Re-forming the church for the 21st century

Transcription

1 PARISH CONNECTIONS Re-forming the church for the 21st century Bruce Kaye may 2013 Over its history Christianity has enjoyed a very ambiguous relationship to the wider society and in particular to the modern nation state. The New Testament texts show the Christians as a minority group in Graeco-Roman society. They were outsiders, even resident aliens. They pursued a morality of love and respect. Within their community they maintained a variety of activities designed to sustain their faith and to enable them to live out the story of their faith in their daily lives. There is a long history of the political engagement of Christian churches and their institutions. In the Anglican tradition the ideal of a Christian nation was implicit in the way in which first Alfred and then Harold tried to unify the English people into a single political unit. That consolidation was achieved under William the Conqueror, still with the ambition of having a Christian nation. Henry VIII consolidated this so that it was not only a Christian nation but also one marked by a high level of uniformity of Christian faith and practice. That high level of uniformity quickly fell away in the 18th century and very substantially in the 19th century. At the end of the 18th century New South Wales was established as a penal colony in which Anglicans were initially the established church. Anglicans have tended to internalise this status even though it had legally disappeared early in the 19th century. At the beginning of the 20th century they thought of themselves as first among others but eventually through the 20th century they became just one of a number of religious traditions in a plural Australia. Under the Australia Constitution the Anglican Church is in exactly the same position as any other religious tradition and therefore is properly treated equitably along with the institutions of other continued overleaf

2 Re-forming the church for the 21st century religious traditions. There is, of course, no separation of church and state in Australia as there is not in most Western countries. That does not mean that the churches have any priority in the political life of the nation. What it means is that from a constitutional and legal point of view the various religions in Australia are to be treated equitably and evenhandedly by the Commonwealth Government. No preference for any particular religion. In the story Anglicanism represents we need to recognise that the actual history of the Church has had a significant dark side. There have been in the past, as there are in our own generation, manifest defects in both faith and practice where moral corruption and moral failure have been all too present. In attempts to sustain the faith of Anglicans they have been encouraged to participate in the story of their faith. It has been a participatory learning rather than an academic, intellectual formal learning. This is especially true of the liturgy and particularly the service of Holy Communion. Anglicans are invited into the story of their faith in an active and engaged way. Over the years and in different ways the community has encompassed multi-shaped relationships and activities. In an earlier generation there were major groups within every parish to deal with youth, children, women, sometimes men and a variety of interest areas. Those major institutions have diminished and within many parish churches they have not been effectively replaced. The great issue facing many parishes today is how a parish community can enable such an effective engagement within the community that all are enabled to participate in the story of the faith and by participating learn how to live lives that witness to the wider society. So Anglicans are encouraged to be storytellers in deed and word and to be storytellers in different contexts. The context of the weekly Eucharist is different from the context of the small discussion group or the Sunday school class or the public activities of members of the community. The ambition in all of this is to enable the community and individuals who make up that community to grow in Christian maturity, in wisdom and discernment. The dynamics of the Christian community however are fundamentally orientated towards the engagement of Christians with the society in which they are called to live the story of their faith in their social relationships, family, work, leisure, sport, entertainment and other social service organisations to which many Anglicans belong. They live that story by being witnesses to the crucified Christ. They live out their story in the way they conduct themselves, the way in which they express themselves. The way they relate to people is the way they witness to their faith. As citizens in Australia they can also live out that story in the public institutions and political life of the country whether they participate in the normal political life of the country or in the great public institutions, which sustain the ordinary lives of citizens. Two things might well affect issues at St James ; its location and the character of its congregation. St James is a city church. It sits cheek by jowl with the legal precinct in the city. It would be surprising if a church so located did not have some kind of organised way of witnessing to and living out its faith in relation to that precinct. Similarly it would be surprising if a community that was located in the middle of the city did not have some kind of organised way of relating to the city, its institutions and the people who work there. Secondly, my guess is that the congregation is relatively eclectic. Not all live within the geographical boundaries of the parish. They come from all sorts of different places. They are also eclectic in the sense that they have different kinds of professional, educational and social backgrounds. It would be surprising if a congregation that had talented members did not have some kind of activity that made use of those talents and where the gifts of those people were fostered so that they could conduct appropriate kinds of influence on the broader society. But the particular characteristics of the church and therefore also the particular vocational commitments that St James might have in relation to the city are, of course, for those involved. What, however, does seem to be clear is that like any Christian community the inner dynamics of the church should point to the calling of each and all to live out the story of their faith so that they grow in wisdom, perception and Christian stature and in so doing are able to live out the story of their faith in the wider community in which they are located. The Rev d Dr Bruce Kaye is the editor of The Journal of Anglican Studies. PAGE 2 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

3 living together in unity fr andrew sempell rector Behold how good and how lovely it is when brethren live together in unity! (Psalm 133:1) Community, Club or Communion? The concept of community seems to have become a difficult one for the modern Western world. As people have become more urbanised they have, incongruously, become more disconnected from each other. Popular writings and media comment suggest that there is a longing for community, but it seems to be on quite restricted terms. In this respect, people want to choose the community to which they belong which is more a matter of mutual association. However, a community is not something created through the will of a group of individuals but rather a context in which humanity lives and operates. It therefore includes all people, both the likeable and unlikeable, the good and the bad, the saint and the sinner. We belong to a community because we live in it rather than because we subscribe to a set of ideals or beliefs about it. Community can be likened to citizenship (or possibly family) which is a state of being connected to each other politically, culturally and situationally, rather than belonging to a particular group of like-minded individuals. Conversely, while the institutional church also articulates the modern desire for community, it nevertheless operates more as a religious club by emphasising membership to it through the holding of particular beliefs and the exhibiting of particular behaviours. On the one hand, it seeks to include people (and sometimes says it is open to all), but on the other hand it still seeks to exclude people who do not believe or do the right things. Of course, the narrower the definition of membership the more exclusive it becomes. Rather than offering a radical critique of the exclusiveness of modern pseudo-communities, much of the institutional church has instead become a reflection of the spirit of the age being competitive, materialist and discriminatory. It therefore fails to connect with many people, intentionally excludes others, and often lacks the diversity and openness expected of a healthy organisation. This is probably one reason why less than 10% of Sydney s population now have any regular church involvement. This all works against the spirit of covenant that I addressed last month. Today, society tends to seek a social contract by getting individuals to agree to a code of beliefs that then result in a set of behaviours. In contrast, a covenant acknowledges a series of relationships that in turn bring identity and transformation. Reflecting the notion of covenant, in baptism the church rightly welcomes a person into God s family rather than into the institutional church and, like the prodigal son, that person remains a member of God s family even if they wander far off (Luke 15:11 32). It therefore seems that neither the term club nor community adequately reflects what the church should be. However, the mystical church (as against the institutional one) is principally the gathering of God s people, in all their diversity and brokenness, with a view to their being the presence of Christ in the world today and of becoming part of God s kingdom in the future. In this context, God resources and empowers people for mission in the world. However, this concept Photo: Christopher Shain is multi-dimensional, for it extends down through history (over time) and across cultures (or space). It is for this reason that we tend to talk about the church in terms of being a communion and emphasise the relational connectedness between peoples, which more adequately satisfies the idea of covenant. Unity and Diversity The New Testament describes the gathering of Christ s followers in terms of koinonia, a Greek word meaning communion by intimate participation. It emphasises the aspects of sharing and fellowship in communion with one another. The concept appears in the Book of Acts, where part of the early church is described in these terms: They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and continued overleaf may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 3

4 living together in unity ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. (Acts 2:42 47) It may well look like an unobtainable ideal, but nevertheless it is the goal of Christian communion. However, there is clearly a problem, for the Bible talks in terms of unity, yet how do we account for the myriads of divisions, schisms and failings of a body that is meant to be a sign of God s presence in the world? Responses to this vary from an apathetic shrug of the shoulders with acknowledgement that it is the way of the world, nothing can be done, so we should just all keep doing our own thing, to a more belligerent position that suggests of course we should be unified and as my church is right then everyone else should join us! Part of the solution to this dilemma is to appreciate the distinction between the present state and the future hope, which is to say that the church lives and operates in the flawed present world and reflects this, but it is called to become God s kingdom in the future. In theological terms, it is a matter of eschatology. Schism, failure and sin may occur in the institutional church, yet we have no excuse but to recognise this, change our ways, and seek God s transforming power to become more a reflection of the mystical communion. To fail to acknowledge this or to seek to excuse bad behaviour is to choose to remain in sin and brokenness, and the transforming power of God is therefore diminished, both in the life of the individual as well as in the wider world. It is also important to recognise that the church is a very diverse organisation, and an aspect of this diversity is to recognise that God provides a huge range of gifts for the benefit of its corporate life. As St Paul wrote: Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4 7) The implication of this is that the church needs this diversity of gifts (and people) to remain healthy, and that the gifts given it are for the corporate good, not only for the benefit of the individual. To be sure, the nineteenth century idea of robust individualism and selfinterest would seem to have little biblical warrant. The church is therefore unified in its service of God, yet it lives in diversity because it is made up of a complex set of peoples that are resourced by God in a variety of ways. People are not all the same, either socially or psychologically and this fact finds expression through a range of different cultures and behaviours. The church reflects this diversity through its different cultural expressions, structures and practices but is unified in its following of Christ. It therefore needs diversity to remain strong and be ready to engage with a world that is both fragmented and rapidly changing. Sacrament to the World The Anglican Catechism states that a sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace (APBA p817). The Anglican Church recognises the two great sacraments of Baptism and Communion (which we often call the Eucharist, meaning Thanksgiving), and also the five sacramentals (or means of blessing) of Confirmation, Confession, Ordination, Marriage and Anointing. However, it may be understood that there are many other ways by which people inwardly experience the grace of God, expressed through outward actions and signs. The church, as koinonia, demonstrates the intimacy of relationships in communion; which in turn reflects the communal nature of the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore, just as the Trinity is a set of relationships so is the church, especially in its gathering together and the Eucharist is the sign of this mystical communion. Through the Eucharist, God and his people meet and have fellowship. An aspect of this fellowship is the nurture of God s people through word and sacrament, by which they are empowered to carry out God s mission in the world. It is also here that the people of God are unified as followers of Christ (both with those present as well as the wider mystical communion down through time and across the world), and the Holy Spirit also provides the church with gifts and empowerment for ministry. The church therefore does not exist for its own sake, but rather for others. Its structures, ways of operation and goals should therefore be a reflection of this principle. It is also in this way that the church takes on a sacramental role of being a means of God s grace (or unconditional love) to the world. In theological terms, this is called incarnation or the embodiment of God in the world. continued on page 14 PAGE 4 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

5 In conversation with CHristopher Waterhouse Karen Finch Regular attendees at St James in the weeks just after Easter would have spotted the familiar face of Christopher Waterhouse, back from London for a brief visit. Such was Christopher s involvement at St James prior to relocating to the UK that he d barely been back for five minutes before he found himself reading, serving and being interviewed for Parish Connections! The latter was an opportunity not to be missed as Christopher had been an important part of the St James community for some time, and although he now lives on the other side of the globe, clearly continues to regard this very much as his spiritual home. However, being pulled back into the middle of things is not something that is a problem for Christopher. During our conversation, he referred numerous times to his grandfather, a man who has clearly been a major influence on Christopher s outlook on life. At nearly ninety, Christopher s grandfather is almost never in when Christopher calls his nursing home to catch up. He taught Christopher to really participate in life, to take advantage of whatever opportunities that might come his way. He taught him to read aloud, about music, and the value of an active imagination. Christopher also learned the value of hospitality, as his grandparents kept an open house, so there were always people visiting a practice Christopher now maintains in his London home. Christopher also speaks of his grandfather s quiet, constant faith which was a constant touchstone for him, especially during times of loss and coming to terms with grief in the wake of losing people close to him to cancer and accidents. Christopher was born in England, but grew up in Tasmania calling himself a proud Tasmanian while, at the same time, feeling he s still more British expat than typical Aussie boy. When he speaks of always wanting to go to England and do the live and work in London thing, it is oddly reminiscent of the yearning you find in the diaries and other writings of early colonists and even those born here later, to go home. He planned his trip for 2007 via Sydney for a mini break having finished a play that summer and resigned from his jobs. However while he was here, a job became available at The Sydney Theatre Company that was too good an opportunity to miss so, bearing his grandfather s lessons in mind, he took it. He speaks of that position as his coming of age job, and finding St James and the community here created for him a base in Sydney that gave him the balance to move forward professionally, personally and spiritually. He says that, having now had the experience of moving away and re-establishing himself in a new country, he understands why others who have left St James for one reason or another still say they feel it is their spiritual home. He found here a community of people who were genuinely interested in and supportive of him at all levels, and where he forged what he feels will be lifelong friendships. He gained an understanding here of the concept of courtesy, in its fullest sense, rather than just the surface connotations of politeness that the word suggests through common usage a combination of manners and caregiving within a strong framework of Christian values, which is now integral to his modus operandi personally and professionally. As he approaches thirty, he finds Christopher (right) recently caught up with Father Andrew Bowyer in London himself reflecting that it s time to take a look in the mirror and really work out who he is, the investment others have made in him, and what he needs to do now to make something of himself. He is thoroughly enjoying the cultural diversity he has discovered in London, and the opportunity that he has as a manager in a 21 st century organisation to extend those courtesies of recognition of difference to those with whom he works ensuring that religious holidays of all faith groups are respected and accommodated. Christopher heads back to London to his job at St James Theatre, where he has been Acting General Manager since the beginning of the year. He looks forward immensely to the visits of travelling friends and extends an invitation to those who might be in London to obtain his contact details from the office so they can catch up when they are in town. Karen Finch is the editor of Parish Connections. may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 5

6 Richard Cogswell WHAT TO DO WITH A SABBATICAL James, David and I had our final dinner in Bodø on the west coast of Norway. The following morning I flew to Oslo with James where we farewelled each other. He headed to Sweden to catch up with a mate he had met when working on the North American wheat harvest some years ago and I flew back to Heathrow. The atmosphere at Heathrow was reminiscent of Sydney in September Olympic competitors and officials in national uniforms were everywhere, along with friendly immigration officials and smiling but well armed police. One tourist officer even showed me how to install a local SIM card into my newly acquired ipad. My next destination was Wales where I was to start my retreat in a few days time. I took the train to Cardiff and spent the night there before meeting Gethin Abraham- Williams the next morning. Gethin had been invited to preach at St James in the 1980s. He happened to be staying in Rozelle so Anne and I were asked to collect him and get him to the church on time. He was a Welsh Baptist minister who worked and wrote in the area of ecumenism. He was on exchange with his family in a parish in Adelaide and we struck up a friendship when we visited them there some weeks later. We have stayed in touch by Christmas cards ever since. For the days before the retreat Gethin and his wife invited me to their home in Dinas Powys, not far from Cardiff. They took me to evening prayer at Llandaff Cathedral (approaching 1000 years old). We attended the Welsh Proms and they had a retired Welsh judge and his wife for lunch. On the Friday morning Gethin took me back to Cardiff and put me on the northbound train. It swung out into England then back into North Wales where I got off at Rhyl, a coastal town on the Irish Sea. A taxi deposited me at St Beuno s about 20 minutes later. It is an imposing 19th century building which started life as a seminary. One of the seminarians was Gerard Manley Hopkins. There were plenty of reminders of his connection with St Beuno s, about which he wrote that: Away in the loveable west, On a pastoral forehead of Wales, I was under a roof here, I was at rest. (from The Wreck of the Deutschland). A century later it followed (or perhaps led) the trend of becoming a spirituality centre. That process was guided by Gerard Hughes SJ, the author of God of Surprises. Although the Olympics were due to start that night, I had long abandoned hope of seeing the Opening Ceremony. But I had underestimated the Jesuits. After an introductory talk to all of the retreatants we were ushered into a common room for a glass of wine and to view the Opening Ceremony. There were 21 of us who had signed up for the full 30 days retreat. All of us made it through to the end. We were a mixture of religious and lay people from various denominations. There were two Lutheran ministers from Denmark, both women. There was a female Church of Scotland priest and a female Church of Wales seminarian. There was an Irish Catholic priest and a Nigerian Catholic nun who was working in London. There was a Singaporean Catholic nun and a Vietnamese Catholic nun, both of whom were about to take their final vows. (I was able to attend the liturgy for one which was held in London a week after our retreat.) There was an American woman who worked in Doha and a Dutch Catholic seminarian completing his studies in England. We got to know one another over the Friday night and the Saturday, which were social and introductory. Then we lapsed into silence. Two things became obviously important right at the start. The first was to trust the retreat process. The second was to establish a workable routine. We were encouraged to do both. Each of us saw his or her spiritual director once a day. As it happens, mine was an Australian woman who had lived in the UK for many years. She was looking after four of us. Each of us had our individual appointment in the morning and we had two or three joint meetings with her over the course of the retreat. The directors task was to take their retreatants through the 400-year-old full spiritual exercises of St Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. It is a very well trodden road with plenty of resources available to the directors. There are stages (called weeks ) of the retreat such as the life of Jesus, his passion and death and his resurrection. Hence each of us went through a mini Holy Week and Easter Day. The day between our consideration of Jesus death and his resurrection is colloquially known as a tomb day. We were discouraged from doing anything on that day, even attending the regular liturgy. We were expected to undertake four periods of prayer each day. At the start, each period would be half an hour or so but we were to extend them up to an hour each. (My own personal practice of meditating at the beginning and end of the day could not be counted as part of my prayer periods!) I decided to fit three of my prayer periods into the morning when I PAGE 6 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

7 (part 2) was fresher. The last one I usually undertook just before the evening Eucharist. It made for a busy morning but was punctuated by breakfast, morning tea and a stroll around the grounds. After lunch I became physically active. There were booklets containing guides to beautiful walks around St Beuno s and the nearby villages, hills and woods. It ís in a pastoral setting in the hills overlooking the Irish Sea and a string of electricity generating windmills in the distance. There are plenty of tracks and trails and roads to explore. I would put on my hat and sunscreen and head off. Our first repose day was about 10 days into the retreat. I discovered that there was a bike shop in Rhyl and I hired a bicycle for the rest of the retreat. This was very liberating. I still did a good deal of walking in the afternoons but I could now get to nearby towns to check out their coffee shops. The nearest town is called St Asaph. In fact it had recently been declared a city by the Queen on the occasion of her Jubilee. It has a small cathedral which I sometimes used for my prayer periods. I also made a practice of attending Evensong there on Sunday afternoons. One thing I had not anticipated was that I could write postcards from my silent retreat. So I resolved early in the piece to send off a daily postcard to Anne with an account of my activity. I was able to phone her only during the two repose days over the month. Hence the postcards turned out to be a good means of communication and a record for me of what I got up to whilst I was there. After the retreat finished we had a couple of days to wind down. This was also very helpful socially. We were able to mix and chat with everyone with whom we had shared such a profound silence. I got on the train from Rhyl to London Euston Station then made my way by the Tube to Ealing Broadway which is the last stop on the District Line. I had booked to stay for a week at Meditatio House, a home maintained by the World Community for Christian Meditation as a prayerful lay community. There were three residents: an Englishman, a Venezuelan man and a Dutch woman. They had all been living there for some time. There was a daily household routine of meditation at 7am, 12 noon and 7pm. They had a roster for meals and other household chores around those times and each of them went about other activities which usually made some contribution to the WCCM. Guests join the prayer times when they can and help with household tasks. I prepared lunch on three of the days that I was there. Once again I fell into a routine. I found that there was a Bikram Yoga studio about an hour s walk St Beuno s Jesuit Spirituality Centre away in Chiswick. (That is the form of yoga which I practise here in Sydney.) The routine of joining the meditation, shopping for lunch and walking to yoga and back in the afternoon helped to ease me gracefully back into the world. I had thought that I would get into downtown London to do some sightseeing but was rather surprised to find that I was very comfortable where I was, poking around Ealing, Acton and Chiswick and catching up on a month s worth of s. So, what are my reflections from these experiences? I m a person who likes to make things happen and get things done. That requires a good deal of energy, focus and, of course, control. But the process of the retreat required me to relinquish control and to make myself available. I was surprised at what bubbled to the surface. I rediscovered my prayerful imagination. What I mean is this. St Ignatius encourages spiritual continued overleaf may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 7

8 what to do with a sabbatical reflection on stories in the gospel, amongst other prayerful practices. He invites you to put yourself into the story: see, hear, smell, taste and touch. I had completely forgotten my capacity to engage in that process. I found that as I prayed through the gospel stories over the middle period of the retreat I picked up my pen and wrote the stories of characters or events surrounding those depicted in the gospel. I became blind Bartimaeus on the roadside at Jericho. I was one of the friends of the man lowered through the roof when Jesus was teaching in the crowded house. I imagined the dialogue between Jesus and his mother between him saying, Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not yet come, and her saying to the servants, Do whatever he tells you. I became one of the soldiers taking Jesus up to Calvary and had to issue a coarse language and violence warning to my director before reading it out to her. I rediscovered poetry. It was not, I m afraid, Gerard Manley Hopkins, whom I don t find easy to read, but a 20th century Welsh clerical poet, R.S. Thomas. His poetry is lean, crisp, biting and insightful. Much of its focus is on Welsh people such as parishioners and farming folk. I discovered some books of English poetry and set aside some leisure reading time to catch up some of the poets whom I had enjoyed at school such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Donne. I wrote some haikus. I had been introduced to this disciplined form of observant Japanese poetry some years ago at a meditation retreat. I appreciated the value of the friendship with Gethin and Denise which had been preserved by the exchange of Christmas cards over 25 years or so. The friendship was easily rekindled, like that with David on the yacht. With Gethin and Denise I found that I experienced warmth and ease in their company and readily slipped into the depth of conversations which we used to share about life and faith. I was reminded of the importance to me of a routine or process. With Lene Suh Nicolaisen I emphasise to me. Anne will readily tell anyone who asks how regimented my routines can become if not checked. I knew that while I was on retreat for a month I would need a good deal of daily exercise. I would become unsettled if I could not do it. It reminded me of the importance in my day to day life of giving priority by making it routine! to the things which are significant: prayer, relationships, work and exercise. It s a daily struggle to attend to these but for me it s a worthy struggle: routine can become rhythm. Richard Cogswell has been a parishioner of St James since the early 1980s. He and his wife Anne usually worship at the 7:45am Eucharist. Richard has been a judge of the NSW District Court for nearly 6 years. CORRECTION In my article in the March issue of Parish Connections concerning a survey of earth scientists on the issue of anthropogenic climate change, I said that meteorologists were not included among the earth scientists surveyed. This was an error. A very small number of meteorologists responded to the survey: 36 responses, out of 3146 responses in total, from the 10,257 earth scientists invited to respond. Interestingly, meteorologists were the biggest sceptics: 23 out of the 36 who responded to the survey, 64%, answered no to the question: Do you think human activity is a significant contributing factor in changing mean global temperatures? Tom Blackburn PAGE 8 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

9 FAREWELL TO STEPHEN PEARSON This May we farewell Stephen Pearson, who has been Business Manager of St James Church for the past two years. Stephen came to us from Penrith City Council where he was Executive Services Officer. Over his career, he has built up an extensive experience in local government administration as well as in the not-for-profit sector, all of which has been to the fore during his time with us. The Business Manager is one of the senior staff members of the Parish and the duties of the position include management of the operational, commercial, property and financial affairs of the Church. As such, it is a most demanding position, to which Stephen has applied his skills with great readiness. Stephen took over the position at St James from Thomas-Andrew Baxter in May In addition to the usual duties of the job, he has been Project Director of Phase 2 of the Conservation Programme, which has been a great success and also a credit to Stephen s work with us. He has also supervised a number of other major maintenance projects (including work on the church crypt), and has also managed the sale of the Lindfield clergy residence and the purchase of the new Clergy House in Chatswood. He has also been part of the team that inaugurated the new Board of Management for the St James Hall. Stephen and his wife Marilyn are committed Christians worshipping at the Baulkham Hills Baptist Church. Stephen leaves to take up the position of Secretary of the Assembly Council of the Association of Baptist Churches of NSW and ACT. We wish him well in this new situation and thank him for his dedication to the ministry of St James through the oversight of the Parish administration for the past two years. Servicing RSL members & their families for 40 years Well known for our Coffee, Breakfasts and lunch, dine-in or takeaway, we also have extensive catering packages and free office delivery services To have our menu package ed please do not hesitate to contact us on the details below. Society Caffe Bar is less than 20 meters from the Law Courts Building. Home to The Supreme Court of New South Wales High Court of Australia and Federal Court of Australia This proudly Australian owned family operated business offers 24 hour, 7 day service in all suburbs. Pre-paid funerals available. Phone for a free booklet on What to do at the time of Bereavement. Open from 6am until 5pm Monday to Friday Closed on Public Holidays Contact Details Proprietor: Marc Reader Ground Floor, 169 Phillip Street, Sydney NSW societycaffebar@gmail.com Phone Fax Phone: Trevor, Bernadette (née O Hare) Dareen or Debra Lee on or Special discounts for RSL members and families 115 Wellbank St, North Strathfield 2137 We have no affiliation with any other Funeral Director. may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 9

10 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: May Celebrate with us at St James, 6:30pm, Thursday 16 May Churches throughout NSW and the ACT are encouraged to meet for ecumenical worship during the week, which in Australia will be observed from 12 to 19 May (Day of Pentecost). A Sydney service will be held on Thursday 16 May at 6.30pm at St James Anglican Church, King Street, Sydney. Members of all churches are invited to attend. Would you please include information about this celebration in your pew sheets and church notices in the weeks prior to the service. Introduction to the theme for the year 2013: What does God require of us? (Micah 6:6 8) To mark its centenary, the Student Christian Movement of India (SCMI) was invited to prepare the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) 2013 and they involved the All India Catholic University Federation and the National Council of Churches in India. In the preparatory process while reflecting on the significance of the WPCU, it was decided that in a context of great injustice to Dalits in India and in the Church, the search for visible unity cannot be disassociated from the dismantling of casteism and the lifting up of contributions to unity by the poorest of the poor. The Dalits in the Indian context are the communities which are considered outcastes. They are the people worst affected by the caste system, which is a rigid form of social stratification based on notions of ritual purity and pollution. Under the caste system, the castes are considered to be higher or lower. The Dalit communities are considered to be the most polluted and polluting and thus placed outside the caste system and were previously even called untouchable. Because of casteism the Dalits are socially marginalised, politically underrepresented, economically exploited and culturally subjugated. Almost 80% of Indian Christians have a Dalit background. It is in this context that this year s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites us to explore the well known biblical text of Micah 6:6-8, focusing upon the question What does God require of us? as the main theme. The Dalit experience serves as the crucible from within which theological reflections on the biblical theme emerge. Details about the Week and copies of the liturgy are available from the NSW Ecumenical Council. Contact the General Secretary, Doug Hewitt at doug.isabel@gmail.com or at planning an event? St James Church & Crypt If you are planning a concert, personal or corporate event in the Sydney CBD, then consider St James as a venue. The Crypt is a unique and exciting venue ideal for cocktail parties, product launches, small themed dinners and special events. It is equipped with a kitchen and offers interesting indoor and outdoor spaces including a lovely garden and covered courtyard. In addition to the Crypt, the Church itself, with its excellent acoustic, makes a spectacular venue for classical and contemporary music events. Level ONE, St James Hall If you are planning a seminar, meeting, mediation, conference, training workshop or promotional event, then consider Level One of St James Hall located in the centre of the legal precinct in Sydney s CBD. More information is available on our website: go to and click on Venues in the menu bar. For all enquiries and bookings, telephone (02) or Stephen.Pearson@sjks.org.au. PAGE 10 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

11 Easter with John Wiltshire It has always niggled me that Easter for our Sunday School has largely missed Holy Week. We tend to go from the celebratory nature of Palm Sunday to the joyful celebration of Easter and miss everything in between. Asking around, it seems that St James has never had any specific programme for children on Good Friday. This year has done something different, with the emphasis being taken away from just celebrating Easter, but rather to see Palm Sunday as the start of a journey through Holy Week to Easter Day. On Palm Sunday, the children joined in with the procession of palms. Our lesson material that day talked about Palm Sunday, but also the events of Holy Week. As a craft activity, the children made a Holy Week calendar to take home as reminder of the time between the two Sundays. During the 9:00am service of Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, kids@church had its own version in the crypt. We cut down the full version used in the church to a bible reading and prayers at each station, the readings were left as is, and the prayers were rewritten in more child-friendly language. The pictures of each station were set up in the crypt so that we could walk the journey, finishing at the altar in the Children s Chapel. Twelve children between the ages of four and sixteen attended, as well as four parents. The Rector led the opening and closing prayers, and the children and parents were asked to do the reading at each station. In contrast to the usual style of kids@church, the children realised the solemnity of the occasion and Good Friday became a time of quiet reflection for them. At the end of the liturgy we left in silence. On Easter Day we celebrated Christ s resurrection. After recalling the story of that first Easter morning, the older children led the younger ones on a hunt through the crypt, finding the clues that would eventually lead them to the hidden basket of Easter eggs. Chaos reigned, eggs were found and shared and we were back to our usual rowdy style, which just goes to show that the joy of Easter really is unstoppable. John Wiltshire is the coordinator of kids@ church. Long to reign over us! A special service of Choral Matins to mark the 60 th Anniversary of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second in the presence of Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir, AC, CVO, Governor of New South Wales, will be held at St James Anglican Church, King Street, Sydney on Sunday, 2 nd June, 2013, commencing at 11 am. may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 11

12 blessing of new clergy house Kwik Kopy Elizabeth Street 82 Elizabeth Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: Fax: Formerly Printer s Devil. Still the same friendly faces but now with Something for everyone. PAGE 12 ST JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

13 colin s corner From S. JAMES MONTHLY CHURCH MESSENGER, may 1913 Continuing the theme: 100 YEARS AGO Special Offertories for the Assistant Clergy Fund It has been decided by the Churchwardens to devote the offertories on the first and third Sundays of the month to the Assistant Clergy Fund. We would point out this fund is crucially important for the maintenance of our worship and the parochial work of S. James. In other parishes a stipend Fund is part of the parochial machinery which usually receives large support independently of Church collections. In a city parish such as ours, where our congregation is so scattered and communication is so difficult, a stipend fund, which is collected by church officers, is scarcely feasible. The only alternative is to ask our people on these special Sundays to give to the collections a little more liberally than they otherwise would on ordinary Sundays. The maintenance of our present staff at S. James will always require some self-denying effort. What shape that effort should take may be a disputed problem. But the best solution of it at present lies in straight-giving and in the security of a sufficient income to free us from any danger of future embarrassment. Ladies Working Party The members of the S. James Working Party this month have sent a parcel of work to Yarrabah*. The contribution is by no means as large as they could wish, or as large as it should be. Now that the Working Party are sending their work directly to the Mission Field, more workers are badly needed. We make a strong appeal for more help on Tuesday afternoons. Will some more ladies of our congregation spare us two hours on Tuesday so that we may increase our output of work for the Mission Field? *Yarrabah Mission was located on the Mitchell River in Carpentaria. PARISH DIRECTORY WHO S WHO AND HOW TO CONTACT THEM THE PARISH OFFICE PHONE FAX WEBSITE OFFICE Level 1, Phillip Street, Sydney, NSW office@sjks.org.au RECTOR The Reverend Andrew Sempell (m ) associate RECTOR The Reverend John Stewart (AH ) DIRECTOR OF ST JAMES INSTITUTE The Reverend Martin Davies HEAD OF MUSIC Warren Trevelyan-Jones ORGANIST Alistair Nelson business MANAGER Stephen Pearson counselling@st james William Suganda Loretta King SECRETARY/OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Dianne Ward ACCOUNTANT Michelle Chan Communications & publicity Karen Finch PARISH CONNECTIONS EDITOR Karen Finch karen@sjks.org.au PARISH CONNECTIONS subeditor Isabella Woods VERGERs Graeme Reid Juris Balodis / may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 13

14 living together in unity Customers vs Participants A temptation for the church these days is to become consumerist in its approach to faith, by which I mean to see religious practice as a commodity to be traded in a competitive marketplace. In many respects, this is unsurprising for consumerism is a dominant part of Western society. As people have become disconnected from the experience of church as mystical communion and have instead sought a church that provides for their needs a more consumerist approach to church life has arisen, such that attenders are more concerned with what they receive from the experience of church rather than what they contribute to it. Indeed, what develops in this situation is a diminishing regard for the quality and integrity of relationships and an increasing concern for style and product! In this way, church attenders have tended to become more like customers in a religious emporium than members of the body of Christ. Some church structures have embraced this model with a degree of success, if numbers are to be the gauge of success. However, it is a far cry from any sense of koinonia; for, as Christians, we are called to be participants in the body of Christ. Such participation is to be understood through the concept of covenant, which describes the relationship between God and his people and the responsibilities they have to one another. Christian Communion So what might Christian Communion look like? First, it needs to be acknowledged that it is extremely diverse for there is no one way of being a Christian. The church around the world and down through the ages has, and does, operate in many different cultures and includes people of all types socially, psychologically and intellectually. It is therefore naïve and dishonest for any group to suggest that there is only one way of living the Christian life, indeed it is a denial of reality more the behaviour of a sect than a church. Secondly, the binding force of Christianity is Christ himself not church regulations. Our salvation, or hope for life, is to be discovered through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and not because we do or believe certain things. Through love and trust, God makes a covenant with us, and promises to be part of our lives, drawing us into union with himself. When we recognise this and commit ourselves to serving God, it has the power to become a transforming force in our lives and, by extension, the world around us. Thirdly, the Christian life is worked out in the world; it is not about escaping the world, but rather a matter of engaging with it. Our participation in the work of God is to do what we have always done, using our gifts and talents within the community, but with the added understanding that God is present in the ordinary things of life. We are called, therefore, to live our lives in a way that acknowledges this insight on the one hand, and yet allows our lives to be shaped through loving service because of it on the other. We therefore choose to serve God, and the concerns for mission and justice follow from this commitment. Finally, Christian Communion finds its fulfilment and fruitfulness through participation in life. Christianity differs from a philosophy in that it is more than just human ideas about life and community. While theology is important, it is an enabling activity rather than an end in itself and tends only to make sense when lived. Worship, study, prayer and good works transform both the individual as well as the broad community, and they have the capacity to change the world when practised a matter of deeds not words. The Rev d Andrew Sempell is the Rector of St James. advertising Have you ever considered advertising your business in Parish Connections? Please contact Karen on or karen@sjks.org.au for advertising design criteria, quotes and copy deadlines. next edition The next edition of Parish Connections will be published on Friday 31 May. Deadlines (advertising & editorial): Monday 13 May Contact Karen on or karen@sjks.org.au PAGE 14 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

15 poetry at st james Philip Larkin is known for his focus on the everyday experience, and despite having only published three main collections in his lifetime, achieved recognition as one of the greatest British poets of modern times. Church Going comes from The Less Deceived, published in 1955, and clearly marks a period of disillusionment amid the social-political upheaval of Britain s mid-1950s. In a short essay on the Philip Larkin Society website, Kathryn Gray writes: In the modern age, the poem loses something of its force, unquestionably. Our society champions the cult of the individual, and most of us stand outside of any conventional, organised Christian religion or, indeed, any belief system at all. It can be difficult, particularly for younger readers, to see the daring as it turned out, chillingly prophetic and the acute social observation rendered here by Larkin. What will happen to society when the superstructure falls away? Will there linger on in us all some abstracted cultural memory of human connection, of common purpose and belief? Will the Church become a relic, debased into meaningless antique? A place for Christmas addicts only? We live largely in the realisation of that prophecy. ( Church Going Once I am sure there s nothing going on I step inside, letting the door thud shut. Another church: matting, seats, and stone, And little books; sprawlings of flowers, cut For Sunday, brownish now; some brass and stuff Up at the holy end; the small neat organ; And a tense, musty, unignorable silence, Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off My cycle-clips in awkward reverence. Move forward, run my hand around the font. From where I stand, the roof looks almost new Cleaned, or restored? Someone would know: I don t. Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few Hectoring large-scale verses, and pronounce Here endeth much more loudly than I d meant. The echoes snigger briefly. Back at the door I sign the book, donate an Irish sixpence, Reflect the place was not worth stopping for. Yet stop I did: in fact I often do, And always end much at a loss like this, Wondering what to look for; wondering, too, When churches will fall completely out of use What we shall turn them into, if we shall keep A few cathedrals chronically on show, Their parchment, plate and pyx in locked cases, And let the rest rent-free to rain and sheep. Shall we avoid them as unlucky places? Or, after dark, will dubious women come To make their children touch a particular stone; Pick simples for a cancer; or on some Advised night see walking a dead one? Power of some sort will go on In games, in riddles, seemingly at random; But superstition, like belief, must die, And what remains when disbelief has gone? Grass, weedy pavement, brambles, buttress, sky, A shape less recognisable each week, A purpose more obscure. I wonder who Will be the last, the very last, to seek This place for what it was; one of the crew That tap and jot and know what rood-lofts were? Some ruin-bibber, randy for antique, Or Christmas-addict, counting on a whiff Of gown-and-bands and organ-pipes and myrrh? Or will he be my representative, Bored, uninformed, knowing the ghostly silt Dispersed, yet tending to this cross of ground Through suburb scrub because it held unspilt So long and equably what since is found Only in separation marriage, and birth, And death, and thoughts of these for which was built This special shell? For, though I ve no idea What this accoutred frowsty barn is worth, It pleases me to stand in silence here; A serious house on serious earth it is, In whose blent air all our compulsions meet, Are recognized, and robed as destinies. And that much never can be obsolete, Since someone will forever be surprising A hunger in himself to be more serious, And gravitating with it to this ground, Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in, If only that so many dead lie round. Philip Larkin ( ) The poetry page is a new, regular feature. Please submit original or favourite poems to karen@sjks.org.au. may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 15

16 St James Institute events thursdays 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 may 1:00pM 2:00pm Sacred Reading: Lectio Divina Saturday 4 May 10:00am 4:00pm The Healing Ministry in the Church Sunday 5 May 2:00pm 4:00pm Easter Season Pilgrimage: Stations around the Church Saturday 11 May 2:00pm 5:00pm Transforming Mission: A practical exploration of Anglican missiology in the 21st Century Saturday 25 May 2:00pm 4:00pm In Conversation with Gloria Shipp Sunday 2 June 2:00PM 4:00pm The Eucharist Makes the Church PAGE 16 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

17 institute update fr martin davies The desire for wholeness and healing is a major human preoccupation. This month s St James Institute activities begin with a Saturday 4 May, 10:00am to 4:00pm seminar at St Luke s, Mosman, exploring the Healing Ministry in the Church. The day is led by Fr Bruce McAteer, Fr John Stewart, Fr John Spooner, and Nanette Danks, whose insights into this pastoral ministry derive from their parish, and Guild of St Raphael participation and reflection over a number of years. The day concludes with the celebration of the Eucharist for healing, with the laying-on of hands and anointing with oil. On Sunday 5 May, 2:00pm to 4:00pm, St James Institute begins a series of pilgrimages which will take place over the next few years. This year s Easter Season Pilgrimage: Stations around the Church, draws on a number of familiar elements from the Stations of the Cross and pilgrimage traditions, anchoring them in the historical and contemporary civic and religious contexts of St James, King Street. Be sure to join us for a fresh look at pilgrimage, and at St James Church. St James King Street and the Anglican Board of Mission have a long history of mutual interest and support. In the Saturday 11 May SJI seminar, Transforming Mission: A practical exploration of Anglican missiology in the 21 st Century, ABM executive director Fr John Deane leads an exploration of contemporary approaches to mission, drawing on his extensive experience of situations throughout the Anglican Communion. Over the last few decades the ancient method of prayerful reading known as lectio divina has enjoyed a new flowering among many people in their reading of the Scriptures and other writings. On Thursdays in May (and again in August) we offer 1:00pm to 2:00pm lunchtime sessions, Sacred Reading: Lectio Divina, to deepen familiarity and encounter with God through the Scriptures. The Week of Prayer for Reconciliation incorporates a number of important observances: Sorry Day (26 May), Referendum Day (27 May), and Mabo Day (3 June). The significance of these historical Aboriginal and Australian events, and how the past relates to the present and future, is the backdrop against which we welcome The Rev d Gloria Shipp at the beginning of Reconciliation Week. Join us with Colleen Hodge In Conversation with Gloria Shipp, on Saturday 25 May, 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Fr Martin Davies is the Director of the St James Institute. may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 17

18 st james in may Choir of St James The Choir of St James continues to offer inspiring choral music of the highest standard. Here is its music list for this month: SUNDAY 5 MAY 11:00am CHORAL EUCHARIST Mass setting: Darke in F Motet: Bassano Dic nobis, Maria WEDNESDAY 8 MAY 6:15pm CHORAL EVENSONG Responses: Archer Canticles: Sumsion in G Anthem: Rheinberger Regina Coeli THURSDAY 9 MAY ASCENSION DAY 6:30pm CHORAL EUCHARIST Mass setting: Victoria Missa Ascendens Christus Motet: Victoria Ascendens Christus SUNDAY 12 MAY 11:00am CHORAL EUCHARIST Mass setting: Victoria Missa Ascendens Christus Motet: Croft God is gone up WEDNESDAY 15 MAY 6:15pm CHORAL EVENSONG Responses: Nelson Canticles: Tallis Short Service Anthem: Lloyd Thee we adore WEDNESDAY 29 MAY 6:15pm CHORAL EVENSONG Responses: Jackson Canticles: Gibbons Short Service Anthem: Palestrina O beata et gloriosa Trinitas WEDNESDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Experience the peaceful atmosphere of Sydney s oldest church as it is filled with music every Wednesday lunchtime between 1:15 and 1:45pm. A suggested donation of $5 helps us cover the costs of putting on the concerts. WEDNESDAY 1 May Alistair Nelson organ WEDNESDAY 8 May Dumky Trio MVA WEDNESDAY 15 May Sophia Mitchell mezzo soprano WEDNESDAY 22 May Ria Andriani soprano WEDNESDAY 29 May SSO Chamber Ensemble SUNDAY 19 MAY pentecost 10:00am CHORAL EUCHARIST Mass setting: Chilcott A Little Jazz Mass Motet: Trad. Steal away WEDNESDAY 22 MAY 6:15pm CHORAL EVENSONG Sung by the Choir of Shore Preparatory School Psalm: William Boyce O, Praise the Lord Canticles: Wood in A Anthem: Dankworth Light of the world SUNDAY 26 MAY trinity sunday 11:00am CHORAL EUCHARIST Mass setting: Palestrina Missa Aeterna Christi Munera Motet: Palestrina O beata et gloriosa Trinitas 3:00pm CHORAL EVENSONG Responses: Ayleward Canticles: tba Anthem: Tchaikovsky Hymn to the Trinity Subsolo Restaurant & Wine Bar Open Tuesday to Saturday Evenings 161 King St Sydney Bookings Essential 15% off your bill with presentation of this advertisement (Not to be used with any other discount offer) PAGE 18 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS may 2013

19 music notes The key word for music at St James over the past and in the coming months has to be versatility: from the music of the Renaissance to opera and jazz, tours interstate and overseas, visiting choirs, and a remarkable depth of talent. With hardly a break after Easter, the Choir toured to Perth and Singapore from 14 to 21 April. Throughout the tour it presented a wide variety of music, including choir soprano Brooke Shelley s Messe Sans Regretz and Poulenc s challenging Mass in G. It performed in cathedrals, churches, schools and concert halls. Back in Sydney on Sunday 14 April, the service was sung by newer and deputy members of the Choir, demonstrating the depth of musical talent available here at St James, and then the service on 21 April was sung by the St James Singers. At the Sung Eucharist on 21 April we welcomed Rachel Scott on the cello; Rachel is the presenter of the popular Bach in the Dark concerts. The next of these will be held on Friday and Saturday, 17 and 18 May, at 7:00pm, in the St James Crypt. On Sunday 28 April, we welcomed the St Paul s Chapel Choir of John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School from Perth, with whom the Choir celebrated a combined Evensong during its tour of Perth. May begins with the first entirely secular offering in the Subscription Concert Series: Handel s most popular opera, Acis and Galatea, in concert on Saturday 4 May at 5:00pm. The same finesse of the chamber forces, so successful in Handel s Messiah and Bach s Mass in B minor last year, is sure to provide delightful entertainment. It is also a pleasure to welcome talented soloists and friends of music at St James, Anna Sandström and Richard Butler, to our forces in the roles of two lovers. A couple of weeks later we will welcome what is fast becoming a tradition: the jazz mass for Pentecost Sunday, 19 May at 10:00am. Once again we will welcome jazz performers from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music as we celebrate the Holy Spirit s coming. This will serve as a reminder and foretaste too of the upcoming delights of The Idea of North; the a capella vocal quartet will be in concert at St James on Saturday 1 June at 5:00pm. The following weekend, St James musicians will once again be on tour, alistair nelson revisiting the Southern Highlands. Organist Alistair Nelson will be giving a concert on Friday 24 May, 7:30pm at St Jude s, Bowral. Then the Choir will give a concert in Bundanoon on Saturday 25 May at 4:00pm, and then it will present Evensong and a short recital back at St Jude s on Sunday 26 May at 3:00pm. Please do come and enjoy the many delights of Music at St James in May. Alistair Nelson is the Organist at St James King Street. KEEPING UP WITH ST JAMES There are so many ways of keeping up with what is going on at St James! Have a look: Weekly Pewsheet Parish Connections Website: Facebook the Parish page, the Choir page and the Institute page Friends of Music website: milestones Weddings Michael James Stuart Willis and Alexandra Sophie Longes...5 April Jayli Jiang and Blayne Thomas Gilpin April Baptisms Benjamin Cane Hellier April Charlie Thomas Hellier April may 2013 st JAMES PARISH CONNECTIONS PAGE 19

20 A Special SERVICE for Pentecost Sunday 19 MAY, 10.00am A Little Jazz Mass by Bob Chilcott Sung by The Choir of St James, accompanied by Students from the Sydney Conservatorium of music st james institute In ConversatIon with GlorIa shipp saturday 25 May, 2:00pm to 4:00pm venue: st James hall level 1, 169 phillip st, sydney the rev d Gloria shipp with Colleen hodge Bookings: institute@sjks.org.au Cost: $30 ($15 full-time students & Centrelink pensioners) including refreshments. Sweet Music The Idea of North in recital Tickets $50/45 tel Saturday 1 June, 5:00pm St James Church, King Street