VicarsLetter

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Vicar’s Letter

In 1981 the newly appointed Employment Secretary, Norman Tebbit, addressed the Conservative Party Conference. He related how he had grown up in the 1930’s when unemployment was all around. ‘My Father did not riot. He got on his bike and looked for work.’ This gave rise to the catch phrase ‘on your bike’ or ‘get on your bike’. Well at the very beginning of this month, on Tuesday, July 1^st , St. Mary’s will be visited by Sarah Ellington (Vicar of St. Mary, Halewood) and Jane Durham (Vicar of St. Hilda, Hunts Cross). They are taking part in a sponsored bike ride around the Diocese, visiting all 15 churches named St. Mary. They are doing this to raise funds for a new heating system at St. Mary, Halewood. We wish them well on their very worthwhile journey.

But also this month many Bishops in the Anglican Communion will be making much longer journeys (not on bikes, I hasten to add!), as they come to Canterbury for the Lambeth Conference. Please pray for them. But I do want to actually suggest that in many ways the life of the church at international, national and local levels is like a bike ride. A bike is a form of transport – it’s purpose being a way of moving forward, and that is just what the church has to be doing. Those of you who are cyclists will know that very occasionally progress seems to be so easy, with the sun out and the wind behind, we find ourselves whizzing along without effort, hardly needing to pedal at all, especially on a racing bike! But more often than not, unlike a car journey, a bike ride is hard work, especially when the road is uphill and there is rain in your face! Progress then is much slower and more difficult. Legs quickly tire and it becomes harder and harder to keep pedalling, even on a mountain bike!And there are other problems as well. As you journey on a bike, you can feel quite vulnerable, especially with other traffic sweeping past, and, of course, there can also be broken chains and punctured tyres as well.

I have no doubt that the church today needs to change gear and press on, even though the prevailing winds are against us in society today. In many places the church has become a bit rusty and needs to have the 3-in-one oil applied again. The bell on the bike needs to give a clear warning and needs to be heard, and the lights on the bike need to be bright so that we can both be seen and see ourselves the way ahead. For too long the church has free- wheeled downhill, and even back-pedalled, and in some places the brakes seem to have been permanently on, but surely the time has come to mend the bike, make a fresh effort to get going again and make some progress.

Please pray for Sarah & Jane, and for all the Archbishops and Bishops as they gather at Lambeth, and pray also for the church here. Summertime is a great time to get back on the bike!

Yours in Christ,

Michael.

Well at the very beginning of this month, on Tuesday, July 1^st , St. Mary’s will be visited by Sarah Ellington (Vicar of St. Mary, Halewood) and Jane Durham (Vicar of St. Hilda, Hunts Cross). They are taking part in a sponsored bike ride around the Diocese, visiting all 15 churches named St. Mary. They are doing this to raise funds for a new heating system at St. Mary, Halewood. We wish them well on their very worthwhile journey.

But I do want to actually suggest that in many ways the life of the church at international, national and local levels is like a bike ride. A bike is a form of transport – it’s purpose being a way of moving forward, and that is just what the church has to be doing. Those of you who are cyclists will know that very occasionally progress seems to be so easy, with the sun out and the wind behind, we find ourselves whizzing along without effort, hardly needing to pedal at all, especially on a racing bike! But more often than not, unlike a car journey, a bike ride is hard work, especially when the road is uphill and there is rain in your face! Progress then is much slower and more difficult. Legs quickly tire and it becomes harder and harder to keep pedalling, even on a mountain bike! And there are other problems as well. As you journey on a bike, you can feel quite vulnerable, especially with other traffic sweeping past, and, of course, there can also be broken chains and punctured tyres as well.

For too long the church has free- wheeled downhill, and even back-pedalled, and in some places the brakes seem to have been permanently on, but surely the time has come to mend the bike, make a fresh effort to get going again and make some progress.

Please pray for Sarah & Jane, and for all the Archbishops and Bishops as they gather at Lambeth, and pray also for the church here. Summertime is a great time to get back on the bike!

Yours in Christ,

Michael.