The Bishop speaks of his desire fora deeper faith

page 16

No 34Lent 2012FREE

Diocese of Lincoln newspaperwww.lincoln.anglican.org

Building discipleship

Your chance to take part in a long-running BBC Radio programme

page 4

Broadcasting fromLincoln at Easter

Summer of celebrationPHOTOGRAPH: HARRISON PHOTOGRAPHY

Edward Joyner

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Churches are being encouraged to usea host of major events this summer totheir advantage, including the

Olympics, the UEFA Euro football champi-onship and the Queen’s Jubilee.The Diocese of Lincoln is helping parish-

es make the most of the events with thecreation of a resources pack – to bereleased in early 2012 – that will bothinspire and inform as churches makepreparations for summer.“The summer of 2012 presents an

unprecedented opportunity for churchesacross the Diocese of Lincoln to engagewith their local communities by embracinginternationally significant events,” said theBishop, the Rt Revd Christopher Lowson.“From the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee cele-

brations, through the Olympic Torch Relay,and on to the Olympic and ParalympicGames, the UK will invite the world to unifyin celebration of culture, sport, peace andparticipation. “And with the addition of UEFA Euro 2012

in Poland and Ukraine it is sure to be a fulland fun-packed summer.“It is clear that these events present

churches with opportunities for Mission.Having a presence in nearly every commu-nity throughout historic Lincolnshire,churches are ideally placed to play a centralrole in our county’s celebrations: bringingpeople together, promoting fellowship andensuring everyone has the opportunity toparticipate. “Of course, churches will need support in

order fully to realise the potential of

Summer 2012. “The Diocese of Lincoln is providing this

support through resource packs that willboth inspire and inform churches acrosshistoric Lincolnshire as they and their com-munities prepare to celebrate Summer2012.”The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebra-

tions in May and June will see lunches host-ed across the country as part of The BigLunch. Celebrating Summer is being organised

by the Diocese of Lincoln’s Open ChurchesOfficer, Ben Stoker, and the administratorfor Churches Together in All Lincolnshire,Simon Dean. “The aim is to get as many people as pos-

sible across the whole of the UK to havelunch with their neighbours in a simple act

of community, friendship and fun,” saidBen.“A mission-embracing church is a rela-

tionship-building church, and these sum-mer events present a fantastic opportunityto foster and renew relationships anddevelop positive dialogue with your localcommunity,” added Simon.“And, importantly, each event provides a

platform from which to share the gospel ofJesus Christ through both word andaction.”

Your pull-out guide on page 12 Sign the Diocese of Lincoln’s ThankYou letter to the Queen: visit www.lincoln.anglican.org/jubilee For further information visitwww.lincoln.anglican.org/summer

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Acurate is to spend a week living in aGrimsby church to raise money for avisit to help children in poverty in

Gambia.The Revd George Huysse-Smith is

depending on food provided by membersof the congregation during the week inMarch.George will also go without what are, for

many, the basic essentials of life: hermobile phone, the Internet, music,Facebook, and money, and will take just 12items with her to the church.“I’m going to be living in St Michael’s

Church in Grimsby for a week to raisemoney for a trip to Gambia with studentsfrom the Grimsby Institute of Further andHigher Education,” she said.“I’ll have a lighter workload than usual so

I can dedicate my time to praying in thechurch.“Just as our good Lord had 12 disciples, I

will be taking 12 ‘friends’ into the churchwith me, by which I mean, 12luxury items.”

During the week, from 4 to 11 March,George will use anything inside the church,but rely on others for food.“I’m sure God will provide one way or

another,” said George.“I’ll be delighted if people drop in for a

chat during the day.”The trip to Gambia will aim to help chil-

dren in a disadvantaged community.“We hope to work at St Joseph’s School in

Banjul, SOS children’s home, the RoyalVictoria hospital and in the local communi-ties, as well as staying briefly with aGambian family to experience their dailylife,” said George.“In the school we will be decorating,

doing woodwork putting in bench seatingat the back of the library, providing tablesand chairs, fitting electrical fans to class-rooms, teaching, and fun activities!”In the run-up to the event, George is

keeping a blog, which can be found at,www.livinonaprayer2012.blogspot.comwhich describes more about the visit toGambia. She is also seeking sponsorship, which

can be given in cash, by cheque (payable to‘GIFHE/Gambia’ or by credit or debit card bytelephone to the Grimsby Institute on01472 311222.

Living on a prayerWill Harrison

Twelve friends

A camp bedA sleeping bagA towel ShampooA bar of soapA combHair wax

Toothbrush andpasteFoundationOne change ofclothesA loaf of breadA bag of apples

The fight against metal theft has inten-sified, after the Home Secretaryannounced new measures to toughen

regulation and penalties.The Home Secretary, Teresa May,

announced that fines for offences listed inthe 1964 Scrap Metal Dealers Act wouldincrease, and that cash payments for scrapmetal would be banned in order to reduce“anonymous, low-risk transactions” and“poor record keeping” within the industry.Anne Sloman, Chair of the Church of

England’s Cathedral and Church BuildingsCouncil, described the decision as “excel-lent news.” “The Church has campaigned for a long

time for legislation to outlaw cash transac-tions for scrap metal,” she said. “We are still suffering the theft of lead

from ten church roofs a day, and everyweapon the Government and the Policecan use to help us combat this crime isgreatly to be welcomed.”The Shadow Home Secretary, Yvette

Cooper, also said that proposals to increasefines and stop cash payments were wel-come, but that the Government’s changesdidn’t go far enough, and that the opposi-tion would put forward more substantialproposals.“Wire theft is causing repeated power

cuts, plunging communities regularly intodarkness, and putting lives at risk,” she said.In recent years, many churches have suf-

fered when lead has been stolen fromroofs, while copper has been taken fromtelephone exchanges and constructionsites.Metal thefts from railways have also

increased, causing disruption to millions ofpassengers and costing more than £16 mil-lion per year.Churches in Lincolnshire have been

given signs to show that they are protectedby the Police. The signs will provide a fur-ther deterrent to thieves and have beenfunded by the Diocese, Lincolnshire Policeand the Lincolnshire County Council.

Cash for metal scrapped

Acivil servant from Lincoln, and Readerat St John the Baptist, Ermine, hasbeen awarded an MBE in the Queen’s

New Year Honours list.Jackie Howell, an Executive Officer at the

Jobcentre Plus, works in the Crisis Loandecision-making team and was nominatedby her peers for the prestigious award.Jackie, who was born and raised in

Lincoln, joined the civil service after leavingschool. She has worked since then in theDepartment for Work and Pensions formore than 35 years. Her first role was as ashort-term benefits rater, assessing claimsfor sickness and injury benefit, and after aspell in the debt department in 2000 shejoined the contact centre for crisis loans in2004, where she has worked ever since. As a crisis loan decision maker Jackie

receives hundreds of requests for helpevery week by telephone, and has to makecritical decisions which affect the lives ofsome of the neediest people in the country. “It’s challenging and can be quite drain-

ing,” said Jackie. “You’re listening to people for whom you

are the last resort. A lot of the time the situ-ations they’ve found themselves in arethrough no fault of their own and it can bevery difficult to hear day in day out.”Jackie was informed that she would be

honoured with an MBE in November.“There was a bit of confusion when I got

the letter as it was addressed to Ms J Howelland my daughter’s name is Jessica,” shesaid.“Luckily though, I opened the letter as my

daughter was away supply teaching, andrang the Palace to find out which of us itwas for. I couldn’t believe it when they saidit was me!“The Palace asked me to keep it a secret;

it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done but Imanaged it. When the list came out on NewYear’s eve I went to check it had been pub-lished and then showed the letter to myhusband, who immediately thought I’dbeen summonsed to court!“I feel very humbled by the whole situa-

tion; that it was one of my peers who nom-inated me and recognised the contributionI make makes it extra special.”As well as her work for the Department

for Work and Pensions Jackie has minis-tered as a Reader at St John the Baptist onthe Ermine estate in Lincoln since 2007.Because of her work and time restrictionsJackie has chosen to do baptism prepara-tion and visiting as her main area of min-istry. “It’s challenging but rewarding at the

same time; you get to know people andsometimes they do come back to church. “It’s good to talk and for people to see

that I’m me, I’m Jackie, and just happen togo to church; sometimes people find youmore relatable because you don’t have adog collar on. “In my everyday job I do have to talk to

people and listen to them, and that has def-initely helped me in my ministry as aReader.”

Honour for

Reader

The General Synod of the Church ofEngland rejected further concessionsfor the opponents of women bishops

at its meeting in Westminster in February.Following an overwhelming show of sup-

port for the consecration of women as bish-ops around the country (Diocesan Synodbacks women bishop proposals, Crosslincs33), the discussion turned to the mechanicsof how to accommodate traditionalists whocannot accept their ministry and authority,without writing discrimination into the leg-islation. Currently, the draft legislation allows tra-

ditionalists in a diocese under the authorityof a woman bishop the right to request theministry of a male bishop. The female bish-op would delegate some of her authority toa male bishop, while still legally maintain-ing authority in the whole of her diocese. Opponents of the draft legislation say

that they cannot accept the authority of awoman bishop. They argue that if theauthority is ‘delegated’ from a woman to amale bishop, this too would be unaccept-able. A proposal by the Diocese of Manchester

would have meant that any alternativebishops would have derived their authorityfrom elsewhere, thereby easing the con-cerns of evangelical and conservativechurches. Speakers at the Synod argued that any

legislation which weakened the authorityof women bishops would result in “twoclasses of bishops”, and undermine awoman bishop’s authority in her own dio-cese. The resulting vote appeals to the House

of Bishops not to amend the draft legisla-tion in any ‘substantial’ way. The final vote on the consecration of

women as bishops will be held in July.Other agenda items included changes to

parochial fees – the charges attached toweddings and funerals – an expression ofconcern regarding the work of theIndependent Commission on AssistedDying and consideration of the Church’smission in healthcare settings. New fees for weddings and funerals will

come into force in January 2013. Thechanges will mean a greater level of trans-parency and uniformity, which should helpcouples as they plan their weddings. Although the fees will rise, it is anticipat-

ed that many couples won’t notice a dra-matic increase in expense. The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds explained

to the Synod that the changes merelyreflected the “reality” of the costs, and thatthe changes would reduce confusion. The Synod voiced its concern at the

recently published report on assisted dyingby the Commission chaired by LordFalconer. Speaking in response to the private

member’s motion, the Archbishop ofCanterbury said that it would be a “disaster”for society to change its position on thesanctity of life. The Synod voted overwhelmingly in sup-

port of the motion and agreed to “celebratethe considerable improvement in the qual-ity of care of the dying brought about bythe hospice and palliative care movements”and to “encourage the Church’s continuedinvolvement in the wider agenda of thecare of those approaching the end of theirlives and the support of those caring forthem.” The ministry of chaplains was warmly

affirmed by the Synod, during a debateabout mission and healthcare settings. TheRt Revd Mike Hill, Bishop of Bristol, told theGeneral Synod: “As with much in life, thetrue value of our chaplains might only beappreciated if they were no longer present.” Dr Chris Sugden spoke about the role of

chaplains in the mission of the Church andsaid that they should “be seen as an expres-sion of the Church of England’s commit-ment to minister to all the community.”

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General Synod rejects compromise

Canterbury post for curate

ALincolnshire curate has been appoint-ed as Chaplain to the Bishop of Doverand Archbishop’s Chaplain in

Canterbury. The Revd Matthew Rushton is currently

Assistant Curate of Nettleham and Riseholmewith Grange de Lings, and also works in theparishes of Welton, Dunholme and Scothern.He is also an honorary Priest-Vicar of LincolnCathedral.As the Bishop of Dover’s chaplain, Matthew

will be praying with and for him, attendinghim liturgically and at other events, and work-ing together with the staff of the Bishop’soffice and other Diocesan staff to assist theBishop in the exercise of his ministry.Due to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s

national and international responsibilities, hisdiocesan responsibilities are largely delegat-ed to the Bishop of Dover – a position createdby Henry VIII in 1534 – who is also known as

‘the Bishop in Canterbury’.The Archbishop’s main residence is at

Lambeth Palace in London, but he is a regularresident in Canterbury, visiting parishes andattending events in the Diocese and at theCathedral. When in the Diocese, Matthew will support

the Archbishop’s diocesan ministry, planninghis visits and fostering the working relation-ship between the staff at Lambeth andCanterbury. “I am thrilled to have been appointed to

such a challenging and diverse role and hum-bled to have the opportunity to serve theBishop, the Archbishop, and the people ofthe Diocese of Canterbury in this way”, saidMatthew. Matthew is married to Elizabeth (who is

undertaking doctoral research in environ-mental science) and they have two sons,Nathaniel (7) and Lucas (4).

Matthew Rushton

Edward Joyner

Rachel Beck, Sue Slater, Chris Lilley and Sylvia Pounds are among the Diocese ofLincoln’s representatives on General Synod

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Philip Craven

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Along-running BBC Radio programmewill visit Lincolnshire for its Easterbroadcast.

BBC Radio 2’s Sunday Half Hour was firstbroadcast in 1940, and is one of thelongest-running programmes on radio.This year’s Easter Day hour-long special −Easter Glory − will be broadcast fromLincoln Cathedral, and organisers are hop-ing to fill the building with people from theDiocese for the recording on 21 March.The Sunday Half Hour series was original-

ly created to link troops serving in WorldWar Two with their loved ones at home,and continues to bring people together inlistening to music, hymns, readings, andpoetry, linked together and led by theshow’s presenter.This year’s Easter Glory will also be the

first time that Sunday Half Hour’s new pre-senter, Diane Louise Jordan, will host theevent. The Songs of Praise and former Blue Peter

presenter told Crosslincs that she wasabsolutely delighted to be following in thesteps of Canon Roger Royle and Fr BrianD’Arcy in hosting the well-loved show.“I’m so excited to be involved with

Sunday Half Hour,” said Diane.“I’m a great fan of radio and, with the

radio, you really do feel part of a communi-ty; there’s something quite calming aboutit.”In its 72 years Sunday Half Hour has gath-

ered a loyal and passionate following, andDiane reassures listeners that the show’singredients will essentially remain thesame.“We’ll continue with the hymns we all

love and perhaps there will be a few somelisteners haven’t heard before, and mostimportantly, we’ll still be reading out lettersfrom our lovely listeners who write dedica-tions for their loved ones,” she said. “The letters and dedications from our lis-

teners are a great uniting bridge: listenersare able to send their love or celebrate withloved ones who are sometimes on theother side of the world.“In that moment they know they’re shar-

ing their thoughts and love together wher-ever they may be.”Diane said that she was eagerly looking

forward to celebrating Easter Glory withpeople from around Lincolnshire andSunday Half Hour listeners. “One of the things I love about Songs of

Praise is the opportunity for outside eventswhere the congregation is made up of thelocal community,” she said.“I would love to meet all the Sunday Half

Hour listeners – that would make my dayand year! “I hope we may be able to entice some of

the Songs of Praise fans to come along too.“Any opportunity to praise God is a great

one and celebrating in Lincoln Cathedralwith its history, its magnificent building,and tremendous choir is going to be verymajestic and fitting for the occasion.” Aric Prentice, the Director of Music at

Lincoln Cathedral, said that he was relish-ing the prospect of the broadcast.“We are absolutely delighted that BBC

Radio 2 has invited us to host this year’sEaster broadcast of Sunday Half Hour,” hesaid.“The choir always enjoys broadcasting

very much and it’s lovely that we’ll besinging for a new audience this time. “We’ve worked with Diane Louise Jordan

before on Songs of Praise, and she’s alwaysreally encouraging and good fun, so it willbe good to work with her again. “Bob Chilcott has just composed a new

Easter piece for the Cathedral Choir too, soEaster Glory will have its own world pre-miere.”Diane Louise Jordan said: “If you can get

along to Lincoln Cathedral on 21 March Iwould be so delighted to see everyone,local people and Sunday Half Hour listenersalike.“It’s going to be a really uplifting, vibrant,

spectacular event and together we’regoing to sing the roof off,” said Diane.Tickets are free but they need to be

reserved through the BBC Radio 2 website.The doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start

and the event will finish by 9.30pm.

If you would like to attend pleaseapply for the free, unreserved e-ticketsthrough the BBC Radio 2 website atwww.bbc.co.uk/radio2/music-events/

BBC chooses Lincoln for

Easter broadcast

Diane Louise Jordan will present BBC Radio 2’s Easter Glory from Lincoln Cathedral

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Aservice is to take place at a Londonchurch in memory of a Lincolnshirepriest who died in the summer.

The Revd Dr Alan Megahey died onFriday 19 August, and his funeral was heldat Leadenham Parish Church, close towhere he lived.

After completing a degree at Cambridgeand a doctorate at his birth town of Belfast,Alan spent a year at Westcott House beforeordination in 1970. He spent most of hisministry in teaching and school chaplaincy,and served for ten years in Zimbabwe.  

He came to Lincolnshire in 2001, whenhe was appointed Rector of BrantBroughton with Beckingham, Welbournand Leadenham.

The Memorial Service will take place on

Saturday 10 March at 2pm in StMarylebone Parish Church, Marylebone,London.

5crosslincs

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People around the world will joinwomen in prayer for justice as part ofan annual international event.

Every year on the first Friday in March,the Women’s World Day of Prayer includes aservice, this year written by Christianwomen of Malaysia.

Organisers envisage a great wave ofprayer sweeping the world, beginning inTonga and continuing around the planetuntil the final service takes place, 35 hourslater, in neighbouring Western Samoa.

Malaysia is multi-ethnic and multi-reli-gious, and throughout its history hasattracted migrants from other parts of Asiaand beyond. It is one of the wealthiest andmost developed countries in South EastAsia.

Women have made important contribu-tions to its social and economic develop-ment but, nevertheless, they still face dis-

crimination and violence at all levels ofsociety. Malaysia is now the most populardestination country in Asia for migrantworkers and human trafficking has becomea sophisticated and organised operation.

Malaysia’s multi-ethnicity has added tothe rich heritage of its land and people butit has also given rise to many problems. Inthe service those issues of concern arenamed and the women voice their hope forthe future.

Justice for all is their hope, and theirprayer is Let Justice Prevail.

Although organised and led by women,this is essentially a day of prayer for every-body.

It demonstrates our solidarity with oursisters and brothers in other countries.

Visit the WWDP website at www.wwdp-natcomm.org for more aboutthe movement and this year’s service.

Alan Megahey, 1944-2011

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Memorial for priestWomen pray

for justice

Will Harrison

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Children and Young PeopleChildren and Young People

01522 50 40 67

youth@lincoln.anglican.orgwww.lincoln.anglican.org/youth

The children at St Andrew’s School,Leasingham have been busy takingphotographs of their church for a

Christian Aid project. The pupils will choose their best photo-

graphs and send them to a selection panel,which will select seven pictures to be used tocreate notelets, baptism cards and postcards,to be sold for Christian Aid.Christian Aid volunteer, Catherine Garsed,

introduced the pupils to the charity, andexplained how people who live in povertyare supported. Catherine’s presentation also included

photographs from Christian Aid projects, andencouraged the pupils to share theirthoughts on the way they had been taken.They also discussed the people and places inthe pictures and how their lives were differ-ent to ours.This was followed by a short walk to St

Andrew’s Church in Leasingham for a photo-graphic workshop. Catherine encouragedthe pupils to think out of the box and useitems around the church as props to create apicture, or to look very closely at detail on

woodwork or fabrics. The recent snow added another dimension

to photographs taken outside the church. The pupils at St Andrew’s have taken the

lead on this project, which has been set upthrough the Diocese of Lincoln Youth Service,working in partnership with Open Churchesand Christian Aid. The project is open to all young people and

churches. There will be further Christian Aidpresentations and workshops throughoutthe year in different parts of the Diocese.Some groups may wish to run their own pho-tographic sessions and may request a photobrief. A selection panel comprising Ben Stoker

(Open Churches Officer), Beth Reynolds (ayoung photographer), Suzanne Starbuck(Diocese of Lincoln Youth Service) and thepriest from each church will choose sevenphotographs, which will be used to createpersonalised stationary for the churches andschools to sell. The best ten photographs from each

church can be sent to Suzanne Starbuck atsuzanne.starbuck@lincoln.anglican.org

Partnership-working between theDiocese of Lincoln Youth Service,Heritage Lincolnshire and St Francis

Special School produced the projectChurch Detectives. Six students from the post-16 group vis-

ited three churches under the guidance ofDr Matthew Godfrey and Natalie Hamiltonfrom Heritage Lincolnshire to look at thearchitecture and monitor whether thechurches were at risk.The churches, which were selected for

their easy access and diversity, were StJohn the Baptist in Lincoln, St Mary

Magdalene in Bailgate, Lincoln, and AllSaints’ Church in Nettleham.The students took photographs of differ-

ent aspects of each church and completedtheir monitoring forms. They were evengiven the opportunity to ring the churchbell in St Mary Magdalene’s.The post-16 students undertook this

project as volunteers for LincolnshireHeritage at Risk for part of their Duke ofEdinburgh Awards and their work can beseen in more detail by visiting the youthwebsite www.lincshar.org where theirChurch Detectives newsletter can be read.

Snapshots for

Christian Aid

Church detectives

Asecond themed taster day to exploreGodly Play has taken place nearLincoln.

Skellingthorpe Church hosted 16 partici-pants, brought together from Anglican,Methodist and Groundlevel churches. The delegates explored and practiced

Godly Play presentations around the Eastertheme. Led by Judy Dickin, an experienced Godly

Play Practitioner, the attendees were firstgiven a presentation on the theory andpractice of Godly Play, then experiencedsome of the stories before having thechance to practice The Faces of Easter andThe Good Shepherd and the WorldCommunion presentations.Capt Dave Rose CA, the Diocesan

Children and Youth Officer, said that theevent had been very useful.

“I should like to thank the Rector, theRevd Richard Billinghurst, for providingsuch a warm and welcoming venue,” saidDave.“I look forward to the next meeting in the

Autumn.For those who wish to engage with Godly

Play or Reflective Story Telling, a growingselection of resources are available in thearea resource centres. For more informa-tion, contact Suzanne Starbuck atsuzanne.starbuck@lincoln.anglican.org.Themes include The Holy Family, Jonah

and the Whale, The Good Shepherd andThe World Communion, and The Faces ofEaster.Anyone with ideas for future Godly

Play events, please contact Dave Rose atyouth@lincoln.anglican.org or on 01522504067.

Exploring Godly play

Developing youth

participation

Mark Eades-Jones joinedthe Diocese of Lincoln’syouth team in Decemberafter working for children’scharity Barnado’s.Mark has a passion for

children and young peo-ple’s participation and hasworked in the field formore than 20 years.Most recently he imple-

mented a district-wideyouth participation strate-gy in Bradford.Mark is based at The Old

Palace, but will spendmuch of his time out andabout in the Diocese.Photograph: Will Harrison

7crosslincs

A ministry in Lincolnshire

Aformer parish priest who ministeredin two parts of Lincolnshire has diedafter an illness.

The Revd Kenneth Littler was Vicar of TheSuttons with Tydd from 1987 until 1990,when he became Rector of the GraffoeGroup of parishes until his retirement in1994.Born in 1934, Kenneth studied at

Lampeter in the University of Wales, andserved two curacies and held several incum-bencies in Wales before moving to south-east Lincolnshire. Married to Caroline, whosurvives him, they had three daughters.After retiring to Lincoln, Kenneth assisted

in the ministry of St Mary Magdalene’sChurch in Bailgate, where his funeral washeld on 17 February.He died in St Barnabas Hospice, Lincoln,

on 4 February, aged 77 years.The Revd Malcolm Kenneth Littler1934-2012

Support charity relaunched

Anational charity which helps parishesto fulfil their mission through a varietyof expertises has been relaunched.

Living Stones comprises a group ofChristian professionals drawn from variousdisciplines who provide impartial advice onareas such as leadership and management,theology and mission, vision, architectureand design, and finance and fundraising.The Bishop of Grantham, the Rt Revd Dr

Tim Ellis, who is chair of the trustees ofLiving Stones, said that the charity aims toprovide a complete service to parishes.

“Our aim is to help churches to answer ourkey question: What is God calling you to doin this place?” said Bishop Tim.“We then partner them in responding to

that call.”He said that one of the main objectives

was to help church communities to recon-nect with the society around them, and indoing so, find a renewed purpose in theGospel.“We always start by arranging to come

and see you, to meet as many of you as wecan, to gain an independent and holistic

view of your church and community,” saidBishop Tim.“This initial visit currently costs £50 plus

travel costs for a half-day and this cost isrefunded when further services are commis-sioned from us.“Following this initial visit we provide you

with a summary of what we found, and howwe feel we might help you to move for-ward.”He said that although most believers are

clear that the church is the people − thebody of Christ − and not the building, thebuilding does say a great deal about thepeople who use it and look after it.“It can also be a valuable resource for the

community around it, and a means of meet-ing local people, getting to know them andtheir needs,” said Bishop Tim.“An attractive church building, which has

been and is being cared for by an active andsensitive worshipping fellowship and isplaying its part in the community around itis a positive sign of God’s grace to the world.“Presenting such a face to the world often

requires change.”For more information, visit the website

at www.living-stones.org.uk

Will Harrison

More than 70 people gathered at asouth Lincolnshire church for anannual event in honour of a local

saint.The audience gathered for the fourth

annual Saint Gilbert’s Day event inBillingborough Parish Church, which thisyear comprised three talks, and exhibitionand a visit to Sempringham Priory − ascheduled monument.Glynn Coppack, an authority on monas-

teries, talked about the origins ofSempringham Priory in the context of all theother Gilbertine monasteries in Lincolnshireand beyond. Paul Cope-Faulkner ofLincolnshire Heritage Trust discussed thearchaeological survey of 2006 whichunearthed 27,000 artefacts. And the RevdJohn Wilford spoke about St Gilbert and hisministry.

The event was organised by Alison Greigof The Spring Wells Heritage Group and bythe Society for Lincolnshire History andArchaeology. Saint Gilbert of Sempringham is England’s

only native saint to have founded his ownmonastic order. He initially cared for a groupof women in the 1130s, who became nuns,housing them on the north side of theparish church, now known as SempringhamAbbey. Later in the 12th Century he built amassive priory in the valley to the south,which was larger than Westminster Abbey. Itwas a double church with nuns on one sideand canons on the other, completely sepa-rated – his shrine was built between the two. The priory was demolished by Henry VIII

and the land was given to Lord Clinton, LordHigh Admiral to Queen Elizabeth 1st whobuilt a grand country house there.

Saintly talk for Gilbert

8 crosslincs

Lincoln Cathedral will this year host anevent which celebrates the beauty andsymbolism of flowers.

The Cathedral is famed for the naturalisticcarvings of foliage which feature throughoutthe building, and organisers say that makes itthe perfect backdrop for floral extravaganzas.The art of flower arranging set against the

backdrop of one of the finest gothicCathedrals will be the combination at theLincoln Cathedral Flower Festival in August2012. The festival theme, Dreams of Gold, willreflect the aspirations and achievements ofthe 2012 Olympics. It will be held in LincolnCathedral over five days from Thursday 16August to Monday 20 August, programmedbetween the main and Paralympic competi-tions.

Organised by Lincoln Cathedral and theLincolnshire branch of NAFAS (NationalAssociation of Flower ArrangementSocieties), visitors will enjoy more than 130arrangements depicting the games fromtheir beginnings in ancient Greece to themodern day. Exhibits in the nave will feature the ancient

competitions with horses, chariots and torch-es. Tributes to the Olympics will see a running

track in the Chapter House and a swimmingpool in the cloister plus depictions of cycling,sailing, equestrian sports and many otherevents. Other exhibits will focus on the Winterand Paralympic games. In all 26 local groups and 20 invited

exhibitors will be involved in the festival.

Olympic festival

Lincoln Cathedral

Places on Chapter

Two new members of the Chapter ofLincoln Cathedral have been seated inthe College of Canons.

Canon John Patrick, formerly Rural Deanof Lafford and Vicar of Sleaford was installedas Subdean of Lincoln at the special serviceof Evensong in February. As Subdean, Johnhas particular responsibility for the fabric ofthe cathedral, and pastoral care of the staffand congregation. John is also Chair of theHouse of Clergy of the Diocese of Lincoln.

Air Vice-Marshall Paul Robinson was onetime Commander of the RAF College atCranwell and brings a long and deep expe-rience of organisations. He was invested as alay canon, and will help to lead the cathe-dral’s strategy and mission as a member ofthe Chapter. In his charge to them, theBishop urged them both not to stay in theirseparate worlds − the spiritual and the sec-ular − but to work in both above all to fostera truly entrepreneurial ministry.

The morality of

the markets

The Chapter House of Lincoln Cathedral,with its soaring gothic lines, where theCanons meet, where Edward I held the

English Parliament, where the Da Vinci Codeand the Young Victoria were filmed: this wasthe setting for the first debate around thesubject of the Common Good. Dr Mark Hocknull, the Chancellor of

Lincoln, reminded the audience that this wasthe traditional role of cathedrals, as centresfor debate and discussion.The airwaves have been filled with argu-

ments over bankers’ bonuses, strippedknighthoods and the never-ending demandsthat the market makes on nation states. It wasperhaps hardly surprising that ProfessorDavid Head began with reference to DrRowan Williams’ Dimbleby Lecture in 2002,where he had thrown his spotlight on the lossof power of nation states as a direct result ofthe free movement of capital across borders. David went on to set the scene drawing on

writings about the Occupyprotest and impor-tantly the work that had been done by the StPaul’s Institute and its then canon, GilesFraser, well before the protest took place.Much of this focused on those who actuallywork in the financial markets and what theyactually think. At its centre there stands a bla-tant contradiction that what motivatesbankers most of all is financial reward, butthat reward itself is seen by many of them tobe far too great.Questions and comments from the audi-

ence followed each speaker and, followingProfessor Head’s lead, the first round of ques-tioners covered the well-rehearsed argu-ments. Markets were vilified as corrupt, andjustification was found for the demands ofinvestors for above average returns. Whatemerged though was an understanding thatmarkets by themselves do nothing; it isinvestors who are empowered to make ethi-cal choices.The MP for Lincoln, Karl McCartney,

extolled plans for free and fair markets,responsible capitalism, enterprise and inno-vation. From his own experience of workingin the city he recalled the active role of cityguilds in philanthropy. He pointed his finger at the withdrawal of

tax breaks for pension funds in 1997 as thetrigger for their demands for higher invest-ment returns. As to the recent crisis, he pon-

dered whether it might have been better tolet at least one bank fail; the others may havequickly learned responsibility. This time questions ranged more widely.

The imperative of care in the community, taxavoidance, the powerlessness of governmentwhen faced with massive bonus payments bystate-owned banks. The previous over-confi-dence in pension funds and the pension hol-idays employers were forced to take. Thealmost unbelievable dependence of govern-ment on tax revenues from the banking sec-tor, set in contrast with an economy that ismainly populated by small and medium-sized businesses. Mark Hocknull sought to draw the strands

together and offered a theological reflection.Perhaps the problem was neither moral noreconomic, but about process, about strangeindependent forces. The Tulip Bubble of 17thcentury Holland had already been referred toby more than one questioner; Dr Hocknullsaw the valuation of things as more than theyare actually worth as a constantly repeatedpattern in history. He drew on Peter Selby’sintroduction to the St Paul’s Institute Reportwhere Selby focussed on the inherent contra-diction that we had identified betweenbankers both knowing they were paid toomuch but needing the money for motivation.It is as if the system has a power of its own.As to theology, he explained that the New

Testament is set in a world of principalitiesand powers; it was how former generationsmade sense of the world around them. Yet,powers can also be social and psychologicaland it is perhaps these that are at work in thefinancial markets. Profit has become theproduct and is no longer the result of provid-ing valued services. There is nothing wrongwith the accrual of wealth; the problemcomes with how it is used: the missing side ofMrs Thatcher’s project was matching gen-erosity. No government since then has had anideology; what is needed is one espousing avision of how wealth may best be used for thegood of all. Dr Hocknull concluded by suggesting that

things only change when there is a head ofsteam; it is a matter of people starting torecognise some of the things they truly wantso that they may be articulated in the politicalarena. We are each other’s keeper; we muststart to put humanity first. The text of the three talks are available at

www.lincolncathedral.com

Phil Hamlyn Williams

a place to...

EXPERIENCEINSPIRING people in different ways

The very first time I entered Lincoln Cathedral I remember I just stood, gazing in awesome wonder.”

PHIL HAMLYN WILLIAMS - CHIEF EXECUTIVE

“

Adults £10 | Concessions £8(under 16’s free)

Fast track entry on advanced bookings. 10% discount on refreshments and tickets for group bookings (minimum of 12 people).

To purchase tickets visitwww.lincolnminstershop.comor call the Cathedral shop on01522 561644

For other enquiries email: flowers@lincolncathedral.com

Lincoln Cathedral01522 561600

visitors@lincoln.anglican.orgwww.lincolncathedral.com

From the Revd Ian Walker

At a recent meeting of the Grimsby Branchof the Mothers’ Union, of which, I am thehonorary chaplain, the matter of Mothers’Union Banners was raised. It was recorded that sadly, several branch-

es have closed over the years, and eachbranch had its own banner. Also we notedthat the banner they had was still kept in thechurch, for which we were glad. However, we felt that some record of

these banners should be kept. The best waywas a photograph with details of the church,when the branch started and if it had closed,the date of the final meeting and closure. A former parish I had the pleasure to serve,

Grayingham, has recently compiled a dis-play folder of former clergy, some details ofdates etc, and other historical details to helpform a history of the church. I feel this isgood idea, and one we could imitate. May I,through Crosslincs, ask if any churches havea Mothers’ Union Banner in their church, thatthey send me a photograph, along withdetails of the parish and any other relevantdetails of the branch and banner, so that alibrary may be started and a permanentrecord of our banners be kept for posterity.

Ian Walker48 Pretymen CrescentNew WalthamGrimsbyDN36 4PB01472 826958

Comment & letters Letters to the editor, Crosslincs, The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU

crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.orgA name and address and telephone number must be supplied with every letter and

e-mail. Letters may be edited for style and length.

Comment

9crosslincs

The Comment is written by a different anonymous author each edition with theintention of provoking thought and debate, and is not necessarily the view of theDiocese of Lincoln. Letters are welcomed on any subject.

Banners could be lost

There is a world of difference betweenJesus’ urgent call to be disciples andwhat the institution of the Church so

often teaches about discipleship. Jesus does not call us to do churchy

things; He calls us to follow Him and doHis works. He does not define one set ofworks for “clergy”, and another set ofworks for the “laity”. He calls us all to befully alive and alert to what it means tofollow His path in our own world.According to St Irenaeus, the second

century Bishop of Lyons, the glory of Godis a human being fully alive. The Christiancontention has been and always will bethat this full life is only to be found in a lifelived in relationship with Christ. That relationship is begun, symbolically,

by the act of baptism, which marks the lifeof discipleship orcommitment tofollowing andlearning fromChrist. Baptism is a

sacrament. TheSacramentum wasthe oath that aRoman citizenswore on enlistingin the Romanarmy. This swearing of the Sacramentum

changed the status of the man entirely.He was now utterly subject to his gener-al’s authority, and had thereby laid downany restraints of his former civilian life. Weought to think of baptism as somethingsimilar. It is an oath of allegiance to Jesus,and a setting aside of the old life in favourof the life of a disciple. Something of this is captured in the

baptism service, when the newly baptisedare exhorted to continue as faithful sol-diers of Christ to the end of their lives.Discipleship focuses on actively follow-

ing in the footsteps of Jesus. As Christiandisciples, we are not passive spectatorsbut energetic participants in God’s activi-ty in the world. Because of what God has

done for us, we offer our lives back toGod. We order our lives in ways thatembody Christ’s life in our families, work-places, communities, and the world.When Jesus was asked what the most

important commandment was, Hisresponse was: “You shall love the Lordyour God with all your heart, and with allyour soul, and with all your mind.”Discipleship is about loving God. It is

more than an acknowledgement of God’sexistence or a statement of belief regard-ing God. It is total devotion, head-over-heels-in-love-with adoration. It is thedeep desire to know God, to be one withGod, and to worship God.The second most important command-

ment is to love our neighbour as our-selves. Within the context of the Christian

community, ourneighbours areour brothers andsisters in Christ. Neighbours may

also refer to thec o n t empo r a r yunderstanding ofthose who livenear us; however,from a Biblical per-spective, neigh-

bours often include people whom wemight not normally consider: strangers,prisoners, people who mistreat us (whoare our enemies), people from other cul-tural and ethnic backgrounds, peoplefrom different religious traditions, andpeople who irritate us and push theboundaries of our patience. Discipleship requires attention and sac-

rifice. We have to pay attention to what ishappening around us in order to see ourneighbours and to recognise their needs.We must also consider their needs to beas important as our own in order to livefaithfully. Loving our neighbour is morethan random acts of kindness. It takestime, energy, and commitment. Discipleship is a way of life carefully cul-

tivated in response to God.

Readers are not the onlyaccredited lay ministry

From Capt Dave Rose CA

While celebrating the ministry of Readers(I have an excellent Reader as a colleague,who is licensed to me at the moment), it isnot quite true to say that Readers are theonly nationally-accredited and canonically-governed lay ministry (Readers licensed,Crosslincs 33).Church Army Evangelists are admitted to

the Office of Evangelist of the Church ofEngland, and are governed under CanonE7.For more information visit the website

www.churcharmy.org.uk

Dave RoseLincoln

Discipleship is total devotion,head-over-heels-in-love-withadoration. It is the deep desire toknow God, to be one with God,and to worship God

Lincoln’s older higher education insti-tution is celebrating its 150thanniversary.

Bishop Grosseteste University Collegeopened its doors as the Diocesan TrainingCollege in January 1862. A range of cele-brations is taking place throughout thisacademic year to celebrate a century anda half of dedication to education.In January, students and staff enjoyed a

light-hearted all-day birthday party withgames, live music and party food whichcontinued into the evening. The partywas attended by current staff and stu-dents as well as by members of the OldStudents Association.The party was a prelude to a more for-

mal service of celebration for past andpresent governors, staff, students andfriends at Lincoln Cathedral at 10.30amon 16 February and followed the honourof a Civic Dinner hosted by the Mayor ofLincoln in January.The college has been celebrating in

other ways too: in September the Chair ofGovernors (and Chief Executive of theDiocese), Max Manin, jumped from anaeroplane and raised more than £2,000for charity, and colleagues are building amap showing all the schools across theworld where BG-trained teachers haveworked. There will also be a HomecomingWeekend and Alumni Reunion from 4 to 6May 2012. “Our 150th anniversary celebrations are

now in full swing,” said Professor MurielRobinson, BG’s Principal.“Just as important as 150 years of tradi-

tion is the future. The University Collegehas a range of exciting developments intrain.“Last month we opened BG Futures, a

new facility supporting enterprising start-up businesses, we are currently investing£2.5m in a new library extension, andplans to upgrade and extend our halls ofresidence are well advanced.”

From Mr Keith Halliday

If you would like more information aboutthe life of the Revd Frederick Sutton(Victorian nightmare or medieval dream?,Crosslincs 33) a new book is available fromOld Chapel Lane Books, Burgh le Marsh.Email: r.pacey@virgin.net.

Keith HallidayLincoln

Victorian church restorerexplored

Church

college’s

150 years

Andy Wright

crosslincs is available in arecorded format for thepartially sighted.

Call Dorothy Selfe on01507 603809.

10 crosslincs

Aseries of reflective days has beenplanned at a Diocesan-sponsoredretreat house in the south of the

Lincolnshire.The days at Edenham Regional House

begin at 10am, and divide into two ses-sions – one before 12 noon and one afterlunch. The warden of Edenham Regional House,

Canon Andy Hawes, said: “There is, usually,plenty of opportunity to be alone andquiet. “Often there is worship at midday, and

on Fridays this is always the Eucharist. “The days draw to a close with corporate

prayer at 3.30pm. After this tea and cake isavailable.“While there are no set charges at

Edenham, the suggested contribution for aday, which includes lunch and refresh-ments is £12.50, and guests give more orless according to circumstances and incli-nation.”On Tuesday 13 March, Kate Austen of

Christart leads a day on Painting and Prayer,which organisers say will help participantsto engage in prayerful reflection throughpainting. No previous experience is neces-sary, and all the materials will be provided.The suggested contribution for this day is£20, including lunch.Dilys Phipps, a psychoanalyst and spiritu-

al director, leads a day on Friday 23 March

entitled ‘Via Dolorosa − the Way of Sorrow.’She will explore the place of suffering intherapeutic healing with reference to theStations of the Cross.During Holy Week, former RAF chaplain

Fr David McKenzie will lead a quiet dayusing both art and music on 3 April, and on20 April the Revd Peter Garland will exploreways in which artists have depicted the res-urrection of Jesus.On 11 May, Canon Ian Silk explores the

prayer and teaching of Lincolnshire’ssaints, including Guthlac, Hugh andEdward King.During Lent, a course over five evenings

will explore the 350th anniversary of theBook of Common Prayer and will be led byAndy Hawes. The course begins on 28February for five consecutive Tuesdays.Each evening will begin with BCP Holy

Communion at 7.30pm and end withCompline. Evenings will examine the ‘callto unity’, ‘the call to penitence’, ‘the call tointercede and to praise’, ‘the call to be meetpartakers’ and ‘the call to hear and receivethe Word’.To book a place or make an enquiry,

please notify of any dietary requirements,please call 01778 591358 or email edreghouse@tiscali.co.uk. Further informa-tion can be found on www.erh.org.ukThe house is also available for individuals

to use for day or residential use – either

see things in a new light…

EDENHAMREGIONAL HOUSE

EDENHAM REGIONAL HOUSE

The Vicarage, Church Lane, Edenham, Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 0LS

Telephone: 01778 591358

Email: athawes@tiscali.co.uk

www.erh.org.uk

Edenham Regional House Trust Charity no. 1058116

A5 FOLDER:Layout 1 30/07/2009 13:53 Page 1

Afree day to help the large number ofretired people in a Lincolnshire sea-side town will see presentations

from accountants, solicitors, healthproviders, beauty consultants, leisure activ-ities, retirement homes and the Church.Organiser Linda Allaway said that peo-

ple retire to Skegness and the surroundingarea with the hope for healthy lives undersunny skies with fresh air in their lungs.“They look forward to being permanent-

ly on holiday, without any worries,” shesaid.“We hope that they will be able to have

such a positive future but there are certainthings that we all have to consider if wedon’t want our nearest and dearest to havea dreadful time sorting out our problemswhen they arise.“For instance, do we know how we want

our money used and how we can avoid giv-ing most of it to the taxman?“Do we have plans for our health wel-

fare? Do we know which care home offersthe best for our needs. Do we have an up todate will, a funeral plan? Do we want tohave life and have it more abundantly.“So many people are worrying about

death that they forget how to live.”St Matthews Church, Lumley Avenue,

Skegness on 26 April from 11pm to 4pm isholding a day entitled Positive Futures.There will be a short film, stands and pre-sentations from accountants, solicitors,health providers, beauty consultants,leisure activities, retirement homes, andthe church, showing how positive futurescan be planned.Entrance is free, and lunch and refresh-

ments are available. For more information, contact Linda

Allaway on 01754 810507.

Reflection in

the south

Elected to

Council

Four new members have been electedout of six candidates for places onDiocesan Council.

The nomination process for the four layplaces on Diocesan Council began inOctober, with the count taking place on 10February.Tom Hunter, Michael Pemberton, Dr

Brian Stagg and Dr Russell Walshaw wereelected.The Diocesan Council is a tripartite body,

combining the Bishop’s Council, the Boardof Finance and the Mission & PastoralCommittee, thereby bringing togetherPolicy and Finance.Its overall purpose is to shape Diocesan

policy, finance and strategic planning; itmakes strategic policy decisions, ensuringeffective governance including trusteeshipand financial management. Where appro-priate, it acts as driver to the developmentof new policy and proposals through to theDiocesan Synod.The Council also plans the business of

the Diocesan Synod; nominates membersto committees; is the Board of Trustees ofthe Board of Finance; reviews arrange-ments for pastoral supervision in theDiocese and makes recommendations tothe Bishop as appropriate.

Positive futuresWill Harrison

Performers for the 2012 season ofrecitals on Lincoln Cathedral’s famousFather Willis organ have been

announced.The programme includes well-known

names from around the world as well asorganists resident at the cathedral.The organ is the last example built by

‘Father’ Henry Willis, and was completed in1898. It was dedicated on St Hugh’s Day, 17November, 1898, before a congregation of4,700, and was the first British cathedralorgan to be blown by electricity.Entry to all recitals costs £5.

Sunday 4 March, 5.30pm Charles Harrison (Lincoln)Sunday 25 March, 5.30pm Thomas Chatterton (Oakham School)Sunday 1 April, 5.30pm Edward Hewes (Lincoln)Monday 9 April, 7pm Carlo Curley (Melton Mowbray) Monday 7 May, 7pm Francis Jackson (York)Monday 28 May, 7pm Martin Baker (Westminster Cathedral)Monday 27 August, 7pm Peter King (Bath Abbey)Sunday 4 November, 5.30pm Nikolai Gersek (Friedrichshafen, Germany)Sunday 11 November, 5.30pm Claire Innes-Hopkins (Lincoln)Sunday 18 November, 5.30pm Alessandro Bianchi (Cantu, Italy) Sunday 16 December, 5.30pm Messiaen: La Nativite: Colin Walsh (Lincoln)

11crosslincs

The Diocese of Lincoln’s MusicDevelopment Officer has compiled aseries of services designed for village

churches which are short of staff.The Village Services, which have been

put together by Rosemary Field, require noinstrumental music and are designedexpressly for lay-leadership and unaccom-panied voices.

The series of nine services are suitable forvarious seasons. Every word is printed out,and the orders are being made availablevia hard copy or downloadable from thewebsite. “All churches need is a Bible for the read-

ings,” said Rosemary. “They are peaceful,dignified and quietly-joyful acts of worshiplasting about 35 minutes each.”

The Village Services have completed ayear’s road-testing and have been well-received. The folksong and simple chantsused are recorded onto a learning CD byRosemary’s new colleague Steven Maxsonfor ease of learning at home, and a series ofregional teaching events for lay-leaders willbe announced in Lent. “All the services contain echoes of the

great liturgies of the Church which areinspirational and have been largely side-lined for many years, but are achievable inminiature by this means,” said Rosemary.You can invite Rosemary (south) or

Steven (north) to come and demonstrateone, and help you launch. Contact LindaWass on 01522 504018 (Thursday morning)or at linda.music@lincoln.anglican.org.

Acharitable trust established to con-tinue the work of a choral pioneer isseeking more projects to support.

The Ouseley Trust was set up to promoteand maintain to a high standard the choralservices of the Church of England, theChurch in Wales and the Church of Ireland,and does so by making grants to cathe-drals, choral foundations, parish churches,choir schools and other relevant institu-tions. The trustees of the Ouseley Trust admin-

ister the funds that arose from the closureand sale of St Michael’s College, TenburyWells − the choir school founded by SirFrederick Ouseley.Martin Pickering, who is a lay canon of

Lincoln Cathedral and director of the LouthChoral Society is a trustee of the OuseleyTrust.“We aim to promote the religious, musi-

cal and secular education of pupils attend-ing any school in which instruction in thedoctrines is given and the performance ofthe liturgy is observed,” he said.“Applications must be submitted by an

institution and, in the main, this will be a

cathedral, parish church, choir, college orschool.”Martin explained that applications fall

into five categories: courses, endowments,fees for individual choristers at recognisedchoir schools, the purchase of liturgicalmusic and other projects of an innovativekind which may, in exceptional circum-stances, include commissions.“In every case, the trustees look for clear

evidence that a grant would serve to pro-mote and maintain a high standard ofchoral service,” he said.Since the trust was established, up to 40

grants have been awarded each year, rang-ing from £150 to purchase music to a£50,000 endowment of a cathedral choris-tership bearing Ouseley’s name. The trusthas already distributed more than £2m.The trust also holds a comprehensive

library of the music of Ouseley, who had anextraordinary talent in music, composingan opera at the age of eight years.For more information about the Ouseley

Trust, which is based in Stamford, visitwww.ouseleytrust.org.uk or call 01780 752266.

Trust seeks

good causes

PHO

TOG

RAPH

: WIL

L H

ARRI

SON

The tomb of the Revd Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley at St Michael’s College,Tenbury Wells − the school he founded in 1856.

Musical assistance in print

Recital series in Lincoln

PHO

TOG

RAPH

: GO

RDO

N P

LUM

B

Big names booked

for Theological

Society

Trevor Dennis, Elaine Storkey and hisexcellency the Most ReverendMetropolitan of Diokleia are the

speakers in this year’s programme of lec-tures organised by Lincoln TheologicalSociety.A lecture entitled ‘Jesus and Genesis’

begins the series, and will be given byTrevor Dennis, a Biblical scholar whoalways works from the original texts.According the Church Times, his “retellingof the Bible is exceptional in its range, fromthe mysterious and poetic to the down-to-earth and funny... Trevor Dennis’s skill as astoryteller is undeniable.”He will explore Jesus’ parable of the two

brothers, (usually called the story of theprodigal Son), as it is full of references tothe Genesis stories of Jacob and Esau and

Joseph and his brothers. Jesus’ handling ofthese tales and especially the parable'sextraordinary punchline raise very radicalquestions about any notions of the peopleof God.The lecture takes place in The Robert

Hardy lecture theatre at Bishop GrossetesteUniversity College in Lincoln at 7.30pm on14 March.On 22 May, Elaine Storkey will speak

about ‘Gender: the debate so far’, and on 15October his excellency MetropolitanKallistos will give a lecture entitled ‘Godand Orthodoxy.’ All lectures begin at 7.30pm, and tickets,

which cost £5, are available from LincolnCathedral Shop, from Unicorn Tree Books inLincoln Central Market, or on the door, andinclude glass of wine.

12 crosslincs

1. Decide on the venueYour Big Lunch can take place anywhere: in thechurch hall, gardens, park, school or communitycentre.

2. Investigate road closuresSome councils need up to 12 weeks’ notice to processapplications for road closures so it’s best to checkyour local policy early. It’s usually someone in theHighways or Events department that you need tospeak to.

3. Invite, invite, invite!People love receiving invitations. As well as personallyinviting as many people in your church and localcommunity as possible, distribute leaflets and posterswidely. Resources for promoting the lunch areavailable online.

4. Local supportLocal cafes, shops and businesses may be able to lendyou things such as tables and chairs, donate food anddrink and even donate prizes for a raffle. You’ll beamazed at how generous local businesses can be.

5. FoodKeep it simple! Ask people to bring their own picnics,to bring one dish to share – but make sure you findout what people are bringing so that you don’t endup with lots of the same thing! Simple “crowd-cooking” recipes can be found online.

Summer of Celebrationwww.lincoln.anglican.org/summer

Football breakfastWhy not kick-off with a breakfast to celebrate the startof the tournament? This could be anything from acooked breakfast to cereal.

Table football / SubbuteoTable football is a fun and easy way to play footballwithout a pitch! People can bring their own sets or pitchin to buy a new one for the church hall.

Euro 2012

Ten steps to planning your own Diamond Jubilee Big Lunch

6. Decorations Decoration and bunting is a great wayto involve children and families. Whynot recycle by gathering together oldmaterial, plastic bags or the contentsof your recycling box? Give the kidssome chalk to decorate the pavement.

7. Music and entertainmentTune several radios to the same radio stationand place them around your lunch for someeasy background music. There’s nothing betterthan some live entertainment – perhaps localbands or choirs are interested?

8. Fundraising at your Big Lunch You could use your Big Lunch to raise awareness or funds for a cause, be itsomething that matters locally or for a bigger, national charity – or both!

9. On the day tipsMake sure that your entertainment, games and activities are suitable for allages. If you have music, make sure it’s varied, not too loud and doesn’t goon too late. Set a time for lunch – it really helps to get the party started. Takephotos, and most importantly, have fun!

10. After the party Share your photos and stories with your community on your websites andin newsletters, and with The Big Lunch on Facebook and Flickr or e-mailyourstories@thebiglunch.com.

Source: Based on material from thebiglunch.comwww.thebiglunch.com

With a presence in every community, churches are ideally placed toplay a central role in our county’s celebrations: bringing peopletogether, promoting fellowship and ensuring everyone has theopportunity to participate. Here are some ideas you could use inyour church to celebrate summer in your community.

Pull-out

guide

Churches in the UK have aonce-in-a-lifetime opportunity toseize the moment, thanks to the2012 Games being awarded toLondon.The Torch Relay will start on 18 May

2012 and continue to travel around thecountry, making its first appearance in theDiocese of Lincoln on 26 June as it makes itsway to the opening ceremony of the OlympicGames.Whether it’s as the torch passes through your

community or throughout the duration of theGames, the mission is to taste the excitement ofreaching communities in fresh ways.In late June and early July, the torch will pass

through various parts of the Diocese of Lincoln.Churches in the Diocese could join with the local com-munity and other churches and hold an event to keepthe party going and make sure the moment is seized.The world comes together for the Olympic Games, but

not everyone plays on a level playing field. As ever, theChurch will be demonstrating a heart for justice in outreach.

For further informa-tion, visit www.morethangold.co.uk or con-tact Danita Beetge or Philippe How at theMore Than Gold office on 0845 475 2012 ormissionteams@morethangold.org.uk.

13crosslincs

Crosslincs01522 50 40 34

crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org

Football tournamentNot for the faint-hearted! If you have access to a playingfield or grassed area, why not organise a football match,or a mini-tournament for the whole community?

Service for local football teamsIf you have football teams in your local area, why notorganise a special service for the clubs and theirfamilies?

Show Euro 2012 matches on a big screenIf you have access to a big screen, or even better, aprojector and a wall, why not show some of the matchesat your church?

European culture eventsWith sixteen teams from around Europe competing, it’sa great opportunity to celebrate European culture –especially if you have a multicultural community.

Grantham

Spalding

Boston

Skegness

Scunthorpe

Brigg

Wrawby

Immingham

Cleethorpes

Grimsby

Legbourne

Withern

Maltby le Marsh

Louth

MablethorpeTrusthorpeSutton-on-Sea

Ingoldmells

Hogsthorpe

Mumby

Wainfleet All Saints

Wrangle

Bracebridge Heath

Stamford

Bourne

Thurlby

Market Deeping

Moulton

Whaplode

Holbeach

Long Sutton

>

>

>

>

>

KEY> Tuesday 26 June> Wednesday 27 June> Thursday 28 June> Tuesday 3 July> Wednesday 4 July

Saxilby

>

Sleaford

Lincoln

The OlympicTorch Relay

Simple steps can be the mark ofan environmental disciple

14 crosslincs

St John the Baptist Church onLincoln’s Ermine Estate recentlyreceived the Eco-Congregation

Award for the second time, for its continu-ing work “greening” the church – butmuch of its focus has been the less glam-orous task of insulation and promotinggreen issues. Next, the St John’s congregation is plan-

ning to improve the insulation of the hugeexpanse of glazing in their modern build-ing. It is an example of doing things in theright order. There is much argumentabout the best environmental actions,and it mostly focuses on installing costlyenergy generation. Sometimes it is easierto pay large sums of money for complicat-ed technology but miss the most obviousideas first. Doing large projects can feel so much

more satisfying than something as simpleas insulating the roof. You can point to aroof with a sense of achievement – insula-tion is invisible, but it could pay for itselfwithin a year. Our human propensity forthe grand gesture may in fact blind us tosimple victories, and more importantly,the really big challenges. Christian environmental discipleship is

by no means something new; it would begood to be able to say that it was now partof what Christians do − and yet many askwhat more they can do, and what specifi-cally would make a difference.It is understandable that we don’t want

to make significant changes, thereby dis-rupting our comfortable lifestyles, recre-ations and habits – so adaption and miti-gation for climate change sounds emi-

nently sensible. Eminently sensible, aslong as it doesn’t merely enable evenmore development and economicgrowth, while neglecting the big issues,such as our impacts on the planetary life-support system, the living planet thatrenews itself and sustains life, and also ourethical responsibilities towards all thosewho invisibly produce our consumergoods. The picture isn’t looking good. China

alone increased its carbon emissions by10.4% in 2010 and much of that was mak-ing the world’s goods: our clothes, electri-cal products and hundreds of other itemsthat arrive on container ships to anony-mous logistics centres − somewhere wedon’t know, and mostly don’t stop to thinkabout. The Living Planet Report producedannually by the WWF shows that ourimpact on the world’s life-support system− the “free” ecosystem services − isincreasing year by year and we are in astate of overshoot − that is, we use morethan nature can replace.We are using the earth’s capital, and in

practical terms that means destroying theecological integrity, taking from naturerather than working with nature. Our focus on fixing climate change may,

in fact, be taking us away from the pri-mary task of modifying our behaviour. Thebig challenge is to use fewer resources,and reduce our impact on the environ-ment. This will help to maintain ecologicalhealth and use less energy − less energyequals less carbon emissions. But that’s the rub. We find it difficult to

make do with less, and we have an eco-

nomic system that demands increasinginput, growth and development. At some point, we have to grasp the

nettle and set up a transitional economy.We are involved at both ends: we canreduce our demands and we can consumecleverly to be part of the transitionaleconomy that can create local jobs.This reorientation of our economic lives

is also the adoption of a new relationship.We could call it repentance, or metanoia;turning around to face in another direc-tion and caring for nature − the health ofour local environment could be a startingpoint: gardens, churchyards, planting newcommunity woodlands, community foodgrowing schemes. Then the consumer side can be

addressed through sharing − thinkingabout what we consume, signing up forgreen energy, using car sharing schemes,supporting local business and being partof the local multiplier effect, and develop-ing community energy projects. There are now many organisations that

support these activities − such as Eco-Congregations, A Rocha, Transition Towns,Christian Ecology Link, Shrinking theFootprint, Friends of the Earth, the localWildlife Trust, Groundwork, and business-es willing to offer support. Throughout the churches some moti-

vated people are becoming ‘GreenApostles’, an initiative which aims to helpsupport their local environmental action.A local effort should not mean losing

sight of the big picture; just the opposite,we should aim to fulfil the old adage and“act locally, think globally.”

Green over glamourTerry MillerLCS Environmental Chaplain

St John’s Church, Ermine, Lincoln, has won a second Eco-Congregation Award.

Linda Patrick

15crosslincs

When I told my friends that I wasgoing to marry a vicar, one of myclosest said, “But you can’t, you

don’t know how to make a good fruit cake!” Well, recipe books to hand, I started to

learn, and during my courtship with myfuture husband, I started to believe that Iwould be well prepared to be a vicar’s wifeby the time we got married. Little did Iknow.When I arrived at St James’s in Grimsby

on our wedding day, I entered to see thatmore than 500 people had turned up towitness their vicar get married. I realisedthat perhaps life as wife to my future hus-band was going to be a lot more differentfrom how I imagined – and so it is.I soon became aware that the role and

work of a vicar is different from any otherjob. Charles is definitely a vicar 24 hours aday, seven days a week. Although he triesto take one day off a week, he is still thevicar, and there are members of the com-munity that don’t really acknowledge thathe has – or is even entitled to – a day off. Sometimes the attitude is that he is their

vicar and should be around to serve them

whenever they need him, whatever thetime. As the number of vicars in the Churchdecreases, Charles’s workload increases; Ican only see our precious time togetherdecreasing further.Living in a vicarage, privacy and time

together can be hard to find. I still find itdifficult to understand that our home isseen by some of the community as a placewhere you can simply knock and walk in. Iremember the first meeting Charlesattended after his induction at MiddleRasen; we had been in the house for twodays. Charles’s meeting was in the evening,so I settled down to watch television whenthe doorbell rang. Before I’d even left theliving room a lady was in the house, wan-dering in Charles’s office, calling “Vicar, areyou there?” Despite the lack of privacy, it is a wonder-

ful feeling to know that we are living with-in a large, loving and caring family. As soonas we arrived in Middle Rasen I was over-whelmed by the number of people whoalready knew our names, that they wantedto be our friends, and were already prayingfor us. What can top that?Family life within a vicarage has to take

plenty of knocks because of the demandsof my husband’s job. He only gets fourSundays off a year, and when many local

and national events take place at week-ends, we can miss out. Our daughter Claireis only seven years old, so she goes toschool and is home at weekends; Charlesworks on weekends, so has limited time tobe with her as on most evenings he is outat meetings. Again, there are many positives to look

on: Charles is around in the day, he worksfrom home, we share lunches together, hecan visit school at parent evenings, go tosports days, and in emergencies he is there.The house, too, is a wonderful part ofCharles’s job; its size means that all three ofour children have a bedroom each, it’sgreat for hospitality, and the repairs aredone by the Church – so when we wantedthe toilet seat fixed, we had to discuss itwith the Diocese first.Another great joy is working as a team in

all sorts of ways: hospitality, church strate-gy, cleaning the church, children’s Saturday

Club, parish lunches, and my favourite serv-ice of the year, the Christmas Nativity pro-cession around the village.Finally, after being made redundant

seven years ago, Charles has encouragedand supported me to set up my own busi-ness; I now design and create bespokechristening gowns, and Charles has a greatinput into that too – because every couplethat he sees regarding a baptism is alwayshit with a sales pitch!It is a privilege to be married to a vicar,

and although I am well aware that my hus-band’s first calling is to the Lord and hiscongregation, he still has more thanenough love to share with me and our fam-ily.

Linda Patrick is married to RevdCharles Patrick, vicar of Middle RasenGroup and Priest-in-Charge of the EastBarkwith Group. Her website is www.littledoves.co.uk

Married to the job

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Linda Patrick with some of the baptism gowns she has made

16 crosslincs

Will Harrison

Three months into his publicministry in the Diocese, theBishop outlines his plans to builda greater sense of Christiandiscipleship

Moving from the bustling headquar-ters of the Church of England tothe largest of England’s dioceses

would always be a considerable profession-al upheaval, especially when moving froma relatively private ministry to a very publicone.But the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Revd

Christopher Lowson, has found that thetransition has been made easy by opportu-nity to travel around the Diocese meetingpeople from all sections of society. “Having spent the last six years working

in the Church of England’s head office withlots of meetings the thing I’m enjoyingmost is going out and meeting people,”said the Bishop.“I’m a very encouraged by the welcome

and the commitment of the people I’vemet.”And the Bishop has quickly discovered

that people of historic Lincolnshire have asincere and long-standing faith.“One of the things I’ve noticed is a calm,

long-term understated commitment to thefaith which goes back hundreds of years,”he said.“That is a fantastic bedrock but some-

times it needs to be chivvied up. I feel I’vegot something to bring to the role but Ialso feel I have a lot to learn about it fromthe faithful Christians of the Diocese.”The Bishop’s previous post of Director of

the Church of England’s Ministry Divisionmeans that he has quickly got a sense ofthe ministry of the Diocese.“My experience of the Diocese has been

very encouraging,” he said.“Progress has been made in developing

ministry, both ordained and lay. And this

has been needed because of the largenumber of parishes in the Diocese and thedemographic reach in the Church ofEngland as a whole. “It seems to me faced with this change

the Diocese of Lincoln has adapted to thischallenge well.”However, the Bishop said that he has

noticed a need across the Church ofEngland to encourage and deepen disci-pleship.“The mission and the ministry of the

Church are very important, and fundamen-tal to that is the experience of everyChristian expressing their love for Christ intheir lives in the world,” he said.“This leads me to think that we need to

focus on this fundamental way of being aChristian and what that means today.“Once the individual experience of disci-

pleship has deepened things will naturallyfollow from that.”In the Bible, the Bishop explained, Jesus

calls a variety of people from a variety ofbackgrounds to be disciples. Manual-work-ers were transformed by the love of Jesusto be missioners in the inhospitable con-text of first century Palestine.“That should resonate today,” said the

Bishop.“Being a disciple isn’t only for those with

a theology degree, or for those with per-sonal resources to allow for a huge com-

mitment of time. It’s for everyone.Everyone’s life can be deepened or trans-formed.”As the Bishop plans how to fulfil his

vision of a deepened discipleship, he mustalso consider how that will effect the strat-egy and the budget of the Diocese.“There are knock-on effects for Diocesan

policy,” he said.“Are we placing our resources in a way

which enhances their ministry? That’s thefundamental purpose of the review of cen-tral services which I’ve instigated andwhich will report back later in the year.”The long-term benefits, however, would

be remarkable, with greater numbers ofpeople involved with the Church, and theChurch has a great contribution to make tothe community.”New forms of ministry will naturally

emerge,” said the Bishop.“Everything springs from this fundamen-

tal experience of Christ’s love.”He gave an example of a regular worship-

per, who is on a Parochial Church Counciland who helps in church ensuring that theworship is conducted well and everythinghappens to plan, but who is also a nurseworking in the NHS in this challengingtime.“The purpose of being a Christian disci-

ple first would mean not only contributingto the Christian community but also takingthat witness of the Christian Gospel intorelationships, and other parts of her life −work, family, leisure,” said the Bishop.“It’s about the worship of God but that

worship is a springboard into engagementwith others. “Evelyn Underhill called it ‘being a conta-

gious Christian’.” And this could have wider implications

for the Church, and the way it acts and isperceived.“It might also mean that we see the

Church not as a great institution but as abody of pilgrims moving through the worldin order to redeem it,” said the Bishop.“We move away from Church being seen

in military terms but into a group of pil-grims to be witnesses. There are corporateimplications.”Of course, local leadership comes from

the clergy working in parishes and in chap-laincies, but the Bishop is keen that there isa return to the core ministry of the clergy.“One of the privileges of being a priest or

deacon is to play a part in enabling this lifeof discipleship in others,” he said.“Clergy tell me that’s why they were

called. However, the increasing bureaucra-cy has turned attention away from that call-ing.“One of my fellow Bishops has called for a

‘bonfire of regulations’, because we spend alot of time feeding the machine.“However, for this to be authentic we

need to have a spiritual life of our own. Weneed to pay more attention to a life ofprayer.”I asked the Bishop if we could afford a big

project, and the subsequent implicationsfor clergy.“We need to reprioritise our use of

money,” he said.“What really matters, and what makes us

the Church of God in the Diocese of Lincolnshould be out priorities. “When we know that we know how to

resource our mission.”

Uniting our purpose

Being a disciple isn’t only forthose with a theology degree.

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Andrew TylerDiscipleship and Lay Ministry Officer

A disciple is a learner, and ourfaith is living and active, realisedin the present moment.

Edward King, the Bishop of Lincoln atthe beginning of the 20th century,famously declared that what we need

are more Christ-like Christians. The strange thing is that the word

Christian is only used three times in theNew Testament because the followers ofJesus were disciples or learners. The Greekword in the New Testament is mathetesfrom manthano, meaning to learn. The Latin word discere, to learn, gives us

our word disciple. A disciple is a learner.Being a disciple means activity and, aboveall, an active, dynamic relationship with theperson from whom we are learning. And how do we learn? As children we

learn by being with or close to our parentsor those caring for us, from the verymoment of birth. We learn by being held,loved, valued and affirmed. We learn by seeing, listening, observing,

responding, and imitating. We learn bydoing and experimenting, by gettingthings wrong and making mistakes. Welearn to be and to do, by being and doing.And so we establish our full identity andcan launch out into the world. So we also learn as Christian disciples to

become more Christ-like: through beingclose to God; through presence and prac-tice; by exploring, by reflecting upon Godmade know in Jesus and alive today. Aboveall we learn by action and activity. Ours is not some form of individualistic,

cerebral, head-based, theoretical faith. It isliving and active realised in the presentmoment and in full relationship with Godand our fellow learning-disciples. It isenacted in prayer and worship, in the cre-ative and out-going community and fel-lowship of the Church of all traditions anddenominations, and in the context of thecommunities in which we live, work, playand relax. We are called by Jesus to be Biblical and

radical, socially and politically earthed,engaging with suffering, celebrating andliving resurrection, living corporately, with

humility, with depth and integrity, journey-ing, being mission-focused and ecumeni-cal, in which giving − financial and other-wise − and self-emptying is a part. As one practical theologian, Andrea

Hunton, has said: “In the past the world was‘grounded, concrete and with boundaries’,and the enthusiasm of some clergy fortrains operating to timetables, on their settracks, going in one direction with a driverand a stoker and all the passengers wellcontained behind represented that. “Today so many things in life and the

world are fluid, not just in cyber-space but

in the financial and economic world.Nowadays the challenge is to ride outstorms, move with tides, steer a steadycourse and work as a flotilla of coracles orother vessels. Above which the wind tur-bines of the Spirit turn. “What has distinguished the Church from

the beginning is its ability to adapt andchange in the power of the Spirit, whateverhas come its way.” So what were the major and lasting influ-

ences that nurtured and grew you in yourfaith?Radical discipleship is about roots – how

did your roots grow? What do they looklike? What did you grow in spite of ratherthan because of?And what do you need to become more

Christ-like in your discipleship?These are things to pray about and

reflect upon not only this Lent but in thecoming months and years as we refreshand renew ourselves in our discipleship inthis diocese; as we grow in our closeness toGod made known in Jesus and continue tolearn from Him.

crosslincs 17

The Church in Wales

From the Lincoln Diocesan Magazine, February and March 1912

St Mary’s Church, Stamford

100 years ago

The Object and Duties of aRuridecanal Conference

Colsterworth

Refreshing our understanding

of discipleship

What has distinguished theChurch from the beginning is itsability to adapt and change inthe power of the Spirit.

One of the needs which is especially andunceasingly felt in our Church to-day is thather laymen should have a greater sense ofresponsibility for, and a larger and more realshare in, her life and work. Somehow theidea has taken firm root in the minds of ourlaity at home that the Church consists of theclergy, that they alone are responsible forher life and active work, and that it falls tothem alone to carry it out. Now we knowthat this is not the principle of our holy reli-gion as set forth by the Master and HisApostles, and taught by His Church.

The Corn Exchange, Lincoln, was thescene of a great meeting of Churchpeopleon Tuesday evening, January 30th, toprotest against the Disestablishment andDisendowment of the Church in Wales. Themeeting was arranged by a large and repre-

sentative committee of the RuridecanalConference. Mr. H. J. Torr, of Morton Hall,presided, and was accompanied on the plat-form by some two hundred Churchpeople,nearly all laymen, and representative of allranks and classes of people in every part ofthe City. The meeting, very largely com-posed of men, was most enthusiastic, andresolutions of vigorous condemnation ofthe Government proposals were adopted.

The report, which has been made by Mr.H. F. Traylen, architect, of Stamford, and con-firmed by the eminent consulting architect,Mr. F. Graham Jackson, of London, that “thepresent condition of the tower of St. Mary’schurch, Stamford, is very serious,” and that“there are fissures on the east side runningdown both right and left of the tower archand down the north-east pier, and that thewhole of that angle has settled outwards,disturbing the construction of the broachabove which unites the square of the towerto the octagon of the spire,” has caused gen-

uine alarm, not onlyto the parishioners, butto the townspeople ofStamford, on learning that this gem of theGothic architecture of the early 13th centu-ry, of which they are justly proud, was inimminent danger of collapsing.In 1788 several strong iron bandages were

fixed round the tower to strengthen it, andprevent the tendency to bulging out, whichis again showing itself at the north-east cor-ner at the present time.

On Saturday, February 17th, Mr. H. J. Torrgave a most lucid and interesting explana-tion of the scheme of Church Finance, asdrawn up by the Archbishops’ committee, tothe Corringham Ruridecanal Conference.The seven resolutions, as supplied by theDiocesan authorities, were subsequentlydiscussed by the Conference, and carriedunanimously with one or two slight alter-ations. Those members present were verygrateful to Mr. Torr for his excellent address.

18 crosslincs

Making disciplesHeather Tomlinson

How do you make disciples ofpeople who have rarely been tochurch in their lives? Heatherinvestigates the methods of twoinitiatives in the AnglicanChurch: the Church Army andFresh Expressions

The last instruction of Jesus that wasrecorded in the Gospel of Matthewwas to make disciples, and to teach

them to obey his commands. Until recently, in this country most of the

population would have had easy access tothis teaching from schools and probably,church pulpits too. But today churchgoingis not as common, and schools are some-times less focused on Christian teaching.Two-thirds of the population has no con-nection with the Church or other religion(Tearfund, 2007). So how can ‘unchurched’people become disciples through theChurch today? The Anglican Church has several differ-

ent approaches. Fresh Expressions is theAnglican/Methodist initiative that aims toreach people who are not accustomed toChurch. Last year it is estimated that30,000 people attended Fresh Expressionsservices around the country − people whodo not attend a more traditional church.There are a number of Fresh Expressionsprojects throughout Lincolnshire, such asT-time church at St George’s, Swallowbeckin Lincoln, a number of successful ‘MessyChurch’ initiatives, King’s Café in Stamford,Side Door in Grimsby, and Lincoln’s StPeter’s in the Pub. Designed for people notused to church, all the projects aim tomake church informal and easy to relate to.“I think discipleship is about becoming

more and more like Jesus in the way welive, through a relationship with Him,” saidPete Atkins, the Lincolnshire-based churchleader who works for the team at FreshExpressions.

“The best way for someone to grow intheir own discipleship is to be alongsidefolks who are further along in their ownpath. So the task of a Church leader is tohelp all folks grow in their own disciple-ship, because then there will be a natural,infectious, joyful, catching of what is greatfrom those who are full of it.”This strategy of disciples living alongside

one another is important in ‘incarnationalmission’, a new strategy of reaching out tothe people living in isolated and disadvan-taged communities in the UK. One exam-ple is run by Tim Hyde, an evangelist withthe Church Army, the Anglican initiativethat seeks to make disciples of people whomay never have engaged with the Church,

and possibly never even heard the gospel. Tim lives on a council estate in

Southampton. His team has set up a newworship service and runs Bible studygroups, but he sees discipleship as morethan simply preaching from scripture. “The first thing to do before you ’disciple’

anyone is build a relationship with them; avaluable relationship,” he said. To this end, he works in the community,

painting and decorating, providing food,setting up clubs for people with free teaand coffee. He doesn’t talk about his faithunless someone asks him. “We don’t force them to hear the

Christian message. Because of what we do,they ask questions, like: ‘why are you doingthis, when everyone else has rejected me,or charged me for doing it?’” he said.Through unconditional love and regard,

Tim Hyde hopes that people will begin to

understand Jesus’ love and therefore seekit for themselves. “Through all of that access to individuals,

the sort of relationships we’re building, wedon’t see instant change or instant faithgrowing,” he said. ”What we do see is a change of attitude

and a change of approach to life, a changeof their understanding of their community,a change of understanding towards theirneighbour. All of those values are Christianvalues. Our hope is that will continue.That’s what discipleship is, people have tolearn over time. Jesus’ disciples learnedover three years, then they understood themessage.”Through helping out at the Church Army

projects, such as cooking for a function orhelping on an allotment, there are ways tolearn and grow. “The majority of growth we’re seeing is

self-confidence,” he said. “For me, discipleship is walking along-

side someone and helping them to get aglimpse of God. “It depends on the individual, there are

some who are really hungry and want tolearn fast, it might be that someone withinour groups would take on that person in aone to one discipleship role, for others it isto be part of a cell group to learn in a moregentle way. “We’re open to whatever is appropriate

to that individual. We’re not going to forcea square peg into a round hole”.In working with people who are not

used to the Church, the project leaders arestarting with a ‘blank slate’, which is entire-

ly different from those who are moreaccustomed to the Church and its doc-trine. In addition, people may not evenbelieve there is such a thing as right andwrong – especially in our post-modernsociety, which is generally suspicious ofanything declared to be the absolutetruth. “They [often] don’t know the basic

Christian story, so they have no frame ofreference for what we want to talk about interms of the existence of God, his sendingof Jesus, his desire that all people shouldknow him”, said Pete Atkins. “There is often a world view that is rela-

tivist, with no concept of there being aseparation between creator and created,

or right and wrong which is absolute, thatthere is spiritual authority that is a givenrather than what you want it to be.“So for us, I guess it’s really important

that people not just hear the story, butexperience God for themselves – eitherthrough the serving, caring, non-judge-mental Church, or through some of theways that God intervenes with people’slives through his Spirit. It’s not just words,it’s actions and experience of God, whichare all really important in communicatingthe truth to folks who have no churchbackground,” he said.Both the Church Army and Fresh

Expressions are growing and more disci-ples are being made. Jesus once told hisdisciples to witness “to the ends of theearth” – and now that is happening inurban Britain, as well as places further fromhome.

Tim Hyde is a Church Army evangelist in Southampton.

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Edward Joyner

A century after her death,Octavia Hill is largelyremembered for her role as afounder of the National Trust –but she was just as influential inthe area of social reform

19crosslincs

The daughter of a corn merchant andformer banker, Octavia Hill was born in1838 in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

Her family was committed to social jus-tice and to alleviating poverty, and from ayoung age, Octavia – or “Ockey” to her fam-ily – worked for the welfare of others, partic-ularly in the area of social housing.Her father, James Hill, had founded

Wisbech’s first newspaper, which focusedon criticising self-interest and corruption insociety. James Hill also founded a school forchildren, which was managed by Octavia’smother, his third wife – he had been wid-owed twice – Caroline. By 1840 his previously successful busi-

ness was in trouble, and he was declaredbankrupt; he subsequently suffered boutsof mental illness and in 1851 Carolinemoved the children to Finchley, just outsideLondon, where she raised and schooledthem herself.After Octavia’s early childhood in the

countryside, the shocking conditions ofimpoverished urban London sowed theseeds of her lifelong commitment to socialjustice. Her maternal grandfather, ThomasSouthwood Smith, who was supporting thefamily, was a prominent campaigner for theimprovement of living conditions for poorpeople. During this time, the family was befriend-

ed by the Anglican priest and socialreformer F D Maurice. Maurice encouragedand influenced Octavia, and inspired herconfirmation into the Church. While working for the Ladies’ Guild at the

age of 14, Octavia was appalled by the liv-ing conditions of the children in her classes.It is amazing and saddening to consider theburden of responsibility the young Octavia

took upon herself in caring for the children,some of whom were older than she was;teaching, taking them on outings, scrub-bing the floors. From this young age, she developed

strong opinions and spoke forcefully to sup-port them. On one occasion, after debatingwith her at a meeting of clergy, FrederickTemple, the then Bishop of London – whowent on to be Archbishop of Canterbury –wrote that he had “never had such a beatingin all his life”. Despite her achievements in the sphere

of social service, Octavia, somewhat surpris-ingly, opposed government or state actionon welfare and old-age pensions. She alsoopposed giving women parliamentaryvotes, on the basis that they were unfit todetermine matters of defence, budget andinternational policy; however, she didenthusiastically support women’s politicalinvolvement on a domestic level.Octavia soon began to work for the art

critic John Ruskin at his gallery in Dulwichand at the National Gallery. Ruskin, disillu-sioned with the social order of the time andhaving inherited a considerable sum ofmoney from his father, was persuaded toprovide Octavia with financial support toset up her social housing project. A returnof five per cent on capital was promised toany potential investors, including Ruskin.Octavia’s plan was to buy properties, cleanand repair them, and then rent them tofamilies – with one family in two rooms,rather than several families in the one room. Octavia’s approach was to manage the

tenants and the buildings concurrently:“you cannot deal with the people and theirhouses separately”, she once said. Herfriendly, personal and supportive manage-ment style provided affordable and well-maintained housing, and revitalised thepoor communities. Octavia’s volunteers vis-ited the tenants each week, getting to knowthem and acting as social workers. Octavia was a strict and pragmatic land-

lord; late payments of rent were not tolerat-ed, and she insisted upon high standards ofcleanliness. Ruskin received the five percent return, and the surplus was returned tothe community in the form of investment inchildren’s playgrounds or classes. Ruskin,and other high-society figures who hadheard about the scheme, then investedmore, and the number of houses grew. By1874, Octavia’s scheme had attracted fur-

ther investment, and housed approximately3,000 tenants.As the scheme grew, Octavia began to

turn her mind to broader issues of livingconditions for the poor of London. Herbelief was that the communities neededopen spaces for recreation and exercise, aswell as access to the beauty of life in bothnature and art. She began to campaign forthe creation of small parks, often transform-ing former churchyards and graveyards. As London grew, she fought against

development on open spaces, failing tosave Swiss Cottage Fields, but succeeding insaving Parliament Hill Fields. Octavia wenton to campaign around the country, includ-ing the Lake District, where she metHardwicke Rawnsley, with whom she wenton to co-found the National Trust. Sometwenty years later, many of the principlesOctavia argued and campaigned in supportof were embodied in the founding articlesof the National Trust, which now has overtwo million members.Octavia Hill’s influence should be remem-

bered not only when visiting a NationalTrust estate or wandering through one ofLondon’s many small parks, but also whenwe hear about the work of local charities –and especially when we hear politicianstalking about the “Big Society”. Octavia Hill’swork was, in essence, the “Big Society” con-cept, 150 years before the term was invent-ed.

Octavia Hill and the

Big SocietyPHOTOGRAPH: WIKIPEDIA/GORDON JOLY

Octavia began to turn her mindto broader issues of livingconditions for the poor ofLondon.

20 crosslincs

God on the rocksJeffrey HeskinsDirector of Ordinands and Vocations

A radiographer and ThomasAquinas did battle for a youngordinand’s attention.

Imy first year of theological studies myattention for Biblical Criticism, Aquinas’sFive Ways and the Artifice of Ethics all

competed with the attentions of a youngradiographer from Bart’s. In the short term, the radiographer beat

Aquinas out of sight and I recall oneevening having, in the gentlemanly way ofordinands in those days, seen her home toClapham, along with my good friend andfellow ordinand, needing to make our wayback to the Seminary Hostel in Victoria. The face behind the grill at Clapham

Junction told us to wait on platform three,which we did. And for hours trains cameand went on all platforms except platformthree. By the time we asked again a differ-ent face behind the grill told us it shouldhave been platform five and the last trainhad gone. We began to walk. It was the early hours

of the morning. We must have gone half amile before a police car pulled up and outjumped two bright and energetic officerswho asked us what we were doing at thattime of the morning and could we identifyourselves. The answer was not a problem, yes we

could; we were students. What were we

studying? Theology, we said. Oh Geology,that would be quite useful the policementold us. We would be able to make a mintworking for an oil company. No, we said,not geology; theology; we were holy ordi-nands training for the sacred priesthood. They could not get back into their car

quick enough. Could they give us a lift toVictoria? No, they said, they had to checkout Clapham Common. We got back to theSeminary Hostel in time for MorningPrayer. I gave Aquinas a miss that day.Exploring a vocation is a bit like navigat-

ing a multifarious terrain that would fasci-nate a geologist. It can also be a prettyrocky experience. It takes a bit of nerve toset out on it, but the qualities most desir-able do not resemble a granite–like jaw,but rather more an open heart. In his love-ly small book, A Year Lost And Found,Michael Mayne briefly describes the reti-cence of so many to engage the heart: “Andyet such a reluctance to share our smallexperience of God and our deepest convic-tions about him in a personal and vulnera-ble way is reflected in whole libraries ofsound but dead theology, and can beheard in a thousand distanced, objectivesermons. It is not that the words areuntrue, but somehow they fail to be earth-ed.”This rings out for me whenever I meet

people who have had that strange experi-ence of sensing something being drawnout of them and not knowing quite how todescribe it, or whom to tell. I remember itso well the night it first happened to meand the consequences that accompaniedmy sharing it. I was 14 and a bit of a misfitwho tried to fit with the other kids in thestreet. I played football, struggled with my hor-

mones, did a paper round, but there wassomething different. My friends bought

records by David Bowie and my first albumwas Grieg’s piano concerto. I did church, and I prayed and one night

as I knelt in my room there was a pictureimage in my head of someone layinghands on me. I told my vicar and my RE teacher and

they were great, but it did feel a bit likeconfessing an abnormality. Word got out inmy school and, at first I had a rough ride.Even some of the teachers thought itamusing. The person who saved the day was Sister

Marjorie, the deaconess at our church whosuggested that I go on a vocations week-end that the diocese was putting on. I did.I was the youngest person there but it wassuch a relief to discover that there wereother ‘abnormal’ people on the conferencewho actually appeared quite ‘normal’ tome. Sharing with them the struggle for the

words to describe what was happening tome and to be helped to ascribe this to Godand nail it as a good thing – if, albeit a diffi-cult one − was so helpful. I have never for-gotten what I can now describe as the ther-apeutic relief of those two days. My senseof calling then was something I could goon to listen to without feeling like it was ateenage aberration I would simply growout of, or that I would need psychiatric carefor. I have remained grateful to the organis-

ers and participants of that weekend. Ineeded to know that there were otherswho were struggling like me and I foundthem. It was an oasis.This was quite a formative time in my

youth and one that I have only recentlycome to appreciate the fullness of, which iswhy my colleague Anna Sorensen and I arecurrently preparing a vocations day withinthe Diocese of Lincoln. Each year that we

have prepared these, people haveemerged who have said things like, “Ithought this was only happening to me, itis so good to meet other people who havehad the same experience,” and “What I val-ued about the vocations day was theopportunity to share the thoughts in myhead with others who were feeling thesame and who I knew wouldn’t laugh atme.” Another said, “I have never thought of

myself as academic and haven’t done anystudy since I left school, but the session ontheological learning in the afternoon gotme quite excited – if that is what it is likethen I know I can do it!”That sort of stuff is music to my ears and

is why I would encourage anyone readingthis to think positively about attending thisyear’s vocations day at St Luke’s,Birchwood. It takes place on 28 April andthere is no charge to come along and therewill be no pressure when you get there;just the opportunity to listen to others whohave been on the journey and to sharewith others something of your own if thatis what you would like to do. In order to register for the event please

contact Judith Johnson on 01522 50 40 26or at judith.johnson@lincoln.anglican.org.This will help with planning and catering.We are suggesting that you bring a sand-wich for lunch but that we will arrangesome soup, so we need to know numbersin advance. For a full programme and directions to

Birchwood go to the Diocese of Lincolnwebsite and click on the link from thehome page.In the long-term Aquinas and God beat

the radiographer to the hold on my life. Ihave never regretted it. It was the bestdecision I ever made. Why not come andsee if it could be yours?

23 March 2012A concert by Harmony Lincs: At All Saints’ Church, Winterton at 7.30pm. Songs in the Barbershop style. Tickets£8 including refreshments. Under 16s free. For more information see lincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/winterton,and to book, please call 01724 734285

16 March 2012Play by Weelsby Wanderers: At St Peter & St Paul Church, Tetney at 7.30pm. A play by Weelsby Wanderers, bykind permission of the author, Mrs Margaret Chisholm, followed by a supper. For more information seelincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/tetney, and to book please call 01472 814887

27 April 2012Concert by the Ludensian Singers: At St Peter & St Paul Church, Tetney at 7.30pm. Admission

charge of £6 will include light refreshments. For more information seelincoln.ourchurchweb.org.uk/tetney

1 April 2012Songs of Farewell: At St James’s Church, Louth at 7.30pm. A performance byLouth Choral Society of works by Michael Tippett and Charles Hubert Parry.

Conducted by Martin Pickering and accompanied by Antony Pinel onthe organ. For more information see www.louthchoral.co.uk. To

reserve tickets, telephone 01507 463410

28 April 2012Fauré Requiem and Karl Jenkins Gloria: Performed bythe Choir of the Liedertafel and Lincoln Choral Societyin Lincoln Cathedral at 7.30pm. Gabriel Fauré composedhis Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48 between 1887 and 1890.It is sung in Latin to repose the soul. Gloria is a large-scale festival piece. Soloists will be Rachael Cox(soprano) and Nick Epton (bass). For moreinformation visit www.lincoln-choral-society.org

10 March 2012E-quip Training Day: at Grantham ChristianFellowship, Belton Avenue from 9.30am to3pm. A training day for people who work withchildren in churches, or who would like to. Wewill be thinking about reaching morechildren in our communities. Keynotespeaker: Helen Franklin from ScriptureUnion. For more information, or to book aplace, contact Liz Boland on 07903 200204or e-mail lizboland@yahoo.co.uk

from 4 March 2012Host of Angels Experience: At St Peter’s

Church, Lenton (Sunday 4 March, 2012, then firstSunday every month, Bank Holiday Sundays and

Mondays. 2.30pm - 5pm. Parties of eight or more - anyday/time by appointment.) A breathtaking exhibition

depicting angels from almost 2,000 years of Christian artresearched from the world’s most loved paintings and

manuscripts. Re-created in the artworks and installations byRoger Heaton, filling the ancient village church. For more

information see www.hostofangels.org.uk

28 April to 7 May 2012Flower and Craft Festival: At St Peter & St Paul Church,

Westhorpe Road, Gosberton. Open 10am to 5pm every dayexcept the last day when it ends at 4pm. The annualFlower & Craft Festival this year has the theme Sixty

Glorious Years. It includes craft stalls, cake stall, music,refreshments in the Church Hall (ploughmans,soup, sandwiches, desserts, cakes, cream teas). Formore information see www.gosberton.org

28 April to 7 May 2012Flower Festival and Art Exhibition: at St Laurence’s

Church, Surfleet. Beautiful flower arrangements, artexhibition, cafe serving hot meals. Various stalls including

homemade cakes and marmalade, crafts, plants and tombola. Theme:Sixty Glorious Years. Open daily from 10am to 5pm. For more information

visit www.glengroup.org.uk

28 April to 7 May 2012Flower Festival: At All Saints’ Church, Moulton, Spalding. Open 10am to 6pm daily.

Theme: My favourite poem. Refreshments and gifts available. Tower tours. Songs of Praise Sunday 6 May 6.30pm.For more information contact Brian Smith on 01406 370805 or at brijes@uwclub.net. For coach bookings andmeals, contact Pam Stanley 01406 371201

21crosslincs

Deanery DiarySee details of more events including a busy season of flower festivals at www.lincoln.anglican.org

Advertise your event in the Deanery Diary for freeVisit www.lincoln.anglican.org/yourevent

Advertise your event in Crosslincs. Visit www.lincoln.anglican.org/yourevent

Scunthorpe

Grantham

Stamford

Spalding

Boston

Louth

Skegness

Grimsby

Market Rasen

Sleaford

Lincoln

Gainsborough

Horncastle

Philip Craven

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Mark HocknullHead of Ministry Training, Head ofthe Lincoln School of Theology andChancellor of Lincoln

Mark continues his explorationof the Apostle’s Creed:From thence he shall come tojudge

I believe in God

Lying behind the Creed’s pronounce-ment on the Last Judgement is a longand varied history.

The idea of ultimate justice can be onethat brings comfort and hope. One day allthings will be put right. On the other hand,most of us experience the sense that weare far from perfect, and with this sense,

the idea of judgement shades very quicklyand easily into a very different concept,that of condemnation.A young Jewish man and a young

Christian went to the Rabbi and the Priestto confess their sins. Both were told theyhad been forgiven by God, but that theywould still have to stand before the judge-ment seat on the last day. The Christian was anxious, but the Jew

ecstatic. The difference? The Jew hadgrasped that at the Last Judgement, Godwould put all things right. Judgement isnot so much a process of weighing ouractions and motivations, but more aprocess of healing: final and ultimate heal-ing. Too often, our instinctive image of

judgement is that it is a process of expo-sure and condemnation as things hiddenare brought out into the light. The imageof God’s penetrating light is deeply rootedin scripture. In John’s Gospel for example, Jesus

declares: “And this is the judgement, that

the light has come into the world, andpeople loved darkness rather than lightbecause their deeds were evil. For all whodo evil hate the light and do not come tothe light, so that their deeds may not beexposed.” The light exposes not just the surface

deeds, but also the complex array of moti-vations that lie behind them. It is in bring-ing these hidden things to light – which ismost certainly not public exposure – thatthey can be truly seen and understood,perhaps for the first time, and in beingseen, be healed. Seen in this light, judgement is not

something to dread, but something towelcome and look forward to. It may causeshort time discomfort, but its lasting eter-nal effect is our completion and fulfilment.Another idea that lies behind the con-

cept of judgement is human freedom.Freedom is God’s gift to us in creation, andthough we can lose that gift through sin, itis restored to us by Christ. Freedomexpresses the original goodness of humannature. It provides a space and an inspira-tion to do good, and not just to avoid evil. It is our freedom that makes us account-

able before God. If we are not free, thenwe cannot be responsible, and withoutresponsibility, there can be no accounta-bility. Freedom is a distinctive mark ofhuman beings being made in the image ofGod. It is through the exercise of that free-dom, with God’s constant support, that wegrow more and more into that image. The ultimate goal of judgement, then, is

to bring that process of growing into thelikeness of Christ to completion once andfor all.

Freedom expresses the originalgoodness of human nature.

In a new report − entitled Make RunawaysSafe − commissioned by The Children’sSociety, Bob Reitmeier, the Chief

Executive, says: “Every five minutes in thiscountry a child runs away from home orcare. “Even more shocking is that a quarter of

these children, that’s 70 children each day,are forced out of their homes by their par-ents or carers. “They have no choice but to go it alone.

Many more flee conflict, neglect or abusein the home.” Earlier this month the Revd John Ellis

unveiled plans for new and greatly neededemergency accommodation for Teenagersin Cleethorpes. Plans are at an early stage

and partners are being sought to help con-tinue the fantastic work that has alreadybegun. So far land has been bought for theproject by the Diocese of Lincoln and archi-tectural plans have been drawn up.John Ellis has been working with children

and young people in Grimsby andCleethorpes for many years and in 1972 heset up the Shalom Youth Project to reachchildren and young people at risk in theEast Marsh area of Grimsby. In 2009 morework was undertaken with young peoplebetween the ages of 16 and 19 and in 2010the 16+ project was launched. It was fromthis work with the 16+ project that itbecame clear that there was a real need foremergency accommodation.

Make Runaways Safe focuses on whathappens when young people, for somereason or other, became homeless; thereport concluded “when a child runs away

from home they are immediately at greatrisk, often existing on the fringes of socie-ty.” Land has been bought adjacent to the

current Shalom centre and the emergencyaccommodation will be tied very closelyinto its work. For John it is vital that the facilities be

used by young people “as a route to learn-ing new skills and getting back on theirfeet, and not as just a crash pad”. As such,rooms will be allocated by referrals andusing the networks in place for helpingyoung people in Grimsby. Architectural designs have been drawn

up by Hodson Architects of Cleethorpes.On the ground floor of the new develop-ment there will be a classroom, gardenroom, changing rooms, a workshop area formechanical training which will open onto ahard-surfaced yard, and raised beds for

growing vegetables.Accommodation will be on the first floor

and it is hoped that it will feel secure butalso homely. There will be en-suite roomsfor ten people, laid out around a centralkitchen and social area. There will also bean office and accommodation for supervi-sors. The project is still in the planning stage

and in all it is expected to cost £750,000 tocomplete. John Ellis and the Shalom YouthProject are urgently looking for individualsand organisations that would like to part-ner on this most worthy of projects so thatwork can move ahead as soon as possible. If you would like any more information or

if you or your organisation would like topartner on this project please contact RevdJohn Ellis at johnellis55@gmail.com The Children’s Society report is avail-

able at http://goo.gl/zXnuD

Home from home

Of young people whorun away from home:

One in six are forced to sleeprough or with strangersOne in twelve are physically hurtor harmedOne in eight are forced to beg orsteal

and

Two-thirds of runaways are noteven reported missing by theirparents or carers

St Stephen and St John Shalom in New Clee have unveiled their plans for a new emergency accommodation centre next to the church.

Upon seeing St Matthew’s for the firsttime you might be excused for think-ing of the church as an island, stand-

ing tall and proud in the middle ofSkegness’s tourism district.However, while the physical building of St

Matthew’s might be located on what iseffectively a roundabout, the church’s com-munity, its team, and its outreach work areanything but insular.Malcolm France, the Priest-in-Charge, has

a magnificent team behind him and hasbuilt up a real partnership with the localcommunity and organisations. Chaplaincy isa central focus of the group, which runs fourservices for the local community and organ-isations: Bereavement, Workplace, Hospital,and Families & Schools chaplaincies. Malcolm sees chaplaincy work as central

to the life of the church and community.“The bereavement chaplaincy we offer is

really valued and gives support to widowsand widowers and we make house visits tosupport the bereaved in their grief,” he said.“We also have candle corners around the

church, which we see as an effective form ofentry level worship.”As the chaplaincy for the Butlin’s work-

force of 1,200 workers − 600 of which live onsite − and the Hospitality Associationamong others, the team at St Matthew’s andthe Skegness group are incredibly busy, andtheir care for the local people and organisa-tions is invaluable. St Matthew’s also hosts regular business

lunches for local organisations of all sizesand industries and often invites motivation-al speakers to promote value-based leader-ship in business. As well as their chaplaincy work St

Matthew’s is in the middle of a long-term re-ordering of the church. Recently the fontwas moved from the rear of the church to amore accessible location in order to makebaptisms a more central part of the church’swork and services, and several rows of pews

have been taken out to make a space for avariety of uses. There are great plans for thechancel to make it an effective and usefulconcert or performance area: the use ofstaging and movable choir stalls will make ita truly versatile space.St Matthew’s inclusion this year as a venue

in the ‘So Festival’ is a fantastic step forwardfor building the arts heritage of the churchand in attracting new visitors. The parishteam hopes to host exhibitions, productions

and concerts in the new space, and linkswith international communities, which havebeen sponsored in partnership with theHospitality Association and local districtcouncil, promise to invigorate the church’sarts and events programmes.St Matthew’s also plans to create a her-

itage trail in partnership with the local coun-cil. The aim is for bike and walking trails touse St Matthew’s as a hub from which thetown’s heritage can be accessed. The trail

will bring visitors to the church and also pro-mote the town and the heritage ofLincolnshire more widely.The work being undertaken in the

Skegness area and in the church of StMatthew’s is truly inspirational, and if any-one is looking for ways to help their churchengage with the local community and fosterinteraction with their local population thenthe team on Lincolnshire’s coast can sharetheir excellent ideas.

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Crosslincs01522 504034

crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.org

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Dropping in

Appointments

Gazette

The Bishop of LincolnThe Rt Revd Christopher Lowson 01522 5347018 bishop.lincoln@lincoln.anglican.org

The Bishop of GrimsbyThe Right Revd David Rossdale 01472 3717158 bishop.grimsby@lincoln.anglican.org

The Bishop of GranthamThe Right Revd Dr Tim Ellis 01400 2833448 bishop.grantham@lincoln.anglican.org

The Chief ExecutiveMr Max Manin 01522 50 40 308 chief.executive@lincoln.anglican.org

The Archdeacon of Stow and LindseyThe Venerable Jane Sinclair 01673 8498968archdeacon.stowlindsey@lincoln.anglican.org

The Archdeacon of LincolnThe Venerable Tim Barker 01529 3043488 archdeacon.lincoln@lincoln.anglican.org

Diocesan officesThe Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU 01522 50 40 50 01522 50 40 518 reception@lincoln.anglican.org:www.lincoln.anglican.org

www.facebook.com/dioceselincoln@CofELincolnwww.flickr.com/dioceseoflincoln

The Revd Canon Nicholas Buck, Rector ofthe Bassingham Group of Parishes, RuralDean of the Graffoe Deanery and Canon ofLincoln Cathedral also to be Priest-in-Chargeof the benefices of Branston andMetheringham from 20 February 2012.

The Revd Julia Hart, Non-StipendiaryMinister in the parish of Nettleham, hasbecome Assistant Curate (NSM) in thebenefice of Lincoln St Mary le Wigford with StBenedict and St Mark, Lincoln St Botolph,Lincoln St Peter-at-Gowts and St Andrew.

The Revd Sister Liz CSF of the communityof St Francis, San Damiano, Metheringham,also to be Assistant Curate to the parishes ofBranston with Nocton and Potterhanworth,Metheringham with Blankney and Dunston.

The Revd David de Verny, Priest-in-Charge of the Swineshead, Bicker, Donington,Wigtoft and Sutterton group of Parishes, tobe Rector of Cheriton with Newington andSeabrook (Diocese of Canterbury).

The Revd Matthew Rushton, AssistantCurate of All Saints, Nettleham and PriestVicar of Lincoln Cathedral, to be Chaplain tothe Bishop of Dover and Archbishop’sChaplain in Canterbury (Diocese ofCanterbury).

Philip Craven

Philip drops in to St Matthew’sChurch, Skegness

The Revd (Malcolm) Kenneth Littler, born1934, deacon 1957, priest 1958, Curate Llaneli(St David’s) 1957-60, Curate Llandeilo Fawr1960-61, Rector Puncheston, Lt Newcastleand Castle Bythe 1961-64, Rector LampeterVelfrey 1964-68, Vicar Llanwnda w Goodwickand Manorowen 1968-74, Vicar Llanfynydd1974-68, Vicar The Suttons w Tydd (Lincoln)1987-1990, Rector Graffoe 1990-94, retired1994, died on 4 February aged 77 years. Seepage 7The Ven David Griffiths, born 1927, deacon

1985, priest 1959, Curate Northampton StMatthew (Peterborough) 1958-61, Staff atSPCK 1961-67, Chaplain Royal Navy Reserve1963-77, Honorary Curate Bromley St Andrew(Rochester) 1965-67, Vicar Lincoln St Michael1967-73, Rector Lincoln St Mary Magdalene wSt Paul 1967-73, Vice Chancellor and LibrarianLincoln Cathedral 1967-73, Team Rector NewWindsor (Oxford) 1973-87, Chaplain to theQueen 1977-97, Honorary Canon ChristChurch Oxford 1983-87, Archdeacon Berkshire1987-92, retired 1992, Chaplain St Anne’s BedeHouses Lincoln 1993-2000 has died.The Revd Canon David Pink, born 1934,

deacon 1960, priest 1961, Curate Lt Ilford StMichael (Chelmsford) 1960-63, LecturerBoston 1963-65, Vicar Kirton in Holland 1965-71, Vicar Spittlegate 1971-77, EcumenicalOfficer 1977-85, Priest in Charge Canwick1977-87, Rector Washingborough wHeighington and Canwick 1988-90, Canonand Prebendary Lincoln Cathedral 1977-05,retired 1990 has died.

Deaths

Resignations

Contact information

The Revd Malcolm France, Gwen Drury (Parish Secretary), Angela Baxter (Verger), the Revd Christine Anderson (Deacon),Rosemary Sharp (Workplace Chaplaincy Co-ordinator), and Terry Allaway (Churchwarden).

crosslincs24

Across

1 Old ones may be decrepit or valuable (6)

5 Observe and approve comparative similarity (4,4)

9 Obtained old singers in a compact disc (8)

10 Left last word in expression of grief (6)

11 Quiet booking follows creation in General

Thanksgiving (12)

13 A hurried hyphen (4)

14 Float lob when playing perhaps (8)

17 Seek peak as a memento (4,4)

18 Wander over (4)

20 Perhaps accompanied by flashy display and fall in

15 (12)

23 Triangular sail not used in 24 (6)

24 Messing about in boats at Cowes perhaps (8)

25 Honestly azure and right-leaning (4,4)

26 Most unusually underdone (6)

Down

2 Hard core of 1 (4)

3 Foolish fellow gets axed for tasty dish (5,4)

4 I’m in giant green film monster making alarming

sound (6)

5 Anything goes race for aquatic women (6,4,5)

6 In which forgotten thing belong (8)

7 Boundary formed by sky (5)

8 aka my shepherd AMNS 126 (4,2,4)

12 Go out of doors with a song (4,3,3)

15 May predict 20 (9)

16 Tram lane becomes motherly (8)

19 Agree with the dog (6)

21 Siblings child (5)

22 Finishes with the odds (4)

S B A G A F A EH O U R G L A S S I N N E RU T E N S F G OD E C K I N G O U T L E T SD H S C Y LE V E N T S A I N T J O H NR R M A W OI F Y O U W A N T T O K N O WN N L E A AG O L D B A L L S P A T E N

I R W L I DT H E T I M E F L A T O U TA D D E A I N HC R E E L D E S E C R A T EK R E S T E L N

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Prize crossword

solution number 30

The first correct entry to crossword number 31 to be opened on 5 April 2012 will win £25. Send to:Crossword, Crosslincs, The Old Palace, Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PU

The editor’s decision is final. Photocopies acceptable. One entry per person

number 31 by Kettlebird

Scribble pad

is published by the Diocese of Lincoln.The views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those held by the Diocese.Deadline for the next issue: Friday 5 April 2012Editor Will HarrisonReporters Philip Craven, Edward Joyner Telephone: 01522 50 40 34 crosslincs@lincoln.anglican.orgPrinted by Mortons Print Ltd, Horncastle, Lincolnshire

crosslincs

Congratulations toMrs K E Maddisonof Nettleham, thewinner of crossword30.

After all the boxes were unpacked, thecurtains fitted and the furniture putin place, there was still something

missing at the new Lincoln See House.It occurred to Bishop Christopher that

there was no sign that this fine Edwardianhouse is now the Bishop’s residence. So hecommissioned a local conservator andartist, Nigel Leaney, and a Lincolnshirecraftsman in wood, John Lord, to produce alasting piece of work to mark not only thenew house, but also the historical contextof our 72nd Bishop of Lincoln.John (pictured right, with Nigel Leaney

shaking hands with the Bishop), whoappeared in the Autumn issue of Crosslincs,has produced a beautifully-carved Bishop’sarms, in Lincolnshire oak grown on his fam-ily farm at Hough-on-the-Hill. John’s pas-sion for oak carving began with lecternsand collection plates, and has led to regularrequests for new church furniture andrestoration of artefacts. Nigel Leaney, the nationally-known con-

servator and painter, who has taught con-servation and painting skills at both theformer Lincoln Art College and theUniversity, used original heraldic tincturesto recreate the vibrant reds, blues andgolds of the coat of arms. The gildinggleams magnificently in the sunlightthrough the stained glass of the Bishop’sfront door, and the lions even have tradi-tionally blue or azure tongues.The heraldic description of the shield is:

gules, two lions passant guardant or, on achief azure Our Lady seated with her Child,crown and sceptre of the second.The coat of arms now has a prominent

position in the entrance hall of the Bishop’sHouse – an elegant reminder in a new set-ting of its historic significance.

Settling inJoy Schneider

The fabulous library ofthe late Bishop ofPortsmouth has been

acquired by the Bishop ofLincoln for him and hissuccessors.The Rt Revd Kenneth

Stevenson (pictured, inset left)with Christopher Lowson whenwe was Archdeacon ofPortsmouth, was a renownedliturgical scholar.His widow, Sarah, officially

opened the library, which is inthe study of the Bishop’s newresidence, and was joined by hersister and brother-in-law, Maryand the Rt Revd David Tustin,formerly Bishop of Grimsby.

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