What is in Kelvin's Head?

  • Scottish Episcopal Church News for January 2015

    Scottish Episcopal Church News

    The following post contains news from around and within the Scottish Episcopal Church for January 2015.

    George Square Tragedy in Glasgow

    The Rt Rev Gregor Duncan, the Bishop of Glasgow and Galloway was in George Square just after the recent tragedy involving a bin lorry. The accident took place just yards from the Glasgow and Galloway Diocesan Office.

    Speaking after the tragedy, Bishop Gregor said:

    We give thanks for the response of our emergency services.

    The disaster occurred very near to the Diocesan office and I saw with my own eyes the awful aftermath. I shall not forget what I saw.

    Bishop Gregor also engaged in a public dialogue about how Christians can respond to such events on 28 December 2014, the Feast of the Holy Innocents in St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow. This can be seen here:

    Dialogue between Kelvin Holdsworth and Gregor Duncan in Glasgow on 28 December 2014 from Kelvin Holdsworth on Vimeo.

     

    Video Message from the Primus

    The Primus, the Most Rev David Chillingworth released a Christmas Message in video format this year.

    The message, which some have noted doesn’t mention God or Jesus, can be seen here:

    Changes to Marriage Law

    The College of Bishops has issued guidelines relating to recent changes in marriage law. These have not been universally welcomed, with 50 clergy and lay readers writing a letter to the bishops in response with the Herald newspaper reporting: “Church leaders are facing an unprecedented insurrection amongst their own ministry over their gay marriage ban, with signals some clergy will not carry out any weddings until the matter is resolved.”

    More information:

    The Guidelines

    The letter from 50 clergy and lay readers.

    There is extensive coverage of other reaction on Changing Attitude Scotland’s website.

    The Guidelines do not yet appear on the Scottish Episcopal Church website.

    People

    The Buzz

     Sabbatical Funding – The Alastair Haggart Bursary Fund

    In memory of Bishop Alastair Haggart a bursary fund was established by his family.
    The fund exists to help the financing of sabbaticals or other similar leave of absence for clergy and full-time ministers of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
    A committee will convene in January 2015 to make th e next award. Awards totalling up to £4,156 will be made. Individual circumstances, financial resources, and the nature of the sabbatical and its usefulness to the wider church, are taken into consideration when making the award.
    Closing date: 6 January 2015

    Vacancies

    • Grangemouth and Bo’ness – advertised on the Edinburgh Diocesan website on 26 November 2014. No closing date listed. See profile for more details.
    • Secretary and Administrator, General Synod Office – still advertised on the SEC website but closing date is passed.

    Roof Repair Fund

    A new fund is available to help with urgent repairs to Listed Places of Worship. More details on their website: http://www.lpowroof.org.uk/ Note that the closing date is coming up in early January.

    ACTS Trustee Needed

    The Faith and Order Board of the Scottish Episcopal Church is seeking for someone to be the SEC’s nominated Trustee of ACTS – Action for Christians Together in Scotland. “A strong interest in ecumenism is essential, previous experience as a charity trustee would be helpful.” More details from churchrelations@scotland.anglican.org.uk

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23 responses to “What if this is the end of the Eucharist?”

  1. Thomas Scott Avatar
    Thomas Scott

    Just noticing here that DGD (of happy memory) seems to have left out of his catalogue of joyous, sad, perilous, and solemn occasions any instance of celebrating during a plague or pestilence. I’m not worried about the mass. The eucharist need not be celebrated as though it were a car battery, as if not offering it now would somehow allow the power to run down. It is not at risk, we are, which I think is your point. The questions asked are worth asking, of course.

    Reply
  2. Mo Nicholson Avatar
    Mo Nicholson

    Mo Nicholson. This is an intriguing discussion and what I would like to add to it is the observation that I have had to learn the hard way that participation in the Eucharist being made impossible in no way diminishes an individual’s ability to worship God or be in fellowship with other believers. I am barred from receiving Holy Communion in the Catholic church because allergies make this impossible for me. The pain induced by this has little to do with feeling separation from God, in fact nothing at all as I do not feel that. It comes from feeling excluded from the community, different sections if which regard it as desirable or tolerable that a member of the community should be excluded in this way. This experience has made me understand as never before that if we place prime value on liturgical celebrations, ir indeed anything else, above charity, compassion, welcome and inclusivity, in other words love, then we have become the sounding gong which St Paul warned against. If we truly believe that God is love, as I do, then it is obvious that it is love for one another which makes us true children of God our Father, and in light of this we could begin to look at these present challenging circumstances as simply an opportunity to love more, to reach out to one another in whatever way possible in the knowledge that this is what actually matters and always did. Only perhaps we were tempted to almost make a fetish of our rituals, sacraments and so on. And perhaps this can show us a better way more adapted to the world we are supposed to serve.

    Reply
  3. Lynsay Downs Avatar
    Lynsay Downs

    You and your conversation with Dave Roberts prompted me to write this. Does it resonate for you?

    https://astonishing.community/2020/05/06/conversations-in-coronatide/

    Reply
    1. Kelvin Avatar
      Kelvin

      Thanks Lynsay – yes, it does resonate with me very much.

      I’ve shared it on facebook. I think it is really helpful.

      Reply
  4. Fr Keith Avatar
    Fr Keith

    Thanks again for such a thoughtful piece. With the Eucharist central to much of, at least Anglican/Episcopalian, worship in recent generations, we perhaps forget that the Church in these islands was, between the Reformation and the liturgical revivals of the 19th and 20th centuries, sustained by Mattins and Evensong as the regular diet of worship on Sundays. I’m not advocating a return to such times, but there is, as you suggest, work to be done on non-Eucharistic worship (though not defining it as a negative). Thanks again.

    Reply
  5. Fenland Boy Avatar
    Fenland Boy

    For the record, I’m not in favour of lay presidency at the Eucharist. I believe, for better or worse, in an ordered church.

    Why are you concerned about lay Presidency?

    Reply
  6. Chuck Avatar
    Chuck

    May I say respectfully, lighten up. Many Anglicans/Episcopalians lived on the edges of civilization in the nascent U.S. and various elements of the British Empire. Priests to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and to baptize were seldom seen, at most twice a year in many areas. (Bishops, only every several years.) The Church carried on in this manner decade after decade. If circumstances require, the Church will carry on again despite our profound sense of loss.

    I should add, to those who grew up under threat or reality of war, persecution, oppression, famine, other disease, etc, the present difficulty is not unfamiliar in many respects.

    Reply
  7. Miriam MacCarthy Avatar
    Miriam MacCarthy

    Thank you! It is wonderful to read these serious, personal thoughts about the Eucharist. My feeling is that it has become celebrated to the point of boredom. Church, and what we do in it, is in danger of becoming simply a habit. It could just as well be crackerjack for a fast-asleep congregation. My heresy is that the direction Jesus gave is to “do this in remembrance of me”, and that means everything we eat at any time, whether alone or with others, in thanksgiving. If that is seriously done, it has vastly more meaning. It really gets ones attention and requires preparation. Would not become popular or usual, I predict!

    Reply

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