In this week's video, Bishop Richard shares his concerns about the recently published UK bill to allow assisted suicide to those who are terminally ill. It is right that we should want anyone close to the end of their life to 'die well and as comfortbaly as possible'.However, Bishop Richard says that 'the huge danger -- and it has been shown in every jurisdiction that starts down this road -- is that the commendable desire to relieve suffering quickly morphs into vulnerable people feeling they ought to end their lives so as not to be a burden.'He concludes: '... such a move runs huge risks in diminishing our respect for one another and threatening the vulnerable. The offer of choice for some may in the end for many prove to be no choice at all.'Bishop Richard's weekly video #222There is a transcript of this week's video on the diocesan website.
As always, our Parish News is packed with stories from our villages. Do have a look at all the Advent and Christmas events happening in our parishes, plus the usual wildlife notes, book reviews, lots of small ads, and of course a Chuckle Corner.You can click the link below to view or download the December edition of the Parish News in PDF format.Thank you for all your support this year!
Following the recent publication of the Makin report into the 'horrendous abuse perpetrated by John Smyth', Bishop Richard reminds us all to be vigilant, and then urges us 'to pray or all victims and survivors of the failings of our Church, pray for good safeguarding practice and culture to be embedded in our parishes, and for people to be listened to if they tell us their stories, and those stories acted upon in the proper way.'He concludes by saying, 'Lord have mercy on your Church, make us holy, make us kind, make us caring, make us safe, that the love of Christ will still shine through our frailty and brokenness.'Bishop Richard's weekly video #221There is a transcript of this week's video on the diocesan website.
“Not yesterday I learned to knowThe love of bare November days”(from ‘My November Guest’ by Robert Frost)Darling November is for me the most reflective of months, a time for remembering and pondering, before the exuberant jolly jamboree of December. The winter unknown lies ahead, the year of memories stretches out behind. An eventide season characterised by a sweet, gentle melancholy. Our culture embraces November with various remembrances. All Souls church services afford us the opportunity to remember, in calm candlelit stillness, our loved ones who are now out of eye’s sight and hand’s holding. Hot on its heels comes Bonfire Night, with its whizzes and bangs, commemorating something I’m never quite comfortable with. And then the national call goes up to remember with silent dignity those whose lives are lost in the military’s quest for peace.Moments of quiet stillness, intentional points of contemplation, prayer and meditation, are a blessing in my life that I all too often forgo in the hubbub and busyness. Words and sounds are everywhere, all the time. If I steal such a moment in my solitude, I often sense that God draws nearer, and I am not alone. In a quite different way, there is something heavenly about being together with others in calm reflective quietness. I love Taizé worship and group mindfulness meditations for that reason. It is my hope to start introducing more intentional silence into some of our church services (and not just the kind of silence that comes when I momentarily forget what I’m meant to be doing).In Garway church in December we will have a Blue Christmas gathering especially for those who find that time of year particularly sad – more on that in next month’s edition.I hope that November will afford you some gentle, still moments to reflect and ponder, either companionably or in quiet solitude. I pray that if you are remembering a lost loved one, the silence is kind and not harsh.With love and blessing,Rev Angie xP.S. Our Benefice All Souls service is on 3 November. You will be given a warm welcome.