Partnership for Missional Church update
Many of you will know by now about Partnership for Missional Church (PMC). You may have heard Rachel preach on this over the summer, or may have been in St Peter or St Margaret on 20 September when Bob Armstrong, from the PMC delivery team, preached.
As a parish we have committed to be part of the Berkshire PMC pilot for next 3 years alongside approximately 10 other benefices in this area. PMC aims to resource us and guide us as we seek to change our church culture so that we see all that we do through the eyes of mission. Rather than seeing mission as a specific task, project or series of steps, PMC is a process that invites us gradually to look at our own church culture to see how every bit of we might become outward looking and seeking to engage with what God is already doing around us and how we might cooperate to help the Kingdom come in this community. PMC starts from the basis that within our churches we have the resources to do all of this, but we need to nurture our own faith, and to look at how we perceive ourselves, and others around perceive us. Only when we have done that can we begin to discern opportunities for action.
Since we committed to being on the pilot in March there has been a good deal of waiting for the PMC process to start. Over the summer I invited Catherine Radcliffe of St Peter’s to chair the Steering Team, who will oversee the PMC process. This team is entirely comprised of lay people, who will decide on focus and priorities, and will themselves receive teaching and resourcing for their role three times a year. The members are: Catherine Radcliffe, Linda Blackburn, Phil Blackburn, Sharon Durant, Peter Stratton, Mark Carpenter, Sue Jenkins, Charlie Scola, and Francis Serjeant
Please do hold this team of people in your prayers regularly, and work with them as they bring to us specific pieces of work to do and things to think about.
In the PMC process, the clergy are asked to be spiritual leaders who support particularly the steering team in their faith. I will see Catherine Radcliffe regularly to hear how PMC is progressing and help her resolve any problems.
The clergy and steering team attended their first training weekend on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September in Reading, alongside all the other parishes in the pilot. Besides being introduced into the PMC process and learning about its culture, we were asked to prepare for the first piece of work. We have been asked to conduct up to 24 interviews in each of our churches with people from a wide spectrum of involvement in the church – interviews with some who form the core of church life, some who attend frequently but who wouldn’t feel themselves at the core, and a final group of people who would identify themselves as on the fringes of church life. The interviews are to help us identify how people within the church family perceive our churches. To undertake these interviews the Steering Team have recruited a team of Listeners (all lay people again) who have a set questionnaire to ask. Responses to the questions will be anonymised, i.e. the name of the person being interviewed will not be recorded, and will be submitted to the PMC delivery team who will help process the responses and advise the Steering Team on the headlines of the responses. Please do watch out for these Listeners, and you might even be one of those people asked for an interview!
The second major piece of work where PMC needs your help is at an event on Sunday 29 November 11am – 12.30pm. Please can you put this date in your diary. After the Sunday morning service that day (a Sunday when we are all coming together for one morning service at St Peter’s Church at 9.30am) the PMC Steering Team will invite us to construct timelines for each of the churches. These timelines will be graphic recordings of the history and life of our churches. You will have the opportunity to choose a happy memory, a sad memory and something or someone who gives you hope for our congregations, write them on post-it notes and put them along the timeline. This way we will collect a full picture of what our congregations really think.
If you still are in the dark about PMC then don’t worry. This is a 3 year programme, and there will be plenty of opportunity to be involved in due course. If you want to be involved then do get in touch with Catherine Radcliffe via the Parish Office.
Mike Smith, Rector
Vacancy of a second priest update
Following the departure of Jeremy Tear last month, I have begun work with a small group of people to scope out the role for a replacement and to begin the process of recruitment. In due course this group will bring forward a proposal to the PCC and the focus for this second priest’s role. I said at each Church Forum in June and July that I expected us to be without a second full-time priest until after Easter, and still think this is the correct analysis.
As a first step, the group working with me have decided to consult the church congregations on two particular questions:
1. The successes and struggles of the last 5 years of the Community Priest role, which was at St John’s half-time and leading on mission, and in particular Fresh Expressions, half time.
2. The future ministry needs of St John’s and the parish and how they might influence the focus of this second post
We have decided that it is best to separate the consultation on those two issues into separate evenings, as one is more retrospective, and the other forward looking and visionary. It would be difficult to look at both issues in one evening. We have therefore decided to host 2 separate evenings, held one week apart, to allow us time to focus on each issue. They will be held from 7.30pm-9.30pm on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 12 November at Caversham Baptist Church, opposite Waitrose. We have chosen this venue because it is a very flexible workspace that can accommodate a large group, and it is also neutral ground away from any one of our churches.
Please will you put these dates in your diary and try to come to both events. We will circulate the questions for consultation at the first event in advance so you can be thinking about them before you arrive. If you can only get to one event, please do still come. The members of the PCC and three CLT’s are especially urged to attend. At the end of the second meeting the PCC will be asked to stay behind to make some decisions about the way forward, based on what we will have heard at the consultation.
Mike Smith
Autumn & Christmas Services
With the summer well behind us, and autumn in full swing, we are fast approaching a whole host of major services.
On Sunday 1 November we will celebrate All Saints’ Day at our morning worship. At 4.30pm at St John and 6.30pm at St Peter we will host our annual All Souls’ Day services. To these I have invited back to church all those for whom we have taken funerals during the last year. The bereaved often find is an extremely helpful event to remember their loved ones, and I know our churches will make any of these returning families welcome.
On Sunday 8 November all main morning worship in each church will focus on Remembrance Sunday, the annual event to remember those killed in war. The St Peter’s service will end with an act of remembrance, and the St Margaret’s service will start in the same way. The St John’s service will be shorter than usual to allow those who want to attend the Royal British Legion service at the cenotaph on the banks of the River Thames.
On Sunday 22 November at 3.00pm St Peter’s church will host a confirmation service on behalf of all the Caversham Anglican churches, with Bishop Andrew. This year, in addition to candidates from all three benefices, we will have five girls being confirmed from Queen Anne’s school. This helps us celebrate the emerging stronger relationship with that church school, focussed through Rachel as school chaplain. Please do try to attend this service to support those being confirmed, and welcome those visiting us.
On Sunday 29 November we will have a parish-wide service, where all three churches come together for the main act of worship on Advent Sunday. This time it will be at 9.30am at St Peter and will be a parade service, with the uniformed scouting and guiding organisations attending. It will be followed by the PMC timeline event, as described above. As usual on these 5th Sundays of the month, there will be no 8am service at St Peter; there will however be an evening service at 6.30pm, as they host their annual Advent Carol service. Everyone is welcome to come and sing advent carols, with the St Peter’s choir in full song leading our worship.
Further into December, besides our regular Sunday services, the special Christmas services are listed on the Parish Calendar.
Mike Smith
New Sunday pattern of worship
As I write, we are six weeks into our new pattern of worship. This has seen the main Sunday service times shift to 9.30am and 11.15am, with each church having one service led by lay people each month. The 8am and 6.30pm services at St Peter’s have also changed pattern, with lay people leading more of those services.
Some of you have passed comment on these changes. Most seem to have welcomed or accepted the change of times to 9.30am and 11.15am and have appreciated the benefit of the clergy being able, on occasion, to take two morning services.
Some of you have also commented to me and colleagues about the introduction of lay people leading our worship. I have been greatly encouraged that 14 people have now been trained to lead services and are beginning to gain experience in this area. Many of you who have passed comment to me have welcomed their energy and commitment.
I know for some of you this change has not been welcome, and I do want you to understand I hear those concerns. Some of the comments have been against the lack of clergy involvement. To those of you concerned about this, I refer you back to my article in the August CTM News. The PCC carefully considered this option, but decided against it.
Some of you have also expressed concern that lay people taking the service doesn’t feel in some way proper. I do understand this, and in some way feel affirmed that you are asking for more of my attention. But for many years the Church of England has affirmed and deeply valued the ministry of Readers, and other lay ministers, in leading worship. Our changes stand in that long tradition. It is of course only right that our new lay leaders of worship are properly trained – they have each had some initial training in this parish, and a number of them are also taking part in a more in depth worship leaders course locally.
On a more positive note, there is still plenty of scope for more of you to offer to get involved in being trained to lead worship. Please do make contact with one of the clergy if you are interested.
Mike Smith
Quiet Day
There’s always so much to do in the period leading up to Advent! Often in times of ‘busyness’ we overload ourselves; push ourselves forward into more work and stress. The Autumn can be a time of spiritual reflection a time to answer that very personal question –
‘Where am I on my inward journey? How in touch am I with God?’ For some this question may never have been asked. Now’s the time!
I invite you to join me on the Quiet Day at the Community of St Mary the Virgin, Wantage on 28 November (details in the net). This is a very non threatening, guided day of quiet and reflection entitled Let go and let God. Talking it over with someone often helps – my door is always open. Praying for others always helps us too—we draw on our inner faith and confidence in God to help and guide those for whom we are praying. Helping others often helps us too. Come to the Intercessions evening Wednesday 18 November (details in the net).
Don’t put it off for another year- we all need a good ‘Spring Clean’ especially in the Autumn!
When we fail in our discipleship it is always for one of two reasons either we are not trying to be loyal, or else we are trying in our own strength – William Temple.
Many Blessings
Marion Pyke, Associate Priest