Crosslincs 32

Meet the women making history

Faith and Fabric The Lincolnshire product which is covering a worldwide audience

Lincoln Cathedral breaks a 900-year-old record

crosslincs Bishopmaking page 2

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No 32 Autumn 2011 FREE

Diocese of Lincoln newspaper www.lincoln.anglican.org

Will Harrison he 72nd Bishop of Lincoln will be enthroned in Lincoln Cathedral in November.

The Rt Revd Christopher Lowson, who was consecrated Bishop in Westminster Abbey in September, will be formally welcomed to his new Diocese on 12 November at 11.30pm. The Chief Executive of the Diocese, Max Manin, said that the service would be a significant point in the life of the Diocese of Lincoln.

“Welcoming a new Bishop is momentous occasion in the history of a Diocese,” said Max, “and the service will bring together people from all over the Diocese.”

“Our support for our new Bishop on this day stands as a symbol of his role in leading us in our vocation to live out our faith – and as a focus for our unity in the body of Christ.”

The Rt Revd Christopher Lowson Clergy, representatives of county, parliament and local organisations will attend the service, as well as a large number of churchgoers.

For information on how to apply for tickets see page 5.

Demand is expected to be high, so not everyone who applies will be guaranteed a place, but efforts will be made to to accommodate as many people as possible.

Allocations will be made on a first-comefirst-served basis, moderated to ensure an even distribution across all parts of the Diocese.

“In the busy period running up to the enthronement, your prayers for Bishop Christopher will be especially valuable,” said Max. > More information: page 5

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

PHOTOGRAPH: JIM NEWTON

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Choir welcomes women incoln Cathedral choir has made history with two musical appointments at the beginning of the 2010-2011 choir year, drawing criticism from a group which campaigns for traditional choirs.

The Cathedral has had a choir of men and boys for more than 900 years, and a front line of girl choristers since 1995, but for the first time in its prestigious history it now numbers among its employees not only a female organist, but also a female alto choral scholar, who will both join what had previously been an entirely male team.

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Helen: apprehensive but delighted Assistant Organist, Claire Innes-Hopkins and choral scholar, Helen Vincent, were also joined by three further scholars, Tom Stockwell, Edward Joyner and Ted Comer, as the new-look group began work.

Lincoln Cathedral’s full time music staff consists of three organists and a director of music, and Claire, 25, said that she was delighted to have joined the team, although she hadn’t been aware of the special historical significance prior to her arrival.

“Music is what I love most, so the opportunity to be able to do it for a living is a real privilege,” she said.

“But I didn’t know there hadn’t been a female organist here before.”

Prior to arrival in Lincoln, the Cambridge music graduate had worked at Magdalene College, Oxford, and at Peterborough Cathedral.

The Choral Scholarship scheme is designed to give talented younger singers the opportunity to gain experience of the busy schedule of eight choral services which take place every week in the Cathedral.

Of the three lower voices in the choir – alto, tenor and bass – it is very unusual to find a woman who can sing tenor or bass, but the alto voice is common to females and men with the latter using the falsetto technique.

But within the cathedral choral tradition, ‘back rows’ up and down the country have traditionally been all-male, and although Claire is one of many female organists making their names in UK cathedral settings, female altos are far less common.

Speaking after her appointment, music graduate Helen Vincent, 22, said that she had not expected to have an opportunity to sing in the cathedral choir.

“I’m quite apprehensive about what everyone will think,” she said.

“But I’m absolutely delighted to have been given the chance.”

Helen studied at Leeds university, where she also sang with the choir of Leeds

Roman Catholic Cathedral, one of a number of cathedrals already employing female altos, others including Peterborough and St Mary’s Edinburgh.

Of Helen’s new fellow choral scholars, Tom, originally from Salisbury, joins the choir following a year singing with Blackburn Cathedral, Edward, a Linguistics graduate from Australia sang with Adelaide Cathedral choir, and Ted, who studied at the University of Huddersfield also sang with Leeds Cathedral.

Aric Prentice said he was delighted with all the new starters, and was quick to dismiss any claim that the appointment was owing to an absence of suitable male candidates.

“The Cathedral entered into a line of girl choristers with great trepidation, and 16 years later it has been proven that any fears that it would negatively affect the sound or the recruitment of boys have been unfounded,” he said.

“As an alto myself, I have sung in choirs where there’s a mixture of men and women, and have always found it to give a greater flexibility of sound.

“The blends have provided an interesting sound which hasn’t deviated far from what people’s perception of what a cathedral choir sounds like.”

Mixed Reaction Lynda Collins, speaking on behalf of the group ‘Campaign for the Traditional Cathedral Choir’ said that the cathedral’s decision was greatly to be regretted.

“The alto voice is a male voice, and the sound is subtly and importantly different from that produced by a female,” she said.

“Simply to disregard this fact is to betray their intentions.

“If the Lincoln Director of Music believes a mixed line of altos can blend successfully, then one wonders what will be next.

“Will women singing soprano be found to blend successfully with the boys?

“If so, the fully mixed choir looms large on the horizon.

“There seems to be an inordinate desire to push the boundaries, to go for change, whatever the cost.”

However, cathedral directors who already employ female altos have spoken out in support of Lincoln’s decision.

Duncan Ferguson, director of music at St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh told Crosslincs that his experience of having female altos alongside countertenors in the choir had been overwhelmingly positive since their introduction in 2006.

“I have not once heard a member of the congregation express any problem with the results – and some members of the congregation can be quite vocal when they want to be!” he said.

“Directors of Music consider a singer’s ability to blend with others when they audition them.

“One tenor may not have the ability to blend with another, whereas one countertenor may blend rather successfully with a female alto.”

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

Nick Edmonds

The boys (and girls) in blue: Tom Stockwell, 22, Edward Joyner, 26, Ted Comer, 22, with Assistant Organist Claire Innes-Hopkins, 25.

“Critics perceive this as ‘political correctness gone mad’. It is not. It is a natural evolution being handled carefully and senstively by many choir directors.”

Not museums Andrew Reid, director of music at Peterborough Cathedral, which appointed its first female alto a year ago, added that he was interested that Lincoln had taken the step, which he believed offered his own choir a greater flexibility.

“I feel from experience that in the absence of good male alto candidates it is far preferable to have a good musical line than make do without singers or have singers not up to the required standard,” he said.

Andrew also highlighted the fact that a good part of the standard cathedral repertoire, including works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Brahms and even some Byrd had been written for female voices anyway.

“Men and women do not on average make the same sound, and should not be made to, but I wonder if Cathedrals are the place for historical accuracy per se in any case,” he said.

“They are dynamic churches, not museums and mausoleums.”

What do you think about the decision?

Join the debate! > crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org

Visitors down

incoln Cathedral has reported a drop in visitor numbers, which its Chief Executive has blamed on the cancellation of the Christmas market in 2010.

Figures released by Visit England showed that 150,000 tourists visited the landmark last year, down from 200,000 in 2009.

Chief Executive and Chapter Clerk Phil Hamlyn Williams said that the decreased attendance, which is estimated to have cost the cathedral £30,000, is solely owing to the absence of the Christmas market.

“This is such an important part of what Lincoln offers and we look forward to an excellent market this year,” he told Crosslincs.

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Cookery secrets help to pay the bills

Facelift for Swineshead

Will Harrison hredded brussels with lime, Boxing Day beef and mystery cherry yum yum are among the 43 recipes collected in an innovative new guidebook for a Lincolnshire church.

When the job of writing the new church guide fell to local author Marjorie Sargeant, she decided the best way to fund the book and broaden its appeal was to ask the congregation of St Peter’s Church in Woodhall Spa to contribute their favourite recipes.

“Predictably, printing was costly so I thought of including recipes from the congregation so that it would appeal to a wider public,” said Marjorie.

With the title Loaves and Fishes, the book has already sold many copies, and describes the church from its heady beginnings when a larger building was required for churchgoing Victorians and Spa visitors.

“The reader is given interesting information on a walk around the building and there are memories of residents associated with the place for many years,” said Marjorie.

As well as the wide variety of recipes, the book is illustrated with paintings and photographs.

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hen a South Lincolnshire priest asked the headteacher of two local church schools if his pupils would like to help brighten up the church, he may have got a little more than he had bargained for.

The federation of Sutterton Fourfields and Swineshead St Mary’s Church of England Primary Schools come together frequently for joint projects and federation days, so the invitation from parish priest, David De Verny, seemed a perfect opportunity to combine their skills.

After just one day of hard work, eight 5m x 1.5m banners took pride of place in the church, depicting different scenes from the life of Jesus.

Constructed under guidance from teachers, using different types of fabric and decorative additions such as cotton wool for sheep and sequins for angels, the children’s work depicts scenes from the life of Jesus, respectively: the Annunciation; the Nativity; the miracle of water into wine; the last supper; the Crucifixion; Resurrection; Ascension and Pentecost.

Executive headteacher of the federation, Rob Little, said that although the banners had been designed and created on the same day, it was only when they came

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together that everyone was able to see each other’s work.

“They were all designed independently, by different teams,” he said

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

Copies of Loaves and Fishes cost £7.50, and are available from Woodhall Spa Post Office, or Martin’s newsagents in the village. Copies are also available directly from Marjorie Sargeant. Contact Crosslincs for more details.

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

Bright and beautiful: The children’s work in place in Swineshead church

William Andrew (5), Alfie Ward (5), Hannah Woods (5), and Charlotte Amey (11) show off the ‘Ascension’ banner.

“So it was amazing to see how well they went together.”

Class teacher Joan Murton described the impact of the project as being truly remarkable.

“It’s changed the way the children think about the church,” she said.

“It’s the first time it’s felt as if the church really belonged to the children.”

William (5) said that he liked the depiction of the Angel the best.

“I really like the sparkly body,” he said. But for Alfie (5) it is the two scenes of death and Resurection which mean the most.

“I liked it when he died, and then rose again,” he said.

Having been out of the country as the banners went up (see p6) the Revd David De Verny was delighted to return to see the difference the children had made.

“I think they are absolutely fantastic,” he said.

“What wonderful works of imagination and craft, showing a tremendous sense of colour and texture.

David said working with the children, teachers and parents of the schools enriches the liturgy and prayer life in the parish “Everybody loves them and we are very proud to have them.”

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Group do the rounds

Developing mission in Scunthorpe

ongregation members from a Lincolnshrie group of churches have marked the centrepoint of a yearlong consultation process by visiting and praying in every single church in the group over the course of just one day.

Represenatives of churches from the South Wold Group began early in the morning at St Mary’s, Horncastle, visiting High Toynton, Greetham, Ashby Puerorum, Fulletby, West Ashby, Belchford, Scamblesby, Goulceby, Stenigot, Donington on Bain, Benniworth, Burgh on Bain, Gayton and Biscathorpe before lunch, before proceeding to Randby, Great Sturton, Hatton, Baumber, Hemingby, Edlington, Thimbleby, Martin and Thornton in the afternoon – 24 churches in all.

With some people staying for the whole day, and others dropping in at one stage or another, around 50 people attended in total.

At each calling point, the Revd Aly Buxton, priest for the group, and the various ordained and lay ministers affiliated to the group led prayers and revealed to the group information about life in each of the parishes.

Aly explained that the Prayer Day had been arranged at the centrepoint of a yearlong period of consultation to help to clarify the purposes and values of the churches within the group.

“It is important for prayer to be at the centre of that process,” she said.

“In coming together as a sacramental community, we are able to draw strength, and put Christ at the forefront.”

The day concluded back at St Mary’s at 5pm, where the party enjoyed a cold meat and salad supper, before a further hour for prayer and reflection.

Moira Astin he new priest in Scunthorpe’s towncentre parish hopes to get the doors of the church open and begin new groups for young families.

The Revd Moira Astin came to St Lawrence’s Church, Frodingham earlier in the summer, and already has big plans to continue the work of the parish.

“My hope is that the people of Scunthorpe will know that this church is their church,” said Moira.

“I want to get the doors of the church open and have more styles of worship.”

Before coming to Scunthorpe, Moira was the parish priest of Southlake in the Diocese of Oxford, where she was also ecumenical officer and a member of General Synod.

She studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge and worked in IT before ordination in 1995 after training at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.

Married to Tim, a geologist and geophysicist, who is also ordained and will minister in the parish, they have a 13-yearold daughter.

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The touring prayer group arriving at St Andrew’s, Donington on Bain

Humanity and intellect Lincolnshire Rector who had been a school chaplain in Zimbabwe has died after a short illness.

The Revd Dr Alan Megahey died on Friday 19 August, and his funeral was held at Leadenham Parish Church, close to where he lived.

After completing a degree at Cambridge and a doctorate at his birth town of Belfast, Alan spent a year at Westcott House before ordination in 1970. He spent most of his ministry in teaching and school chaplaincy, and served for ten years in Zimbabwe.

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

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Alan Megahey, 1944-2011

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

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He came to Lincolnshire in 2001, when he was appointed Rector of Brant Broughton with Beckingham, Welbourn and Leadenham.

At his funeral, which was led by the Bishop of Grantham, tributes were paid by friends and former colleagues of Alan, including Patrick Lord Cormack, who paid tribute to Alan’s significant intellect and his huge enthusiasm and energy for his pastoral ministry.

Dr Stephen Winkley, who worked with Alan at Cranleigh School and Uppingham

Enjoying long standing relationships with our clients...

Streets has been associated with and has looked after the Diocese of Lincoln for nearly 100 years

School, told the congregation of the fondness with which Alan was held by former pupils and colleagues.

Alan’s energy and enthusiasm was also evident in the care of the buildings in his parishes. Several years ago he showed the Prince of Wales around St Helen’s Church, Brant Broughton, and his work on the restoration of All Saints’ Church, Beckingham, led to its featuring on Griff Rhys-Jones’s Restoration programme.

Alan leaves a widow, Elizabeth, and a daughter, Anne.

We are delighted to support Crosslincs For a brochure and further information please call 0845 880 0320 or visit www.streetsweb.co.uk

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Subdean to retire

Courses to help church buildings T

PHOTOGRAPH: WILL HARRISON

he Diocese of Lincoln’s Church Buildings Department will present two training events to assist parishes with maintaining and protecting the fabric of their buildings.

The first seminar focuses on the issue of metal theft: how to prevent it and what to do if your building has been targeted.

Expert speakers include representatives from the Lincolnshire Police, Ecclesiastical Inusrance and SmartWater. There will be seminar at Horncastle College at 7pm on 12 October, and at St John the Baptist (Ermine) at 4pm on 13 October.

Bookings can be made by contacting

Canon shot: Alan Nugent leaves Lincoln Cathedral in October cathedral dignitary is to retire after eight years in post, and 14 years in the Diocese.

Canon Alan Nugent was appointed Subdean of Lincoln in 2003, after almost six years as Diocesan Continuing Ministerial Training Officer for the Diocese of Lincoln.

Alan said that he had always seen his ministry as one of enabling lay people to fulfil their own ministry.

“Never in 40 years of ministry have I spoken down to a congregation,” he said.

“I have never patronised people, and I have always tried to share my understandings of faith and society.”

One of Alan’s specific roles as Subdean has been oversight of the fabric of the cathedral, and that has meant a close working relationship with the cathedral’s works department.

“We have in Lincoln a very good system of maintaining the building,” he said.

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“We work with mutual respect, trust and affirmation, and I have always insisted on that.

“The one thing I’ve learned is that affirmation is the most important quality in order for people to give of their best, and believe that is at the heart of the Christian faith.”

Alan was ordained Deacon in 1967, and priest a year later. His roles held prior to arriving in Lincoln had included Chaplain of University and Hatfield Colleges, Durham, priest in charge of St Brandon’s church, Brancepeth, and honorary canon of Durham Cathedral.

Alan also held the title of Canon Pastor for Lincoln Cathedral.

In retirement, Alan and his wife, Wendy, will live in Wellingore, south of Lincoln.

Information about the process by which a replacement Subdean will be appointed is available at www.lincolncathedral.com

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Matthew Cooper (01522 504028, matthew.cooper@lincoln.anglican.org).

The second is a training day focusing on identifying defects in church buildings; there will be a series of talks and practical exercises, and all attendees receive a copy of the Good Maintenance Guide and a maintenance calendar.

The day runs from 10am to 4pm on 26 October at The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln. It is free to attend, but bookings are essential.

Contact Kate Minnis: (020 7456 0913, katem@spab.org.uk) or book online at www.spabfim.org.uk.

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Pulpits across the pond David De Verny “pulpit swap” is, of course, much more than just that: all Sunday and occasional services have to be covered and the vicarage/rectory and the car are also thrown into the exchange bargain.

I spent four weeks in Dixon, Illinois, the childhood home of President Ronald Reagan – a fact which the Dixon Tourism Bureau will not let you forget: streets, schools, public buildings, even highways are named after him.

His parental home is a shrine to his admirers, and at the river front now stands a large bronze statue of Ronald Reagan on a horse, seemingly charging into the local headquarters of the Democratic Party!

I have swapped pulpit, house and car several times before with priests from the Episcopal Church: I regard it a great privilege to serve, even for a short time, in a church where women priests have been ordained for 25 years and where good priests who happen to be female, gay or lesbian are democratically elected as bishops by their dioceses.

Dixon has ten thousand inhabitants, plus five thousand high security prisoners.

There is only one Episcopal church in town, St. Luke’s, although all other denominations seemed to have managed to need two.

The current Rector of St Luke’s (who read theology at Mirfield) has just been elected Dean of Eau Clair Cathedral in Wisconsin.

The liturgy of the Episcopal Church is still more tied to the Book of Common Prayer than our Common Worship and the language is sometimes jarring to English ears.

Congregations are more independent from the diocese than we are in the Church of England. That includes clergy salaries: apart from a diocesan minimum which varies from diocese to diocese, parishes

PHOTOGRAPH: SARAH NELSON

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can pay their Rectors as much as they see fit. Parishes have to fund the pensions and health insurance of their clergy which puts a great burden on them and disadvantages small parishes considerably.

Apart from all that, most problems are the same: ageing and dwindling congregations, loss of income and lack of young adults.

This trend is obvious across all denominations, not just in the Episcopal church.

Even the so-called “Bible Belt” is not exempt, neither are non-denominational mega-churches.

The religious landscape of the USA seems to be slowly but surely changing.

The splitting away of more fundamentalist parishes from the mainstream Episcopal Church seems to have strengthened its identity and given it a renewed vigour and purpose while the splinter groups seem to fall out with each other ever more frequently. In the meantime, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, Katherine Jefferts-Schori is not allowed to wear the insignia of her office in Canterbury Cathedral, the mother church of the Anglican Communion.

St Luke’s Church in Dixon has developed close links with a parish and orphanage in Zimbabwe and considerable efforts are made to support our Anglican sisters and brothers there who suffer under the oppressive regime of Robert Mugabe.

It was good to witness these efforts first hand and it made me proud to be part, for a month, of a socially and spiritually  engaged church.

David De Verny with members of the congregation in Dixon, Illinois

PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

Michael Greene, Rector of Dixon, Illinois and David De Verny, Vicar of Swineshead, reflect after trading roles for six weeks.

Michael Greene outside Swineshead church during his six-week stay

Michael Greene here are a lot of things a b o u t Lincolnshire that remind one of Illinois, but then again, there are some important differences.

Like Illinois, Lincolnshire is very agricultural: lots of crops, lots of farmers, small countryside hamlets, and the occasional larger market town. Being a farming area, the pace of life, and the character and temperament of the people, is very familiar to me.

The most unfamiliar feeling part of it is its age. One hundred fifty years ago, Lincolnshire was well-populated and builtup, but Illinois was largely unsettled – the occasional homesteader or trading outpost was all there was, and vast distances separated people.

Before that, this place had a very different history, one that is not well recorded, and not often taught to schoolchildren – our sense of history goes back, at best, a few hundred years. So it can be difficult for Americans to get their heads around the history and the connectedness to the past that we encounter when we visit places steeped in history, like England.

The parish I serve in Dixon, Illinois is a historical one, the first in our town.

The building is 120 years old, and the congregation founded 170 years ago. It comes as a real eye-opener, then, to serve in places like Swineshead and Bicker, where even small rural churches have Saxon foundations, Norman arches, medieval glass,

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and more importantly, ministries that stretch back hundreds and hundreds of years. It provides a sense of connectedness to our forebears in the faith and to our tradition that we Americans generally lack.

There are hundreds of facets and nuances to these buildings that draw the attention and the imagination. In particular, there is a kind of atmosphere that comes when a place has been a focus of prayer for a long time, and one can feel it here. One of my favorite things to do while in Swineshead was simply to walk over to the church and soak up that ambience, which has had a profound effect on my prayer life.

My wife and I both love to travel.

When you travel, you can’t help but notice the little differences: the way coffee is made, the way people talk, the fact that everyone drives on the “correct” side of the road. But the real lesson of travel is not in the things that make us different, it is in the things that make us the same.

Travelling can offer a unique insight into our common humanity, and into how close and interconnected we really are.

One of the great joys of our time in Lincolnshire was to see that this is especially true in the church. As we came together in worship, it was clear that we were part of the same family, and engaged in the same service to the same Lord. All talk of the tenuous nature of the future of our communion seems irrelevant to me in light of that experience.

We enjoyed ourselves greatly during our time in England. It was an experience I would recommend to all of my clergy colleagues. We were nourished by the hospitality and faith of those we met, and the warmth with which they welcomed us as one of their own. 

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Christianity, all sewn up One man’s answer to a world of insubstantial superheros

Will Harrison Lincolnshire entrepreneur is hoping to corner the Christian market with unique bedding and clothes for children and adults.

The idea came to Paul Vivian, of Louth, when his 18-month-old son Gabriel walked into the bathroom wearing nothing but a pair of red Spiderman underpants.

“I immediately asked myself why we couldn’t dress him in images of Christian heroes,” said Paul.

“Why couldn’t he wear Joshua, or Gideon, or David? And how about bedding which depicts Christian heroes?”

Inspired by the idea, Paul, a teacher by profession, set about putting his ideas into reality.

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“Why couldn’t he wear Joshua, or Gideon, or David? And how about bedding which depicts Christian heroes?”

showing and discussing his designs with parents, grandparents and children.

Asking the people their opinions on the designs, what kind of prices they would want to pay, Paul was listening to his market, and adapting his ideas to suit.

“The overall response was always extremely positive,” said Paul.

So Paul decided to take it one step further, and ask these people who said they liked the idea to support him by sponsoring a trip to India, with the challenge of finding someone to make the clothes and duvet covers. At a Christian summer camp in India earlier that year, Paul met Pastor Robert Mophet, whose mission supports local children.

“I thought that duvets produced in India would surely be much cheaper,” said Paul.

“With my contact with Pastor Mophet and his contact in India, I would be able to get the duvets produced ethically and at a lower cost. More people would be therefore able to afford them for their children.”

An agreement was reached, and production began in high-grade 420-count cotton, with hand silk-screen graphics.

Local funding was found to launch the company, and a website was set up to sell the products. And now, sales of the duvets, t-shirts and underwear support Pastor Mophet’s mission in India, as well as a drug rehabilitation centre.

“We believe that Truthfabric’s chosen range of superheroes embody characterbuilding values that enable kids to shine among their peers, and reach their optimum potential as people in their own right,” said Paul.

Now, Paul’s unique products are complemented with bedtime CDs,

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“I discussed my vision with the pastor at my local church, and with his support, I contacted a really gifted artist, Laura Frank, to draw up some designs,” he said.

In September 2007 Paul took five start-up duvet designs to Grapevine, the Christian camp held at the Lincolnshire Showground.

Paul spent several afternoons rushing from caravan to caravan

Divine Divan: Entrepreneur, Paul Vivian, shows off one of Truthfabric’s cotton bedsheets

which include songs and Bible stories to go with the duvet designs.

“We believe that Truthfabric’s chosen range of superheroes embody character-building values” “There really is nothing else like this on the market, and I’m very proud of that,” said Paul, who attends Eastgate Union Church in Louth.

“I now hope that children, who all need heroes and role models to look up to, can learn important lessons from them too.”

For more information, visit www.truthfabric.com

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Today’s Children

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Michelle Lees asks what foundations are being laid for our children’s development. yping the words ‘today’s children’ into Google, the number of articles written and available on the Internet is aweinspiring. It seems that every day, all over the world, someone is giving their opinion on how we should bring up our children, and what we are doing wrong.

With so many opinions being offered, and the rights and wrongs argued endlessly, finding anything useful can prove a difficult task.

Which opinions should be followed, and which should be disregarded as worthless?

But if one has to start somewhere, surely a credible source would be the UK’s ‘DirectGov’ website. Here, I was intrigued to read that the government has commissioned a think-tank called CentreForum to look at parenting in the UK. Perhaps unsurprisingly it found that “children from the poorest families are exposed to far fewer words, are less likely to read books with their parents and eat poorer diets than their peers in wealthier homes”.

The solution, suggested by CentreForum, is a scheme along similar lines to the ‘five-aday’ fruit and vegetables advertising campaign, which they intend to advertise in public places and on public transport, etc.

I’m intrigued to see what they have come up with that can simplify parenting into ‘5a-day’. I suspect many will resent it as prescriptive ‘nanny state dictation’, and I fear

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that this broad brush approach, while no doubt well-intentioned, doesn’t address the fundamental problems encountered by children in low income families, exacerbated by the longest recession in living memory.

An article in The Telegraph stated that “research has found that the quality of parenting and educational influences in the early months and years of a child’s life have an overwhelming influence on their later progress at school and careers” – for many of us, this is not news. For generations we have lived by the adage of St Francis Xavier in the 1500’s: ‘give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man’. It goes without saying that we must lay good foundations for our children to build on, or we will be, as in Matthew 7:26, the foolish man who built his house on the sand.

Teaching love, forgiveness, patience and respect can only be a good start. But, beyond getting these basics right, what can we do about other influences on our children? Just how much control do we have over what our children hear and see?

When I was a child there was a very clear divide between what was considered adult in the media and what was considered suitable for children. But this division has not only become merely blurred, but I fear it has been totally eradicated.

Even prime-time television shows con-

tain material which is questionable at best.

How many parents were shocked by a performance of Burlesque dancing on The Xfactor this year? Backing dancers have become so erotic in their routines that they often verge on pornographic. How far has our society desensitised itself that it would think it appropriate to include this in a family programme?

Our children now have access to news, music and programmes through many different media – the internet and social networking sites on computers, smartphones and iPods to name but a few. The potential for exposure to adult themes is massive, and our ability to control it is becoming diminished by the day. But it is not just a subversive underworld that uses these means to exploit our children. Children are being targeted by marketing companies, and their tastes manipulated and influenced by them to increase profits for massive, multi-national companies.

The Mothers’ Union was so concerned about this exploitation, that it began its campaign, Bye Buy Childhood, to raise awareness, and commissioned its own research into the effects of marketing on children and the family, called the ‘Impact Report’. In its executive summary it states that Childhood has become a marketing opportunity worth £99 billion in the UK and £350 million is spent in the UK each

year on persuading children to consume.

Manipulative techniques exploit children’s natural credulity and use them as a conduit to the household purse.

The materialism this encourages (the basing of happiness and a sense of success in the material) has negative effects on children’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, on their values, educational development and relationships with families and peers.

There is no doubt that marketing aimed at children has increased massively over the last few years, and with it has come the dilemma of what is appropriate. Few people can remain un-shocked by the sight of little girls as young as five- or six-years-old in mini skirts, high heels and cropped tops, and yet someone is buying these things for them – and a great deal of money is being made out of this cynical exploitation. But how do we make it stop? Maybe that’s something we all need to think about.

There isn’t an expert in the world who can give you the answer on how to be the perfect parent. Every situation is different, every child is different, and everyone has a different solution. The best you can hope for is to find the right solution for you, your child and your family. It is not an easy path.

I was once told, by a very wise midwife, that guilt starts with conception, and lasts a  lifetime. How right she was!



If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.



If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.

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If children live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.

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If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.

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If children live with tolerance, they learn to be patient

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If children live with encouragement, they learn to be confident.

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If children live with appreciation, they learn to appreciate.

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If children live with fairness, they learn justice.

The Mothers’ Union - Positive Parenting

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crosslincs

Letters to the editor, Crosslincs, Church House, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org A name and address and telephone number must be supplied with every letter and e-mail. Letters may be edited for style and length.

Comment & letters Chaplaincy questions raised

Comment

Flooding is irresponsible

From the Revd Martyn Taylor I was interested to see the growing profile of the Lincolnshire Chaplaincy services in the summer 2011 edition of Crosslincs.

While I would always want personally to encourage any Christian engaging with and in the structures of our society, whether as a paid chaplain or an ordinary Christian living out their faith in industry, agriculture or education, Lincoln Diocese has some important questions to answer in regard to Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services.

I have no intention of suggesting that the work being done by individual chaplains is not worthwhile, in the same way that we would want to affirm those clergy posts that are not going to be replaced when a full-time incumbent moves on.

However there are strategic questions that need to be raised and talked about without individuals feeling under threat or undervalued.

Lincoln Diocese has a deficit budget and last year we were around £175,000 short.

No organisation can go on planning for deficit budgets.

On the other hand, the budget gave significantly more than a quarter of a million pounds to fund the work of the Chaplaincy services, which as a ministry brings no income back into the diocese. That sum is worth the on-costs of more than five fulltime stipendiary clergy who will, by virtue of their ministry, bring parish share back into the common purse.

The Diocesan Synod needs to decide whether the significant sum given to fund the Chaplaincy services is right in terms of the financial strategy and also the increasing vision of encouraging lay ministry across the Diocese.

We have recently had the experience of losing a chaplain at Stamford College who was a part of Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services. Peter Weeks was in fact a member of my congregation and we encouraged him to apply for the job.

Since Peter has left that role and gone as an ordinand to theological college from Lincoln Diocese, his role has been taken up by the local Salvation Army leaders in a voluntary capacity, supported by a college student from my congregation.

Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services may regret that their portfolio of chaplains is now less, but the real question is: has Christian witness been diminished by the removal of a full-time, paid chaplain? I believe the answer is that it has not.

Peter Weeks did a great job, it was a great experience for him and good for the college, but a full time paid chaplain is not the only way for Christians to engage with the structures and people of local society.

Chaplains do not necessarily reach the parts that other clergy can’t. It could be argued extra clergy would also increase the reach! Ordinary Christians serving in industry, agriculture and education have a far greater reach and are often in places of much greater influence.

Bishop John was well known in the area for his engagement with the political and governmental aspects of our county. As a

From Mr Nino Hoblyn imeon Stylites in the 1st century AD spent some 39 years living on a small platform he constructed on top of a pillar, where he sought to live placing precedence on his soul over his body, and surviving on flatbread and goats’ milk.

He pursued vertical separation from his fellow man when attempting to merely withdraw from society failed to achieve his objectives. It seems a lifestyle fraught with impracticalities and therefore, while he had followers, surely there are few in 21st century Britain who would adopt such behaviour over such a timescale.

Others still came to Simeon to ask for his prayers and seek his wisdom; today visitors are more likely to be school parties pointing and tourists bringing cameras rather than requests for prayer.

Nonetheless, there are those today who live an extreme lifestyle in answer to a vocation. Monks and nuns spring to mind, living lives dominated by rules, routine and ritual behind their convent walls.

Then there are those who choose to live with other Christians in community, like those of Iona Abbey, where the basis of their way of life is as an ecumenical community, seeking new and radical ways of living the gospel in today’s world.

But what does this tell us?

In short, are these people running away from the world and, like the proverbial ostrich burying their heads in the sand, refusing to get personally involved in the nitty-gritty of living everyday, ordinary and – if we are honest – frequently boring lives?

No mortgages to manage, no pressure to cling on to a dull job to ensure payment of bills continues uninterrupted, no competition to keep up with the Joneses – not just material competition such as the latest car, the newest gadget, the most manicured garden, but aggressive competition too – have you ever sat with mothers and listened to the rivalry as they compare the skills and attributes of their respective offspring?

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Perhaps these extreme lifestyles allow folk to hide away because they are those who would not have survived the ‘real’ world – with its antagonistic parents and bitter enmity hidden beneath apparently friendly yet insincere platitudes between neighbours and friends.

They are people who would not cope with the unrelenting demands of a professional career and its sacrifices where a working week is not simply measured in hours gainfully spent, but against output, performance and targets.

Perhaps those of us on the outside of these secluded communities employ stares and whispers as a defence to hide our distain at their lack of sophistication and their inability to cope with our real world.

Nino Hoblyn Caistor

However, sometimes I suspect I am a little envious of these radical lives lived behind secluding walls or on distant islands.

These people may live without some of the comforts many of us take for granted, such as a consistent supply of electricity, but on the up-side, there is no pressure to allow life to be dictated by the television schedule and there must be other advantages – a sense of peace and security and seclusion from the ‘real’ world. It offers a chance to focus on life’s meaning and the purposes of God.

The Comment is written by a different anonymous author each edition with the intention of provoking thought and debate, and is not necessarily the view of the Diocese of Lincoln.

national church it is indeed the role of our Bishops to engage at this level, as indeed church leaders and churches should be doing in every community.

So then, let us have a principled debate about the diocesan budget and whether the support of Lincolnshire Chaplaincy Services from the diocesan budget is a good and right strategy that is line with the vision and financial constraints of the present time.

Martyn Taylor Rector of St George’s Stamford

Hunger and Starvation is for 99.9% of people a subject which is never encountered, but I am puzzled after reading the headline on the front page of the Louth Leader, which tells the reader, “Decision will kill a natural asset”.

The story tells us that the Environment Agency has been given the go ahead to flood hundreds upon hundreds of acres of the very best arable land in the whole of Lincolnshire, ending with the reporter asking “what do you think of the project?” as if all has been done-and-dusted, with not a u-turn in sight?

Women and children in Africa are dying in their thousands for want of food, while we back home here in England breach the sea defence at Donna Nook to “create a wetland habitat for the wildlife.”

May we all look to the Lord and ask his forgiveness for those who are blind to this, and in flooding the arable land, are guilty of nothing less than murder.

Lead theft cover-up must stop From Mr Stan Underwood The continued theft of metals such as lead and copper is now of such a magnitude as merits a more convincing response than appears to be the case so far, and on a co-ordinated national scale. Each time the price of these metals rises, there is a consequent increase in this criminal activity. This is proving a particular burden on churches, few of which have escaped losing lead from their roofs. The cost of replacing the

stolen lead has to be borne by the individual church and its congregation, often a very small number of people who have to pay for the replacement. And some churches have had their lead stolen again and again. In this latest spate of thefts, over 40 churches have been affected in the Diocese of Lincoln alone.

Of course, measures are taken to deter such thefts, including, for example, installing intruder alarms. The police are involved but with only limited success in apprehending the thieves. The hard fact of the matter is that while thieves can so readily dispose of the stolen metal, and while it provides them with a good return for their efforts, they will continue to gather this free harvest – whether lead from church roofs or copper from railway lines.

Press reports, either local or national, usually describe the ‘mop up’ efforts to make good the loss and to deter future thefts. There is little account given of any concerted and effective attempt to tackle the problem at the point of disposal. The stolen materials are worthless unless they can be sold to somebody prepared to accept them, and this appears not to present any great difficulty to the criminal.

The conclusion is that there must be fencing on an industrial scale, given the quantities of metals stolen and presumably so easily passed on. This is surely where the police and other law-enforcing bodies need to target their efforts; and this must be cross-constabulary and preferably coordinated nationally. If the harsh light of investigation is focussed on the scrap metal dealers and subsequent recyclers/smelters, then we might begin to turn off the currently lucrative tap of this large-scale criminal activity.

Stan Underwood Carlton le Moorland

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crosslincs

Messy message on the up Fresh Expression has taken root in the Diocese of Lincoln, and is set to gain more momentum with the appointment of a a new coordinator.

The Revd Ian Walters, Parish Priest of the Gosberton group, said he was delighted to be helping to coordinate the initiative, after St Hugh’s Church, Gosberton Clough (see ‘Dropping In” p 23) had introduced it to the diocese.

“It’s worked really well here, and attracted people to church who we had never seen through the doors before,” said Ian. The activity-based worship style, which encourages all kinds of ‘messy’ activities around religious themes, is far from a creche – as Ian explained that they were not allowed to leave the sessions.

“In fact, one of the most gratifying things is watching the parents get braver,” said Ian. “One little girl came into a session on her own.

“The coordinator asked her who had

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Chance to win cards

brought her, and she replied that her Daddy had, but he was sitting in the car.

“Well, we got him to come inside and join in, and now he gets involved every time.”

Ian explained that activities that had made Messy Church a success in Gosberton had included puppet shows, meals and the construction of a gigantic road and traffic lights, all around subject matter that tied in with the relevant religious festivals.

Diocesan Fresh Expressions enabler, Simon Dean, said that Ian’s appointment would help more churches to ‘get messy’.

“He will be a link to the national organisation,” said Simon, who describes Messy Church as brilliant.

“It’s a great tool for people with no understanding of church at all,” he said.

“It’s fun, and people of all ages can easily forget to have fun.

“I’ve seen it work really well already, so can only see it taking off even more.”

T H E E D WA R D K I N G C E N T R E a t T h e O l d Pa l a c e

he Churches Conservation Trust have announced the launch of their 2011 Christmas card, and are offering Crosslincs readers the opportunity to win a set of cards.

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Welcome and Hospitality • Peace and Quiet • Reflection and Prayer In the heart of Lincoln’s historic Cathedral Quarter, the completely refurbished Edward King Centre hosts a series of retreats and quiet days throughout the year

Retreats and Quiet Days 2011-12

The unique design by Matthew Rice is quite quirky and eye catching, and only available from CCT so you won’t find it on the high street.

Proceeds from the cards, which come in packs of 10 with envelopes for £4.99, help support the CTT’s work of caring for 340 historic churches.

For the opportunity to win five packs of cards, visit www.visitchurches.org.uk/competiton and answer the question ‘How many churches does CCT care for?’ no later than Monday 31 October 2011.

Saturday 19 November Quiet Day led by Nicola Slee

Saturday 14 January 2012 Quiet Day led by Canon Valerie Rampton

Tuesday 6 December Quiet Evening led by Tracey Byrne

On this day we will use the Bible, Hymns, and other sources to explore the sea as a metaphor for life and living out our faith.

The Edward King Centre | The Old Palace | Minster Yard | Lincoln | LN2 1PU T: 01522 504075 www.bishopedwardking.org

Youthlincs

Pull-out supplement

A crosslincs special supplement

www.lincoln.anglican.org/youth

The cutting edge:

Meet the team:

Youth projects in the Diocese of Lincoln Page 2

Learn more about the staff of the Diocese of Lincoln’s Children and Youth Service Page 2

The young at heart Tim Ellis Bishop of Grantham “The vision is for a Church that takes young people seriously. It is a Church where young people fully and actively participate at every level. It is a Church that is built on good relationships, where young people are concerned, not only with each other, but with those inside and outside the Church.”

It’s not a bad vision, is it? And it’s one that’s been around for a long, long time. The report from which the excerpt comes, Youth a Part, was written in 1996 and set out a wide-ranging, visionary and hopeful way forward for the Church’s involvement with young people.

How are we doing in Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire?

Sadly, for some Church communities in the Diocese of Lincoln, the concerns of young people are just not very high on the agenda.

The oft-heard cry of “we don’t have any young people in this village” gives us an easy let out, an excuse for not sitting down and working out what we could, and should, be doing for the young.

Even more frequently heard is that “the children are the Church of the future” when we should be saying “they are the Church of today”: why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?

All of this looks a bit lame when we consider the thousands of children who daily attend our church schools across the Diocese; the remarkably successful engagement with children and young people in so many parishes, including in some very small villages.

It also ignores the work that is being done by the Diocesan Children and Young People’s team.

There is excellent work going on out there, and it is often in some pretty tough situations.

The Diocese of Lincoln Children and Youth Service The Old Palace Minster Yard Lincoln LN2 1PU 01522 50 40 67

What hallmarks do these pieces of work carry?

First: they are places where the young are taken seriously.

Jesus said: “Let the children come to me... for of these is the Kingdom of God” and: “I came that they may have life, and have it all abundance.”

Two basic truths flow from this: that children have a lot to teach us jaded adults; and that we, as Kingdom builders, should be concerned about enabling young people to flourish.

Where these two factors are present, work with children and young people is creative and productive.

Secondly: work with the young flourishes where adults allow change and innovation.

Much of our worship and Church life can seem as dry as dust to the young. We need to listen to them, and we need to learn how these dry bones might live once again.

This might result in different ways of worshipping and a change in the sense of community. Are we up for it, prepared to pay the price and therefore ready to be surprised by joy?

Thirdly: There isn’t just one way of working with the young. In some places, the tried and tested model of the youth club will still work, but, in other places with different young people, different adults and a different set of needs, then something different will need to be tried. There are many ways to engage with the young, remembering that what worked last year may not work now.

One thing is certain, that where we try to help the young to make their own way in life − spiritually, lovingly and materially − we may be surprised to find that we ourselves are renewed.

Is the Diocese of Lincoln ready to be surprised by the joy the young can bring?

“Enabling young people to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy, achieve and make a positive contribution.”

Autumn 2011

Happy band of Pilgrims: The original Christian get-away Page 3

Never mind the quality Once upon a time there was a television sitcom based in a small tailoring firm entitled Never mind the quality – feel the width.

The running gag was that quantity was more important that quality; in terms of work with children and young people that would be like saying: “it doesn’t matter what you do with them – as long as they turn up.”

There is a form of youth or children’s work that seem to use numbers as its sole measure of success; the Warehouse model of provision. Of course, numbers can be important, but more important is the quality of work which goes on. We have a duty to God, whom we represent and in whose name we work, to the children and young people who we work with, to their parents or carers and to the Church which sanctions our efforts to do the best which we can, to make a high standard of provision.

To help with this we provide the Bishops’ Best Practice Awards, which are both a recognition of, and a guide to, what is needed for safe, effective work with children and young people.

As well as an obvious concern with safeguarding and health and safety, proper records being kept and permissions gained, the best work with children and young people should also involve them in decisionmaking, in planning their programme, deciding how budgets should be spent and taking responsibility – at the level appropriate to their age and ability – for their own activities.

The Diocesan Participation Policy gives some guidance on this, but for more help in its implementation, the Youth Animateur, or any other member of the DoLCYS central staff is there to help.

For more information and policy documents, visit www.lincoln.anglican.org/youth

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Examples of very good work E1W: Run it or ruin it – the youth group dilemma David Rowett Barton upon Humber One of the young people should be writing this – but they’re all away, so it’s left to one of the adults to do the necessary.

In a way, that just about sums up running a Church Youth Group – picking up enough of the pieces to hold things together without bunging it all up.

Barton's E1W (Every One Welcome) has been running for three or four years as an open, Church-sponsored youth group.

Numbers are small, between ten and twenty, and the degree of contact with the Church varies widely. The dynamics of the group change according to the dominant age group as well – the direction appropriate to the present group (average age about 15) isn’t the same as it was when they were 12.

As far as we can manage it, the initiative lies with the young people. We leaders make suggestions (and, of course, have the essential role of safeguarding and the rest), but we try and

respond to their thoughts and ideas. It’s taken us to some unusual places – our viewing of Frankenstein might raise some Christian eyebrows, but the (unbidden) perceptive comments of the group were instructive: “The monster is the only moral character in the story,” said one 14-year old.

Their spontaneous discussion of Just War theory was more insightful than I’ve heard from some clergy. The young people themselves put in a successful funding bid for an Internet café project. They seem to repay our trust.

If we get the balance between direction and non-direction right on average, that’s probably because 50% of the time we err on one side and 50% of the time on the other. I’m sure we make mistakes. But so far, our young folk have been remarkably forgiving.

Jenny and her team of workers at Barton have also enabled the young people to explore the use of labyrinths in worship, creating season-specific examples, which were then shared with the children in the local primary school.

BiZ: Youth-led activities The BiZ (Billinghay in Zone) opened in October 2008, but started long before that. Ray Smith (leader and motivating force) noticed that there were young people with nowhere to go on cold and dark evenings, hanging about on the streets of the village where he lives.

Rather than decide what the young people were going to get, Ray consulted them, asked them what they wanted, and so the BiZ opened, a drop-in for young people aged between 13 and 19.

“The BiZ starts from a point of giving the young people a place of warmth and safety by providing a free café for them to meet and be around with their friends,” said Ray. “Thereafter what happens in the drop-in is down to them.”

The group started with just six but has

grown in size where 20 to 25 can be expected in an evening.

“The young people are challenged to plan and organise their own activities, and it has been great to see their inventiveness and a can-do attitude among the group,” said Ray. “We started with a small planning group made up of four of the young people to begin the process of planning the weeks ahead.

“Now they have an elected youth council.

The young people have been guided in making a successful application for equipment. They chose the equipment for the activities they wanted to do.

“We all look forward to exciting times ahead and to what the young people will bring to the life of our community, and maybe beyond.”

The Riddings Brigade: activities in Scunthorpe The Riddings Brigade is a one-night-a-week club for the eight to 12 age band.

Based loosely on the Church Lads and Church Girls Brigade (CLCGB), it provides a mixed activity evening in the local Municipal Youth Centre, with the Revd Graham Lines acting as chaplain and encouraging links to celebrations in the local Church at Festival and other special occasions.

After consultation with local children (a questionnaire in the local schools), a summer programme was organised, with extra sessions offering arts and crafts, drama, dance, music

and sports.

The summer activities were funded with grants from North Lincolnshire Homes and The High Sheriffs’ and Humberside Police Tribune Trust. The Riddings Brigade is happening because of a partnership between parish, the CLCGB, the Diocese and North Lincolnshire Council; with the Church Community Fund, Lincolnshire Community Foundation and Lincolnshire Community Bank, the Tribune Trust and North Lincolnshire Homes acting as funding partners.

Expertise and experience It has been said before, and will be said again, that the important people when it comes to children’s and youth ministry in the Diocese of Lincoln are the hundreds (and probably over a thousand) of mostly volunteer workers who turn up, every week, to deliver the work on the ground.

These people, and the work that they do, are the Children and Youth Service of the Diocese of Lincoln. The task of those of us who are based at the Diocesan offices is to support, enable, develop and add value to that work.

Who we are:

Dave Rose CA Diocesan Children and Youth Officer Dave’s main responsibilities are training; award schemes (for parishes, projects and schools); supporting, assisting and advising parishes and projects as they consider or develop work with children and young people, promoting such processes as Godly Play; encouraging pilgrimage and explorations in Christian spirituality and developing new initiatives.

Suzanne Starbuck Diocesan Support and Projects Worker Suzanne’s main responsibilities are to provide support, assistance and advice to parishes and projects in their work with children and young people, which will include training and award schemes as appropriate; responsibility for local resource centres; Diocesan-wide projects, such as Green Reflections (see page 4) which parishes, projects and schools, can opt into.

Vacant Post Diocesan Youth Animateur This post is all to do with children and young people being involved in governance, in having a voice and making a difference.

This is to implement the Diocesan participation policy, and includes enabling a network of youth synods, moderating the Get Connected young people’s website and supporting a team of Deanery Youth Enablers.

Jane Leighton Admin Support Jane works for a few hours each Friday, and most of her time is spent administering the registration process, the group insurance scheme, and keeping the records and sending out certificates acociated with the Bishops’ Best Practice Awards, Church Children’s Achievement Awards and Bishop’s Youth Achievement Awards.

Further details of the team members can be found on the Diocesan website: www.lincoln.anglican.org/youth

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Service at every level In the Diocese of Lincoln, most work with children and young people takes place at parish, deanery or some intermediate level.

The work is mainly delivered by teams of dedicated volunteers, who give up their time to do this vital, but often-neglected work.

The Diocese of Lincoln Children and Youth Service (DoLCYS) exists to enable this work to happen; to provide advice, training and support for all of those who are involved, or who wish to be involved in work with children and young people.

Support is provided by a full time Diocesan Children and Youth Officer, a part-time Support and Projects Worker, a part-time Youth Animator, and a few hours of adminstrative support.

Help from DoLCYS can come at any time in the life of a piece of work: Getting Started • Help with the visioning process of deciding what is the way forward where you are • Advice and assistance on the building blocks that need to be in place, including management training • Model constitutions, documents and proforma, just ready to adapt and adopt • A whole range of online help and information sheets Keeping Going • Training for workers and managers • A quality assurance process via the Bishop’s Best Practice Awards recommendations and • Reviews, resources, online and in Resource Centres • Issue-based handouts • An insurance scheme • Added value to what parishes and projects can offer, by way of the Bishop’s Youth and Church Children’s Achievement Awards; special Diocesan projects such as the Green Reflections Project or the DofE Gold residential camp; subsidised pilgrimages to Walsingham or Taize; something that we have not thought of, but you have • An audit or health check – an outside pair of eyes to help you see the next step • Someone at the end of the phone or an email, who will listen and help you to find the solution to your issues

To be a pilgrim?

David Rowett Barton upon Humber For some, pilgrimage lies somewhere between the eccentric and the downright antique (cue Chaucer).

But the experience of being away from the usual environment, in company with

other fellow-travellers in the faith, ‘mucking in together’ in a place where, as T S Eliot puts it, “prayer has been valid for centuries” — it’s something which you can only understand by taking the plunge and experiencing it.

There are plenty of pilgrimages on offer, ancient and not-so-ancient: St Hugh’s

Walsingham 2011 As a thunderstorm raged over Walsingham, I wondered how I’d landed the job of cooking Bolognese in our alfresco kitchen (twoburners-and-a-barbeque) while the other twelve of the Barton and Brigg contingent from the E1W youth group at the Youth Pilgrimage lounged cosily in our dining tent.

But the previous evening’s barefoot walking of the Holy Mile and the outdoor worship with which it ended had been on a perfect summer evening; the air incense-heavy, the scene lit by our candles, as 800 (mostly) young people grew into intense, absolute silence in an atmosphere electric with prayer.

And after the storm, in the small hours, our group kept vigil (almost) alone in the darkened, cavernous worship space, aware that for a half-hour the awesome calling of holding the world up to God had been entrusted to us.

This was our second time at the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage: it would be good to double the diocesan numbers for 2012.

Next time, please may I cook out of the rain?

Pilgrimage at Home There are ways of going on a pilgrimage while staying at home. Medieval people attempted to replicate the experience of the Jerusalem Pilgrimage while staying in one place by using Labyrinths, and many Cathedrals built at the time have a Labyrinth marked on the floor.

Today the use of prayer and movement has been re-discovered, and the young people at Barton upon Humber have experimented with seasonal constructions.

If you wish to find out more, contact Fr David on 01652 632202 or at davidrowett@aol.com

Members of the E1W youth group relax at Walsingham Taizé 2011 Taizé is an international and ecumenical monastic community based a small village of the same name in Burgundy, France.

Throughout the year it welcomes young people from around the world to come and spend time living in community, prayer, silence and sharing. During the summer there are usually between 2,000 and 5,000 young people there each week.

A group of 13 young people aged 16 to 29 and two adults from Lincoln and Leicester spent a week on pilgrimage in Taizé this summer.

For some it was a first visit and others a return to a much loved place of retreat. The week has a structure to it consisting of prayer three times a day, meeting with a Brother of the community and meeting in

Resourcing work with young people Dave Rose Diocesan Children and Youth Officer There are many resources to help us in our work with children and young people. Of course the most important resource available to any worker is themselves, their skills, their confidence and their knowledge.

There is help and advice from all over the place. Anyone with a computer and a search engine can soon find more experts than they will know what to do with, though with many of them a policy of ignoring would probably be best. There is, of course, the team at the Diocesan offices, and a plethora of books and magazines.

There is a selection at the Diocesan offices,

Lincoln (of course), Iona, Lindisfarne, Walsingham, Taizé; Santiago and Assisi for the adventurous.

Common to them all is this sense of being in a ‘thin’ place, away from the usual landmarks, gathered in fellowship with others to be open to God — and returning just slightly different.

a growing choice at the regional resource centres, and of course resources can be purchased from your local Christian book seller.

As well as that in the Diocesan offices, there are presently five resource centres located throughout the Diocese: in Grantham, Spalding, Lincoln, Scunthorpe, and we are seeking a volunteer to run the Cleethorpes centre.

There is, of course, a whole selection of processes, techniques and methodologies to be learned and deployed.

Godly Play and Reflective Story Telling offers a process which can enable the listeners to engage afresh with Biblical truths, setting the story free to take root and grow, acquiring new meaning for the listeners.

Training is offered once a year, and it is hoped that the material will become available at the resource centres.

Messy Church provides a method of engaging all ages with worship, and the Revd Ian Walters, the Diocesan co-ordinator, wrote: “Messy Church is a now increasingly popular method of inviting young people together with parents into a Christian environment.

“It works for toddlers to teens, and as the rules are that young people must be accompanied by an adult, we find that often mums and dads will come too. It can be advertised it through local primary schools, and it is best held either immediately after school hours or at the weekend.

“Easy-to-follow course books give exam-

international small groups for sharing and fun.

Taizé is a place where people can take a break from the busyness of life and spend time thinking, sharing and reflecting on their life, as well as meet lots of new people.

This was true for some of the group this year. The time away gave them a perspective on life that they would not have been able to get at home. Some returned excited about the future, and some with a new determination and sense of peace in tackling those difficult things that lay ahead.

There will be a trip going from Lincoln Diocese again next summer.

If you are interested and would like to know more, please contact the Revd Jonnie Parkin for more details on 01522 794275 or at jonnie.parkin@tiscali.co.uk The Revd Ian Walters 01775 840694 vicar@gosberton.org

ples of how to operate themed craft and activity tables which are the first hour or more of each session, followed by a 20 minute worship session based on the theme.

The final 30 to 40 minutes are the eating session, with simple meals suggested in the book. The idea works as the sessions are great fun but you do need a team of at least ten adults.

“It’s a great way to do some basic Christian teaching but also to build relationships between your church and local young families. It certainly works – try it!”

Passing on information on what works is a vital service that we offer our fellow toilers in the harvest field. So if it works, write it up for us. Contacts us at youth@lincoln.anglican.org

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Environmental focus

Woodworking at Hill Holt Wood Suzanne Starbuck Diocesan Support and Projects Worker A Diocesan project to inspire young people towards higher self-esteem and confidence through environmental activities has already been a great success.

The Green Reflections project was inspired by the Bishop of Grantham and his friend Colin Izod, who took an educational lead in the Cape Farewell project − which brings artists, scientists and communicators together to stimulate the production of art founded in scientific research.

Bishop Tim’s vision was to launch a similar project within the Diocese of Lincoln which gave opportunities to young people who may not otherwise encounter them.

Green Reflections is available for young people in parishes, schools, youth groups or other organisations and links with the Bishop’s Youth Awards which recognise and celebrate children and young people’s achievements.

The Green Reflections project has important working partnerships with Hill Holt Wood − a 34-acre woodland near Newark operating as an environmental social enterprise, the Lincolnshire Butterfly Conservation Group, Freiston Education Centre and Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk.

Green Reflections welcomes the voices and choices of young people about their

environment, ecology, conservation, heritage and preservation of the natural elements and balance in the natural world. We wish to know how young people want to be involved with this project and then discuss with partners how and where events could take place.

Green Reflections has worked together with Hill Holt Wood to provide a Duke of Edinburgh residential event in April with a focus on green woodworking skills. A group of young people spent a week camping at Hill Holt Wood and developed skills to create a love seat (a bench with two seats in opposite directions) from a tree trunk using heritage skills. The seat is currently being used to good effect at Hill Holt Wood as a seat for the bride and groom at wedding events.

Young people camping for the week were able to claim their Duke of Edinburgh Awards and Bishop’s Award Certificates.

The Diocese of Lincoln youth team is working closely with rangers at Hill Holt Wood to plan further events to support young people to achieve new skills, certification, self-esteem, confidence and to become involved with community projects.

Events being planned will develop heritage skills in green woodworking, stone masonry, lime-plastering and other building skills. Camping facilities are available and a variety of activities are being planned.

A group of young people from a rurallyisolated area attended Hill Holt Wood for one day and created a half lap joint with a peg − quite an achievement in such a short time. Two of the young people may apply to go on the NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training) programme as a result of their experience.

Lincolnshire Heritage at Risk is running many events through out the year and would like to encourage more young people to participate. Diocese of Lincoln’s youth team is working in partnership to enable young people to access heritage and archaeological experiences. Ideas from young people are welcomed to plan future events.

Skills development through voluntary work surveying and monitoring buildings at

“A group of young people from a rurally-isolated area attended Hill Holt Wood for one day and created a half lap joint with a peg − quite an achievement in such a short time”

risk is available to both adults and young people. This is beneficial for those wishing to update a CV or decide on a career.

Intergenerational working has a positive effect on all age groups.

The Lincolnshire Butterfly Conservation is working in partnership with the Diocese’s youth team to support young people to appreciate and preserve habitat for butterflies. There are events throughout the year held at different venues led by experts in their field. Monitoring forms are available should groups wish to identify and record butterflies in their area.

Freiston Education Centre is awarding the Bishop’s Award certificates for special residential weeks and family days which allow parents of children with disabilities some respite while the young people enjoy ponddipping, art, music led by the Lincolnshire Music Improvement Service, and other activities on a Saturday.

A total of 53 Bishop’s Award Certificates for Green Reflection modules have been awarded so far this year to children and young people. There will be many more when young people take part in the exciting activities being planned.

For further information about Green Reflections modules, events and awards contact Suzanne Starbuck on 01522 504068, 07850 303281 or by e-mail at suzanne.starbuck@lincoln.anglican.org

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Developing a habit

few weeks ago, Sister Liz made her ‘Life Profession’. Held at St Luke’s Church, Birchwood (below), this ceremony marked for Liz the end of the typical discernment process which anyone seeking to be a member of a religious community, such as the Franciscans, must undergo. It involved a number of defined stages with checkpoints along the way: The journey starts when an individual feels they have been called to the religious life. The first step is to get to know something of that life within the order to which they feel called.

To this end, the individual is encouraged to visit the community houses nearest them and talk with the resident sisters and/or brothers about their lives. Why did they come? And, more importantly, why did they stay?

At this stage they will get the chance to dispel some common misconceptions, such as that nuns and monks are cut off from the real world; that they are running away, or are wasting talents and skills.

They will find that these images are very far from the truth, as anyone trying to run away from things is likely only to come up against them more fully in a religious setting, within the quietness of study and prayer, and talents and skills generally find new outlets. Indeed, there is often scope for people to develop abilities they never knew that they had.

After a time of visiting, a person who makes an initial request to join an order is referred to as an aspirant. The aspirant will then attend interviews with people such as the Minister Provincial (who has the care and charge of brothers and sisters in a Province) and Novice Guardian (who has

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PHOTOGRAPH: NICK EDMONDS

The Sisters of San Damiano

Sisters Judith, Maureen and Liz read morning prayer at San Damiano particular responsibility for the care, training and education of novices).

There are medical forms and other assessments to fill in, before eventually a date is given when the aspirant will be received into the house as a postulant.

The postulant is now much more on the inside of community life, and begins to get a sense of the realities of living with the other sisters or brothers in the house. They will take a turn at the tasks that facilitate praying and communal living, the rhythm of the day with its set times for prayer punctuating the activities of meals, reading and work.

The postulancy lasts generally between three and six months, but can be up to a year. When the community and the postulant recognise that the time is right to move to the next stage, the person is admitted as a novice. This is the point at which they receive their habit.

Anyone trying to run away from things is likely only to come up against them more fully in a religious setting

Novices promise to live in obedience to the Rule of the community as they test out its way of life, and discern whether it is the way that God is calling them to live. For some, it soon becomes apparent that it is not the way, and they leave.

Others find that the pattern of the life helps them to develop their relationship

with God and to pray. Perhaps they have endured tough periods, and are at last able to be true to themselves in the way they live, dealing with memories that have previously been covered up by a busy lifestyle.

If the community members also feel that the novice is making a positive contribution to its way of life, they are accepted for profession.

The person promises to live in simplicity of life and openness of heart, sharing both material and spiritual gifts in detachment and without personal ownership

In the Community of St Francis, as with most religious orders today, profession has two stages, beginning with First Profession.

At First Profession, the person promises to live in simplicity of life and openness of heart, sharing both material and spiritual gifts in detachment and without personal ownership; to give themselves in undivided love to Christ, in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God and in his love for all; and to follow the will of God, whose service is perfect freedom, living in obedience with their brothers and sisters, in good days and bad, in suffering and joy.

A rope with three knots is given to them as a reminder of this threefold vow; the one-knotted novice rope is thrown aside and the three-knotted rope is tied on with the affirmation. “As you are bound to Christ,

so in him you are set free.”

First Profession lasts between three and seven years. During this period, the sister or brother may ask the chapter of the community for election to the second stage: Life Profession.

The alternative is that a person may leave the order at any time, though they will be encouraged to work through a time of discernment, in the same way as they did when entering into the Community.

Life vows are received by a bishop on behalf of the Church.

In the Community of St Francis, the sister receives a silver ring which is worn on the right hand as a sign of her life profession; many other religious orders similarly wear a silver or gold ring as an indication of this life commitment.

Life profession is an affirmation of the vows made at First Profession, though this time their temporary nature is removed, as the individual vows: “I (name) do hereby dedicate myself for the whole of my life to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ to follow him under the conditions of poverty, chastity and obedience in the way of the blessed Francis.”

As with any relationship, there are ups and downs, and to some extent religious life is what each person makes of it, hopefully always seeking to become more fully the person Christ calls them to be.

San Damiano, the house where the Sisters live in Metheringham, has begun to be used by individuals and small groups for quiet days, study days, and planning meetings, and by individual residential guests for retreat or sabbatical. To arrange to use the house, or to join a retreat, contact Liz, Maureen or Judith on 01526 321115 or by email: metheringhamcsf@franciscans.org.uk or visit: http://bit.ly/oC63Nu

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Mystery man announced he Director of the next production of the Lincoln Mystery Plays has been announced as being company member John Bowtell.

The latest incarnation of the production which was first performed in Lincoln in 1969 will be performed next summer at Lincoln Cathedral under John’s direction.

On Sunday 9 October at 7.30pm there will also be a gala night to celebrate the many productions which have been held over the years since then Dean Oliver Fiennes first requested a Mystery Play project.

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The evening, which will be hosted by Colin MacFarlane, will include performed extracts, music, shared memories and readings by local actors. It will take place at Lincoln’s Theatre Royal.

Tickets are available from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 01522 519999 or online by visiting www.lincolntheatreroyal.com.

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Call Dorothy Selfe on 01507 603809.

Give Christmas

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Learning from Christ disciple is a learner, writes Discipleship and Lay Ministry Officer, Andrew Tyler.

The word comes from the Latin, discere – to learn. The first followers of Jesus, men and women, learnt by being with him, by listening to him, by reflecting on his teaching and his stories and, above all, from how he was, what he did and how he conducted himself. They learnt from the love, compassion and selfless way he lived. They also learnt from the way in which he spoke truth to power and advanced the cause of justice.

The first Christians learnt by being together, by breaking bread together, by listening to each other, by praying and worshipping together, by meeting the needs of each other, and by living with joy.

In our discipleship we need to continue to learn today by living as the first Christians did.

There are many opportunities to do that in the Diocese of Lincoln today: to deepen our understanding of the Christian Faith, to refresh and renew ourselves, to grow in the ministry all are called to exercise, of love and care, of support, encouragement and affirmation.

Full details are available in the leaflet ‘Everybody Learning’, copies of which you should find in your church or which your clergy and readers can make available for you. They can also be found at: www.lincoln.anglican.org/ traininganddevelopment

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Last lecture to explore historical Jesus incoln Theological Society’s final event for 2011 is a lecture by the Revd Dr Joseph O’Hanlon entitled The Historical Jesus.

Christians of all persuasions acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, but does the historical evidence support such a claim?

Dr O’Hanlon examines this topic with reference to two contrasting books of the same title – Jesus of Nazareth – one by Joseph Ratzinger and one by Maurice Casey, an independent historian. The lecture will take place at 7pm (for 7.30pm) on Wednesday 19 October at the Robert Hardy Lecture Theatre, Bishop Grosseteste University College.

Tickets are £5 (including wine) and are available at the door, from Unicorn (in Lincoln Market), Lincoln Minster Shop at Lincoln Cathedral (01522 561644, shop@lincolncathedral.com ) or online at www.lincolnminstershop.com

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eople staying at home this Christmas are being asked to consider opening their homes to share Christmas with a student from China, India, or some other part of the world, who would otherwise be stuck at an almost deserted UK university.

HOST invites households to give Christmas, perhaps for the first time in their life, to someone who is a guest in this country, who would love to experience their ways of life and make a stay-at-home Christmas special.

HOST matches people with one or two guests to suit their household. More volunteer hosts are urgently needed for one to three days at Christmas, and weekends all year round. Please see www.hostuk.org or call your local voluntary organiser, Mandy Talbott, for a chat on 01472 851084.

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Spiritual guidance Will Harrison rayerfulness, self-awareness and a relationship with God broadly define spirituality, although there are as many definitions as there are spiritual directors.

And even then, spiritual directors differ on the terminology of their role – with some practitioners preferring to be described as companions rather than directors.

Whatever the description, carefully-prepared direction is important for anyone wishing to develop their personal spirituality, and is a long-term proposition.

In the Diocese of Lincoln, spiritual direction is co-ordinated by a team of three, who are responsible to the Bishop of Lincoln. Their role is to ensure that the Companions on the Way, the Diocese’s spiritual direction network, is carefully managed.

“Spiritual direction is for every Christian, and it is a very important ministry in the Church,” said Fr Stephen Hoy, the parish priest of St John’s, Ermine, Lincoln, and the member of the co-ordinating team responsible for the central part of the Diocese.

“It’s about a careful development of the individual Christian’s relationship with God, which necessarily requires one-to-one direction.

“It’s also about the whole of people’s lives, and it is not just advice about prayer.

It is about every aspect of life and helping people to hear what God is saying to them.”

And to be sure that the director is able to do that effectively, the Diocese of Lincoln requires that they have themselves been in direction for at least two years, that they join a supervision group, and that they make an annual retreat, among other requirements. Importantly, each director is checked with the Criminal Records Bureau.

There are currently 28 authorised spiritual directors in the Diocese, with a wide variety of backgrounds, including lay, ordained and some in religious orders, each with different approaches to spirituality. An important role of the co-ordinating group is to match the right spiritual director to the needs of the person.

Canon Andy Hawes, Vicar of Edenham and Rural Dean of Beltisloe, who is the coordinator for the southern part of the Diocese, uses a different terminology.

“The role of the prayer companion is to affirm people’s experience of God. “People’s spiritual experience can sometimes set them at odds with others, or even themselves, and it is important that there is someone with people on their journey.”

With gifts of being able to listen creatively to others, and the wisdom to offer space and prayer when appropriate, spiritual directors become significant figures in people’s lives, and this relationship has to be taken very seriously.

The Revd Mike Burson-Thomas, who is the spirituality co-ordinator for the northern part of the Diocese, said that some of the best parts of his ministry so far have been in spiritual direction.

“In fact, I always talk about spiritual companionship,” said Mike.

“The more I’ve been alongside someone the more I’ve noticed that for many people their experience is of darkness, not light.

PHOTOGRAPH: WILL HARRISON

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Stephen Hoy, Andy Hawes and Mike Burson-Thomas “The world they share is often a dark place, even though there’s often wonderful things at work in them.

“For many people, the spiritual companion is especially needed for exploring the dark parts of people’s existence.”

Spiritual direction has long been popularly considered something for the more traditional Christian, and a somewhat intellectual process. However, the co-ordinating team members are keen to debunk this myth.

“There’s a huge problem with spiritual direction, that it tends to be considered something for the mobile middle classes,” said Andy.

“These are things we need to be aware of when developing our work and matching people together. We need to find ways of telling the majority of people that this can be very important and useful for them, rather than it being simply for a minority.

“It can be quite an intellectual process if it needs to be – but trying to understand a relationship with God is never going to be a simple process.”

And new people are always being sought for the approved directory of spiritual directors, with experience of different traditions.

“We’re trying to develop people into this ministry,” said Mike.

The process must remain confidential, as inevitably, spiritual direction delves deeply into people’s thoughts and memories.

“We have to be very careful about confidentiality,” said Mike, “so it isn’t a casual process.”

And as such, the directory of spiritual directors remains confidential, not only to allow the proper matching of people with directors, but also to ensure that confidentiality.

For more information about spiritual direction, contact your parish priest, or visit the website: www.lincoln.anglican.org/spirituality

100 years ago From the Lincoln Diocesan Magazine, September, October and November 1911

Mission to Arabia For some time rumours have been current that the time seems at hand when Arabia will be opened out for a considerable increase of Christian missionary effort, and the following report from the Quarterly “Bible Lands,” brings confirmatory evidence from the interior of the region itself: Some four years ago two Mohammedans at Jerusalem were led to accept Christianity through the influence of the CMS medical mission. They were soon arrested on false charges and cast into a Turkish dungeon, and only after six months’ suffering were they allowed a trial, on the representations of our missionaries, and discharged as innocent.

One of them found that during his imprisonment his property had been sold, and he was deserted by his wife and child; whilst they were both shortly afterwards forced into military service, and dispatched to that ill-fated Yemen from which but two in ten ever return.

After three years, he and his companion made their escape, and came within the indirect influence of British interests in the Persian Gulf. The missionary who had been interested in him at the time at the time of his conversion, and to whom eventually,

after three-and-a-half years, he got safely back, writes.

“He told me of one large tribe who had honourably entertained him for ten days, and encouraged him to tell them all he knew about the Christian faith.”

“Here was a Heaven-taught disciple, a living example of a truly converted Muslim, a remarkable evidence in himself of the truth and power of Christianity.”

Children’s Country Holiday During July and August forty-eight children were provided for in Caistor. They came from the neighbourhood of St. Peter’s, Vauxhall, in South London, in two parties of twenty-four, each staying a fortnight. During their visit they all were entertained by Mrs. Westbrooke and Miss R. K. Westbrooke, at tea at the Vicarage in the tent on the lawn, and afterwards amused themselves with games in the grounds.

Before leaving they gave hearty cheers for their hostesses.

Temperance Society The following facts and figures are taken from Lincolnshire Licensing Statistics for 1910: (1) Licensed premises have decreased

from 2,219 to 2,188 (2) Convictions for drunkenness have increased. In the county as a whole there were 3,728 proceedings resulting in 3,488 convictions, and consequently it rises from 9th in 1908, 6th in 1909, to 2nd in 1910 in the order of convictions in proportion to population.

The continued decrease in the number of licensed premises is a matter for real congratulation, but we are still a long way off the ideal in this matter. Another note of encouragement is the reduction in the number of female convictions. It is pretty generally agreed that the amount of drinking among women is still very high and constitutes a grave danger to the highest welfare of the nation.

Lincoln’s water tower The long awaited supply of new water was given to the city on Wednesday, Oct. 4th. The ceremonial installation and the city banquet were prececed by a great service of thanksgiving in the Cathedral.

Despite of the pouring rain a vast congregation assembled, and joined with real and deep devotion in the prayers and thanksgivings.

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Ten years of indifference David Rossdale Bishop of Grimsby

he tenth anniversary of 9/11 gave rise to the replaying of images from the terrible events of that fateful September morning.

We revisited scenes which revealed the very darkest side of human nature in the taking of so many lives and in leaving so many victims to live with injuries and loss.

Through the anniversary we were also reminded of the many stories of bravery, courage and generosity from those who reached out to the needs of others and sacrificially risked themselves in the aftermath.

In our remembrance we were drawn back into the whole spectrum of human behaviour: from darkness of those who plotted and perpetrated these obscenities, to the radiant beauty of those who ignored the danger and went to the aid of victims.

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Few would argue that the attacks on the USA have shaped the way in which we relate to other people In the days leading up to the anniversary much was written seeking to interpret how the political, economic and social texture of western society has changed since 2001.

Few would argue that the attacks on the USA, together with other atrocities launched by Al Qaeda, have shaped the way in which we relate to other people and especially to strangers.

When travelling we expect that processes will be put in place to protect us from those who, for whatever reason, may do us harm.

We have accepted that those who are charged with protecting our security should be able to make inroads into our privacy and, through the use of detention without trial and control orders, we have set aside an absolute presumption of innocence until proved guilty.

Recent discoveries in Tripoli suggest that our security services may have become guilty by association of supporting standards which fall far below those which we thought to have espoused as a society.

The attacks on the USA on 11 September 2001 accounted for the lives of nearly 3,000 people We have accommodated phrases such as ‘Guantanamo Bay’, ‘extraordinary rendition’, ‘water boarding’ and ‘collateral damage’, which each point to how quickly expedience can justify a move towards the dark side of human nature.

Reflecting on the images from that day and the subsequent changes to which we have become accustomed, two key features stay in my mind. The first was the sheer scale of indifference from those who perpetrated these evil acts. Indifference to the lives of those they were to kill; indifference to the pain and trauma they were to instigate; indifference to the lifelong heartache they were to inflict on the families who were to be robbed of their loved ones.

It is this indifference which makes the actions so evil, for it is indifference which subverts any sense of goodness, hope and love; it is indifference which is the very opposite of a God who is intimately involved in the lives of those who are made in his image. In the ten years since these events, we have seen the pursuit of terrorists become a key issue for western foreign policy and have witnessed conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; however, we are yet to see any response to the indifference which is a hallmark of the terrorist and an indicator of personal and collective corruption.

I suppose the problem is that you cannot combat indifference with armed force nor with political rhetoric, for it sits beyond such remedies. Yet it is indifference to the impact of actions and policy which powerfully enables the dark side of our human nature to devastate other people’s lives,

livelihoods and security. Indifference to the consequences of actions enables the powerful to wreak havoc on the weak, the vulnerable and the innocent.

In the decade since 9/11 we have also witnessed turmoil in world banking and the consequences of Government debt. In banking it was a turmoil rooted in a drive for ever higher profits, rendering banking executives indifferent to the consequences of the ‘toxic loans’ which they encouraged and then passed on to others.

Governments would appear to have used budget deficits to avoid present difficulties, seemingly indifferent to the consequences for generations yet to come.

The problem is that you cannot combat indifference with armed force nor with political rhetoric The second image, sharpened by this tenth anniversary of 9/11, is that of the processes which we have developed to protect us from those who might do us harm.

While these processes are most evident when we travel, they have spawned a process-driven culture when it comes to dealing with strangers. It is a process culture which is also to be found in areas such as safeguarding, money laundering or the use of CCTV – each harnessed to make us safe, and, in any one expression, almost impossible to argue against, for they do

indeed make us safer.

Yet human interaction and communal life cannot be reduced to a function of process.

Ultimately it is the quality of our relationships which give us security.

Yet for relationships to have quality, they have to have risk and vulnerability at their core.

We cannot love our neighbour from the bunker of our fear and developing a network of outcasts, who fail our processes, may create sections of community who are riotously indifferent to the very norms of community which we need for our own security.

Security and peace, whether on the international stage or on the streets where we live, can only be sustained by a quality of relationship where we are attentive to each other and make space for each other to live and share the resources we need for life.

Once we allow ourselves to become indifferent to how others are experiencing life, then we sow the seeds for insecurity and conflict.

The Gospel calls for peace with justice to enable that abundance of life which is the vision at the heart of the incarnation. If we are to defeat all that prevents life being a blessing and undermines that vision, then we have to overcome the weight of indifference in the world.

Yet resisting human indifference to the way in which we use our power is a crucifying vocation and one which will never be delivered through the processes of being Church – but only through hearts moulded  by love.

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Leap of faith Rebecca Hocknull, from Lincoln, has spent four months supporting The Lifespring Foundation in Zambia. he landlocked Republic of Zambia sits two thirds of the way down Africa.

Although it is more than three times the size of Great Britain, Zambia is home to just 13 million people, less than a quarter of the population of the UK – yet 74 different languages are spoken.

The main reason for my visit to the country was to assist with the Lifespring Foundation, a project which was set up by two British couples in 2002.

Mike and Derry have been living in the North-Western Province of Zambia for 40 years but moved to the Copperbelt in 2002 along with Derry’s sister, Josie, and husband Tony, to set up Lifespring Farm. Since then, they have begun several outreach projects into the local community, a small and very poor village called Kaloko. I was also connected with a UK charity, Oasis UK, which is partnered with Lifespring Foundation and has provided volunteers to help set up and run the outreach projects over several years.

One such project, run by western volunteers and overseen by a local Bishop, Dickson, offered free education for three half-days a week to any child up to the age of 13 with a connection to the charity. Lots of the children in this project were HIV-positive and/or orphaned. For children older than 13 they set up a Saturday youth group which provided lessons on a Saturday morning and sports on Saturday afternoon.

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Like almost all sub-Saharan African nations, Zambia is crippled by widespread HIV and AIDS, malnutrition and disease.

Another project involved the recent completion of a maize mill for the community.

Maize is a very important crop in Zambia.

Maize used to feed chickens is ground quite coarsely whereas the kind used to make Nshima, the staple food of Zambia, is milled very finely into a white powder.

Perhaps the largest project set up by the Lifespring Foundation was the local Westbourne Trust School. When I visited, the school educated pupils from preschool age (four to six) up to grade four (eight to 10), with around 10 pupils in each class.

However, I learnt that plans were also underway for the school to be extended, and it will soon accept pupils up to grade six, which roughly means aged 13, but it’s really just a technicality, as nobody knows their ages in Africa!

This news was particularly pleasing to me as one boy I had met, Leon, had been too old for school, but new extension meant that he had a place in full time education for the next three years. All of the children I came into contact with were very happy, but the standard of teaching was poor, with many of the teachers not even knowing the full alphabet.

Rebecca Hocknull with children at the Lifespring Foundation’s Westbourne Trust School Like almost all sub-Saharan African nations, Zambia is crippled by widespread HIV and AIDS, malnutrition and disease.

One of the first projects I was able to get involved in was the Home-Based Care programme where volunteers from the village visit those suffering from HIV, cancer and many other illnesses, and offer emotional support. This support is backed up by training which local volunteers receive, including medical information about the illnesses they are most likely to encounter.

Every other week for three months I went on Home Visits, which were very challenging. I visited families living in one-room mud huts with no water or mats to sleep on, often having sold such basic necessities to buy food for the week. During these home visits I met many adults and children with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and cancer.

The most challenging of these occasions came when, 10 weeks into my trip, I visited a man who was incredibly ill with tuberculosis. He was about 30 years old and being cared for by his sister. Seeing him upset me more than anything else I saw – days from death and living in total poverty. All I could think about was how much we have in the West, and how much we complain. The man died two days later.

During my final month, the Lifespring Foundation were in the middle stages of introducing a programme called ‘The Genesis Project: From Death to Life’. The basis of this project is initially to provide aid for people who are very ill as a result of HIV/AIDS. Over time the aid offered to an individual will decrease and be replaced by education in self-sustainability and even help with being able to work or learn a new trade such as becoming a tailor, farmer or carpenter.

Kaloko was a very poor village; the houses were typically mud huts of only one or two rooms, but with whole extended families living inside each. It had a small market selling fruit and vegetables, second-hand shoes and clothes, and chitenges - pieces of

material used as skirts, slings for carrying babies and as cushions for heavy loads carried on the head.

Despite the poverty everybody in the village was incredibly welcoming and friendly to us mzungus (white people).

When my three months working in Kaloko were complete, I went travelling for two weeks. For my first week I undertook a seven-day camping safari in Chobe National Park, visiting the Okavango Delta (where I went in a Makoro - a canoe which works like a punt) and to the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. I saw lions, elephants, giraffes, baboons, hippos, crocodiles, impala, antelope, wilderbeast, warthog, vultures, buffalos and zebras. Bull elephants break away from the herd during their teenage years and they become quite aggressive, so we had several road blocks and stand-offs with them. I loved seeing all the animals in their natural habitat, and it was exciting not quite knowing what they would do next!

Following the safari, I returned to Zambia for a week in Livingstone. I visited Victoria Falls, where I summoned the courage to do the famous 111-metre bungee jump from a nearby bridge. As I fell, I felt completely

weightless, and my first view of Victoria Falls was through a rainbow from upside down! During this final week I also went horse riding along the Zambezi River, on an elephant-back safari, played with lions and cheetahs and had afternoon tea at the Royal Livingstone Hotel.

As I fell, I felt completely weightless, and my first view of Victoria Falls was through a rainbow from upside down!

Since saying Shalenipo Mukwai! (goodbye) to Zambia I feel that I have gained a lot more self-confidence and a greater sense of independence. Seeing so much cheerfulness and positivity amid the poverty has also had a real effect on my attitude. 

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Ethical Entrepreneurial Ethos Terry Miller

Phoenix from the flames: the new 28 Plough Hill Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre

pening a local café and multi-use centre, learning new skills or growing food and cooking it together with your neighbours aren’t usually the first ideas that spring to mind when thinking about the environment.

Indeed, all these ideas have a touch of the entrepreneurial in them and seem more concerned with providing new facilities and products and having fun than bringing about lifestyle change. That’s because when we look at these activities more closely, they are about communities working together to change our living patterns on a more fundamental level.

Of course much of our environmental action is about ‘conscious living’ – reducing waste and recycling, using less energy, conserving water, consuming less and so on, yet in practice we can join together for support and to become much more effective.

Working together goes to a deeper level to tackle the motivations for wasteful living that is putting such a strain on the planet.

It’s normal to jump in the car to drive to the local superstore and out of town retail park. As a consequence our small communities and towns have lost their facilities and struggle in some places to keep even a local shop.

Car dependency has grown and we have become part of the great retail system and logistics supply chains that now span the world, and work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we hardly notice. We mostly don’t ask where our food and products come from, who grew them, who made them, who caught them, and what they experienced they got out of it.

Alain de Botton writes about this in his fascinating book on work – The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work – where he says, “We are now as imaginatively disconnected from the manufacture and distribution of our goods as we are practically in reach of them, a process of alienation which has stripped us of myriad opportunities for wonder, gratitude and guilt”.

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More of the best churches in the Diocese of Lincoln chosen by Keith Halliday, DAC Secretary, Matt Cooper, Historic Churches Officer, and Ben Stoker, Open Churches Officer.

Kirkstead, St Leonard

PHOTOGRAPH: TERRY MILLER

How a community initiative is invigorating the local economy

Hidden gems of Lincolnshire:

Container terminals receive the giant ships that ply across the oceans, huge lorries move about our motorways and highways, and vast logistics centres are strategically placed at intersections to distribute the goods with speed and efficiency. We have come to depend on it but this global system lies at the heart of our planetary crisis as our appetite for produce grows and grows beyond what the Earth can supply, or each year can make good.

What if there was another way that could reconnect us with our communities, with the land, with our food and products, to take more interest and even be a part of the supply chain. Well, there are ways to live more locally and indeed more sustainably. Recently a new café opened in Caistor in West Lindsey.

An ancient market town, Caistor has struggled for decades to develop new business and community heart. Huge effort has gone into supporting this over the years.

It’s an experience that many of our Lincolnshire market towns will identify with.

Now the new 28 Plough Hill Caistor Arts and Heritage Centre is showing us what can be done to reinvigorate localness. It was even selected to become the subject of an episode in the Village SOS series on BBC1 in August with Sarah Beeny telling the story of the phoenix rising from the derelict Methodist Chapel to become a multi-use centre with a brilliant café.

Plough Hill combines the café and its terrace with the town library, a heritage centre, a computer suite and free WiFi internet access, exhibition space, and meeting room. Taking advantage of the height of the chapel the design is modern and feels light and spacious.

Locals once had to travel nine miles for their cappuccinos, but what is also significant is how much the café is using local products. In the film, Sarah reminded us that Lincolnshire is a national leader in providing locally sourced produce.

Another new development is the

Transition Towns Movement now spreading across the UK and Ireland and even further afield. Lincoln, Louth, Horncastle, Stamford and Rauceby are already Transition Towns with others like Sleaford now forming groups. Totnes in South Devon has become the exemplar of the movement with local people involved in a whole range of activities. Installation of photovoltaic panels run at three a week in Totnes.

Transition Towns aims to rethink the way we live and to reduce our consumerism and our energy footprint, looking beyond

Churches see that there is no conflict between working for a better world and being entrepreneurial

oil to a new localism – building resilience in turbulent times. Nicholas Crane in his recent TV series on towns said that ‘towns’ are well placed to be adventurous and small enough to be flexible.

Cities too can be Transition Towns and may be able to develop smaller town-like neighbourhoods to build localness. Food growing, skills-share, climate initiatives, educational support, facilitation, local money, are just some of the things undertaken by members.

Lincolnshire is supporting a number of community growing projects at the moment in all the local authority areas, support by the Councils, the NHS and charities such as Grow Organics with its Master Gardeners initiative, and churches too.

Churches now have huge experience of selling Fairtrade products, and see that there is no conflict between working for a better world and being entrepreneurial in what is essentially a community enterprise  – that is to say, a global community.

Stumbling across this small church is like unearthing a time capsule. It stands in the shadow of a great shard of stonework: the original fabric of a great abbey. Pass through the 800 year-old door and you enter an incredibly well preserved piece of medieval architecture. A stone vault stretches above you as a reminder of the wealth and status of the now-forgotten abbey. Kirkstead is home to rare treasures: possibly the earliest rood screen in England, the oldest military tomb figure, and patches of decorative paintwork seven-hundred years old. It is worth visiting purely for its remote, rural location and a chance to reflect and relax.

For access contact the keyholders given via the website: lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/woodhallspa/kirkstead

Lusby, St Peter Among the undulating countryside in the south of The Wolds is the Greenstone church of St Peter, Lusby. This small church is of great interest containing Saxon and Norman work including a keyhole window, blocked Norman doors, an 11th century pair of shafts below the Chancel arch, a 13th century sculpture of a king’s head, a 15th century chancel screen and a 16th century brass. The inscription on the brass was once part of the memorial to Katherine Palfreyman, wife of Anthony Palfreyman.

She died in 1555 and the inscription is a conversation between Katherine and her husband. The church was shortened during a restoration by Ewan Christian in 1891 and a Narthex built in the early 20th Century.

Mareham on the Hill, All Saints This little gem hides itself away behind farm buildings in the small village of Mareham on the Hill, deep within the Lincolnshire countryside, approximately two and a half miles south east of Horncastle. Predominantly Georgian in construction and appearance, All Saints’ restrained interior features box pews, white walls and a red brick floor. The chancel, however, is a medieval survivor; the only part of an earlier church with the tenacity to endure. And endure it will, as an integral part of the understated delight that is All Saints: hidden, yet perched atop a hill, with the breathtakingly beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds rolling out before it.

The church is accessible via the churchwarden, Mrs Head, whose contact details are to be found on the church’s noticeboard.

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Advertise your event in the Deanery Diary for free.

Visit www.lincoln.anglican.org/yourevent

Deanery Diary See more events at www.lincoln.anglican.org

18 November 2011 Keith Ivor and his Eight-Piece Swing Band in concert at All Saints’ Church, Winterton at 8pm. Tickets, including refreshments, £8 under 16s free from Robin Shawyer 01724 734285. For more information see lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/winterton

14 October 2011 The Lincs Effect in Concert: At All Saints, Winterton at 7.30pm. The Lincs Effect is made up of singers from Lincoln Cathedral joined by the odd minstrel picked up elsewhere. Tickets £8 including refreshment, under 16s free, from Ida Liversidge 01724 732268. For more information see lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/winterton

2 March 2012 Royal Maundy - a Nosegay for HM The Queen: Advance notice that the Cathedral Music Council is hosting a talk and demonstration by Rosemary Mason who holds the Royal Warrant to make nosegays for the Royal Maundy Service each year.

The afternoon talk will be at 2.30pm and the evening talk at 7.30pm. Tickets available from the Cathedral shop on 01522 561600, costing £12 each to include light refreshments. Sponsorship for the event from Brewin Dolphin will enable the event to support a cathedral choristership.

21 October 2011

Scunthorpe

The Whitfield Guitar Ensemble in Concert at St Peter and St Paul Church, Tetney at 7.30pm. Come and enjoy the enchanting sound of classical guitar playing music through the centuries, also featuring bass guitar, flute and recorder. Adults £5, children free, includes light refreshments. Tickets on the door.

Grimsby

16 October 2011

Gainsborough

Service of Healing and Wholeness in the Taize tradition at Sleaford Parish Church (St Denys), Market Place, Sleaford at 6pm. A quiet, reflective service with meditative song. The service includes an opportunity to receive prayer and anointing.

Market Rasen

Louth

29 October 2011 Family Remembrance Service at Sleaford Parish Church (St Denys) at 4pm. An opportunity to remember loved ones, who are no longer with us. Our annual family remembrance service takes place on the last Saturday before All Souls Day and includes readings, music and lighting of candles, ending with a blessing for all present.

For more information see lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/sleafordstdenys

Lincoln Horncastle Skegness

26 October 2011

Bridge Day at Scredington Community Centre (NG34 0AG) from 10am to 3.30pm. Tickets £14 to include coffee and biscuits on arrival, hot lunch with a choice of desserts, glass of wine, coffee or soft drink and tea and cake before departure. All proceeds to Scredington Church Funds. There is disabled access and on-site parking. Booking is required; contact Julie Johnson 01529 302095.

20 October 2011

Sleaford Boston

Dinner in the Nave at St Botolph’s Church, Boston at 7pm to raise funds for the restoration programme. Tickets cost £30. Further information available from Peter Coleman on 01472 398637.

14 October 2011

Grantham

Uppingham School Symphony Orchester at St Wulfrum’s Church, Grantham at 7.30pm. Programme to include Beethoven, Symphony No 1 in C major op 21. Tickets £10, available from St Wulfram's Church. Contact Richard Hill on 01476 560873.

11-16 October 2011 Spalding

Stamford

Holbeach Arts Festival held at All Saints’ Church, Holbeach. Open every day from 10am until 5pm and every evening at 7.30 pm. Every day there are displays and demonstrations of art and craft work, with lunchtime recitals. Events during the evenings include a quiz evening, deanery drama presentation, folk music, poetry readings, rock bands and a chamber choir recital. For more information see www.allsaintsholbeach.org.uk. To book tickets call Gill Graper on 01406 423803.

15-16 October 2011 Art at the Abbey: Works of art, design and craft by Bourne artists displayed in the ancient Bourne Abbey setting.

Saturday 10am to 5pm, and Sunday 12 noon to 5pm.

3 December 2011 St Nicholas Craft and Food Fair at Crowland Abbey, Crowland, near Peterborough, from 10am to 3pm. A large selection of locally produced crafts, such as knitted items, toys, cards, jewellery and turned wood, and food including cakes, honey and meat. Admission 50p. Free car parking.

8-9 October 2011 50th Anniversary Weekend at Christ Church Stamford. Slide shows, film, memorabilia on the Saturday, and a thanksgiving service on the Sunday. For more information see www.christchurchstamford.com

Advertise your event in Crosslincs. Visit www.lincoln.anglican.org/yourevent

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Who owns Theology?

What do you think about theology? Do you think about it at all? What is theology? Who does it belong to? Paul Price, a lay theologian and research student at Lincoln School of Theology, explains why he thinks these questions are important.

irstly and most importantly of course, theology is about God – who He is, what He is doing, how He is doing it, and especially what it all means for us, here and now.

Theology is not just something that happened in dusty old colleges and universities in the past, the preserve of a sophisticated elite using difficult language to describe arcane truths about God; but is something which is very much alive and happening now in churches and faith communities up and down the country, encouraging lay people to view theology – “talking about God” – as a part of our way of life as Christians. Perhaps you have even been doing it in your own church without realising it!

This renewal of interest and the “freeing of the laity” that it brings about, takes its stimulus from the Liberation Theology of the late 20th Century. This emerged out of the experiences of the poor and marginalised, mostly in South America but also in Asia, for whom theology was increasingly

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perceived as something being done to them rather than being something about them; something which could relate to their real experiences and which, consequently, they owned. As a result, new “contextual” theologies emerged which took as their starting point – their “primary text” – the real experiences of people’s lives. It was not that the traditional fundamentals of theology - Scripture, Tradition, and Reason – were abandoned but that another of equal importance was added. This was personal experience, and the experience of others in the contemporary world – the context in which we live, confronting us with the question of what it is to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

These ideas have reached out far beyond their original source and have come to be a key influence on how theology is viewed today. No longer the passive recipients of theological dogmas, the laity today have the opportunity, indeed some would say the responsibility, to find ways of expressing, theologically, the Word in the context of our own lives and the lives of others.

How can this expression be achieved in practice? One way is by being more reflective about our own context. Many of us strive to make connections between what

we believe and how we live our lives. When we do this we are, perhaps without realising it, doing what has come to be known as Reflective Theology, or perhaps less grandly, theological reflection. Put simply, theological reflection is the art of making theology connect with life. Various methods of achieving this goal have been developed and there are a number of books on the subject each with their own “spin”, but it is

not too difficult, in my experience, to find one which best suits our own way of thinking; we are all different and there is no one “right” way.

Whichever way we chose, the results of theological reflection are often most fruitful when they are shared with others; having a “critical friend” can help avoid the trap of self-delusion. Moreover, reflective theology when practiced in groups – in commu-

nity – can be an effective tool in our church life. Many of us have encountered situations where entrenched positions and “proof-texting” are preventing change. By coming together in a spirit of listening and openness, reflective theology in groups, focussed on specific events and situations rather than general theories, can enable new life and reinvigorated mission. In what some might see as a break with past traditions, lay people are awakening to this opportunity that they can (and should) equip themselves with the language and skills of practical theology to take a full and active part in this life-affirming process. In doing so we are not only supporting our clergy, but are ourselves better able to reach out and touch the pain of the world, making a positive contribution to healing, reconciliation and justice.

There are already increasing opportunities for lay people to study and be involved in theological endeavour.

From simple but effective study classes organised by local churches, through “lay gatherings” and workshops around the county, right up to more formal study at Lincoln School of Theology, the Diocese is doing a great deal to encourage the wider “ownership” of theology.

Whose theology is it? Well, in my view, it is ours. Yours and mine, and everybody’s, but always remembering it is about God and should always include those for whom the good news was brought. 

I believe in God Mark Hocknull Head of Ministry Training, Head of the Lincoln School of Theology and Chancellor of Lincoln

Mark continues his exploration of the Apostle’s Creed: He descended into Hell he sentence in the creed about Christ descending into hell is arguably one of the most problematic in the Creed.

It can be given a whole variety of metaphorical meanings. It might be a simile for Christ’s physical agony on the cross.

Crucifixion was designed to be a brutal, inhuman death, hellish in its pain. The word Hell could also refer to the Biblical notion of Hades, Sheol and Gehenna. The sentence might also mean that Christ carried the good news of salvation to the

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righteous departed languishing in Sheol.

In the mainstream Christian tradition, the sentence does not make its first appearance until 359.

Early Christian theologians were first and foremost interpreters of the Bible, so it is to the Bible that we must look for an understanding of the Credal affirmation of Christ’s descent into Hell.

The Old Testament speaks of the existence of a realm called Sheol, which literally means ‘the grave’. Sheol is a place of ‘no return,’ of darkness and gloom, a land of forgetfulness and of the destruction of the body. It is the pit of destruction.

A further notion is the idea of the punishment of the unrighteous. But, according to Ezekiel, the faithful are also to be found in Sheol. All of this is also to be found in the New Testament, which introduces another new element to the interpretation of Sheol.

The New Testament replaces the word Sheol with the Greek word Gehenna.

Historically, this was a real place. It was a burning rubbish tip outside the walls of

Jerusalem. New Testament theology, however, uses the name to denote the sphere of God’s judgement. Combining the two concepts of Sheol and Gehenna gives rise to the concept of ‘Hell’ that is an otherworldly place of suffering.

In Peter’s theology, expressed in the New Testament, we find the clearest Biblical basis for the statement in the Apostles’ Creed. In his speech on the day of Pentecost, Peter says that God has raised Jesus, ‘having raised him from the pains of death.’ Some Greek manuscripts say ‘the pains of Hell,’ rather than ‘the pains of death.’ 1 Peter is clearer, and in two places makes a reference to Christ proclaiming the Gospel to those who had already died (1 Peter 3:18; 4:6).

These passages express an important early Jewish-Christian belief in the preaching of deliverance to the departed. This idea appealed to the early Christian theologians because it highlighted the universal applicability of salvation in Christ.

Peter and the Creed draw our attention to the idea that Christ’s authority extends

over the whole of creation, both visible and invisible. There is no part of reality that falls outside the realm of Christ.

For some Christians the idea of an opportunity, post-death, to hear and respond to the Gospel is a step too far and undermines the structure of Christ’s work of salvation.

For them it also undermines the whole purpose of the Church: if we can all respond to the call to repentance after death why bother now? Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. But is salvation really just about life after death?

Shouldn’t Christians also think about life before death?

Human beings are made in the image of God and are made for a life in communion with God. If we don’t find that communion now in this life, we are missing something vital in our lives. This is the real challenge for the church: make the life of the gospel so attractive that people everywhere will want to share it. Make the possibility of a post-mortem opportunity of repentance irrelevant.

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For more photos

Crosslincs 01522 504034 crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org

Dropping in

Gosberton Clough

Nick Edmonds Nick drops in to Gosberton Clough, near Boston.

or the unwary, the church of St Gilbert and St Hugh, Gosberton Clough, could fly by in the blink of an eye, as it sits at the side of one of the longest straightest roads in South Lincolnshire. But the unique building is certainly worth pressing the brake pedal for, if not only for a look around, but to sample some of the vibrant parish life. Completed in 1903, the work of Sir Ninian Comper and William Bucknall, the church has a timber framed interior, and a pebble dashed/timber exterior which lends it a mock-Tudor countenance.

The building has remained largely unchanged during the last century, but was extensively repaired and restored just prior to its centenary.

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Who’s Who? We met with churchwarden Mary Burton, secretary, Marian Dickenson, treasurer, Sue Murphy, and Parish Priest Ian Walters, who oversees the Gosberton Group, which also includes Gosberton, St Peter & St Paul, and Quadring, St Margaret.

Service Style There is a Sunday service of Common Worship Eucharist (order one – traditional language) twice every month in the morning, and once a month in the evening. On the fourth Sunday of every month there is Morning Worship on a Sunday, and on the first and fifth Sundays of every month there is a joint service with the who group.

What’s going on?

Belying its size, Gosberton Clough is a hive of activity. As we arrived at the church, a lively morning coffee was underway in the adjacent 1930s church hall, with local produce also on sale. Tuesday evenings sees a well-attended Bible study group. There are also well nurtured links with local schools, and one of the oldest Baptist churches in the country, which dates back to 1666. St Hugh’s was also the first church in the diocese to incorporate Messy Church, and Ian has recently been appointed as Diocesan coordinator (see page10).

Gazette Appointments The Reverend Andrew Patrick Dodd, Rector of St Mary Newington and Area Dean of Southwark and Newington (Diocese of Southwark) has become Priest in Charge of The Great Grimsby (St Mary and St James) Team Ministry and Area Dean of North East Lincolnshire.

The Reverend David John Eames, Assistant Curate in the Brigg Group of Parishes, has become Priest in Charge of the parishes of Broughton, Scawby and Hibaldstow.

The Reverend Katherine Elizabeth Colwell, Priest in Charge of the Parishes of Kirton in Lindsey and the parishes of Grayingham, Waddingham, Snitterby & Bishop Norton, has become Assistant Curate in the Barton upon Humber Group of Parishes.

Resignations The Reverend Graham Paul Thornalley, Assistant Curate of Frodingham, St Lawrence to be Team Vicar in the Howden Team Ministry (Diocese of York).

The Reverend Dr Allan Benjamin Barton, Assistant Curate in the Saxilby Group of Parishes to be Priest-in-Charge of Aylmerton with Runton, Beeston Regis and Gresham (Diocese of Norwich)

Deaths The Revd Dr Alan Megahey, Rector of Brant Broughton with Beckingham, Welbourn and Leadenham, died on 19 August 2011, aged 67. See page four.

The Revd John Peter Patrick, deacon 1952, priest 1953, Assistant curate, Westoe, South (Diocese of Durham) 1952-55, Incumbent, Slaithwate (Diocese of Wakefield) 1975-80, Incumbent, Donington, St Mary and the Holy Rood 1980-92, retired in 1992. Died on 13 September 2011, aged 88.

Retirement The Revd Roland John Graham Parker, Incumbent of Waddington, retired on Wednesday 14 September 2011.

Contact Information The Bishop of Lincoln The Ven Christopher Lowson will be enthroned 72nd Bishop of Lincoln on 12 November 2011 in Lincoln Cathedral.

The Bishop of Grimsby The Right Revd David Rossdale  01472 371715 8 bishop.grimsby@lincoln.anglican.org The Bishop of Grantham The Right Revd Dr Tim Ellis  01400 283344 8 bishop.grantham@lincoln.anglican.org The Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey The Venerable Jane Sinclair  01673 849896 8 archdeacon.stowlindsey@lincoln.anglican.org The Archdeacon of Lincoln The Venerable Tim Barker  01529 304348 8 archdeacon.lincoln@lincoln.anglican.org Diocesan offices The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU  01522 504050  01522 504051 8 reception@lincoln.anglican.org : www.lincoln.anglican.org The Chief Executive Mr Max Manin  01522 504030 8 chief.executive@lincoln.anglican.org

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Nick Edmonds ave you ever been sitting in church, and allowed your eyes to wander into the nooks and crannies of the ornate wood carvings with which many of our medieval churches are enriched, wondering how such detail could be achieved?

Well, meet the modern-day maestro who has chiseled a church near Grantham to transformation over the past ten years.

John Lord, of Eastfield Farm in Hough on the Hill, had been good with his hands since a young age, but only started shaping wood some 20 years ago, when he joined a local wood-working class.

After a few years perfecting his craft, it occurred to John that some of the furniture in his local church of All Saints was showing its age.

“A lot of the wood was very tatty,” he remembered.

“It was rotten in places, and there was quite a lot of woodworm.”

So, having checked with the relevant authorities, John began whittling away a piece of oak, and soon a handsome eagle lectern was in place in the church.

“It was my first piece, so there was a lot to learn as I went along,” he said.

“In fact, it took three attempts!”

But John had the bug, and in the years that followed, All Saints’ catalogue of timber treasurers flourished to include a presidential chair and priedieu (left), an immaculately detailed pulpit, an altar rail with a

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masterfully engineered hinge, and most recently a Lychgate featuring the green man and a gargoyle ‘wood carver,’ which is due for dedication in the Autumn by the Revd Canon Alan Robson.

Taking 1,050 hours (nearly 44 full days) to build, the pulpit, completed in 2006, is perhaps the most remarkable achievement, featuring four panels representing the four seasons, each adorned with a wooden woodland of animal life.

John, who works with oak from around his farm finished in Danish Oil, said that his favourite part of the creative process was designing the items.

“I start with a few drawings, and a model,” he said.

“Then it’s just a case of finding the right sizes of wood, and cutting them into the right sort of shape.

“Then you can get started with the details.”

Dave and Angela, visitors from Staffordshire, were amazed when they discovered that the unassuming churchwarden had been responsible for so much of the woodwork in the church they had dropped in to visit.

“It’s just superb, and wonderful to see that these skills are alive,” said Angela.

But for all the polished perfection of John’s work, one blemish bothers him every time he is in church.

“I didn’t realise that snail shells all wind the same way, and I got it wrong!”

“I even checked to see if it might be different in Australia, but it turns out they all go one way, and my snail goes the other!”

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PHOTOGRAPHS: NICK EDMONDS

Grainy images

The Lord’s work: John Lord applies the finishing touches to the new Lychgate at All Saints’. Left, inset: The 2006 pulpit.

Prize crossword The first correct entry to crossword number 29 to be opened on 18 November 2011 will win £25.

Send to: Crossword, Crosslincs, The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU The editor’s decision is final. Photocopies acceptable. One entry per person

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number 29

crosslincs

by Kettlebird

Scribble pad

Across 1a, 7d Rent slow posh choir arranged for his enthronement. (11, 6) 9 Fortified Spanish good color. O so strong. (7) 10 Tempts with contents of oto-rhino-laryngology freezer. (7) 11 Bygone petticoats or historic errors. Goes by unnoticed. (5, 4) 12 Kind of establishment run by Basil and Sybil. (5) 13 Close and gets dark before T. (4) 14 The only one to espy Leofric’s wife. (7,3) 16 Academic expression. Not holiday time. (6, 4) 19 Better in the bonnet than bats in the belfry. (4) 21 Fossilised resin follows green. (5) 22 Gear units usually found at the bottom. Could be a cross. (9) 24 Giving one the hots, ie, actor. (7) 25 Winning British motorcycle with speed at the end.

(7) 26 Not original but bears the creator’s mark. (6, 5)

is published by the Diocese of Lincoln.

The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those held by the Diocese.

Deadline for the next issue: 18 November 2011 Acting Editor Nick Edmonds Telephone: 01522 504034 Printed by Mortons Print Ltd, Horncastle, Lincolnshire

crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org

Down 1 Chef’s contribution to creative accountancy. (7, 3, 5)

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 15 16 17 18 20 23

Often found in trees or castles. (5) How old the Minster is used for ships stores. (7) Kind of bus loved by football teams. (4, 3) Getting out of a shell suit? (8) Hurry for place at top level meeting. (4, 2, 3, 6) See 1a.

Sanctuary much sought after. (6) Saving up for the big display. (8) Weighs the risks in 6. (6) Examine the octet with a will I hear. (7) Where one is after 6. (5, 2) See the cauldron boil and bubble. (6) Bail I request. I wasn’t even there! (5) solution number 28

Congratulations to Lynn Thorp of Immingham, the winner of crossword 28.

S I R O C C O D E T E S T S

O U T H W I P I S E L A G R I H I O G J E S H U E T T O M A N P E G R E E S R R O R A N S P O P T E P U L C H L O E C E N T S

N D T O E A E V E R S I U S C H R E U D E M E M C H I L H N S I N G M B R E I R R R T A N D A

D A I R I E S

A Y A O N G S T S N E

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A N O O T C S H E D S