Vicar’s
Viewpoint
Everyone I have spoken to has some story about the disruption to their daily lives caused by the snowfall last month. For those of school age the disruption was seen as a cause of rejoicing because of the unex- pected bonus of some extra days at home to have fun in the snow. Our cover photograph is of members of our Young People’s Fellowship trudging through the falling snow with toboggans in tow, looking forward to an enjoyable morning on some local hillsides.
However, for many adults, the snowfall brought considerable hassle. I have heard
various stories of people struggling to get home in gridlock traffic conditions, with anxiety mounting as each hour passed. One member of our congregation set off with her daughter at 9.15 a.m. on a Christmas shopping expedition to Bluewater. However, she never made it there. At the Bean roundabout they were turning away all traffic, and then she was not allowed back on to the M25 and she found herself being diverted via Bexley and Eltham. She finally struggled home at half-past midnight, having not got out of the car nor having had anything to eat or drink all that time. On page 18 you can also read about Isabel Mee’s experience of being stranded in London overnight after attending a concert in London.
At St. Bart’s we had our own share of disruption. For the first time in my experience of
ministry, we had to postpone a funeral because we simply couldn’t get into the burial ground. The service was held a week later. We also had to reschedule a baptism because none of the godparents and few of the guests could make it. Even the Christingle service nearly was held without Christingles: the oranges and other supplies were at a church member’s home in Sevenoaks and they couldn’t negotiate the treacherous route between St. John’s Hill and Otford.
However, another congregation member who owns a 4 x 4 came to our rescue. At very
short notice he went to collect the supplies and delivered them to the church to the team that was waiting to assemble the Christingles. As soon as he had done this he was then asked to take a nurse to a home in the village for an emergency call-out.
His example is matched by many others. Although the snow brought considerable
problems in its wake, it also brought out many deeds of kindness and neighbourliness. In several roads teams of residents got together to clear the snow; others helped elderly neighbours with their shopping or clearing their drives. It is these sorts of deeds that typi- fy a thriving community spirit.
On many occasions St. Paul wrote about the importance of building up community
through practical care and concern. He uses the little phrase “one another” no less than 28 times in his letters to the new churches he was establishing, for example: “carry one another’s burdens”, “encourage one another”, “ have equal concern for one another”, and “love one another”. These one another exhortations served to build up strong Christian fellowships, even in the face of opposition and persecution. May these “one another” deeds that we have seen over the last month continue to build up our village community.
Your friend and Vicar, Richard 3
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