NEWS AND THOUGHTS FROM CHURCHES AROUND BOROUGH How would your Deacon back in congregation
devotion rate? THE number of primary schools in the Maidstone area that “re- quire improvement” according to Ofsted, has prompted a churchman to consider how the schools’ watchdog would judge religious devotion. Cyril Durbin, the deacon of St
Peter’s Church in Button Lane, says in Bearsted parish magazine that while many people would regard their “love of God and of their neighbour” to be satisfac- tory, this verdict no longer exists in Ofsted reports. He asks what people should
do “to rise above the ‘requires improvement’ grading”. Apart from loving themselves and un- derstanding that they have a God-given purpose, Mr Durbin says. “Each of us needs to exam- ine our relationship with our ‘neighbour’; who includes our enemy! Do we, can we love the murderer, the terrorist, the child abuser?” He adds: “That is the radical challenge Jesus puts before us.” After considering the other challenges that faith presents, Mr Durbin concludes: “Thank goodness we are not open to Of- sted-type grading, but please ask yourself what grade you would achieve if you were.”
A SPIRITUAL journey that has taken Jenny Manners from congre- gation to priest at Holy Cross Church, Bearsted, has come full cir- cle.
Mrs Manners (left) was ordained
as a deacon in 2006 by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, and a year later she became a priest, after her ordi- nation by Bishop Graham Clay at Holy Cross. Now Mrs Manners – the first woman priest at Holy Cross – has retired, and will concentrate on family life and spending time with
THE White Horse pub inOtham was the unlikely location for some soul-searching about the future of the Church of England. While the Rev Steve Hughes
was enjoying a quiet pint, he was asked by the landlady’s husband Archie, if Otham Church was to close. In quickly extinguishing the rumour, Mr Hughes, writing in the Two Spires, the parish mag- azine for St Nicholas’s Church, Otham and St Mary’s Langley, said it forced him to take a hard look at the future of the church. Reflecting on 700 years of
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her husband Derek. She will once again become a member of the con- gregation at the church she first at- tended in 1993, along with her mother, who had moved to the area from Belfast. Mrs Manners also spent four
years as secretary on the Parochial Church Council and many happy years in the choir with daughter Kate, travelling extensively, includ- ing to Virginia in the USA. Her retirement plans include spending more time on her narrow boat, as well as visiting family and friends.
Church ‘must prepare for future’
worship at Otham, Mr Hughes said that as the scene of count- less baptisms, weddings and fu- nerals over the years, it held a store of memories, as did St Mary’s. He posed the question: “Both churches have histori- cally played incredibly impor- tant parts in the lives of the communities they have served. But will they continue to be able to do so?” While affirming his belief that
the churches were here to stay and that the message of the gospel was unchanging, he asked: “Are there things about
our church life which are past their ‘sell-by’ date?” He questioned whether the nature and timing of services re- flected today’s world and ap- pealed to the community to get involved. “I certainly would appeal to
all of you to consider whether you too might have a part to play in our future, and also to let us know if you have any con- structive thoughts or ideas about what we should or should not be doing.” The Rev Steve Hughes can be contacted on 01622 862793.
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