SVB
Outlook August - September 2021
The magazine of the churches of The Sodbury Vale Benefice: Chipping Sodbury, Old Sodbury, www.svbcofe.org.uk Little Sodbury and Horton. 1 1
Our Team
The Rector
Curate
The Revd. Canon David Bowers 01454 313159, rector@svbcofe.org.uk
The Revd. Jane Jones-Williams 07498 878164 revjanejw@gmail.com
Day off Monday
Churchwardens St John’s, Chipping Sodbury
St James’, Horton
Joy Gibson 01454 319288
Tina Hildick-Smith 01454 320380
Paul Jones-Williams 01454 324970
Richard Needs 01454 329890
St Adeline’s, Little Sodbury
St John’s, Old Sodbury
Linda Hurst 01454 319183
John Myers 01454 312223
Safeguarding Nominated Person
Administrators
Hannah Saunders 07515 915976
Michelle Jenkins, Trish Gailey and helpers
hcsaunders-home@talk21.com
Advertising
Contact Hannah if you have a concern about suspected abuse of a child or a vulnerable adult
Volunteer required
Published by The Sodbury Vale Benefice, Church Office, St John’s Church Centre, Wickwar Road, Chipping Sodbury, BS37 6BQ, 01454 325160, sodburyvalebenefice@gmail.com, Open in school term time, Mon - Tue - Thu mornings 9.00 - 12.00. Editor - Michael Stephenson outlook@svbcofe.org.uk
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A Word from David Dear Friends The time of year when we move from August into September is often marked by new beginnings. Schools begin the academic year; clubs and societies resume after the summer break; many people decide they would like to sign up to learn new things, whether flower-arranging, beginner’s Spanish or car maintenance. I always feel that September feels like the beginning of a new year, more so than January. I feel that is especially the case this year, following all we have lived through.
“When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept. When as a youth I waxed more bold, time strolled. When I became a full grown man, time ran.”
“The Lord is our companion in every season and circumstance of life.”
The cycle of the year, as well as other images, help us think about the cycle of human life. As the year changes through the months and seasons, so our lives have their changes and many writers have explored this in many ways. One of the most famous examples of this of course is Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man” speech from “As You Like It”, taking us through the stages of life from infancy to old age. In the Bible, the writer of Psalm 30, encourages us to use the time given to us wisely and not to squander our years. He prays, “So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a wise heart”. We may feel, especially as we grow older, that, in the famous words from Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon”, “Every year is getting shorter”. It is perhaps expressed more poetically in the verses on the famous clock in Chester Cathedral, with the words of the poet Henry Twells. It begins: “When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept. When as a youth I waxed more bold, time strolled. When I became a full grown man, time ran.” As we once again see the changing cycle of the year and reflect on how we use the time God has given to us, may we remember, especially as we look to a more hopeful future, that the Lord is our companion in every season and circumstance of life. David Bowers 3
Life’s Journeys
By Frank Gray
Our Heart Journey This journey is one that is more easily overlooked. It is not something that can be easily measured or tested. Yet, when we compare it with the head journey, it is possibly the more important of the two. It determines who we are as individuals, rather than what we know. It has to do with our will, our emotions and feelings, our attitudes – our character. It also involves our relationships and our ability to trust. Similarly, it also controls our fears. Our fears play a major part in our lives and especially the way in which we move forward and make decisions. The ultimate fear, we are told, is the fear of death. Fear can be crippling in its effect, depriving us from ever reaching our full potential as children of God. This kind of fear does not come from God. We have already talked of superstitions that can control our thinking.
Photo by USGS on Unsplash
Of course, there is also a value in certain kinds of fear which help protect us from danger – fire, road accidents, being poisoned, etc – but these fears could potentially become obsessions and begin to control our lives. The fear of failure is perhaps one of the most paralysing fears we can have. The opposites of fear are trust, enthusiasm, risk-taking, faith – even love. These all serve to open up new possibilities and adventures. They encourage us to be brave, to experiment and be open to change. They liberate us from fear and the constrictions that fear imposes – often irrationally.
Photo by Frank Gray
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Building trust is possibly one of the most significant elements we can bring into a person’s life. It is the starting point for many and a necessary first step in establishing relationships. Our listening skills may need to work overtime as we help individuals toward accepting that they are valued and understood. Just this simple
act of being listened to, and accepted as a person of worth, may be a starting point for many. This is a process of removing barriers to belief. ‘Dissolving barriers’ might be a more apt description as prejudices melt away like snow and ice under the warmth of the winter sunshine... Our common humanity is something we too easily overlook and the warmth of human relationships is undervalued. This warmth and acceptance transcends differing beliefs and values. It is a basic human need.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
Our heart also opens us up to spiritual realities and faith. It puts us in tune with the things of God and his love for us. It helps us to warm to new relationships and an openness of mind - and new ideas. It is interesting to note that in today’s world military engagement is sometimes expressed as comprising two dimensions too. ‘Hearts and Minds’ was a strategy used to describe the elements of western military engagement in the Iraq war. Propaganda was also used extensively in both World Wars and the Vietnam War through pamphlets in a psychological warfare campaign (PSYWAR). As such it reflects manipulation, the unhealthy and unacceptable face of persuasion. Relationships in the workplace reflect our integrity and our ability to empathise with others who possibly will not share the same outlook on life. We may feel challenged by the high standards set by those who do not share our Christian faith and beliefs. This can be challenging. Others who know we are Christians may hold us Photo by Frank Gray at arm’s length or seek ways to discredit us. How much are the lives of others impacting us? Conversely how are we influencing the behaviour and values of others? Lockdown has generated a new set of conditions that we have been learning to live with. How shall we emerge from these, putting into action those things we have been learning and with a higher sense of the value of our relationships? 5
Message from Bishop Rachel During the pain, loss, and challenge of these past 16 months I have deeply appreciated green spaces, whether the gift of our garden, the small parks in Gloucester, or the expanse of fields, forest, and hills across the diocese. In the downpours of recent days I have tried to remind myself that we wouldn’t have all the green without that combination of sun and rain (although I’d quite like to change the ratio sometimes).
“I have deeply appreciated green spaces, whether the gift of our garden, the small parks in Gloucester, or the expanse of fields, forest, and hills across the diocese.”
Last Friday as I left Parliament where I had been all week, I deliberately chose to take a lengthy walk to Paddington Station through the beautiful Royal Parks of London (something I treasured throughout my years in London). As I walked, I was able to reflect on the week, let things surface within me, offer things to God in prayer, and breathe deeply. Yet again I was reminded of Psalm 23 which I have kept very much in sight over the past 16 months. I am quite sure that Psalm 23 is being read, sung, and heard on a frequent basis across the diocese. There is the risk that the famous psalm becomes too familiar and comfortable rather than letting the words seep deep into our souls to challenge and transform us.
Psalm 23 affirms God’s unending presence, goodness, and mercy in places of delight and places of darkness and fear, always holding before us the hope of the spread table and the promise of eternal dwelling with God. In my electronic diary the colour-coding for my rest time, holidays and retreats is green. The green of ‘go’ is not always about activity – it can also be the ‘go’ of ‘letting go’ and metaphorically lying down in green pastures and playing by streams; being still in prayer and transformed through scripture. Our rest and play, in right balance with our work, will be restorative and lead to new discovery, not least of Self and God; and there will be space for healing and growth. Sometimes bishops and archdeacons struggle to make clergy and lay leaders lie down in rest – indeed, we sometimes struggle to do the 6
same ourselves. However, Psalm 23 reminds us that when we keep our eyes and hearts on God, it is God who makes us lie down. And if we refuse to do so we are in danger of a displaced arrogance implying that we are somehow above God and know best. The croziers Bishop Robert and I carry remind us that whilst we are still sheep of the Good Shepherd, we are also called to be shepherds of Christ’s flock. So, this summer we want to encourage the entire diocesan flock to live a restorative rhythm which holds play, rest and work in good balance (noting that we all engage in work in its broadest sense).
“We particularly want to ensure that clergy and lay leaders take plenty of rest time over the summer”
If we are to do this, we need to recognise our interdependence as the Body of Christ and fellow human beings, and the need to support one another. We particularly want to ensure that clergy and lay leaders take plenty of rest time over the summer including ensuring that everyone has a significant stretch of holiday on the horizon and plenty of additional time to rest and play over the next two months, so that people can be refreshed for a new chapter in the autumn.
Yet it is not just about clergy and lay leaders, it is about everyone from the youngest to the oldest. Furthermore, living a summer of restoration will only work if we all support, encourage and challenge one another. For example, every worshipping community needs to look with grace and mercy at what does not need to happen over the coming weeks. Of course, we need to ensure that giving glory to God is at the heart of all we live but that does not mean for example that service patterns cannot be changed, meetings curtailed, tasks minimalised and emails reduced. Across parishes, chaplaincies and all our worshipping communities, please do look at what can be done to support one another in order for everyone to have a proper rest and live a different rhythm, even amid the unceasing activity of life.
“Living a summer of restoration will only work if we all support, encourage and challenge one another.”
The collect this week asks that all God’s faithful people, each in their vocation and ministry, may serve God in holiness and truth, to the glory of God’s name. That can only be done if we inhabit rest, work and play in healthy ways. Bishop Robert and I continue to hold you in our prayers with gratitude, + Rachel 7
One year on Who would have imagined the change in a person’s life after just one comment during a casual conversation on ZOOM one Sunday? The pandemic has affected each and every one of us, in so many different ways, mostly sad, but in amongst the gloom, sparkles of hope and happiness have shone through. Our daughter Phoebe’s recovery from spinal surgery has been a wonderful answer to prayer, made possible through the generosity of so many friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Phoebe returned to her beloved nursing mid October 2020, on a phased basis allowing her to gently prepare her body and mind for the rigours of theatre duties. By Christmas 2020, Phoebe was full of life, her wicked and quick-witted sense of humour was in full throttle !! Today, fully recovered Phoebe is forging ahead in her nursing career, back enjoying hill walking and no doubt planning when she can return to playing hockey and going skiing!! We have so much to be thankful to God for, and for our Christian fellowship; Jane and I thank you all. God Bless. Photo by Frank Gray
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Everyday Justice Life-Changing Advocacy Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. He is the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them – he remains faithful for ever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked. The LORD reigns for ever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD. PSALM 146:5–10
Photo by Sherise VD, Unsplash
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise your name, and the upright will live in your presence. PSALM 140:12–13
Early on in the pandemic, Madonna infamously referred to COVID-19 as a ‘great equaliser’. The fact that she said it from a bath full of rose petals was just one reason to call her statement into question. Such ‘equalisers’ don’t really exist. Dig a little deeper and you’ll almost always find that the rich, powerful, and privileged will have an easier time of it. Black and South Asian people have been hit hardest by Coronavirus, white-collar workers have continued working from home whilst other sectors have been decimated, and rich nations are experiencing a vaccine-fuelled recovery whilst the global majority continue to struggle. The Bible is no stranger to such inequality. Righteousness is fundamentally relational, but because of sin these relationships are damaged – we turn away from God and in on ourselves, leading to greed and oppression. Fallen people then form broken structures, leading to institutional injustice. Imagine a 400-metre race where some competitors had a massive head start. It wouldn’t be fair for the whole field to start at the same time. In the same way, where inequality exists it’s insufficient simply to treat everyone the same and assume it’ll all work out. We need to address inequality and the systems that cause it. 9
And we have a God who cares especially for the poor. Psalms such as the ones cited above show what John Stott calls ‘a God who desires justice and asks us, as his people… to champion the cause of the poor and the powerless’. But who are the powerless? Scripture consistently refers to the widow, the fatherless, and the foreigner. Equivalents today might include the child in social care, the homeless man, the asylum seeker, “may our the trauma survivor, the lonely elderly woman. God’s priority is to ‘secure justice’ for those on the margins, and we’re called to lives reflect join this work. God’s So, practically, how do we use our everyday lives to undo priorities.” inequality? One way is through advocacy, partnering with God to restore social structures and empower the disadvantaged. Not ignoring or abandoning our privilege, but stewarding it lovingly on behalf of others. This might look like listening and learning to find out where inequality exists on our frontlines. It might involve our jobs, working for justice as well as for profit. It might mean signing petitions, or ‘upholding the cause’ of the voiceless in everyday conversations with friends, families, or neighbours. As we advocate for the Source - London Institute for marginalised, may our lives reflect God’s priorities. Contemporary Christianity Matt Jolley (Editor, Word for the Week ) www.licc.org.uk.
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Temper There once was a young boy with a very bad temper. The boy's father wanted to teach him a lesson, so he gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper he must hammer a nail into their wooden fence. On the first day of this lesson, the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. He was really mad! Over the course of the next few weeks, the little boy began to control his anger, so the number of nails that were hammered into the fence dramatically decreased. It wasn't long before the little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Then, the day finally came when the little boy didn't lose his temper even once, and he became so proud of himself, he couldn't wait to tell his father. Pleased, his father suggested that he now pull out one nail for each day that he could hold his temper. Several weeks went by and the day finally came when the young boy was able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. Very gently, the father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. "You have done very well, my son," he smiled, "but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same." The little boy listened carefully as his father continued to speak. "When you say things in anger, they leave permanent scars just like these. And no matter how many times you say you're sorry, the wounds will still be there." 11
James 1:19-20 "This you know, my beloved brethren But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." This can be summed up in three words for quick recall - "Quick, Slow, Slow."
Proverbs 16:32 "He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, And he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city."
Ephesians 4:6-10 "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity."
Jane’s Ordination After the restrictions on last year’s ordination services we hoped many more people could come to the cathedral this year, but sadly, it wasn’t to be. Thankfully, we were priested together rather than split into small groups as last year; there were 15 of us with 12 guests each. One huge relief was the ordination retreat went ahead in person at the Elim Retreat Centre in West Malvern. Last year it had taken place at our homes via Zoom during the hottest week in June, so rather different! Bishop Rachel, Canon Aidan Platten and Revd Ann Sargent spent the time with us, leading sessions or chatting. We had 4 different services every day in the nearby church, and during the first we draped our stoles over the font to form part of our focus for our time there. Our last evening service was extremely moving as Bishop Robert joined us while we received Bishop Rachel’s charge before she washed our feet, then we shared in the Eucharist. The setting for the retreat was stunning, in grounds where we wandered freely. I surprised a friend I was walking with one day by announcing there was a naked man up ahead - there was! You may need a magnifying glass to spot him in the photo here, but he was one of various sculptures throughout the grounds. I’ll tell you more about the next photo another time. A significant time was spent in silence for reflection, but it was a joy one evening to sit outside and sing while the sun prepared to set.
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And so to ordination day, Saturday 26 June. After a reminder of our ‘stage directions’ by Eddie, who was ex-army (‘Come on you ‘orrible lot, line up, line up, two paces forward’ etc) we were led to wait with the Bishops. Last year I mentioned the sense of engagement with centuries of people who’ve gone before us at that point; it’s a very powerful moment as we prepare. Then it was time to move to the west door via the cloisters for the start of the service.
Photo by Frank Gray
Family The phrase ‘you can’t choose your family’, is often used as a complaint muttered in a sigh of frustration, but for a more positive take on the subject consider ‘You don’t choose your family; they are God’s gift to you – as you are to them’. Joyce Cains
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But what can I do about the Climate Crisis? We hear much about climate change and see the effect it has on our world, but as individuals we feel powerless – what can I do that really makes a difference? One answer is to join with others, because solidarity of purpose and strength in numbers does bring about change. The Time Is Now is a campaign run by The Climate Coalition – a collective of over 140 organisations, including the National Trust, Women’s Institute, RSPB, Christian Aid, Tearfund and many others. We can add our voice by signing The Time Is Now Declaration. Businesses, community groups, churches and people from all walks of life are joining in to send a unified message that we want the Prime Minister to lead the UK towards a healthier, greener, fairer future.
Photo Peter Burden Unsplash
Please read and sign the declaration at https://thetimeisnow.uk/ then give this link to family and friends. Our best chance of building a stronger economy goes hand in hand with tackling climate change. By working together, investing in growing clean industries and preserving green spaces we can build a cleaner, fairer world for future generations. In November the UK hosts the UN Climate Summit (COP26) in Glasgow. This will be critical in reviewing countries’ ambitions on climate action and in getting the world to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the rise in global temperature. This is our opportunity to lead the world into a greener future, but first we need to invest in the solutions to climate change at home. Ahead of the summit, the UK must lead the world by example. For more information go to https://thetimeisnow.uk/aboutthe-campaign Chris Axford, Phone: 01454 321161, Email: chris@robaxford.plus.com Photo Wesley Tingey Unsplash
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Harvest Appeal 2021 The Community of the Sisters of the Church 82 Ashley Road Tel 0117 941 3268 Bristol BS6 5NT Mob 07846 629086 bristoladmin@sistersofthechurch.org
Can we continue to count on your generous support for our Harvest Appeal this year? Items we will need are the usual: Tins: meat, fish, vegetables, soups, baked beans, spaghetti hoops, custard, rice pudding, and fruit. Ambient: rice, pasta, tea bags, cereals, coffee, biscuits, and UHT milk. The Extras that our customers love: pot noodles, crisps, snack bars. Toiletries: All toiletries, sets or individual, are welcome
Over the past 18 months we have been overwhelmed by those who have continued to support our Ministry, and I want to take the opportunity to say a big THANK YOU! If you would also like us to come and preach at your church, please contact me at teresamary@sistersofthechurch.org Teresa Mary (Sister in Charge)
Copy Deadline Please send all copy for the October - November issue to the Church Office by Friday
September 17 15
Front Cover:
St John’s Old Sodbury. Photo: Michael Stephenson
The Extended Team Honorary Assistant Ministers Meet the members of the extended team who support our worship. They consist of retired clergy (perhaps not quite?) and lay readers, who help David by taking services and helping with other events around the benefice.
Revd. Steve Abbott abbott.steve@btinternet.com
Revd. Pauline Green pauline.green936@gmail.com
Revd. Canon Rob Axford
Revd. Chris Mason revd.chris.mason@gmail.com
rob@robaxford.plus.com
Revd. Christine Axford chris@robaxford.plus.com
Revd. David Powe
Revd. Canon Catherine Coster
Wully Perks (Reader)
catherinecoster3@gmail.com
wulstanperks@gmail.com
01454 777745
Mike Swain (Reader) swain189@btinternet.com
This magazine is brought to you Free by the four churches of the Sodbury Vale Benefice. If you would like to make a small donation towards printing costs which are 65p a copy that would be most welcome. Thank you. 16