2009-06

B’ B C
Archbishop John Sentamu would get my
vote if there was a contest for “Britain’s
Best Communicator”.
He was appointed the 97th Archbishop
of York, and the Church of England’s first
black Archbishop, in 2005 and has been
communicating in his own unique way
with people from all walks of life and of all
or no faiths ever since. Who
could forget the visual
impact of his cutting up his
“dog collar” in protest at
Robert Mugabe’s clinging on
to power in Zimbabwe?
I have been enormously
impressed by his knowledge
and wisdom, touched by his
compassion for others and
his humility, and in awe of
his courage in speaking out
against the ills of our present
day society. I just love his
wicked sense of humour, too
- it’s so infectious!
My husband and I were
fortunate to be present when
he came to Sheffield
University to give a lecture
on Religion, Morality and
Law - not a bundle of laughs there, you
might think! Yet he began by drawing a
comparison between a lawyer (he trained
as a barrister and later became a High
Court judge in Uganda during the days of
Idi Amin) and a rhinoceros - he said that
“both are short-sighted, thick-skinned and
more than ready to charge”! This was
greeted by laughter and applause - the
Archbishop had been on his feet for a
matter of minutes but he already had us
spell-bound. What a communicator!
Archbishop Sentamu has spoken about
our need for moral, social and economic
transformation in this country. When
discussing the present financial crisis he
said, “Do you know what is written above
the door to the Bank of England? - ‘The
earth is the Lord’s and the fullness
thereof’ (Psalm 24:1) You have to wonder
if people going on their way to work ever
look up!”
There is a desperate need to reconnect
the sacred and the secular, he says and
often quotes Mahatma Gandhi, another
wonderful communicator. “Be the change
you wish to see in the world”,
said Gandhi. John Sentamu
urges us to support each
other by quoting another
famous character - this time
Winnie the Pooh, who said,
“I have one hand, you have
another; when we join them,
we are together”. What a
simple but effective way of
illustrating his hope for the
future!
When asked about how to
communicate with those
living on the margins of
society he explains, “We
should let them tell us their
story before we start giving
The Archbishop of them our answers to
York, John Sentamu. questions they may not
even be asking, and
allowing ourselves to hear what they think
about us”.
How many politicians have expressed
such commonsense in an attempt to solve
the problems facing society today? But it
is not only problems in society about
which he comments - he is not afraid to
make critical observations about the
Church either. “The organisational culture
of the Church of England is still socially
glued together by a culture that is
monochrome: that is, white. It still lacks
colour and spice”, he has said. Thank
God that Archbishop Sentamu is
contributing his own very special brand of
colour and spice to the Church - and may
he continue to do so for a very long time!
Chris Laude
St Chads Church, Linden Avenue, Woodseats
email: office@stchads.org
Church Offices: 15 Camping Lane, Sheffield S8 0GB Page 15 website: www.stchads.org
Tel: (0114) 274 5086