Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Christmas, leaps and bounds appeal, learning disabilities, monyhull, rspca, st bede's brandwood, st gabriel's weoley castle
Two highlights of Christmas so far. On Monday at St Gabriel’s we had, for the first time, the RSPCA Carol Service in Church and then at the Animal Centre.
As well as enjoying Christmas, with some very beautiful basset hounds inspecting the Crib, we were raising awareness of the RSPCA’s Leaps and Bounds Appeal for a new Animal Centre and Hospital.
Then, this morning, I travelled up the hill from St Bede’s to Monyhull Chapel for the Christmas Service with the Learning Disabilities Chaplaincy. There have been strong links between St Bede’s and Monyhull, not least during the period after the fire when St Bede’s congregation worshipped with the folk with learning disabilities. Since I have been Vicar, Rosemary and I have loved being a small part of the Chaplaincy Team, helping out when we are needed and sharing in services like today’s. My Grandad was Head Porter in one of the old hospitals and it means a lot to me to have this link. I learn as much about the nature of God and of love and community here as I do anywhere else.
I hope to post again over Christmas, although if I get lost in busyness, may I wish you all a Blessed Festival.
You are welcome to any of our services:
St Bede’s, Brandwood (B14 6NN)
Christmas Eve Children’s Carol Service 4pm; Midnight Eucharist 11.30pm; Christmas Morning Eucharist 11am.
St Gabriel’s, Weoley Castle (B29 5LT)
Christmas Eve Children’s Carol Service 2pm; Midnight Mass 11.30pm; Mass of Christmas Morning 9.30am.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: animal welfare, animals, carol services, leaps and bounds appeal, rspca, St Francis, st gabriel's weoley castle, weoley castle
One of the joys of this time of year is Carol Services. I spent a lot of last week with schools beginning with classes coming to Church to learn about how we observe Advent and then Carol Services and Christmas Assemblies, joining in with the excitement and happiness of the children; Christmas anticipated early before the end of term. The privilege of telling and singing and hearing again the Christmas story, and of seeing it through the eyes of the very young. Yesterday evening members of St Bede’s and neighbours joined together to sing carols and hear Bible readings in beautiful candlelight.
And this afternoon we have a special Carol Service at St Gabriel’s, Weoley Castle. Since the early 1960′s, the RSPCA have had an Animal Centre and Hospital at the bottom of Barnes Hill. Unfortunately, it has now become outdated and too small. The RSPCA are raising money through The Leaps and Bounds Appeal for a new state of the art centre in Frankley. As you will see, this is needed; in November 22 dogs, 63 cats and 17 small animals were rescued.
We are very pleased to be hosting the RSPCA Carol Service to support this. Concern for animals and their welfare is a key part of Christian faith and discipleship. At Christmas, we hear the words of Isaiah Chapter 11 with its vision of peace and love between animals and humans.
We are drawn to the Crib with the animals surrounding the Christ Child along with Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. The Crib was first used for Christmas devotions by St Francis of Assisi who, as well as being the friend and brother of animals, calls us much deeper, into an essential humility that puts us into a right relationship with God the Creator, all creatures and the whole creation.
We might also remember that the RSPCA, the first national animal welfare society in the world, was founded by the Anglican priest Arthur Broome in 1824. Broome gave up his parish to work unpaid for the SPCA and was imprisoned for its debts.
We would love to have you with us this afternoon. The service starts at 4.30pm and will be filmed by Central News. When it finishes, there will be a candlelight procession down Barnes Hill and refreshments at the Animal Centre. At some point between 6 and 6.30 there will be a live Christmas Blessing of the Centre on Central News.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: offa house, pilgrimage, st bede's brandwood, st gabriel's weoley castle, together with elderly people in weoley castle and bartley green, walsingham
September has been a busy but very fruitful month. It has included a Parish Pilgrimage to Walsingham with St Gabriel’s; the beginning of Together with Elderly People in Weoley Castle and Bartley Green, where St Gabriel’s invited all those involved in work with vulnerable elderly people in the area to come together to seek to strengthen work in a very difficult time; and last weekend, a Parish Retreat at Offa House with St Bede’s. More reflections on all this pilgrimage will follow as there is time, but here are three photos to whet the appetite:
walking back from the Slipper Chapel
St Bede's Retreat
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: childrens ministry, st gabriel's weoley castle
Our new Childrens’ Area at St Gabriel’s, Weoley Castle, successfully road tested this morning. All children, their families – and everyone else – are welcome to our services.
Usual Mass times:
Sunday at 9.30am and Wednesday at 10am
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: birmingham, riots, role of the Church in the community, st gabriel's weoley castle
Like many other people, I’m reflecting on the riots in Britain this week. I want to give some links to posts which I have found helpful and illuminating, even if I do not necessarily agree with them.
This is an important piece of reportage from The Guardian about the reactions to the deaths in Birmingham.
Savi Hensman writes about the crucial importance of looking to the underlying causes of the riots here.
A good piece by Camila Batmanghelidjh here.
There are two interesting articles from Owen Jones on the left and Peter Oborne on the right.
There are links to the various responses by Bishops and the Church here. Archbishop Rowan’s statement says some very important things on the role and nature of education. Andrew Brown is interesting on the role of the Church of England here. Jon Kurht has been writing some interesting reflections.
I’ll be reflecting more about this in the sermon at St Gabriel’s on Sunday morning, I think looking at what we as Christian people and a Church are called to do in response to the situation. At the moment I’m reflecting a lot on the type of society we can embody, on our role in the city, and on the sort of work which we can do.
Have I missed any important articles or areas of reflection?
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: st gabriel's weoley castle, stolen church bell
This is on a very different level to the riots, but someone stole the bell from St Gabriel’s, Weoley Castle recently. Full details from the Birmingham Mail here. If anyone knows where it is, can we have it back please. We like to ring it before and during services, and it is particularly used as a sign of respect to local people at funerals.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: boots, camino 2011, Camino de Santiago, Camino Ingles, meenakshi, pilgrimage, preparation, st gabriel's weoley castle
Meenakshi, my daughter, and I will be walking the Camino Ingles from A Coruna to Santiago in the October Half Term holiday. I’m really looking forward to it. It will be a much shorter pilgrimage than the Levante – about 46 miles which we are planning to walk in three days – but it will be great to share it with Meenakshi and it will be her first long walk.
We are using the last few days of my summer holiday to begin preparations. We’ve bought new boots (I’ve gone for a heavier leather pair this time – Meindl Burmas – as I want something as waterproof as possible). We walked 15 miles yesterday around Broadway in the Cotswolds and will walk again on Monday and Tuesday, Meenakshi with a rucksack. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in Spanish language again and beginning the process of assembling all the kit we will carry.
We have decided to seek sponsorship – for kidney dialysis and for St Gabriel’s Church, Weoley Castle – and will be launching this at a talk on the Camino at St Gabriel’s, Weoley Castle, B29 5PL on Saturday 20th August in the evening. You are very welcome to come along.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dostoyevsky, st bede's brandwood, st gabriel's weoley castle
It was an old and rather poor church, many of the ikons were without settings, but such churches are the best for praying in.
- Dostoyevsky
Of course, neither St Gabriel’s or St Bede’s are old or poor buildings. Both, to my mind at least, have a necessary simplicity, are good places to pray in, and have been prayed in.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Holy Week, jesus on the cross road, john austen, paul hill, pilgrimage, st gabriel's weoley castle, stations of the cross
This is a moving set of Stations of the Cross, helping us to walk with Christ in the Way of the Cross.
This is one of Paul Hill’s remarkable Stations from St Cuthbert, Castle Vale in Birmingham (although in Coventry Cathedral in the photograph). They are in the book Jesus on the Cross Road by Paul Hill and John Austen which we used last week at St Gabriel’s. If anyone knows where to get more copies of the book, please let me know.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: cuts, justice, Kingdom of God, Lent, prayer, st gabriel's weoley castle, the Cross, the guardian, weoley castle
This has been a long hard Lent, although today is only the third Sunday. The cuts are arriving. Weoley Castle Community Projects, of which I am Chair, was in The Guardian on Friday:
Weoley Castle Community Projects, Birmingham
Cut: £5,000 (15%)
Weoley Castle offers a support service for up to 30 local elderly people every day in a church hall. It provides company, conversation, a proper meal, entertainment and care. Many of those using the service would otherwise be alone during the day.
But a 15% cut – from £33,000 to £28,000 – means the project has had to make two part-time staff redundant and reduce the amount of day care offered, from five days to four days a week. It has had a significant impact on those who have nowhere to go on the fifth day and have little extra care at home.
The project has also had to send out first stage redundancy letters to all its day care staff as there is no word of future funding from 1 April.
Kate Pearson, a trustee of the Weoley Castle project, says: “It doesn’t make any sense at all. We provide value for money. What happens to clients when we’re not there? We’re being honest about the pressures facing us, but the majority of our clients will find it hard to understand because they are in the early stages of dementia. But they have noticed the redundancies and a few are extremely anxious.”
It is going to be a hard and difficult week. Prayers please for the Project, those who use its services, the staff and volunteers, the trustees, and hard pressed Council Officers.
Thanks to the half a million people who Marched for an Alternative in London yesterday. Now is a critical time for working for a creative and just future.
As we journey through Lent, it is a time also for faith, for walking in the Way of the Cross, for hope in the Resurrection and in the Kingdom of God – on earth as it is in heaven.
