As many of you know, I was fortunate in March to have been able to trek to the top of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The summit is at a height of 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level and Kilimanjaro is the highest free-standing mountain in the world. It is interesting in having five different climate zones: an agricultural zone, through which we drove, before setting off at 2,100m through rainforest; then moorland, then alpine desert and finally the ‘Arctic’ zone, with its rock, scree, snow and ice. We trekked for 6 ½ days up, taking the longer Lemosho route in from the west to give ourselves more time to acclimatise, as well as see more scenery, and 1 ½ days down via the shorter Mweka route to the south to 1,800m. The summit ascent day was quite a gruelling one, setting off from a camp at 4,600m at 11.30 p.m., ascending by the light of our headtorches through the night until dawn and finally reaching Uhuru peak at 10.20 a.m. Then the long descent to the camp at 4,600m where we had a 1 hour kip and a meal, before descending to a lower camp at 3,900m, the last hour and a half again in darkness. But we had made it! As I write this, I have just been celebrating another ascent, Jesus’s ascension, 40 days on from his resurrection on that first Easter Sunday, with an encouraging Ascension Day service at Crowfield. And by the time you read this, Pentecost will also have been celebrated, marking the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples, 50 days on from Jesus’s resurrection. Following which, we are, in the church’s calendar, into ‘ordinary time’. In June, people celebrated in the church’s calendar include the hymnwriter Thomas Ken (on 8th), St Columba of Iona (on 9th), St Barnabas, Paul’s companion on some of his missionary travels (on 11th), Richard of Chichester (on 16th), St Alban, the first martyr of Britain (on 22nd) and St Peter and St Paul (on 29th). Thomas Ken is famous for his great doxology: Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow, Praise Him, all creatures here below, Praise Him above, Angelic host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. St Columba wrote the prayer: My dearest Lord, be thou a bright flame before me, be thou a guiding star above me, be thou a smooth path beneath me, be thou a kindly shepherd behind me, today and for evermore. And Richard of Chichester wrote the prayer: Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits thou hast given me, for all the pains and insults thou hast born for me. O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. I hope you will find these all helpful to recall and recite. Henry StanfordReader
FROM THE MINISTRY TEAM I had wished for some time that I could locate a book or two that would give me stuff that is motivating, informative, not too academic and full of common sense that would provide me with some hours of interesting reading. I had seriously hoped that they would help to direct my mind towards understanding the decisions made by leaders of various countries and faith groups around our world. Then came Christmas and it wasn’t a chocolate, sock or scarf Christmas it was a book Christmas. First one, ‘Going to Church in Medieval England’, informative, second one, ‘How to save The Church of England’, worth sharing, and if you have read it worth reading again me thinks. I will share a bit with you as we are still in an interregnum. I quote from ‘Final Observations’. ‘We need to rethink how we allocate our resources. No priest should be expected to shepherd a dozen parishes singlehandedly, nor should they be buried under a mountain of administrative tasks that pull them away from the very people they’re called to serve. We must streamline these processes and create structures that allow clergy to focus on pastoral and sacramental ministry. Equally, we need to cultivate a culture where support for clergy is not just a sentiment but a lived reality- through genuine opportunities for rest, ongoing formation, and meaningful community. Most of all, we need to remember why the Church exists. It is not for the mere survival of its institutions and beautiful buildings but for the proclamation of the Gospel. If we truly believe that, then we cannot allow those called to serve to be left carrying the weight alone, quietly burning out while the rest of us watch. The words of Christ remain as urgent as ever; ‘Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ (Matthew -28).’ The ministry team are called to serve which brings me to my third book titled ‘SERVE’ Loving your church with your heart, time and gifts.’ I am not saying we, as the ministry team are the only ones serving our Church but again, I quote from the book I considered motivating and full of common sense. It is worth sharing, me thinks, or reading again, if you haven’t already read it. I quote. ‘Serving God and his church is something most of us know we ought to do. But often it’s not particularly an aspect of the Christian life we want to do. Many of us are wary of serving or weary of serving. Some of us don’t think we have much to offer.’ Some of us are so busy doing stuff we feel we are trying to walk through treacle. So here is an invitation. ‘Discover how you can enjoy serving and being served as part of your church. Find fresh motivation in seeing how Jesus serves you and loves you. And learn how to identify the gifts God has given you and how you can make a difference to those around you- whoever you are.’ I have used some quotes from those books because I believe them and that everyone has a calling to love and a gift to share with others. It’s common sense in this world today, so, join the many who have accepted the invitation because the service by leaders throughout the world without love is taking us on what seems that long walk through treacle. We would rather walk with Jesus, wouldn’t you? Judy Hailes Reader
FROM THE MINISTRY TEAM As Easter marks the wonder of our risen Lord Jesus’ triumph over evil, offering forgiveness and mercy to us as Christians, we need to look at the modern world around us. This is often called the age of doubt, possibly doubt has become the central condition of the human race in the twenty first century? Yet there are two main ways by which we come to believe anything, firstly by our own vision or investigation, the second is by accepting the testimony of reliable witnesses. Along with many, many millions of other Christians we have come to believe and have faith through the testimony of those who did see and touch. The apostle Thomas, known almost affectionately as ‘Doubting Thomas’, is a good example of the proof many demand, but in the end Thomas not only believed but worshipped, saying ‘My Lord and My God’. Memorable words that I feel have always held great meaning as the ultimate confirmation of Jesus’ resurrection. So, this Easter let us show our belief and faith in worshipping Jesus as our Lord and God. Bill Rootes Deacon