Yearly Archives: 2020

When Something's Lost and Something's Gained... So that's it for 2020, a year in which I learned all about ZOOM, publishing on YouTube and the delights of walking, and praying, in the light of the  dawn.  The year in which I realised how important hugs are and how much they would be missed. And, a year when morning prayer at 9 on ZOOM would unite elements of congregations from not only  the five Redruth Churches but from across the diocese as we were joined by numerous Readers. Relationships have taken a hot this year where meeting online has not been appropriate and as T.S.Eliot said, “We die to each other daily. What we know of other people is only our memory of the moments during which we knew them. And they have changed since then. To pretend that they and we are the same is a useful and convenient social convention which must sometimes be broken."When we have all had our vaccinations and we kick-start the activities we have put on hold things will be different and my hope is that we can rebuild the relationships and do the activities better, shedding those that we have found we have not really missed!   ‘The Lord is with you . . . do not be afraid’. A Meditation on the Annunciation, Luke 1:26–38 Bob Owens Luke’s account of the Annunciation is one of the most frequently illustrated stories in the Bible. We’ve all seen pictures of the angel Gabriel, with his great wings, announcing to Mary that she has been chosen to give birth to Jesus. I’d like to take just a few moments to meditate on how Luke describes the scene to us – to try to enter into the story imaginatively, and to ask what it might have to offer us in our own lives as Christians.        The story opens with God sending Gabriel to a specific place, and to a specific person. The place is Nazareth, a small town in Galilee. What’s special about Nazareth? Nothing at all. It is not a great city like Jerusalem, where all the rich and powerful people live, with a Temple and other important buildings. And what’s special about Mary? Nothing at all. She’s a young peasant girl, still a virgin though she is engaged to be married to a local carpenter. Mary is just an ordinary person – not someone living in high society. And yet – God chooses her to be the vessel through which his son Jesus Christ will enter the world. Isn’t that a thought worth pondering?        What does Gabriel say to Mary? He greets her warmly, telling her she is ‘favoured’ and that ‘The Lord is with you’. This is far from the kind of greeting Mary would have expected, and it startles her. She wonders what it could possibly mean, but says nothing. Perhaps a look of fear crossed her face, because Gabriel tells her not to be afraid: she has indeed found favour with God. She is going to…

Dear allthis is the last blog tis side of Christmas- next week I shall be deep in  ZOOMland particularly on Christmas Eve with the ZOOM service with the children which is even more daunting on ZOOM than it is in Church in normal days when the place is heaving with people. So on Zoom I am hoping :we will get some people thereThere will be a few soloists or family singersthat I can arrange the quiz / story activity in a way that works! that we don't get uninvited visitors with disruptive intentions... and...... that somehow we will provide something for the Holy spirit to touch the lives of those who attend.Prayers please! Following that at 8pm and at 11:30 I am button pushing for the two live ZOOM services from church.... although I will be at home. Christmas Day...... hopefully meeting the grandchildren on the beach..... even if it's raining and I am taking a break from ZOOM!  Have a wonderful Christmas! I am grateful to the people who occasionally pas comment on the emails and blog content. I do wonder sometimes if anybody is reading it, whether it is helpful or whether it is just a nuisance. So when someone contacts me about something else and say.. oh by the way I did like the bit you wrote about x..... it is always encouraging. This Christmas there are some Readers having a really tough time with health, or as a carer or because they are alone. Please do keep them in your prayers too. With every blessingJim

Chaplain to the Readers in training- Vacancy! I have been very grateful to Reader Margaret Sylvester-Thorne over the past two years  for easing my chaplaincy role by taking on the Readers in Training. Margaret has now decided that it is time to pass the baton  and so we have a vacancy! It is never easy finding people to fulfil these roles and we do want a Reader from this side of the border taking it on so I have prepared a job advert.We have a vacancy for Chaplain to the Readers in Training and would like Readers to consider whether they might be called to this ministry. The Chaplain would be expected to attend the seven residential weekends in Plymouth each year, normally Friday 4 pm to Saturday 5pm.Be alongside students in lecturesBe available to talk to students about issues raised in lectures that might impact on their faithSupport students in prayer through their training.Attendance at some staff meetings. The chaplain might also be involved in some of the formation evenings at the Old Cathedral School in Truro or online. They might also want to be involved in the Post Licensing Training year too.There is of course no pay for any Reader Chaplaincy work but expenses may be claimed where needed. Please do consider whether you are called to this fulfilling and important role and if interested speak to me or Jane Kneebone (Director of Training) Many thanks – Jim.

The Blessing of Funeral Ministry Sunday 13th- the 3rd Sunday in Advent. The Blessing of Funeral Ministry May Readers find taking Funerals a key part of their Ministry which I discovered for myself relatively late in my ministry. I did a cluster of them around last Christmastime culminating in preaching at Reader Leslie Boyden’s funeral which was a huge privilege. The Covid  struck!   This week I did the first funeral for nine months . It was at Treswithian Downs Crematorium  in Camborne which has a super atmosphere and the views around  help to relieve the corvid-claustrophobia that social distancing has now ingrained in our psyche.  So spacious, lots of sanitizer and I felt secure in what I was doing. The funeral was for a lady who had driven Coaches for National Express, loved wrestling and sixties music so it was no surprise that they chose a wrestling theme to enter the crem and Tina Turner singing “only the Best!” to go out.  A more interesting request was playing the saxophone bit from Gerry Rafferty’s ‘Baker Street’ for closing the curtains.  I dutifully sat down one evening and made a file of the solo so we had 38 seconds rather than 6 minutes. It actually worked well in the circumstances and we did not miss out by not having a hymn.  When I had asked about a reading I was told that they were not very religious so I asked, “What about the lyrics from the Byrds’ song, 'Turn Turn Turn?'” They knew that, the lady being buried liked her sixties music, … so Ecclesiastes it was! After the committal when Tina Turner boomed out, I strode respectfully outside and waited beneath the canopy for the family and friends who were all very appreciative and complimentary. I managed to keep the social distancing in the main until I could not escape the final handshake. I detoured on the way to the carpark past the hand sanitizer and was still rubbing my hands together when I began the ascent of the shallow steps to the carpark.  I was still rubbing them when my foot caught in the hem of my Cassock and I tripped forward sprawling across the steps  in a flurry of blue scarf, voluminous white surplice and flying funeral folder. I looked up to see the funeral party no longer sobbing but trying not to let their giggles show and attempting instead to be concerned. It must have looked  very funny. Thankfully not even my pride was injured – if I can lighten people’s day with physical humour then I have done my bit. Meanwhile, stuck in my mind it the thought of the lady we were there for striding through the pearly gates in a wrestling cape to the ‘Invasion’ Theme tune.     My she rest in peace – and rise in Glory.

Every year at St Andrew's Redruth Mary & Joseph set out during advent for their journey to Bethlehem via lots of houses where they stay overnight for prayer. It is based on the Mexican tradition of Posada. This year we have had to do it differently fearing that transferring a box of figures, candles and prayer cards from house to house would not be sensible in Covid tide we made 25 sets of small figures and my wife Lez painstakingly put together a prayer card and thoughts for each day. The quotations and prayers for each day are under the next article. Pastoral Telephony - in praise of the telephonists! Some people are brilliant at telephoning! Lez phones some of the ladies in the ST Andrews 'Crafty People' group when they would normally be meeting for their weekly social crafting in non corvid times - especially if she knows hey are on their own. Many of our Readers have almost swapped their preaching, teaching and open the book ministries for a life on the telephone and I do admire and give thanks for them.   I hate making telephone calls. I really hate making telephone calls. I don't mind receiving them.... but I am so far out of my comfort zone just picking up the phone to have a chat that it makes me put it off by tying to find other things to do. I can stand up and talk to hundreds without problem, make YouTube videos, tell stories but phoning gives me the heebie-jeebies! So don't think that your ministry, whether you are a reader or 'just' a member of the congregation making calls to check up on folks is a little thing! It is not! It's a gift and you are called to do it. You telephonists are wonderful!  St Andrew’s Posada 2020Thank you for taking part in the Posada this year. You should have received 2 Nativity characters (Mary and Joseph), a candle, a daily prayer sheet and a list of names. Below are the instructions of what to do. Each day:-Set aside some time to spend with Mary and JosephLight a candleReflect on and pray for the topic of the dayPray for an individual/a family from the list of names (there are 26 so you will be able to pray for everyone on the list by the end of the Posada)Sunday 29th December“A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step” (Lao Tzu)Reflect on and pray for those walking into the unknown, those setting out on difficult journeys, your own Advent journey. Monday 30th December“The angel comes, his tidings ring on the air like bells…..and when he goes, he leaves a feather in your belly” (Steven Waling)Reflect on and pray for pregnant women, those with a new baby, those who have suffered the loss of a child. Tuesday 1st December“All happy families resemble one another. Each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” (Leo Tolstoy)Reflect on and pray for single parents, families who are in turmoil, children…

It was wonderful to see so many faces on ZOOM in our Reader'sconversations with +Hugh. Some really important and interesting issues were raised and conversations and consultations have already begun on some matters. Watch this space for more on suporting Readers in a time of Transition and afterwards for example!  Some useful links to resources mentioned in the course of discussions this week.Here’s the ‘Letter to your future self’ website - https://www.futureme.org/This is the national C of E phone line with prayers, hymns and reflections - https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches/daily-hope-phone-linehttp://www.anglicancursillo.co.uk/Resourcing Sunday to Saturday  Faith From Anecdote to Evidence Report The Saint's Way- being more confident in our calling XR - Extinction Rebellion (Reader Lesley Mitchell) mentioned this Cornwall - XR South West (xrsw.uk)  I was grateful to those folk who helped with the worship, shared their experiences gave words of encouragement.It is lovely to meet faceto face, but really I would not like to lose ZOOM once the virus crisis has abated. There are many fol who cannot travel easily in Cornwall and those who are always restricted so the convenience of ZOOM is a blessing. Our Monday morning meetings have featured folk from Penzance and the Lizard to Linkenhorne and Looe all from the comfort of their own chairs. Some drop in for a quick chat before other duties call, some stay for the morning for conversations ranging from our favourite Monty Python sketches to Racism in the Church of England. 

  Dear All.... In the darkening days of winter as we head towards the longest night and the coldest months when we are weighed down by Covid of the threat of a lonely Christmas, the lack of hugs, of not singing carols in church, of being trapped it is easy to slip into a spiral of melancholy. But there is always something we can do, something to show we are awake and alert and looking for he light, something to show that we are ready to follow our Lord’s commands and to be ready for His eventual return. You may not think what you do counts….. especially if you compare yourself with the importance of a doctor or a prime minister  or a priest but God loves everyone equally and values their contributions. So if you feel a little weighed down and despondent, that you are doing very little by being at home take heart from the true tale  from the book  Dirty Glory by Pete Grieg, about the Hebridean revival –it is worth reading. Caspar gave a copy to each of the ministry team a few years ago and although we have used this illustration before it is worth reading again……. And then thinking about what God is calling you to do. The Hebridean revival began in the tiny village of Barvas on the Isle of Lewis, where two elderly sisters, Christine and Peggy Smith, were sitting by their peat fire lost in prayer. One of them was eighty-two, bent double with arthritis and the other was eighty-four and blind. They couldn’t do much, but they could certainly still pray, and on this particular night their souls were burdened deeply by the complete absence of young people from the church across the fields. Outside the moon hung high in the sky and the windswept in from the sea, but inside the fire sighed and crackled, casting gentle shadows across the room as the Smith sisters poured out their hearts to heaven in their native Gaelic tongue. Suddenly one of the women received a vision of young people filling the church. It was as simple as that – the sort of thing we might gloss over in many of our meetings today. But these two old prayer warriors were not so flippant. They summoned the minister to their house the following morning and informed him quite unequivocally that he would be needing to get ready. ‘Revival is coming.’ ‘What do you suggest I do?’ he asked a little helplessly. ‘What should you do?’ they gasped. ‘You should pray, man!’ And then these two octogenarian saints proposed a deal. ‘If you will gather your elders and pray in the barn at the other end of the village at least two nights per week,’ they said, ‘we will do the same here from ten at night ‘til three in the morning.’ And so a remarkable series of late-night prayer meetings began in the village of Barvas on the Isle of Lewis in…

I posted this originally around remembrance day because it contains some war time memories of life as a prisoner of war but I have such a positive response from those who watched it that I have reposted.  My father comes across as a phlegmatic and unflappable character even in the most difficult of situations. He comments that he might have become a minister if times had been different- I wonder what sort of a minister he would have been? https://youtu.be/OvZO8ZB45-Y

Reader, Roy Cooper, of Sundy scribblings fame sent me this  following reading the Church Times. Hello Jim, I found this in this week's Church Times so I thought I would pass it on. I had a look at the first few questions....... and put it aside to do later! :)  https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2020/20-november/news/uk/how-are-we-doing-on-faith-uk-government-launches-online-survey It's a link to a Government website that's taking a survey about faith. I think we should all do this and wondered if you might like to include it in your blog.The URL to the actual survey is this:https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence BRRoy

The Redruth Ministry Team attended the bishops study day this week in place of our usual weekly staff meeting and a thought-provoking and interesting experience it was although I found the breakout room experience to be quite hard work.   The diocesan website has a page of resources from it so if you did not go you can get a hint at what you missed, Mark’s presentations: https://trurodiocese.org.uk/resources/ministry/setting-gods-people-free/ The LICC website is: https://licc.org.uk/ The Everyday Faith (national church) resources are here: https://www.churchofengland.org/our-faith/everyday-faith AMDTalks Small group session on Living for God; Whole life discipleship: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNC3O1tR9DI&t=190s

It is interesting, who does, and who does not engage with social media.  Firstly TWITTER:   I love seeing Reader @JamesWonnacott James Wonacott's bold posts on Twitter even though we largely disagree on many of them:) I probably prefer the posts from BOD - the  Franciscan Hermit @thecarceri which are invariably uplifting and certainly spiritually thought proving as well as an excellent resource for prayer.  https://twitter.com/TheCarceri/status/1329180500829888525 Is an example for those restless nights. Other dedicated Tweeters (Twitterati?) include the archdeacon and Bishop Philip whose posts are always interesting.  My twitter account is @Trewirgies  On a spiritual direction course I was on the presenter glibly described Facebook as "Facade-Book!" and dismissed it with a flick of the hand. But in these times when folks have been kept apart and are often lonely, social media can be a blessing. Yes -there are certainly things wrong with it and perhaps we should be doing something about that but if you have not used it- don't knock it.... it is someone's lifeline.  Facebook is a different beast and  interesting in a different way. The images in this article are collected from Twitter where these 'memes' proliferate. One of the best things are the Group pages such as the Diocese of Truro Let's Support Each Other discussion group where the great and the good from the staff at Church house to the Bishops and from Perran Gay on Scilly to folks on and over the English border. Well worth watching.  I have a lot of contacts who are ex-students or their parents and it is wonderful to see how they are getting on.  But safety is an issue and it is a good idea to use some common sense and use a good password, to hide your friends list and to be circumspect about what one posts.   You can find me here- justclick! 

"My hope to follow Julie......" Bob's Hymn of the Week this week is "O Jesus I have Promised", a hymn which has particular memories for me of secondary school days especially that line in the last verse "my hope to follow duly...." Julie M. was in my class and all the 15 year old  boys behind her would chorus in that hymn.... "my hope to follow Julie...."  She would merely turn and and cast a disdainful and withering glance which silenced the choir. Imagine my delight when I was cast in Hobson's Choice to play opposite Julie playing Maggie who I had to kiss on stage.  I was never the coolest of  lads at school, far from it.... but my street cred. rocketed the day after the first performance....   wherever they are now. Photograph at the bottom of this page!  It was nothing to do with that play (honestly!) that I left that school that year at the age of 15 to go to the local college-( the story of my being asked not to return after the Summer holiday is for another time:) ) but that was a sudden end to my friendships with any of that group so I think of all those lads who wanted to follow Julie where I went on, eventually,  to 'follow duly in His strength alone..... ' and spare a thought and a prayer for Julie and the rest of that cohort  Social Media Memes of thee week.... Mental Health and wellbeing in schools- a focus for prayer. This week as a School Governor I attended a Webinar about Well-Being and Mental Health in Schools. Its a Government initiative - it being cheaper to send out a power-point presentation than to make sure there are enough mental health professionals available for schools to use. (Forgive my cynicism / realism) Although I learned little I did not already know it was certainly a salutary reminder about the stresses of working in Schools which have been amplified significantly by the Covid crisis.  It is an issue for staff and children.  The stress on staff this year is incredible - and it is enormous every year. here is a recent post from a teacher about her life - click here.In Cornwall and other areas of deprivation (rural and urban poverty) the knock on effects to mental health in school are predictable.  If you did not see the Simon Reeve on Cornwall programme last week you can see it on BBC iPlayer  -Imagine  how the effects of deprivation described in the programme impact on schools.  Children living in precarious housing and unstable family situations are at terrible risk of all sorts of abuse and schools are expected to be there to pick up the pieces.  Parents can quick to complain, the government is quick to unleash an inspection system designed to undermine confidence and few are there to praise and give thanks for the work they do. So no written  intercessions this week.....  my prayers will be focussed on school staff…