The Revd Writes… A question that I am often asked is, ‘Why is the Church always asking for money?’ It is a question that is far from straightforward to answer. Structurally the Church of England is a complex organisation that requires a mathematician with a doctorate in history to understand how we arrived at where we are today to be able to work out who pays for what. If you want the short answer, here it is. Money does not come down in the Church of England. It goes up. Here's the long answer. When it comes to finances there is no such thing as a Church of England. There are however 42 dioceses governed by their own bishops and synods and diocesan boards of finance. Each diocese is completely independent with its own historic resources. Some dioceses are less well-off than others with Lincoln Diocese being the wealthiest and Liverpool the poorest. This has consequences for clergy pay for example, clergy in Southwark are paid more than those working in London. The basic stipend (salary) for clergy in St Albans Diocese in 2022/23 was £28 267, above the national average of £27 770. The funding of clergy is the direct responsibility of the diocesan board of finance. In 2024 the cost for funding the clergy across the Diocese of St Albans is budgeted at £9 296 000 out of a total budget for running the Diocese of £17 703 000. Investment income from historic resources contributes towards the running costs of each diocese. Still, the bulk of the funding is dependent upon the voluntary contributions made by each local parish church. In church-speak, this is what is known as ‘Parish Share’. A diocese organises a group of churches into what is called a ‘benefice’ to come together to raise the monies needed to fund the cost of a vicar + the add-on costs of helping to run the diocese. The cost of paying for a vicar is ultimately dependent upon voluntary donations at the local level. So, what about the Church Commissioners? This organisation works independently of dioceses whose historic resources are used to generate income to fund the work and houses of bishops and cathedral deans and much of the clergy pension liability. They also support the church's work by funding social projects, particularly in deprived communities. They do not fund the day-to-day cost of ministry or the upkeep of parish church buildings. Church buildings, the majority of which are listed as of great architectural merit, are not maintained by dioceses, this responsibility lies solely with the local church council. Beyond allowing VAT to be reclaimed on some repairs, central government does not assist with the maintenance or repair costs either. The cost of maintaining church buildings is dependent upon voluntary donations at the local level. And then there are candles, electricity bulbs, christening certificates, and communion wine. The Church Commissioners do not fund these items. Neither does the Diocese. Central government gives no grants for such things… So, back to voluntary donations at the local level… This is why the Church is always asking for money… God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… Back in August my wife and I had the privilege of visiting Norway on holiday. One of the highlights was visiting a medieval Church made completely of wood. These beautiful ‘stave’ churches with their roof-top dragon motifs, a symbol of earlier Viking heritage, adorn many a tourist brochure. You could be forgiven for thinking that such churches stand at the heart of every Norwegian village, but the truth is that Norway only has 28 such churches left. Hundreds have simply rotted away over the centuries and few are now used for regular worship. Our Holiday Guide was quick to point out that Norway is a secular country. Less than 2% of the population are regular worshippers, nevertheless, 70% see Evangelical Lutheranism as part of their national identity. In the words of our Guide, “Norway is a secular country. But we are all Lutherans… Maybe we go to Church once at Christmas… Just in case!” August also saw the publication of an important survey commissioned by The Times Newspaper, the first since 2014 of the views of Church of England Parish Priests. 64.2 % Of the 1100 parish priests who responded stated, ' We are a Christian country but only historically. We are not a Christian country today in practice.’ My initial reaction to this was that this is not news. Those of us who work in ministry on the ground know all too well that the Church and all that it offers now exists in a complex marketplace in which the right of the consumer to choose predominates. This is not necessarily a bad thing, indeed in multicultural Britain, in many respects, it is a good thing. What The Times fails to mention is that what is happening to the Church of England and other mainstream churches is being replicated all over the Western world. The challenge to the local Church to flourish in the Diocese of St Albans is no different than the challenge that the local Church is facing in the Diocese of Oslo. Regular church attendance in our own village churches is often very low not least because for most people now Christian worship is alien and some would argue counter-cultural in the secular age. How many now understand what ‘Holy Communion’ means? Answer - Increasingly few in England, and in Norway, and in the rest of Europe. It isn’t just the institution of the Church that is under threat, Christianity itself seems to be in decline. And yet… No longer identifiable as a Christian country does not mean that we are not a Christian state. Herein lies a paradox. ‘Norway is a secular country. We are Lutheran.’ Britain, along with the rest of much of Europe, continues to look to Christianity for a religious framework, and still calls upon the Church both nationally, and locally, to be there when needed E.g., Carol Services, Christenings, Coronation. In the same way that secular Norway cannot quite conceive of itself not being Lutheran, here at home, relatively few can think of an England without the C of E. Christianity and the Church might be struggling but it does seem as if secular culture hasn’t quite done with it just yet. God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes...“That many things revolve thou mayest explore And when thou dost dissolve it is no more, For so this earthly transitory mound In an eternal motion still runs round.”Last year I received an email from an American academic, Professor Wendy Wall of Northwestern University in Evanston, north of Chicago, querying whether I could help with some research work that she was doing on the C17th poet, Hester Pulter. Were there any relevant memorial stones in Cottered Church? As a still newly arrived parish priest I had not heard of Hester Pulter and, when I asked neighbours and friends, no one in Cottered seemed to have heard of her either. Wendy however reassured me that Hester Pulter had made a lasting contribution to English literature and pointed me to her own research project ‘The Pulter Project’ available online. Thus I began to learn about another notable character who lived within one of our own village communities and whose writing in recent times has taken the academic world by storm. In 1996 a ‘lost’ manuscript was discovered in the Brotherton Library in Leeds. The manuscript contains 130 poems and some 30 pages of a prose romance written by Lady Hester Pulter under the pseudonym of the Noble Hadassas, a biblical reference to Esther. Since the discovery, her literary fame has gone from strength to strength. It is believed she was born in Dublin in 1605. Her father, James Ley became the first Earl of Marlborough in 1626. Hester married Arthur Pulter whilst still a young adolescent and lived the rest of her life at Broadfield Hall. The Civil War proved to be a difficult time for the Pulters. Arthur hung on to a pragmatic neutrality; Hester’s voice was unequivocally for the King, as is reflected in some of her poems. Revolution and strife in the outside world became a metaphor for her own internal suffering and melancholic state, a consequence of witnessing 13 of her 15 children die. Such trauma led to her seeking consolation in her writings and in a worldview that clung to an understanding that ultimately God holds all things in his hands. She believed passionately in the circle of life and death and in this understanding found a meaning to life that endured. The above lines from her poem, Circle 3 give expression to her own articulating of that faith. She would surely have rejoiced in the circular patterns of the later C19th floor tiles now in place in the sanctuary of Cottered Church. Pulter’s poems are beautifully written. Her use of language connects with a woman’s struggle to give vent to her feelings of what it means to have lived in a time and a place in history dominated so much by the chauvinism of Roundhead and Cavalier alike. What she writes has for so long lain hidden from view, like much of her own personal anguish, yet is now being explored in the light of day by our own generation who are learning to appreciate her literary gifts in ways in which she would never have thought possible, and to value in ways she would never have believed. It was a real pleasure to welcome Professor Wall to Cottered in July this year as she made her own personal pilgrimage to Cottered to walk in the footprints of our newly discovered heroine of the pen. Discover Hester Pulter for yourself at https://pulterproject.northwestern.edu/(Cover photo is of Broadfield, home of the Pulter family, in Henry Chauncy, The Historical Antiquities of Hertfordshire (1700), plate between pp. 72-3. Folger Shakespeare Library.)God Bless Mark
The Revd Writes… The month of August is, for many, the opportunity to step back from the day-to-day routine and take a break. In our post-pandemic world holidays are now back on track even if the cost-of-living crisis means a ‘staycation’. We have regained our freedom to roam. For children in particular there is much to be said for learning more about our local environment, with fun to be had during days out, perhaps with grandparents and friends stepping in to share the juggle of childcare needs. School holidays often mean relatives, friends and neighbours all joining together, giving voluntarily of time and energy to ensure that children are kept fruitfully occupied and engaged, ensuring that the journey of learning never really stops. Indeed, childcare costs, even with government support, is a big item for many family budgets with now more than ever before over the last two decades, parents turning to their parents for help when it comes to looking after children. 82% Of all grandparents now spend some time helping to look after their grandchildren, contributing an estimated £6.8 billion to the economy. So, a BIG Thank You to everyone helping to look after children this school holiday. A founding principle of Christian faith is that God gives of himself voluntarily in love to humanity. The whole history of Christian faith is focused on God going out of his way to step in to save men and women from themselves when they fail to love properly - often catastrophically so. This theological understanding centres on following the example of Jesus in serving others and has been a founding principle of much of our modern-day voluntary sector movement. ‘I help to look after my grandchildren, not because I always want to, but because I believe it is the right thing to do. If I believe that God first loved me then it is my Christian duty to love others and where better to start than with my grandchildren.’ July saw village fairs taking place across our communities. Hardworking committees, made up solely of volunteers, pulled together to celebrate the best of who we are and in doing so helped to raise thousands of pounds for those institutions and charities on which we all rely. Without this activity, much of the social and built fabric of our villages would quickly fall into a state of neglect. Our local schools, village halls and our ancient churches are all dependent upon the goodwill and generosity of what is given freely, not just in terms of maintaining bricks and mortar but equally in terms of sustaining relationships and community cohesion. August brings a time of much-earned rest for this group of volunteers. And another BIG Thank You from all of us to them. A consequence of the COVID pandemic has been to see a dramatic decline in volunteering of all kinds. Some estimates put this at up to fifty per cent, with many not rushing back to pick up on commitments they previously undertook. If the summer holiday period means you are having a think about the possibility of volunteering, rest assured you are needed! The benefits can be hugely rewarding not least for mental health and wellbeing. If you are not sure where to start… You might like to ask if you can help by listening to children read in one of your local schools… God Bless Mark
