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Our Rector, Rev'd Tony Lomas, preached about mothers, with reference to the song a 'A Perfect Nanny' from the show Mary Poppins, and the children led the prayers. (Return to top)
It was the custom in medieval times for mothers to be given a gift of flowers when their children who had left home to start work went back to see them on Mothering Sunday, this usually included a bunch of spring flowers such as daffodils picked for free from the wayside on the way home. All the ladies present were given a gift of flowers, in this case potted pansies, to replicate this tradition. (Return to top)
Although it's Lent, which is usually a more sober time when we think about our sinful state compared to Jesus, we shared two 'rousing' hymns, one to the tune of the 'Londonderry Air' and the last a traditional Spiritual - 'It's me, it's me, its me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer' - an appropriate theme for Lent. (Return to top)
It was also our 'Fun Club' week (Junior Church), so at the end of the Service our young people showed us what they'd been making along the theme for the day. (Return to top)
It took the form of a concert of poems set to music, a solo violin interlude and a performance of Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace. One poem from each of the six poets was set to music by our Musical Director, Bob May, using the title Under an English Heaven and performed by the unaccompanied and enhance Church Choir - The Dymock Singers. This was followed by three violin pieces of that time performed by Alice Earl, who was born locally and trained at the Royal Northern College of Music. (Return to top)
After the interval, Karl Jenkins' 'Mass' was performed by the enhanced choir accompanied by Rachael Patrick, who studied organ and piano at Hudersfield University. Karl's pieces were interposed by further poems from the Dymock Poets read by Peter Thorpe, making the most of his love of theatre, and the whole event was presented and conducted by Bob May. (Return to top)
Jesus didn't go there to see if he could resist temptation, that was secondary to his main purpose, which was to work out his relationship with God and how he was going to respond. It was while he was doing that that he found he had powerful gifts and was tempted to use them for his own benefit, rather than for the purposes for which God had given them. Disobedience of God is what we call sin, but Jesus managed to resist the temptation. During this season, therefore we think about our relationship with God, how we're using the gifts (ie: talents and skills) we've got, and about our disobedience, our sin in not using them for the benefit of all. (Return to top)
The Service followed our usual pattern but during the talk about the Bible passage on this topic, to illustrate the easy way we're distracted by sin, our churchwarden fried some bacon in front of everyone in a pan on a camping stove and the congregation were challenged to listen to the talk rather than think about the lovely cooking smells, much as Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread when he was feeling hungry! (Return to top)
When the talk was ended, people were reluctant to take a bacon sandwich to eat. Some admitted afterwards they thought there might be a catch, but that illustrated another point - God's gifts are always given freely, it's up to us how we use them. (Return to top)
Martyn's parents worked for a missionary organisation, so he was born in Indonesia where his parent were then posted. He left Indonesia at an early age to live with his parents in North London before he went to university in Sheffield. His life seems to have oriented around Sheffield since then, before he was appointed Bishop of Tewkesbury (Assistant to the Bishop of Gloucester). His daughter and two sons (all under 13 years old) were all born in Sheffield so are having to get used to Gloucester Rugby instead of Sheffield United soccer club! (Return to top)
He graduated in Chemistry, but not finding that fulfilling, went to work for the Crown Prosecution Service before being ordained as a priest. His first job was a vicar in Guinea,West Africa. He returned from there to be vicar in an inner city church in Sheffield before being appointed Archdeacon of Sheffield and Rotherham, from which he was effectively head-hunted as Bishop of Tewkesbury. (Return to top)
As well as our describing some of the life of our benefice, Martyn described the church's failure to attract many teenagers today and the radical differences between their current way of life, largely orientated around mobile technology, compared to the mainstream church approach. The inherited and rather formal Church of England procedures make our church slower at introducing new ways suited to modern young people compared to some of the less regulated free churches. Never-the-less there are some notable exceptions, especially based around 'Fresh Expressions' of church such as cell church, where small groups of like-minded people meet together in a style and on a day and time suited to them. (Return to top)
He said the first 5 months haven't been too bad, he's been able to go round the diocese and visit all the incumbents in their homes and most of the Deanery Synods, but as usual for church people, his diary is now starting to get very full! (Return to top)