BREAKING NEWS Benefice Has the Go Ahead to Proceed with a New Appointment

December 2017 / January 2018 BREAKING NEWS Benefice has the go ahead to proceed with a new appointment. Sandra’s report has been received by the Bishop’s staff and the Benefice has the go ahead to proceed with a new appointment along our envisaged time table. Short listing and interviews will be on March 5th and 22nd respectively.

Jo Chambers

Beginnings As we look forward to the appointment of a new priest and also the beginning of a new year, the theme for this Connections is Beginnings. Thank you to those who have contributed thoughts on beginnings and new beginnings. Also in this edition the beginning of a prayer group for peace, information on Cotham’s charities of the month for December. Both are new charities, one supporting families and one refugees as they begin a new life.

1 https://pixabay.com/ Beginnings

‘ Having just spent the last two hours with a tiny baby girl of 21 days in my arms, I have to say this has to be one of the best experiences in life and a cure-all for nearly everything! To cuddle that perfect little soul in slumber and to watch her gradual awaken- ing, with attendant stretching, snuffling and facial expressions is both humbling and heart-wrenching in the happiest of senses. What a beginning and what a fortuitous time of year to be born. ‘ Jan Bartlett

Helen Heath

https://pixabay.com/

2 Annunciation Phillip Dixon sent these extracts from the poem Begin by Brendan Kennelly. The poem is from Salvation to all that will is nigh; The Essential Brendan Kennelly (Bloodaxe That All, which always is all everywhere, Books, 2011) or you can find the full poem from http://thepoetryproject.ie/poets/brendan-kennelly/ Which cannot sin, and yet all sins must bear, Which cannot die, yet cannot choose but die, BEGIN Lo, faithful virgin, yields Himself to lie Begin again to the summoning birds In prison, in thy womb; and though He there to the sight of light at the window, Can take no sin, nor thou give, yet He will begin to the roar of morning traffic. wear, Taken from thence, flesh, which death's Every beginning is a promise force may try. born in light and dying in dark. Ere by the spheres time was created, thou Begin to the loneliness that cannot end Wast in His mind, who is thy Son and Broth- since it perhaps is what makes us begin. er; Whom thou conceivst, conceived; yea thou Begin to wonder at unknown faces, art now at crying birds in the sudden rain. Thy Maker's maker, and thy Father's mother; At seagulls foraging for bread. Thou hast light in dark, and shutst in little room, At couples sharing a sunny secret Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb. alone together while making good.

John Donne (1572-1631) Though we live in a world that dreams of ending, that always seems about to give in, something that will not acknowledge conclusion insists that we forever begin.

Brendan Kennelly

3 New Beginnings

On June 19th 2016, when I was so kindly given a beautiful bunch of flowers as I left Cotham to go to Ox- ford, I remember saying “I shall probably be back!” In fact, I did not altogether mean it. I had truly ex- pected that I would be staying in Oxford, living out a vocation with the Sisters of the Love of God at Faira- cres for the rest of my life.

So I thought it might be a good idea - and probably help me - if I were to try and ruminate a little over what has happened in the last year.

I was of course very old to try and enter Religious Life, and I know that some of you thought so too! But somehow, the idea of living out this last part of my life at least as a nun had a great attraction for me. Much more importantly, I believed that this is what God was asking of me. It was something I had discussed many times with my spiritual director and also with Graeme who had become terminally ill by 2012. So when he died in March 2013, I quite soon began to put into motion some early steps towards fulfilling this ambition. I approached the Sisters at Fairacres towards the end of 2013 and, somewhat to my surprise they were encouraging, though wisely said that after a major bereavement, I would need to wait two years. I would also need to spend three months with them as an Alongsider so that we could all have a look at each other.

All that went well and so during 2014 and 2015 I spent a good deal of time preparing to start a new and very different life. This involved unimaginable amounts of decluttering, downsizing, and reorganising as well as entering into many conversations with friends and family in which I tried to make sense of what I thought God wanted me to do. One of these conversations was with our then Vicar, Richard, who had just spent his sabbatical exploring Religious Life for himself. He had come, he told me, to the conclusion that, as far as he was concerned, it was an emphatic “No”!

The day came for me to leave - it was referendum day June 23rd 2016 as it happened! Though more to the point, as far as the Convent was concerned, it was the Vigil of the Feast of the birth of St. John the Baptist - that mid summer moment in the Church’s year when John’s prediction that he must become less so that His Saviour could become more is reflected in the first shortening of the day’s length. It seemed an appropriate day for my own start on what Richard Rohr has so well described as the journey down- wards.

So what took me there and what brought me home again? I had and still have this feeling that in one’s seventies life is short and that there is still so much to do to help bring in the Kingdom. All that God has held out by way of invitation into the life of grace needs to be more passionately grasped and loved and lived. And those compelling Gospel invitations! “Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor”; “Be perfect even as your Heavenly Father is perfect”: “Love others as I love them.” Impossible imperatives that I as a preacher, like so many others, try to make sense of, adapt, integrate in some way into my ongo- ing Christian life. But could they be lived more fully, more completely, more radically? Surely a way that I might be helped to do so, it seemed to me, would be through the Religious Life with its vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience.

And so it was, in many respects, the perfect pasture in which to let God grow one on into holiness. The daily Eucharist; the continuous Presence of the Blessed Sacrament in Chapel; the silence; the sevenfold office or Opus Dei, called by the bell to pray the psalms and prayers in Chapel - taking precedence over everything else; the commitment of everyone around one to the same project; the pattern of two hours a day of private prayer. What riches were here! I found myself living on a spiritual high for much of the time - the prayer time in particular having the extraordinary effect of throwing me into an exponentially greater desire than I had ever known, to serve God’s people, especially His poor and confront the injustic- es in which they are immersed.

But here of course was the paradox. The Community felt able to live its vocation with little contact with the world. But for me, increasingly, this did not seem to work. To stay passionate, some small, symbolic contact with the needs of the world remained crucial. For the Community, this suggested that my vocation was not with them. For me, it felt, and continues to feel, that the radical commitment of contemplative prayer always needs to touch into brief, refreshing encounters with God in His people. 4 And now a new adventure begins! God, in His immense generosity has given me back many of the lovely things of life - friends, home, animals and garden and not least, my membership of the church family here at Cotham. Perhaps it is not so much a new beginning; more a kind of “arriving where I started and knowing the place for the first time.” And so, for all that has been, thanks. For all that shall be, yes!

Sue Parfitt Community, Communication, Communion The 3 “C”s underpinning Cotham’s plans Richard’s retirement seemed to catalyse a number of creative conversations about Cotham’s place in the world and plans for the future. We attempted to pull these together in a consultation meeting on 8th October. This was a well-attended, high energy, and wonderfully positive meeting. People also sent comments in advance which enhanced the sense that all of Cotham was supporting this initiative. After the meeting, a small group met to write up the key themes. Who are we? What is distinctive about Cotham Parish Church? Cotham Parish church is a liberal catholic congregation with daily Morning Prayer and the Eucharist at the heart of its worship. It is a warm and welcoming community: this is remarked on by those who are regular members, those who visit and stay, and those who pass through. The people of Cotham cele- brate diversity and welcome all; embracing faith as a journey of exploration and recognising and re- specting that we are all on different paths. We belong to the Inclusive Church Network. Our relation- ship with God, and our worship, and community are enriched through poetry, music, art and drama. We are concerned about the planet, social justice and committed to both action and generous giving. Where are we going? What do we want to achieve in the next 7 years? We want to sustain our focus on prayer and worship our involvement in the creative arts – we see this as sacramental our commitment to social justice. We want to expand and deepen the ways we communicate - both locally and more widely our relationships with the local community and places of work (including the hospitals, local health centre and university) our relationships and pastoral care within our church community. We also want to complete the re-ordering of our beautiful building so that it supports and reflects our identity and our plans. So what next? There’ll be another meeting on 7th January to think about how we turn these themes into a plan of action. Meanwhile, good things are already happening. For example, doing something together over cof- fee worked well so, by way of a pilot, Katy taught one of her songs one Sunday. The feedback on this has been incredibly positive, and there are plenty of ideas for more such things. Katrina has revitalised Space to Remember and advertising in BS6, attracted people who wouldn’t otherwise have come. We hope to get clients of the North Bristol Advice Centre along to our time out teas. A team is working to update Cotham’s website and some of our students have offered to shake up our Facebook page. I’ve heard quite a few people say that Cotham seems to be buzzing. 5 Alice Chapman In December Cotham is supporting AidBox Community and Safe Space

A) AID - Providing humanitarian relief for displaced people on the streets and in refugee camps across Europe.

B) BOX - A Free Shop for Refugees and Asylum Seekers in need. We take donations from local people to provide basic living essentials to those relocat- ed to Bristol (See website for donations list). (aidboxcommunity.co.uk)

C) COMMUNITY - Integration into the local community through volunteering, signposting, training and a friendly welcome.

This small charity is based in Waverley Road in our parish. It was started in 2015 when a group of local people were moved by the plight of refugees we were seeing on our TV screens. They collected goods to take to the Dunkerque refugee camp where they were hor- rified by the conditions they found. Since then they have continued to visit regularly taking donated clothing and sleeping bags to a distribution centre in France about every two weeks. The large camps are closed but there are many smaller camps where conditions remain aw- ful.

ABC rents one property, ‘The HUB’, at 5-7 Waverley Road in Bristol. This property acts as the location for donations, the Free Shop, the admin site, and a safe space for clients to come and enjoy company. It is open from 11 to 2.30 onTuesdays, Wednesdays and Thurs- days. There is a paid shop manager to give continuity. ABC have established relationships with various organisations through which its clients are referred.

I have visited a couple of times and found an extremely friendly and warm atmosphere. The volunteers are all ages and also, I am told, that refugees once settled also come to help. They want to ‘give back’.

Bristol is a City of Sanctuary for refugees and The Hub plays its part in Bristol’s aspiration. The hub is an inspiring place on our doorstep. Do visit the website aidboxcommunity.co.uk to learn more about all it does, its aims and aspirations.

The ABC Community became a registered charity earlier this year.

Correction to the CCLL article in the last issue of Connections With reference to my article about my visit to Belarus I would like to make it clear that no person whom we sponsor has been to UK but I do have a great friend who has been to England

6 several times and has visited Cotham Church on more than one occasion. Mary Ingram

I came across this in a communication from the United Nations Association and thought how relevant it is nearly 140 years later. Please remember that it was written at the height of Em- pire.

Mary Ingram

“Remember that the sanctity of life in the hill vil- lages of Afghanistan, among the winter snows, is as inviolable in the eyes of Almighty God as can be your own. Remember that He who united you as human beings in the same flesh and blood, has bound you by the law of mutual love; that mutual love is not bounded by the shores of this island, is not limited by the boundaries of Christian civilisation; that it passes over the Safe Space whole surface of the earth and embraces the STAY AND PLAY SESSIONS FOR FAMILIES meanest along with the greatest in its unmeas- OF CHILDREN WITH ADDITIONAL NEEDS ured scope.”

Mission W. E. Gladstone(1879) To offer families a safe and secure space! Safe Space provide a lifeline to families who have children with additional needs, whether that be a physical disability Contacts or impairment, mental health Conditions/ Disorders, anxiety etc! VICAR Currently we have a vacancy in the benefice They aim to reduce social isolation felt by parents as well as their children, to em- ASSOCIATE PRIEST brace a positive environment for families to Ginny Royston 0117 968 6622 [email protected] attend as a whole unit, allowing parents to Nick Adams connect with each of their children in a way that is often challenging. They recognise Benefice Administrator, Sue Hawkins that siblings are equally as important and 9am-2pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays strive to facilitate their needs as well. 0117 944 1598 [email protected] The goal is to turn exclusion into inclusion by promoting self worth and self confidence Please see websites and weekly sheet for: through positive experiences for everyone. Details of times of services, Full contact details, Notices of upcoming events

www.cotham.bristol.anglican.org www.stpaulsclifton.org.uk

Our churches aspire to cherish all, regardless of marital and social status, sexual orientation of level of church commitment. 7 Prayers for Peace “There is no situation that is not transfigurable, there is no situation in which we can say this is absolutely, totally devoid of hope.” So said Desmond Tutu. Whether you agree or not with this, the rest of the world thought that apartheid could only end in a bloodbath but it didn’t. We are, after all, part of a greater whole, and when we stand in compassionate solidarity with each other and with the rest of creation, we will always see new life and resurrection springing up. I started to write this in our churchwatchers’ office having read Mary Ingram’s account of her visit to Belarus. The concern for our families there, extends our own idea of community. There are too many of us now for us to lay waste to our home, the Earth, by division and self-serving be- haviour. And yet there is that in our species which seems to favour aggression and divisiveness. Since Chris Harrison came into Cotham and asked if we would be interested in founding a group or community who would pray and work for peace, we have mulled over what form it might take. Starting from the traditional, old-fashioned form of meeting, we have progressed to the idea of a network where each of us pledges to pray for peace in ourselves and in the world at a certain time but in our own space and in our own way. And then we come together, once a month, to do what communities do, encouraging and inspiring one another and share special concerns. Because peace is such a foundational gift or grace in Christianity, we would love this to be an in- terdenominational group, even an interfaith group. But I’m running ahead of myself. First we need a name. There’s a Mars bar for the best suggestion! There is a list at the back of the church for your inspirations: so far I like “the Ark” best, with its connotations of rescue and friendship (ccovenant) with God. Already we have people who feel called to this work, even someone who will see we can stay in touch on line if you wish. If ‘on line’ isn’t you, then we can contact you in other ways. As Chris- tians seek to follow the Prince of Peace we hope more will join us. Our plenary meetings are on Third Thursdays at Cotham at 6.00 for 6.30pm. At 6.30 we pray together, mostly in silence. Pauline Shaw

Christian CND National Conference The conference, held on November 25th, was opened by the Vicar of St Mary Redcliffe, who led prayers and gave a welcome. He spoke briefly of the Christian responsibility for peace and for- giveness, acknowledging that recent atrocities in the world seem almost impossible to forgive, but if we do not, those sins will be retained. He noted the belligerence and name-calling in the language of present-day diplomacy, and the awesome authority and power at the finger-tips of the leaders of the world’s nations. The conference opened with the suggestion that this is a time of danger, yet of hope; a time when many people are feeling that they just cannot accept nuclear weapons any longer. This was com- pared with other times of fundamental change within public perception, such as when slavery came to be seen as unacceptable. We also spoke about the award of a Nobel Peace Prize to ICAN, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons. As members of CCND, we knew and rejoiced about it, but there had not been much media coverage, and that this was true of nuclear issues in general. It is hoped that on the 10th of December, when the Nobel Prize is to be 8 received, all the churches will go to prayer. The main speaker of the day was Dave Cullen, who works for Nuclear Information Service, a small NGO working for disarmament and gave a very clear and cogent presentation. His topic was the recent UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Under its terms, the posses- sion, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons is forbidden and it is also forbidden to lodge them in any foreign territory. To date, 122 nations have signed up to this treaty, but none of the NATO states has signed. The Treaty, which is long and detailed. It soon becomes clear that it lays great stress upon the moral and humanitarian aspects and environmental concerns. From this point of view it was com- pared to concerns about landmines, which are now banned under a treaty. The speaker then moved on to discuss the UK. The Atomic Weapons Establishment is upgrading Trident warheads to be much more precise and target-specific contradicting the long-term commitment to disarm. The UK position on nuclear weapons is that there are no weapons on UK soil; we have never used them, but the threat of use was discussed with the renewal of Trident. Politi- cians come under intense pressure on such questions. The UK has never received or transferred weapons, but has received components, and also knowledge, from the US. We signed a compre- hensive test-ban treaty in the 1990s; however, at Aldermarston there is sub-critical testing, on a very small scale, then the large-scale results are projected by computer. We were reminded that in the 1950s we carried out tests in Australia, without proper regard to the environment or the health of the indigenous people. Eventually money was paid for environmental remediation, but no legal responsibility was accepted. Currently the UK carries out research in partnership with Norway on how nations can disarm. It is felt that the UK has knowledge that could be relevant and of use and we would have done well to join in the discussions and preparations which led up to the Prohibition Treaty. The treaty will go through the process of ratification before it becomes international law, and it is possible for more nations to sign up. It could be that some of the non-nuclear NATO states, such as Norway, might join. The Treaty would mean a complete change of direction for the nuclear states and should change international norms: it is a ground-breaking development and will put pressure on the nuclear states. After lunch we heard about a very inspiring Vatican Conference, where the signing of the Prohibi- tion Treaty was defined as a pivotal event and there was a real will to move on in this spirit to new ways of thinking, both as individuals and as nations. Pope Francis has issued strong con- demnation of nuclear weapons: Christian commitment to justice, peace and care for creation will increasingly make nuclear weapons untenable and a nuclear-free world is a real possibility. A short address was given by Hannah Tweddell, Bristol CND Chair, and Vice Chair of National CND. She spoke of working in partnership with inter-faith groups and the Stop the War Coalition. She also spoke of Bristol as a vibrant city with many events, at which CND is normally present, talking with people and spreading knowledge. She finds there is a very positive response from the public. She also feels that the social media has a big part to play. She is a very enthusiastic and committed person. The conference ended with an AGM, after which it was tidy-up and home time. Everyone went off smiling: it had been a busy and overall encouraging day.

Lorna Hughes 9 Lord Hutchinson of Lullington Q.C.

Jeremy Hutchinson died on November 13 at the good age of 102.

The generous obituary in the Times remarks that he was no ordinary barrister. "In the 1960's and 70's he was the leading criminal lawyer of his generation, acting usually for the defence at a time when the bulwarks of the establishment were being assailed and then top- pled. He helped to alter definitively society's attitude to sex, secrecy and punishment. "

A recent account of his life- Case Histories- by the barrister and author Thomas Grant, de- scribes these cases and is recommended. I will resist the details, fascinating as they are, ex- cept to recall the famous Lady Chatterley's Lover trial. Penguin wished to publish but it had long been banned on the grounds that the novel used obscene language. He was outrageously successful.

In Court "he delivered with panache, his advocacy could fizz like champagne, although it was not above theatricality ". With this I can agree, for I heard him in the mid 1980's, by this time ele- vated to the House of Lords, in a debate on prison affairs which I attended as I had a personal interest. Jeremy Hutchinson was a rarity amongst barristers - and judges- in being actively concerned about the treatment for those convicted and held in prisons.

That evening he rose towards the conclusion of the debate, opposite him sat the lonely solitary apprehensive junior Home Office Minister, reminding me of Bertie Wooster in need of help from Jeeves. Tall, erect, a commanding presence, his voice dominated the House. He listed ,with dis- dain the sins of commission and omission -sounding like an Old Testament prophet. And then...... a pause, and the tone changed to the gentle shower after the thunderstorm. Surely the Minister must see the error of his ways and grant relief. It was splendid- and we all relished it.

Afterwards , we met, where he needed to be reassured that his plea had been successful. His eyebrows semaphored and the invitation- "come and have a drink". He was a generous and convivial host.

His fellow lawyer Sir Allan Moses said "He was a hero for us all. He was the living symbol of all that the independent criminal advocacy means for justice and the survival of the rule of law".

He enriched many lives , including mine.

Michel Selby

Overleaf—this is an early morning view of Lake Bohinj, Slovenia. Taken at the beginning of an 11 hour walk in which involved a 10 climb over 1200m. Cotham PCC meeting November 15th 2017

Nine members of the PCC met in church. We welcomed Alice who was co opted member of the PCC as one of the two Parish Representatives for the Vacancy ( Flora being the other)

We looked at the result of the Parish discussion and discernment see article from Alice else- where in this edition of Connections

We made several financial decisions: to award staff a 3% pay rise and increase hire charges for the halls by the same amount. We also agreed that we pay for our new central heating out of the proceeds from the sale of St Saviour's but in future we would look to use the money to support our vision for Cotham as a whole and not just the building.

We looked at Alice's report on junior church and 3 areas for attention were raised: develop- ing the programme, increasing communication outside church and within the church community and increasing those who contribute.

We looked at possible development of Time Out Tea to include isolated members of our community and we are looking for volunteers to help with that.

We approved the charity of the Month for the next year and discussed our Emergency Giving Fund. This is to be slightly more formalised and better shared with the congregation ( sepa- rate article next Connections) Current members of the Emergency Fund are Lorna Robinson and Dave Patterson. Sally is to join them and we are looking for another member -perhaps a younger member of our congregation?

The old chestnut of parking in our car park came up. Parking by non church or hall users has got out of hand and we will be reviewing it.

We next meet in January, please contact any member of the PCC if there are things you would like to discuss

Jo Chambers

11 Pillars of Creation: The Hubble space telescope first took a picture of this star forming region in Eagle nebula in 1995. This is a second higher resolution image taking 20 years later. The pillar on the left is 4 light years long or approaching 25 million million miles.

NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team

...and finally In preparing this edition of Connections I came across an anonymous poem called “A Song Bewailing the Time of Christmas, So Much Decayed in England” published around 1624. 12 http://shakespeareauthorship.com/xmas/anonxmas.html