St Mary Redcliffe Church Parish Magazine July/August 2019

Bristol diocese
PASTORAL PRINCIPLES FOR LIVING WELL TOGETHER —
an excerpt from the June 2019 Synod Report
WITH A SYNOD that is increasingly engaging enthusiastically and
passionately with difficult topics of mission and ministry, members
considered how the Church could relate well together.
The main topic of discussion was the Pastoral Principles, a set of six
prompts which invite church communities to consider and discuss their
life together as a diverse community. The resources focus on LGBTI+
issues but apply to wider issues of diversity. It was introduced by Ed Shaw,
a Licensed Lay Minister who leads Emmanuel City Centre, a member of
the Pastoral Advisory Group tasked by the Archbishop of Canterbury to
advise churches on pastoral guidance. Ed began by asking members to
think about topics churches find difficult to discuss. Ideas put forward
included money, Brexit and sexuality.
He said: “The English response [to these difficult conversations] is silence.
It leaves people asking the questions feeling they are out of order and not
welcome in the church. By having a conspiracy of silence, it allows us to
avoid conflict and lead a quiet life [...] But what if people want help with
a particular area which has been considered a ‘no-go’ area? What does
church experience feel like for them?” Ed then introduced the Pastoral
Principles, which have been designed to help churches examine afresh life
together. He said: “The Pastoral Principles are to challenge all of us. It helps
us to recognise those evils that are present in our hearts and our lives and
our church communities. Which of these evils do we see in our own hearts?
We should think about this before we think about anybody else.”
A session was then facilitated with members asked to consider how we
all might speak into the silences around the lived experiences ST MARY of LGBTI+ REDCLIFFE
people. Members reflected on the need to find space in churches FESTIVAL for EUCHARIS
non-confrontational debates; they also commented on the need to
be welcoming to all, regardless of their views and experiences. Bishop
Viv concluded this part of the meeting by reflecting on how to extend
these kinds of discussions well across the Diocese.
NEWS: THE DEAN OF BRISTOL APPOINTED DEAN OF WESTMINSTER —
HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN has approved the appointment of Very Revd
Dr David Hoyle as the new Dean of Westminster [...] Bishop Viv said:
“The Diocese of Bristol is proud of Dean David’s impact for good on the
Diocese and City of Bristol and we are proud to hear of his preferment, the
second Dean of Bristol to leave us for Westminster. David has been a wise,
generous and loyal colleague in my early months as Bishop and I know the
Westminster Abbey team will benefit greatly from his leadership.” [Please
continue reading online]
LINKS — Synod Report: https://www.bristol.anglican.org/news/2019/06/20/
how-church-relates-well-together-june-2019-diocesan-synod-report/ //
The Dean’s appointment: https://www.bristol.anglican.org/news/2019/06/19/
very-reverend-dr-david-hoyle-appointed-new-dean-westminster/
TRINITY. Front cover — “Angels at Mamre”; Andrei Rublev (c.1360s–1420s). The icon
is a depiction of the Genesis story and is often regarded as depicting the Holy Trinity. A
postcard of the image was provided at the Choral Eucharist service at church on Trinity
MAGAZINE READER SURVEY...
Sunday as a visual aid to the sermon, preached by Revd Anthony Everitt, on the nature
of the Trinity. // Above — detail of the ‘Lilies’ Trinity altar frontal created for SMR by Janet
Last month we promised an update on the Reader Survey in the next issue of the
Elizabeth Fry and her workforce (1930s). // Source — Rublev icon: https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=54421
(US Public Domain); Lily photo: Ed.
but are doing so this month (July) and will provide an update in the Autumn. In
magazine. Unfortunately we weren’t able review the results in June as planned
the meantime apologies for the wait and thanks again for your responses — Ed
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