Prayer Diary

Shottery- Connecting & Growing Prayer Diary Since arriving last June as vicar of Shottery & Bishopton, Reverend Craig, with others in the church, have been keen to look at how St Andrew’s connects at a deeper level with the wider community. March 2020 “Much of my work in this early stage as been to get into our local schools and forge links through that ministry with children, parents and staff,” Reverend Craig said, “God looked at all that he had made and it was all very good.” “there is no substitute for ‘boots on the ground’ in this ministry and clergy simply need to get out there and be seen, only last week I had the joy of spending an hour Gen.1.31. in our local pub with two parents of children in our primary school chatting about life The environmental crisis has brought us back, urgently, to our relationship and faith. That wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t made these links in the first with creation. In the Scriptures we see God’s deep love for and delight in place.” His creation. In creation, God looks at the whole inhabited earth (oikumene) with its rich biodiversity of life and sees that it is all good, it is Connecting through social media is key too, “We are very fortunate to have a strong beautiful. Gen.1.31. ‘The Lord delights in His works, He looks upon the church congregation with good numbers attending weekly worship, but we want to earth.’ Ps.104.31/2. It is God’s world, ‘The earth is the Lord’s and all that let the community know what we are about using social media platforms to greater is in it.’ Ps.24.1. Every time we break bread, we remember and proclaim effect”. that ‘Heaven and earth are full of God’s glory’. We are called, as people made in the image of God, to share in God’s attitude to the world. But we haven’t and we don’t. Hence the crisis we all face and the consequences With the skills of Ruth, a younger person currently of which millions of the poorest in God’s world are already suffering. doing a graphic design degree, the church has recently launched an Instagram page and are The environmental crisis is, at source, a spiritual crisis. Pope Francis writes: ‘The violence in our beginning to see interest through the followers hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the they are gaining. They are also currently working on water, in the air and in all forms of life.’ (Laudate Si) To see the truth of this, to allow our hearts upgrading their website too and generally putting and minds to be touched and moved by this, will awaken us first of all perhaps, to deep grief and tears of lamentation. How could we have allowed ourselves to do this? How could I have allowed their publicity and information sharing onto a myself to be part of the problem and not the solution? This in turn may prompt us to repentance. better footing. Whenever there is true repentance, there is hope. Christians must never collude in fatalism or despair. In Christ there is always hope. The church, despite the negative spirals we can all descend into, has much to offer and much to say in The word ‘crisis’ derives from the Greek (and of course New Testament) word for judgement. The our increasingly divided society, let’s be savvy and environmental crisis is indeed a judgement on the egotism, the greed and the violence of the use the tools available to us for the sake of the human heart that has led to it. But it also conveys, throughout the Scriptures, that hidden within the ‘judgement’ of God is the choice of repentance and the opportunity for change. As Christians, Kingdom and for growing His church. we are called to be ‘synergountes’, fellow workers with God and to express our repentance through ‘deeds of repentance’. So let us pray that this Lent we may renew our relationship with the earth, not only in our thoughts and our words but in our actions. Then we can pray ‘Send forth your Spirit, Lord, renew the face of the earth’, and be part of the answer to our own prayer. Revd Craig Groocock Vicar of St Andrew’s Church, Shottery Page 8 Page 1 Focus on Fosse Deanery CRE returns to the Midlands Visual imagery fills our places of worship. Pictures that paint 1000 The Bishop of Coventry, the Right Revd Dr words remain vital and inspiring, centuries after delivering Bible stories Christopher Cocksworth, has welcomed the return of to parishioners too poor, lowly or female to be taught to read. the Christian Resources Exhibition to the Midlands for Dramatization adds further dimensions: life, sound, movement, time. the first time in five years. CRE will take place at the When a living, breathing human stands in front of you, their experience National Agricultural Exhibition Centre, Stoneleigh - even though it’s ‘only acting’ – compels a reaction. Park on the 4th and 5th March Passion Plays and accounts of Holy Week and the resurrection have Founded by Gospatric and Diana Home in 1985, the been performed in churches around our deanery: by congregations in some cases, a Christian Resources Exhibition grew quickly to become the largest annual event of its kind touring troupe in others. Even when short of RSC-standard, enactments have attracted in Europe, with the national exhibition happening annually in Sandown Park, Esher and non-churchgoers, brought congregations together, and uncovered the feelings and regional exhibitions in cities across the UK. In 2006, Gospatric Home sold CRE to the Bible motivation of names from scripture we might have read about a hundred times. More Society who ran the exhibition for 10 years until Stephen Goddard, the event’s media illuminating still to embody one of those characters: proclaiming ‘Alleluia’, or demanding consultant for more than 25 years, took over the reins with his wife, Allison. Christ’s execution. For the first time since 2015, CRE returns to the Midlands, with the exhibition taking Not all approve of drama in church, but there are many tales sacred and secular worth place in our diocese. From youth work experts to mission agencies, and from furniture telling: for entertainment, fund-raising, and the important possibility of understanding makers to heating suppliers, there will be more than 200 exhibitors at CRE Midlands other lives. 2020. One of the exhibitors will be one of our churches, St Clare’s at the Cathedral. In November 2019, Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-on-Avon organised a focus on St Clare’s at the Cathedral is a pioneer church community and shop, situated between the modern slavery, using a talk from The Clewer Initiative and performances of Euripides’ old and new cathedrals. The Revd Naomi Nixon makes high quality cotton jersey clerical Trojan Women to contemplate the subject. Each fed the other: play audiences were tops and dresses to sell in St Clare’s shop. Clergy from all over the UK have bought encouraged to attend the talk, proceeds from ticket and DVD sales were donated to the Naomi’s clerical clothes but a high proportion of sales are from women in the Diocese of charity (which helps victims of modern slavery), and the talk brought the play’s themes Coventry. of degradation and exploitation into the midst of modern British life. Naomi’s clothes will be displayed as part of a special presentation of clerical clothing, The play’s story was already an old one when Euripides used it to highlight to his called ‘Clergy on the Catwalk’ at the exhibition. During the catwalk show, clergy will contemporary ancient Greeks the plight of women and children model clerical wear made by Naomi and other leading designers.# after a recent conflict. During rehearsals of the 2019 production, news reports showed the horror and despair in camps beside a Along with stalls and a catwalk show, there will also be a series of seminars across the different border of Turkey, not so very far from Troy. two days covering issues of practical concern to church leaders and members. To help understand the value of drama: take a look at these two Bishop Christopher says: women, copied from an ancient vase painting– a glance tells you how they feel. Now imagine that those are breathing, crying “I am delighted that some 200 specialist organisations will once again bring their skills, women and teenagers on a stage in front of you. You are services, ideas and resources to Stoneleigh Park. I encourage people from all church compelled to feel something too; no ignoring it. Orion Johnson traditions to enjoy a day of rich discovery” Lay Chair Visit the CRE website to find out more and book tickets. https://creonline.co.uk/ Page 2 Page 7 Loxley CofE Primary School, Loxley, Warwickshire. Headteacher: Emma Barrick. Tue 24 We pray for God's blessing upon the pupils, teachers, staff and governors in Cycle of Prayer - March 2020 this school community. *Walter Hilton of Thurgarton, Augustinian Canon, Mystic, 1396 With a focus on parishes and schools in Fosse Deanery *Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, Martyr, 1980 Wed 25 Mid-Fosse Parishes. Clergy: Vacancy. Readers: Richard Woodfin, Gillian Jones. Sun 1 Today is Self-Injury Awareness Day. Awareness of self-injury leads to We pray for the church community during the vacancy and pray that the right understanding, banishing judgement and fear, and reducing the number of person to lead us will be found soon.

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