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I was very tempted to suggest that we could designate this coming week as 'Be Nice to your clergy' week especially as the Archdeacon's Visitation Newsletter urges people to pray for their clergy. However, a special week of being nice to clergy is totally unnecessary in the Epping Team because your support is continuous!
I have been thinking rather a lot about ministry this week. First I had to go to Pleshey to learn how to be an Incumbent who is to train a curate and then, in a Deanery meeting with Bishop David, we were looking at how best to deploy our ministerial resources in the Deanery. In particular, the Bishop has initiated a look at what kids of ministry we shall need in the future. He was particularly interested in our own ministerial Team which includes Readers, Lay Evangelist, Pastoral Assistant, Team Administrator. This core team, is the Bishop suggested, a model which others could well follow. however, that is only the beginning. Within the Team there are others who take initiatives in ministry and leadership - no least our churchwardens. Also those who educate the young or nurture the faith in all of us, those who quietly visit and support others, and , of course, those who serve on the PCCs. What we need to identify is what ministries we shall need in the future and then, through prayer, encouragement and empowering, 'grow' those ministries from within.
Later this month we shall celebrate Bryony's 10th anniversary of Priesthood and at the beginning of July, we shall have the ordination of our new deacon, Helen Gould. Such celebrations are always opportunities not only to give thanks for the ministry we have but also to look more attentively at the opportunities God offers to all of us to grow into his 'Royal Priesthood' - the priesthood shared by all those who are Baptised. We need to continually search our hearts (personally as well as a Church) to listen to God's quiet but insistent voice within and try to answer the question God always asks of us - You, will you follow me? Will you be truly my disciple? Will you help me to proclaim my Kingdom of saving Love to all in Epping? When God asked that sort of thing of Isaiah the response Isaiah made was 'Here am I. Send me' - not 'Here I am - send someone else!'
God has a purpose and a ministry for all of us. It may not be spectacular; it may not even be 'front-line' (Every Christian Community needs real, genuine and fervent Prayer back-up). It will, however, need to be faith-full. God had great plans for His Church. We must not thwart those plans by our timidity.
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