Page 53 - Phonebox Magazine November 2007

Ecumenical Moderator’s Letter
STANTONBURY BRASS
PRESENTS
“A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION”
Stretching the horizons
Before I go any further, let me invite you to pray for the Rev. John Bernard who has moved from Stantonbury and is commencing a new ministry in Hayes, Middlesex, and for the Rev. Heather Pollard and the Rev. Steven Fisher, who are being inducted this month at Woughton and at Well Street Buckingham respectively. We wish them all well for their future.
Back in the summer I had the opportunity of visiting the Antony Gormley exhibition in London, entitled ‘Blind Light’. One of the highlights for me of the visit was the moment I stood on one of the gallery's balconies, looking out in all directions across London. I was not alone: around me a whole crowd of other visitors to the gallery, young and old, were all straining their eyes in the sunshine to spot the artist's sculptures of human figures which had been placed on roofs at different points on the skyline, some quite near, others so far away they were barely visible.
Gazing out, I was aware of having my horizons both challenged and stretched, and of feeling smaller and less central in an ever-widening landscape. It was an exhilarating, almost magnetic experience. As soon as I had spotted one figure somewhere in the distance, my sense of discovery was such that I could hardly wait to spot the next one. I could hear other people around me talking excitedly to their friends, suddenly exclaiming "There's one!!" and attempting to indicate with an ill-pointed finger where the new figure could be found.
Since then I have been reflecting on the kinds of horizons I live with, and on the many ways in which they can be stretched. I have no doubt that Christian faith invites us into a horizon-stretching way of life, following the risen Christ to the margins, being propelled by the Spirit to places and situations we never dreamed of.
For the Christian believers of the early church, Christian faith stretched their horizons beyond what was comfortable for many of them: the first Christians who were Jewish never imagined that the God of Jesus Christ would be urging them to be part of a Christian church with Gentiles! The Acts of the Apostles describes how the ‘world’ of the first Christians grew bigger as the Good News of Jesus Christ spread further and touched people of different races.
Very often in the ecumenical movement we talk about the need for Christians to grow closer together and reduce the distances which divide them. And rightly so. But there is a danger that in so talking we create a mental picture of horizons which are shrinking, or of a smaller, cosier world to inhabit. Whereas, in fact, the ecumenical movement, which speaks of God's reconciling purposes for the whole inhabited earth, is one which invites us to have our horizons extended.
The letter to the Ephesians is full of challenge: "With deep roots, and firm foundations, may you, in company with all God's people, be strong to grasp what is the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ's love, and to know it, though it is beyond knowledge." (Eph. 3:18-9). Our own expanding experience of Christ goes hand in hand with our discovery of the far-reaching purposes of God to embrace the whole of creation: "He has made known to us his secret purpose: ...namely, that the universe, everything on heaven and earth, might be brought into a unity in Christ." (Eph.1:10). God, the artist of all creation, constantly invites us to search in new places for signs of his activity.
This month, we have several opportunities to have our horizons stretched! Don't miss the launch of the new Milton Keynes Christian Forum the first weekend in November – do try and make one of the events. Then, on November 3 at 9am at the Christian Foundation we have a workshop to discuss the proposals for the new horizons for the Mission Partnership. I would urge you also to participate in your church's discussion of the document ‘Christian Presence in the New Communities of Milton Keynes’. Don't miss this exciting report and the possibilities it raises. K
Mary Cotes
CHURCH OF ST PETER & ST PAUL, OLNEY SATURDAY, 8TH DECEMBER 2007, 7.30PM
“Come and Join in the Festive Spirit” Wine and Refreshments Available
Tickets - Tel: 01234 713464 (or at the door) £5.00 (£3.00 OAPs/Students, children under 11 free)
OLNEY BELLS APPEAL
For almost an hour, on Saturday evening 27th October 2007, bellringers from the North Bucks Branch of the Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers descended on Olney Parish Church, to ring the bells and herald the launch of the OLNEY BELLS APPEAL.
The Rt. Revd. Alan Wilson, The Bishop of Buckingham, then set the Appeal in motion, by ringing the Launch Bell at 7.30pm, prior to the start of the Lance Pierson evening of John Betjeman poetry, also in the Church.
A successful Appeal will enable the existing eight bells in the tower to be lowered and sent to a bell foundry for retuning. New steel foundation beams, together with a new steel bell frame, will be installed to replace the existing timberwork, which has now exceeded its sell-by date!
The oldest of the existing bells was cast in 1599 and is inscribed in honour of Queen Elizabeth I, ‘God save the Queen’. Six of the oldest and heaviest bells were already hanging there when John Newton was curate at the church and was writing the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’.
Following the success of the Appeal, the eight bells will be re-hung with completely new fittings, together with two new bells, providing North Bucks and the Milton Keynes area with a unique ten bell training environment, where traditional English-style bell ringing may continue for years to come.
The project will cost around £115,000, but with some money expected to come in from grants, various organisations and charities, we will still need to raise around £57,000 locally. K
Contacts for further information or interviews:
Ringing Master: David Phillipson 01234 711291 mobile 07912059491 Tower Captain: Charles Knight 01234 713713
Chairman of the Appeal: Basil Margrave 01234 241146.
NP Flower Festival
Newport Pagnell Methodist Church hosted a very successful Flower Festival as part of their harvest Festival weekend 29th and 30th September. All member churches of Churches Together in Newport Pagnell took part. The various displays were inspired by the hymns of Charles Wesley whose 300th anniversary it is.
All who viewed the displays praised the imagination and artistry of those who had worked so hard to create the displays. Over £400 was raised for refurbishing the church building. K
Phonebox Magazine 53