St Michael & All Angels Mildred Avenue Watford. Parish Magazine AUGUST Price 60p

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1 S WO R D Parish Magazine AUGUST 2014 Price 60p St Michael & All Angels Mildred Avenue Watford

2 CONTENTS Production Team Rob White Sylvia Moring Father Geoff Vicki Matthews Graham Mordue Subscriptions Valerie Alvarez Diary and Rota Sylvia Moring Crossword Peter White Distribution Dennis Beach Rob White Pastoral Letter The Children's Society Flower Festival Notices The Mission Committee Christmas Fair 17th Watford Brownies Burnham Abbey Diary of Events Sung Eucharist Duty List Letter from Bishop Alan In Focus Crossword Contributors Jean Alexander Martin Heath Kristine Jenkins Sylvia Moring John Salmon Marilyn Tozer Norma Twitchin Elizabeth Watkin Rob White Printers DPD Printing Final Copy Date for September edition of SWORD 24th August 2014 Please submit copy or to: 2

3 A Pastoral Letter Dear Friends, I am writing this letter with many very fresh memories of my recent month spent in Kenya. We saw wildlife, scenery, culture and much more, but I most wanted to spend the time with people, and this we were able to do very well. I met many, many people, both at home and in Church. The most frequent word I heard was welcome, sometimes in its Swahili form Karibu. In Luo, which is the language of the area in which we spent most of our time, the most common expressions are idhi nadi, which means how are you, and erokomano, which means thank you. In a Church setting, people will also greet you with pak ruoth, which means praise the Lord. My overwhelming memories are of being welcomed usually with a broad smile, and a laugh as I tried out my Luo expressions. When we met people in a church setting, people would often introduce themselves with their name, their relation to the other people present, and often say the year in which they had come to faith. They felt that this was an important fact about themselves as persons. Luo people are very keen to establish a connection with the person they are speaking to. In the church context, they are also keen to show confidence that God is present and working in their lives. Life can be hard, as the majority of people are subsistence farmers, but they still show hope, generosity and joy in their practice of the faith. Of course, many of the ways in which we practice our Christian faith, whether as Anglicans in Watford, or Anglicans in Kenya, will be culture specific. Many of the things which people do in Kenya would seems strange and unhelpful in Watford, and vice versa. When we meet people who are Anglicans like us, but practice their faith in a different culture, it presents great opportunities to think afresh, to learn from each 3

4 other, but most of all to encourage each other. We are well beyond the situation of paternalism, where the Europeans went out to teach Africans how to be Christians. They know very well how to be Christians, and are making great efforts, in their own cultural setting, to grow in faith and numbers, and serve their community. Jesus said to his disciples, I call you friends, and we can benefit enormously by seeing our fellow Christians not as strangers, but as friends we haven't yet met, friends we can share our joys and burdens with. I am hoping that we will be able, in fulness of time, to establish a parish link with a Church in Kenya, so that we can encourage each other, and help each other in whatever way is appropriate. Most of all, though, I hope we can make friends. With my prayers and best wishes Fr Geoff THE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY I would like to thank all box holders for their donations this year. The sum raised was which is up on last year. Considering that two people moved and one died, this was very good. I am, Yours most sincerely, Norma Twitchin There will be a COFFEE MORNING on SATURDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER, in CHURCH in aid of the Society's work. It will be from am until 12 noon. There will be sales tables and a raffle. Your support, and that of your friends and neighbours, would be much appreciated. Norma 4

5 For four days in September 201 4, from the 25th to 28th, St Albans Cathedral will be transformed into a stunning oasis of colour and sound when the Music in Bloom Flower Festival opens to the public. Beautiful and imaginative flower displays will clothe the ancient stones and architecture of this unique building as over 20,000 visitors come to experience one of the largest events in the region in From huge constructions to delicate posies, the flower arrangements will be themed on musical titles of every genre and the cathedral will echo to the sound of local musicians, carefully chosen to complement the flowers and the setting. The Festival will be enhanced by a comprehensive programme of evening events including a spectacular Gala Preview evening with musical entertainment and a picnic prom. Sunday evening will be dedicated to the local community when local charity groups are invited to view the flowers during a special session as the Festival draws to a close. Flower arranging courses will also be available to visitors on a pre-booked basis. Together with delicious refreshments, the Festival will be a feast for all the senses and an important highlight in the life of the Cathedral and the city - a unique and breathtaking event. Over 1 5,000 visitors are expected to attend the Festival which in turn will have a significant impact on local retail and the economy. Disabled Access - Ramps and lifts are provided throughout the Cathedral. Unfortunately we are unable to offer disabled parking for this event but drop off is available at the West End entrance. There are resting points throughout the building. ST ALBANS FLOWER FESTIVAL - 25th - 28th September St Michaels is exhibiting at the above Festival and donations to me towards the cost of the flowers would be greatly appreciated. Much to my surprise we have been given a large area depicting Autumn near the Altar so we want to make as much of an impression as we can. Many thanks. Jean Alexander 5

6 Pieces of fabric wanted! We would like to make some fabric bags and other sewing projects to sell at the Christmas Fair, so we are looking for pieces of fabric - patterned, plain, colourful etc. Secondhand curtains or table cloths are ideal as they are often made of thick material. If you have any to spare, please contact Elizabeth Watkin on or elizabethwatkin@yahoo.co.uk Church chairs Our long-awaited new church chairs will be delivered during the last week of August. We are going to keep some of the old chairs around the font the rest should be picked up during that week, too. Kristine Jenkins, church warden Situation vacant please apply! We urgently need someone for the position of Hall Bookings secretary. Littlebury Hall is let out to a number of regular groups, including the Children s Centre, the Guide shop, the African Apostolic church, a line dancing group and others. In addition, there are occasional one-off bookings for parties and other groups. This provides us with vital funds for our day-to-day running costs. The position involves taking bookings from the public, by phone or , collecting the hire fees, opening and locking up after one-off bookings and being first port of call for minor emergencies, breakages etc. Paul Jenkins did this for a number of years and has put very simple procedures in place for managing these bookings it is NOT onerous or time consuming, but does require someone to oversee it. Please see Paul and Kristine Jenkins (paul@jenkinsandco.co.uk or ) for more details. This is, of course, a voluntary position you will get your reward in Heaven! 6

7 ST MICHAEL'S MISSION COMMITTEE For much of its 100 years history St Michael s has supported the work of Us. (formerly USPG) and in spite of financial pressures continues to give generous support to this Anglican Mission agency. Us. continues to do what it has always done, in line with modern concepts of mission (and with reduced resources). It is in close and constant contact with churches, working with them in support of their own priorities. These include the training of Church leaders and ordinands, community-based healthcare, advocacy and international volunteer placements. In all this the emphasis is on building relationships and the sharing of lives. Last month Gillian and I joined the Us. Conference at High Leigh for a time of rich fellowship and engagement with people representing different parts of the Anglican Communion. This included profoundly moving accounts of how costly it is in some places for our sisters and brothers simply to be Christians, living daily with exclusion and intimidation. One such account was that given by Bishop Mano Rumalshah - a former Bishop of Peshawar in the North West of Pakistan and later General Secretary of Us. - who had just spent three months in Peshawar helping to care pastorally for the traumatized Christian community in the aftermath of the suicide bombings at All Saints Church (see the May Sword). Now we have just received news from the Diocesan Office in Peshawar that the pressures on the Church are being compounded by the arrival of 80 Christian families from Waziristan Internally Displaced Persons - caught up in the Pakistan army s offensive against the Taliban. The need of the Church is not only for financial assistance which Us.will try to help with as for the wider Church to hold these Christian families in an embrace of love and prayer. Sunday by Sunday in our intercessions we pray for a bishop and a diocese somewhere in the Anglican Communion but seldom are we aware of what it s like to be a Christian in that place. The Us. Prayer Diary and magazine are excellent ways of helping us to pray in an informed and engaged way - easy to get these for you if you just let me know. Do please remember the work of Us. and it s relationships on our behalf with the Anglican Communion and do let us at the present time hold the Church of Pakistan in our hearts and prayers. 7

8 Christmas Fair, 29 November 2014 On 22 June, there was a very well-attended meeting in church about this year s Christmas Fair. We explored ways to rejuvenate the Fair and attract more visitors. Kristine Jenkins will be coordinating the over-all arrangements, including the stalls, and Elizabeth Watkin will oversee the lunches. The aim of the Christmas Fair will be to generate funds for the running of our church and also to create awareness of what we have to offer in a fun and welcoming setting. Here is a brief outline of ideas that we would like to take forward: a. b. c. d. e. f. The date has moved closer to December, to allow us to make the Fair more Christmassy! Many of the usual stalls will still be there, such as cakes and preserves, the Brownies stall, tombola, raffle, face painting, books, toiletries and stationery, lunches etc. There will be a small entry charge in exchange for a detailed programme. Sponsorship towards the cost of producing this will be sought from advertisers in Sword, in exchange for an ad in the programme. A Grand Raffle will be organised, with larger prizes, ticket booklets available to sell in the months leading up to the Fair. Publicity will be intensified with banners and posters, leaflet drops and an online presence. The look of the Fair will be enhanced; the idea is to create a village square atmosphere with stalls and food outlets; stalls will be decorated with lights, greenery, garlands etc. A craft group will hopefully be set up to produce aprons for all the stall holders, plus items like fabric shopping bags, oven gloves, decorations, cushion covers etc This group may also produce gift packs of toiletries etc, in containers/baskets wrapped in cellophane and ribbon Outsiders will be invited to sell their products on commission. Local schools and community groups will be asked to provide live music and singing during the day. Other ideas included a Victorian theme with period dress, a Christmassy photo booth with fancy dress/comedy hats, scarves, wigs etc, a stall with second-hand party dresses, a large collection pot/bottle for cash donations. We need your help: Reserve the date and start telling your friends and family Can you man a stall? Help to set up/clear away? Help with publicity? Donate items? Cook something? Serve refreshments? Look out for sign-up sheets during September. Start collecting small containers and baskets for the gift packs, plus toiletries, new face cloths, candles, napkins etc. A more detailed list will be available soon. Hang on to bric-a-brac and books for now. Suggest companies or businesses that could donate larger prizes a meal for two at your local restaurant, beauty treatments, vouchers etc. Kristine will then approach them, to save them being badgered repeatedly! Do you know a celebrity?! Kristine Jenkins and Elizabeth Watkin jenkinskristine@hotmail.com elizabethwatkin@yahoo.co.uk

9 This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Lees Wood camp site, and a weekend anniversary camp was held at the end of June. Some of the Brownies went to the camp as day visitors on the Saturday and had a fantastic time. There were 700 campers and 400 day visitors so the site was very busy but so many activities were available that queues were very short and a couple of heavy rain showers didn t dampen spirits at all. The girls went on various inflatables, crossed a rope bridge, did tie-dying and various other crafts, toasted marshmallows, went in the boulder box, made woggles for their new Lees Wood anniversary scarves, went on the swing boats many times and bounced on the trampolines. We were all pretty tired by the time we went home! It was a very impressive event which must have taken hours of organisation by all involved. We ended our term at Brownies with a picnic in Cassiobury Park. For once we weren t worried about the rain! The girls played with the parachute, had a scavenge hunt and of course the all-important picnic. All the Brownies have now gained their Big Brownie Birthday Challenge badge. Three of the girls, Umayah, Amelia and Alishba, are going to Guides next term. We are now looking forward to our Pack Holiday in August. Marilyn Tozer 9

10 10 John Salmon. Reproduced by kind permission ofjohn Salmon at saintsilas.org.uk

11 Reproduced by kind permission ofjohn Salmon BURNHAM ABBEY Burnham Abbey is a convent for Anglican nuns near Burnham in Buckinghamshire. It was founded under the Augustinian rule in April 1266, by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, the second son of King John and Queen Isabella. In 1257, Richard got himself elected King of the Romans at Aachen in Germany. He ruled a number of German states, and became one of the wealthiest men in Europe. Much land was granted to the Abbey. The original endowment included the manor at Burnham and a chapel at Cippenham. The Abbey buildings included a chapel, a vestry, a kitchen, a refectory and a large dormitory. The Abbey convent was broken up in 1539, following Henry VIII's Second Act of Suppression, and the remaining ten nuns were given pensions. The Abbey became the property of the Crown, but was leased out to a man named William Tyldesley. Over the next two centuries, the property had many owners, but became increasingly run-down and delapidated. In the Nineteenth-Century it was being used as a farm, and in the early Twentieth century, a partial restoration was attempted. In 1916, the buildings were purchased by the Society of the Precious Blood, an Anglican order that follows the rule of Saint Augustine. The Order (which goes back to 1905) was established in Birmingham by Mother Mary Millicent. In 1957, five sisters from the order set up another community in Lesotho, and in 1980, a House of Prayer was established in Kimberley, South Africa. Rob 11

12 DIARY OF EVENTS FOR AUGUST AUGUST 2nd Sat PARISH QUIET DAY at BURNHAM ABBEY 3rd 4th 6th 7th SUN TRINITY 7 Holy Communion SUNG EUCHARIST (Pres & Preacher: Fr Geoff) Bishops Cup (cricket) starting at Baptism Joint Service at St Michael's Mon Service at River Court Wed Coffee in Church. Food Bank distribution Thu Fairhaven during morning 8.00 am 9.30 am 12 noon 3.00 pm 6.00 pm 3.00 pm noon 10th SUN HOLY CROSS DAY/TRINITY 8 Holy Communion SUNG EUCHARIST (Pres and Preacher: : Fr George) (The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Evening Prayer (Off: Graham Mordue) 13th Wed Coffee in Church. Food Bank distribution Service at Home Manor 14th Thu St Anthony's during morning 8.00 am 9.30 am 1-5 pm) 6.00 pm noon 3.00 pm 17th SUN Trinity 9 Holy Communion SUNG EUCHARIST (Pres & Preacher: Fr Geoff) The 6.00 Series (Fr Geoff) 19th Tue Service at The Chase Care Centre 20th Wed Coffee in Church. Food Bank distribution 23rd Sat Wedding 8.00 am 9.30 am 6.00 pm 2.30 pm noon 24th SUN ST BARTHOLOMEW Holy Communion SUNG EUCHARIST (Pres: Fr Geoff; Preacher: Martin Heath) (The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church Evening Prayer (Off: Fay Storey) 25th Mon Bank Holiday No Toddlers Group St Albans Diocese celebrating 100 years with fun & praise at The College Equestrian Centre, Keysoe am 9.30 am 1-5 pm) 6.00 pm

13 DIARY OF EVENTS FOR AUGUST (cont) 31st Sun TRINITY 11 Holy Communion SUNG EUCHARIST (Pres & Preacher: Fr Geoff) followed by a Bring -&-Buy Sale Evening Prayer (Fr Geoff) ADVANCE DATES FOR SEPTEMBER 2nd Tue Publicity Committee (Choir Vestry) 3rd Wed PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL 13th Sat Heritage Open Day - Church open all day Sponsored Bike 'n Hike Ride RSCM examinations during day Coffee Morning in aid ofthe Children's Society th Sun Choral Evensong 8.00 am 9.30 am 6.00 pm 8.00 pm 7.55 pm 6.00 pm Morning Prayer is said daily in the Lady Chapel (Monday to Friday) at 9.00 am. A service of Holy Communion is held every Thursday at am. Both this and the 8 am on Sunday morning are Order One in Traditional Language. The Toddlers Group meets in Church (or Choir Vestry) every Monday from am except on Bank Holidays. Tea, Coffee & Squash are served in Church every Wednesday from until noon. The Food Bank is also open at this time. There will be no Choir Practices during August to give our Choir and Choirmaster a wellearned rest. * * * * * Historic Churches Sponsored Bike n Hike Saturday 13th Septemeber 2014 Yes it s that time again, the second Saturday of September is the day for the 21st reprise of this most worthy of fund raising events in the calendar to support the work of the Beds & Herts Historic Churches Trust. St Michael s has benefitted by the award from the Trust of 5000 to assist us with the essential repair work this year so I hope we will keep up our level of support. More details will be available in the church but we need cyclists and walkers to be sponsored, so this is a date to be kept free in your diary. This is also one of the Heritage days (12 14 September) so the church will be open to greet riders and visitors, and we will need as usual volunteers available throughout the day. Phil Gough 13

14 SUNG EUCHARIST DUTY LIST - AUGUST 3 August 2014 Deacons Chalice Intercessor Lesson Readers Sidespeople Tea/Coffee Duty V Allen Smith, M Simon M Simon, B Hutchinson P Chandler M Watkin, E Watkin J Chandler, J Talbot J Alexander, P Hart, E Jones 10 August 2014 Deacons Chalice Intercessor Lesson Readers Sidespeople Tea/Coffee Duty V Allen-Smith, V Alvarez V Alvarez, M Watkin G Mordue B Bilson, I Bilson J Ochola, H Moring P Gandy, S Moring, G Heath 17 August 2014 Deacons Chalice Intercessor Lesson Readers Sidespeople Tea/Coffee Duty V Alvarez, M Simon M Simon, A Kiddle P Beach S Moring, H Moring C Dixon, A Makin N Twitchin, V Alvarez, N Brighton 24 August 2014 Deacons Chalice Intercessor Lesson Readers Sidespeople Tea/Coffee Duty J Wareham, V Allen-Smith V Allen-Smith, P Gough K Jenkins P Allen-Smith, F Storey J Alexander, P Allen-Smith A Makin, M & E Watkin 31 August 2014 Deacons Chalice Intercessor Lesson Readers Sidespeople Tea/Coffee duty M Simon, J Wareham J Wareham, B Hutchinson V Alvarez P Jenkins, J Talbot J Hart, P Hart M & V Matthews, B Bilson 14

15 Women Bishops You will be aware that on Monday 14 July the Church of England voted in favour of ordaining women to the episcopate. It was a long debate which was conducted with a great deal of attentiveness and graciousness throughout. Many of you will share my delight at this decision which affirms the outstanding contribution of ordained women in our diocese. I look forward with anticipation to the time when the first women are consecrated bishops. I am also aware, however, that some have serious doubts as to whether this is a right and proper development. Much of our debate was how we can ensure that those who hold traditional views can be assured that they are still a valuable and valued part of our diocesan family. This was underlined by the House of Bishops statement which set out five guiding principles, a copy of which I attach to this letter. When the motion was overwhelmingly passed, it was done so in the light of our agreement that we would all respect one another and abide by these five principles. I would be grateful if you would not only read them but ensure that they are discussed at your PCC meeting in order to underline our mutual commitment to honour and respect one another. I am holding an open meeting for any who are troubled by this development, to give them an opportunity to discuss the matter with me. This will take place on Tuesday 9 September at 2.00 pm in the Lady Chapel at St Albans Cathedral. 15

16 It would be extremely helpful to have some indication of how many people are intending to come and I would be grateful if you would let me know by Wednesday 3 September. This comes with best wishes Yours sincerely Statement of guiding principles 1. The House reaffirms the five guiding principles which it first commended in May 2013 when submitting legislative proposals to the General Synod for the consecration of women to the episcopate and which the Synod welcomed in its resolution of 20 November They need to be read one with the other and held together in tension, rather than being applied selectively: Now that legislation has been passed to enable women to become bishops the Church of England is fully and unequivocally committed to all orders of ministry being open equally to all, without reference to gender, and holds that those whom it has duly ordained and appointed to office are the true and lawful holders of the office which they occupy and thus deserve due respect and canonical obedience; Anyone who ministers within the Church of England must be prepared to acknowledge that the Church of England has reached a clear decision on the matter; Since it continues to share the historic episcopate with other Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and those provinces of the Anglican Communion which continue to ordain only men as priests or bishops, the Church of England acknowledges that its own clear decision on ministry and gender is set within a broader process of discernment within the Anglican Communion and the whole Church of God; Since those within the Church of England who, on grounds of theological conviction, are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests continue to be within the spectrum of teaching and tradition of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England remains committed to enabling them to flourish within its life and structures; and Pastoral and sacramental provision for the minority within the Church of England will be made without specifying a limit of time and in a way that maintains the highest possible degree of communion and contributes to mutual flourishing across the whole Church of England. 16

17 Welcome to the latest edition of In Focus, a monthly newsletter from the Church of England. Our aim is to help you keep in touch with the activities of the National Church Institutions. Do hava a look at In Review, our sister publication, designed as an A3 version for notice boards. Nearly 1000 ordained as Deacons and Priests Between Petertide and Michaelmas this year, nearly 1000 men and women are being ordained to minister in churches across the country. oppressed and powerless, reaching into the forgotten corners of the world, that the love of God may be made visible. Coming from a wide range of backgrounds including the Army, banking, social media consultancy and racecourse management, new deacons and priests are celebrating their new roles as Reverends within the Church of England. The Bishop of Sheffield, Steven Croft, Chair of the Church of England s Ministry Council, said: The ordination of nearly a thousand new deacons and priests in this season is a remarkable gift to both the Church and our nation. These deacons and priests will between them make an extraordinary contribution to the lives of communities across the land, in service, in leading God s people in worship and through inviting others to follow Christ. It is a huge encouragement to see so many women and men in every age group responding to God s call to ordained ministry. As part of the ordination service, the new priests and deacons are addressed by a Bishop of the diocese in which they will serve who will say: They are to proclaim the gospel in word and deed, as agents of God s purposes of love. They are to serve the community in which they are set, bringing to the Church the needs and hopes of all the people. They are to work with their fellow members in searching out the poor and weak, the sick and lonely and those who are For more on the story: bit.ly/1000newrevs Commissioners confirm Wonga exit The Church Commissioners for England have announced that their indirect investment exposure to Wonga in their venture capital portfolio has been removed, and that the Church Commissioners no longer have any financial or any other interest in Wonga. pooled funds represented considerably less than 0.01% of the value ofwonga. The Church Commissioners estimate that if they had had to sell their entire venture capital holdings they might have lost 3-9m to remove the exposure to Wonga, which was worth less than 100,000. The Commissioners are pleased that another way forward has been agreed given their fiduciary duties to clergy pensioners and to all the parts of the Church they support financially. "The terms ensure that the Church Commissioners have not made any profit from their investment exposure to Wonga. "At no time have the Commissioners invested directly in Wonga or in other pay day lenders. The indirect exposure of the Commissioners through See full announcement at: bit.ly/wongaexit 17

18 Women Bishops given final approval General Synod has given its final approval for women to become bishops in the Church of England. The vote on the Measure to admit women to the episcopate was carried by the required two thirds majority in each of the House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity. Today is the completion of what was begun over 20 years with the ordination of women as priests. I am delighted with today s result. Today marks the start of a great adventure of seeking mutual flourishing while still, in some cases disagreeing. "The challenge for us will be for the church to model good disagreement and to continue to demonstrate love for those who disagree on The voting results were as follows: theological grounds. Very few institutions achieve House of Bishops: Yes 37 No 2 Abstentions 1 this, but if we manage this we will be living out House of Clergy: Yes 162 No 25 Abstentions 4 more fully the call of Jesus Christ to love one House of Laity: Yes 152 No 45 Abstentions 5 another. As delighted as I am for the outcome of this I am also mindful of those within the Church As a result, the first woman bishop could potentially vote for whom be appointed by the end of the year. The vote comes sorrow. the result will be difficult and a cause of 18 months after the proposal was last voted upon in November 2012 when the proposal failed to achieve For more information on the motion and Amending the required two thirds majority in the House of Canon: Laity. bit.ly/wbmotion The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said: bit.ly/wbcanon Jim Wallis urges Synod to consider Common Good Rev Jim Wallis, President and Founder of the US principles Christian community Sojourners, made a presentation to General Synod on the Uncommon The presentation in full is available at: Good on the afternoon of Saturday 12th July. bit.ly/uncommongood During the presentation, he shared personal reflections on his work with Sojourners, and called You can also listen to an interview with Rev Jim on Synod and the Church as a whole to see how the Wallis about The Uncommon Good at: Common Good is the highest of Christian Church House Publishing launches two books at Fringe event Two new books, on the Common Good and Assisted positions on the Common Good (see above) and Dying were launched at a fringe event on Monday Assisted Dying. lunch. The books are published by Church House The books, Anglican Social Theology, and At the Publishing, the official publisher for the Church end of the day, contain pastoral and theological of England, and are available at: reflections that provide insights into the Church s 18

19 Next stages on safeguarding legislation The Draft Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure to make provision about safeguarding children and vulnerable adults; and to amend the Clergy Discipline Measure was introduced by the, Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, Chair of the Churches National Safeguarding committee. The motion that the Measure be considered for revision in committee was overwhelmingly approved by Synod. In his speech to Synod, Bishop Paul said: Members of Synod, we have made far too many mistakes in the past in relation to safeguarding. This package of proposals is before you today as part of how we wish to do everything reasonably possible to avoid making those mistakes in future. We must not be complacent. In July 2013 Synod voted to work on legislative and non-legislative changes to tighten procedures which had been identified following the Chichester commissaries safeguarding reports. Bishop Paul s speech is available at: bit.ly/paulbutlerspeech The draft Measure that was approved for revision in committee is available at: bit.ly/safeguardingmeasure Clergy robes, baptism and other items of business Rev Christopher Hobbs, (London) brought a Private Members Motion on clergy robes which he described as a modest proposal that where the bishop and the church council agree, robes need not be worn. He said that this was the case in many churches and wanted it reflected in Canon law. Members supported the motion to introduce draft legislation to amend the law relating to the vesture of ministers. now been successfully piloted in more than 500 parishes and Synod voted to send the texts for revision in committee. The 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta was recognised by Synod as an important opportunity for churches to celebrate the Charter s principles which established that the English Church and all our citizens shall live in freedom. An amendment to the successful motion brought by Keith Malcouronne (Guildford) also encouraged churches to seek to increase the number of people voting. Synod also agreed to move forward on a new version of the baptism service expressed in accessible language. The motion was originally brought by Liverpool Diocese in 2011 and the House of Bishops then asked the Liturgical Commission to prepare material to supplement the Common Worship Initiation provision. This has For all General Synod business see bit.ly/julysessions Synod affirms support for Armed Forces Rt Rev Nigel Stock, Bishop of Lambeth and the newly installed Bishop to the Forces introduceda motion to affirm the Church s support for the Armed Forces. spiritual care to the Armed Forces Community needs to become a shared responsibility involving both the Chaplains to the Armed Forces and the wider Church. Following his speech, Philip Fletcher opened the More information on the motion is available at: debate saying: The provision of pastoral and bit.ly/armedforcescov 19

20 AUGUST CROSSWORD UPS AND DOWNS: No. 8 BY CLUELESS Solution in next issue ACROSS 1. The splitting of atoms. (7) 5. Ocean-going vessels. (5) 8. Mountain range in South America (5) 9. The Book of Psalms (7) 10. Young Cattle (6) 11. Lost, amiss (6) 13. Cast an eye over (4) 14. O/T character who escaped from Sodom (3) 15. S. African former Archbishop (4) 20. Second book of the Old Testament (6) 22. Forthright, frank (6) 24. Girl's name, meaning 'white' (7) 25. Panache, vigour (5) 26. Members of the Women's Royal Naval Service (5) 27. Critical, sombre (7) Solution to last month's crossword 20 DOWN 1. Boy's name meaning 'a free lord' (7) 2. Seating for officiating clergy (7) 3. Editions, subjects (6) 4. Back of the neck (4) 5. Meagre, scant (6) 6. Bury (5) 7. Sprinkle, aerosol (5) 12. Career, task (3) 16. Endure, bear (7) 17. Remove clothing (7) 18. Measurement of weight, snowleopards (6) 19. Relinquish a right or claim (6) 20. Arm joint (5) 21. Make a speech (5) 23. The supreme Olympian god (4)

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