Here’s a video of a conversation I had with one of the members of St Mary’s last Sunday. Andy Winter was chatting to me about the way treatment and perception of HIV has changed over the years. We talked about new PrEP medicines, reducing stigma and the extraordinary news that the epidemic could be ended by 2030.
Take a look here:
I like the change from `country’ to `community’ most of all.
I still remember my Brownie and Guide promises, but think that the Chorister’s prayer takes a lot of beating.
Bless O Lord us thy servants who minister in thy temple. Grant that what we sing with our lips we may believe in our hearts, and what we believe in our hearts we may show forth in our lives, through etc, etc.
Don’t know why this isn’t an essential part of the Voice for life scheme, same as the Brownie/guide equivalents are to their development process.
The only one of the above I could take (Pam’s chorister’s apart) without serious finger-crossing is the Rainbow pledge. I MIGHT want to serve my community, but it would usually be by challenging it, and that is, based on childhood experiences and why I never got to play Mary in the nativity play (despite being in every other way well qualified) that is NOT what people want from children, generally. Or adults, by and large.
> To be true to myself and develop my beliefs,
This is meaningless. Beliefs, in themselves, are neither good nor bad. Nor are all beliefs equally valid or moral – people can have horrible beliefs.
Indeed Robin -and similarly, on occasion setting about me with a mace would have been being true to myself, and not a good thing to do, but THINKING about what one believes, and being kind and helpful … yes, let’s stick with the Rainbows.
Agreed. I like the Rainbow pledge.
Yup – promise less, deliver more. Way to go.
Don’t forget these also go with the Brownie and Guide Laws (the Rainbows don’t have a separate law)
Brownie law
* A Brownie Guide thinks of others before herself and does a good turn every day.
Guide law
A Guide is honest, reliable and can be trusted.
A Guide is helpful and uses her time and abilities wisely.
A Guide faces challenges and learns from her experiences.
A Guide is a good friend and a sister to all Guides.
A Guide is polite and considerate.
A Guide respects all living things and takes care of the world around her.
What I like is the organization consulted with the Guides and even the Brownies when considering changes to the promises and not just those over 18.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has been well blessed in recent years by a close association with the Faith in Older People Project (www.faithinolderpeople.org.uk) which works to celebrate the lives of older people and develop best practise in understanding and meeting the spiritual needs of older people and their families. It seems, upon reading this book,…
Am absolutely delighted to have been included in the Independent on Sunday’s Pink List of the LGBT great and the good. It is quite a list. Pity there isn’t a party to get everyone on it together. It would be good to see more clerics on the list (there are none except Lionel Blue, I…
Just to say that I’m away from work on annual leave for a week or so. I’m not going far, but I’m not going to St Mary’s. The Vice Provost, Cedric Blakey is in charge whilst I’m not around. Usual rules apply to this blog whilst I am resting heart and mind and soul. Comment…
People of Earth. Now that you have elected me to the honoured position of Benevolent Dictator for Life, there are several rules which I must make clear. Exclamation marks shall be known forever as exclamation marks and not exclamation points. (Computer scientists are except from the first part of this regulation and may continue to…
Leave a Reply