News from the Scottish Episcopal Church - Diocese of Aberdeen & Orkney June 2016 Scottish Charity No. SC022180 Issue 93 Summer Edition DIOCESES OF CONNECTICUT AND OF ABERDEEN AND ORKNEY REAFFIRM THEIR 231-YEAR RELATIONSHIP AT THE FEBRUARY 2016 INSTALLATION OF DEAN HOWELL IN HARTFORD. The following from the Episcopal Church in Connecticut. The installation of a new dean of Christ Church Cathedral, Hartford, in February provided the occasion to reaffirm and advance a 231-year relationship between the Episcopal Church in Connecticut and the Episcopal Church in Scotland that began with the consecration of Connecticut’s first bishop, Samuel Seabury, in Aberdeen in 1784. The Very Rev. Dr. Emsley Nimmo, Dean of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney, and the Very Rev. Dr. Isaac Poobalan, Provost and Rector of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, attended the installation and seating of the Very Rev. Miguelina Howell as 10th Dean of Christ Church Cathedral, From left: Hartford, on February 18, 2016. Dean Nimmo, Dean Howell, During the service Dean Nimmo was installed as Honorary Canon of Christ Canon Belt, Provost Poobalan Church Cathedral, and Provost Poobalan read a greeting from the Rt. Rev. Robert Canon Belt was installed as an honorary Gillies, Bishop of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. In a subsequent sermon, canon of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Dean Nimmo spoke of how the unity of our dioceses - as spelled out in the Aberdeen in 2014. Concordate signed by the bishops in 1784 - is a bond of union in the Eucharist. “At the time of Seabury’s consecration, there was a concordat signed … declaring that we were to be in a “bond of union” with one another,” he said. “And of course in that bond of union we declared that the rights and privileges of all respective nations involved were to be respected. And also that our unity was to be declared in the sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. “... This principal bond of union among Christians, as well as the most solemn act of worship in the Christian church, the bishops aforesaid agreed in desiring that there may be as little variance here as possible, and that my dear friends, is why the American rite is of course based on the Scottish one. “…Though the Eucharist is what makes us one and holds us together, it is the calling down of the Spirit upon the bread and the wine that makes them become the Body and Blood of Christ, which makes Christ dynamically and spiritually present amongst us.”. Dean Nimmo held up the Concordate as an example for the whole Anglican Communion, and called for the relationship between the churches to continue. The full account of the event can be found on our web site at www.aberdeen.anglican.org Bob in News......................... Bishop Bob has announced that he is to Brief retire after nine years as our Bishop. His DIVISIVE OR final day in office will be on Monday 31 CONSTRUCTIVE? October. Hello everyone, Please hold +Bob, his wife Liz, and all their One of the challenges of being a bishop in these days is family in your prayers as they prepare to that everyone wants to talk about sex. In particular leave Aberdeen and begin a new chapter in same-sex issues, be that in favour, or against, or in their lives. relation to marriage or whatever. Perhaps there was once a time when bishops weren’t included in such conversations. If so, I’ve never known it. Current talk WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS about sex has the potential to be truly offensive to many whilst at the same time is a delight to others. This is as 9 to 11 June General Synod, Edinburgh true in the church as anywhere else. 9 to 11 June Abbey Summer School 2016: “Fully human”. Edinburgh As many of you will have long-since realised I deplore conversations or attitudes that put people into a ‘for’ and ‘against’ polarity. Life in general, and each of us 10 July Sea Sunday personally, are much more nuanced than that. Likewise if anyone is in a minority in a particular bit of society it 24 to 30 July Glen 16 “Out of this world” is far easier for them to ‘keep their heads down’ , so to Living the Christian Life. speak, and deny who they truly are if, by doing the Provincial youth week opposite, is going to bring them opprobrium. 22 to 26 August Centre for Ministry Studies Summer School. This is particularly true of Christians in a more “Exile: living faithfully and hopefully” traditional congregation who might happen to be gay University of Aberdeen and in favour of same-sex marriage, as well as those who are opposed to it but find themselves challenged by Saturday 3 Sept Merchant Navy Day a more liberal minded milieu. The point for all of us in the current maelstrom of debate is whether we can Sunday 2 Oct 4.30pm St Devenick’s Church, create either a safe, understanding, space for everyone to Ordination to the Deaconate of inhabit or whether we perpetuate an ‘us and a them’ Nick Bowry, to serve as curate at with little safe space for anyone. St Clement’s, Mastrick. His supervising Rector will be Theologically we need to ask whether a bond of Rev Canon Paul Watson, Bieldside. Christians, whether a local congregation, or the Scottish Episcopal Church more widely, or the Anglican Note from the Editor Communion globally can so contain conflict within itself, in fact live with the conflict, that it loses its Welcome to the summer edition. The inflow of information has been such that we have a larger capacity to divide. edition than normal. Thank you all for the effort What I’m saying here is that conflict has the power to that enables this magazine and the companion web divide and break apart. However a truly whole family site to reflect the life of the Church in this diocese. has within itself, and in the church finds this capacity I still have gaps in my register of correspondents through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the capacity from each congregation. It would be great to hear so to hold and live with that conflict that its destructive from each and every congregation, please. and divisive capacity is negated. The next edition will be in the autumn, When we are one in unity, even in the face of conflict, copy date 25 July 2016. The email address is: [email protected] we are a witness to Jesus’ prayer that we may all be one as He and the Father are one. There are few greater or by post to: Diocesan Office, St Clement’s Church divine callings and human aspirations beyond this. In House, Mastrick Drive, Aberdeen AB16 6UF fact, there might not be any. Northern Light can be seen in full colour on our My blessings to you all, †Bob Diocesan Website: www.aberdeen.anglican.org TWO REPORTS FROM A RETREAT ON ORKNEY ST MAGNUS LERWICK a report by Carole Phelan March 2016 by The Reverend Neil Brice. Orkney is a part of our Diocese that sometimes seems so Bishop Bob was with us on Sunday far away! However, from now on when Orkney is 21 February and was able to join us mentioned it will bring back all sorts of wonderful for what was an element of our memories and a feeling of being closer to the island than Lenten exploration about “Who We Are” as part of the I realised! church here. This exploration has been evolving over Through my connections with people through the work recent weeks and after each Eucharist the Sunday School I do as an Epiphany Group member and through my has been asking us to reflect by inviting each member of connections with people in the Scottish Episcopal the congregation to add something to the work they Church, I became aware of a growing desire amongst have been doing. (For example asking us what made us these people for a Retreat in Daily Life to take place. unique, and on Valentine’s Day giving each member of A team of four in Orkney, all of whom I had had some the congregation a small heart made of card telling us connection with, and after many emails and phone that we were loved.) conversations, worked out all the practicalities for such At the feast of Pentecost we invited the children who a retreat to take place. Three prayer guides, trained in wished to partake to begin receiving the bread and wine the Ignatian tradition, would go and facilitate this at our Eucharist and wherever they worship to feel retreat during Lent. included and part of the “body” So the three of us, a Roman Catholic from Bishop Bob was able to confirm Gillian Scott and Aberdeenshire, an Gabriela Balderemos and we were all encouraged to Episcopalian from affirm our faith alongside them at this special Dumfries and celebration. After the Galloway, and myself, service the Sunday School joined the team of four served us all with cakes in Orkney (two C of S and sandwiches that they members, an SEC had prepared, along with priest and an a written exercise Episcopalian). completed by the children and entered into The Retreat opened on Sunday 6th March and closed on by each table as we Saturday 12th in a Community Church in Dounby. In enjoyed the sandwiches between, sixteen participants met a prayer guide each and cakes. We were being day to share whatever they wanted to share and also asked to find out “who committed themselves to spend some time in prayer we are” by sharing with each day.