We recently met at our diocesan synod. At one point there was a powerpoint image put on the screen about the four parishes in Timaru. These are led and served by stipended clergy (3.2 stipends). Quickly adding up the numbers on the screen – total Sunday attendance across the four parishes: 170. No one gasped.
Celebrating Sundays: Patristic Readings for the Sunday Gospels, Years A, B & C Compiled and introduced by the Rev. Stephen Holmes. This is a treasure. It is a wonderful collection of patristic readings linked with the three year series of Sunday gospel readings followed by Roman Catholics and ecumenically in the Revised Common Lectionary. There
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The Ma Whea Commission (the Commission on same gender blessings and ordinations in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia) met Saturday, 1 September. They expressed surprise that they had only received five submissions (my open letter being the first they received). Many people I’ve spoken to are not. The decade-long debate as a central focus in
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During September many communities celebrate a Season of Creation. This site encourages a greater consciousness of our responsibility towards creation. It is also firmly committed to the three year lectionary. I believe it is possible to keep the three year series AND to focus on creation (unlike some communities which abandon the ecumenical lectionary for
Mormons, phenomenologically, are obviously part of the complex spectrum of Christianity. Furthermore, I think one should be very cautious in disallowing a title that a community or individual apply to themselves. “We are the only true Christians, and all the rest are not really Christians”, is IMO not a way forward. With these provisos I
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The Sunday Start-Times had a half page opinion article by Simon Cunliffe who says, “I am a Twitter-virgin. I do not subscribe, have not used, and do not intend to become a Twitter devotee.” Having stated that he has no experience of Twitter, he then goes on to assert, “Twitter encourages directness, blunting the social
THE PRESIDER’S CHAIR and THE CATHEDRA present particular problems for contemporary liturgy and liturgical layout. The cathedra is the bishop’s chair. We don’t want to place the presider’s chair to give the impression of a throne, or the presider as judge. Presider’s chair, lectern, and altar form three foci for the Eucharist (the font is
church architecture 6 Read More »
The content of this post has been unashamedly/very ashamedly (pick one) stolen from my good e-friend Fr Tim Schenck’s blog Clergy Family Confidential, who, after this overt theft, may suggest I remove “good” from before “e-friend”, and possibly even the “friend”, leaving my introduction to be simply “stolen from my e- Fr Tim Schenck’s blog”).
