As I have explained before, Easter, like the Nativity, is when every priest seeks an altar and a pulpit, for these are the major events in the Christian faith for everyone.  With larger congregations Licensed Lay Ministers (formerly Readers) become servers and chalice bearers.  I remember one occasion at Easter when the church was crowded, we had two patens (bread) and two chalices.  A conversation in the vestry established the version of the stately gavotte that the two pairs would do to avoid unseemly collisions, omissions or horror of horrors a spillage of wine.

 

One of the first communicants was a man with a baby and toddler.  I turned to the priest, questioningly, as giving a blessing was a priestly privilege.  He whispered “Then bless them, Peter”.  So I did, as a prayer, since in my book only one being gives blessings and we know who.  The number of children was amazing, most rather stunned at learning that Jesus was their friend who was always with them.  It made Easter for me, an experience that remains with me.

Peter’s Easter thoughts

Read the whole illustrated text by clicking the title above! 

110 CV          Thought for the Day – the Sunday Before Easter

                    “Palm Sunday”

                   by Didymus

Evensong Readings:

Isaiah Ch.5, vv1-7

Gospel: Luke Ch.20, vv9-19

This weekend’s readings have a similar theme, the use of a parable to illustrate and condemn those who stood against God.  It is powerful stuff, indeed Isaiah’s seven verses are one of the jewels of this great book.  The poetic comparison of beauty and then barbarity give it greater force.  Of course it was easy to ignore Isaiah, as many did, but later Israel and then Judah felt the weight of Assyria and Babylon’s anger.

The Gospel follows the same prophetic theme.  In my view it would be better to read from verse one, to understand the challenge of the Authorities, and the response.  Jesus was much cleverer than his critics, as they discovered when he planted them neatly on the horns of a dilemma.  He drove his point home in the parable of the vineyard, reading the minds of his opponents and their intentions.

Our thoughts are no doubt on Palm Sunday, with lengthy dramatized readings, by reluctant friends conscripted by the clergy to simulate the events of the Passion.  The proximity of the readings and the Passion with the events in Ukraine are painful, bringing the reality of human barbarity with TV and newspapers each day. 

 

Jesus being challenged by the Pharisees

Amen

Mr Dog’s Year

 

 It was a year on and Mr Dog had been assimilated into what had become a dogless household. The pale grey carpets were ingrained with mud and dog hair in the favourite resting places, biscuit crumbs were casually strewn for that barefoot experience and the walls up to waist height showed just how effective a wet dog-shake could be.

‘Where’s-Lez’ and the Boss had always had dogs until the eighteen month hiatus before Mr Dog found them and what he considered to be a welcoming household even if there was a demand for change in a number of his habits!

Among the new commandments and laws there were a series of ‘shalts’ and ‘shall-nots’:

  • Thou shalt not lunge at or chase vehicles of any sort, no matter how noisy or irritating or inviting they may be.
  • Thou shall sit or lie at the side of the track for cyclists, runners and horses or, so that small children can pass unthreatened, on pavements.
  • Thou shalt sit when on a lead to let other dogs past especially when they are looking nervous or aggressive.
  • Thou shalt not, under any circumstances, jump up to meet people, especially the very old and the very young.
  • Thou shalt not pull so hard on the lead that it all but dismembers the limbs of thy owner.

Mr Dog had taken several months to learn the basics and to walk off the anxieties of city life that had shaped his first nine months of life. These days people complimented him on his behaviour while he sat down or lay at the side of the path or calmly wagged in greeting. Often it would be a shouted ‘thank you’ or ‘lovely dog’ from a passing runner or rider.

Life had become somehow, simpler. Food, he had learned, was always available so he could snack through the day and that if he could avoid eating then treats would be added to the bowl of Royal Canin dried food which h made for quite a banquet when owners were in bed.

His favourite treat included the breadcrumbs and flecks of cheese from the chopping board following the making of cheese sandwiches which provided a mining experience to find the morsels. Best of all, were roast chicken Sundays, when the treats would include some crispy chicken skin and the left-over gravy.

Lunch was a strange affair for Mr Dog when there was a different treat, a venison stick or a chicken flavoured chew while they sat in the conservatory and Dog attentions were not allowed. He would be summoned by the singing of “something for the dog…..” to the tune of “Fly Me to the Moon” often chorused in harmony.

Mornings began for Mr Dog just before first light when the sounds of the waking garden filtered through the bedroom window where his own bed was positioned in the bay. He had freedom of the house at night so nocturnal ramblings to sleep on the chairs in the front room or his bed in the music room or to peer into the dark garden from the window on the stairs.

Cats had become an obsession and a major part of his vocabulary and any sentence that ended with a rhyming syllable to cat was an excuse to charge down the garden , scouring the lawn, charging through the flower bed and generally coating himself in enough mud to make it worthwhile rolling on the carpets.

Life had changed in the early evenings from the early days when TV programmes were punctuated with the repeated and almost endless pat pat of paws across the carpet and the dropping in the lap of a slobbery dog toy. Now there was a new game, the blanket game. This involved ‘Where’s-Lez’ holding the large brown fluffy blanket out to arrange it to put across her lap which seemed the perfect excuse to wrap himself in it, roll over and generally get into a waggy-tailed tangle.  When eventually the blanket was arranged and the invitation given, he hops up, arranges himself and flops, head in ‘Where’s-Lez’s’ lap, paws in the air and eyes blissfully closed.  Then the dreaming starts and the tail and paws twitch………

Walks had also changed, no longer were cyclists, horses and cars chased, Barney knew to sit at the side of the path to let cyclists, runners and Horses past and cars on the road were ignored. The only vehicle chased was the train, and then only in the park when it was the other side of the long fence- at other times it was ignored.

Now much walking could be done without a lead at all and although on the lead there was some tugging there was little danger of  injury to the lead holder which meant keeping up with his 5 miles a day of walking was rather easier.

Some pictures and thoughts to follow….

105 CV          Thought for the Day – the First Sunday of Lent

                                             by Didymus

 

As we approach the first Lenten Sunday, it is difficult to concentrate on the pilgrimage to Easter while a deluded liar is wreaking havoc in Ukraine with dreams of recreating the “Greater Russia”.  Su and I join everyone in prayer entreating God to take him to his Nemesis.  He surely will, but it cannot come too soon for us.

Lent is the time for courses.  I have been tempted to have a try at writing one, but I doubt my skill and knowledge.  They are usually written by bishops and eminent scholars and I am neither by some considerable distance.  Dear old Bishop Bill once remarked to me that the problem with being a bishop was that one was expected to speak at length, but without saying anything significant.  So here is my humble effort.  Many years ago – too many – I was told to read John.  Wonderful advice.  Let’s read John.

The fourth Gospel, like the other three, is beyond value to all Christians.  It was the last written, about twenty years later, and is quite different in its format.  It appears to assume a knowledge of the other three.  After the Prologue, John gives seven signs of Jesus’ divinity, the first of which was at the Wedding at Cana and the last was the Raising of Lazarus, neither of which appear in the Synoptics (The first three).  There are then four chapters, known as the Farewell Discourse, dealing with Jesus’ teaching at the Last Supper, followed by the Passion and the events following the Crucifixion.  Much of this is unique to John

The miracles are related of course, but between there is some quite amazing teaching.  Read Ch.3, as part 1 of this course, in any translation, and enjoy it.  Nicodemus, a member of the Sanhedrin, visited Jesus in secret after dark.  The Sanhedrin was a sort of General Synod for Judaism, and they were opposed to Jesus.  Hence the secrecy.  In any case walking around unlit streets littered with rubbish and worse was to risk robbery.

I like Nicodemus.  His puzzled responses remind me of RI classes at school long ago.  The lesson Jesus taught him is one of the most important of all to the Christian.  The importance of the spirit.  To us, 2000 years later, the spiritual dimension to life is absolutely fundamental.  We are body, mind and spirit. 

Think of a car.  Any car.  It is a shed on wheels, essentially (Sorry, Formula One aficionados).  Without an engine it remains a shed.  With an engine, it can move, carry, pull, and so on.  But until a driver starts the engine, it will remain a shed with a dead engine inside.  The driver enters the car, and brings it to life. 

Our bodies are of no use without a mind to operate them, but it is the spirit, or soul, which animates us.  We can recognise people sometimes by their appearance, less commonly by their mind, but certainly by their spirit for it is who they are. 

The Mysteries- Wakefield Cycle - Wikipedia information

My lent group is going to meet, in person, for four Wednesday afternoons  to watch “The Passion ” element of the Mysteries in four parts.

When I watched the series back in 1985 it made a huge impact and watching them back after so many years has been equally inspiring. 

I have included links below to all the parts in order on YouTube.

It is based largely on the Wakefield cycle of plays (but incorporating some scenes from the YorkChester and Coventry canons) and adapted by poet Tony Harrison, working with the original cast, into three parts: NativityThe Passion and Doomsday. Directed by Bill Bryden, it was first performed on Easter Saturday 1977 on the terrace of the National Theatre building on the South Bank, London. It then went into the repertoire in the Cottesloe Theatre (part of the South Bank complex) until 20 April 1985 when the Cottesloe went ‘dark’.[1] Later in 1985 it transferred with a slightly different cast (Barrie Rutter playing Herod & Pontius Pilate, and Barry Foster as Lucifer/Judas/Satan)[2] to the Lyceum Theatre—then in use as a ballroom and so without seating.

Harrison’s concept was to present the original stories as “plays-within-plays”, using as his characters the naïve but pious craftsmen and guild members, to some extent modernised to represent the trades of today—God, for example, created the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck—[3]acting out the parts of the story that their mediaeval counterparts would have done. At the start of each performance actors dressed as tradesmen welcomed the audience.[4] The performance was a promenade one, with the audience mingling with the actors and making up the crowd at such scenes as the last judgement. The Evening Standard reported witnessing “An extraordinary experience… no wonder the end of it all saw an explosion of communal joyousness with everybody, actors, musicians, and audience alike, cheering and clapping and singing and dancing.”

 

Harrison’s concept was to present the original stories as “plays-within-plays”, using as his characters the naïve but pious craftsmen and guild members, to some extent modernised to represent the trades of today—God, for example, created the world with the help of a real fork-lift truck—[3]acting out the parts of the story that their mediaeval counterparts would have done. At the start of each performance actors dressed as tradesmen welcomed the audience.[4] The performance was a promenade one, with the audience mingling with the actors and making up the crowd at such scenes as the last judgement. The Evening Standard reported witnessing “An extraordinary experience… no wonder the end of it all saw an explosion of communal joyousness with everybody, actors, musicians, and audience alike, cheering and clapping and singing and dancing.”

 

Mysteries nativity part 1 The Mysteries | The Nativity (Part 1 of 2) – YouTube
The Mysteries | The Nativity (Part 2 of 2) – YouTube

The passion The Mysteries | The Passion (Part 1 of 2) – YouTube
The Mysteries | The Passion (Part 2 of 2) – YouTube

Doomsday The Mysteries | Doomsday (Part 1 of 3) – YouTube
The Mysteries | Doomsday (Part 2 of 3) – YouTube
The Mysteries | Doomsday (Part 3) – YouTube

 

Cdr Bill Watson R.I.P.

 

This week we have lost another long-time Reader in Bill Watson who died after some years of illness. We pray for the repose of his soul and for Eileen and the family in this sad time.

 

William NormanWATSON(Bill) Cdr RN. (of Callington) Passed away peacefully at home on 5th February 2022 after a long illness aged 82 years. Funeral Service at St Dominick Parish Church on Tuesday 8th March at 11am. No Flowers by request. Donations in Lieu are for St Dominick Parish Church and Marie Curie, C/O PCC Treasurer, Radland Ford, St Dominick, Saltash, PL12 6TR. All other enquiries to C P Coombe Funeral Directors. Tel: 01579 383349

Multi-faith Discussions- Post Licensing training year.

On Thursday evening this week 7pm on ZOOM, the Post Licensing Group is in conversation with Rabbi Naomi Goldman of the Kol Chai Reformed Community in Hatch End.  As we are a small group there are some places for other Readers to join us. The session might be of particular interest to those interested in the parallel issues of women’s ministry in out =r respective faiths.

“We call ourselves a Community, not a Synagogue, to emphasise the importance of the individuals who make up Kol Chai and the communal support that we give to one another.  Kol Chai means “a living voice”.  We aim to be a living voice of active progressive Judaism, alive to the needs of today, but rooted in tradition.”

The aim of the evening  is to share things that we have in common rather than challenging the things we do not. 

If you would like to take part please drop me a line and I will send you a ZOOM link.

“God Goes Viral” – a thought-provoking documentary in the BBC Storyville Series.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000y2g7

This had me posing questions about the pursuit of “the spiritual high” and “happiness” and wondering whether “contentment” is a better aspiration. 

Study day with the Archdeacon of Exeter- Thursday 17th February

 

It was good to be joined by some other Readers at this day on ‘leading well through and beyond the pandemic.’  There was some thought-provoking discussion and a largely positive mood looking to the future. Part of the day was spent in how we look after ourselves as leaders and the support that might be given or needed. 

 

At the recent Reader meeting we decided that our Deanery Reader Stewards would change to becoming Deanery Chaplains to Readers with the first item on the job description being praying for the Lay Ministers in their patch.  The DRS already in post who attended the meeting have shown much enthusiasm for this and I await replies from those who did not attend to see whether we need to appoint chaplains for a particular area.

I do hope that Readers feel well supported and that they always have an avenue for communication, advice and prayer. 

The day’s discussions and the input from the speakers covered much much more and underlined why it is  important that we Licensed Lay Ministers make the most of our opportunities to take part. 

A number of folk have told me that they miss the posts from Mr. Dog….. so I have promised to get some updates done….. 

Mr. Dog a.k.a. Barney here…. The garden has been barricaded to make me think…. or so the Boss says. 

Where’sLez says the grass will grow back but the Boss was having none of it and now I have to hurdle or go round rather than skidding the length of the garden and turning it into a mud slide. 

Where’sLez does not seem to like it when I walk on the pale grey carpet after I have skidded up the garden after catsssssssssssss…. 

I wonder why?

Barney aka Mr Dog here… this morning I has my best alien look headingvinto the dark. Nobody to scare today like I did last week appearing from the gorse in the mist in my green halo with the green glow ball…. I’m sure the poor walker thought he was being abducted… but then he did not have head torch like the boss…. who picked him out in a searchlight beam.
Mr. DOG aka Barney here: two other dog walkers said, “what a well trained dog!” I eas very proud… but I find not look at the boss’ face in case he said something about the way I pull on the lead especially when I see a cattttt!
 

Where’sLez has strict rules for all dogs about not going on the furniture except for my window chairs in the front room so I can see out…… but I was allowed u and to be a lapdog!   I liked it for about 90 seconds and then I wanted to play ball….. 

Mr Dog’s musings: we went back to the beach yesterday Where’Lez and the Boss both came for a change and took it in turns to throw the ball. They seemed very interested in bits of coloured glass that they collected….. I couldn’t understand it it, after all I am far more interesting. Where’sLez thought Nick might like a picture of the glass but I think he would rather take me for a walk.
 
 
 
 
 

January 7th

A Tale of Two Funerals – You Can’t Please Everybody All of the Time… 

So 34 years in Lay Ministry and now18 months of funeral ministry and there is always something to learn, not just from texts, conversations and courses but from the ‘job’ itself. I have taken two funerals in the last 7 days which were hugely contrasting. 

Today’s funeral at Treswithian Downs Crematorium was packed with standing room only for a popular lady who had died of cancer over the Christmas period after a two year struggle. I was requested as minister as I had taken the funeral for her mother nine months ago and knew the family.  The funeral director sent me the details with the chosen music etc. and I arranged a visit to gather information. I arrived with time to pray for the family and to greet guests and it went very smoothly, and I was in my comfort zone, if a little nervous as always. Afterwards I spoke to the immediate family and then slipped away leaving the huge group of people to chat with each other.  Job done!

This was a far cry from the previous week which I count as the least satisfactory of all the funerals I have done when, being in my own church, it really should have been the opposite. 

The deceased  was a lovely, serene and faithful member of the  congregation until a combination of health issues and the infirmity of age took her to residential care, complicated in the last few years with the visiting problems around the Covid Pandemic.  I have an indelibly stamped image of her white hair and generous smile in the fifth pew from the front- so it was a huge privilege to be asked to do the funeral service.  I had been asked a year ago if I would do it when the time came.

I was reassured that it was to be an unfussy commemoration which suited me well and I prepared in my usual prompt meticulous  way agreeing everything with the family early on – even the words of the eulogy /address. The screen in church would have a slide show and pictures would be sent and reflective music was chosen and stored as MP3 files ready to use the church sound system

Now in hindsight I should have realised that it was going to be a tough one when the funeral directors, instead of sending me the letter of details as the person taking it, instead  sent to the PTO priest who had been added at the suggestion of the Funeral Director.  My name was a handwritten addition. It is no wonder we lay ministers feel somewhat second class but that’s Anglican life.  I should add at this point that I get on really well with the PTO priest and the funeral director -and they are lovely people,  but they have a huge (and daunting)  fund of knowledge and experience and  a different vision and style to me, so this  became an exercise in trying to incorporate everything and please everyone. 

Mostly, all was well and I knew what I was doing – until the changes began to be sprung upon me to make life more interesting. Isn’t,  “may you live in interesting times!”  an old curse?

As mentioned, the (retired) funeral director spoke to the family and suggested that they might like to include the PTO priest in the service and he in turn suggested they might like to have the chaplain from the care home as well so suddenly I had to apportion parts of the service to them.

  • PTO priest –tasked to lead the intercessions and so say some words of sending off at the hearse as it set off for the crematorium as there would be no service there.
  • The chaplain of the care home- I tasked with reading psalm 23 and a poem.
  • The ladies singing group – would be in the choir stalls and sing one of the hymns standing socially separated in the chancel.
  • The grandson who would perform an original song for his grandmother but would need an amplifier, microphone and assorted cables.
  • A slide show on the church screen of photographs, requiring my laptop and making sure the connection worked.
  • An organist to play the two hymns and some music beforehand.
  • A connection from the laptop to the sound system to play the MP£ files for entry and exit music…

So I went in early in the morning with the deceased son-in-law and set up the keyboard, the laptop and various other things.

I was not really prepared for questions such as “what do you want us to wear?” from our PTO… who normally has his own flamboyant style. I wanted to say, “Well that’s up to you” but instead we gave time to a discussion and I think he decided on a dalmatic, in the end.  I googled dalmatic to check and the range of images left me none the wiser but I was reassured by the words “not done up as a Christmas tree”  

As there were eleven in the family I had arranged for them to sit on chairs at the front of the church with the coffin where the nave altar usually stands so that it would be an intimate atmosphere however again there were complications. 

  • The PTO priest suggested to the family that there should be holy water and incense- so these were added to the ceremony with him swinging the thurible and the care home chaplain flicking holy water with a small evergreen branch!
  • The PTO priest asked if we should have the catafalque candles. In St Andrews there are half a dozen, three feet high and foot thick and have to be lifted with two hands. My answer as always was, “well if that is what the family want….. “  When finally positioned around the coffin they had the effect of making a barricade which was not really what I wanted and in effect prevented me from gathering the immediate family at the committal.
  • The funeral directors team took much persuasion, first by me and then by the church warden that they had no need to put out reserved notices because the family would occupy the seats…. It was a tad ‘jobsworth’, “well we have been told to reserve seven pews for family” with the added silent implication that that was what they were going to do whether we agreed or not as they laid out the reserved signs anyway.
  • Various of the Funeral Director’s team were also working behind the scene making decisions about where the coffin would come in and leave the church – which I had already agreed with the family. It would come in the main door and travel down the church to the nave for the service. After the committal we would leave by the side door in procession with the family because it was
    • a) near
    • b) meant I could have folks leaving through two exits (as is common sense for covid-tide)
    • c) there was a ramp rather than awkward granite steps which meant it was safer for all to negotiate! 

My usual prayerful pre service preparation was now in tatters.

My laptop which had had a recent Microsoft update had changed its power setting to going to sleep after 5 minutes even when plugged in… so every time the image on the screen turned to that dreadful blue projector light I had to go and wake it up again. 

At the hearse by the gate, one minute from beginning the service the funeral director asked, “so you have the music?”

I hadn’t! I had completely forgotten about it and the family had the cds which of course they had not brought.  It was somewhere on the laptop but I had no time to sort it out and no time to plug in another cable…..  so I nipped in, apologised to the family and told the organist to cover.  Bless him, he did!

Now you can imagine that by now my normal healthy pre service nervousness is a full-on adrenaline fuelled jitter which meant by the time I got to the eulogy I actually managed to leave a page out of the middle!  

I had announced in the address how we would be leaving the church, the order of the procession and that when everyone was outside our PTO priest would say a few words to begin the final journey   which would be the signal for the driver to set off down the road with the hearse – at which point we would all wave goodbye and call out of we wanted to.

  • Crucifer
  • PTO priest wielding thurible
  • Me
  • The coffin
  • The Chaplain with the 11 family members.
  • The ladies in the singing group
  • Everyone else to leave by the main door and stand on  the path outside or on the steps.

 In the event this idea was hijacked somewhat by the PTO priest who walked backwards down the road in front of the moving hearse intoning funeral liturgy.   By the time he had finished, the hearse turned the corner and vanished leaving no time for waving etc….. and the crowd slowly dispersed.  I was underwhelmed!

The danger here is to dwell too much on what went wrong rather than what went right and the pastoral welfare of those attending – after all it was not about me! 

None of the ‘stuff’ really mattered, (that was all the mad paddling of the swan’s feet below the surface) because it was a fitting, reflective and heart-felt commemoration of a wonderful lady in which everyone took part. I spoke to the family in church the Sunday after and commented that it was not quite what I had had in mind and nether was it in theirs but it worked out alright – the highlight being the grandson’s song which was brilliant.

So what did I learn?

  1. Don’t try to please everyone- focus on the family and stick to your guns.
  2. Never believe that I have got things under my control…..
  3. I prefer doing crematorium services where the format is much less flexible.
  4. If asked to do a Church service again I will be reluctant to have to manage a cast of others  so I think more communication with the family asking each time, for each change, “are you sure that is what you really want?”
  5. People have their own set ideas about what should and should not happen in services, especially the ‘professionals’ and managing them means going in with a clear set of objectives and a steely but quiet, polite assertiveness.

What are your best / worst funeral moments?

Resolutions

So another New Year and my resolution from 1967 is kept once more; never to make any more New Year resolutions. 

If something is worth doing, or worth giving up then it is too important to leave it to a once a year attempt and should be attended to right away. After all God gives us infinite chances and has infinite patience and should we fail he will pick us up, dust us off and set us going again..

Life on the Cornish breadline – Unheard Do give a little time to this article about poverty in St Ives. It is probably something of which you are perfectly aware but it may give useful sermon material for the new year.  There seems to be little resolution from the powers that be to resolve the issues around poverty in our land and in our county.

 

The Nativity Scene at ST Andrews- joined by playdough figures representing all those present at the Children's Service on Christmas Eve.

96 CV  Thought for the Day – New Year

by  Didymus (Peter Coster Licensed Lay Minister) 

“In him was life; and the life was the light of men: And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”  (John ch.1)

“ARCH”

 Archbishop of Capetown

Primate of South Africa

On the day after Christmas, another light that shone in the darkness left us, taking the hand of God, Jesus Christ.  Following in our Lord’s footsteps, this light faced the darkness of apartheid, and by faith, humility, bravery and love, overcame it.  Christianity is the poorer today.

Desmond Tutu was a man of absolute faith, with a sharp wit, a keen sense of humour and a cackle of a laugh, often deflecting anger.  He faced the evil of apartheid and all of the thuggery that was used to enforce it, and defeated it.  There were many instances of threats of violence, and even murder, which he received over the years.  In his remarkable 90 years, the priest known to many as “Arch” achieved a relatively peaceful dissolution of the cruel colour discrimination practised in South Africa by the nationalist ruling party. 

A Nobel Peace Prize was awarded in 1984 for his work.  He was Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 1995 to 1998, where people came to confess their past deeds and express regret, bringing different sections of the community together.

A wonderful man.  One felt that, however many thousands of miles lay between us, we were his, and he was ours.  We were part of his spiritual flock.

The Gospel reading for Evensong is from Matthew’s second chapter, in which the consequences of the visit of the three wise men unfolds – the anger of a frustrated Herod, the slaughter of the Innocents, (remembered on the 28th), and the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt.  Herod died within four years, and it was safe to return to Israel, and the Holy Family settled in Nazareth, in Galilee.

There is about Matthew’s Gospel a concern to bring the narrative into close alignment with OT scripture, and the whole of chapter two is unique to Matthew.  However, there are unique events recorded in the other three Gospels, certainly in John’s, and in 2000 years or so many fine minds have analysed and challenged the Gospels, not all from a Christian viewpoint but historical.

We remembered John on 27th, something I always regret since the fourth Gospel is so important that it deserves a wider study, and not to be buried under the Christmas aftermath!  John describes many miracles, including the first at Cana, and probably the last, raising Lazarus.  He gives us the teaching of the True Vine, of the Farewell Discourse, and finally the post-Resurrection events.  In all this, he tells us who Jesus was several times and the importance of the spiritual dimension of life. 

AMEN

 

Art-work by Reader John Wallis

Safeguarding Blog part 2- How we have gone about it in the Redruth Benefice.


Since the last blog I have met for a chat with Sarah and Sue from the diocesan safeguarding team that was both positive and reassuring  that we were on the right track. It was also really helpful to see how aware hey were of parish problems and how systems are evolving and being  tweaked all the time to make safeguarding possible in the vast range of church scenarios.  I suggested that it would be really helpful for churches to see some scenarios of how other churches are working and to be able to select the one that is nearest to their situation in terms of demographic, so this blog is how we have coped with it in Redruth.

As a result of the team council meeting and a few things responded to we have completed level one of the dashboard and moved on to level two! Whooppee!

In last week’s blog I wrote about the deep joy of tackling the Safeguarding dashboard and preparing for a team council meeting to  agree the latest missive and regulations from the national safeguarding team on safer recruiting which has to by done by January 4th.

Since then I have had the meeting and was pleased that there was so much positivity across four of the five churches with a commitment to training and responding to my bit of the agenda. The fifth church is a small congregation with little energy to spare who need support from the rest of us- which I think is a scenario being played out in places across the diocese.

Trying to do everything to the letter of the law / regulations / guidance is not always possible, practical or feasible but finding a pragmatic approach to safeguarding and safer recruitment that follows the spirit of the task is possible.

We have 5 churches, which is 5 DCCs and 3 PCCs – but the most practical way to deal with safeguarding and recruitment is through the Team Council that represents everyone even though it is not the statutory body.  The PPCs can have their say if they want to at the meeting following the team council – although I do not envisage any issues arising!

Having said that however, I did speak to one poor beleaguered Reader from elsewhere in the diocese who was at her wits end with her PCC because they have refused all safeguarding training and have a church warden who says they will resign and do the job without a title if the are forced to do the training because they consider it a waste of time and money.  I suggested that perhaps they need a face to face session for C Zero with their PCC.

Each of the churches, in theory has its own safeguarding officer although one is so small and beleaguered that their poster refers folk to me as safeguarding coordinator for the Benefice or to one of the leads in the other churches.

Safeguarding Officers are often a tick box title, sometimes just another bit of the Church Warden’s job and these folk have lives to lead outside safeguarding so finding  time for the safeguarding training and extra reading can be problematic.  They are often doing it because there is no one else and I am not sure that is appreciated by the central team who write policy and training with a computer literate congregation of many volunteers across the age groups in mind. In reality we know that many of our churches are populated with tiny congregations of octogenarians. I am very patient with training and try not to put too much pressure on…..I would rather have a person who people are comfortable to approach with basic training that someone who is trained up to the eyeballs but comes across as officious and unapproachable. A few of the wrong words at the wrong time can put off a volunteer and set safeguarding back years if not carefully handled.

Links to Documents and “stuff” referred to in the article

As part of my safeguarding commitment as Chaplain I sit on the Diocesan Safeguarding Advisory Panel and the DSAP subcommittee so that I get the latest news and information and, more importantly, so that Readers and Parish safeguarding officers have a voice in matters to do with training, policy and edicts from on high.

 The latest deadline for things safeguarding is of course the safer recruiting strategy. The self assessment tool (called the Safer Recruitment Survey) and the adoption of the policy for Safer recruiting should be complete by January 4th which I can imagine could be a real struggle for many parishes.

The new Safeguarding Dashboard tool which is available for every church is really helpful although it does have one or two flaws and things that need some work but there is no such thing as a perfect tool or a one size fits all solution which is why the dialogue is important.

I came unstuck with the dashboard question on safer recruiting which asks,  “Which sections of the new Guidance are being followed for ALL relevant roles?”

The simple solution here in the dashboard would be to put in a footnote explaining that the relevant roles this refers to are those that meet the threshold for hours worked with vulnerable adults in certain situations or children.

However, it doesn’t. (yet)

So I opened the Safer Recruitment self assessment tool  and clicked on the E-Manual link. making sure that I clicked on the blue print in the right box otherwise as I discovered the other day you end up somewhere else!  You do need to be connected to the Internet and to know how to use the CTRL key when you click the link.  You can download chapters or sections but for the life of me I have no idea of the difference…. I was losing the will to live slowly.

At this point I read the explanations several times and then went to have a cup of tea and play ball with the dog.  Maybe the frequently asked questions document would help.

So now I had the safer recruiting assessment tool open on my computer along with the Redruth Parish dashboard, the e-manual page and the frequently asked questions document.  There was so much stuff and so many words written in convoluted legalese that I felt like a claustrophobic desperately seeking the way out of a maze of hedges that were narrowing as I walked!

I went to help my wife do some stuff for the craft market, or more honestly, I watched her do stuff and chatted…. then I tried again.

With a face full of grim determination I clicked a few things on the dashboard and clicked the button to have it send me an action plan….. after all an action plan would not be much use if one had done everything on it.  That could go to the team council for the next meeting.

At this point I should say that I went to one of the safer recruitment drop-in sessions and at that session I had the impression that we should be following safer recruitment processes for all roles…. so what about the roles such as sacristan, flower arranger, member of the coffee after church rota or church cleaner?  There is probably little opportunity for grooming the vulnerable but they will need to have certain parts of the guidance applied such as  a risk assessment for lone working, perhaps something about using tools safely, maybe a food hygiene course if the coffee duties spill over into doing soup lunches in the flower festival. 

Well in an ideal world where churches are overflowing with pew-dwelling volunteers, advertising every post, sending out application forms, taking up references, providing training and ticking the 11 other boxes in the policy might be possible, however, in the real world someone who wants to be on the flower rota is on the flower rota until they a) don’t want to be or b) they die or c) they do something to upset the other flower arrangers. 

  What should we do for volunteers who are not in roles where they are working with vulnerable adults and children (for the significant time)? Well I think it is about following the spirit of the recommendations and making sure that volunteers are: 

  • happy to do the role and can stop if they want to
  • have access to some help if needed
  • understand the about lone working if that is their practice
  • only have a DBS check if it is relevant! 
  • have a look down the list and see if there is anything else that might be beneficial. 

Of course, if our flower arranger starts doing a flower arranging club with children from the area then there are extra checks to be put in place. ah…. a problem… the flower arranger has suggested the club….. do we have to do an application process for the work they have offered to undertake or do we just have some sort of official chat, make sure the DBS is done at the right level and put something in place to monitor what is going on? 

Tricky! 

Wish me luck and send a few prayers for the Team Council at which I have to explain all this and adopt the policy for 5 churches from 3 PPCs.  Good luck with yours!