Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
A new year is about to begin, and to a number of new and exciting initiatives are about to be launched in the Anglesey Group of Churches. Our five Churches have been concerned about the way that they may appear to the outside world. They have recognised that their task must be to offer support to all who need comfort; open arms to all who want friendship; a smile to all those who desire acceptance; sensitivity to all who want sheltering love; forgiveness to those who sin and need a Saviour; and to whosoever will come they should open wide their doors, and in the name of Our Lord say, WELCOME!
There is a lovely story that illustrates this. One day a new child joined a Church Sunday School. The little boy had one arm missing, and since he arrived a bit late, the teacher had no opportunity to learn any of the details about the cause or his level of sensitivity. She was very nervous and afraid that one of the other children would comment on his handicap and embarrass him. There was no opportunity to caution them, so she proceeded as carefully as possible.
As the class time came to a close, she began to relax. She asked the class to join her in their usual closing ceremony. "Let's put our hands together to make our church," she said. "Here's the church and here's the steeple, open the doors and there's..." The awful truth of her own actions struck her. The very thing she had feared that the children would do, she had done. As she stood there speechless, the little girl sitting next to the boy reached over with her left hand and placed it up to his right hand and said, "Davey, let's make church together." We want as many people in our villages as possible to feel free and able to join us to 'Make Church together'. In attempting to do this, we recognise that we should ensure that our services are not exclusive by nature. Our Family Services are one way in which we are seeking to make this happen. They are informal and relaxed on one hand, whilst also being interesting and stimulating on the other. Each Church has a Family Service every month. Bottisham's is at 11.00am on the 1st Sunday of the month, Lode's is on the 3rd Sunday at 9.30am, Quy's is on the 2nd Sunday at 11.00am, Swaffham Bulbeck's is at 9.30am on the 1st Sunday and Swaffham Prior's is on the 2nd Sunday at 11.00am.
Our Churches have also looked at their Communion services and have recognised the need for a more accessible and welcoming style of service. Accordingly, Bottisham have introduced a Family Communion Service on the 4th Sunday of the month at 11.00am, Swaffham Bulbeck have a Village Communion Service on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 9.30am and from January Swaffham Prior are introducing a Family Communion Service on the 4th Sunday of the month at 11.00am. At the same time we have recognised that not everyone is able to take Communion, and Family Service is not everyone's cup of tea. Accordingly we are introducing a new series of Morning Prayer services starting in January. Bottisham's will take place on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 11.00am, Lode on the 2nd Sunday of the month at 9.30am, and Quy on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 9.30am. We are also launching a BCP Evensong at 6.30pm on the last Sunday of the month.
All these changes are designed to be more welcoming and friendly, but they do assume that folk are prepared to come to Church in the first place. Another initiative, that seeks to take Church to the people rather than expecting people to come to it, will be launched in May 2008, when we begin a radical new service in Swaffham Bulbeck Primary School. It will not be 'church'in its traditional form. It will be designed for people of all ages and will offer a much more interactive approach to teaching, worship and prayer. So there is much to look forward to, and above all we see our priority as being to offer you a very warm WELCOME!
I wish you a happy and blessed 2008.