Colum’s Letter

The last few Sundays have concentrated on the concept of ‘the call’, particularly focusing upon Jesus’ calling and gathering of his disciples in preparation for the great adventure that lay ahead of him in his all too short public life.

That call continues to-day and it may be prompting you to offer more of your time and talents to help with the various tasks of our churches – Visiting, Sidesperson, Sunday Reader, Intercessor, Chalice Assistant etc.  Such invaluable service is always needed but will be especially critical during the forthcoming vacancy .in order to keep us as the worshipping, open and welcoming communities we strive to be . 

But for some it could be a call to the life of a priest, or other formal ministry such as Reader or Pastoral Assistant.  This is particularly relevant at a time when the Episcopal Church, in common with most mainstream churches in the UK to-day, struggle to cope with a severe shortage of men and women offering themselves for such service.  Something may be lurking at the back of your mind, but you dismiss it because you might not think that you are the kind of person that could ever become, say, a priest - too old, too busy, not academically or theologically qualified, not holy enough etc.  You will be surprised at the variety and types of people, just like you, who do get ordained who never dreamt in a million years that the nagging feeling at the back of their minds was, in fact, a call to ministry.  You will also be surprised at the innovative and flexible ways that the church now has in place for the training and formation of those who are called to the formal ministry.    If you have ever thought that you might fall into this category, however quickly you dismissed it as impractical, presumptuous or foolish, then please come and talk to me (before I retire) in complete confidence.  God has a habit of using the most unpromising material for his ends – they let me in!

Before he began his great mission, Jesus withdrew to the wilderness for forty days to pray and contemplate the path that lay ahead.  The forty days of Lent are almost upon us.  You might want to use them to think and pray, and perhaps talk in confidence with someone, about your path ahead in life and whether God might be calling you more deeply into his service.  In all of this, it is both exciting and humbling to remember the words of Jesus, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15.16)

Colum