There Has Been a Lot of Apocalyptic Talk About a Decline in Church Attendance. Last Month

EDITORIAL

There has been a lot of apocalyptic talk about a decline in church attendance. Last month The Times trumpeted ‘Church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation.’ The report extrapolated (with absurd precision) that ‘by 2050 there will be just 3,600 Methodists. Anglicans will be down to 87,800, Catholics to 101,700, Presbyterians to 4,400, Baptists to 123,000 and independents to 168,000.’

Of course this gloomy forecast allowed chaps like Martin Salter, a Labour MP, to trot out the usual specious nonsense: ‘I think all faiths could be treated equally under our constitution. These figures demonstrate the absurdity of favouring one brand of Christianity over other parts of the Christian faith and the many other religions that grace our shores.’ Has Mr Salter never read a history book, never visited the National Gallery, never listened to Mozart, never heard of Shakespeare? Mr Salter is a member of something called the ‘Reading inter-faith group.’ With friends like these...

The curious thing is that these statistics were collected and disseminated by the Anglican Church itself, and one does wonder sometimes if there is not some secret wish within at least part of the Church for the faint-hearted to be sloughed off to leave a laager-church of the zealous.

Anecdotally, though in this benefice one can see what seems a sparsely filled church, there were services thirty years ago with as few or fewer in the pews. So, perhaps the perception of decline is more to do with the 20th century unraveling of established hierarchy than anything specific to Christianity.

Statistically, a survey in 2005 found that 53% of us consider ourselves Christian, and 25% of us attend a church service every year. At Harry’s induction, the Bishop of Dorchester said to him, ‘my guess is that perhaps half of those living in this benefice will hear you speak at some time during the coming year.’. In rural benefices like ours, the Church is still counted an important part of the social fabric. As I might add are the church buildings. Dorchester is spot on when he says he’s never seen the churches in such good fettle. He’s right: look at the 12 in this benefice, and find one uncared for.

We army of the 53%, not on the electoral roll, not necessarily going to church every week, not even necessarily believers in any organized way, we salute the proud, bloody-minded, independent few who do form the active nucleus in every parish in the land and for a thousand years have kept our churches open for us all. We Christians by tradition, if not practice, thank you.

Richard Martin

PARISH & BENEFICE SERVICES

Sunday 1st June - Trinity II

10.30am Kelmscott Benefice Communion EJ, HM, NUW

6.00pm B Bourton Evensong HM

Sunday 8th June - Trinity III

9.00am Alvescot Holy Communion NUW

9.00am Broadwell Holy Communion HM

9.00am Westwell/Holwell Holy Communion EJ

10.30am Filkins Parish Communion NUW

10.30am Shilton Parish Communion HM & Children’s Church

11.00am L Faringdon Matins EJ

6.00pm B Bourton Evensong NUW

6.00pm Kencot Evensong HM

Sunday 15th June - Trinity W

9.00am B Bourton/Alvescot Holy Communion EJJ

9.00am Holwell Holy Communion HM

10.30am Broadwell Matins NUW

10.30am Langford Parish Communion HM

6.00pm B Poggs Evensong EJ

6.00pm Westwell Evensong NUW

Sunday 22nd June - Trinity V

9.00am Kencot/Broadwell Holy Communion HM

9.00am Shilton Holy Communion EJ

10.30am Alvescot/B Bourton Parish Communion EJ

10.30am Filkins Family Communion HM

11.00am L Faringdon Parish Communion NUW

6.00pm Holwell/Westwell Evensong EJ

6.00pm Langford Evensong NUW

Sunday 29th June - Trinity VI

9.00am Langford Holy Communion EJ

10.30am Holwell Matins HM

10.30am Kencot Parish Communion NUW

3.30pm Shilton Open Air Service HM

4.00pm Alvescot St Peter’s Day service EJ with St Peter School

Sunday 6th July -Trinity VII

10.30am Alvescot Benefice Service AM, EJ, HM, NUW

6.00pm Langford Evensong AM

Combined services are held in the first-named church

There is also a Communion Service in Black Bourton every Wednesday at 10.00am

CELEBRANTS & SERVICE LEADERS

AM Alister McGrath EJ Liz Johnson

HM Harry Maclnnes NUW Neville Usher-Wilson

BENEFICE SERVICES

Date Benefice service at 10.30am

6th’ July Alvescot

3rd August Holwell

7th September Kencot

October Harvest Festivals 2nd November Westwell

7th December Langford

THE LECTIONARY

1st June - Trinity II (G)

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28 Psalm 31:19-24

Romans 1. 16,17: 3.22b-28 Matthew 7.21-end

8th June - Trinity III (G)

Hosea 5:15-6:6 Psalm 50:7-15

Romans 4.13-end Matthew 9.9-13, 18-26

15th June - Trinity IV (G)

Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100

Romans 5. 1-8 Matthew 9. 35-10.8

22nd June - Trinity V (G)

Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69:8-20

Romans 6. lb-11 Matthew 10.24-39

29th June - Trinity VI ®

Ezekiel 3.22-end Psalm 125

Acts 12. 1-11 Matthew 16.13-19

6th July - Trinity VII (G)

Zechariah 9:9-12 Psalm 145.8-15

Romans 7. 15-25a Matthew 11. 16-19, 25-end

ST PETER

29th’ June is celebrated as the feast day of St Peter: fisherman, apostle, martyr and Father of the Church.

And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’

The Gospel according to St Matthew

THE RECTOR’S LETTER

Dear Friends

I have always enjoyed the remark made by Mr Youngman (about whom I know absolutely nothing.) who is reputed to have said ‘What’s the use of happiness? It doesn’t buy money.’ And I suppose that is a question worth asking as the price of petrol, food, electricity and heating oil goes rocketing, while the credit crunch leaves everybody feeling insecure about their savings.

But then everybody knows that money cannot buy happiness. We have had so many reminders that the massive gains in the material wealth of the majority in the past fifty years have not led to any significant increase in that elusive commodity. In fact, if anything it is the reverse. As a society, we are richer than ever, living healthier lives, with more political and social freedoms, and less fear of war, famine or natural disasters. Yet we are no happier than previous generations with rates of depression, suicide, and alcoholism growing, and prisons bursting at the seams.

It has raised the serious question among some philosophers as to whether happiness is just an illusion. Everybody is looking for it, but

Remember to look miserable when you meet

The staff, so we spent years persuading them that

Money can’t buy happiness

somehow nobody ever finds it. Is it a mistake to suppose that we can ever attain it? There is the mildly cynical humour in comments like ‘Happiness is finding two olives in your martini when you’re hungry’ or ‘Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family - in another country.’ which suggest that real happiness is at best short lived, if not a mirage. Is it therefore a false object of pursuit which will always Remember to look miserable when mock us by disappearing as soon as you meet the staff, son. We’ve we think we have found it? So what spent years persuading them that is the use of happiness?.

One fascinating answer comes from a 17th century thinker, Blaise Pascal. He writes ‘There once was in man a true happiness of which now only a trace remains, which he tries in vain to fill from all his surroundings. But these are all inadequate. The infinite longing can only be filled by an infinite being.’ It is just this which Jesus talks about. Happiness,’ he said, ‘will be found by those who are hungering and thirsting.’ It is those who have got a taste for the glory of God and the beauty of Christ, and are dissatisfied with anything less. As CS Lewis put it ‘We are foolish creatures fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is being offered us; like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.’

It is a reminder to me that the pleasure I get from my children, my garden, my dogs, the friendships that I have found in this benefice, the glorious country side and so on are all pointers to something infinitely more wonderful. There is a happiness which transcends all of these pleasures in the company of him who is the source of them all.

Harry Maclnnes

HENNY YOUNGMAN

Young fellows like Harry will not remember Henny Youngman (The Rector’s Letter page 5), for although he died as recently as 1998 aged 91, Youngman’s heyday was a few decades earlier. Youngman was born in Liverpool but found fame and fortune in America as a stand-up comedian famous for his rapid-fire delivery of one-liners.

Many readers will remember his appearances on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In during the late 1960’s, rattling off gags like...

My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.

A self-taught man usually has a poor teacher and a worse student.

I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up. They have no holidays. When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.

I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back.

I broke my leg in two places. My doctor told me to quit going to those places. I’ve loved the same woman for forty-one years. If my wife finds out, she’ll kill me. I’ve got all the money I’ll ever need if I die by four o’clock this afternoon. If at first you don’t succeed... So much for skydiving.

My dad was the town drunk. Most of the time that’s not so bad; but New York City? There was a girl knocking on my hotel room door all night. Finally, I let her out. My grandmother is over 80 and doesn’t need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle. I backed a great horse yesterday. It took seven horses to beat him.

Some people ask the secret of our long marriage. We take time to go to a restaurant two times a week. A little candlelight, dinner, soft music and dancing. She goes Tuesdays, I go Fridays.

The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.

Those two are a fastidious couple. She’s fast and he’s hideous.

While playing golf today I hit two good balls. I stepped on a rake.

You can’t buy love, but you can pay heavily for it.

My wife will buy anything marked down. Last year she bought an escalator. Take my wife... Please!

ALISTER McGRATH IS COMING

Jam delighted to be able to welcome Alister McGrath to join the clergy team in September. I got to know Alister as my personal tutor when I was training for the ministry in Oxford. With a change in his weekend responsibilities he has kindly offered to serve on Sundays in this Benefice and we look forward to have him join us. I have invited Alister to preach at our Benefice service in July, so that everyone can have a chance to meet him.

Harry Maclnnes

Alister McGrath introduces himself

It is a great pleasure and privilege to be able to join the benefice clergy team from September, and I look forward to this with eager anticipation. I was ordained deacon in 1980, and served in Nottingham for three years, before moving to Oxford to teach theology, especially to those training for ministry. At present, I live in Witney with my wife Joanna. She is also ordained, and serves part-time in the Witney team parish.

I have a deep concern for equipping Christians to understand their faith better, and be able to deal with the questions raised about faith for our culture. Joanna and I wrote the best-seller The Dawkins Delusion? Atheist fundamentalism and the denial of the divine (SPCK) last year, believing that it was important to show that Richard Dawkins’ criticisms of religion in The God Delusion were open to serious challenge.

At the moment, I am Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, but I will be

changing jobs in September. I will then be

taking up a newly-established chair at King’s College, London. Happily, I do not expect to have many weekend responsibilities in London, and will look forward immensely to being able to minister in this Benefice.

Alister McGrath

THE OPEN SECRET

For those who wish to find out what Professor McGrath has been up to recently, his new hook The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology builds a new natural theology by looking at Nature and the works of Man in the context of Christian faith.

More information about Professor McGrath, his life and his work can be found at http://users.ox.ac.uk/ - mcgrath/

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

We meet as usual at 2.45pm on Wednesday 4th June. Our speaker will be Miss Janet Glanville of Aston, one of our regular speakers. All are welcome. Marjorie Barstow

BIBLE STUDY GROUP

Our studies of Mark’s Gospel continue, and the dates for the summer months are: Mondays 9th’ June & 7th July

All our meetings are held at the Vicarage in Filkins at 7.30pm. If you would like to join us, you are most welcome.

Please phone me on 01367 860846. Liz Johnson

CHILDREN’S CHURCH

Children’s Church is now heading towards the end of this ‘Academic Year’ as our next two services on Sunday 8th June and Sunday 13th July will be the last ones until we re- start on Sunday 14th’ September. It has been a very eventful year as we have had a wonderful variety of sessions and our numbers are increasing steadily. Thank you to all you parents for your support and encouragement, for without you there would be no Children’s Church.