Learning really is for Life

A quick glance back at my diary for the last few days has reminded me how much of my ministry is involved with life long learning and why I think this is so important.

On Wednesday evening last week I took part in a service at Chelmsford Cathedral presenting certificates to students who had completed the diocesan Course in Christian Studies. I have organised this service for the last ten years in my role as lay education and training bod and had been invited back to participate as my successor Elizabeth Jordan was licensed by the Bishop of Chelmsford. +Stephen preached a cracking sermon on The Prodigal Son but that’s for another time. It was great to see another cohort of some 80 students from across the diocese receiving recognition for completing two years of study and I estimate I have been privileged to see over 800 lay people participate on the course in centres around the diocese over the last decade.

Last Thursday I welcomed the children from our local infants school to St Mary’s for an end of year service. The children led the singing and prayers, talked about their work and fully engaged with my short talk on the parable of the lost iPod. I’m not sure the same could be said of some of the parents who seem to treat these times as a performance rather than worship as they compete for the best place to take photos. Still the church was full and it was a great opportunity to celebrate learning in our community.

On Saturday I was back to the cathedral for the St Mellitus College graduation service and my final public act as former Director of Lay Ministry Studies at SMC. It was a real joy to see our graduating students receive their awards from Middlesex University (SMC’s validating body) and especially the Chelmsford Readers for whom I had particular oversight. I estimate that I have overseen the training of well over 150 Readers in the diocese during my tenure. Again it has been a real privilege to work with such dedicated lay people serving God in ministry and mission as preachers, teachers, evangelists and pastors across the diocese.

I was taken ill Saturday evening so my first public duty once back on my feet was on Tuesday. Another service in church, this time for our church playschool. Once more the children did most of the work and given how young they were did a great job in singing, sharing their work and surviving the attention of paparazzi parents.

Then this morning I spent an encouraging hour continuing to plan our church holiday club Showstoppers with a couple of our gifted and enthusiastic children’s leaders.

A great few days working with children as young as three and adults some of whom are still studying in their eighties and if that isn’t the church engaging in life long learning I don’t know what is.

Time to go

Today was my last day in the Diocesan Office as I prepare to take up my new role back in parish ministry. I haven’t been very successful at clearing up my desk so will have to return to pack books and other odds and ends after Easter. Highlight of the day was a leaving lunch in the Cathedral Chapter house where I was joined by nearly a hundred friends and colleagues from around the diocese who I’ve been privileged to work with over the last ten years. It was great to catch up with people and to say thank you for their encouragement and support for lay education and training. I’m particularly grateful to my administrator Liz Watson who worked so hard to put the lunch together and to Canon Dr Roger Matthews and Bishop Stephen Cottrell who spoke at the lunch.

Along with the very enjoyable food and drink were some great surprises in the form of gifts for both the family and me and a card with many lovely messages. The gifts included a bottle of champagne (for Easter), a copy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography with a message from the great man and a cheque for an iPad 2!

So a moving day in many ways. I thank God for the partnership in the Gospel with so many across the diocese and look forward to it continuing in new ways in the future.

All change

I have a new job! It is being announced this morning that I’m going to become Team Rector of the Great Baddow Team Ministry. It’s a very exciting and challenging prospect and quite different from my lay education and training role in the Diocese of Chelmsford. This will be a massive change for the family. We’ve lived in our present home for the last ten years, so the children know little else and we will be sad to move from our village church, community and friends in the Leighs. It will also be hard to say goodbye to the fantastic team of people that I’ve been privileged to work with in my present role both in the diocese and at St Mellitus College. Nevertheless, we are really looking forward to what God has in store for us during this next stage of our walk with him.

Great Baddow is a large parish on the outskirts of Chelmsford, with three churches, two team vicars, several associate ministers, and a large team of lay ministers. I will be primarily focused on leading the ministry at St Mary’s and we know some of the congregation, having led a parish weekend for them a few years ago. I also work closely with some of the ministers and congregation through our roles in the diocese and look forward to sharing in ministry with them in a new context.

I’ll be blogging some reflections on my experiences of lay education and training and ordination training over the last ten years in due course. There will also be some observations about the crazy appointments procedures that the Church of England insists on inflicting on parishes and clergy, but that’s for another time.

A date for the installation hasn’t been finalised yet. We would value your prayers for us as a family and for the Great Baddow Team as we prepare for the move over the weeks ahead.

Celebrating lay ministry

There are a few occasions each year that remind me of what I most like about my job as a diocesan lay education and training bod; this weekend was one of those times.

Yesterday Chelmsford Cathedral was full for our annual Readers’ Day service. During the service we admitted and licensed fourteen new Readers to work in the diocese and we welcomed and licensed five Readers from other dioceses. It is always a great privilege to be involved in the formation and training of our lay ministers but yesterday was a particular joy because Sandra Sykes was licensed to serve in our parish. I have known Sandra for about seven years and it has been wonderful to see her flourish as a Christian and as a minister.

This morning we welcomed Sandra as a fully fledged Reader in our parish services and she preached her first sermon in that capacity. The sermon was excellent; encouraging and challenging, with just the right amount of personal reflection and plenty of application for the congregation. Part way through I found myself thinking how good it was just to sit and receive from Sandra’s ministry, as in the past when she has preached I have been listening in my training role and assessing her sermons. The confidence and passion with which she spoke bore testimony to her faith and commitment to study and training over the last few years. I’m sure what I and the congregation felt in our parish was mirrored in the other parishes welcoming their newly licensed Readers today.

There is a certain amount of uncertainty about Reader ministry in the Church of England at the moment, not least a questioning of what the ministry should be called. Yesterday was a great celebration and reminder of the importance of lay ministry, as we rejoiced with a group of people committed to their vocation as preachers and teachers. May the word of God dwell in them richly as they minister to his praise and glory.

Bishop Laurie Green (Bishop of Bradwell) and Revd Dr Martin Kitchen (Warden of Readers) with the newly licensed Readers in the front rows at Chelmsford Cathedral

The new Readers and their parish clergy after the service