As many of you will know, I wrote and spoke last month about the terrible events in Southport at the end of July, and I am sure that we have all been holding Alice, Elsie and Bebe, their grieving families and the whole community in our thoughts and prayers. Only a few days before the attacks in Southport we had held Leavers’ Services at St Mark’s Church in Antrobus and Great Budworth Church, where we had said goodbye to the Year 6 pupils and had wished them well for their ongoing journeys in secondary school and life – how very sad that those three young girls from Southport have been so cruelly denied this and countless other opportunities and adventures in their lives. After one of my addresses I was reminded though of the wonderful ways in which communities had come together after the mindless anti-immigrant protests and rioting in a number of towns and cities across the country, and of course His Majesty King Charles spoke about this to the nation at the beginning of August. Mosques and other buildings being repaired, fundraising taking place for all sorts of things – sending really positive messages about, amongst other things, the important role of social media as opposed to the negativity of the protests and riots – and local people speaking out on behalf of their communities and distancing themselves absolutely from the far right protests and rioting. In one of my addresses I quoted St Paul who, in his letter to some of the earliest believers in Ephesus (modern day Turkey) encouraged them to “.....put away falsehood.....and speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another” and asked them to ensure that “...no evil talk came out of their mouths.” To these wise words we might add “...or from our smart phones....!” As sisters and brothers in Christ we draw our strength from our Christian faith, but we know that in our diverse and pluralistic society others draw their strength from different sources and, like those who have been speaking on behalf of their communities in Southport and elsewhere, we should honour and respect them, notwithstanding our differences. This has, I think, been amply demonstrated across the country in these last few weeks. This month we will be welcoming new children to our schools in both Antrobus and Great Budworth, and giving thanks to God for the harvest and the work of our farming communities, who have had to deal with such difficult weather over the last year (see Paul Gerrard’s commentaries for the view from the farm gate as it were). As we do so, let us not forget all those across our world who are suffering and let us commit ourselves afresh to the pursuit of justice, peace and reconciliation, taking comfort even in the darkest of times from Jesus’ reassurance to us: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.” May God bless each one of us in this coming month. The Revd Alec Brown.
Dear friends, I am no Alistair Cooke but this is a letter from America. This is being written in Memphis, half way through a 3 week holiday. Dave, Nat and I have visited Boston, stayed with friends in Connecticut before spending 5 days in New Orleans. We are now on our road trip, travelling to Chicago via Memphis, Nashville and St. Louis. We are visiting as many music spots as we can and yesterday were blown away touring Sun Studios, realising you were standing in space previously occupied by the likes of Elvis, Bb King and U2. In New Orleans we were there at the same time as the ECLA Youth Gathering. The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America can trace their roots to the mid 17th Century when early Lutherans came to America settling in the Virgin Islands and then New York. It was incredible seeing so many young people. Each group had their own t shirt so you could see which part of the states they came from. The theme of their conference was “created to be” and the verse was taken from Psalm 139.14. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” One of my favourite T-shirts had these words on the back ” We are created to be brave, authentic, transformed, disruptive and disciples” It got me thinking as to what we would have on our T-shirts? What are we created to be? On the Thursday before we left New Orleans, we serendipitously got off the tram outside the episcopal cathedral of New Orleans, just before a service, we joined some locals for their service of Holy Communion and it just made me realise how special it is, this worldwide Anglican Communion, that we can be so far away and use liturgy that is so familiar. After the service, we were shown around the cathedral. There is a wooden cathedra, ( a chair used by the bishop) which was made by slaves on a local plantation. Due to its history, it would have been easy to hide it away, but Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopalian church uses it for every ordination and confirmation. He is not hiding the past nor denying that there are still issues with racism but the simple act of him sitting in it and speaking at every opportunity about loving our neighbour whoever they are, shows hope. ”Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live, a place where saints and children tell how hearts learn to forgive, here the love of Christ shall end divisions. all are welcome” he wrote. This morning we are worshipping at Memphis Episcopalian Cathedral and you will be in our prayers. As they say in Memphis. “ The Lord be with y’all “ Christina x
At the opening service at last month’s Royal Cheshire County Show, Bishop Sam Corley preached on the parable of the seed and the sower (in his inimi-table style!) and spoke about the ways in which God’s love is lavished on all people, deserving or not, in the hard and difficult times of life as well as in the happy and joyous times. It was a thought provoking address, giving eve-ryone at the service the chance to think about the loving generosity of God in their own lives and situations – and the Bishop’s final blessing was a joyful and amusing deviation from the set text!The Show brings together of course people from across the County, and be-yond its borders, and it is a pleasure, and a privilege, to be involved with the Church at the Show tent, where many visitors are welcomed over the course of the two days, for worship and prayer, relaxation and refreshment and simply for a space to sit down! In between stewarding duties in the Church Tent I was able, as usual, to have a good look around the extensive Show Ground, and to meet and talk with many people, including of course many parishioners. It is clear how important the Show is in the life of the County and so many people, from the exhibitors and traders to the visitors and the choirs of school children, playing their musical instruments and singing in the outdoor area adjacent to the Church Tent. And, as we give thanks for the County Show in this 21st Century, with all its technological advances, it is also easy to see how very important medieval fairs and shows were to our ancestors.In the Gospels Jesus is often recorded as using the world of agriculture and farming, as well as fishing, as basic metaphors for the relationships between God and people, from the seed time to the harvest, from the generosity of God’s love in creation to the loving care of a good shepherd. In his address Bishop Sam was also very clear in his understanding of the importance and contribution of all of us in the ongoing work and witness of God’s Kingdom, in which we all have a part to play, and in this understanding and outworking we can all take great encouragement as we journey onwards in faith.Later this month we will be holding our annual Year 6 School Leavers’ Service, when we say goodbye to the Year 6 pupils and pray for their transition to secondary schools in the autumn. Some of these pupils have been with us at Great Budworth Primary School since they were very young, and it has been a great pleasure over the years to watch them grow and develop and to have welcomed them into Church on many, many occasions. I hope that these experiences of church and faith will not only have helped them but will also stay with them throughout the rest of their lives.May God bless each and every one of us in this coming month.The Revd Alec Brown.
