A letter from Sonia Burgess.
As we enter a third year of interregnum – being without a paid priest- the advertisement for a successor to Mike has gone unanswered now for the third time of asking. It got me to thinking why? I think we are a lovely, friendly bunch and we certainly need a priest and that led me to ask, what would the community like to see in a priest? In the olden days a priest would be an integral part of the community, not simply providing spiritual direction and guidance but helping individuals understand their faith and life questions. The priest is the sole provider of the sacraments: weddings, baptisms, funerals and the education of the community about faith. They would pull the community together, the Church would be a focal point for meetings, for planning charity works, for getting together to help neighbours. Along with visiting the housebound, the bereaved, and the new arrivals to the village they would be a strong link to the St. Peter’s School. When I look around me at Hixon, the fabulous village we live in, I can’t help but feel very proud of all the truly lovely things we have taken over from the traditional priest’s role and now do for ourselves. We have a Parish Council that does so much for the Village. The Memorial Hall Committee recently organised a whole weekend of celebrations for the Centenary of the Memorial Hall and the wonderful and thought-provoking activities provided. We have village fetes, Chef Fest, and a pensioner Christmas Party; we have organised litter picking, the Friday Lunch club, weekly café meetings, and the Compass Magazine – all of these just from the top of my head and my profound apologies if, as I am sure I have, I missed others. We have a fabulous church warden that keeps the building in the best possible condition, on what can only be described as a shoestring budget. Tim Moss is tireless in seeking financial support and grants. He finds professional expertise when needed and is very persuasive in gaining help for very little if any recompense. Tim always knows someone who will be able to lend a hand. So, not only have we got to think about not having a priest but, heaven forbid, what if we didn’t have a Tim!!! Part of our problem is the small number of people in the congregation, but everyone is welcome to contribute in whatever capacity they feel able and to benefit from a revived and rejuvenated church able to give community and pastoral care to the village. It is not a club and you do not need to be a member to come to or help the church. Many people do not want to attend services for a number of reasons but services can be altered and made more user friendly if the villagers’ wishes are known. So, what can we do for our Church, St Peter’s whilst we have no priest? We can volunteer; we can ask, ‘do you need any help’. Financial advice, a retired priest that would like to conduct some services or tradespeople willing to give up some time or have their names put on a list for us to approach would be immensely helpful. In my mind I would like to see a church that welcomes all visitors well and creates a culture of community, a church that is flexible about when services are held and a church that invests in the next generation. I believe that our Church is trying to reach out to help others; it is open every Sunday from 8-00am to teatime to provide a safe quiet space for reflection, meditation and peace. It would be nice if the Diocese could provide a priest to be there to answer questions, to listen and to provide comfort but these functions are not exclusive to priests and it is reported that many are experiencing high levels of stress because of the expectations laid on them. Please think about what you can do for your Church and what you would like your Church to do for you. The Church PCC would very much like your input.
Food for thought, especially at this Harvest time - God Bless.
Sonia Burgess: [email protected]