Dear friends,
By the time you read this I shall be somewhere in the hills or fields on annual leave, trying to keep pace with Donna-marie while pretending that the summer’s cream teas have not slowed me down. Solitude, peace and quiet in God’s glorious countryside always remind us that ministry flows not from frantic activity but from a heart at rest in Christ. Ruth Haley Barton tells us that solitude is not a luxury for leaders, it is oxygen for the soul. When we step away for a while we return with fresh air in our lungs and a little more peace in our hearts. Of course, our holiday track record suggests that the moment I pack my walking boots the weather decides to audition for the Book of Revelation, so if local farmers start building an ark you will know why. Let us pray for a little better weather this year.
What a lively summer we have shared. Evenings at Thornfalcon brought worship, fulfilment and, I must confess, rather a lot of cake. Village Day at Ruishton rekindled many treasured connections, and Creech buzzed with activity, not least at the cream tea. As I write we are still looking ahead to the community barbecue kindly supported by Nigel K Ford of Northend. I trust the burgers sizzled and the rain held off. I also enjoyed a glorious week with our Army Cadets at Longmoor Training Camp; time among energetic teens was both exhausting and life-giving. They were very grateful for all the sweets you so kindly donated. They can march, run, sing and empty ration packs faster than I can locate my flask of black coffee, and their laughter and resilience reassure me that the Church is alive, kicking and ready for whatever God calls us to next.
Our next gathering is the Harvest Festival and lunch at Holy Cross, Thornfalcon, on Sunday 28th September. We shall thank God for everyone who labours from field to shop counter, and we will announce the winners of this year’s photo competition during the lunch. Entries should be of photographs taken during the past twelve months in Creech, Ruishton, Thornfalcon or the surrounding hamlets that capture light, shadow or reflection. Please email your images to crtchurchevents@outlook.com. I can already picture a certain dog chasing her reflection in the River Tone and claiming a prize.
The turning of the year invites us to remember. Our All-Souls’ service which returns to Creech on Sunday 2nd November at 3pm and offers a quiet space to remember our loved ones. I will read the names of all whose funerals I have conducted, and you are welcome to add other names by contacting me or the church office. A week later we gather again to honour those who laid down their lives for our freedom. Remembrance Sunday falls on 9th November, 10:30am at Ruishton and 3pm at Creech, when we shall hold silence, pray for peace and renew our commitment to justice and reconciliation.
Andrew Root, in When Church Stops Working, reminds us that the way forward is not to invent grand programmes but to notice where Christ is already present and to join him there. You all would by now, be aware that we began a simple Breakfast Service in the Ruishton Inn. Once a month we set out tables laden with tea, coffee, bacon baps and toast, then share a short time of informal prayer and reflection around a question or two with our table talk. The aim is to make worship accessible for those who find a traditional church setting daunting, for families with lively children, and for anyone who feels unsure whether church is for them. Every conversation over a cup of tea becomes an act of communion, every bacon roll eaten with love is a sermon on hospitality, and every newcomer who walks through the door reminds us that God is already at work in their lives before we have spoken a word.
I see Christ present every time one of you brings a neighbour to coffee morning, stands at a bedside, writes a card or pauses to pray in the stillness of the church. The Spirit is at work among us; our task is to pay attention and to follow. Standing in a wide Somerset field, I find it easier to remember that truth. The God who paints the sunrise over the Blackdowns is the same God who walks with us through PCC meetings, (Parochial Church Council) family worries and school-run traffic. My prayer, for you and for myself, is that we will choose to make room for his quiet voice in the weeks ahead.
Until I am back and the rainclouds disperse, please look after one another, keep the kettle warm and feel free to send in any award-winning photographs of torrential downpours in the light or dark spaces of our beautiful villages.
With all blessings,
Revd. Lee