Letters for 2001
from the Rector,
Revd. Michael Rusk

I find I have only time to read a newspaper on a Tuesday. Often I fear I miss out on the best journalism that is found in the broadsheet papers the rest of the week. But today my persistent eccentricity of only purchasing a newspaper on a Tuesday has been rewarded. My Tuesday copy of The Times has, I believe, the most remarkable essay that I have come across in recent years. It is by the American journalist, Peggy Noonan - a former speechwriter to Presidents Reagan and Bush - and the person who first coined that unfortunate but unforgettable phrase, "Watch my lips." Noonan's essay was written for Forbes ASAP magazine on 30th November 1998. What is so startling is that she predicts that America is become a victim of international terrorism.

The piece begins with a discussion on how modern technology which is meant to relieve us of time consuming chores has actually produced a world where we are busier that ever before. This is one of the great ironies of modern life: despite the gadgets that should give us freedom, we are more stressed and frantic than our parents and grandparents:

"Life is so much interesting now! It's not boring, like 1957. There are things to do: the culture is broader, more sophisticated: there's more wit and creativity to be witnessed and enjoyed. Mums, kids, dads have more options, more possibilities. This is good. The bad news is that our options leave us exhausted when we pursue them and embarrassed when we don't."

The Church of today is caught up in this multiple choice world. Like many national institutions the church has suffered as modern life with all its opportunities and problems impacts itself on everyone and affects the choices we make and especially as to how we spend our Sundays. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that the Church can continue to have a role in people's lives if understanding and compassionate Christians meet people at those points of exhaustion, inadequacy and embarrassment to which Noonan refers.

The Church needs to be a continuing presence in society because this halycon state of affairs will not last for ever. Noonan continues (and remember that this is November 1998):

"What will happen? How will the future play out?…..Our entertainment industry, interestingly enough, has plucked something from the unconscious…..For about 30 years now, but accelerating quickly, the industry has been telling us about The Big Terrible Thing……Something's up. And deep down, where the body meets the soul, we are fearful. We fear, down so deep it hasn't even risen to the point of articulation, that with all our comforts and amusements, with all our toys and bells and whistles….we wonder if what we really have is….a firstclass stateroom on the Titanic. Everything's wonderful, but a world is ending and we sense it."

And then Noonan makes a remarkable prediction:

"When you consider who is gifted and crazed with rage…when you think of the terrorist places and the terrorist countries….who do they hate the most? The Great Satan, the United States. What is its most important place? Some would say Washington. I would say the great city of the United States is the great city of the world, the dense, ten mile long island called Manhattan, where the economic and media power of the nation resides, the city that is the psychological centre of our modernity, our hedonism, our hard-shouldered hipness, our unthinking arrogance….If someone does the big, terrible thing to New York or Washington….the psychic blow….will shift our perspectives and priorities, dramatically, and for longer than a while. Something tells me more of us will be praying, and hard, one side benefit of which is that there is sometimes a quality of stopped time when you pray." Noonan concludes her essay with "Pray. Unceasingly. Take the time."

As we enter November 2001, our world has indeed experienced the great terrible thing and perhaps more terror is in store. As Christians we are taught that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). At this critical time in the world's history we are called just as in the darkest years of World War II to share that love of Christ to those around us; to get alongside the fearful; and to absorb and to overcome the hatred and violence that is ripping God's world apart.

Above all, our Church communities need to comprise of people of deep and genuine prayerfulness. For it is through prayer that the strength of God can be found and shared. So let's take Noonan seriously: "Pray. Unceasingly. Take the time."

Michael Rusk.

October Letter
Dear Friends,

The terrorists attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, and on the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., resulting in such devastating loss of life, have changed the world in a twinkling of an eye. There has been no event since the Second World War - not even the assassination of John F. Kennedy - that has been so significant and which will have so wide ramifications. Instantly, the world has become a much more insecure place to live, with the constant fear of the next terrorist strike always our minds, and the rumours of war in our ears.

So how are Christians to respond to these momentous events? It is striking how many Christians have through their deaths in the attacks given remarkable testimony to their faith: the Sundayschool teacher on board the plane that crashed in rural Pennsylvania who led a group of passengers whom we now believe tackled the hijackers. The Roman Catholic Chaplain to the New York Fire Brigade - whose quiet, effective pastoral ministry among the firecrews has come to represent all that is good in Christian love and compassion. These acts of Christian love stand out in the darkness as a profound witness to the hope which God offers us in Christ. Our own Archbishop George Carey has shown a marvellous pastoral care in taking the trouble to phone the Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, close to the World Trade Centre, and to assure him and his congregation that St Paul's Cathedral would be with them in prayer. In a retiring collection at St Peter's on the Sunday after the disaster, nearly £500 was given and this was sent immediately to the Episcopal Relief teams helping the emergency services at Ground Zero. Such generosity is indeed a sign of hope at a time of great darkness.

As Christians, our particular concern is with those who have suffered injury and bereavement from this terrible calamity. But we are also called to look further and deeper in the problems that now beset our world. The new terrorist threat on which President George W. Bush and our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, have declared war stems from a wide network whose ideology has been shaped by a new and stark Islamic fundamentalism. It is important to recognise that moderate Muslims themselves have most to fear from this ideology. In reality, the beliefs propagated, are a very travesty of much of what Islam stands for. Christians, therefore, need to act with wisdom: so support, encourage, and dialogue with all moderate, peace loving Muslims and to enable them to assert a truer understanding of Islam. But Christians do need to speak out about the terrible abuses which extreme fundamentalist Islam bring to humanity. The persecution of Christians in the Southern Sudan; the huge tensions and rioting between Christians and Muslims in Northern Nigeria, and Indonesia; the arrest of Christian Aid workers in Afganistan and the horrific treatment of women under the barbarous Taleban. Those who have fled to this country from Iran from fear of persecution because of their Christian faith. All this needs to be spoken about frankly and responsibly. There is, of course, great suffering in the Muslim world: Palestinians, both Muslim and Christian, suffer terribly and a just and political settlement needs to be found urgently between them and the Israelis. Above all, there needs to be a recognition between Jew, Christian, and Muslim that we are all created by the God of peace, justice and mercy and are called to live together in harmony.

The early Christians were taught that all earthly things would ultimately pass away and that they should not be surprised if one day the Roman Empire would be no more. They were therefore to fix their eyes on heaven, on a kingdom that would never disappear, and to receive their energy from God's Spirit and use it to usher in the kingdom of God. Of course, it took many hundreds of years before the Roman Empire disintegrated but the fact that Christians could imagine such a scenario when it was at the height of its power is truly remarkable. For Christians, the final victory is never in doubt because Christ has conquered death: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

Christians therefore should not be surprised if the balance of power in our world changes. It is likely that we have just lived through a turning point in history that will ultimately usher in a new world order. This new world has a dangerous and uncertain future. The failure to resolve or understand the conflicts of the past; the inability of the west to understand the world of Islam, all this points to a complexity of problems that will need great wisdom to address effectively. But the Christian hope remains firmly fixed on the God of our Lord Jesus Christ who teaches us to love and to seek to bring God's kingdom here on earth.

Michael Rusk.

September Letter

Dear Friends,

The news that the Rev Donald Allister, Vicar of Cheadle, a parish church in Stockport, refused permission to a young couple wishing to get married in his church to sing the hymns Jerusalem and I vow to thee my country is in stark contrast to what we do here at St Peter's. Both hymns are regularly sung with relish at weddings, funerals, and the special civic services for the Royal British Legion. I can vouch that both hymns are among the best sung hymns by congregations and are often accompanied by a real joy and passion. So the question has to be asked, has St Peter's got it right? Does Jerusalem set to Hubert Parry's tune honour God or does it just pander towards patriotic sentiment? Are the words inspiring of faith or are they best interpreted as a distinctly unorthodox understanding of the Christian faith?

My own view is that it is right and proper for Jerusalem to be sung regularly at St Peter's. I believe that the hymn honours God and places us at the threshold of heaven. So it is my hope and intention for it to be sung enthusiastically at St Peter's for years to come. My views in defence of Jerusalem are not based on the fact that congregations love to sing it - at a funeral just this week the principal mourner, now living in the United States, has no hesitation in choosing it for his mother's funeral - but for deeper theological reasons.

William Blake, poet, artist, and visionary lived from 1757 -1827. From 1771 to 1778, he was apprenticed to an engraver, and through working frequently at Westminster Abbey, he became imbued with the spirit of Gothic art. Gothic was to become the guiding inspirational ideal for the rest of his life. It is true that Blake's religious beliefs could not been considered orthodox at the time. Yet paradoxically his art and his poetry can nourish the soul in a distinctly orthodox way today. The 1795 magnificent colour print, The Elohim creating Adam, is a most stunning portrayal of the creator God. His unfinished poem, The Everlasting Gospel, which rejects the traditional picture of an exclusively meek and humble Christ expresses sentiments that have emerged in the liberation theological movement of the last twenty-five years. In the last ten years, leading scholars in the study of the Book of Revelation have turned to pictures of William Blake to get further insights into the mind of a visionary, who uncovers the things of God and depicts the very throne of heaven. The church therefore needs to be wise enough to live with paradox and to discern the importance of Blake's contribution.

So why is the work of William Blake creating such interest today? Quite simply because it rejects the values of modernity: our world view of rationalism, materialism, and nihilism. Blake inhabits a world of the religious imagination. Just as a Gothic Cathedral inspires us and fills us with wonder and awe at the beauty of God, so Blake in his poetry and art seeks to touch that part of our mind that is so under nourished in the modern world. The need for the imaginative part of our minds to be nourished is nowhere more in evidence than in children's literature. It should not escape our notice that the new Harry Potter film, based on J.K. Rowling's work of wonderful imaginative creativity, should have been filmed, at Gloucester Cathedral. It is the Christian tradition that has had the vision to build extraordinary wonderful Gothic cathedrals that release the mind from the mundaneness of our flatpack furniture assembly world. The children's award winning author David Almond, in his book Skellig rejects the world of evolution and replaces it with Blake's world of angelic beings. He writes:

"There was a large drawing of Skellig, standing erect with his wings high above his shoulders. He gazed out at us, smiling….
"Good, isn't it, Michael?" she said.
I nodded.
"The kind of thing William Blake saw. He said we were surrounded by angels and spirits. We must just open our eyes a little wider, look a little harder."
She pulled a book from a shelf, showed me Blake's pictures of the winged beings he saw in his little home in London.
"Maybe we could all see such beings, if only we knew how to," she said.
She touched my cheek.
"But it's enough for me to have you two angels at my table."

This is William Blake's world. And so to those familiar words, And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green. The title Jerusalem was not given by Blake but by the composer Hubert Parry. Rather these words form a preface to Blake's 1804 poem Milton. The prose preface is a strange critique of the influence of Greek and Roman authors particularly on Shakespeare and Milton but it concludes as follows:
"We do not want either Greek or Roman Models if we are but just & true to our own Imaginations, those Worlds of Eternity in which we shall live for ever; in Jesus our Lord."
The poem follows in four verses of four lines each without further comment:

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine, 5
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire: 10
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem, 15
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

When we sing the word in Church, as a congregation we are involved in giving meaning to the words. Whatever they meant to Blake, it is far more significant what they mean to us. My interpretation is simply this: the words suggest to me a deeply incarnational God who comes among us and reveals himself to us, particularly in the most sordid and deprived parts of the land. As we sing about the dark Satanic mills, my mind thinks of the wonderful work of the church in the slums of our cities, incarnating Christ and inspiring us today to strive to share Christ's love in England today. For me, the poem invites us to be filled with the mind of Christ, to put on the whole armour of God, and to seek bring the kingdom of God here on earth. This, for me, is a profoundly Christian vision.

My conclusion therefore is that the church today needs more of William Blake's poetry and art and not less of it. After all, we don't really have a major problem with orthodoxy in the church. What our problem is, is to open people's minds to the things of God and to offer them a vision of heaven that draws them into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. And William Blake more than most can help us with that.

Michael Rusk.

August Letter

Dear Friends,

The media over the past few weeks has had one central story: the leadership contest of the Conservative Party. In some senses for those who are interested in politics the contest has been more interesting than the General Election itself. Why, we should ask ourselves, should this be so?

Well, in the first place, there is something intriguing about how the mighty are fallen. The collapse of the Conservative Party's influence both in and outside of Parliament has been quite staggering from its powerful heyday of the '80s and 90s. It is hard to believe that such a strong and unstoppable force of the Thatcherite years could become such a weak and divided political force by 2001. This, I suggest, is something that bothers many people deep down, whatever their political persuasion. If a major political party or institution could experience such freefall in a matter of a decade, is there any part of the national life which is safe from the onslaught of modernism and change?

Secondly, the Tory leadership contest has engaged in a real wrestling for the soul of that party: how can a political party engage meaningfully with the issues of today whilst retaining the values that have traditionally been its hallmark? What new ideas can be safely embraced without betraying the past? What must be held onto at any price, even if that means being unelectable at the next election? These are the very issues that are at stake in this particular leadership contest. And, of course, the very questions which the Conservative Party is having to ask itself today are the very ones that Labour and the Liberal Democrats had to struggle with in the '80s and '90s.

The challenges facing the Church of England today have very many parallels with those of a modern political party. The Church like the major political parties in Britain, is a major national institution at times struggling for its survival. In the comfort and affluence of Western Europe there is general apathy and cynicism attached to all institutions: the concept of public service and community life is looked upon with incredulity by up- and-coming generations whose creed is individualism and self fulfillment. Attracting membership is difficult. The existing membership is confused by the need to respond constantly to a fast changing world of shifting ethical and lifestyle values. The strong moral stance that drew admiration yesteryear, today is interpreted as narrow-minded and out of touch. The newly emerging financial insecurities of both political parties and church alike, create even more self-doubt and are remarkably at odds with the growing economic prosperity of the nation. How can it be that the institutions that guarantee the very democratic and moral fabric of our nation be permitted to be so strapped for cash? What will happen if they go under? Is it conceivable that Britain could lose its democracy through accidental neglect? - a democratic system that has inspired the likes of Nelson Mandela during his decades of long imprisonment in Robben Island. Could Britain, similarly, lose its Christian identity (some may go so far as to say that it already has)? An Anglican Church with millions of adherents worldwide but few in the country of its birth?

And yet without a Church and any concept of salvation in Christ what are individuals left with? Simon Jenkins, writing in "The Times" about the appointment of an agnostic as the new Head of BBC Religious Broadcasting gives a penetrating picture of what the modern Britain is like:
"He is utterly without side. He claims a soul, but cannot quite locate it between the head and the heart. His indecision is absolute. He will half-murmur the hymns at weddings and memorials. He is deferential to all beliefs and none……..Perhaps conviction has had its day. Like "enthusiasm" it has become the mark of the crank or the anarchist. It is Methodist and unsound. A passionate teacher, a daring engineer, a strong-minded entrepreneur make us feel uncomfortable. An administrator who takes shortcuts is "unreliable", a courageous soldier is "reckless". A passionate orator is untrustworthy or, at best, a clown…..I believe in idiosyncratic, daring buccaneering, creative leadership. As Yeats said, without conviction in the best, the passionate intensity of the worst will triumph."

The task of the Church of England, of the Parish of Oadby is to develop passionate Christians: people of conviction whose life in the power of the Spirit is so much more attractive than that of agnostic Man. Individuals' souls and the soul of the nation need rescuing. What can we offer better than Christ's salvation? Let's do so with passion and conviction.

Michael Rusk.

July Letter

Dear Friends
The first two weeks in July have traditionally been known as the Leicester fortnight: a time when the factories shut down and the workers could take a well earned holiday on the Norfolk coast. Until only two years ago the schools in Oadby stopped at the end of June but now the Leicester fortnight has become a thing of the past for most of us and the schools fall into a national pattern of ending the summer term in mid-July.

Changing patterns mean that many of us can take our holidays at different times of the year - the Spring break, the early summer holiday; the short European break all these are features that would have been unavailable and perhaps unaffordable 30 to 40 years ago. The odd thing is that as our leisure time and opportunities have increased, the amount of stress that we experience has outstripped the opportunities of recovering to face the next onslaught of demands. People at work are often worked to their limit and beyond: many in Oadby are leaving for work and commuting many miles on a daily basis - they leave home between 6.00 - 7.00am and often don't return till after 7.30pm in the evening. Family life is much more complicated than twenty to thirty years ago. With the emphasis on individual fulfillment, it is difficult for every family to meet the aspirations of each individual member in every area of life. Coupled with all the other pressures on families, we find in Oadby many families either having to or choosing to have two incomes in order to cover the cost of living; others on one income sometimes struggling to make ends meet; and then on top of that many calls on people's time to care for elderly parents.

All this pressure shows itself on people's faces and is worked out on a day to day basis in people's lives. In all this, the church needs to ask itself often how it can adapt and minister effectively to people's needs today. Can the church provide the space, the understanding, the getting alongside people that was much a feature of Jesus' ministry? I am completely convinced that the more the church gets alongside people the more it will be appreciated and valued in our society. Christian nurture is vital but churches which are only interested in evangelism have no real place in the Anglican understanding of what it is to be truly church. Jesus teaches us to care for everyone regardless of creed or colour; to find space for God; to draw aside and rest awhile.

Over the summer at St Peter's we will be doing three things: one is consolidating the pastoral work that has been taking place over the past year. Keeping in touch with all the people who come from our church doors is a huge task but a vital one - in this we all have a part to play. Secondly in effective teaching: there is a really good preaching series throughout the summer which points us to this outward going Jesus who wants us to engage usefully and share the love of God in our community. Thirdly, in developing effective ways in which we can enable people to keep in touch with God and a loving caring Church.

That is programme but first it will also be important to rest awhile ourselves and to reveal in our own lives that peace which comes from God and passes all understanding. Then, indeed, we really will have something to share.

Michael Rusk.

June Letter

Dear Friends,
June 2001 is a significant month in the life of the Parish of Oadby. Both at St Paul's and St Peter's, substantial building projects will be underway:- at St Paul's the exciting new Annexe at a cost close to £200,000 will be a very visual sign of the vitality of the Christian faith. The giving of over £55,000 by individuals alone, a sign of the remarkable working of God's grace in people's lives and faith. At St Peter's the work is inside -mainly in the tower area. Here skilled craftsman will erect a new Tower screen behind which toilet facilities and a room for flower arrangers will be made, and then at the back of the North Aisle, a matching oak refreshment counter will be installed. The work at a cost of £42,000 to be paid for out of the Mary Asquith Legacy. This work in an ancient and beautiful medieval church again points to the creativity and vitality of God's Spirit in our midst as we are called as a parish to present the Christian faith afresh to each generation.
But as well as building buildings, we are in the process of building a parish with fresh understandings of our unity and responsibilities for each other as congregations. A PCC and DCC Members Awayday on Saturday 16th June highlights the importance being attached to developing a common vision and strategy for the whole Parish.
Then on Saturday 30th June on the weekend traditionally celebrated here in the Parish of Oadby as the Patronal Festival of St Peter and St Paul, the curate the Rev. Dr. Stuart Mousir-Harrison is to be ordained priest by Bishop Bill at Leicester Cathedral at 6.30pm. It is my hope that many from the parish will want to come along and support Stuart on this important occasion. On Sunday morning 1st July, Stuart will preside at the Eucharist at 10.00am and the Preacher will be John Lee. There will be refreshments afterwards in the Rectory Garden. So what difference should it make to Stuart and to the Parish? What is the difference between a priest and a deacon? On a practical level, from July 1st Stuart will preside regularly at the Eucharist. He will also give the absolution and blessing in the wording that a priest uses. But the task or activity of a priest goes beyond these very visible things. In the ordination service, the calling of a priest is set out as follows: "A priest is called by God to work with the bishop and with his fellow-priests, as servant and shepherd among the people to whom he is sent. He is to proclaim the word of the Lord, to call his hearers to repentance, and in Christ's name to absolve, and declare the forgiveness of sins. He is to baptize, and to prepare the baptized for Confirmation. He is to preside at the celebration of the Holy Communion. He is to lead his people in prayer and worship, to intercede for them, to bless them in the name of the Lord, and to teach and encourage by word and example. He is to minister to the sick, and prepare the dying for their death. He must set the Good Shepherd always before him as the pattern of his calling, caring for the people committed to his charge, and joining with them in a common witness to the world. You are to be messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord; you are to teach and to admonish, to feed and to provide for the Lord's family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world's temptations and to guide them through its confusions, so that they may be saved through Christ for ever." The calling is primarily, therefore, one of engaging with the word and sacraments of God, and giving leadership in interpreting their application to people's lives. We look forward to Stuart's developing ministry among us and assure him of our prayers and good wishes at this time. As a Parish, we continue to place a high emphasis on the diaconal ministry of visiting and pastoral care. Like many other parishes in England, we need to recognise that the traditional pattern of the Rector, Team Vicar and Curate, fielding this whole area of responsibility single-handedly is just not viable: the parishes are too large and are often combined with extra-parochial responsibility such as a Rural Dean's job. Therefore the importance of developing new forms of providing basic pastoral care is essential and vital for the well-being of the church. At St Peter's we look forward enormously to the licensing of Margaret Winters as Pastoral Assistant at a special commissioning service at Leicester Cathedral on Tuesday, 11th September at 7.30pm. The creation of new ministries within the parish is one way of laying the foundations for the future: a different sort of building from the bricks and mortar being used this summer, maybe, but no less vital to the future of the church.

Michael Rusk


May 2001 Letter from the Rector, Revd. Michael Rusk

Dear Friends.
By the time you read this. you will have or at least should have filled in the Census Form 2001. The questions are long and detailed: some are there to assess the relative wealth or poverty of the population. Does your accommodation have central heating? How many cars are owned by one or more members of your household? Other questions are interested in our work potential. If we are aged between 15 and 75 we will have had to answer detailed questions on qualifications and employment. It is rather odd that those aged over 75 and who have all kinds of qualifications are not invited to state them! But there are other questions of a more personal nature - on marital status; country of birth; ethnic group; on health; and a voluntary question on religion. The outcome of these questions is of tremendous interest and importance for the life of the Parish of Oadby. Although we will not know for a hundred years the detailed answers to the questions, nevertheless within two years we will know what kind of responses have been received nationally. We will then have statistics to show how many people ignored the religion question; how many ticked "None" - the first option on the list and how many ticked one of the main religions stated - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh. In the meantime, however, we can talk to friends and neighbours about the census and find out how they have responded to this question. We can also contemplate what the likely response to the religion question here in Oadby is: a moment's thought will lead us to conclude that there are likely to be significant ticks under the headings Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, as well as Christian.
Modern day Oadby is very much an example of multi-cultural Britain, and we need to work out as a Parish how we relate the good news of Jesus Christ to this new world. Work in the schools means that Christian stories are shared with all the children of our Parish. Local contact with neighbours can also enable us to forge links with people of other faiths. None of these contacts should be regarded as insignificant. After all, if we here in Oadby and in Leicester can forge good and effective relations with those of other faiths, what potential this could be for not only other parts of Britain where racial tension is high, but also for a world which in places is literally tom apart by religious and ethnic hatred.
It is therefore important that the Church does not become a kind of ghetto that seeks to turn away from multi-cultural Britain to engage in some kind of nostalgia of creating the Britain of 30 years ago. Equally it is vitally important that the Churches are sure of what they believe and seek to be Christlike in both proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and getting alongside everyone in the community to bring help, blessing and healing.
The months of May and June are good months to ask these questions because the early Church as it celebrated the joy of the Risen Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit of God at Pentecost, went out and engaged with a world as multi-cultural as our own. That world gradually embraced its message and found life and hope and God. The Census form invites us to rediscover who our neighbour is here in Oadby, and to figure out what kind of ministry and mission we need to be engaged in
today.
Michael Rusk

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Dear Friends,

The terrorists attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York, and on the Pentagon, in Washington D.C., resulting in such devastating loss of life, have changed the world in a twinkling of an eye. There has been no event since the Second World War - not even the assassination of John F. Kennedy - that has been so significant and which will have so wide ramifications. Instantly, the world has become a much more insecure place to live, with the constant fear of the next terrorist strike always our minds, and the rumours of war in our ears.

So how are Christians to respond to these momentous events? It is striking how many Christians have through their deaths in the attacks given remarkable testimony to their faith: the Sundayschool teacher on board the plane that crashed in rural Pennsylvania who led a group of passengers whom we now believe tackled the hijackers. The Roman Catholic Chaplain to the New York Fire Brigade - whose quiet, effective pastoral ministry among the firecrews has come to represent all that is good in Christian love and compassion. These acts of Christian love stand out in the darkness as a profound witness to the hope which God offers us in Christ. Our own Archbishop George Carey has shown a marvellous pastoral care in taking the trouble to phone the Rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, close to the World Trade Centre, and to assure him and his congregation that St Paul's Cathedral would be with them in prayer. In a retiring collection at St Peter's on the Sunday after the disaster, nearly £500 was given and this was sent immediately to the Episcopal Relief teams helping the emergency services at Ground Zero. Such generosity is indeed a sign of hope at a time of great darkness.

As Christians, our particular concern is with those who have suffered injury and bereavement from this terrible calamity. But we are also called to look further and deeper in the problems that now beset our world. The new terrorist threat on which President George W. Bush and our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, have declared war stems from a wide network whose ideology has been shaped by a new and stark Islamic fundamentalism. It is important to recognise that moderate Muslims themselves have most to fear from this ideology. In reality, the beliefs propagated, are a very travesty of much of what Islam stands for. Christians, therefore, need to act with wisdom: so support, encourage, and dialogue with all moderate, peace loving Muslims and to enable them to assert a truer understanding of Islam. But Christians do need to speak out about the terrible abuses which extreme fundamentalist Islam bring to humanity. The persecution of Christians in the Southern Sudan; the huge tensions and rioting between Christians and Muslims in Northern Nigeria, and Indonesia; the arrest of Christian Aid workers in Afganistan and the horrific treatment of women under the barbarous Taleban. Those who have fled to this country from Iran from fear of persecution because of their Christian faith. All this needs to be spoken about frankly and responsibly. There is, of course, great suffering in the Muslim world: Palestinians, both Muslim and Christian, suffer terribly and a just and political settlement needs to be found urgently between them and the Israelis. Above all, there needs to be a recognition between Jew, Christian, and Muslim that we are all created by the God of peace, justice and mercy and are called to live together in harmony.

The early Christians were taught that all earthly things would ultimately pass away and that they should not be surprised if one day the Roman Empire would be no more. They were therefore to fix their eyes on heaven, on a kingdom that would never disappear, and to receive their energy from God's Spirit and use it to usher in the kingdom of God. Of course, it took many hundreds of years before the Roman Empire disintegrated but the fact that Christians could imagine such a scenario when it was at the height of its power is truly remarkable. For Christians, the final victory is never in doubt because Christ has conquered death: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

Christians therefore should not be surprised if the balance of power in our world changes. It is likely that we have just lived through a turning point in history that will ultimately usher in a new world order. This new world has a dangerous and uncertain future. The failure to resolve or understand the conflicts of the past; the inability of the west to understand the world of Islam, all this points to a complexity of problems that will need great wisdom to address effectively. But the Christian hope remains firmly fixed on the God of our Lord Jesus Christ who teaches us to love and to seek to bring God's kingdom here on earth.

Michael Rusk.

September Letter

Dear Friends,

The news that the Rev Donald Allister, Vicar of Cheadle, a parish church in Stockport, refused permission to a young couple wishing to get married in his church to sing the hymns Jerusalem and I vow to thee my country is in stark contrast to what we do here at St Peter's. Both hymns are regularly sung with relish at weddings, funerals, and the special civic services for the Royal British Legion. I can vouch that both hymns are among the best sung hymns by congregations and are often accompanied by a real joy and passion. So the question has to be asked, has St Peter's got it right? Does Jerusalem set to Hubert Parry's tune honour God or does it just pander towards patriotic sentiment? Are the words inspiring of faith or are they best interpreted as a distinctly unorthodox understanding of the Christian faith?

My own view is that it is right and proper for Jerusalem to be sung regularly at St Peter's. I believe that the hymn honours God and places us at the threshold of heaven. So it is my hope and intention for it to be sung enthusiastically at St Peter's for years to come. My views in defence of Jerusalem are not based on the fact that congregations love to sing it - at a funeral just this week the principal mourner, now living in the United States, has no hesitation in choosing it for his mother's funeral - but for deeper theological reasons.

William Blake, poet, artist, and visionary lived from 1757 -1827. From 1771 to 1778, he was apprenticed to an engraver, and through working frequently at Westminster Abbey, he became imbued with the spirit of Gothic art. Gothic was to become the guiding inspirational ideal for the rest of his life. It is true that Blake's religious beliefs could not been considered orthodox at the time. Yet paradoxically his art and his poetry can nourish the soul in a distinctly orthodox way today. The 1795 magnificent colour print, The Elohim creating Adam, is a most stunning portrayal of the creator God. His unfinished poem, The Everlasting Gospel, which rejects the traditional picture of an exclusively meek and humble Christ expresses sentiments that have emerged in the liberation theological movement of the last twenty-five years. In the last ten years, leading scholars in the study of the Book of Revelation have turned to pictures of William Blake to get further insights into the mind of a visionary, who uncovers the things of God and depicts the very throne of heaven. The church therefore needs to be wise enough to live with paradox and to discern the importance of Blake's contribution.

So why is the work of William Blake creating such interest today? Quite simply because it rejects the values of modernity: our world view of rationalism, materialism, and nihilism. Blake inhabits a world of the religious imagination. Just as a Gothic Cathedral inspires us and fills us with wonder and awe at the beauty of God, so Blake in his poetry and art seeks to touch that part of our mind that is so under nourished in the modern world. The need for the imaginative part of our minds to be nourished is nowhere more in evidence than in children's literature. It should not escape our notice that the new Harry Potter film, based on J.K. Rowling's work of wonderful imaginative creativity, should have been filmed, at Gloucester Cathedral. It is the Christian tradition that has had the vision to build extraordinary wonderful Gothic cathedrals that release the mind from the mundaneness of our flatpack furniture assembly world. The children's award winning author David Almond, in his book Skellig rejects the world of evolution and replaces it with Blake's world of angelic beings. He writes:

"There was a large drawing of Skellig, standing erect with his wings high above his shoulders. He gazed out at us, smiling….
"Good, isn't it, Michael?" she said.
I nodded.
"The kind of thing William Blake saw. He said we were surrounded by angels and spirits. We must just open our eyes a little wider, look a little harder."
She pulled a book from a shelf, showed me Blake's pictures of the winged beings he saw in his little home in London.
"Maybe we could all see such beings, if only we knew how to," she said.
She touched my cheek.
"But it's enough for me to have you two angels at my table."

This is William Blake's world. And so to those familiar words, And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green. The title Jerusalem was not given by Blake but by the composer Hubert Parry. Rather these words form a preface to Blake's 1804 poem Milton. The prose preface is a strange critique of the influence of Greek and Roman authors particularly on Shakespeare and Milton but it concludes as follows:
"We do not want either Greek or Roman Models if we are but just & true to our own Imaginations, those Worlds of Eternity in which we shall live for ever; in Jesus our Lord."
The poem follows in four verses of four lines each without further comment:

And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!

And did the Countenance Divine, 5
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire: 10
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my Chariot of fire!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem, 15
In Englands green & pleasant Land.

When we sing the word in Church, as a congregation we are involved in giving meaning to the words. Whatever they meant to Blake, it is far more significant what they mean to us. My interpretation is simply this: the words suggest to me a deeply incarnational God who comes among us and reveals himself to us, particularly in the most sordid and deprived parts of the land. As we sing about the dark Satanic mills, my mind thinks of the wonderful work of the church in the slums of our cities, incarnating Christ and inspiring us today to strive to share Christ's love in England today. For me, the poem invites us to be filled with the mind of Christ, to put on the whole armour of God, and to seek bring the kingdom of God here on earth. This, for me, is a profoundly Christian vision.

My conclusion therefore is that the church today needs more of William Blake's poetry and art and not less of it. After all, we don't really have a major problem with orthodoxy in the church. What our problem is, is to open people's minds to the things of God and to offer them a vision of heaven that draws them into a living relationship with Jesus Christ. And William Blake more than most can help us with that.

Michael Rusk.

August Letter

Dear Friends,

The media over the past few weeks has had one central story: the leadership contest of the Conservative Party. In some senses for those who are interested in politics the contest has been more interesting than the General Election itself. Why, we should ask ourselves, should this be so?

Well, in the first place, there is something intriguing about how the mighty are fallen. The collapse of the Conservative Party's influence both in and outside of Parliament has been quite staggering from its powerful heyday of the '80s and 90s. It is hard to believe that such a strong and unstoppable force of the Thatcherite years could become such a weak and divided political force by 2001. This, I suggest, is something that bothers many people deep down, whatever their political persuasion. If a major political party or institution could experience such freefall in a matter of a decade, is there any part of the national life which is safe from the onslaught of modernism and change?

Secondly, the Tory leadership contest has engaged in a real wrestling for the soul of that party: how can a political party engage meaningfully with the issues of today whilst retaining the values that have traditionally been its hallmark? What new ideas can be safely embraced without betraying the past? What must be held onto at any price, even if that means being unelectable at the next election? These are the very issues that are at stake in this particular leadership contest. And, of course, the very questions which the Conservative Party is having to ask itself today are the very ones that Labour and the Liberal Democrats had to struggle with in the '80s and '90s.

The challenges facing the Church of England today have very many parallels with those of a modern political party. The Church like the major political parties in Britain, is a major national institution at times struggling for its survival. In the comfort and affluence of Western Europe there is general apathy and cynicism attached to all institutions: the concept of public service and community life is looked upon with incredulity by up- and-coming generations whose creed is individualism and self fulfillment. Attracting membership is difficult. The existing membership is confused by the need to respond constantly to a fast changing world of shifting ethical and lifestyle values. The strong moral stance that drew admiration yesteryear, today is interpreted as narrow-minded and out of touch. The newly emerging financial insecurities of both political parties and church alike, create even more self-doubt and are remarkably at odds with the growing economic prosperity of the nation. How can it be that the institutions that guarantee the very democratic and moral fabric of our nation be permitted to be so strapped for cash? What will happen if they go under? Is it conceivable that Britain could lose its democracy through accidental neglect? - a democratic system that has inspired the likes of Nelson Mandela during his decades of long imprisonment in Robben Island. Could Britain, similarly, lose its Christian identity (some may go so far as to say that it already has)? An Anglican Church with millions of adherents worldwide but few in the country of its birth?

And yet without a Church and any concept of salvation in Christ what are individuals left with? Simon Jenkins, writing in "The Times" about the appointment of an agnostic as the new Head of BBC Religious Broadcasting gives a penetrating picture of what the modern Britain is like:
"He is utterly without side. He claims a soul, but cannot quite locate it between the head and the heart. His indecision is absolute. He will half-murmur the hymns at weddings and memorials. He is deferential to all beliefs and none……..Perhaps conviction has had its day. Like "enthusiasm" it has become the mark of the crank or the anarchist. It is Methodist and unsound. A passionate teacher, a daring engineer, a strong-minded entrepreneur make us feel uncomfortable. An administrator who takes shortcuts is "unreliable", a courageous soldier is "reckless". A passionate orator is untrustworthy or, at best, a clown…..I believe in idiosyncratic, daring buccaneering, creative leadership. As Yeats said, without conviction in the best, the passionate intensity of the worst will triumph."

The task of the Church of England, of the Parish of Oadby is to develop passionate Christians: people of conviction whose life in the power of the Spirit is so much more attractive than that of agnostic Man. Individuals' souls and the soul of the nation need rescuing. What can we offer better than Christ's salvation? Let's do so with passion and conviction.

Michael Rusk.

July Letter

Dear Friends
The first two weeks in July have traditionally been known as the Leicester fortnight: a time when the factories shut down and the workers could take a well earned holiday on the Norfolk coast. Until only two years ago the schools in Oadby stopped at the end of June but now the Leicester fortnight has become a thing of the past for most of us and the schools fall into a national pattern of ending the summer term in mid-July.

Changing patterns mean that many of us can take our holidays at different times of the year - the Spring break, the early summer holiday; the short European break all these are features that would have been unavailable and perhaps unaffordable 30 to 40 years ago. The odd thing is that as our leisure time and opportunities have increased, the amount of stress that we experience has outstripped the opportunities of recovering to face the next onslaught of demands. People at work are often worked to their limit and beyond: many in Oadby are leaving for work and commuting many miles on a daily basis - they leave home between 6.00 - 7.00am and often don't return till after 7.30pm in the evening. Family life is much more complicated than twenty to thirty years ago. With the emphasis on individual fulfillment, it is difficult for every family to meet the aspirations of each individual member in every area of life. Coupled with all the other pressures on families, we find in Oadby many families either having to or choosing to have two incomes in order to cover the cost of living; others on one income sometimes struggling to make ends meet; and then on top of that many calls on people's time to care for elderly parents.

All this pressure shows itself on people's faces and is worked out on a day to day basis in people's lives. In all this, the church needs to ask itself often how it can adapt and minister effectively to people's needs today. Can the church provide the space, the understanding, the getting alongside people that was much a feature of Jesus' ministry? I am completely convinced that the more the church gets alongside people the more it will be appreciated and valued in our society. Christian nurture is vital but churches which are only interested in evangelism have no real place in the Anglican understanding of what it is to be truly church. Jesus teaches us to care for everyone regardless of creed or colour; to find space for God; to draw aside and rest awhile.

Over the summer at St Peter's we will be doing three things: one is consolidating the pastoral work that has been taking place over the past year. Keeping in touch with all the people who come from our church doors is a huge task but a vital one - in this we all have a part to play. Secondly in effective teaching: there is a really good preaching series throughout the summer which points us to this outward going Jesus who wants us to engage usefully and share the love of God in our community. Thirdly, in developing effective ways in which we can enable people to keep in touch with God and a loving caring Church.

That is programme but first it will also be important to rest awhile ourselves and to reveal in our own lives that peace which comes from God and passes all understanding. Then, indeed, we really will have something to share.

Michael Rusk.

June Letter

Dear Friends,
June 2001 is a significant month in the life of the Parish of Oadby. Both at St Paul's and St Peter's, substantial building projects will be underway:- at St Paul's the exciting new Annexe at a cost close to £200,000 will be a very visual sign of the vitality of the Christian faith. The giving of over £55,000 by individuals alone, a sign of the remarkable working of God's grace in people's lives and faith. At St Peter's the work is inside -mainly in the tower area. Here skilled craftsman will erect a new Tower screen behind which toilet facilities and a room for flower arrangers will be made, and then at the back of the North Aisle, a matching oak refreshment counter will be installed. The work at a cost of £42,000 to be paid for out of the Mary Asquith Legacy. This work in an ancient and beautiful medieval church again points to the creativity and vitality of God's Spirit in our midst as we are called as a parish to present the Christian faith afresh to each generation.
But as well as building buildings, we are in the process of building a parish with fresh understandings of our unity and responsibilities for each other as congregations. A PCC and DCC Members Awayday on Saturday 16th June highlights the importance being attached to developing a common vision and strategy for the whole Parish.
Then on Saturday 30th June on the weekend traditionally celebrated here in the Parish of Oadby as the Patronal Festival of St Peter and St Paul, the curate the Rev. Dr. Stuart Mousir-Harrison is to be ordained priest by Bishop Bill at Leicester Cathedral at 6.30pm. It is my hope that many from the parish will want to come along and support Stuart on this important occasion. On Sunday morning 1st July, Stuart will preside at the Eucharist at 10.00am and the Preacher will be John Lee. There will be refreshments afterwards in the Rectory Garden. So what difference should it make to Stuart and to the Parish? What is the difference between a priest and a deacon? On a practical level, from July 1st Stuart will preside regularly at the Eucharist. He will also give the absolution and blessing in the wording that a priest uses. But the task or activity of a priest goes beyond these very visible things. In the ordination service, the calling of a priest is set out as follows: "A priest is called by God to work with the bishop and with his fellow-priests, as servant and shepherd among the people to whom he is sent. He is to proclaim the word of the Lord, to call his hearers to repentance, and in Christ's name to absolve, and declare the forgiveness of sins. He is to baptize, and to prepare the baptized for Confirmation. He is to preside at the celebration of the Holy Communion. He is to lead his people in prayer and worship, to intercede for them, to bless them in the name of the Lord, and to teach and encourage by word and example. He is to minister to the sick, and prepare the dying for their death. He must set the Good Shepherd always before him as the pattern of his calling, caring for the people committed to his charge, and joining with them in a common witness to the world. You are to be messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord; you are to teach and to admonish, to feed and to provide for the Lord's family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world's temptations and to guide them through its confusions, so that they may be saved through Christ for ever." The calling is primarily, therefore, one of engaging with the word and sacraments of God, and giving leadership in interpreting their application to people's lives. We look forward to Stuart's developing ministry among us and assure him of our prayers and good wishes at this time. As a Parish, we continue to place a high emphasis on the diaconal ministry of visiting and pastoral care. Like many other parishes in England, we need to recognise that the traditional pattern of the Rector, Team Vicar and Curate, fielding this whole area of responsibility single-handedly is just not viable: the parishes are too large and are often combined with extra-parochial responsibility such as a Rural Dean's job. Therefore the importance of developing new forms of providing basic pastoral care is essential and vital for the well-being of the church. At St Peter's we look forward enormously to the licensing of Margaret Winters as Pastoral Assistant at a special commissioning service at Leicester Cathedral on Tuesday, 11th September at 7.30pm. The creation of new ministries within the parish is one way of laying the foundations for the future: a different sort of building from the bricks and mortar being used this summer, maybe, but no less vital to the future of the church.

Michael Rusk


May 2001 Letter from the Rector, Revd. Michael Rusk

Dear Friends.

By the time you read this. you will have or at least should have filled in the Census Form 2001. The questions are long and detailed: some are there to assess the relative wealth or poverty of the population. Does your accommodation have central heating? How many cars are owned by one or more members of your household? Other questions are interested in our work potential. If we are aged between 15 and 75 we will have had to answer detailed questions on qualifications and employment. It is rather odd that those aged over 75 and who have all kinds of qualifications are not invited to state them! But there are other questions of a more personal nature - on marital status; country of birth; ethnic group; on health; and a voluntary question on religion. The outcome of these questions is of tremendous interest and importance for the life of the Parish of Oadby. Although we will not know for a hundred years the detailed answers to the questions, nevertheless within two years we will know what kind of responses have been received nationally. We will then have statistics to show how many people ignored the religion question; how many ticked "None" - the first option on the list and how many ticked one of the main religions stated - Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh. In the meantime, however, we can talk to friends and neighbours about the census and find out how they have responded to this question. We can also contemplate what the likely response to the religion question here in Oadby is: a moment's thought will lead us to conclude that there are likely to be significant ticks under the headings Hindu, Muslim and Sikh, as well as Christian.
Modern day Oadby is very much an example of multi-cultural Britain, and we need to work out as a Parish how we relate the good news of Jesus Christ to this new world. Work in the schools means that Christian stories are shared with all the children of our Parish. Local contact with neighbours can also enable us to forge links with people of other faiths. None of these contacts should be regarded as insignificant. After all, if we here in Oadby and in Leicester can forge good and effective relations with those of other faiths, what potential this could be for not only other parts of Britain where racial tension is high, but also for a world which in places is literally tom apart by religious and ethnic hatred.
It is therefore important that the Church does not become a kind of ghetto that seeks to turn away from multi-cultural Britain to engage in some kind of nostalgia of creating the Britain of 30 years ago. Equally it is vitally important that the Churches are sure of what they believe and seek to be Christlike in both proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and getting alongside everyone in the community to bring help, blessing and healing.
The months of May and June are good months to ask these questions because the early Church as it celebrated the joy of the Risen Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit of God at Pentecost, went out and engaged with a world as multi-cultural as our own. That world gradually embraced its message and found life and hope and God. The Census form invites us to rediscover who our neighbour is here in Oadby, and to figure out what kind of ministry and mission we need to be engaged in
today.
Michael Rusk

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