Team Rector’s Letter December 2021
What is your favourite Christmas Carol?
Christmas Carols first became popular in the 15th century. Carols express the faith and ideas of ordinary people, with tunes that are easy to sing. Some originally had Pagan roots but were adapted to the Christian faith, such as The Holly and the Ivy. In the 17th century, when the Puritans disapproved of celebrating religious feasts, including Christmas, carol singing declined. Then in 1871 a song book called Christmas Carols New and Old was published and brought 13 carols into popular use. The traditional and much-loved Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first introduced in 1880, in Truro Cathedral and popularised by being broadcast from King’s College Cambridge, first in 1954.
God Rest You Merry Gentlemen, and The First Nowell are truly traditional carols. Others, like Once in Royal David’s City and Away in a Manger were written to teach children in Sunday School. Some, like Hark the Herald Angels Sing were adaptations of earlier words, sometimes translations, Silent Night originally written in German.
If you have decided which is your favourite Christmas Carol, you may also like to think about WHY it is. Maybe you remember it from school, or at a family gathering. Maybe you particularly like the tune. Or maybe there is something in the words that seems to speak to you about God’s love.
For me, it is the words of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear. They seem very relevant today.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angels’ strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the angels sing.
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
The Vicarage, 6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector’s Letter November 2021
Last month, I brought to your attention two important community events happening in November.
First there is the North Cray & District Royal British Legion’s ‘Memories’ - A Festival of Remembrance which will take place on Sunday 7 November (the weekend before Remembrance Sunday).
On the following Sunday, 14 November, which is Remembrance Sunday, there will be a Parade Service at 9.30am and an 11am Act of Remembrance.
I believe that these kinds of events are an important factor in the flourishing of the whole North Cray community. As I wrote last month, the ancient parish church of St James, North Cray has been here as a focal point for the community through many lifetimes. The building stands through the seasons, and the years, as a reminder of the Church’s commitment to God and His love for all people, whether they attend church services or not! We want to ensure that this precious church building remains open for many years to come. To achieve this, we now need the help of our community! We are facing a number of significant challenges with the church building, the most pressing of these is our lovely church spire. This is covered with traditional wooden shingles, and we need to replace these urgently.
If you value your parish church, and the part it plays in your community, please do consider making a donation to this work.
Contact me for more information or look here on our website
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
The Vicarage, 6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector’s LetterOctober 2021
Memories are precious things. Sometimes they can bring joy, at other times they can be painful and poignant.
I want to remind you all about the North Cray community’s Festival of Remembrance which will take place on Sunday 7 November (the weekend before Remembrance Sunday). The event begins at St James Church North Cray at 9.30am, with a Service of Commemoration, including Holy Communion using the Book of Common Prayer, a service that would have been very familiar to previous generations. After a moment at the War Memorial in the churchyard, we will walk in procession to the Scouts’ Geoffrey Hall, Leafield Lane where there will be a display of stories and memorabilia. The planning group are gathering items and stories for this display. The information they need is the name and what they did during the war times. Any uniforms or paperwork, ration books etc should be labelled so they can be returned to the correct person. The stories (with the writer’s permission) will be displayed on the walls of the Geoffrey Hall. All stories will be passed on to the Royal British Legion to keep copies on their website so that these accounts of the war will not forgotten but be held for future generations.(See advert in this magazine). Let me know if you are interested in taking part and I will pass your details onto the organisers.
The St James, North Cray Remembrance Service will happen as usual on Sunday 14 November, with a Parade Service at 9.30am and an 11am Act of Remembrance.
St James Church has been here for the Community of North Cray through many lifetimes. It stands as a reminder of the church’s commitment to God and his people. We want to ensure the church building is available for many years to come. Next month, please look out for information about how you can help us to do this!
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
The Vicarage, 6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector’s LetterSeptember 2021
Despite the difficulties of the last year, many of you have been able to get to know our Team Curate, Reverend Matt Hodder.
When he joined our Team as a Deacon, Rev Matt wrote to introduce himself to us: -
“I am originally from the Orpington area but lived in Cambridge for the last three years whilst training for ordained ministry at Ridley Hall. I am married to Jen and we have two young children. Before training for ministry I used to work in a primary school as a Teaching Assistant and Forest School teacher.
I love being outdoors; whether that’s going for walks, spending time in the garden or taking photographs. I am so excited to get to know the people in the parishes of the Bexley Team and be able to share the love of God with the community that we will become a part of.”
Well, a lot has happened in a year! Rev Matt has been instrumental in setting up our monthly Forest Church which is based at St James North Cray but welcomes youngsters from across the Bexley Team. He has been involved in providing Zoom Services and online Children’s Church during Lockdown and is committed to enabling these to continue for those who do not feel able to attend church in person. Matt’s family have settled into the area and are looking forward to a new addition to their family in the autumn.
Rev Matt will be ordained as a Priest at Rochester Cathedral on Saturday 25 September, and we are delighted that the first time he will preside at a service of Holy Communion will be at St James North Cray the following day, Sunday 26 September at 9.30am.
Congratulations Matt! We look forward to your ministry with us.
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
contact me at Joydens Wood Vicarage,
6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector’s Letter August 2021
You may be wondering how churches are managing opening up after the lifting of some of the Covid regulations.
Bishop Sarah Mullally chairs the Church of England Recovery Group and has issued the following statement-
“Many will welcome the possibilities now before us, not least increased numbers at life events and a long-awaited return of congregational and amateur choir singing. “However, this is a difficult point in the course of the pandemic. Despite vaccination rates, cases are up, hospital admissions are up and long covid remains an ongoing concern. Therefore our approach needs to be cautious and careful. “Taking personal responsibility means responsibility for our neighbour, not just for ourselves, and taking precautions to protect those more vulnerable than we consider ourselves to be. Local church leaders know their communities and their own circumstances, and we will support them making local decisions to keep themselves and their community safe.
"We would ask everyone to support those making local decisions and respect risk assessments, which are in place to protect everyone as we enter the next phase”
So as a local church we are being asked to make our own decisions about Covid-safe opening according to local conditions. We have carefully considered the way forward, mindful that local infection levels are still high, and that most people I have spoken to are still wary of the complete relaxation of precautions.
For the moment, we are strongly encouraging people to wear facemasks, but this is no longer compulsory. Hand sanitiser will continue to be available, and we encourage you to use it. We will continue to receive communion in one kind, and to maintain social distancing. We are able to sing once again, which is a delight!
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
contact me at Joydens Wood Vicarage,
6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
TEAM RECTOR’S LETTER - JULY 2021
You may not remember this, because there have been so many similar cases, so many tragedies… And in all honesty, I’m not sure why this one ‘got to me’ as it did!
On 27 October last year, a boat carrying refugees sank in the English Channel. Amongst those who died, were a Kurdish-Iranian family, trying to reach the UK. The bodies of the father, the mother, and two older children were recovered. The body of the youngest child, just 15 months old, named Artin could not be found.
And, it may have been sentimental of me, but as a mother, and a grandmother, I could not help thinking of that tiny fragile body, being ‘lost’, far away from the bodies of his family. All over Christmas, and completely illogically, I wanted that little body to be held once again and placed to rest by those who had loved him in life.
So, I noticed at the beginning of last month, on 7 June, police in Norway announced that a body found on the Norwegian coast on New Year’s Day had been identified as that of the missing baby.
Little Artin's remains were to be flown back to Iran to be buried by members of the wider family.
It is good, this, but by no stretch of the imagination can it be considered a ‘happy ending’!
None of us as individuals would be party to the death of a small child… and yet, by our society’s hardened attitudes towards refugees, those deaths continue to happen.
Time and time again, we fail to offer the desperate and the vulnerable a place of safety.
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
contact me at Joydens Wood Vicarage,
6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector's Letter June 2021
This month, we have ‘commissioned’ a special article from the Team Curate, Rev Matt Hodder, because we wanted you to know about something brilliant that is happening at St James Church.
Since I took overall responsibility for the parish church of St James, I have wanted to do something that reflected the building’s lovely situation at the edge of the Foots Cray Meadows, and the beauty of our churchyard. When Matt was appointed as Team Curate I discovered that he had a background in working in Forest Schools, and so it all came together!
The Forest Church Project enables us to really value the beauty of God’s creation and encourages the next generation to care for it. I want to thank our church council and congregation for giving their backing and support. Rev Ren
"In May 2021 we started a new venture for the Bexley Team Ministry - Forest Church! Held on the third Sunday of each month and based at St James's Church, North Cray, Forest Church is a new and exciting way to worship God in the beautiful surroundings that we have been blessed with. Forest Church originated from the Forest School movement, which in turn came from Scandinavia back in the 1990's. Its premise is very simple; God is present everywhere and one of the places that we often feel most connected with God is outdoors. Forest Church has tried to blend the excitement of exploring God's creation alongside creating a church community in its own right; one which is open to everyone from across the Bexley Team. It's hard to say what a 'typical' Forest Church service looks like. In the two we've done so far we have attempted parachute making, nature bingo, seed planting, creating solar system mobiles (the baby kind not the phone kind!), treasure hunts, making meals for woodland animals and much more. There are two things that you can always guarantee will happen though... we will spend some time outdoors and we will marvel at God's amazing creation. 4 So I encourage you to come along to one of our upcoming services (3pm on 20th June, 18th July, 15th August) and see what it's like. It's suitable for all ages, children AND adults and everyone is most welcome. But don't take my word for it, here's what one of our regulars thinks.... "Forest Church is good fun. The best bit was finding things in nature and making a parachute for an astronaut. It's fun to be outside for church because you can explore, and use magnifying glasses and jump around!" ** (Zach)
Hope to see you there soon!
Rev Matt and the Forest Church Team
Team Rector’s Letter May 2021
1 May is ‘MAYDAY’
What do we understand by that word?
Traditionally, 1 May is celebrated as an ancient spring festival, reaching back to pre-Christian times. In the past, to have survived winter at all was a cause for thanksgiving, and after the hardships of winter to see the rebirth of the created world as the warmth of longer days brought growth. Dances round the may-pole, singing, and cake are usually part of the Mayday festivities.
In 1889, May Day was chosen by socialists as the date for International Workers Day, celebrating the dignity of human work. In some countries it is known as Labour Day. Clearly this is a very different celebration from the traditional May Day.
Finally, the international distress signal is “Mayday” calling for help, for rescue.
So this mayday:
We celebrate the God of creation, in the beauty of nature.
We recognise the God of justice in the dignity of every human being.
We call out to the God of rescue, when we are feeling vulnerable, and lost, helpless and afraid.
Happy Mayday!
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
contact me at Joydens Wood Vicarage,
6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk
Team Rector’s Letter April 2021
We have been busy getting the church ready to reopen! The doors will be open for Individual Prayer on Good Friday (11am until 1pm) and Easter Communion on Easter Day at 9.30am.
As you can imagine this has meant a very thorough Spring Clean, including the removal of some quite spectacular cobwebs festooning the archways of the church! (Our apologies to the spiders who may have been disturbed by our ministrations.)
While we have been cleaning and tidying and making our preparations to open the building, I have been thinking about the need we all have for some ‘spiritual spring-cleaning’.
What do I mean by that? I mean that, when we take time to pause and reflect, we can discover that over a period of weeks and months, we have begun to accumulate mental and spiritual ‘clutter’. It might be a sense of resentment concerning the words or actions of someone else. It might be a build-up of tension because of a raft of obligations and duties that we have foolishly taken on. It might be a habit of criticism, or of fixating on worries and problems. All these things sap us of joy and dull our ability to see things in their proper perspective.
Now I fully realise that some of you may be struggling with serious illness, financial worries, or griefs of many kinds, and if that is the case, my heart goes out to you. You should not feel guilty. Know that God is alongside you and be gentle with yourself as you find a way through the unavoidable emotional pain of those things. Remember I’m here to help if I can.
Rather, I am talking here about the needless worries that can weigh us down if we allow them to. What I refer to is encapsulated in what is called The Serenity Prayer…
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
I commend it to you as a prayer as you do your own ‘Spiritual Spring Cleaning’ and I wish you a very Happy Easter.
Reverend Ren Harding (Team Rector)
contact me at Joydens Wood Vicarage,
6 Tile Kiln Lane, Joydens Wood, Bexley, DA5 2BB
01322-528923 renharding@hotmail.co.uk