Church It's
time for the It's
time for the Annual Parochial Church Meeting March/April
in the Church of England is the time for the Annual
Parochial Church Meeting. Now
come on, don't turn to the next article, stay with this
one for a moment! The
APCM may not be the most exciting event, but it's an
important one. People rarely turn up in big numbers for
the meeting - in fact, probably vicars worry when
people do turn up in big numbers. But important things
are done at the APCM. It is
when the churchwardens are elected for the year. They are
the Bishop's agents in the parish and represent all
parishioners. That's why everyone who lives in the parish
is entitled to vote, and not just those who are members
of the church. The
accounts are presented at the APCM. You can discover how
much it costs to run the parish (you'll probably be
surprised how much) and what savings the church has (you'll
probably be surprised how little). The
Vicar/Rector will give a report, saying what has gone on
in the past 12 months, and what the plans are for the
future. His report should give you a good idea of what
the life of the parish is like. Reports
will also probably be given on the condition of the
buildings, so you can learn whether the church is about
to fall around your ears next time you attend. Then
there are elections for those standing for the Parochial
Church Council, which is the body, along with the Vicar,
which organises church life in the parish. If you
want to learn what our church does, what it's ministry is
all about, and what the various church officers do, come
to our APCM on ... You'll probably be
surprised to learn how much goes on. Signs
& Symbols: Pascal Candles The
Rev Dr Jo White, a vicar in Derbyshire, recalls her
police chase... Ever
had a police escort to church? Last year as I drove along
the quiet country lanes on my way to a neighbouring
parish, where I had been invited to join their service, I
was followed and then stopped. Blue lights flashing
and sirens blaring. I kid you not! It was
Why so
early, do I hear you asking? Well, the service
began outside the church building with prayers around a
bonfire, from the flames of which the Paschal Candle was
lit and from that then each congregation member's candle.
We then took the new light symbolising the Light of
Christ into the dark building and continued our service.
The candle represents Christ's resurrection, a light
shining in darkness, a light that will dispel the
darkness of a world without God. And it
really was a completely dark building except for the held
candles; I remember as I held one for the organist as the
usual light bulb over his music had gone out. The
timing worked excellently with the first rays of the new
day filtering through the windows as the Gospel reading
of that empty tomb was being read. If you
get a chance have a close look at a Paschal (also spelled
Pascal) Candle, also called an Easter Candle. They're
tall and quite thick, lit on Easter Day for the first
time and then lit at all main services until Pentecost.
After this they are often kept near the font and lit at
Baptisms so that the individual's Baptismal candle to
take home is lit from it. Some churches also light
them at funerals. The
candle is traditionally decorated with the sign of the
cross, the symbol of life and death; alpha and
omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet,
a reminder that Christ is the beginning and the end of
all things; the date of the year, a reminder that
the Lord of all ages is present here and now, as well as
remembering how many years since he rose from the dead (however
inaccurate the dating may be); and five 'nails' inserted
in the shape of the cross to symbolise the five wounds of
Christ. This
month Have a
close look at a Pascal Candle. What darkness do you
want Christ's light to overcome or get rid of in your
life or local community? Acts
For Today: 'The Growing Church in the Acts of the
Apostles' No.
3: The Seven Deacons Somebody
once defined a football match as '22 men on the field
desperately in need of rest watched by 22,000 spectators
desperately in need of exercise'!! It can
feel like this in the church, as the apostles found in
the young The
lesson for us is clear: if the church is to grow,
everybody (leaders and members) has to be released into
their God-given ministries. Is this happening in our own
church and what can we learn from them? They
addressed the needs: Distributing
food was a practical issue, but they saw it as a
spiritual one affecting the church's growth. How do we
approach such practical needs? They
took responsibility together: The
leaders asked the church to choose those who could take
on these practical roles. How do we involve others in
taking things forward? They
called spiritually qualified people: The 7
people chosen were all 'full of the Spirit and wisdom'.
What qualities do we look for in those we ask to get
involved? They
were available to be used by God: While
Philip became an evangelist, Stephen was the first martyr.
Do we actively encourage people to develop in ministry? As a
result of all this activity, 'the word of God spread. The
number of disciples in Fair
Play? Stuart
Weir of Christians in Sport wonders about morality when
you play sport When
Manchester United's goalkeeper, Roy Carroll, scooped
Pedro Mendes's shot back from well beyond the goal-line
during the recent Man U Tottenham game and the referee
and his assistant failed to award the goal, it raised a
number of questions. There was a debate about
whether or not technology should be used to assist the
officials – as in some other sports. A more
important debate was about the responsibility of the
players. Did Roy Carroll know that the ball had
crossed the line and if so, should he have told the
referee? As Hugh McIlvanney wrote in the Sunday
Times, “Owning up would have qualified Roy Carroll
as a saint – but probably a martyred saint once his
team-mates got to him”. When
Neil Back (illegally) put his hand into the scrum in the
2002 Heineken Cup Final to help his side win the ball and
the game, he spoke of doing 'whatever it takes' to win. On BBC
Five-Live's Drive programme on the Monday after the game
ex The
famous American football coach, Vince Lombardi once said
"Winning isn't everything - it's the only thing."
The issue is not how you win but IF you win. And it
isn't just at the professional level. For several
years the author acted as assistant referee (linesman)
for his teenage son's football team. The system is
a neutral referee and each club providing a linesman.
In one game the opposition goalkeeper handled the ball
outside the penalty area (to stop a probable goal).
The referee was not up with play but the other linesman,
who had a clear view of the incident, did not flag. The
correct decision would have been a free-kick to the
attacking team and a red card for the goalkeeper. After
the game, in the presence of the referee, I asked the
linesman, “Did your goalkeeper handle the ball
outside the penalty area?” He replied, “Yes”.
I asked why he had not done his duty and flagged to alert
the referee. He replied, “What, and get my
goalkeeper sent off?” What price fair-play? On the
other hand there was that wonderful moment a few seasons
ago, when Paulo di Canio of West Ham United caught the
ball rather than try to score, when the Everton
goalkeeper, Paul Gerrard, was lying on the ground injured.
Perhaps sportsmanship is not dead! Defining
“fair-play” is not easy. Concepts like
“sportsmanship” or “playing the game”
come to mind. The aim is to provide a fair contest,
where both teams are playing to the same rules and which
is being officiated in an unbiased and competent manner.
Perhaps the highest motivation for fair play is respect
for the game. The game will be better if everyone. A
document produced by the Central Council for Physical
Recreation listed six principles for competitors as
follows (my summary) 1
Abide by the laws and the spirit of your sport Approaching
sport from a Christian viewpoint, these six points are a
good starting point. However, Jesus commands us to
“Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)
and to “do to others what you would have them
do to you” (Matthew We are
to treat our opponents as we would like to be treated
ourselves. Applying that in competitive sport is a
radical concept. If we see our opponent, not as our enemy
but as our neighbour, and moreover a neighbour whom Jesus
tells us to love as ourselves, it certainly affects our
attitude to the opponent. We treat our opponent
with respect. We play hard but do not seek an
unfair advantage. Our aim is to honour God. That is
our motivation - not greed, aggression, selfishness, etc.
It is the 'What Would Jesus Do?' philosophy applied
to competitive sport. For
Christian sportspeople, living our life by the Golden
Rule is our purpose in sport – as in all other
aspects of life. Winning and losing are by-products,
not the main thing. This is not to say that winning
or losing is unimportant. Christians do not have to be
lovable losers. However
if you cannot compete in a spirit of loving your
neighbour, then I would suggest that as a Christian, you
cannot compete at all. DISCIPLESHIP
- Engaging with the world
Members
of a congregation were once asked to mark on a map where
they were at Belief
in a God who created all that is and loves it, and who
expresses his solidarity with us by sharing our human
experience in Jesus the Christ, implies that life on
Monday and Saturday is every bit as important as what we
do on Sundays. So, discipleship matters. In the
past the emphasis has been on ministry and its associated
training, which focuses mainly on the nurture,
development and leadership of the church. Discipleship,
the way people follow Christ in their lives, has been
seen as second-best, or merely as a preparation for
ministry. So, as
a starting point for thinking about discipleship, a
report called 'Formation for Ministry in a A
'learning church' needs to explore what it means to
concern ourselves with God's world, its creation and its
redemption. Education for discipleship includes the
aim that disciples should be more Christ-like. And
in this process, they should become more effective as
signs of God's kingdom. And
what signs they can be! Individually, and as the church
at large. Ministry may focus on the church gathered
together, but discipleship means the church in action,
spread throughout the community. |