Parish Connections

The Rector by one of his favourite views

Welcome to the Benefice of Brimpsfield with Birdlip, Syde, Daglingworth, The Duntisbournes, Winstone, Miserden and Edgeworth – seven parishes with about twelve discrete communities and nine Church buildings. These communities are set in a stunningly beautiful area in the triangle between Cirencester, Gloucester and Stroud.  

The word ‘benefice’ originally meant an estate held for life in return for certain services, especially military service. A church or ecclesiastical benefice is a temporal endowment attached to any permanent office in the Church. So, as the Rector in this Benefice I have the office of the ‘cure of souls’ in the communities within the Benefice. 

This all sounds rather stuffy and ‘churchy’. What does it mean? Well, the collection of parishes in the Benefice is arbitrary but the best possible way of making use of the available clergy. The parishes have greater affinity with some than with others. The communities within parishes work together in the larger grouping of the Benefice while retaining their strong local identities. This very strong local identity is important but is balanced by maintaining an outward view in our dealings with the wider world.  

What is the role of the Church in the countryside? Well, the Church is the community of those who have faith in Jesus Christ; and is always ready to welcome those outside the Church. It is not an exclusive club. As the Rector of this Benefice my desire is to love people into the Kingdom of God, into the society of Jesus Christ. Knowledge of Christ is a life-giving and transforming experience. The Church is about making known the love of Christ. My vocation is to equip and encourage the Churches in the Benefice in this shared joy of making known the love of Christ. We do this by who we are and what we do – in and through all aspects of village and community and life. Yes, the Church is an institution, but it is primarily a community bound together in the love of Christ. 

By definition, therefore, the Church welcomes all people. As far as I am concerned, this is one of the most important aspects of our joint ministry – Jesus was always hospitable and had the ability to meet people where they are. I hope that you will find a welcome in the Churches in this Benefice; in the beautiful buildings but more importantly, by the community of faith in this place. Why not come to some of the services – you will be very welcome.  

On the subject of welcome: I welcome enquiries about weddings and baptisms; and funerals for that matter. Do not let the fact that you do not regard yourself as a ‘regular churchgoer’ put you off making an approach. John Jessop, Rector 

RECTOR'S LAST SERMON 

Sunday 9th October – 11.00am, St Peter’s Duntisbourne Abbots – Final Service 

Isaiah 55:6-9; Philippians 2: 5-11; John 3:13-17 

Last Monday, in the late afternoon, I was sitting in front the campfire I had lit at the bottom of the Rectory garden. As I was staring into the flames I started thinking and it suddenly occurred to me that I would be retiring from full-time ministry in just a few weeks. This came as quite a shock, actually, as in the past, whenever we have moved, it has been to a new appointment or a new life as in the case of emigration. Then I reflected upon how it all began – this adventure of being an ordained priest. It has been a great adventure based on a calling by God which actually started when I was a schoolboy. Yet it took 27 years to come to fruition! The question that I really remembered last Monday, as I sat in front of the fire was that posed by the Archbishop of Melbourne in April 1986, “Why do you want to be a Christian Priest?” The answer was simply my desire to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. For me this is summed up in the words of St John, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

As time has gone on, and I have thought more and more about what this proclamation of the Gospel means. I have come to the conclusion that it means, “loving people into the Kingdom”. This, as far as I am concerned, is the job of the priest. This, after all, is what our Lord proclaimed and what he did. He did it by meeting people where they were. He did it by not condemning them but by loving them. He did it by giving of himself.  

In the Church of England, as in the other historical traditions of the Church, the ordained priest has particular responsibilities. The priest has a ‘representative role’ – not as a representative of Christ per se but of the Church. The priest has a role of spiritual and pastoral leadership on behalf of the Church. This includes proclaiming the forgiveness of sins, giving the blessing and giving thanks at the Eucharist on behalf of the Church. There is nothing magic about this but there is something very special for me. It is a privilege of which I will never tire. 

There is much more to being a priest which is not confined to the ordained minister but which shared by the ‘Priesthood of all Believers ‘. We all have a part to play in seeking to love people into the Kingdom. This is where the Church comes in. 

We are the Church in this place. What is the Church? The Church is the people of God, gathered as the Body of Christ, bound together in the love and Spirit of Christ. It is this unifying love and Spirit of Christ that makes the Church both One and Holy. The Church is catholic: it embraces all people of every age; it is not an exclusive club for those who regard it as suitable. The Church is Apostolic, called together as human beings, just like the first Apostles on whom the Church was founded. As the people of God in this place we come together to share in the goodness of God and to celebrate that goodness. We assemble in the warmth of God’s love. The little locked room that Jesus entered in the resurrection has expanded to take in the whole world and in every age. My dear friends – we are the Church in this place – you are the Church in this place. There are three thoughts I want to leave you with about what it means to be the Church in this place. 

• From whence comes the life of the Church? 

• What are the marks of the Church? 

• The importance of leadership in the Church. 

From whence comes the life of the Church? 

The life of the Church has to be spiritual life. This life is nourished and enhanced through Christian worship, prayer and fellowship in Christ. All of these overlap each other. Worship has prayer at its very heart. To be authentic it is Christ centred. One of the great strengths of Anglican worship is that it is built around scripture and sacrament, particularly the sacrament of Holy Communion where we recall and participate in the love of God in Christ. The Word and Sacrament go together – one leads into the other thereby engaging all our senses and faculties. Prayer outside public worship is equally important whether it be our daily prayers in our room or two or three gathered to listen to what God is asking of them and this community of faith. Ultimately prayer is about wasting time in the presence of God. As C S Lewis said, “Prayer does not change God but it changes me”. Of course fellowship in Christ comes in worship and prayer but it also simply comes in enjoying one another’s company in a wholesome and fun way. In all of this we assemble in the warmth of God’s love. Before I leave this thought I must mention one of my disappointments of the past year; and that is the reluctance of some parishes to embrace the joint services of ‘Parish Communion’. I had hoped that in at least one parish in the benefice there would, each Sunday, be a service with a good sized congregation with confident singing and a strong sense of fellowship in Christ. I must say that where the parishes concerned have made the effort to get together they have really appreciated the sense of warmth and worship. Sadly, in other parishes it has been an excuse to have a Sunday off since there ‘is no service in our church’. The clergy have a part to play in this as do the musicians, and in particular, the lay leaders. Please make the most of this opportunity to worship together. 

Enough of that, ‘What are the marks of the Church?’ Above all, the Church should be welcoming. We, the Church, should be prepared to meet people where they are, as our Lord did. As those who assemble in the warmth of God’s love we are called to be open and generous in our relationships with those with whom we come into contact – especially those who are seeking God. On a practical, physical, matter, I think that it is so important to keep our buildings open – you only have to see the comments in the visitors’ books to appreciate the importance of this. The Church has to be spiritually alive. Are we conscious of the spirit of Christ in this place, if we are not, for whatever reason conscious of it, do we want to be conscious of it? The Church has to be well led: in worship, prayer and order. This sounds very ‘churchy’ but it is important. Is God worth our efforts? How does the Church present to the wider world? We all have a part to play in this – we do not leave the leadership to a very few people, like the clergy and the churchwardens. The Church is generous. If we are about loving people into the Kingdom then surely we must reflect God’s generosity in that he gave his only begotten Son. We are called to give of ourselves and of our wealth in a loving and sacrificial way. This involves a cost but it is a cost worth paying. 

My final thought is on the importance of leadership. I have already mentioned the representative role of the priest and that we are all part of the ‘Priesthood of all Believers’. It is very obvious to me that the life of the Church in this place, more than ever, depends on the lay leaders in the parishes, not just in the Vacancy but all the time. Those parishes with shared leadership and where decisions can be made in a positive, prayerful, atmosphere are the most lively parishes. I urge you all to look at the contribution you can make. I urge those in positions of responsibility to allow and encourage others to take responsibility. The vacancy is a good opportunity to exercise and hone the ministry of the ‘Priesthood of all Believers’. Do not let this decline when the new incumbent is appointed! 

There are two more thoughts I want to leave with you. The first is advice to those producing the profile of the sort of person you want as your priest. Whatever you do choose someone with a good sense of humour – he or she will sure need it. The second is this: remember to keep Christ at the centre of all you do, all you think and all you are. 

Amen

The rector again