shotleyfieldsforever

 One Christmas when I was at the Cathedral in Bradford I was asked at the last minute to conduct the Insurance Societies Carol Service. As I entered the Cathedral someone said how much they were looking forward to my sermon. I wasn't expecting to preach! Normally there isn't a sermon at the nine lessons and carols. I checked the service sheet, I had eight lessons to prepare my sermon. During the sixth lesson the Advent wreath somehow managed to set itself on fire! The verger stepped forward, bowed solemnly and removed the flaming wreath. I had my sermon, perfect for the Insurance Society! Now, as winter approaches I look forward to swapping the lights of Consett for the lights of Taormina in January but before then, as winter begins to curl its icy fingers around the Spinney and the wildlife prepares itself for hibernation we begin to lay fires again burning the spare timber that we have harvested from fallen trees, gathering conkers as we do so. The beginnings of the ...

Sacred space is both an interesting and challenging concept. A sacred space is a space set apart where the spiritual may be encountered, a place where human transformation may be experienced, indeed a place where it may be that we find ourselves wrestling with angels. When I first walked through the Spinney that lies between the house and the road I experienced that sense that here was such a space. A sacred space has been defined as a:   "focusing lens."   In this sense of place or sacred space attention is focused on the forms, objects and actions that take place in it. So it is possible that a Church or Temple or Mosque or Gurdwara or Synagogue will be defined as a sacred space for those who follow the particular religious disciplines that define and identify particular faith communities or indeed for any member of any faith. Each space will carry within it religious meaning for the individual and for the community of which s/he is a m...

House for Duty in the Church of England Mostly clergy are motivated to seek a house for duty post by reason of being unable to afford to buy or rent after a lifetime of living in Vicarages. So for me my first stint as a house for duty clergyman was motivated because I was working in the south of England but could not afford to live there because, having lived in Vicarages all my working life, I had no equity.  So a postcode a thirty minute drive from Junction 13 of the M1 had significant benefits. My second, current, stint was motivated for more complex reasons. I owned my own house outright so accommodation was not an issue. However I had spent some 12 or so years caring for my wife who had MS and Breast Cancer. After her death I met and married again and my new partner, an Occupational Therapist, was of the view that an Occupation was the best therapy. But also having retired at the fairly early of 62, from a job as a Director of a Charity and House for ...

What does it mean to be a Parish Priest? Reflecting on my past 50 years I have seen changes some good (of course) some not so good! My curacy was stimulating and after four years at Theological College it was  refreshing to be putting into practice what I had managed to absorb from my lectures and practical studies. My Vicar was an extraordinary and quite special first incumbent whose view was that I was doing OK because now there were two of us the congregation had in fact increased by around 20 communicants which is what he had expected. I visited, I studied, I preached, I organised children from a local Children's Home to attend Sunday School ( I usually drive down packed them into my Mini and dropped them off at Sunday School and then took them home again) there was of course no safeguarding or data protection to worry about I just agreed it with the Matron of the home! During my second curacy I visited and preached and took services, but at the same time, developed ...