INTERVI EW THE VERY RE VD SARAH BROWN
THE VERY REVD SARAH BROWN
You were previously Canon Missioner at Peterborough Cathedral. Do you see many similarities between your work in the community of Peterborough and Hereford? Peterborough and Hereford are very different places with different presenting issues. I have not yet learned how Hereford works and what the issues are here but I would be amazed if it were as different as it appears on the surface. People are people and have the same needs and joys and sorrows, the same propensity to mess things up, wherever we are. The task of ministry is to value everyone as God does and shine the light of Christ on situations in need of transformation and healing. The basic task won’t be that different.
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You are arriving at quite an interesting time as the world is still grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic. What challenges do you think you may face as the cathedral recovers? An interesting time is a bit of an understatement and there are certainly challenges ahead. Lockdown had a dreadful effect on finances and like many other organisations we had to lose staff which means that like everywhere else we are trying to recover and build sustainability with fewer people to do the work. That goes for volunteers too. Many of our volunteers were retired and particularly vulnerable during Covid. Many are not keen to come back. That is true of congregation too. Online worship is easy to attend in your PJ’s with a cup of coffee in hand and feels much safer. It also enables us to serve those who cannot get to a church building so the challenge of a mixed online worship economy is another resourcing issue. The world feels a scary place and many people are finding it psychologically very difficult to emerge from lockdown.
Pastorally we are seeing more mental health and abuse related issues - gaps in state provision bring some very challenged and sometimes challenging people to our door. Everyone struggles sometimes and those who have worked through lockdown are very tired.
But to be frank the Churches of all denominations were facing challenges before Covid. It has simply accelerated the problems. One of the reasons I was appointed is almost certainly my track record in growing people in faith and growing new congregations alongside those which may decline further. God is not dead. Faith is alive and kicking but for many there is a big mismatch between faith and old-fashioned church, and we need to think about that. We have a deep and wonderful mine of wisdom, tradition, spirituality, music, teaching, prayer and protest. The Bible is as relevant as it ever was but some of what we do and say is counterproductive. Covid has given us the opportunity to lay down some of the unhelpful things about church, to not rush headlong back into doing what we always did but the challenge will be to be wise about that, sustain what is good, beautiful, true and transformational and lay down what is peripheral and limiting. Those are going to be hard conversations for the whole church everywhere I suspect
What most excites you about your new role as Dean of Hereford? There is so much!
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Music at Hereford is hard to beat and the power of the sound of human voice raised to God in harmony in that space, which is like a huge sound box, is riveting. If you have not heard it Evensong is open to all at 5.30 most evenings or 3.30 on a Sunday.
I think overall it is the sheer potential that we have to be generous, to make sure that every person in Hereford understands the Cathedral is for them. The convening power of a Cathedral and the opportunities it has to serve parish churches, schools and colleges, those in need and ordinary residents is so exiting. Justin Welby says that if you cannot have fun in a Cathedral, you can’t have fun anywhere! And he is right!
You have had a few weeks to explore the Cathedral since moving into the Cloisters, have you found a favourite space within the building yet? I am still discovering it. Different locations feel different at different times of day. The Lady Chapel is very special any time and I have recently discovered the Crypt which feels to me full of God. I am looking forward to learning the many stories and feeling my way around the building spiritually.
Have you had any time to explore Herefordshire? If so, have you found any new favourite places to visit? It is a beautiful county and after Peterborough positively mountainous. I managed to trash my clutch coming over Bredwardine Hill, but the Golden Valley is magical. I have much to explore - not least how can I possibly resist visiting a high point just across the border called Gospel Pass? I went to Much Wenlock this week to get a cassock fitted and loved that journey. The ugliest building on the route is the Cadbury plant at Leominster but one can forgive an ugly building that produces chocolate!
We have also discovered the fruits of Oakchurch – I’ve not had cherries and strawberries like these in years. Have now moved on to plums and apples but what a lovely place for foodies!
Away from Cathedral life, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time? Spare time has been a bit rare. I’m not sure what we shall do with ourselves when we no longer have boxes to pack or unpack. I am hoping to pick my double bass up again and get gardening but I’m not sure what the job will leave me in terms of spare time!
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