I love my job

The last month has been fairly manic but in the midst of it all have been several reminders of what I love about my job. A couple of weeks ago we celebrated our diocesan lay education and training programmes in Chelmsford Cathedral; it was a great occasion with a real sense of joy. Last weekend we held our Reader selection conference and met some gifted, faithful candidates offering to train to serve in this important lay ministry of preaching and teaching. It was particularly encouraging to see the diversity of candidates in age and background.

Then yesterday at St. Paul’s Cathedral staff and students of St. Mellitus College gathered together for our Graduation and Valedictory Eucharist. We said goodbye to recently ordained deacons and the Chelmsford Readers who were licensed last autumn. This cohort of students is the first group to study together from the two constituent parts of the college; North Thames Ministerial Training Course and St. Paul’s Theological Centre. It has been so encouraging to see the way the students have integrated, studied, worshipped and grown together in formation for ministry. They have modelled SMC’s commitment to generous orthodoxy.

The students graduated from Middlesex University, St. Mellitus College’s validating body; the ordinands receiving their BA in Contextual Theology and the Readers a Dip He in Ministry. The awards were presented by Dr Claude Pehrson on behalf of the university’s Dean. Claude is a good friend to SMC having been involved in the validation of our various programmes and we wish him well as he retires this summer.

During the Eucharist the students presented the college with a banner they had commissioned, a creative working of the St. Mellitus College logo. Each of the students was also presented with a certificate by Revd Dr Graham Tomlin, Dean of SMC, and myself as Director of Lay Ministry Studies. I was particularly proud of our Reader students, four of whom had received distinctions in the Dip HE. Following the service and some photographs at the West door of the cathedral we headed off to St Bride’s Institute for some lunch.

Other highlights of the last month have included chairing a diocesan working party on authorising local preachers; preparing and planning to celebrate the 400th Anniversary of the King James Version of the Bible in 2011 and several visits to deanery chapters to talk about SHAPE, part of our diocesan vocations initiative. There’s a fair amount of routine in my role with lots happening on a cyclical pattern, but at the heart of it all is the opportunity to support and resource Christians and churches in their ministry and mission and that is a real privilege.

Dancing in the chancel

It isn’t often you get to see bishops, archdeacons and canons dancing in a cathedral but it happened last night. Chelmsford Cathedral was packed for the annual service celebrating our diocesan lay education and training courses. Over 80 students received their Course in Christian Studies certificates and 13 Pastoral Assistants and 7 Evangelists also received certificates for successfully completing their training.

The Bishop of Bradwell, Laurie Green, welcomed students, family, friends and congregations from across the diocese and reminded us all that this occasion was a springboard to future ministry and service. Annette Cooper, Archdeacon of Colchester, preached on Jesus sending out the disciples (Matthew 10) and focused on the themes of diversity and complementarity in sharing the Good News. A few were rather nervous when Annette began her sermon by exclaiming ‘sound the vuvuzelas’ but the call captured the sense of joy and achievement which were important features of the service. The music was led by Dry Bones , something of a fixture at these events, with just the right balance of prayerful meditation and praise. Things really kicked off following the sharing of The Peace as the cathedral resounded to the sound of We are marching in the light of God and that’s when the dancing started.

This service is one of the highlights of my working year and it is a great reminder of some of the really good things that God is doing in the church. I am so grateful for all the colleagues who work with me in delivering our lay education and training programmes and very proud of the students who have shown so much commitment in their studies and growing discipleship in Christ.

Now where did I put my vuvuzela?

Students of the Bicknacre CCS centre proudly display their certificates

Being Biblical

Enjoyed an interesting morning listening to Richard Burridge at the Bradwell area clergy study day. Professor Burridge, Dean of King’s College London, was speaking on the theme What does it mean to be Biblical? The first part of the presentation was a summary of Richard’s doctoral work on What are the Gospels? and his book Four Gospels, One Jesus. I’m very familiar with this material as we use Four Gospels on our Course in Christian Studies but it was helpful to have it summarised as a basis for what Richard went on to say.

The second part of the morning focused on Richard’s book Imitating Jesus and looked at the issue of being Biblical in exploring ethical dilemas. Much of this material was used extensively at the Lambeth Conference in 2008 and it was good to hear some of his insights and reflections on that experience.

Richard began by looking at two websites Anglican Mainstream and InclusiveChurch.Net to show how both, taking very different positions on ethical issues, nevertheless claimed to be Biblical in their approach. He then went on to consider two historical examples, slavery and apartheid, to show how opposing sides claimed positions grounded in the scriptures. The apartheid example was particularly interesting as both the Dutch Reform Church and those opposing apartheid used the same scriptures, the Exodus narrative, as a basis for their theological positions.

Unfortunately our speaker began to run out of time so the final part of the study was rather rushed. In this section Richard shared the basic thesis of Imitating Jesus. I’ll blog on the book at another time, but the key point is that though Jesus’ ethical teaching was rigorous his practice was an open acceptance  and inclusiveness of those considered morally questionable by society.
Some key thoughts from the session:

• Being Biblical is to hold words and deeds together.
• Opposing views can be genuinely seeking to be Biblical.
• We are called to be imitators of Jesus’ words and deeds.
• We need an open and inclusive community of interpretation.
• We must give attention to those who are most affected by our interpretation.

My one gripe about the morning, which finished with an excellent lunch, was the lack of time for discussion and Q & A. This was one time when I felt I would have been happy to go on into an afternoon session.

I’ve still to read Tom Wright’s Virtue Reborn and I understand he takes quite a different position to Richard Burridge; I look forward to comparing the two.

Update: a version of Richard's second presentation can be downloaded and is titled: Being Biblical: slavery, sexuality and the inclusive community.

year planner

In my room at the Diocesan Office I have a large magnetic whiteboard on which I place important pieces of information and occasionally doodle. The board displays two vital planning charts for this year. The first is my 2010 World Cup wall chart and the other a 2010 Six Nations Rugby Union chart. Unfortunately, the space occupied means there is no room for my original work year planner, so I am relying on my secretary to remind me of other appointments and work related events. My wife is very good at reminding me about the family stuff. Discretion prevents me revealing which Archdeacon emailed me the evening the England World Cup fixtures were decided to point out a clash between a semi-final and our Course in Christian Studies presentation service in the cathedral.

It goes without saying that other important dates including Champions League fixtures and various cup finals are diarised as soon as they are published; sadly this year the FA Cup final is of no further interest. In recent years my board has displayed pull out souvenirs of Manchester United triumphs in domestic and European competitions too numerous to mention. They are a constant source of pain for my work colleague who is an Arsenal supporter.

The other item enjoying pride of place on my board is a copy of an excellent Dave Walker cartoon which I commissioned for a vocations resource we are launching in the diocese; I’ll be blogging about that soon.

what’s in your Bible?

Interesting article in Bible Study Magazine comparing different canons of the Bible. The comparison is presented in a helpful chart which can be seen by clicking the icon below.

My own upbringing in a family from Protestant Belfast meant that the Apocrypha was something I always viewed with suspicion and I guess that subconsciously I didn’t think that Bibles which included it were actually Bibles. Though I read the Apocrypha for academic theological study I don’t use it for devotional study and still balk if I see an Apocryphal passage as a set reading in a service. This raises the whole question of what we mean when we say ‘This is the word of the Lord’ in worship? My conviction is that the average worshipper doesn’t have a clue what they mean by this proclamation.

On our diocesan Course in Christian Studies we encourage everyone to use a modern translation of the Bible. The one we recommend is the NRSV with Apocrypha because one of the issues we explore is the formation of the canon and why some books are seen as part of scripture and others not.

The question of what we regard as scripture, which parts we would include and what we would rather wasn’t there is as old as the writings themselves. A few years ago I received a letter from a vicar, circulated to all the clergy in our Episcopal area, calling for the removal of large sections of the Bible and urging that other ‘sacred writings’ be included. Nothing new there, good old Marcion was up to something similar in the second century.

Recently the Ship of Fools ran a forum to find the ten worst passages in the Bible and announced the results at the Greenbelt Festival. The list can be found here. What is fascinating about this list is the questions it raises about those who suggested the verses. How do they read scripture and in what way are they interpreting these verses (hermeneutics)? There is a helpful critique of the list offered by Peter Ould.

So, what’s in your Bible? More importantly, what difference does reading it make to your life?

H/T @SteveFouch on Twitter.

celebrating the course in christian studies ‘09

Another great celebration in Chelmsford Cathedral last night as graduates of the Course in Christian Studies and Pastoral Assistants’ Training received their certificates from Bishop John. Nearly 70 CCS students and 12 Pastoral Assistants successfully completed their courses and arrangements are well under way for the new courses beginning this autumn. It was a wonderful service with music led by Dry Bones and an excellent sermon from Revd Graham Hamborg (Graham receives his doctorate from Nottingham University next week). The bishops of Chelmsford, Barking and Bradwell, archdeacons of Colchester and Southend, families, friends and clergy from across the diocese all joined in congratulating the students on their achievement. Here are a few photos from last night’s service.

A packed cathedral

Bishop John and Lydia Gladwin

The Pastoral Assistants & tutors

Students from the Ilford CCS centre with tutors

Three Essex bloggers at the service: Sam Norton-Elizaphanian, Phil Ritchie-Phil’s Treehouse, Tim Goodbody-Friends’ Meeting House

Details about the new Course in Christian Studies starting in September can be found at CCS.

course in christian studies 09

Ernie Guest (vicar), Sandra Sykes (Reader in training), Jo Chambers (ordinand), Bishop John (Bishop of Chelmsford), Kate Ritchie (Sunday School & Home Group leader) & Sharon Guest (Reader). All former CCS students - except the bishop, who missed out!

One of the highlights of the year in Chelmsford Cathedral is the annual service celebrating the Course in Christian Studies and the training of Pastoral Assistants and Evangelists. During the service Bishop John, the Bishop of Chelmsford, presents certificates to CCS, Pastoral Assistant and Evangelist course graduates. This year the service will be held on 8^th July at 8pm and anyone is most welcome to join with graduates, their families, friends and churches for this great occasion.

Since it began in 1987, nearly 3000 people from Essex and North East London have completed the Course in Christian Studies. CCS is a two year course exploring the Christian Faith with others, delivered weekly in local centres around the Diocese of Chelmsford. CCS has a foundational first year and a more flexible second year and leads to the Bishop’s Certificate. In an exciting new partnership CCS centres have recently been established in the Stepney and Willesden areas of London Diocese.

During July taster evenings will be held at CCS centres to give those interested an opportunity to discover a bit more about the course. This year CCS centres are planned for Bradwell-on-Sea, Chelmsford, Colchester, Hadleigh, Ilford, Romford, Stebbing (Dunmow) and Vange (Basildon). Information about the course is being sent out to every parish in the diocese and further information about CCS and the taster evenings can be found here.

bible in motion

Interesting article on the Today programme this morning about the problem that a lack of Bible knowledge is causing for the reading and study of English Literature. The Poet Laureate Andrew Motion and Professor John Mullan from University College London discussed the difficulties of teaching literature when students don’t know or understand the source material of the Bible and the Classics. Mullan teaches a course to bring students up to speed with some of the key material. You can find the discussion here. If you think that Motion and Mullan are exaggerating then watch an episode of University Challenge and see the students struggle to answer the most basic of questions about the Bible.

This is nothing new. In the early 1980s I studied English Literature at A level and was amazed at the way my fellow students missed references and imagery that I took for granted. Again and again our teachers had to explain a story from the Bible to which the author was alluding. It was essential for the older texts like Shakespeare and Chaucer and for the more modern texts of authors such as Joyce and Golding. The same was true during my Theology Degree at Durham. I took two papers in Literature and Theology with the English department, on a course developed by Dr Ruth Etchells, and many of my colleagues studying English Lit didn’t have a clue about the background primary texts for many of the works we studied.

Even more worrying, I find in my present role developing curricula for various education and training programmes that assumptions about basic student knowledge of the Bible can no longer be made. Every couple of years I have to look at where we start the courses and ask if we need to include more foundational material. At a Course in Christian Studies introductory day a few years ago there was one group of about fifteen students doing an exercise based on a passage from the Old Testament. At the end of the session the tutor came and told me that not one of the students had recognised the story of David and Nathan and where it came from. I do find myself wondering what is going on in some parishes when people don’t know the story of King David.

With the above in mind we developed some Access courses in the Diocese of Chelmsford for parishes to use, which cover the basic content and genres of the Bible and how to read the Bible both personally and with others. This Lent the diocese is running two Saturday courses called Walk Thru The Bible and these have already proved popular judging by the number of people who have signed up. If anyone is interested in these courses details can be found here and there is still time to book.

Jonathan Evens has posted more material on the topic here.
The Guardian has an article about Andrew Motion's concerns here.

CCS Cathedral Celebration 08

(Bishop John invites the congregation to congratulate the students)

Another wonderful celebration in Chelmsford Cathedral last night. Students who have just completed the Course in Christian Studies and the Pastoral Assistant and Lay Evangelist Training courses where presented with certificates by Bishop John. Every year the Cathedral is packed for this occasion and last night was no exception. The Venerable Elwin Cockett, Archdeacon of West Ham, preached an encouraging and challenging sermon, music was led by Dry Bones music group and students led a litany of thanksgiving.

It was a special occasion for our family as my wife Kate received her CCS certificate. Altogether there were 65 CCS students, 7 Lay Evangelists and 12 Pastoral Assistants, supported by family, friends and members of their home churches

Bishop John prayed for those receiving certificates with the following words:

Eternal God,
We thank you for your lively wisdom filling the earth,
For delight in your Word,
For growth in understanding,
And for all the work and friendship of our courses.
Pour your blessing on the students and tutors,
And on all your Church,
As we discover and proclaim in the world
Your gospel of love and service, justice and peace.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

For details about the courses click on the links: CCS, Pastoral Assistant, Lay Evangelist

(Ernie Guest, Sandra Sykes, Jo Chambers, Bishop John, Kate Ritchie & Sharon Guest all former CCS students - except the bishop!)

Chelmsford Diocesan Course In Christian Studies

‘I continue to enjoy the course, our tutors and other students. Stimulating, lively debate conducted with great humour, patience and tolerance.’

‘Thoroughly enjoying the course and would advise anyone to do it.’

Would you like to share in a journey of discovery? The Course in Christian Studies is an opportunity to explore the Christian faith with others. The course last two years, is open to anyone over the age of 16 and is based on weekly meetings in local groups.

Enrolment for the 2008/2010 CCS is now open for centres across the diocese. Evening centres starting this year will be Chelmsford on Mondays, Colchester (West Bergholt) on Wednesdays, Rayleigh on Mondays, Waltham Abbey on Tuesdays and Waltham Forest on Thursdays. A morning Centre will be meeting at Chelmsford on Wednesdays.

If you would like to find out more about the course and see what’s involved then why not try a taster evening? Taster evenings for these centres will be held during July. For more information about taster evenings, brochures and application forms click here.