ounselling

raining

chool

A dazzling tragedy

by Imogen Phillips

O

MND care. It’s not enough to say it’s just another long-term neurological condition. Normally it’s anything but.

GPs need to recognise it early on and how best to provide appropriate care, because of course there’s no cure as yet.”

Jozanne Moss & Michael Wenham, I Choose Everything – embracing life in the face of terminal illness (ISBN 978-085721-012-8) with foreword by Archbishop Desmond Tutu is published by Monarch Books, £7.99.

nce again, Oxford-based Creation Theatre Company has undertaken the challenge of creating exciting theatre in a magical venue and passed with flying colours.

Taking on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the company gives the well-known tragedy a fresh new setting and brings it to dazzling life with music, dance and an eclectic mix of modern costume.

Although Creation has undergone serious financial crises after their pledge to take traditional theatre (particularly Shakespeare and fairytales) to unusual venues has put them at the mercy of British summers, they are onto a winner with the rooftop amphitheatre at the Said Business School.

Here, the stunning outdoor stage has an indoor counterpart for bad weather.

It is understandable however, why they try to keep the performance outside except in severe cases as the semi-circle of tiered steps give a real intimacy to the performance, and the darkening sky perfectly complements the play’s journey towards its climax. I experienced ten minutes of rain in the first half and it is a credit to the quality of the performance that the audience seemed far too gripped to notice.

Gilead Foundations Addiction Counselling Training School at Risdon Farm, Jacobstowe, near Okehampton offers the following Diploma programme covering Restoration Ministry (11 courses) 150 hours: £385 Recovery Support Counselling (17 courses) 280 hours: £530 Addiction Studies (23 courses) 350 hours: £700 Gilead Foundations is also offering - Biblical Systematic theology - The Holy Spirit - The Person of Jesus Christ: £250 At Gilead Foundations we use the Genesis Process Relapse Prevention programme with our clients.

This training and the Genesis tools are used throughout the programme at Gilead: £318 We also have a correspondence course on counselling by Jay Adams: £954

SPECIAL OFFER Gilead Foundations is offering a limited number of scholarship places to suitable candidates who would like to study at ACTS. Don’t lose out, sign up NOW The details: • Training period: approx 12 months • Accommodation: Accommodation at Gilead Foundations, Risdon Farm will be free. If you are eligible for housing benefit, Gilead Foundations will be claiming for this. Food will be supplied in the community dining room, free of charge.

• Typical week: 5 days training (2 days in the classroom and 3 days practical at the rehabilitation centre), 1 day off, plus all trainees would be expected to be at the Gilead church on Sunday morning.

• Codes of practice: Trainees must agree to abide by a code of practice (a copy is available on application).

• Study materials: All study material will be paid for by Gilead Foundations

If you, or someone you know would like more information about ACTS or would like to make an application, please contact:

Laura Alm Tel: 01837 851240, Fax: 01837 851520, laura.alm@gilead.org.uk, www.gilead.org.uk

An outstanding element of the show was the use of movement. The performance opened with a street fight in the Said’s lower courtyard – which the audience observed as if citizens at Verona – and the highly charged dancing at the Capulets’ ball gave a sexual energy to the play.

Yet despite the visual excitement, moments of slowness made sure the beauty of the poetry still had time to sing.

A particular star for me was the skinnyjeaned Mercutio, whose Queen Mab powerfully explored the fine line between the real and the imaginary, and whose laddish banter couldn’t fail to bring a smile.

A reminder (if you needed one) that Shakespeare truly is a playwright for the people – a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

Imogen Phillips attends St John the Baptist, Bodicote.

Romeo and Juliet runs at the Said Business School, Oxford until 4 September.

ONLINE

@

To book tickets visit www.creationtheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01865 766266.

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Church of England’s concern over scrapping of schools building programme The Church of England’s lead spokesperson on education issues, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd John Saxbee, has written to Education Secretary Michael Gove to express his serious concern at the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme in secondary schools.

As the House of Commons begins to debate the Academies Bill, the Church is signalling its deep disappointment at the recent announcement in another area of education policy, which it says will see the fate of the learning environment of at least

30,000 young people doomed to dilapidation for the medium term.

In his letter Bishop John, (pictured right) who is chair of the Church of England’s Board of Education, focuses on the impact on the 23 Church of England secondary schools which were anticipating major building work in the near future but which have now been told it will no longer go ahead, and a further 18 CofE academy building projects now under review.

He also reflects on the impact on the wider education system, highlighting concern about the impact on communities under-served by the education system in the past, and predicting strong resistance from local communities to the sudden halt of the programme.

Bishop John argues that the Government’s policy “needs to be re-visited and revised so that new proposals can be brought forward which will give hope to those who currently feel very deflated and whose aspirations and hard work appear to have come to nothing.”

In his letter to the Government the Bishop said: “I am writing to express serious concern about the impact for the Church of England of the intention to cancel the BSF programme for secondary schools.

“As you know, the Church has over 200 secondary schools and currently sponsors 27 open academies with several more in the pipeline. Many of our schools are in areas of severe deprivation and they achieve above the norm outcomes for their pupils.

Our long standing service to such communities is a key part of the Church’s mission in education – a fact which I know you support, and it is in this context that I write.

“Both the Board of Education and the Council of the National Society are very mindful of the Government’s commitment to reducing the national debt, but we have serious concerns about the impact of the demise of BSF on our school system. Making the programme more efficient is one thing, but decimating it in this way is quite another.

“In overall terms, the key facts are: • 23 Church school projects with a combined capital value of £306m have been stopped; • 18 projects, mainly new academy buildings, with a combined capital value of £315m are under review; • Most of the projects affected are in areas of severe deprivation; • The buildings are in a very bad state, often under maintained pending anticipated rebuilds, and this seriously impairs the chances of raising standards; • Some buildings have very serious health and safety issues and may soon become unusable.

Others have acute structural problems; • The impact on local communities affected by stopped projects will be very serious and will be actively resisted in many places; • The projects under review are mainly academy projects. Cancellation or reduction in capital spend will compromise the Funding Agreement which has been signed in good faith that a new build was part of the deal. Co-sponsors may pull out if new buildings fail to materialise; • The aspirations in education briefs and expressions of interest may be unattainable if new facilities fail to materialise; • Several of the stopped projects have involved years of hard work to re-establish the prospects of good schools in the area. The remnants of these projects may be unworkable in existing buildings.

“This policy needs to be re-visited and revised so that new proposals can be brought forward which will

give hope to those who currently feel very deflated and whose aspirations and hard work appear to have come to nothing.

“We join with you in seeking financial prudence, increasingly efficient use of capital and the need for improved standards in our schools. We have been encouraged by the way in which the Coalition Government has signalled a commitment to work with us to drive up standards in our schools, and we stand ready to work with you to ensure that progress is not threatened by failure to provide school buildings to a standard our children require and deserve.”

An independent, Christian school for girls and boys aged 5 - 16, offering a well-balanced curriculum, friendly, caring atmosphere, high standards of pastoral care and excellent academic results.

Next Open Morning Saturday 6th November 2010 (visits welcomed at other times, please contact us to arrange)

New Yatt Rd, Witney, Oxon OX29 6TA t: 01993 778463 e: tks@occ.org.uk

www.occ.org.uk/tks

theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Advertisement Feature

Choosing a school Deciding on a school for your children is a tremendously important choice. In many cases a child’s primary and secondary education can have repercussions throughout life.

With concerns surrounding much of education in Britain today, it should come as little surprise that independent Christian schools maintain their popularity with parents, providing a strong spiritual and moral basis in all that they do. The more disciplined style of education seems to bear fruit and their academic results continue to impress and in many cases improve.

FAITH BASED SCHOOLS Anglican schools continue to be popular and are approached by parents from across the denominations, as well as other faiths, who wish to ensure that their children can enjoy a start to life based on a firm foundation.

You will find faith based schools in both the state supported sector offering free education whilst others can be found in the Independent Schools roster.

Many of these schools will attract pupils from the local area as well as those who make use of the boarding facilities.

Cost is a deciding factor for many parents who might well feel that they cannot afford the fees that many private schools charge, overlooking the fact that in many cases bursaries are available for suitable pupils who come from a background that does not have the ability to pay large fees. Many parents start saving when their child is young in order to finance them through secondary or higher education. It's worth checking with your bank or building society to see what sort of schemes might be available.

MORE TO SCHOOL THAN EXAMINATIONS It isn't just the academic side of school that's important, although we all know how much relevant examinations decide our futures, its all of the other activities as well. A good school will therefore be looking at Sport and the Arts. These both help to develop the whole person as we are each of us so

much more than a bank of knowledge. Many schools offer the opportunity of travel or adventure training in order to broaden the mind.

DECIDING ON THE FUTURE It’s a very similar story with further education and many pupils will be looking towards subjects to study a A Levels and then on towards Degrees or other forms of further education.

A lot of prayer and advice will be undertaken in deciding what path to follow, even when inherent talents seem to make the choice a little more obvious.

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Holidays at Home and Retreats CORNWALL

LYNTON DEVON A warm traditional welcome welcome awaits you at Kingford House ✰✰✰✰ Silver Award Enjoy excellent home cuisine Ideally situated for coastal & Exmoor walks.

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Crantock Anneth Lowen, a North Cornish Holiday Cottage. Sleeps 7 plus cot. 8 minutes walk from beach. Great for families, art groups, walkers. Available all year.

Short breaks or holidays.

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GABLE END A warm Irish welcome to our family run B&B. En-suite rooms & full English breakfast.

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The Highbury Centre, London.

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Christian Guest House on quiet private road.

Playa Blanca Affordable family villa Budget Ryan Air flights now available

Tel 01454 260619 www.lanzarotevilladirect.co.uk

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Convenient for Bournemouth, Poole and many other attractions. Reasonable rates.

Telephone 01202 761607 www.theglenbourne.co.uk • info@theglenbourne.co.uk

The Fellowship of Meditation We practise and teach Christian contemplative meditation at residential and day courses at our centre in Dorchester and at a Christian-based organisation other retreat centres in the UK. We use meditative sentences to still the mind, to focus our attention on God, and to serve as channels through which the power of the Spirit can enter our hearts.

Our members also gather in local groups. For further details please contact: The Secretary, The Fellowship of Meditation 8 Prince of Wales Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1PW. Tel: (01305) 251396 E: fellowship.meditation@virgin.net W: www.fellowshipofmeditation.org UK Reg Charity No: 213323

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theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

Letters & comment Comment

LETTERS Guidance for funerals

by Joan van Emden

Prayer for captives

O

ne of the most exciting things I’ve ever done in church was to stand up and announce that ‘our’ Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience had been released. It was a great moment and the applause was full of joy.

We kept a photo of Gamal, an Egyptian journalist imprisoned for free speech, in the Lady Chapel with an Amnesty International candle. Each week we prayed for him and we sent him occasional cards, never knowing whether he received them. AI kept us informed of the conditions of his jail and after two years, we had the news we had been waiting and praying for. Later we heard Gamal, a Muslim, was amazed and moved that Christians had cared about him and that women had taken lead roles in working for his release.

As a church we can’t belong to AI but I am a link to the Reading branch. It’s important we take no action without AI approval, as a mistake, for example, sending a Christian card, may make further trouble for the recipient.

Our current prisoners are West Papuan, committed Christians, imprisoned for joining a peaceful protest. One, Yusak, was released in July, praise God. We sent them Christmas cards with over 100 signatures, including Bishop Stephen’s.

Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the former Bishop of Oxford, recently took a petition with more than 3,000 signatures to the Indonesian Embassy, asking for the release of our prisoners; many of our names were there. The local AI branch collected money to pay for an operation urgently needed by Filep, one of our prisoners, and an impromptu collection at church raised £300. The authorities have agreed that Filep can have the operation, and we’re waiting for the result.

We’ve gained so much from the AI link. Our congregation is made up of people of many nationalities, among them those who understand the nightmare of unjust imprisonment. In our prisoners, we have a focus for our active concern; we are kept aware in a very practical way, week by week, that we are all brothers and sisters in the love of Our Lord, and of each other.

Joan van Emden is on the ministry team at Christ Church, Reading.

Coping with controversy Thought for the month

by David Winter ‘If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.’ Romans 12: 18.

T

he first reaction on the part of those who have read Acts and the Epistles to this piece of excellent advice from St Paul might be that he sometimes seems to have had problems with following it himself.

He apologised for an angry outburst addressed to the high priest (Acts 23:25), and famously rowed in public with his fellow-apostle Peter (Galatians 2:1114). In fact the whole of the letter to the Galatians is angry in tone and includes a comment about the ‘circumcision party’ that would cause uproar if repeated in a modern pulpit (5:12).

Perhaps because Paul knew about anger from personal experience he was particularly concerned to warn about its dangers. ‘Live peaceably’ is probably something we’d all like to do, but sometimes circumstances, opposition or what we see as dishonesty or disrespect blows away our intended self-control. It happens in families, at work and, sadly, in churches.

The more strongly we hold to our beliefs, the more threatened and angry we feel if they are treated lightly, or even contradicted, especially by those we would have expected to be our allies. Controversy has always been present in the Church and anyone who

Audio version Editor: Jo Duckles Tel: 01865 208227 Email: jo.duckles@oxford.anglican.org Editorial Assistant/Distribution: Debbie Dallimore Tel: 01865 208225 Email: debbie.dallimore@oxford.anglican.org Advertising: Roy Perring Tel: 01752 225623 Email: roy@cornerstonevision.com Deadline for October 2010: Friday 3 September 2010.

Published Monday 20 September 2010.

The Door is published by Oxford Diocesan Publications Ltd (Secretary Mrs Rosemary Pearce). The registered office is Diocesan Church House, North Hinksey Lane, Oxford, OX2 ONB. Tel: 01865 208200.

While every care is taken to ensure the reliability of our advertisements, their inclusion in The Door does not guarantee it or mean that they are endorsed by the Diocese of Oxford.

Sight impaired people can now get a free audio version of The Door by contacting Graham Winterbourne on 01884 840285

thinks that our present disagreements and splits are unique in church history hasn’t studied it very closely!

The challenge is to learn to disagree without being disagreeable, to hold our own views without ridiculing or abusing others for holding theirs - and to recognise that arguments in the Church of Christ are family arguments. Paul and Peter disagreed sharply, but they remained in fellowship. Christians in apostolic times disagreed over the issue of meat offered to idols, but managed to stay in the same Church. ‘So far as it depends on you’, says Paul. Sometimes the peace is destroyed despite my best efforts to maintain it.

Yet the ‘peacemakers’ are still the ‘children of God’, and it is always better to be a peacemaker in the church than a peace-breaker. Judgement (or ‘vengeance’, even, as Paul goes on to say in this passage) is God‘s prerogative, not ours. We can leave the judgement as to who is in the right and who is in the wrong to the only One who is able to make it perfectly.

There is nothing wrong with argument, in the sense of a passionate exchange of honestly held views. There is everything wrong with argument expressed angrily, sarcastically, destructively or dismissively. ‘Live peaceably’, speak peaceably, and leave the final judgement to God. That has always been the Christian way to cope with controversy.

Canon David Winter is a former Diocesan Adviser on Evangelism, former BBC head of religious affairs, a broadcaster and author of many books.

Comings and Goings Revd Paul Smith will take up post as Team Vicar in Abingdon; Revd Dr Mohan Uddin will take up post as Team Vicar in Newbury; Revd Jonathan Hawkins will take up post as Associate Minister in Aylesbury; Revd Dr Mark Griffiths will take up post as Priest in Charge in Bracknell; Revd Peter Waterson will take up post as House for duty Priest in the Thame Team; Revd Canon

I am a retired Reader who has conducted many funerals in crematoria for people who have had little or no church contact during their adult life.

As I have been asked to take such funerals, they will be Christian events, but I can offer families a considerable amount of choice as we plan together for the event. I have however certain reservations or uncertainties as I have used some of what I regard basic expressions from the C of E printed order of service.

I was therefore interested to read the review in the Church Times of Peter Jupp’s Death Our Future: Christian Theology and Funeral Practice and as a result decided to get the book. However I could not justify spending £25 on it, so I went to my local library to ask if they would order it for me, and then add it to their shelves. There was no hesitation and I found the book to be everything the reviewer said it was.

I would like to let the Door’s readers know this book is available for borrowing from Oxfordshire County Council’s Library Service, which means you can have a worthwhile read at no cost to yourself.

Dennis R Piper, Bampton

In brief 25 years of counselling The Oxford Christian Institute for Counselling (OCIC) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a thanksgiving event at Headington Baptist Church.

Friends and supporters joined current staff and trustees to hear glimpses of the past, a theological reflection from the Rt Revd David Atkinson and the opportunities and challenges for the future followed by a celebratory afternoon tea. On Saturday 18th September, the Revd Anne Holmes will conduct a morning workshop in Headington designed for “Creative Repair”. Also in Headington, on Tuesday 19th October from 7.30pm, Bishop John, an OCIC Patron, will talk on ‘Pastoral Care and the Playfulness of God’.

See the website www.ocic.org.uk for more information.

Competition Winners Betty Course from Newport Pagnell, Vivienne Holloway from Haddenham and Daphne Washbrook from Thatcham were the winners of the prize draw in the July/August issue of The Door and have all won a copy of ‘The Miracle of Saint Ralph’ dvd.

Adrian Daffern will take up post as Team Rector of the Blenheim Team Ministry; Revd Liz Welters retires from the Schorne Team; Revd John Cooper will retire from Wootton and Dry Sandford.

The following has been given permission to officiate: Revd Clive Jones. We recall with sadness the deaths of Rt Revd Alan Smithson; The Very Revd John Methuen; Revd Anthony Welling and Revd Canon Bill Whiffen

20

theDoor SEPTEMBER 2010

God in the life of...

The new Second Church Estates Commissioner MP Tony Baldry talks to Sarah Meyrick about his life, his faith and his hopes for the Church of England.

An ambassador in

T

ony Baldry is recovering from his first experience of General Synod when we meet. With its marathon debate on women bishops, it was a baptism of fire.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d spend the morning of my 60th birthday at General Synod speaking in a debate on women in the episcopate,” he says. “Usually with this sort of thing, you’d listen for a couple of times before speaking but I was called on to speak even before the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

The Second Church Estates Commissioner represents the Church of England in Parliament, which means that he is responsible for steering church legislation through the Commons. “I felt it was important to explain to Synod that the House of Commons would find it difficult to support anything that suggested women were second class bishops.”

He makes me a cup of tea in his kitchen. On the windowsill is a commemorative Cameron-Clegg Coalition mug. The coalition, he says, is working very well. David Cameron is “an excellent Prime Minister and an excellent leader”.

“The task of Second Church Estates Commissioner is about trying to ensure the machinery of the Church and the machinery of government work well together,” he says. “Church and Parliament work together in many areas, from concerns about doctrine and worship, to conservation and adaptations of church buildings, and the work of the Church in inner cities and overseas. The

Parliament closeness of the relationship is demonstrated by the prayers we say each day in the House of Commons.”

He used his position to defend church schools in the recent debate on the Academies Bill. “Some MPs had tabled an amendment because they are suspicious of faith schools generally,” he says.

By tradition, the role of Second Church Estates Commissioner goes to a senior backbencher. Mr Baldry, who was campaign aide to Margaret Thatcher in the 1974 General Election, was elected to the Commons in 1979, first for Thurrock and from 1983, north Oxfordshire. He served as a minister under both Thatcher and Major. He is proud to have been one of only 15 Conservatives who voted against the Iraq war.

He describes his upbringing in Buckinghamshire as ecumenical and

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spiritually rich. “My mother was a Quaker and my father an Anglican. So I went to Sunday Meeting and Sung Evensong, with Sunday school in the afternoon where I was taught the basic building blocks such as the Beatitudes, the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, and stories from the Bible.

“Also in the village there was a retired teacher, whose family had been involved in the church for many years, and she was a mentor. In Burnham we had Nashdom Abbey, a Benedictine Anglican community. Nashdom in the 1960s was a vibrant community of scholars, and I used to go and stay there from time to time as a guest.

“Then there was the RC priest of Britwell, Father David Woodard, who was one of the small group who challenged the Pope’s encyclical Humanae Vitae. I

didn’t appreciate at the time but it was a very rich upbringing.”

He attended Leighton Park School in Reading, a Quaker school with an Anglican headmaster. His faith was an “active choice at school” and he was confirmed at Christ Church, Reading.

These days he attends his village church, St Mary’s, Bloxham, or St Gabriel’s, Pimlico, when he is in London.

He still occasionally attends Quaker Meetings. The Prime Minister and most of the Cabinet, he says, are “quiet Christians”, motivated by Christian values, believing they have a responsibility to serve their country.

“Much of what David Cameron is saying about the Big Society is about that inherent responsibility. And all of us as Christians have that responsibility.”

He says he is only just getting his head round the different factions within the Church. “Most people want the Church to look outwards and engage with the community as a whole,” he says. “At the same time there’s the issue of

‘Most people want the Church to look outwards...’ maintaining the fabric of our churches and cathedrals.

“In a constituency like mine, there are a huge number of churches, based on previous patterns of settlement. That means small congregations are struggling to maintain churches that have been around for many centuries.”

Another challenge is presented by our busy lives. “It’s often hard for families to attend church, when both parents are working. That means we’re in danger of losing the common literature of church that people of my generation grew up with. And unless people are confident, there’s always a risk when they do go to church that they feel like they are taking an exam for which they’ve only been taught part of the syllabus.”

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