• Postcard to Rowan

    Dear Rowan, wondered whether it had occurred to you that if you give an interview in one country, these days, it will probably be picked up in another country.

    Take this interview that you’ve given to the Telegraph this weekend. Did you have any regrets? Oh yes, not going to the USA to deal with the gay bishop thing sooner… etc

    Now, just a quick PR thought here. It might be a good idea to stop and think about what those comments might have sounded like on the other side of the pond. before making them. US Episcopalians are hardly going to take kindly to the idea that you could have come over and sorted them out sooner now, are they? Apart from anything else, so many of them thought they did the right thing in consecrating +Gene Robinson and even more of them thought they were entitled under their polity to make that decision, whether it was the right one or not.

    Dear, dear Rowan. You’ve made lots of statements like this in your time as Archbishop of Canterbury. They bewilder people because folk think you are wise and yet it looks so gauche.

    Please stop. Even in these last days.

    Enough already, as they say in some places.

    KELVIN

8 responses to “Taking Children to Church”

  1. Kimberly Avatar

    gosh, they’ve converted you.

    Your father must have been overflowing with joy.

  2. Lay clerk Avatar

    Thinking of having some of your own Kelvin? Maybe a bit of a lifestyle change?

  3. Stewart Avatar

    Kneeling on kneelers is easy. It is during Evensong when your head starts to drop and combined with the warmth that there is a tendency to drop off.

    Never that I would drop off during one of your sermons!

  4. kelvin Avatar

    Using kneelers which are wobbling around on a footrest is trickier than for people who find themselves too small to also be able to half perch on the pew at the same time.

  5. Melissa Holloway Avatar
    Melissa Holloway

    At St. Mary’s we have the starfish, the boat, and the snake to find. And no need to count the crosses every week, some weeks we count the lillies. (The question is, do you get bonus points for Shona?)

    Waiting to see the bread be broken is important, because if you are not careful, you may miss it.

    I wouldn’t discount sleeping, either. When you feel welcome and warm, adults who love you lend you their coats for cushions, and the music fills your senses. I think it must be spiritual.

    The best, though, is when the bells are ringing. Who is the first to hear them?

  6. Zebadee Avatar
    Zebadee

    Taking children to Church–oh yes. To quotes the words of Jesus somewhat out of context, but possibly not ” You are not far from the Kingdom of God”. Or is this actually the KofG?

  7. gail Avatar
    gail

    So glad for you, your nephews and your Dad that your 3 generations got the chance to share this very very special experience. I hope you will make every effort to let such moments happen again and again. You all deserve it !
    Lay Clerk was evidently having a ‘bah humbug’ moment.
    I would say that such moments are a very great joy and a priviledge – especially for those of us who do not have a regular daily contact with children. Godchildren (and nephews/ neices if available) are certainly gifted by The Almighty, reveal the most unexpected of perspectives, and give such love and trust. We have much to learn from them. Praise be !

  8. Moyra Avatar
    Moyra

    I love the chance to take my godchildren to church! We all get so much from the experience.

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