We touched down in Zurich and entered a grey-white landscape. For some reason I had expected more colour, but the white snow softened the tones even of the conifers and the grey sky provided a monochrome backdrop to the scenery. We travelled by train into the mountains of the Bernese Oberland, to a village called Kandersteg, better known for its International Scout Camp than as a ski resort. Nevertheless we had come to ski. Not the fast down-hill action but what the brochures described as the kind of ski-ing suitable for those in their later years who had no previous experience! Peter was celebrating his 21st birthday early in January, and we intended to mark it in style. We were booked onto a cross-country 'try it out week', with all equipment provided and three two-hour lessons to get us started.
Don't believe all you read in the brochures! I thought the main problem would be the physical effort required to push oneself along. If only. Cross- country skis are long and thin and only attached to the front of the boot. Apart from when they are in the tracks they have a mind of their own.
Like learning to ride a bike, it's all about balance, and in the beginning we fell over more than we stayed upright. Once down, getting up again was almost impossible. And no cross-country terrain is ever really flat. Going downhill in parallel grooves with increasing speed was un-nerving. Learning how to slow down was too advanced for beginners! The only options were either to stay upright, if you could, until the tracks levelled out or fall over. On day 1 a member of the group cracked a finger, on day 2 another broke a rib...
Day 3 was the toughest. Some of us tried to ski the route faster than we were really capable of doing in order to keep up with the leaders. More falls, more bumps and bruises. It was so much easier when we went out the next day on our own. We learned the importance of staying within our limitations, of not being too ambitious and of going at our own pace.
The vicar who was my training incumbent often used to say how important it was for people to learn to work within their limitations. He felt that much of the stress we find ourselves under is because we try to do too much. We are over-ambitious for ourselves and for our children. We live in homes with a mortgage that is too large, we work far more hours than is healthy for us, we take on tasks that are beyond our capabilities. Why do we do it? Do we fear being left behind if we don't push ourselves hard enough? Do the pressures come from outside, or do we impose them from within?
I went to a school which encouraged -and rewarded- achievement. There was a positive side to that. We were 'stretched' to do things we might otherwise never have attempted. But the downside was that our sense of our own worth was too closely tied up with what we were able to achieve.
As a church we are attempting to do many things. This year we must let go of Centre 13 with the sense of bereavement that will mean for all those who have been associated with it for many years. At the same time we are looking to move some of the Centre's activities to new venues and hope that the move will bring them a new lease of life. Our parish is working towards the formation of a United Benefice with the parish of St Anne's. We continue to build our links with the other churches in Moseley and continue the dialogue with our Muslim friends form the mosque.
We need to begin the stonework restoration at the clerestorey level this spring, and our fund-raising must be focused on the £200,000 we need for this task. At the same time we are aware that a further £400,000 will have to be raised sometime in the future to restore the stonework at the lower level, but perhaps that work can be deferred for a while. At the Parish Planning day in November we were excited by proposals for the re-ordering inside church, to give us additional accommodation, to improve the access for those with mobility problems, and to upgrade the kitchen and toilet facilities. On top of this we celebrate our 600th anniversary in 2005 and are beginning to plan for the appropriate celebrations.
As we look at that programme we can feel overwhelmed. If we are not to find ourselves overstretched we need to adopt a realistic plan, to proceed steadily but not too fast. We need to work within our own limitations -of time, money, energy - whilst not losing sight of the vision that is beginning to unfold. And there will be difficulties along the way, obstacles that cause us to fall over. We shall have to pick ourselves up and carry on, not afraid to re-think what we are doing or change direction if that is what it needs. I was reading recently a book, called 'Positively Birmingham' which celebrates in photographs the many changes that have taken place in the city centre. I was interested to read that three schemes for the Bullring re-development were scrapped before they finally discovered the one that was right.
A period of change and development can feel like groping in the dark and then gradually, with much consultation and discussion, things begin to fall into place and the way forward becomes clear.
We need a period of reflection, so it's good that we shall soon be entering the season of Lent, which begins with Ash Wednesday on February 25th. Lent is traditionally a time to ease up a little, to give up some of the things that drive us, to take time out to reflect. During Lent we examine our lives and try to get them in better balance. We remember God's call upon us as a church and as individuals. We remember once again that the true focus of our lives should be on the God who loves us for who we are and not for what we achieve.
Slow me down lord,Averyl Bradbrook
Ease the pounding of my heart by the quietening of my mind,
Steady my hurried pace with the vision of the eternal reach of time,
Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills.
Break the tension of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music
of the singing streams that live in my memory...
Slow me down Lord, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil
of life's enduring values,
that I may grow towards my greater destiny.
Remind me each day that the race is not always to the swift;
that there is more to life than increasing its speed.
Orin l. Crain in Tim Hansel, When I Relax I Feel Guilty.
St Mary's celebrates its 600th anniversary in a couple of years' time. We take the date of our foundation as 1405 from the licence given by Pope Innocent VII in that year to hold mass and other divine offices in the chapel that already existed in Moseley. We were then in the parish of Bromsgrove in the Diocese of Worcester and the closest consecrated chapel was St Nicolas, Kings Norton.
So began our pilgrimage to the present 'noble Church', as Canon Bax called it, which stands on the site in St Mary's Row. Nothing is known of the original structure but, over time, several churches have been erected or extended. In all this, I am sure, we have been thinking how best to use the space for the glory of God in a prayerful way. There have been many developments which give some clues as to what our predecessors might have believed about God. They certainly show that the way in which we worship is not stagnant and that neither the building itself nor the interior are not set in aspic. If no change were ever to take place again, the church might be regarded simply as a museum of the past. Imagination is one of the gifts that we have been given by our creator, so I invite you to travel back in your mind about 3000 years.
Imagine you are one of those ancient Israelites from the Book of Exodus. You are part of a company of travelling people. You live in the desert. You are told that you are on the way to the Promised Land but you don't expect that to come in your lifetime. Life is hard. You drive your flock of goats and sheep through inhospitable scrub, eking out an existence from what grazing you can find for them. You worship God as the God of the promise, who saved your people from Egypt and will give your descendants a place to live. In the meantime, God goes with you. You carry the Ark, a precious box holding the tablets of stone on which are written the commandments of God and you trust God to provide for all your needs. Sometimes you grumble. Sometimes you are strongly aware of a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Every so often you have to take up your tents, move on and re-pitch.
You are now in the Promised Land. Imagine yourself as one of the first Christians in Jerusalem. This is the place, you believe, where God has chosen to make his dwelling place on earth and so you worship, as is your custom, at the great temple. Yet, inspired by the man who seemed to personify the real presence of God like no other, you gather with your Christian friends at home to break bread and to remember Jesus. You look forward to the life to come. Here, at home, in front of the hearth, around the table, as you beak bread, you say: 'Come, Lord Jesus, make yourself known in the breaking of bread'. God is close at hand, within all and very present.
Imagine you are now a Christian in Turkey about 350 AD. The days of persecution are over following the reign of Constantine the Great. The people of Jesus have grown in number and need larger places to meet. You worship in the local basilica. This is a Christian church building built for the purpose but really copied from the pagan public buildings of the time. It is a large meeting place, probably with galleries, and with a raised area at the one end, with a semi-circular end wall (apse). Above you there is a dome and, on a painted ceiling, looking down, there is a magnificent image of Christ the King. In the pagan equivalent down the road, there is a picture of the emperor: it is the hall of the king. You gather as people of God in this place. In the apse is the throne of the bishop and gathered around are the seats of the priests, all separated from the congregation by the altar around which are the deacons. You have a sense of awe and your respect for the authority of the emperor is matched by your respect for Christ, King of Creation and his earthly servants, the bishop and priests.
It is now Easter 1233 and news has reached your tiny hamlet of Mosseloy that your parish church in Bromhisgrove was completed and dedicated to St John the Baptist last June 24th. You decide to take the long and perilous journey to celebrate mass on this day of obligation. You start out very early while it is still dark. It is further than you have ever travelled before. The roads are no more than mud tracks and the river crossings are swollen from the spring floods. You eventually reach the church and find that it is crowded to overflowing. It is the largest building you have ever seen in your life: long and narrow with a tower at the west end entrance. You struggle in, past the stalls selling local produce and see some of the monks from Worcester cathedral, where the king's father is buried, laying out the sliver serving vessels on the table at the far end. It is standing room only.
The Prior, as the incumbent, is seated but that's all. He wears a superpellicium or surplice over his fur lined cloak, even though he has a vicarius to take the service for him. People around are kneeling on the hard stone floor when an acolyte appears to ring the Sanctus bell. The worship is dignified, beautiful and glorious. The impression is of God out there, God beyond us.
Moving on, let us continue our journey through the history of the buildings here in the heart of Moseley village. We owe the tower to the rebuilding in 1514 when, if there was any seating at all, it would have been forms and settles. The pews were probably first installed during the 1780 reconstruction. They were then box pews which were cut down to their present size and refitted in 1910 when the present nave with clerestory and south aisle took the place of Thomas Rickman's attempt at Gothic Revival from 1824. The north aisle was added in 1884 and the lady chapel in 1897 at the same time that the chancel was extended eastwards to it present size. The old choir vestry which is now used for the crèche was built in 1894 and the sacristy in 1922. More recently, the Piggott Room was added at the back of the church; the lounge was created in the north aisle; the font was moved from where the bell ringers now toil; a cycle stand has taken the place of some more pews in the south aisle. Last and most significantly in my view, the nave platform was built out over the chancel steps in 1997.
You can imagine the styles of service throughout this time. At first it was very simple and austere, concentrating on word rather than sacrament. There were no stained glass windows; probably not even any pictures or symbols apart from a simple wooden cross. As time went by, the overall size and height of the building increased enormously. The liturgy of the Eucharist became more dominant in the weekly cycle of services. More decoration appeared and the altar became more significant by being raised up at the east end. A large part of the service was conducted up there, the priest facing away from the people. Between him (always him in those days!) and the people in their boxes is a choir. We stepped up, literally, on the way to the altar to share in communion. It strongly emphasised the transcendence of God, the otherness of God.
With the presence of a simple altar table on the nave platform following the recent re-ordering, we now have a mixture of past and present. God has been brought into our midst as we break bread and worship him for most of our services but do we get a sense of belonging seated in pews? Are we in fellowship with the clergy as they lead the worship or do we simply look to them to do things for us?
Let us open up our imaginations to how we might worship in ways that speak about what we believe in God so that they are right for us today and for the kind of welcome we want to offer. Buildings can inspire us, of course, but they can also be a kind of trap if we can't be free to worship as we want. We now have the flexibility to move the altar table right away from the east end but are we gathered around it as we might? Do we have the space that speaks to us about how we believe in God? Is there the flexibility to allow us to use the space for worship of all kinds?
The church has often been described as a pilgrim people, as finding no permanent place here, and so, from time to time, as times change, the tent has to be re-pitched. So where will we decide to pitch our tent? To answer that, we need to think carefully about what message we want to give, about both what is desirable and what is possible. Just imagine the possibilities. Empty the building in your mind and think what could be made of the wonderful open space and just look at the height available for upper levels. The Lady Chapel could be left undisturbed for worship that is more intimate and reflective; the choir stalls can remain for cathedral style services but what about providing a proper place for disabled people in wheel chairs? The choir could be brought into our midst and there could be an area available for the children to show us what they have been learning. And then there's the question of having a large building empty for most of the week. What's wrong with making it suitable for multi purpose use? As someone has said: 'We have a building, so why build elsewhere? The church could become a concert hall with better acoustics; meetings could take place in the side aisles; even the parish office could be moved inside. There are all sorts of possibilities if we use our God given imagination.
We owe a great deal to our forbears; what shall we hand on to our descendants?
Robert Brown(With thanks for the inspiration and some of the words to Revd. Martin Stephenson, Vicar of St. Peter's, Hall Green and Domini Highsmith)
On the shelves at the back of church by the Warden's Office are a number of books that members of the congregation are welcome to borrow free of charge.
A number of new titles have been added recently that might be of interest including two excellent books by the late Basil Hume, and a wonderful collection of Eric James two minute monologues from Radio 4's Thought for the Day. Though not exactly easy reading (but well worth the effort!) Archbishop Rowan's widely acclaimed Lost Icons, an insightful commentary on the changing culture we live in, and the newly updated version of The Way Forward: Christian Voices on Homosexuality and the Church gives a balanced and varied range of opinions on a subject that is not just last year's news!
The Strange Story of the Gospels is a very readable and imaginative introduction to how the four gospels tell the same story so differently written by the leader of our three hours devotion on Good Friday last year, Leslie Houlden, and Glimpses of Hope reflects on how we can believe in God in the aftermath of 9/11. There are many other books that may well be of interest on the shelves... do take a look, borrow, read and return. Additionally I am always happy to consider books for the library either on loan or as donations from church members.
Rev'd SimonFurther to the various articles and photographs about me and the crib which were designed to advertise our Christmas services (and all helpfully published after Christmas!) please note the following: I have not changed my surname to Dockley and have not been made the vicar of St Mary's. Both the Post and the Mail managed to get the story wrong whilst selling the story to the Liverpool Echo (the paper of the land of my birth!) who got it right and who printed a good picture, in colour. So sorry folks but it's Liverpool 1; Birmingham 0!
On Saturday November 29th members of the church and some from the wider community met to consider the ministry and mission of our church in Moseley and the implications for the re-development of church and the future of Centre 13. The day began with some thoughts from the Revd. Joan Griffin and placed all that we were to discuss in the context of prayer.
The Vicar gave a briefing to explain the background to the day. First of all there were the demands being made upon us by the problems with Centre 13, the need for the stonework restoration at church, and the need for re-ordering in church to improve our kitchen and toilet facilities, improve access for those with disabilities, and provide additional accommodation for the children's groups. At the same time we needed to be aware of the changing context in which we are operating, especially the proposed linking of St Mary's and St Anne's in a United Benefice. A questionnaire distributed on the day asked questions about our future mission and ministry in Moseley, about what we were doing that is valued and about those areas where we could improve. The results of that survey have been analysed and the results will shortly be published.
The briefing was followed by a presentation of the various options available to us. We heard of the scheme to re-develop Centre 13 on the same site but on a much smaller scale; we examined the possibility of acquiring other premises on St Mary's Row, we considered building out over the graveyard from the North porch and thought about the need for car-parking adjacent to church and wondered if we might acquire land for that purpose.
However, the scheme which captured everyone's imagination was the vision of a re-ordered church inspired by what had been done at All Saints in Small Heath. There a floor to ceiling glass screen divides the worship space from an informal meeting area at the back.
There is more room for people to circulate and the church itself is kept warmer by breaking up the large space into smaller areas. Pews have been removed and replaced by comfortable chairs offering flexibility of seating and provision to make space for those in wheelchairs. The All Saints scheme also has a additional room at first floor level, against the glass screen, and offering a stunning view over the worship space and the altar.
So enthusiastic were people about this scheme that a working group has been following up these ideas and will bring the results to the next PCC meeting for discussion. It is never possible simply to import one scheme into a different situation; we need to think what is appropriate for us and what the implications are. Once there are some outline plans and sketches available they will be displayed in church for everyone to see and to comment on them.
By pursuing this option we have not completely dismissed the others. Indeed there was general agreement that it would be good to have some car-parking close to church whatever else we do. However, there was strong unanimity on the day that we should sell the Centre 13 site and use the money to make the much needed improvements to our church. As someone remarked, we have to maintain this building whatever else we do. There was a vision of a church open each and every day, a place of spiritual refreshment for members of the community as well as for regular worshippers, a place of meeting and of outreach into the community, a place of welcome for young and old. A vision which would enable us to "take our past into the future".
Averyl BradbrookThe following article appeared in the February edition of Birmingham 13. It is reproduced here for those who are not familiar with the reasons why the work at the Centre is coming to an end.
All of us who have come to know St Mary's Youth and Community Centre, whether as users or staff, paid or volunteer, are saddened by the decision to close Centre 13, as it is more commonly known. The reasons, which have been explained to users and staff, need to be explained to the wider community.
Centre 13 is expensive to run and depends for the bulk of its income on three projects: Breakaway, Dean Hook Day Centre and Play 13. Breakaway, a drop-in centre for people with mental health problems, is now managed by Rethink, which has been looking for alternative accommodation for some time. Dean Hook Day Centre, which gives carers respite, and so enables the elderly to stay in their own homes, has been supported by this charity for some years: the under-funding by the commissioning authorities has now grown to the point where the activity is no longer sustainable. (In any case, it is now accepted that charities should be fully reimbursed for projects assigned by local authorities.) Playclub, the major part of Play 13, had to be shut down in the summer following an Ofsted inspection because it did not meet all of the Ofsted standards.
The problem with Playclub highlights the change in climate which affects all projects today. Good will alone is no longer sufficient. The Charity Commissioners and the public expect operations to be run professionally with fully qualified staff and policies to cover all eventualities and so give protection against possible legal actions.
There are other problems. The Centre 13 building itself is over 130 years old and would require a significant investment of capital to bring it up to current standards. Even then, it is not well configured for the work we have been trying to do. Further, as the present generation of volunteers grows older, it becomes more and more difficult to find replacements for them.
The future of Centre 13 has been given serious consideration by the Centre 13 Management Committee. All the factors mentioned above, especially the shortfall in income, the exacting standards now expected and the inadequacy of the building itself, left the Management Committee with no alternative but to recommend closure. For the sake of our user groups, especially the Playgroup, we intend to keep the centre open until the end of the summer term, that is the end of July 2004. In the meantime we are in conversation with various other organisations in the area which may be able to offer alternative accommodation to some of our users.
There are ongoing deliberations in the Parochial Church Council about the future of the site and the activities of the Centre.
The Revd. Averyl Bradbrook, Chair, Michael Hell, Treasurer, St Mary's Youth and Community Centre Management CommitteeSome of the groups meeting at Centre 13 are groups run by the St Mary's Youth and Community Centre Charity. Others are independent groups which hire our premises. We hope to continue some of the groups under the umbrella of the church provided that suitable alternative accommodation can be found.
Sometime in the next year the parishes of St Mary's and St Anne's will come together in a United Benefice. We are already looking at ways in which we can work more closely together. Moving some of the groups from Centre 13 to St Anne's gives concrete expression to our desire for closer links. We look forward to discussions with St Anne's, Moseley, about the possibility of running a joint project offering a lunch group/day centre on one or two days a week in the St Anne's church hall. We have already booked provisional accommodation in St Anne's hall for Christmas Day 2004 to continue our Christmas Day Together which offers fellowship and Christmas Dinner and to all those who would otherwise be on their own. St Anne's have also offered accommodation to the uniformed organisations, but the leaders would like to continue meeting on Friday evenings, and St Anne's hall is not available on that night. The leaders are actively exploring other possibilities.
St Anne's is not an appropriate venue for all the groups. Playgroup are very keen to continue and are in the process of exploring other premises in Moseley. We are delighted the Stroke Club has already found a new home in the lounge of Lench's sheltered housing development on Wake Green Road.
Many of the groups which meet at Centre 13 have been running for more than 20 years. Especially where numbers have dwindled, those who run the groups are taking the opportunity which the closure of Centre 13 offers to bring the group to an end.
Whether groups are moving elsewhere or bringing the work to an end, we wish them all well. We thank those who have been involved with them over the years for all their hard work and enthusiasm. Our thanks too go to all those volunteers who have been associated with St Mary's Youth and Community Centre whether for a few years or for many. As we draw nearer to the closure at the end of July there will be a number of celebrations to mark all that Centre 13 has meant to us and to the community.
Averyl BradbrookYes, it's coming up to that time of year again, and during the first three weeks of February we shall be collecting the names of those who would like to join one of the house groups for Lent.
Once again, I hope we shall be able to run an afternoon group, as well as several evening groups.
If you haven't taken part in 'house groups' before, perhaps this is the time when you might like to give it a try. The groups will be meeting for just five sessions, beginning in the first week after Ash Wednesday (ie from Monday 1st March) so they'll be finished by the start of April, leaving Holy Week clear.
As the name implies, each group will meet at the home of one of the members of that group, so we're always looking for volunteers to act as hosts/hostesses, in addition to those who're willing to be a 'leader' of a group. Each of these 'get-togethers' is held in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere as we discuss and reflect on a section from out "home produced" booklet (prepared for the occasion at very little expense!)
This Lent we shall be looking at the subject of 'prayer' and thinking in particular about those times in the Bible when we're told that JESUS prayed. Our booklet is called "At the foot of the cross" and everyone is invited to join in this prayerful Lenten journey of faith to Gethsemane and beyond.
So, if you'd like to take part, do please sign the list at the back of church or have a word with me or with Jennifer Holloway.
Jonathan HodgsonOn Sunday 18 January, the Churches together in Moseley held a United Service at St Mary's, led by St Columba's United Reformed Church. The theme of the service was "My peace I leave with you", the theme chosen by the churches of Allepo, Syria. Below are reprinted some of the themes of prayer for that service:
The Centenary of the Diocese of Birmingham in 2005 will be marked with a series of high profile events aimed at proclaiming the Christian message to the people of the Diocese.
Following on from a successful meeting at St Philips Cathedral, the evangelist J.John has confirmed that he will be bringing the 'Ten' event to Birmingham in 2005. This 10 week series based around the 10 commandments will be an ecumenical outreach providing churches throughout the diocese with an opportunity to evangelise.
The J.John Mission is only one of a series of events to be held throughout the year to celebrate the centenary, culminating at a special service at the Hippodrome with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
The centenary celebrations will bring an opportunity for mission to all aspects of diocesan life, with pilgrimages throughout the diocese during lent, children's events and services and possibly the biggest Christian youth event in the history of the diocese.
Full details of all of these events will be available from the Diocesan office - 175 Harborne Park Road, Birmingham, B17 0BH, in the Autumn.
The Diocesan Young People's Pilgrimage to Taizé this year will be from Saturday 24th July, returning Monday 2nd August 2004.
Taizé holds a special attraction for many young people across the globe and last year's Pilgrimage was the largest so far. Almost all the young people who go to Taizé go again, so there is likely to be an even bigger group this year.
Taizé is a place that enables young people to engage with scripture and each other, and to experience worship and prayer in a new way.
There will be three Taizé services around the Diocese before July as follows: all start at 7:00 p.m.
For more details, contact Mrs Chris Stokes at the Diocesan office - 0121 426 0448.
The Mothers' Union along with other church organisations is involved in promoting FAIRTRADE. The FAIRTRADE mark is now 10 years old and there will be a special fortnight to promote this from 1-14 March.
Fairtrade really does make a difference. By using our buying powers as consumers we can make a contribution to ending world poverty. Mothers' Union see supporting FAIRTRADE as an extension of the Drop the Debt campaign in which MU members were very much involved. So the Mothers' Union is encouraging all its members to buy FAIRTRADE tea and use it at MU church events.
Do you know that in the UK we drink 144 million cups of tea a week? Why not make sure that your next cuppa is a FAIRTRADE one?
As we go to press, feverish preparations are being made for the visit to Atlanta, Georgia, by members of the Robed Choir and the Singers.
This will be the second visit made to the parish of Christ Church, Norcross where former St. Mary's curate, Rev. Andrew Frearson, is now Acting Rector. Last time was in 2000, as part of our Millennium Celebrations. The parishioners at Norcross are looking forward to hosting us again and we, too, are anticipating renewing friendships and sampling once more their special brand of "southern hospitality"!
Our party consists of thirty singers and family members travelling on February 14th and returning on February 22nd. Some early nights will have to be had on the 13th as our coach departs from St. Mary's at 4.30am in order to get us to Gatwick Airport in time to check in by 9.00am. Remembering how we missed our connecting flight last time, when travelling via New York, this year we fly direct to Atlanta with British Airways.
Our hosts have planned a wonderful round of musical events for us while we stay with them:
One of the most anticipated of these events will be the midweek Eucharist. The church is poor and ministers to many of those whom society has rejected. The last time we went there the whole congregation AND the priest were in tears as they so appreciated the fact that a visiting group should recognise them rather than being seduced by the city attractions and glitzy lights which typify so much of commercial America.
We're not going to be confined to singing! We have people to see and places to go! High on our list are:
We will be staying in homes of the parishioners of Norcross. If last time is anything to go by, the hospitality will be memorable. We're glad that we shall be able to reciprocate, as Andy Frearson is bringing a party of post-confirmation youngsters to stay in Moseley for a few days in June. This will be a good opportunity for us to develop our own Moseley brand of the "Special Relationship"!
It's going to be a full week. We look forward to it with eager anticipation and will give you a full report when we get back.
Mick Perrier