The last 24 hours have been so busy, more than 300 miles travelled, caught up with some great friends in Banbury last night, visited 3 inspiring new towns with 3 new churches and then in the driving rain on the way to my hotel I listened to the results of the Anglican synod. In some ways the last 24 hours have been sublime and I do not want to call the synod's vote ridiculous but I am astounded and desperately disappointed not just for friends in the church of England, who deserve better, but for the church as a whole. The synod is spoken of as 'discerning God's will' - how often do we as men and women inadvertantly or purposefully stand in the way of the very thing we are meant to stand for?
On the radio one disappointed female vicar said that all she could do now was get on with the work on the ground, at local level, celebrate and enjoy what God is doing at the grass roots.
Today my three visits have allowed me to do just that, celebrate the things that the church does do well and so often that has little to do with systems and laws and bishops and everything to do with people and relationships.
I have learnt so much today, I have seen the church respond to immediate needs, real lives and situations.I have seen the ordained and the lay work with a shared vision, working together and with purpose. I have seen persistence in the face of difficulty, people giving generously of their time and money to work for something they believe in - those beliefs are crucial, they feed and sustain them, they are about community and a deep love of people and most importantly a deep love of a God who wants us to share the love that we have encountered in him. This is nothing new and everything new, a reminder of calling and purpose, my feeling that my ministry and my calling of 'blessed to be a blessing' is affirmed and re-encouraged.
So it HAS been a day of the 'sublime and... the deeply disappointing' - I, like many of my disappointed Anglican colleagues, will get up tomorrow and carry on trying to be the men and women God hs called us to be - I am both excited and daunted by that and greatly looking forward to finding out about what God is doing in three more projects tomorrow.
Totally agree with your thinking here Mark. I spent my day in a conference run by North Devon and Torridge voluntary services and heartened by all the great projects that community groups are involved in and the welcome that I have received as a representative of the Church to partner with them for good. This is a hugely disappointing day for many in the Church of England and I hope your post will be received in the spirit it is given.
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