Dear friends,
As a little lad born and bred in Brampton, on a Sunday I was sent with my elder brother to Sunday school. In those days you could, starting with the Salvation Army, the Ragged School, walk up Chatsworth Road passing West Bars Cooperative where on a Sunday they held a Sunday school in the Social Room above the shop. Continuing up Chatsworth Road you would pass the Mount Zion, Glad Tiding Hall, Congregational, St Mark in the estate, a small Chapel on Old Hall Rd. now the URC, Brampton Moor Methodist, St Thomas and Storrs Road Methodist.
We would find out which church or chapel gave the best Sunday school prizes, never considering the denomination. The three brothers would over a period of time visit them all.
Saturday morning the Mount Zion put on a film show, usually Tom Mix, Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Laurel and Hardy, Three Stooges, Old Mother Riley. Followed by a fire and brimstone sermon.
Years later Bernice my girl friend, now my wife, was a great influence on my progress as a Christian; she used to worship at St. Paul’s, Hasland.
In those early days I spent some time in County Durham, where as a mature student (you may smile or laugh here). I again found myself visiting various Churches and Chapels and Durham Cathedral.
It was during this period, I became aware that whilst enjoying corporate worship, in either church or chapel and Cathedral, especially the college chapel, there were areas of intense disagreement.
When students or members of the various congregations expressed their strong preferences for a particular form of worship.
Being aware of all this, it did not make a great impression on me at that time. Returning home, both Bernice and I continued to go to church. The nearest was good enough.
But, now many of my friends began to tell me to seek ordination. My very firm reply used to be ‘NO WAY’. This I said for a long, long time.
However, a very dear friend (a Reader) convinced me to apply for Readership. With great misgiving I met ‘the board’ in Derby, it was then Bishop Peter, who did not say much. Yet at the close of the interview he ask me to tell him of the ‘Stepping Stones’ I had trod on to come to this point in my life.
I have given you a brief insight as to what I told him and the board. At the close of the interview the Bishop, asked some questions on how I had observed and felt about the people expressing their intense disagreement at the style or aspect of a particular form of worship. After which he stood up shook my hand and said “that will be good for you to remember as you begin your Readership, see Norman Stanley he will give you times and dates when you begin your studies”. As a young Reader, I was always available to take services in any church or denomination.
“It’s amazing how choices of music and prayer ignite praise and other choices ignite frustration. Worship services have profound potential to unite, and to divide. So much depends not only on the leader(s), but also on the expectations that the rest of us bring with us, and upon our willingness to look for God in the changes we encounter.” (1)
Perhaps its not surprising that members of the Anglican Church have expressed their personal concerns about many of the major changes that have taken place. But to express them above the concerns of the entire faith
community!“When that happens, we are reminded of that great truth, that the church is fundamentally not about ‘MY’ spiritual life, but ‘OUR’ spiritual life together. We do not learn to love by worshipping with clones of ourselves. It is
precisely in working with the differences between us that we build a deep understanding and forge stronger
relationships”. (1)It is not an easy process, living and worshipping as a faith community stretches us out of our comfort zones as we try to hear what the Spirit is saying through our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
Bro. Charles asks of us to.
‘Live out the Gospel’ with and in LOVE.(1) Michael B. Thompson. 1st Corinthians.