This week I have been pondering on what it means to be part of the Church of England. At our PCC meetings this week and next, St Giles and St John’s have been thinking about formalising the relationship that has been evolving over several years and becoming a ‘united benefice’. Some of you might be wondering what that means. A benefice is a way of describing the place for which a vicar gets an income. The way the Church of England is organised hasn’t changed very much since the reign of Henry VIII. Every inch of land in England belongs to a parish. The local church is there for everyone who lives within that geographical area that is called a ‘parish’. In a similar way to the way a local councillor is responsible for a ‘ward’, a parish priest is responsible for a parish. I am currently the vicar of the parish of Lincoln St John the Baptist. I serve not only the congregation but the residents of the parish. And that call to serve the people within that geographical area is shared by the worshipping members of the church – the congregation. When two or more parishes decide to become a united benefice, it doesn’t necessarily have to change the way the churches in that benefice organise themselves. It means that they share a vicar. It can be a real opportunity to collaborate on things and St Giles and St John’s have been doing that for several years now from Holiday Club to the Ministry Experience Scheme which is just about to launch.
The pastoral reorganisation that is required to become a united benefice is not irreversible. Nor does it mean that it is not possible to worship and collaborate with other churches, either other churches in the Church of England or ecumenical partners. In the city, there is a great diversity of Christian witness and worship from the cathedral to Alive Church and everything in between.
For some of us this feels like an exciting opportunity and others might be anxious about a loss of identity and autonomy. Nothing happens quickly in the Church of England and I hope that there will be plenty of opportunities for people to be open and honest about how they feel about this process.
The institution of the Church of England is not perfect, like all of us, it is flawed and in need of grace. But this is the institution that I love and belong to, with all its quirks and many eccentricities. Over the coming months and years, I invite all of you to pray and discern what God is calling us to be and do. It might not look like the kind of strategic plan we would have come up with. Who would have asked a murderer on the run to lead a nation to freedom or a musical shepherd boy to fight a giant in single combat or a teenager to give birth to the Messiah? As it says in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,’ says the Lord.”
Next Sunday 29th September is the Harvest Festival at St John's at the usual time, and a joint service at the Methodist Church at St Gilles with the slightly later start time of 10.30 am. If you're coming to St John's, please bring tinned or packet food, toiletries and cleaning products for the Lincoln Community Larder. Please keep Toby and Mark in your prayers as they move into Shelley Drive and begin their Ministry Experience Scheme.
Have a great week.
Best wishes,
Rachel