Saint Peter's Church, A Rector's Blog

Like a thief in the night, you can never be sure when the hygiene inspectors will arrive  from the council…but when they did come and inspect the Bus Stop Cafe last Thursday  they found that everything was being done in accordance with the strict health and safety  laws. The inspector gave us a 5 out of 5 ‘Very Good’ rating.

Congratulations to Brenda Barron, Sally Frost, Gillian Carter, Peter Churcher and  others who have kept standards high!

The vision behind the Cafe is to serve the community with a quality meeting place  midweek, and to be somewhere for those who may be new to the area, or looking for  community, to meet up. There is a regular and growing clientèle - some arrange to meet  up before going elsewhere, some drop in after taking kids to school, others come alone  and sit on a table with others.  It turns out that it is also a great place for me to arrange to  meet  people  - last week we held our outreach committee meeting there, and tomorrow I  have a meeting about the church roof!

In addition to the menu we have raised money through the sale of hand-made cards, for the Mother’s Union ‘Away from it All’ project , which offers holidays to families who may not otherwise be able to afford one. http://www.themothersunion.org/a&o_britain_and_ireland.aspxAFIA%20handout.pdf Thanks to Christine Pierce for this.

Open every Thursday morning from 9am – 11am, come and enjoy a coffee and see for yourself!

This Sunday is ‘Back to Church Sunday’. The B2CS campaign has seen thousands of people come back to church in recent years, including some at St Peter’s. We look forward to welcoming people this Sunday – some who have received a personal invitation from a church member, and others who have just seen the publicity.

In preparation for this Sunday, we asked our members to tell us why they come to St Peter’s, and how they would recommend it to a friend. Here are some of the responses:

‘St Peter’s is a very down-to-earth church with a warm and caring congregation’

Going to St Peter’s sets me up for the week and sorts out all my problems’

‘I shall always remember how kind members of St Peter’s church were at the time of my husband’s terrible illness and subsequent death.’

It is a warm and friendly church which accepts me and tolerates my occasional eccentricities!’

This is such a friendly church: For those with modern ideas of worship, you will find it here; for those of more traditional bent, you are not forgotten. And in the winter, the church is warm!’

‘Walking into St Peter’s is like coming home, especially at 8.00am Communion; it is peaceful and quiet which gives time to reflect on the past week, and give thanks to God, as well as asking his help for the coming week’

‘I like St Peter’s because everyone is very friendly and welcoming. It caters for the whole family, especially children – they love the songs with actions!’

‘I like St Peter’s because everyone is kind and welcoming. Everyone makes an effort to join in the songs especially’ E, 8 yrs old.

‘I like St Peter’s because it has a fun ‘Lighthouse’ and I learn more about God, and the Vicar is very kind.’ H, 10 yrs old

So, be prepared to receive a warm welcome in a heated church, with a variety of worship styles for all ages, a kind Vicar who will make a serious attempt to apply the Bible to your life (and his!) – plus a cup of coffee and a chance to talk to others at the end of the service! Come at 8.00am for a Prayer Book (1662) Communion, at 10.30am for a more contemporary service with baptisms of 3 children, or to a more reflective evening service at 6.30pm.
We’d love to see you!

Have just received this photograph from Bryan Harris, editor of The Bridge (the newspaper of the Southwark Diocese) who was in church to take some photo’s on Sunday

I like to reassure readers that the cricket was not being live-streamed, but was a short clip of Ian Bell’s recent dismissal and reinstatement – a fine illustration of grace rather than law winning the day…

St Peter’s Church will be open for prayer this evening from 8.00pm to 10.00pm.

You are invited to come and pray quietly at 4 different locations inside the church – come and go as you wish.

We shall be praying for: Police and Emergency Services; Christian service and witness in affected areas;          Government and Communities; Victims and Perpetrators

Please join us to pray for Croydon, London and our Nation.

A prayer for peace in our communities

Gracious God,
We pray for peace in our communities this day.
We commit to you all who work for peace and an end to tensions,
And those who work to uphold law and justice.
We pray for an end to fear,
For comfort and support to those who suffer.
For calm in our streets and cities,
That people may go about their lives in safety and peace.
In your mercy, hear our prayers,
now and always. Amen

Rev Dr John Stott, who has passed away this week, has had an influence on evangelical Anglicans greater than any other man in recent times.  Curate, Rector and then Rector Emeritus of  All Souls Langham Place, he had a ministry at the heart of London, but his ministry spread throughout the world through his writings and his founding of the Langham Trust.

I heard of his death whilst in Bath, through a text from a South African pastor who referred to him as ‘Uncle John’, the name by which he was affectionately known by Christians around the world.

My own Christian life and ministry have been fed over the years through his Bible commentaries and Christian books.  I was once interviewed over the phone for a job at a church, and when I asked the Vicar how he would describe his own theology and outlook on ministry, he described himself as a ‘type of John Stott evangelical’.  Bible, Cross and Missi0n are at the heart of the evangelicalism that John Stott has espoused, lived and exemplified over a lifetime of ministry.

The church at large will miss the Rector Emeritus of All Souls, but forever give thanks for a lifetime of faithful ministry.  Psalm 116:15 comes to mind…  ’Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints’

Thanks be to God for Uncle John.

Amy Winehouse has died. It is almost as if we have watched her die in the slow motion car crash of her life over the past few years – it wasn’t inevitable but isn’t a surprise. One death, but one that will sadden many who appreciated her music and watched her struggle. Already the news websites are full of her life story and obituary, and no doubt tomorrow’s papers will be the same.

In Norway 94 people have been killed, many of them under the age of 20. It is hard to imagine the sense of loss in that nation only numbering 5 million, or the impact it will have on those who survived. The names of those who have died will eventually be printed alongside their photographs in  the Norwegian press.

But what is slipping off the radar as far as press and media coverage is concerned is the drought, high food prices and failed harvests which leave 10 million people in East Africa on the brink of disaster. Here are nations, villages and families facing tragedy beyond description. The death of tens or hundreds of thousands is a real danger. The death of people not famous on our screens or media. We will not know their names or see their photographs. Yet each one is made in the image of God – a son, a daughter, a parent. 

Which one of these stories will appear on the front of our Sunday papers tomorrow. And what will attract us to make our choice of paper?

?

To Gatton Park last night for ‘Arabian Nights’, performed by Gatton Community Theatre.

The stories of Queen Scheherazade are designed to win over her husband the King and to prevent him – one day and one story at a time –  from killing her as he was in the habit of killing his wives the day after he married them. The stories were performed with great humour and imagination by the cast drawn from the local community, and largely from churches in the Reigate Deanery. The costumes, lighting and settings added colour and atmosphere to the production, and despite the rain it was a wonderfully enjoyable evening.

The overall message of Arabian Nights really tells of the power of stories to draw you in, to teach and to get under your skin.  The King, in listening to the stories, realises that Scheherazade is precious to him and her stories not only win her a reprieve for the 1001 nights that she tells them, but ultimately save her life as the King repeals the death sentence.

It made for a great illustration for our gospel reading this morning at Communion – Jesus is asked by his disciples why he teaches in parables… in Matthew 13:10-17 Jesus replies:

This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand…”

Jesus tells stories that get under the skin and do their work of challenging us to think differently about him, about God, about life and about the Kingdom of God. Do we long to know God and to live for him? Then we’ll listen to Jesus and let his parables challenge and teach us and change us. If not, then we’ll probably settle for them as nice stories.

It reminded me of Roy Clement’s book ‘A Sting in the Tale’*  in which he describes the parables in terms of a stealth bomber that quietly slips under our radars and our psychological barriers, and drops bombs that explode in our lives.

In Arabian Nights we met a King who ultimately gives life and shows mercy as a result of the stories – in the parables of Jesus we’re introduced to a King who also offers life and mercy for all who come to him.

If you haven’t read them for a while, or ever, I recommend them as summer reading!

(In the meantime the Arabian Nights is showing tonight and tomorrow evening – tickets still available!  http://www.gattoncommunitytheatre.org.uk/current.htm )

* Those involved in last night’s production may find this title particularly apt, as some members of the cast and audience were attacked and stung by wasps…

Alan Storkey was a lecturer at Oak Hill College where I trained for ordination. Alan’s passion was to help students see the Kingship of Christ over the whole of society, and to see the political implications of the gospel and how that works out in society.
Alan is also an artist, and a year ago he painted the piece above – that is, a year ago…before the present scandal hit the news. The painting shows Rebekah Brooks, Rupert and James Murdoch and Les Hinton sitting in the dock, and being brought under the rule of law. Astonishing, prophetic stuff.

Alan’s son, Caleb, is a blogger who has written about his dad and the background to the painting here: http://www.calebstorkey.net/2011/07/rupert-murdoch-my-dad-news-of-the-world/

To All Souls, Langham Place (again) this evening to hear about a number of resources and initiatives aimed at encouraging churches to prepare for London 2012.  (http://www.morethangold.org.uk/)

More Than Gold is a movement that began in the run up to the 1996 Atlanta Games, and has been active through all Commonwealth, Olympic and Paralympic Games since then. The aim is to draw local churches together to be involved in programmes of outreach, hospitality and service,  and serving 3 different groups of people: Athletes (and their families), visitors to the Games, and local communities.

By the end of the evening I was suffering from ‘information overload’, as so man y possibilities were presented to us.  However, a number of them seemed perfect for Woodmansterne and the local area, and we will now begin to think and pray about how we engage with the (inevitable) festival-spirit that will take place next summer!

One resource offered to churches is the Tae-Kwon Do Missionary Team- theycould be a great addition to morning worship at St Peter’s. May also deter those considering stealing copper from the church roof…

We will be praying in our services today for the appointment of a new Bishop of Croydon. At present the Bishop of Southwark, Rt Rev Christopher Chessun is acting as Bp of Croydon, and getting a feel for the area before he makes the appointment.
Since Bishop Nick moved to Bradford, I have continued to follow his blog (http://nickbaines.wordpress.com/)
Yesterday’s was fascinating, as he outlined his dash across the Bradford Diocese on The Longest Day (21st June)
‘The aim was threefold: (a) to help me orientate myself geographically and culturally, (b) enable me to meet people from across the urban/rural spread in quick time, and (c) allow those who wished to to meet me briefly en route.
It also made for some excellent photo opportunities.’

It also made for some excellent photo opportunities – one of which (below) makes me feel that his visits to Woodmsnaterne, and the Rectory goats, may have prepared him for his present ministry!

Caption competition, anyone?…