The Revd Amos Manga visiting South Sudan

The Revd Amos Manga, who serves the White Nile Congregation in Northern Finland, has recently been on a trip back to his homeland, the world's newest country, South Sudan. He has been in the country for about two weeks now. The purpose of his trip is to meet with members of his family and the officials and clergy of the Episcopal Church in Sudan. The Sudanese community which comprises the White Nile Congregation in Finland has been very active in assisting the young country to build up its infrastructure and governmental bodies; though many have stayed in Finland some have returned back to their home country.

Unfortunately, as we know, just a couple of days ago, there was an attempted coup against the President Salva Kiir. Fr Amos has reported hearing gunfire continuously in the capital, Juba, where he is at present. He is safe, but apparently about 500 people have been killed in violent clashes in the past 48 hours. He adds that Church leaders in South Sudan are calling for calm and are seeking to offer help to the Government to restore peace in the country. He hopes to get to the countryside in next two or three days, when the security situation improves.

Pray for Fr Amos, that he may be kept safe, and for all the people of his land who are caught up in this recent violence, and for those who work to bring peace and order.   

Fr Amos's colleague, the Revd Tuomas Mäkipää, the Chaplain of St Nicholas's, Helsinki, has been in touch with Fr Amos. He writes:  

As we prepare for celebrating a peaceful Christmas, let us remember those our brothers and sisters who live in uncertainty and pray for those who have lost their lives and those who mourn for them; and let us pray especially for the people and leaders of South Sudan that they - and all people - may be governed in peace with justice and mercy. Christ was incarnated into this world to meet us in our weakness as the Angels sung to the shepherds ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed:
kindle, we pray, in the hearts of all, the true love of peace
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth
that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen. (Collect for the Peace of the World)

10th anniversary of restoration of regular services in Berlin Mitte

On Sunday 1 December, St George's Anglican Church in Berlin celebrated the 10th anniversary of the restoration of regular services in central Berlin (Mitte).

The first St George’s in the city was built in 1885 under the patronage of the Crown Princess of Germany, Victoria (eldest daughter of Queen Victoria) who was married to the future Kaiser Friedrich III. It was the only Anglican Church in Germany to remain open during World War I, as the Kaiser was the Church’s Patron. It was closed in the Second World War and hit by allied bombing 24 Nov 1943 and the remains were pulled down by the East Berlin authorities. After World War II, new St George's, a garrison Church, was built in the British sector. In 1994 the new St George’s became a civilian congregation of the Diocese.

In 2003 in a reunified Berlin, the Chaplain of St George's, the Revd Canon Christopher Jage-Bowler, with his Assistant Chaplain, the Revd Dr Irene Ahrens, decided to restart a weekly evening service back in Mitte, in addition to the regular morning Eucharist in the new St George's, The Marienkirche, the oldest still functioning Church in Berlin, has been the host venue for the Mitte service since 2007. The Marienkirche is only a couple of hundred metres from where the original St George's once stood.

About 150 people attended the anniversary service, which included the confirmation of 10 members. Clergy from the Marienkirche robed for the service as did visiting Anglican clergy and ordinands who have had some association with the services in Mitte during the past 10 years. 

St George's Berlin website is here.

Every parish should have one of these!

All Saints Church in St Pargoire, France, one of the newer congregations in the Diocese in Europe, is blessed by having a vintner and his family as active members of the congregation. Simon Coulshaw and his wife Monica run a vineyard, Domaine des Trinités, and using traditional artisanal methods are producing fine vins du terroir.  

The parish social events, of course, feature wines from Domaine des Trinités, and there is no shortage of wine for the eucharist! But Simon and Monica also use their skill also to encourage and promote the outreach work of the parish. From time to time they host "Wine into Water" events, which are well attended by parishioners. These events include guided walk through the vines, followed by a talk and tasting in the winery accompanied by Monica’s famous tapas. (Monica is from Catalunya). Funds are raised for the international development charity Water Aid. As a result, several dozen villages in Africa have already benefited from this initiative by the Coulshaws, and now have clean water available to them, for the first time.

Domaine des Trinités has a website here. 

Linda Brooke admitted as a Reader to serve in the Manche

On 13 November the Area Dean of France, the Revd Canon Trevor Whitfield, admitted Linda Brooke to the ministry of Reader and licensed her to exercise that lay ministry in the parish of Christ Church in the Manche, in Normandy. This was among Canon Whitfield's last actions as Area Dean, before his retirement on 30 November

Following her three year theological training for this ministry, Linda now joins her husband Mike Brooke, also a Reader, in working with the priest-in-charge of Christ Church, the Revd Peter Hales. 

Although the canons of the Church of England refer to Readers, in the Diocese in Europe we are coming to terms with the fact that a Reader is perhaps better described as a Licensed Lay Minister. This is a term that means much more to our ecumenical partners and avoids the misunderstanding that Readers simply read in Church! 

Christ Church in the Manche is a busy parish with services every Sunday in two centres: in Gratot Homeel, near Coutances, and in Virey, towards the south. 

Area Dean Trevor Whitfield and Reader Linda Brooke

First confirmations in All Saints, Hérault

 

All Saints Anglican Church in St Pargoire, in the department of Hérault in France, is one of the newest congregations in the diocese in Europe. It became formally part of the Church of England in January 2013. Since then, their priest-in-charge, the Revd Roger Smith, assisted by the Revd Richard Acworth, has led the congregation forward in their life and mission.

 

Already, the parish has produced candidates for confirmation. Six young women were presented to me on 27 October to receive this sacrament.

 

In our French parishes, church lunches tend to be quite splendid affairs, and this was certainly true of the reception and parish lunch following the Confirmation service.

 

 

 

All Saints has an active collaboration with Roman Catholic and Reformed Church partners in several outreach programmes. The Church's website is here.

Fr Richard Acworth, Fr Roger Smith and Confirmands

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Now there's a familiar face ...

At the main Eucharist at the November sessions of General Synod, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby was ably assisted by none other than Deacon Frances Hiller, my chaplain.

Deacon Frances is quite used to telling a bishop what to do in the liturgy. After all, that's one of the main jobs of deacons! I wonder if she was as directive with the Archbishop? At any rate it was very good to see one of our clergy assisting His Grace in this way.

Workshop for Readers on Funeral Ministry is oversubscribed

A workshop on funeral ministry for Readers and Readers in Training was held at St Columba's House, Working on 25-27 October. Completion of such a training workshop is a requirement if Readers (licensed lay ministers) are to be authorised to conduct funerals. This weekend particular course was fully subscribed, with 20 participants from across the diocese, and people on a waiting list!

The Director of Training, Canon Ulla Monberg, and the Senior Tutor and Advisor for Reader Ministry, the Revd Elaine Labourel, were the course leaders for this workshop. Sessions were held on aspects of pastoral care and bereavement. Practical work was done on putting together a funeral using the rich resources of Common Worship, and guidance was given on officiating at a funeral rite itself.

It was one of Bishop Geoffrey Rowell's last appearances at a diocesan event. He gave a lecture on the changing context of funerals and presided at a requiem mass at the event.

 

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There's a first time for everything

It had to happen one day, I suppose. Over 11 years of almost weekly travel to parishes in the diocese and never a single scheduled service missed - until this weekend, that is.

An accident closed a section of the westbound M4 heading to London's Heathrow airport and I was trapped for 2 hours, missing my flight to Berlin. Rebooking was not a problem, except it was the last flight of the day. So I am transferred to the first flight in the morning which arrives in Berlin at 1130, exactly one hour after the start of the service at St George's at which I was to preside, preach, baptise and confirm.

Canon Christopher Jage-Bowler and the Revd Dr Irene Ahrens, the clergy at St George's, having received a panicked call from a frazzled bishop, calmly improvised with some liturgical ingenuity. They would hold the normal sung eucharist, and baptise those to be baptised in the morning, and the confirmation candidates will come to the evening service in central Berlin at which I am also presiding. So with a little shuffle, and some liturgical flexibiity (just ignore the rubric about the full initiation rite of baptism, confirmation and holy communion being celebrated as a unity), and we are back on track. My thanks to the clergy for their swift and flexible response.

Now to address those frazzled episcopal nerves.

 

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Commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Istanbul bombings

St Helena's Chapel, Istanbul

The parish of Christ Church with St Helena's in Istanbul yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of the bombings at the British Consulate General which killed dozens of people including the Consul General, Roger Short. The Chaplain of Christ Church, the Revd Canon Ian Sherwood, informed me that the UK Foreign Minister, William Hague, read the lesson at Morning Prayer and that the Consulate staff hosted an excellent gathering where the Turkish Foreign Minister and Mr Hague spoke. Many family members of those who died attended the events. Fr Ian also attended the mosque with some consular staff members who are Muslim.

The terrorist attack on 20 November 2003 was the worst ever experienced against a British diplomatic mission. St Helena's Chapel is one of the historic consular buildings. 

Learning to walk together

Today I think I witnessed the Church's decision-making at its best. 

The General Synod (which I am attending during the episcopal interregnum) overwhelmingly gave welcome to a package of proposals which charts the way forward to permit the consecration of women as bishops. This is the first stage towards a process. Final approval will be at a later stage.  

The remarkable thing was to witness members of the Synod from every theological stripe in the Church of England give support to the package of proposals. There were 33 speeches, and all but two were largely positive towards the package. Yes, there were wise words of caution, and a reminder that we should not be complacent as we move forward as there will be hard work involved in the next stages. In particular there was a warning not to tinker with the careful and delicate balance that has been sought in the proposals.   

5 guiding principles, which must be held together as they create the balance needed, under-gird the proposals:

1. The Church of England is fully and unequivocally committed to all orders of ministry being open equally to all, without reference to gender, and holds that those whom it has duly ordained and appointed to office are the true and lawful holders of the office which they occupy and thus deserve due respect and canonical obedience;
2. Anyone who ministers within the Church of England must be prepared to acknowledge that the Church of England has reached a clear decision on the matter;
3. Since it continues to share the historic episcopate with other Churches, including the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church and those provinces of the Anglican Communion which continue to ordain only men as priests or bishops, the Church of England acknowledges that its own clear decision on ministry and gender is set within a broader process of discernment within the Anglican Communion and the whole Church of God; 
4. Since those within the Church of England who, on grounds of theological conviction, are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests continue to be within the spectrum of teaching and tradition of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England remains committed to enabling them to flourish within its life and structures; and 
5. Pastoral and sacramental provision for the minority within the Church of England will be made without specifying a limit of time and in a way that maintains the highest possible degree of communion and contributes to mutual flourishing across the whole Church of England. 

The spirit in the Synod chamber was one of graceful listening, mutual respect for differing theological views, and a strong desire for unity, so that the Church can move forward in mission. The motion to welcome the package of proposals was carried with 378 votes in favour, 8 against and 25 abstentions.

Perhaps we are learning to walk together on the way, as syn-hodos means.

New Reader to serve St Michael's in the Gard

Brenda Juntunen receives her licence as a reader

On 26 October, a new Reader was admitted and licensed in the diocese, to serve in the parish of St Michael's in the Gard, France. Brenda Juntunen was presented by her parish priest, the Revd Stafford Low. A large congregation gathered to support her, following the three years of extensive theological study and preparation which is required for this ministry. 

The Revd Jenny Deverill, the former priest-in-charge, who founded this congregation back in 2006, was also present, along with the Revd Prebendary, David Paton, a retired priest who is linked to St Michael's, and the Revd Roger Smithm, the priest-in-charge of the neighbouring parish of St Pargoire (about 120 km away!). 

At the same celebration, a member of the parish, John Smith, was confirmed. 

St Michael's meets in an ancient building of the Reformed Church, in the village of Boisset-et-Gaujacm, in the Languedoc Roussillon region. The congregation's website is here.

Left to right: the Revd Jenny Deverill, the Revd Stafford Low, John Smith, Preb. David Paton, Brenda Juntunen, the Revd Roger Smith

Triple Celebration at the Church of the Ascension, Cadenabbia

Director of Music Janet Anderson together with guest Organist Ennio Cominetti at the Organ Console

One of the lesser known gems of the Diocese in Europe is the Church of the Ascension in Cadenabbia, on Lake Como, Italy. This is a church that was founded in the late 19th century, which is now connected to the Milan parish, but which continues to be served by a series of visiting locum priests. It is a beautiful building in a most exquisite location.

Recently, one of the locum clergy, the Revd Stephen Anderson, reported on a significant event in the Church of the Ascension when on the 29th September there was a "triple celebration": the feast of Michaelmas  the 122th anniversary of the dedication of the building, and a service of thanksgiving for the restoration of the organ.  

  

The Music Director, Janet Anderson, spearheaded an organ appeal which raised €30,000 in less than 2 years. Several benefactors and a large congregation were able to enjoy voluntaries on the restored organ played by Maestro Ennio Cominetti, a well known local recitalist, who showed off the power and range of the organ to good effect, before and after the Sung Eucharist. 

During the service, Fr Stephen dedicated the restored organ, saying that “it should not merely produce a pleasing combination of sounds and tunes, but lead to an expansion of the heart and the soul”.

The Church of the Ascension exists to serve local English speaking residents and provides a source of spiritual refreshment for the many holidaymakers who visit picturesque Lake Como and the surrounding area during the summer season. 

The website is here.