content regulars Vol 23 No 293 September 2020 10 SEcuLAR LITuRgIES TOm SuTcLIffE 20 views, reviews & previews on the plight of Sheffield Cathedral 3 LEAD STORy Choir faith across the ART : Owen Higgs on generations Andy Warhol 15 gHOSTLy cOunSEL Clare Williams considers youth AnDy HAWES work during the pandemic BOOkS: Andy Hawes on Foowing commends Spiritual Exercise Christ John Twisleton on EDITORIAL 18 6 Oppression in Zimbabwe Verbum Domini BISHOPS Of THE SOcIETy 35 A lawyer explains the situation Jack Allen on Trinitarian eology in Medieval and 8 The House of the Lord Reformation ought 19 THE WAy WE LIvE nOW JOnATHAn BAkER Christopher Johnson on cHRISTOPHER SmITH considers the importance of sacred Saints and Holy Places of is fed up space Yorkshire Philip Barnes on 25 LETTER TO THE EDITOR 9 WyP @ Home God’s Church in the World A report from the Walsingham 30 DESERTED mIDLAnD 26 Our shared heritage: cHuRcHES Youth Pilgrimage renewing the present from 12 faithful Servant the past 32 SEPTEmBER DIARy PAuL BAgOTT cHARLES cARD -R EynOLDS THuRIfER remembers Fr Bill Sco explores Black Portraits is looking for intrigue 14 culture and Anarchy 28 Angelorum custodum 33 fAITH Of OuR fATHERS WILLIAm DAvAgE JOHn gAyfORD ARTHuR mIDDLETOn on the state we are in introduces the Guardian Angels on holiness 16 ‘Divine Speech’ 35 nicolas and the Six Bells 34 TOucHIng PLAcE STEPHEn WILSOn Ss Andrew and Bartholemew, explains the Art of the Possible Ashleworth, Glos. E R The Consecration of Bishop E G V Will Hazlewood as Bishop of A O M Lewis. I C Articles are published in New Directions because they are thought likely to be of interest to The Assumption at St Luke’s Shepherds Bush. readers. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or those of Forward in Faith. 2 ■ new directions ■ September 2020 faith across the generations Lead Clare Williams asks what can we learn from the COVID-19 pandemic about ministry with chil - Story dren and young people? hildren and young people being made welcome as at a time which suits them and quite often, while still wearing part of regular worship would be widely acknowl - their pyjamas! As ‘Everybody Welcome Online’ also puts it, C edged as one of the key indicators of a healthy, grow - “last month we were the Odeon, today we are Netflix” 4 – an - ing church. This has long been expressed in a number of ways other reason why this may be a particularly attractive quality but has predominantly meant churches themselves providing to the younger generations. The move online has been de - age-appropriate discipleship opportunities. While this has scribed as an “equalizer” for generations, “It allows older been – and continues to be – an extremely important part of parishioners to avoid driving at night and requires a lower time the Church’s ministry and indeed, what parents often look to commitment from younger ones.” 5 the Church to provide, the pandemic has highlighted the im - However, not all the online engagement has been a positive portance of something which has been an ever increasing call experience for young people, often caused by churches pro - from those involved in children and youth ministry across the ducing a very adult-focused form of worship online. This has church: faith at home. resulted in young people expressing “that they are not connect - In the last decade, churches of all denominations and tra - ing well with the worship services they are presently partici - ditions – whatever they provide in terms of formal children pating in.” 6 The important emphasis on relational youth work and youth ministry – have acknowledged that even with the can also be lacking with connections via a screen only. When most professional and committed provision, children and face-to-face youth work recommences, a re-building of trust young people’s faith needs to be nurtured in the home. It has and relationships will be a key to maintaining this ministry. also been recognised that we haven’t perhaps always equipped We will no longer be able to rely in the same way on well-es - churches, parents or children and young people to see faith in tablished programmes or patterns. this way, or given them the tools and confidence they need to We also know the difficulties caused by excessive ‘screen- explore faith at home, rather considering it best left to the ‘pro - time’ for many children and young people which existed before fessionals.’ However, in recent years the need to respond to this lockdown and will no doubt have been exacerbated by an in - has been more widely recognised, “The best way for young creased need for that kind of engagement. There is something people to become more serious about their faith, is for their very important about continuing to do ‘real-life’ work with parents to become more serious about their faith” 1 children and young people involving tangible things – and of The COVID-19 pandemic has been a catalyst for churches course, this has been possible, even throughout lockdown, with to make provision for faith in the home for all ages. However, churches connecting through sending out activity packs and this is not a new idea: “They spoke the word of the Lord to even organising socially distanced outdoor activities as restric - him and to all the others in his house” Acts 16:32. Households tions have allowed. Even with on-screen youth sessions I have of faith within the Bible would have included all ages; both always included an activity where the young people are asked children and young people. Where there was preaching, heal - to move, write, draw or make. ing or baptism, this would have been for everyone, not just for But online worship has had, and should continue to have, the adults while the children were entertained with something a place in our ministry with children and young people. For else. There is a need to ensure that whatever our ministry with many will have found a freedom in worship they haven’t ex - children and young people looks like within our church com - perienced before, others will have sampled different flavours munities, that this involves discipleship through the week with and be keen to see that replicated in their own worshipping a connection between church, school and home. We also need community, “Young people of faith have discovered new to find ways of growing faith in adults which equips and en - sources of spiritual nourishment and will be even more disil - courages them to continue this in the home which, as Ali lusioned with poorly done worship and inane theology.” 7 There Campbell puts it has the “vital dynamic”. 2 The current situation will be a lot for us to learn from their experiences and for may have helped us to learn about this dynamic and take steps many, the way we offer worship to children and young people which can be built on. will continue to include screen-based worship in some form, “the relationships and connection that occur within and The values of working on and off screen around the online sessions are key to ensuring the positive tra - We know that many churches – while perhaps being initially jectory of children’s faith nurture during this pandemic, and daunted – have relished the experience of going online and onwards. The scope and prospect of online faith nurture for have indeed found many new worshippers engaging in this children is immense” 8 way, “far more people are accessing their services than ever came to the building. What seemed initially to be a devastating The work to be done in engaging all ages in worship blow to churches may actually generate growth.” 3 Moving on from the positives and negatives of worshipping It is not difficult to see some reasons why this is. I have via a screen, our experiences of online worship may also have heard so many people talking about the joy of accessing church mirrored our previous ways of engaging with children and September 2020 ■ new directions ■ 3 young people in our worshipping communities. For how many to church members because of this invitation to peer in will have replicated the ‘children’s corner’ – expecting par - through the window and discover things they never knew be - ents/carers to entertain their children while watching an fore about those they worship with every Sunday.” 13 adult-centred online service? Some recent research has shown This ‘window’ into the homes of others may be impossible that “much of the web content was passive for the children, to replicate when church communities return to buildings. which is not a good way for them to learn” 9 – this approach However, the scaffolding of intergenerational communities will not meet the spiritual needs of younger generations and still needs to be provided. It is in this multi-age setting that the help them grow in their faith. faith of both old and young is best nurtured. Older generations There are some wonderful positive examples of where on - can rejoice in seeing their church alive and vibrant with the line worship has worked well at engaging all ages, for example, noise and inquisition of the young. Younger generations can “Times when kids were asked to go get something before wor - receive valuable mentoring support from older Christians. ship that they would need for the children’s story excited Building this kind of community both within worship and fel - everyone in the family. Kids began to anticipate something lowship is vital and again, perhaps Zoom coffee mornings are wonderful yet to come.