The FREE Newspaper of the Church in Cumbria – Spring 2021
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TheWay The FREE newspaper of the Church in Cumbria – Spring 2021 Do you want God County care homes with your chips? welcome chaplains PAGE 3 PAGE 7 EASTER HOPE... As we mark a year living with the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, so our vision refresh prayer reminds us we truly have a God for All… Living Lord, as we offer to you our common life, refresh our vision that we may know your will and seek to follow in all your ways. May we follow daily as your disciples, care deeply for one another in community, speak boldly your gospel words of love, and tread gently as faithful stewards of your goodness. We ask this in the power of your holy name, as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of our lives, today and for ever. Amen PICTURE: CUMBRIA TOURISM 2 The Way, Spring 2021 www.carlislediocese.org.uk INSIDE THIS EDITION INTO THE LIGHT... ENVIRONMENT Welcome to this edition of The Way, one which again can only be published digitally. As we mark the 12-month anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic so we look with resurrected hope to the Church future. It is a hope which speaks of vaccination, a roadmap to recovery and lifting of restrictions, achieves while also lamenting all those lives lost to the coronavirus and the challenges it created. Here gold leaders from across our denominations offer reflections on a message of Easter hope. PAGE 5 COMMUNITY The Rt Rev the risen Christ is with us and our salvation is secure in him, The Rev Dr James Travellers’ James Newcome, come what may. As Jean Kerr Tebbutt, Chair of chaplain is puts it: “Hope is the feeling you Bishop of Carlisle have that the feeling you have the Cumbria county’s first isn’t permanent.” It sees what is District of the IF YOU look up the word ‘hope’ not, but yet will be. in a concordance (as I did when PAGE 8 If we really know that hope, it Methodist Church asked to write this brief article) becomes something we need to you will find it recurs dozens of live by – and share, especially at I BELIEVE in hope when peo- times in the Bible. Two of my the moment when so many ple go out of their way, put HOMELESSNESS favourite references come in are feeling fairly hopeless. themselves in harm’s way, to Proverbs and Ephesians. Offering Using a metaphor from help and care for those who are Proverbs 13.12 reads: “Hope Shakespeare (Romeo and sick or affected by the pan- food and deferred makes the heart sick.” Juliet) Steve de Gruchy says: demic. I believe in hope when support We have had plenty of “hope “Never before have we been neighbour asks neighbour, or deferred” during the last 12 more called to be midwives of stranger: “How are you?” I be- PAGE 9 months – not least as we hope.” This peculiar and unset- lieve in hope when health work- entered a third lockdown and “may know with the eyes of your tling time provides us with an heart enlightened what is the ers, scientists, manufacturers learnt how long any sort of opportunity to express what we and governments develop and CONTACT US return to ‘freedom’ was likely to hope to which he has called believe through the patient way deliver vaccines in record take. you”. That hope, which is we live (follow daily) as well as times; and especially when rooted in the resurrection of EDITOR & But the second reference, the passionate words we say ‘haves’ share vaccines with from Ephesians 1, is that great Jesus (1 Peter 1.3), is the hope (speak boldly). So we can re- ‘have nots’ around the world, ADVERTISING: prayer that the Ephesians – and that however things may look at gard it, by God’s grace, not just through governments or individ- Dave Roberts so, by implication, all of us – present, God really is in charge, as a burden – but also as a gift. ual donations in gratitude for Tel: 01768 807764 vaccinations received. Mobile: 07469 153658 I believe in hope when Email: communications@ people of difference respect carlislediocese.org.uk Andrew Dodd, President, Major Roger Batt, others in the same church or Churches Together Salvation Army Divisional community: Brexiteers and Re- The Way is the newspaper of the Church in mainers; people with different Cumbria. It is produced in partnership In Cumbria Commander understandings around sexual between the Church of England Diocese of orientation, marriage and Bible Carlisle, the Methodist District of IN A YEAR of enforced WHEN you enter The interpretation; recognising that Cumbria, the United Reformed Church in separation from family, Cumbria and Churches Together in Salvation Army college Jesus invited both zealots Cumbria. Through Churches Together in friends and church to train as a Salvation (freedom fighters) and tax Cumbria, we ensure coverage of and community, we have Army Officer, you collectors (government agents) distribution to the Roman Catholic, sustained losses in to be disciples, perhaps be- Salvation Army, Quakers and independent become part of a churches. The editorial team is made up many ways. Much has cause (only) by being together community that is given they might discover and offer of representatives from across the been stripped from us, what we call a denominations. deep sadness and hope for themselves and The purpose of The Way is to reflect the Sessional Name. That others. I believe there is hope Church in Cumbria to itself and to our resignation might be is a name you carry when we recognise we are communities more widely. present, horizons with you into ministry as We do not seek to promote any unattainable, little hope more racist or prejudiced than particular theological viewpoint, but rather you live the outworking for the future. we realised, enabling repen- aim to stimulate debate by featuring writers of your calling. tance, humility, hope to flow. from a variety of church traditions and from But this process When I went to college in 1981, I became society more widely. reveals that which was hidden. Are we seeing I believe in hope because While we are happy to consider part of ‘The Heralds of Hope’ session and, some women found the tomb in the paring back of systems, practices and unsolicited submissions, we operate throughout, I have endeavoured to be that. A empty, and because they and largely on a system of commissions and do beliefs which separate, are no longer fruitful not guarantee to publish any materials herald is described as something or someone we experience Resurrection: received. and diseased, the potential for a new future? that announces something is about to happen. unfailingly, this brings hope and The views and opinions of contributors In the week of prayer for Christian unity, many As a ‘Herald of Hope’ I am commissioned to transformation to lives, relation- and advertisers do not necessarily reflect places experienced dynamic engagements with the views and opinions of the partners. be an announcer that hope is about to hap- ships and communities. The publisher takes no responsibility well-attended Zoom daily prayers and Sunday pen, hope in Jesus is here despite whatever for losses arising from information in joint service. Many social needs and issues are is going on in life. In the knowledge of a pro- advertisements in The Way. challenged and met by Christians finding gressing vaccination programme, as trans- common cause with others. Barriers are missions fall, in the anticipation of a helpful breaking down in the name of Christ. roadmap from restriction to release, we have For some, stripping back will be painful and had hope announced. The Way temptation to withdraw into the apparent safety But above and beyond all of what is, will be, of our separate shells is present. There is or may not be this Easter in the message of hope for future fruit. Otherwise, the gardener the angels to the visitors of Jesus tomb, Newspaper of would not bother. “He is not here, He is risen” is an announced John 15.2: “He cuts off every branch in me that hope that transcends all other messages as the Church bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear the risen Jesus gives us life in all its fullness fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” and freedom. in Cumbria www.carlislediocese.org.uk The Way, Spring 2021 3 Carole’s been Support: Carlisle Cathedral’s Fratry Project serving up Crucial financial lifeline thrown to Fratry Project CARLISLE Cathedral’s Fratry Project has been awarded a £250,000 grant from the Culture Recovery Fund. God and chips The money is part of a multi-million pound package of support issued through the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to safeguard cultural and heritage organisa- tions across the UK from the economic impact of Covid-19. n The grant will support the long-term future of the Fratry Upper Eden Project. Work was completed on the project – which includes a new exhibition and events space, café, meeting point and priest spreads dedicated space for work with schools and special interest groups – just as the country went into the first lockdown. The Dean of Carlisle, the Very Rev Mark Boyling, said: the word in “We are delighted the grant application has been successful. This is the result of a lot of hard work by members of the cathedral team; my thanks to them and the funding body. local chippie “No one could have foreseen the impact the coronavirus pandemic would have on all manner of things; indeed that By Dave Roberts impact continues today.” The grant is one of 22 in the first round of the recovery fund.