Rob’s Message – November 2011

BENEFACT – Nov 2011

Dear Friends,

Whine time – and that has nothing to do with Happy Hour! I feel I owe you all an apology for the inordinate amount of time I have been spending ‘outside’ the parishes, nearly all of it in my capacity as Rural Dean. I have not been able to visit, or to take part in what goes on in the parishes, nearly as much as I would like to, or ought to as your Parish Priest. Part of that is because the work of a Rural Dean seems to have increased enormously with several Diocesan initiatives, such as the ‘Plain Speaking’ sustainability exercise, but also because we have the difficult situation within the Deanery where two groups of parishes, Myddle and Whitchurch, are without a parish priest at the moment and are waiting to make an appointment (not so easy, I’m afraid), and in a third group the priest has not been able to fulfil his role through ill health.  Being part of the resolution of these issues has been quite time-consuming. Thankfully the parishes involved have been very active in ensuring that the services are fulfilled and that within the Deanery (and outside it) priests, both active and retired, and lay leaders have stepped into the breach. Without their generosity of time and spirit we would be in a right pickle.

What’s to be done about it? I do feel very strongly that my being here in the Benefice as your Parish Priest is my primary calling so I asked Bishop Mark to accept my resignation as Rural Dean at the end of my third year in office (Rural Deans are appointed for five years). This would be in November this year, but Bishop Mark has asked in turn if I will continue until the Archdeacon’s Visitation in May. All being well, this is what will happen. In the meantime it’s stay with the grindstone.

What of the Plain Speaking exercise? Your Parochial Church Councils have met and debated where each parish is in relation to its resources and its mission, and where it is going, and for the most part have concluded that we are cautiously sustainable. You may remember that in the July Benefact I spoke about the exercise and showed a grid (Toronto Grid) to explain how some degree of measurement of sustainability or otherwise could be made. Here are the results showing both the PCCs and the Rural Dean/Lay Chair’s conclusions.

We are perhaps all a little optimistic but so we should be. We are not solely a business, though we have to balance our accounts. We are God’s people, and we walk in the power of His Spirit. What wehave to do,  what we ought to do, is to step out with more trust and confidence as we engage in the mission of the Church – to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Saviour to all people. This is not just the responsibility of a chosen few but of all who profess Jesus as Lord. If this was what we all did I think we would all be crowded into the top right hand corner of the grid – very sustainable. With God’s help, let’s work together towards that top right hand corner.

On the last Sunday in October we celebrated a wonderful combined Benefice service dedicated to All Saints at All Saints in Grinshill. Each of the parishes was well represented and the church, except for “the front few pews”, looked pretty full. Wonderful service, wonderful singing, and wonderful fellowship too with tea, coffee and CAKE at the end. Lots of ‘wonderfuls’, I know, but it really lifted me up!

It has been a very busy time since Pat and I returned from our trip to Zimbabwe. Thank you to all who made the Harvest Festivals and Feasts so good. The churches were beautifully decorated and it was a joy to celebrate the Harvest even in an unprecedented time of drought – in England? We look forward to the busy run-up to Christmas with Remembrance Sunday imminent. I pray that this may be a good time for you all, not too stressful, but filled with the peace of God and the promise of a Son who is Christ the Lord. May God bless you richly.

Rob

In the Hadnall news there is mention of a coffee morning on 24^th November here at the Vicarage at which there will be a cookery demonstration  by the “Pampered Chef”. Pat has asked me to say that this is open to anyone who would like to come.