Acting Archdeacon's Charge for Church Warden's Visitation

 

Acting Archdeacon of Hastings - Archdeacon’s Visitation – Charge to Churchwardens 2023

(Psalm 47)

Matthew 16:13-20

Ephesians 4:1-16

 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

My wife told me this address should be entitled “Some Things I’ve Been Meaning To Say”.

But it isn’t!

You could say it is about “body building”, a subject on which I’m sure you can see I am an expert!

 

I want to begin by thanking you for all that you do in the life of the church and for your willingness to serve for this next year as churchwardens.

 

I’m going to try to resist the temptation to preach a very long sermon to you, but you never know!

There is much that could be said about your important office.  

And I have some notices to give you, so that’s something to look forward to!

(I’ve printed out a page of A4 which you might like to photograph or look at or take if you don’t catch all the dates).

But first I want to reflect with you briefly on something from our two readings.

And also to remind you of the official description of the role of the churchwardens, although how we put this in to practice might vary considerably from place to place.

 

Jesus said: “I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

I hope you find that an encouraging verse!

Jesus himself will build his church.

It’s not exactly a promise about your parish church or mine.

Or even about the dear old Church of England.

But is it not an enormous comfort to know that Jesus will build his church?

HE - WILL do it.

 

Being a Vicar or a church warden can sometimes be a lonely calling.

We can be conscious of heavy responsibilities.

And sometimes we feel the weight of the world on our shoulders.

We soon learn that we can’t please all the people all the time.

We would never say this, but we can almost begin to imagine that the Kingdom of God depends solely on us.

 

But with us or without us, Jesus means to build his church.

It is, in the end, his church, not ours.

It is his kingdom – not my empires – that really matters.

 

Christian ministry in Britain today is sometimes slow and hard.

In some parts of the world, the gospel is spreading like wildfire, but in some parts of our land the flame sometimes burns low or splutters.

Some of us will feel we’re struggling to keep the flame alive.

The church is sometimes ignored or ridiculed.

We might not face outright persecution, as some of our brothers and sisters around the world do, but we sometimes don’t see the enthusiastic response for which we pray.

It can be hard for us to adjust to what in some ways is a post-Christendom context in England.

We seem to many more marginal and irrelevant or even wrong or wicked than perhaps we care to admit.

But we should remember, as our Psalm had it, that God remains on the throne of the universe.

Jesus has ascended to his heavenly throne in triumph.

Church growth is his business, not just ours, and the Lord of the church knows what he’s doing.

Jesus would say to us, as he did to his disciples: “Do not fear, little flock!”

“Be of good courage! I have overcome the world!”

“I am with you always. I will never leave you or forsake you.”

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and disciple the nations”

“Rejoice that your names are written in heaven!”

 

Some seed will still fall on the path and be plucked up by Satan, or on stoney ground, or be chocked by weeds, but the seed of the gospel is good and powerful.

The Sower will have a mighty harvest.

The Word of God will produce a crop, 30, 60 or 100 times what was sown.

 

Jesus’ mustard seed will grow and become the largest tree in the garden in which the birds of the air will come and nest.

The yeast of the gospel will work its way through the whole batch.

The earth will be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.

The rock that was not cut out by human hands will become a huge mountain and fill the whole earth.

The stone the builders rejected is the capstone.

 

Jesus will build his church.

And he invites us to join in with his building project.

 

Ephesians 4 also speaks of the building up of the church, not now as a building, but as the body of Christ.

You’ll notice that the job of the Vicar, the Pastor-Teacher, is not to do everything.

He or she is not to be a one-person band who singlehandedly visits and evangelises and pastors everyone, on top of doing all the admin and fundraising and co-ordinating the building project and...

No, rather, the minister is to prepare God’s people for works of service.

There are a variety of different gifts and roles in the church, but what we’re seeking is an every-member ministry, where each part of the body is valued and plays its part:

Where all serve and grow together.

Everyone is needed!

The building of the church is the business of the whole body, not only of the big toe and the elbow, as it were.  

 

And you as church wardens can play a vital role in that:

Perhaps in spotting others who could be encouraged to serve.

Certainly, I hope, in encouraging your clergy.  

 

You can all be a force for building up, for encouraging, for seeking the health and flourishing of the whole body.

When I worked for the Christian Union movement in Universities, we used to have a mantra:
“Encourage the good wherever you see it!”

Sometimes one had to look pretty hard.

I’m not sure I was ever quite reduced to saying to anyone, “Oh, I like your shirt”, but sometimes it came pretty close.  

There is so much to be said for being positive, for saying thank you, for showing appreciation.

 

Leaders sometimes have to say tough, unwelcome things.

There could be a time for a challenging question from a church warden.

But let it be in the context of love and support.

Let your clergy and your volunteers know that you are on their side and grateful to God for them.

 

I come now to the notices and resources I’ve mentioned on the sheet.

 

Could I just ask you to satisfy my curiosity, by the way, and raise your hand, please, if you are serving as a church warden for the first time?

 

You can find on the diocesan website a useful 23-page PDF guide on “Being a church warden”.

 

But let me remind you again of the official role description: “Canon E1: Of Churchwardens

 

4. The churchwardens when admitted are officers of the bishop.

They shall discharge such duties as are by law and custom assigned to them;

they shall be foremost in representing the laity and in co-operating with the incumbent;

they shall use their best endeavours by example and precept to encourage the parishioners in the practice of true religion and to promote unity and peace among them.

They shall also maintain order and decency in the church and churchyard, especially during the time of divine service.

5. In the churchwardens is vested the property in the plate, ornaments, and other movable goods of the church, and they shall keep an inventory thereof which they shall revise from time to time as occasion may require.

On going out of office they shall duly deliver to their successors any goods of the church remaining in their hands together with the said inventory, which shall be checked by their successors.”

I’m praying for you that you might indeed work well with your clergy and be a blessing to one another.

That you might co-operate really well with the minister and with others.

 

There are always niggles and issues.

And people can often be grumpy and gossipy.

But you have an opportunity to seek to be really exemplary:

To pray for grace to be a godly example, promoting unity and peace “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

You can make this great building project of Jesus’ your own goal and ambition.

We can all seek to play our own small part in building his church, in seeking the health of the body.  

 

If you’d like to think a bit more about how you can support your clergy, there’s a useful document on the Church of England website for local congregations under the section on the Covenant For The Care And Well-Being Of Clergy.

Search “Clergy covenant” and you’ll get it, I think.

 

There’s going to be some training offered for churchwardens by the proper Archdeacons, which I understand has been very much appreciated in previous years.

These sessions are both going to be via Zoom on 12^th September at 6:30pm.

And on 20^th September at 3pm.

(The same session repeated twice).

  

There’s also going to be a Church Buildings Update Evening in this Archdeaconry on 8^th November, and at other times in other parts of the diocese.

 

We encourage you to support Ride and Stride and the Sussex Historic Churches Trust, which can be a useful source of help with repairing our church buildings.

The Ride and Stride event is on the 9^th September.

You can find details of that online.

 

As I hope you know, this year we’re having a Diocesan Year of the Old Testament.

It’s not too late to join in with that, not least in our online reading group in Genesis and Exodus.

We’re thinking about the life of Abraham on Wednesday so let me know if you’d like to join us.

Next year will be our Year of the New Testament.

In 2025 we’ll have a Year of Faith.

We celebrate the anniversary of The Council of Nicaea in 325.

And 950 years since the establishing of the Cathedral at Chichester.

 

Your rural dean, the staff at Church House, Hove, and the Archdeacons are here to support you in your vital work.

We pray especially for Archdeacon Edward for the happy day of his return:

that he will come back on the 1^st August very much Ministerially Developed by his lovely leave and ready to solve all your problems!

 

In all seriousness, I can stay around as long as necessary afterwards so please do grab me if there’s anything you’d like to say or ask.

 

May God bless you in your role.

And may your churches be built on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ and his Word.

May the whole body work together in healthy unity and peace, growing up into maturity in Christ, as each part does its work.

And so to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be all honour and power and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

 

* * * NOTICE SHEET * * *

 

 Acting Archdeacon of Hastings - Archdeacon’s Visitation – Charge to Churchwardens 2023

(Psalm 47)

Matthew 16:13-20

Ephesians 4:1-16

 

Thank you! We’ll be praying for you.

 

You can find on the diocesan website a useful 23-page PDF guide on “Being a church warden” and other information for churchwardens - https://www.chichester.anglican.org/information-for-churchwardens/

 

https://www.churchofengland.org/about/leadership-and-governance/legal-services/canons-church-england/canons-website-edition  - “Canon E1: Of Churchwardens

 

4. The churchwardens when admitted are officers of the bishop. They shall discharge such duties as are by law and custom assigned to them; they shall be foremost in representing the laity and in co-operating with the incumbent; they shall use their best endeavours by example and precept to encourage the parishioners in the practice of true religion and to promote unity and peace among them. They shall also maintain order and decency in the church and churchyard, especially during the time of divine service.

 

5. In the churchwardens is vested the property in the plate, ornaments, and other movable goods of the church, and they shall keep an inventory thereof which they shall revise from time to time as occasion may require. On going out of office they shall duly deliver to their successors any goods of the church remaining in their hands together with the said inventory, which shall be checked by their successors.”

 

The Covenant For The Care And Well-Being Of Clergy - https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/clergy-resources/national-clergy-hr/supporting-clergy-health-and-wellbeing/covenant#na

 

Training for churchwardens via Zoom on 12^th September at 6:30pm and on 20^th September at 3pm.

  

Church Buildings Update Evening in this Archdeaconry on 8^th November, and at other times in other parts of the diocese. (Time and venue TBC)

 

Ride and Stride and the Sussex Historic Churches Trust - 9^th September - https://ridestride.org/counties/sussex/

 

Year of the Old Testament - it’s not too late to join in with that, not least in our online reading group in Genesis and Exodus – marc_lloyd@hotmail.com

Next year will be our Year of the New Testament.

In 2025 we’ll have a Year of Faith.

We celebrate the anniversary of The Council of Nicaea in 325.

And 950 years since the establishing of the Cathedral at Chichester.

 

Your rural dean, the staff at Church House, Hove, and the archdeacons are here to support you in your vital work.

 

 

An invitation to the Psalms

 For our parish magazine:

From The Rectory

 

No hot takes on the news from me this month. I want to use this page to invite you, or welcome you back, to The Bible’s Book of Psalms – the 150 poems, prayers and songs to be found in the Old Testament. If you’re off to the beach this summer, why not pack a Psalter? You could read the Psalms in Miles Coverdale’s beautiful translations in The Book of Common Prayer (1662). Or you could find a whole host of translations online such as at biblegateway.com. The New International Version is popular – we use it in church. If you’re looking for something fresher, The Message by Eugene Peterson might be worth a look. Or Robert Alter’s translation and commentary could be of interest.

Sometimes the church has neglected the Psalms. I feel I don’t know them as well as I should. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787, decreed that, “Candidates for a bishop’s orders must know the Psalter by heart” and had that rule been preserved, we might have a rather different church leadership.  

 

The Psalms occupy a very special place in the Bible. As with all Scripture they are the words of God, given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but in particular they are human words which God invites us to say or sing back to him. Here is a guide to infallible prayer and worship. Here are songs God loves to hear, because he gave them. Here are prayers which we know are according to God’s will. Knowing, prayer and singing the Psalms would be a spiritually transforming experience. We can come to them with confidence as the Word of God, as textbook worship and prayer.  

 

The German Reformer, Martin Luther wrote about the Psalms: ““The Psalter should be precious to us if only because it most clearly promises the death and resurrection of Christ, and describes his kingdom, and the nature and standing of all Christian people. It could well be entitled a “Little Bible” since everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended, and compacted into…a Manual [or handbook]. It seems to me as if the Holy Ghost had been pleased to take on himself the trouble of putting together a short Bible…touching the whole of Christianity…in order that they who are unable to read the whole Bible may nevertheless find almost the whole sum comprehended in one little book…the Psalter is the very paragon of books.” There’s almost everything in the Book of Books!

 

Although divine, the Psalms are very human. It feels like all human life is here. Joy and delight. Great love and faith. But also sorrow and despair. These poems are an anatomy of the soul in all its conditions – including its ailments. The human heart is laid bare. The Psalmists had a very robust and real relationship with God. They felt they could be honest. If they were angry or at a loss, they felt God could cope with that! They bring their emotions, doubts and fears as well as their noble aspirations to God. Whilst there is great artistry in the Psalms (they love an acrostic, for example), there is no pretence. Whatever your mood or situation, however happy or desperate, there is a psalm to meet your need.  

 

(My friend, The Revd Ben Williamson, whom we support in his church planting work in Greater Manchester, has written a one-line summary of each Psalm which you might find helpful in choosing a Psalm: benjaminwilliamson.co.uk/2011/09/10/one-line-psalm-summaries/)

 

Jesus, of course, would have said and sung the Psalms. Like all the Bible, the Psalms are ultimately about Jesus. It is always worth thinking about what a particular prayer would have meant on the lips of Jesus. How does it relate to his life and mission? Many of the Psalms are by King David, and Jesus is the Davidic Messiah, great King David’s long-promised greater son. Many of the Psalms are spoken by an innocent person suffering unjustly and trusting God. It is not hard to hear the crucified Jesus here. The Psalms were the song book of Israel and Jesus is, as it were, the epitome of the nation, the True Israel, the only perfectly faithful Man of God. The Psalms are ultimately the songs of Jesus. But they are also our songs because we are Jesus’ people. We sing these songs by faith in him. His story is our story. We march to his tune.

 

On Saturday 14^th October, we’re having a day thinking about and mainly singing the Psalms. We’re expecting some interest from beyond the parish so you might like to book now to avoid disappointment. I shall be there and singing enthusiastically so the line is no musical ability required! I hope you can join us. psalmroar.org/sussex/

 

The Revd Marc Lloyd

On long, slow, patient, attentive Bible Reading

 I wonder if we are sometimes a little hasty and impatient in reading Scripture.

Maybe we are in a hurry to get through our daily readings, to tick off our devotional. We want to get a blessing and to see the cash value of what we are reading for today. We want something that will make an immediate difference, something which we can do now. And there is good in all this, of course. The Bible is meant to be a light to our path.

If we are preparing to preach or teach, maybe our prep is crammed in and hand to mouth. We want to crunch it down into points, to churn out our applications. We latch on to something that we know will make a message. Maybe we discard the loose ends or are wary of ambiguity or pointless speculation. We must feed the people - but not just fast food or the same two or three standard meals.

Perhaps the Bible often seems strange or puzzling. Or we skip over details. If we're honest, we're very ignorant of the Bible and its world. We can't say our imaginations are shaped by it. Maybe there is symbol and significance we don't really ponder. Many of us, and I include myself in this, are still infants in the reading of the Bible and there is so much to learn.

Reading the Bible is a life long project. Perhaps it is a little daunting, but it's also a wonderful adventure, an inexhaustible feast. And we might get help from the whole church down the ages. We should dare to stray beyond our favourite passages and our inherited outlines of the correct answers. We shouldn't worry if we don't get it all now. We never will.

A more patient, attentive, curious reading might help us to see patterns and connections.

I've been looking at the life of Abraham and the echoes / plays on other Scriptures seem rich. Creation, Fall and Exodus seem to be recalled or transposed. It is not obvious always what to make of these links, but maybe it is worth just seeing them and sitting with them. As part of a life time of prayerful Bible reading, they might form part of the fertile compost in which knowing Jesus can flourish.

Today's Bible reading, whether long or short, leisured or brief, might contribute to all our other readings as we store up treasure, seeing things old and new.

In God's economy, no time spent with the Bible is ever wasted, even if we don't know the fruit right now. We plough on in hope! Happy reading!