This month’s Main Article is about the development of Small Groups (House Groups) across the parish. In it, Graeme explains why we are developing these groups at this point and what they will look like and feel like for those who chose to join them.
I would encourage you to think seriously about finding out more about these new small groups. There are all sorts of benefits to being part of a group that meets regularly to eat and drink, to talk and think, to pray and work out what it means to be a follower of Christ in the fast moving world in which we live, work and witness.
It has also been suggested that we have some more contact details on this newsletter for clergy and our admin team. So that’s been added on the back page. And please do have a look at the new website which has already received praise for being “very interesting and easy to use”. There is even a “Contribute” button on the Contact Us page for you to send in your stories, pictures and ideas.
With my very best wishes
Dan Tyndall
Sharing Life in Small Groups
It is possible to worship God on your own, in private. You can pray in your front room, or whilst walking, or even when you’re in your own little world navigating the aisles of Waitrose. You can; but the church has said from day one that the life of faith is best lived with others. It isn’t simply about me and my faith, but about our faith, lived in public. Whether life is difficult, mundane, or wonderful, it is always best shared. This is what we do in families and friendships, with good colleagues and neighbours, through reading books, watching films, listening to music and playing sports, and is an important foundation of a good community.
On Sundays, then, we meet together for worship, demonstrating the inseparable link between worship and community. This, of course, should not be a surprise: the Christian faith believes in God as the Holy Trinity. Amongst many things, this shows that God – the Author and Sustainer of the cosmos – is not simply like some single architect who had a bright idea to make something impressive. God is not simply a larger version of Sir Christopher Wren. Rather, the whole universe is grounded in the God whose very essence is to relate; life is for sharing, and cannot be otherwise.
In March, as part of the Mission Action Plan process, we asked people to complete a questionnaire. The question was, quite simply, what would help your Church to flourish. One of the answers that came through loud and clear from each Church was a belief that small groups were essential to helping our Churches thrive. So, having heard that, we are seeking to develop a network of small groups that will exist in each of our Churches.
Over the last six weeks, I’ve travelled around our three Churches to speak about small groups and, even if you haven’t heard the sermon, I hope you’ve had the chance to hear about what is going to happen. In January, there will be the opportunity to join small groups in each Church, which will meet fortnightly. We aim to have all of the group leaders and hosts in place by the end of this month, so that people can sign up for a group before we start in January.
Put simply, a small group is a place to share life where Christian faith is the norm, rather than the exception. It is a place of friendship, of laughter, of sharing difficulties, of stamping out a time and place for one another in this overly-busy world. It is a time to question and share, to learn about one another, about one’s faith, even about oneself. It is a group of people with whom one can be honest in the knowledge that each person has the best intentions for one another.
For those who don’t think this is for them at the moment: that’s fine, but don’t write it off completely, and perhaps consider it again in a year’s time. For those who are not sure: feel free to talk to me. For those who would find this helpful: look out for more information during Advent.
As with those who responded to the Mission Action Plan questionnaire, we hope that small groups will be an important part in helping our three churches to flourish in our celebration and exploration of life in all its fullness.
Graeme Fancourt
Jeremy’s Jottings
November is the time of year when many of us begin (if we have not already) to turn our attention towards Christmas. The nights are drawing in, it’s getting colder and perhaps we detect a flurry of snow here and there (there certainly was some last year as I recall). But before things start the inevitable crank up to Christmas, we perhaps do well to make the most of the season we are in, what used to be called the Sundays before Christmas or as Common Worship now calls them, the Sundays before Advent .
This is an important time of the year for us as Christians, I believe, perhaps even more so given that Advent (and December) is more or less exclusively taken up with Christmas, both outside and to some extent within the church too. This month therefore gives us an opportunity to begin to prepare for Christmas, not only practically, but spiritually too. It’s time to give ourselves a bit of a spiritual MOT whilst we have the time to do it.
Speaking for myself, I’ve always valued November as a good time to reflect upon my spiritual life. Often, it’s been a time to get away on retreat, as I will do again this year to the Northumbria Community (visit www.northumbriacommunity.org for details).
So how might you reflect this year? Perhaps you might wish to read a book (I recently picked up Desmond Tutu’s provocatively titled God is Not a Christian, and I commend it to you). Or perhaps you might like to make some more time to pray, whether on your own or with others? If you find praying with others helpful, then I recommend coming to morning prayer at St. Peter’s or St. John’s. Why not give it a try sometime? Or perhaps you are the sort of person who reflects best whilst doing something active, such as walking, running or gardening?
We are all different and different things may help us to reflect on our spiritual lives but the question for us is will we take the time to do it?
With my best wishes for the coming month.
Jeremy Tear
Finding the Missing Peace
There are so many books written to help us discover the benefits of regular silence in our lives. I remember reading many years ago the famous Buddhist quote ‘’Silence will teach you everything if only you will let it!’’
The ability to sit still in silence really does frighten many people, and rightfully so. When we spend time in solitude and in silence we inevitably have to wrestle with our heads, like some wild party going on in them and we are the hosts! However we are not even aware of how utterly dominating this inner noise is until we try to enter the doorway of silence!
When we sit with people we really know the silence doesn’t seem so worrying. A group that meets regularly, once a month soon builds up a companionable silence without having to utter a word. The group becomes a soothing, peaceful place to be-a place of prayer and meditation.
In two weeks time a group of us are going to the Community of St Mary the Virgin at Wantage for a Quiet Day. We shall spend time with the Anglican sisters arriving for their Eucharist at 10.00 am. We shall spend the day in silence, either sitting companionably together, reading, drawing or just walking in the lovely gardens or gazing at the wonderful view of the Ridgeway that the convent looks up to. Some of the group will find private rooms to be quiet on their own, snoozing in a comfy armchair, perhaps. The day is a space for being creative with God, giving God a chance to get close to you.
There’s a story told of an old lady who had lost her faith and asked her priest what she should do to recover it. His advice was very simple “Go home and sit in your favourite chair and wait.” She went home and sat in her rocking chair. First she heard the squeaking of the old wooden chair, then she heard the ticking of her clock, then she heard the birds singing outside her open window. Finally she felt an overwhelming sense of the love of God. Most of the questions that we wrangle with can be answered by the one who knows the real answers, if only we would let him!
As I’m writing this I’m looking forward to this afternoon! As many of you know I’m an Oblate of the Community that I’ve just spoken about. An Oblate is someone who takes on a Rule of Life outside the convent and part of that Rule is attempting to say the Offices throughout the day with the sisters, supporting them in prayer. I have been doing this for over 20 years. Every 6 weeks I meet up with 7 other Oblates and after an initial sharing of news we sit for 40 minutes in silence — bliss! We have known each other a long time so we slip quite easily into a companionable, prayerful silence. Sitting in a group is so much easier than trying to sit in silence on your own; the temptation to just get up and do something goes when you are together.
I would love to gather a group here in this parish that meets regularly, perhaps once a month. A group which will initially explore different ways of ‘touching silence’ understanding ‘mindfulness’, practising relaxation, slowing down and letting God speak to us, because just like the old lady we have created a space for him.
I would like to start in the New Year so watch out for notices. I would also like to hear from you — is this something you would like ? Please be in touch with me!
Marion Pyke
It’s interesting that both Marion and Jeremy have chosen to write about taking care of our spiritual lives (we don’t discuss what we’re going to write about). Advent is regularly set aside time for reflection on spiritual development, so I thought it was worth reminding you that all your clergy are delighted to spend time helping you with this significant part of the Christian life. Please do ask any of us to sit and/or talk and/or pray with you. Dan
Remembering
Whether at the Cenotaph in London, or at the War Memorial on Christchurch Meadows, or at the war memorials in each of our churches: we shall remember. Whether birthdays, anniversaries or festivals; whether moments that make us smile or memories that make us weep: we shall remember.
But why? Why remember? Why not let bygones be bygones; why not forgive and forget; why not let the past take care of itself?
At one level remembering is simply the opposite of forgetting: if we fail to put that birthday card in the post in time, then we have forgotten, we have failed to remember. Whilst that may not be too traumatic for a birthday card, the stakes are much higher when it comes to events and anniversaries which have a broader significance. The government is already beginning to lay out its plans for November 2014, knowing that failing to remember the beginning of the First World War would be appalling — to say nothing of its political foolishness given that the next general election is booked for May 2015!
Remembering is also a key concept for our learning: whether that be learning our times tables by rote, or learning that a certain confluence of character, control and cause often have the same results. All too often history repeats itself unless we, not only remember, but also commit ourselves to creating a future that is different from the past.
For Christians, though, remembering is shrouded with yet another layer of meaning. For when we gather round the table to share bread and wine with one another, we do so at the command and behest of him who is both “priest and victim”, both host as the head of the table and host as the bread on the plate. When we gather our remembering is more than not forgetting and learning. When we gather our remembering is also about making whole that which is fractured: the bread is broken so that we may share in it; and by sharing in that bread “we are the body of Christ”. Our remembering brings us to that moment when we acknowledge our place within the body of Christ, our place within the love of God, our place within both the history and the future of God’s created order.
As is often the way, Christians cannot claim exclusivity on this feature of remembering:
So they gave their bodies to the Commonwealth and received praise that will never die, and a home in the minds of men. Their story lives on without visible symbol, woven into the stuff of other men’s lives. Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 431-413 B.C.
But we can assert that Christ gave us a particular understanding of it, that he (literally) fleshed it out for us, and thereby gave it new meaning and new memory.
Dan Tyndall