The Church of England’s first-ever Black female bishop has reflected on why the diverse communities within the Midlands played such a pivotal role in where she is today.The Rt Revd Rose Hudson-Wilkin, 60, (see photo) was appointed the Bishop of Dover in June 2019, in a groundbreaking move that stamped her place in the history books as the first Black woman to hold the post in Britain.While you may have spotted her leading the prayers for Prince Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding, her career portfolio far exceeds this achievement. The pioneer is also known for her role as chaplain for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and becoming the first woman and Black person to serve as Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons.The mum-of-three lived in the Black Country for a spell and raised her family here as she built the foundations of her historic career.The Bishop told Black Country Live: “We moved to live in the West Midlands in the late 1980s where we settled first in Wolverhampton and later in West Bromwich. My children were babies then and indeed started their education in Wolverhampton. Having my children grow up in a diverse and vibrant community was very important to me. “Not only was the community diverse but it meant that as a family we were able to access food and drink that connected with my Caribbean roots. All of this is important as it provided meaning and interpretation of all the experiences that we were exposed to.”Born and raised in Jamaica, Rt Rev Hudson-Wilkin went to school at Montego Bay High School for Girls and continued her education in the UK at Birmingham University.After training with the Church Army she was commissioned in 1982 as an evangelist.Kickstarting her profession, Rose trained for ordination at Queens Theological College in Birmingham and landed her first role as a deacon in 1991.Three years later she became a priest and served at St Matthew’s Church, Willenhall Road, in the Diocese of Lichfield.She added: “The Midlands will always carry a special place in mine and my family’s life as this is the place where my ordained ministry began. What a journey it has led me on. I have such fond memories of the Midlands and always look forward to rekindling old friendships at different times in the year.”Throughout her inspiring journey, as a Black woman, Rose was forced to navigate through barrages of discrimination and prejudice.Reflecting on this she told the Church Army : “I have faced many obstacles in my life, especially racism and sexism. I’ve encountered a lot of people along my way who couldn’t see past a Black face. Every time this happened, I would think to myself, ‘It’s not my problem, it’s their problem, it’s their own short-sightedness.’ “I don’t see any walls in life that are impregnable. As it says in John 1:12: ‘Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.’”
As a member of Monty Python, Sir Michael Palin revelled in playing characters including the Boring Prophet, Pontius Pilate and one of the three wise men in the Life of Brian.Now he has joined an altogether different holy crusade: a movement geared towards protecting the future of UK churches.Expressing his concern about places of worship falling into disrepair, Palin, 78, said they formed a vital part of the country’s history, as he put his weight behind the National Churches Trust’s (NCT) campaign to preserve the sites.Palin, who is vice-president of the organisation, said: “Churches remain a vital and much-loved part of the UK’s heritage and we can’t let them fall into neglect and disuse.“There is hope. More and more churches are adapting to the modern world, providing not just spiritual comforts but a range of valuable services to local people such as food banks and youth clubs.“We must build on this and encourage people of all backgrounds to find hope and relevance in their local churches.”The NCT began what it describes as a debate to highlight the struggles of buildings around the country after warning an increasing number are facing closure.The future of churches debate will highlight “the community, economic, heritage and spiritual benefits of churches”, the charity said.Palin said: “If you care as much as I do about the future of these much-loved buildings, do get involved with the debate about the future of churches and help to shape their future.”The number of churches open and being used for worship has fallen from about 42,000 to 39,800 in the past ten years, the NCT said. The closure rate has been particularly acute in some inner-city areas.At its peak, in 1941, the Church of England had 18,666 churches. That number is set to fall below 16,000.A survey found that 12 dioceses were considering up to five closures in the next two to five years.Nine planned six to 12, and five planned up to 40. “That’s anything between 131 and 368,” said the Friends of Friendless Churches, which looks after 59 “redundant but beautiful” places of worship.
While most delegates deliberate about whether to drive, fly or catch the train to the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, a dozen or so pilgrims have just spent the past 55 days getting there on foot from London. Members of the female-run faith group Camino to Cop26 have been walking a 500-mile route since early September.Theirs is just one of a number of pilgrimages reaching Glasgow this weekend, with about 250 individuals expected, some coming from as far as Poland and Germany – one group has walked more than 1,000 miles from Sweden. Extinction Rebellion Scotland says their arrival will mark the “opening ceremony” for nonviolent protests planned in the Scottish city and around the world during the UN climate talks.From 18-year-old students to 74-year-old grandmothers, members of Camino to Cop26 – which is part of Extinction Rebellion – have been raising awareness about the climate and ecological crisis along the way. On some days they had 70 people walking with them. The group spent nights sleeping on the floors of churches, village halls and community centres, raising £17,000 to cover their costs, with any additional money going to support the work of climate activists in developing countries.Wandering monk-like from place to place and surviving off the hospitality of local people is an ancient activity – in this case with a modern spin. The group’s support vehicle was an electric van packed full of lentils and rice, and along the way they joined samba players under Birmingham’s Spaghetti Junction, waved flags above the M6, and found spots for wild swimming. They also consumed a lot of vegan dinners.There were the same old aches and pains – blisters, dodgy knees, achilles heel injuries – as well as the challenge of spending eight weeks with a group of people they had never met before. In the 14th century’s Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote about pilgrims telling stories to entertain one another along the way, and little has changed on that front. Belting out songs and poetry was encouraged, and there was even an impromptu barn dance thanks to one pilgrim who was good enough to carry a fiddle and bagpipes.They were only able to wash about once a week. “I think I’m quite smelly at this point,” says Steph Alderton, 26, who is a few days from Glasgow when I speak to the group. She has everything in a 10kg rucksack: one change of clothes, a few pairs of extra socks, a sleeping bag, sleeping mat, book, and packet of peanuts – standard packing. “You have to let go of your daily shower. The older people in the group say that was normal when they were young.”Participants have a spectrum of beliefs, from devout Jews, Christians and Buddhists to committed atheists, like Alderton, who left her job as a career adviser at a school in Birmingham in June to put more energy into climate activism. The notion of “intention” is what makes a walk a pilgrimage, and for Steph it was not about reflecting on God, but learning about the UK’s people and wildlife.“It makes me feel so sad to know so many animals are going extinct. That’s what drew me into the climate crisis, and walking the length of the country seemed like a good way to reflect on that connection with wildlife,” says Alderton, who liked the outreach side of it and found speaking to people in their own communities made it easier to connect. “Everyone needs one issue that is their gateway into activism and for many people that will be a local issue which leads them on to thinking about things more generally.”The Rev Helen Burnett, vicar of St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Chaldon, Surrey, helped organise the pilgrimage. As a Christian, she says she believes she must act now to fulfil her calling to “love thy neighbour” and care for vulnerable people. Inadvertently channelling Forrest Gump, Burnett led a Sunday service at her parish and then just kept walking. She was able to join the pilgrims for about half the time, yo-yoing up and down so she could spend the other half fulfilling duties in her parish.She was moved to walk because she believes more and more people are discovering God is in nature, not a building: “So many people, when you ask when they feel most connected to God will say ‘on top of a mountain’ or ‘when I’m in a garden’, and I think that’s really powerful. That was part of the Celtic tradition and the history of the church is we’ve sort of domesticated God and popped him inside a nice, sanitised box, but people find God in the outside world.” A few of her parishioners joined her on the walk.
We hope you can join us at St Peter's Church, Hascombe at 10am tomorrow for our service of Holy Communion.If you can't you can't be there in person you can join us remotely by clicking on the following link.https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87383629849?pwd=NDRmUTFFKzBmS252S1VqWUR4eHZZUT09Meeting ID: 873 8362 9849</div>Passcode: 569609
