In mid-September I joined people from all over the Church of England in Oxford for the Festival of Preaching. Paula Gooder, Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral, showed us how many ways we can explore Jesus’ visual, wise, and sometimes compellingly confusing parables, taking us in intellectual, spiritual and emotional directions we might never have expected. Ally Barrett, Chaplain of St Catharine’s College in Cambridge, talked about the importance of improvisation and interactivity not only in sermons but in the life of every Christian as we creatively respond to our world in all its beauty and its sorrows too. Mark Oakley preached boldly about the tragic death of the Anglican gay young man Matthew Shepard how his parents were afraid to give him a proper burial because of the risk his grave might be desecrated. He was laid to rest in Washington National Cathedral recently, and Bishop Gene Robinson offered a message of hope for this victim of homophobic hate: ‘�There are three things I’d say to Matt: ‘Gently rest in this place. You are safe now. And Matt, welcome home.’ The core theme of the Preaching Festival was the need for justice, mercy, and love in all we say and do. This is just as true for clergy in the pulpit as it is for members of every congregation, whether we’ve been Christians all our lives or are tentatively curious if this God thing might be worth exploring.
We will be exploring and getting inspired by how God is at work in our community in new ways this month. For our Dedication Festival on 13 October, thanks to Sheena Ginnings’ efforts, the church will be filled with words, ideas, and images generated by all of us together. Among the words I know are on people’s hearts are: hope, sanctuary, challenging, and peace. This is such a dynamic cluster of concepts. May we bring hope to each other and the world; may our minds and hearts be ready to engage with the things, people, and ideas that challenge us; may we find sanctuary and offer it to others with our doors and our minds wide open. May the peace of Christ dwell in us richly and give us the stability to weather whatever life may bring. The Dedication Festival’s images are also a way of re-connecting us with the holy spaces around us, and the Youth Group have been hard at work on artful banners inspired by the values in our Mission Action Plan and the modern pop art produced by the Roman Catholic artist Corita Kent.
There is a profound need for hope and for an end to violence in Camden. On 20 September the Bishop of Edmonton led a candle-lit vigil to lament for the 16 young lives lost and to commit to combatting knife crime in our borough. ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ If we listen to the needs of our community, we can respond to the cry of those in this urban ‘village’ who are most vulnerable and most at risk, walking alongside in solidarity and offering profound care. Our planet cries out in pain, too. On 7 October there will be another Extinction Rebellion protest in London, including a ‘Faith Bridge’ supported by Christian Climate Action. I hope that as many of us as possible will continue to make compassionate connections in this community and with our environment, as we seek fresh ways to be a place of hospitality, faith, action, and love.
The Curate Writes
Ayla Lepine