18. Maidenhead Synagogue, 14th October 2022

 

With Rabbi Jonathan Romain

Yesterday evening it was a great delight for us to accompany one of our church members, Peter Wilkinson, to a Shabbat Eve service at Maidenhead Synagogue.  Over the years Peter has developed a strong relationship with this Jewish congregation and their Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Romain.

 
Maidenhead is a Reformed Synagogue and its Rabbi, who writes frequently for publications such as The Times and Guardian and regularly broadcasts on the BBC, is a liberal thinker who constantly (and in my view, helpfully) pushes the boundaries.

The Friday evening service is held at 8.30pm (after sundown) and is therefore a celebration of Shabbat.  The Synagogue is a splendid building, subdivided into many areas used like a well-run community centre.  The service was held in the Prayer Hall, with the Ark behind the Reading Desk containing the Torah Scrolls, the first five books of the Bible.  Rabbi Jonathan came in just before the service started and introduced himself to us with ‘Ah, you are the people from Amersham’.  His welcome was warm hearted and put us completely at ease.  And we stayed that way throughout the service, constantly being given prompts as to what page we were one and directions as to whether we should stand or sit.  There was no organ or instruments, instead the congregation sang unaccompanied and were in good voice.  Indeed, in some of the hymns and songs a lady opposite even offered a descant line, which sounded very beautiful.

We followed the order from a service book and our time together in worship lasted just under the hour.  The liturgy consisted of scripture (and it was very moving to read the Psalms, which are so familiar to us Christians, in their ‘originally’ intended Jewish setting), written reflections which we all ‘said’ together, songs and hymns (and these are the same every week), written prayers and a ‘sermon’ from the Rabbi.  In many ways it felt similar to our worship pattern at AFC, although I confess it would take me a few more visits to really used to the rhythm of the service.

A couple behind us, from Gerrards Cross, were celebrating their 56^th wedding anniversary on Friday and they played a special part as the service opened.  Rabbi Jonathan invited them to the front where they lit the two candles and said the opening prayer.  Indeed, the whole service was a celebration, a time to give thanks to God, often referred to throughout as our Sovereign, for the joy and rest of the Sabbath.  Everything we read, sang and prayed on Friday pointed us to a God of love, compassion and justice.  We both came away sensing we had been in the presence of both Good people and a Good God.

I was struck, not only by the beautiful wall hangings, but also by the prayer for the Royal Family that was hung in the Prayer Hall.  It is the Jewish tradition for members of the synagogue to pray for the ‘rulers’ of the particular country they are in.  Of course, this particular plaque will now need updating.

 The service ends with the Kiddush, a time of fellowship around bread and wine (and much else!), a sort of celebratory meal.  Yesterday we were fortunate to be attending a service during the closing days of the Festival of Sukkot, or Tabernacles.  This is the seventh festival (in the Jewish liturgical calendar) held during the seventh month.  During this time booths are constructed outside both homes and synagogues.  It has something of a harvest festival feel. Well, a ‘tabernacle booth’ had been built in the Synagogue garden at Maidenhead, decorated by the children with corn, apples and carrots (amongst other things), and the Kiddish part of our time together ended outside, first under the decorated booth as Sukkot blessings were said (I think there may well be a Jewish blessing for just about everything – and that’s wonderful!) and then around the Kiddish table as food was shared and conversation had.

We much enjoyed our time with our Jewish cousins, recognising afresh and celebrating all that binds us together under our Sovereign God.  Two moments really stood out for me.  The first was when we read the Psalms together.  Such familiar words but hearing them on Friday in a Jewish setting touched my heart and made me so aware of our roots.  The second moment was a blessing at the start of the Shabbat Eve service entitled The Creator of the Universe. I find these such beautiful and inspiring words, and I hope very much that they become part of my own Evening Prayer in the future:

Blessed are You, our God and Creator,
Sovereign of the universe,
whose word brings on the evening twilight,
who opens the gates of dawn with wisdom,
and with foresight makes times pass and seasons change.
Your plan sets the stars in their courses in the sky,
creating day and night,
turning light into darkness and darkness into light.
You make the day fade away and bring on the night,
separating day and night.
You are the Ruler of the hosts of heaven.
Blessed are You God,
who brings on the evening twilight.

So ends my Sabbatical journey and View from the Pew.  It’s been a fascinating time and a real blessing.  There will be just one more Blog to come on this site, a brief evaluation and summary.  But for now, I give thanks for the fellowship we enjoyed with our friends at the Synagogue on Friday evening.  They welcomed us and we worshipped God together – a wonderful way to bring this particular journey to its conclusion.

17. Heemsen Lutheran Church: Lower Saxony, Germany: September 2022

 

During the 2017-18 academic year, Hauke Vogel came to AFC to serve as our Time for God volunteer.  It was a splendid year and a number of us have had the privilege of travelling to Germany since and visiting Hauke and his family on their beautiful farm at Rohrsen.

Last weekend Rachel and I made that trip again, but this time to specifically worship with the family at their church, just down the road, in the next village of Heemsen on Sunday.

On Saturday morning it was such a joy to meet Pastor Dietmar Hallwass, who along with his ordained wife Anne, is the joint minster of this Lutheran Parish which in total serves five villages.  Around the breakfast table we talked of church life for some two and a half hours.  I learnt that Dietmar’s training was almost twice as long as mine and that he has been in post now for some nine years, during which he and Anne have had three children.  He told me of the structure of the Lutheran Church in that part of Lower Saxony.  It is split into a district, and then a wider region before belonging to the Hanover grouping of Lutheran Churches, overseen by its own bishop.  In this part of Germany, because of the history (much of it focussed on the 30-year war) there are very few Roman Catholics, so little in the way of ecumenical encounter for Dietmar and Anne. 

Heemsen Church is a beautiful building and in the church hall we saw a painting of the original building.  The tower still exists and is incorporated into the ‘new’ design, erected to seat no less than 700 people because they had grown out of their smaller church.

After breakfast we visited the children’s club that runs occasionally on a Saturday morning.  It was a great joy to meet its leader Sandra, whose enthusiasm was simply infectious!  Over twenty children had spent a great morning listening to bible stories and making doves of peace. 

We concluded our time in the church hall looking at some fascinating old parish records of baptisms, weddings and deaths.  In these ancient documents it was wonderful to come across one of Jochen Vogel’s ancestors, a Herr Schumann, from 1745, who once owned the farm and built a most charming ‘cottage’ still in its grounds.

Pastor Dietmar then brought out one of the parish’s greatest treasures, a bible from 1562, one that had even been scorched by a great fire at Drakenburg (another village in the parish).  We stood holding this precious tome together and it was a deeply moving moment; two pastors from different countries and traditions both holding the one sacred text that binds us together.

After lunch we drove south through the beautiful German countryside and immaculate townships to the Abbey and former Monastery of Loccum.  It’s at this ancient place that all the Lutheran Pastors in this part of northern Germany are trained.  They are often based in parishes and come into Loccum for a specific time of study every month.  Our guide, who has also taught at the seminary, was charming and we learnt so much about the Abbey.  For me the most moving moment came as he showed us a small sculpture with a really big message.  It was based on a dream of Bernard of Clairvaux being ‘embraced’ by a welcoming and loving God.   That, in itself, would have been a great message but this small sculpture went one step further.  It depicted God ‘embracing’ both Bernard of Clairvaux and Martin Luther.  It was for me another powerful moment, showing that to God our traditions, whether they be Roman Catholic or Lutheran, mean so little.  The most important thing is that whatever our background we are ‘beloved’ by God, and that small sculpture in Loccum Abbey shows that perfectly.

After our time there we travelled on and had tea with a former Pastor of Heemsen, Elizabeth and her husband Jochen.  Once again, we were welcomed into a German home with such hospitality and Elizabeth spoke warmly of her time at the church and how so many of its pastors have had long ministries there.

The next day we joined the Vogel family for worship at Heemsen at 10am.  We arrived to the sound of bells and walked up the church path together.  The Sanctuary was full because Sunday was a special service at which this year’s Confirmation Candidates came to church to start their journey.  Some 21 teenagers were therefore present, along with their families.  They will have to attend some 15 services leading up to their confirmation. 

The service was full of life and love.  In true German fashion we sat for the hymns and stood for the prayers!  The music was provided by the beautiful organ which has been played by the same musician for over 60 years!  These hymns were supplemented by Sandra leading us in some contemporary songs on the electric piano.  Rosemarie Vogel, who is an elder in the congregation, led us in one of the readings.

Pastor Dietmar gave a sermon about Jacob and his ladder and concluded it with an all-age activity, asking the congregation to write down a time in their lives when they felt close to God, as Jacob did in his dream, and then stick that note on the ladder.  It was very moving to see so many people come to the front, as the organ was played, and take part in this.

During the service I was asked to give a greeting – my name was even on the order of service! I said a few words reflecting on the gratitude we feel for Hauke’s time with us and the bonds that draw us together whether we live in Buckinghamshire or Lower Saxony.  Hauke translated – but I have a suspicion he inserted some of his own thoughts too, as some of what he said drew laughter from the congregation.  I ended with a few words of German – I suspect it was unintelligible - but I so wanted to show some respectful friendship for all the kindness we had been shown over the weekend.

All too quickly our time came to an end.  We had a photo of Hauke between two pastors!  And then we shared a time of fellowship over fresh coffee at the back of the church.  The Heemsen congregation had built a servery at the rear of the church just before Lock Down.  They are glad to be using it now because it was their experience that when coffee were served over the road, in the church hall, they would lose too many people ‘En route’!

And then it was a drive back to Bremen airport and a flight back home.

Next day, as we watched the funeral of our late Queen my WhatsApp pinged and it was a message from Jochen to say that the family had watched some of the service from Westminster and he and Hauke had felt it right to raise the Union Jack half-mast on the farm flagpole.  I can think of no greater, or more appropriate, gesture of solidarity, deeply moving.

Last weekend Rachel and I worshipped in a so called ‘foreign country’ and in a different tradition.  Yet it was an experience, from beginning to end, in which we felt totally ‘at home’ and amongst great friends. 

Thanks be to God for the precious and enduring Family of God.

Gott sei Dank!

16. Oasis, Waterloo: London: 7th August 2022

 Yesterday we went to Lambeth.  Not the ‘Conference’, which is drawing to a close but that part of London which is south of the river and adjacent to the Archbishop’s Palace.  We were there to visit the Oasis Church: Waterloo and we arrived in time for their 11 o’clock Sunday Service, along with about one hundred other people.

I have been aware of the ‘Oasis’ organisation for decades; primarily as a ‘training’ opportunity for gap year students.  I suspect that part of its ministry is now in the past.  Today it is better known for its School Academies, over fifty of them, up and down the country.  These highly respected schools, often serving ‘disadvantaged’ communities have a subtle Christian ethos at their centre.  Indeed, the founder of Oasis, The Revd Steve Chalke was on the BBC just last week being interviewed about the huge deficit schools will face, come the autumn, in their heating bills.  As always, in that radio interview, he spoke well, mixing, as he frequently does, his enthusiasm and compassion.  He is, I think a very worthy recipient of his MBE!

Steve Chalke trained, like me, at Spurgeon’s College in South London.  He was always an ‘outside the box’ person, yet I suspect that none of his tutors envisaged that forty years on he would be looking back at a ministry that had ‘social’ care and engagement at its core.  In the last decade or so Steve Chalke surprised the ‘evangelical' world on two fronts.  Firstly, he distanced himself from the traditional ‘atonement’ theory of The Cross and secondly, he became a very public advocate of the LGTBQ community.  These actions were at some personal cost to him as he was ‘thrown out’ of The Evangelical Alliance and his projects received a significant cut in funding by a number of evangelical organisations. 

The Oasis Church in London is sited just opposite the Lambeth North Tube station in what was, formerly, Christchurch and Upton URC.  Some members of that former congregation still attend.  It’s a huge late 20^th century building, still retaining its spire from a former architectural incarnation.

The building is used throughout the week for a myriad of social projects, including housing a school academy, a food bank, parenting centre and urban farm office. 

This is not a huge congregation, neither is it one full of one particular age group.  It is, however, a congregation with a significant number of folk attending from the LGBQT community, indeed I suspect they were in the majority.

At many times during the service the ‘openness’ and ‘welcome’ of the church was emphasised.  Inclusivity is a driving force here.  Indeed a recently printed leaflet, scattered freely across the site, was one that offered an apology to gay people for the way they have been treated  by The Church in history.

There was a pervading sense of ‘gentleness’ in the service.

We sang similar songs that would have been sung yesterday in countless ‘high octane’ evangelical congregations, used the same sort of prayer styles with everything being presented in an informal style; yet at Oasis Waterloo it came across as ‘softer’ and ‘humbler’.  I cannot really explain it, it just felt full of certain type of warmth and integrity that I found very moving.

The preacher was from Oasis, Bath where she is the Senior Minister, and she preached a super, well-grounded and helpful sermon on ‘Why go to church?’  It was the fourth in a series of sermons which have all been followed by a ten-minute Q and A session in the service.

I am sure there are a whole host of questions around the ministry of Oasis.  Their budget is enormous and the work wide ranging.  The ‘elephant in the room’ is always about the relationship between such social involvement in the community and the building and nurturing of a faith community.  I know that those involved with Oasis would see no distinction between the ‘Kingdom of God’ either inside or outside the walls of a church.

This visit was one of the final ones of my Sabbatical, at least on a Sunday.  The actual last Sabbatical Sunday will be in September when we visit a church in Germany.  And as the Sabbatical Blog comes to an end, I’ll also reflect on the URC 50^th Anniversary Service from Westminster Central Hall in October and an upcoming visit to a Synagogue Service in the autumn.

So, it was great on Sunday, to be amongst such inspiring people in a congregation in which it felt there was so much integrity.  The pracher yesterday mentioned some of the core values of an Oasis Church, they included:
* Inclusivity
* Social Action
* Progressive' theology
(It was interesting to learn that Brian McLaraen will be visiting the church next month)
* Informal Style

Oasis, Waterloo is an example of the way the Church can evolve and embrace the future, without fear because ‘love’ will see us through.  ‘Love will win’, with gentleness, warmth, kindness and compassion, because love is from God.  And on Sunday I sensed the love of God, present in our worship from start to finish, and it made my heart glad.

15. Hampstead Garden Suburb Free Church: London

 

It’s only a forty-minute drive from Amersham over to Hampstead Garden Suburb in North London and we made that journey on a gloriously sunny day last Sunday.

Whilst living in Hitchin we got to know about the concept, championed by Ebenezer Howard, of a ‘Garden City’ as Letchworth, one of the first, was our neighbour.  Hampstead Garden Suburb stands in that fine tradition of thoughtful and creative town planning.

One of the first things that strikes you on arrival is the way the skyline is dominated by two churches that stand either side of a central square, both designed by the internationally renowned architect, Sir Edward Lutyens.  On one side is the steepled St Jude’s Anglican Church with the domed Free Church (Baptist/URC) located on the other. 

These buildings are hugely significant, and both hold Grade 1 status.  I suspect that now they are just over a hundred years old, that both church buildings are quite demanding in terms of maintenance and restoration.

On Sunday we joined a warm hearted and welcoming congregation at The Free Church.  In terms of style and demographic, this is the ‘closest’ to our own congregation at AFC that we have encountered during these Sabbatical visits.  The service was dignified and formal, yet always friendly.

Sunday’s preacher was the minister of the Baptist Church down the road at Hampstead.  He is also serving the Free Church as their interim moderator now they are in Pastoral Vacancy.  His style was both thoughtful and refreshing.

The music on Sunday was provided by a grand piano with a first-class pianist.  The church makes regular use of both its three manual organ and the piano, and last week the music was delightful.

One of the most touching parts of the service was that moment when a German family were ‘farewelled’ with kind words of appreciation and the presentation of a few gifts.  It was clear that they were much loved and the inclusion of this item in morning worship underlined that sense of ‘Church Family’ which was very evident at the Free Church.

Afterwards we stayed for coffee, and it was significant just how many others did too – almost everyone in fact! That, I think, underlined, a keen sense of community within the church.  We were made to feel very welcome with a number of folk taking time out to come over and introduce themselves.  During this time we took the opportunity to walk around the church and look at the banners on display, the creative handiwork of a talented sewing group within the congregation.

In pondering what I might have learnt from Sunday (that – after all, is partly the reason for these Sabbatical visits!) the words of the lady who served me coffee went deep. She reflected on different church styles and commented: the great thing about ‘here’ is that we can be ourselves, it doesn’t matter if you stand up or sit down at the wrong point in the service, no body minds, you can just be yourself…

We both came away glad to have worshipped in such a sincere and friendly atmosphere in which people feel able to ‘be themselves’ in this strong and committed community of faith.

14. St James', Piccadilly, London: 19th June 2022

 It’s a weird sensation to be in central London having an al fresco coffee on a Sunday morning because there is hardly anyone about! 

Well, that was our experience last Sunday as we sat opposite St James’ Church in Piccadilly.

At 11am we made our way into this beautiful Wren church that sits in its own courtyard.  We were joined by around 80 other worshippers.

The music before the service was provided by piano and cello and created a great atmosphere in the building.  During the service the congregational singing was somewhat ‘muted’ as I suspect the two Iona hymns we sang, although they had excellent words, were accompanied by unfamiliar tunes.  The last hymn was Sing Hosanna and that went with a real swing!

During the service the liturgy was often sung by an impressive choir called The Lay Singers, these were conducted by a very able (and happy!) musician and at some points we were led by a wonderful tenor cantor.

From the very first word spoken, by the Rector, The Revd Lucy Winkett, it was clear we were being led by very warm-hearted and positive clergy.  Their use of language, which was both inclusive and contemporary, was exemplary and it was soon clear that certain bits of Iona liturgy had been skilfully woven into the service.  Everything that was said, sung and done at St James’ on Sunday felt life affirming.

The sermon was preached by one of the churches Self Supporting priests, an American academic from one of the London colleges.  His text wasn’t easy as it was the healing of a ‘demon possessed’ man and the subsequent mass stampede of a herd of pigs.  However, this was a good sermon (in my view at least!).  I may not have agreed with every point being made, yet I was both challenged and inspired by the way these issues were dealt with, ranging from what it means to be made in the image of God when we have mental health issues, to the care and good husbandry of animals.  And that, for me, was one of the most important lessons I learnt from Sunday.  The preacher said some really challenging things, even controversial, yet the way he said them, with an obvious gentleness and positivity, made me engage with him, travel with him and willingingly think about the issues.  I’ve always ‘hoped’ that a sermon could both challenge and comfort, and on Sunday I personally experienced that.

The outstanding feature, I felt, of St James’ Piccadilly is that, although it is in the centre of a capital city, enjoying the company of tourists (like us!), it has a ‘real’ sense of community about it.  I suspect that, in no small part, is due to the inspiring ministry of The Revd Lucy Winkett (who was educated here in Amersham at The Girls’ High School!).  Nothing at St James’ is ‘dumbed down’ or in the least bit ‘gimmicky’.  In many ways it is quite a serious church, alongside being one that shows great commitment and practical compassion.  It obviously offers the warmest of welcomes to the LGBT community and twice a week provides 150 hot breakfasts to rough sleepers.

This church has a big challenge in front of it as it seeks to raise no less than £16m to refurbish and update its buildings.

We came out of church very much uplifted by the service on Sunday, sensing we had found a congregation in central London that is seeking to live with integrity, one whose life together is inspired by a God of love and compassion.

Thanks be to God for a church like St James’, Piccadilly and the excellent ministry of The Revd Lucy Winkett.

13. St John's, Buxton, Derbyshire: May 2022

On the first full day of our half term holiday in Derbyshire we attended Morning Service in the spa town of Buxton, at St John's church, in the centre of the town opposite the Opera House.

St John's is a Regency Church, funded and built by The Duke of Devonshire from nearby Chatsworth House.  It is much used during the annual Buxton music festival, when the BBC Radio Four morning service is often broadcast from the church.

These days a lot of thought is often given to church entrances, sometimes doors have been refurbished in glass to make a porch more appealing and accesible.  This is important in a day and age when actually entering a church, for some people, takes a bit of courage.  So, it was significant that we had to walk around St John's, doing a full circuit of the building before we found the entrance door.

About just over forty of us gathered and in the notices we heard that nine of us had been identified as 'visitors'.  Actually, once inside the building the welcome could not have been warmer.

We were told that this service had been put together by a 'Creative Worship Team' from the church - that meant an alternatiove reading (a poem) had been selected to replace the Old Testament lesson, a lay member of the congregation led the intercessions, the work of a new member of the church, a stained glass window maker, was featured and a new setting of the Sanctus was introduced.  As part of this 'Creative Service' were were ushered into the front four rows of chairs rather than spreading out throughout the large nave, and the service concluded with Cheese and Wine.  These services, planned by a lay team alongside the vicar, are now scheduled to take place every month when there is a fifth Sunday.

So many parts of the service were done well such as: the sermon on the the theme of Ascension, the beautiful singing from a choir of just six members and the real sense of friendly welcome.

It must be something of a challenge for St John's to run this church at the centre of the town with a fairly limited (in terms of size) congregation.  So, ten out of ten to them for trying something 'new' in their service. We left hoping they will remain a beacon of Christlike integrity at the centre of this spa town for many years to come.

12. Great Malvern Priory, Worcestershire: May 2022

 

On the first of May we worshipped at Great Malvern Priory in Worcestershire.

Between 1999-2007 we lived in Malvern with our boys going to Primary School there.  During this period, I was minister of Malvern Baptist Church.  We had good relations with The Priory but, in truth, it was a busy and fulfilling time at the Baptist Church, so my association with them was somewhat limited.

It sits in the centre of Great Malvern, rather like a mini-cathedral on the lower slopes of the Malvern Hills; and it’s been there, in one form or another (initially as a monastery church), for over a thousand years.

Today it has a congregation of around two hundred.

On Sunday morning we attended the 10.30am service of Holy Communion.

As we took our place (on very comfortable seats) there was a definite pre-service ‘buzz’ about the place.  The atmosphere felt friendly, welcoming, and alive.

The vicar, (a new appointment since my day in the town) spent a few minutes before the service pinpointing visitors, like us, and shaking hands.  I was impressed by his welcome to the man in front of us; ‘Ah, you’re the man from the hotel, why don’t you come and sit here next to Pam and Richard’. This, I thought, is a minister with a warm pastoral heart.

It was impressive to see the entry of such a large (all-age) choir during the opening processional hymn.  Indeed, during the service three new girls were welcomed as full choir members.

The sermon was preached by a Lay Reader in training and was excellent.  The Priory is well off for preachers with both a vicar and curate, alongside no less than four Lay Readers (or as they are called these days LLMs: Licensed Lay Ministers).

Although it has something of the atmosphere of a cathedral the Priory is essentially ‘Low Church Anglican’ in the way it does things.  Lots of voices were heard during the service with laughter and a ‘light touch’ characterising the vicar’s welcoming style. Even at the end, when the curate got the order of service completely mixed up, the only response was supportive and empathetic laughter from the congregation.

We came out of the service to a rousing organ voluntary played by Piers Maxim, the Priory’s Director of Music, a truly gifted musician playing a seriously fine instrument.

Now, to balance all this ‘soft grandeur’ of the morning service we went back at 6.30pm for The Gathering – a more informal and contemporary service.  Every month, on a weekly rotation at 6.30pm, the Priory hold two services of Choral Evensong, Choral Communion and The Gathering.

About 30 of us gathered at The Gathering.  The vicar 9impressively) welcomed us with the words: ‘Lovely to see you, you were here this morning too!’. The chairs in the nave had been re-arranged, so we worshipped ‘Café style’.  The excellent Praise Group band led us in some contemporary songs, we listened to a reflection and then had a couple of discussions around the tables.

It was great to see this breadth in the Priory’s provision, from traditional hymns to modern worship songs (all be it not in the same service).

We left feeling refreshed and uplifted by these two, highly contrasting, services.  Both were beautifully and thoughtfully put together, and in both God was central.

I’m really pleased to have included Great Malvern Priory in this list of Sabbatical Churches.  At both services we encountered integrity, a warm welcome and an obvious desire that God should be honoured in every aspect of these services.  And, perhaps, above all, I cam away (for the first time on this journey) with the impression that here was a church that valued both traditional and contemporary expressions of worship.