St Mary Redcliffe Church Parish Magazine - September 2017

area and we hope to encourage families to take their place in the pews
within the body of the church rather than to gather there.
West End Chairs: We had, intially, planned to remove all the chairs from
the west end but a number of people have suggested that some chairs
are needed for sidesmen, for visitors and for people who find it hard
to stand for coffee. So we will retain a few chairs at the west end and
place them ‘face in’ under the War Memorial. This will open up the west
end, allow for greater flow of people and thus, we hope, increase conversation
and connection between people.
Receiving Communion: We are increasingly aware of the difficulty
some people have of getting to the Lady Chapel from the west end of
the church. So we are going to trial moving that Communion station to
St John’s Chapel and (in the first instance) this will be set up to receive
Communion standing. People will be directed into the chapel from the
west end and to leave by the north aisle gate. This may not work, for
all sorts of reasons, but we feel that the time is right to trial something
like this. We hope it might enable those who can’t currently get to either
station to come to an altar for communion, and those who wish to
kneel are always welcome to make their way to the High Altar.
Some people will find these changes uncomfortable or unwanted. I
want to assure you that this is not about change for change sake,
but — seeking ways of digging deeper into the spiritual well that offers
nourishment; spreading further the hem of the garment that brings healing;
stretching wider the canvas of the tent that offers sanctuary.
On the parish weekend we asked the groups to write Tweets of the day:
short, pithy statements about why it might be worth belonging. They all
talked of the need for this kind of thing as we seek to fully realize our
potential as a thriving Christian community — “See the beauty, hear the
music, be accepted”; “A symphony of stone, song and service embracing
people, place and purpose”; “Come in, connect, come back”; “Community,
connection, care and coffee in our church”; “A safe and welcoming port in
the storm”; “To belong is to be”; “Join our family — enrich your life”.
Revd Dan Tyndall; Vicar
LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD . . .
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND encourages its stipendiary (paid) clergy to
undertake an extended period of ministry development once every ten
years … this used to be called a sabbatical! I last had this kind of leave in
2005 when I spent six seeks in Mauritius (tough posting!!) and then spent
the school summer holiday touring Eastern Europe with the family.
Over the last couple of years the diocese has been increasingly encouraging
me to apply for my next EMDL (Extended Ministry Development Leave)
so I applied to be away from the parish for three months in 2018. This
application has been successful, and I am writing to let you know that I shall be
on extended leave from after Rush Sunday until the end of August next year.
I plan to spend the bulk of the time trying to write hymns which reflect the
charge I was given at my ordination “to preach the gospel afresh in each
generation”, that express an understanding of the gospel that is liberal and
inclusive, and which give voice to the exciting (and daunting) journey we are
on as a church.
Kat, Wardens and the PCC have all been consulted along the way and are
keen to support me being away as long as possible!
DAN TYNDALL
St Mary Redcliffe Lent Appeal 2018
EACH YEAR WE CHOOSE A CHARITY TO SUPPORT FOR OUR LENT APPEAL —
it’s an opportunity not simply to raise money but also to build new relationships
and raise the profile of a charity not just among our members but across Bristol.
This year we supported Temwa, raising over £7,500 for communities in extremely
deprived remote rural areas of Malawi, to support sustainable development.
We are now inviting applications from charities to be our partner charity for
LENT 2018 — this year we’re looking for a charity that benefits people in the
Bristol area; has representatives in or near Bristol who are prepared to work
closely with us on the Appeal; and will make use of our church’s potential as a venue
for events and exhibitions, to attract support from across the city and beyond.
If you support a charity that fits these criteria, we would love to hear from them.Please
encourage them to fill in a short application on our website by 24th September — they
can find the form online at: http://www.stmaryredcliffe.co.uk/lent-appeal.html