Monthly letters for 2002
from the Rector,
Revd Michael Rusk

Dear Friends,

In the early seventies, I remember my father reading a book entitled "Future Shock". It was by an American author whose name, I think, was Alvin Toffler, The book had a white cover but the words "Future Shock" was painted luridly in red. The aim of the book was to predict the future: to describe what life would be like at the turn of the Millennium. My father had been given the book as preparatory reading for a four week clergy course held at St George's Windsor, Many clergy after twenty years in ministry are invited to St George's where leading experts speak on what the future holds in store.

I remember sitting round the kitchen table and with my two sisters asking my father to describe the world which "Future Shock" predicted. We laughed at the incomprehensible thought that something called a computer would be held in higher regard than the TV. That telephones could be so small and mobile that you could chat on one as you walked down the street. That you could even see someone's face, when you phoned him or her up (we used to ask what you would do, if you were still in your pyjamas!). We listened incredulously to the prediction that many people would marry two or three times in the course of a lifetime; that there would be increased leisure time; and that people would live longer,

In the event, Future Shock was rather tame in its predictions. In many ways, life at the turn of the millennium has proved to be much more shocking than anything Toffler predicted: worldwide terrorism on a scale undreamt of - first the Twin Tow-ers and now Bali. The devastating impact of Aids across Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Republics, as well South America, Concerns about the environment and the fragility of planet earth. Startling too and wholly unpredicted has been the surfac-ing of ethnic and religious conflicts, which have afflicted countries as far apart as Rwanda, Kosovo, Nigeria, Kashmir, and Indonesia, All this has plunged our world into a much more shocking state than anything that was imagined back in the 1970s.

But what about Church life in Oadby? I don't know if anyone predicted its likely shape today, back in the early seventies, but what I can do is hazard a guess at how church life might be fifteen years from now. What I write may be prophetic, or it may miss the mark entirely. But projecting into the future at least may help you to know where I am coming from and why the parish is being shaped in the way in which it is as it prepares for the future.

So imagine it is the year 2017: what is the Parish of Oadby like? Well the first thing that is different is the composition of the Ministry Team. There is now only one full time stipendiary minister. But there are 3 non-stipendiary priests, four readers, and three pastoral assistants. There is also a voluntary Parish Evangelist and a full-time Youth Worker. The Parish has had the foresight to see the reduction in stipendiary ministry coming, and so right from the year 2000, one person a year has felt called by God to enter into lay or ordained !training. This foresight has created an incredibly strong ministry team and continues to encourage others to present themselves for training.

The second startling thing to notice is that the Parish of Oadby is now one where Anlicans and Methodists have united. Trinity Methodists and St Peter's in par-ticular by 2017 have already enjoyed many years of integrated ministry and for the best .part of a decade have planned their future strategically together. The URC church in Rosemead Drive and Oadby Baptist are also in a Covenant agreement with the united Methodist / Anglican Parish. The Christians in Oadby have found it vital to pool their resources, and so for some years now, at certain points in the year: at holiday times and on Sunday evenings, services are held at one location only. Children's and Youth Work is a joint enterprise with one church in the area specialising in children's work and another in youth work.

By 2017 the Parish continues to have the benefit of secretarial backup in a Parish Office, but the office is in a central location and serves all the churches in Oadby. Local people have found it very helpful to drop into one office to find out about all the activities offered by the various churches. The Parish still has a Verger/Hall Manager but there again this job operates across the Parish. All the Halls, Anglican and Methodist alike operate to full capacity offering facilities for the growing eld-erly and Asian constituencies and thereby helping to finance the Christian outreach into the community.

St Peter's Church Hall - revamped twelve years earlier provides first-rate facili-ties for the elderly - a café:, bookshop, and hairdressing facilities are just some of the things on offer. There is a bowling club and table-tennis is enjoyed by young and old alike. There is a thriving youth club brought about by the focus which the parish has attached to this work over a fifteen-year period. The Hall also boasts a gym on the first floor of the rcvamped Hall and this has enabled considerable out-reach among the 30-50 year old age bracket.

On the Rectory site, there has been a Christian nursery for some years - something that has also been a vital form of outreach to the young families in the area as well as being a project, which has enabled the Parish to purchase thc Rectory site from the Diocese. Plans are afoot to build a new Hall on the site in 2020. A major appeal is in the offing.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the churches in 2017 is their makeup. Successful evangelism among the Asian population in Oadby (by 2017 Oadby may be 60% Asian) has resulted in the congregations of the various Churches reflecting pretty accurately the ethnicity of the. area. Through sensitive but effective evange-lism, Christians have found Asians progressively receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and welcomed them gladly into their churches. That in turn has brought about changes in music and styles of worship.

These then are my predictions of how the churches could be like in 2017. It is an optimistic picture. If the Asian population of Oadby were for example not to be-come part of the church then the picture might indeed be much bleaker. In that case scenario we could be talking about having sold off buildings - perhaps the Chris-tians in Oadby meeting in just one church twenty five 'Years from now. That is why it is so important that we lay the foundations now for the future: establishing lay ministry, and non-stipendiary ministry is vital. Working as one unit is likely to be the only viable long-term solution to the needs of the Christians in Oadby, and so we need to learn that difficult lesson now and work towards it. Prioritising what buildings may be needed and to what purpose; what work needs to be done and with what resources for children, young people, the elderly, and the very diverse Asian population: all this needs to be sorted out clearly now, for the church to have a long-term future.

The picture may be shocking: it is certainly very different to what we enjoy today. But once we begin to think about it, the shock begins to dissipate; we become open to God's will, and we set our sights on the future, knowing that God's Holy Spirit is always inviting us to accept new challenges and to embrace the future whatever it brings with the confidence that stems from faith in Jesus Christ.

Michael Rusk.

November Letter

Dear Friends,

In the early seventies, I remember my father reading a book entitled "Future Shock". It was by an American author whose name, I think, was Alvin Toffler. The book had a white cover but the words "Future Shock" was painted luridly in red. The aim of the book was to predict the future: to describe what life would be like at the turn of the Millennium. My father had been given the book as preparatory reading for a four week clergy course held at St George's Windsor. Many clergy after twenty years in ministry are invited to St George's where leading experts speak on what the future holds in store.

I remember sitting round the kitchen table and with my two sisters asking my father to describe the world which "Future Shock" predicted. We laughed at the incomprehensible thought that something called a computer would be held in higher regard than the TV. That telephones could be so small and mobile that you could chat on one as you walked down the street. That you could even see someone's face, when you phoned them up (we used to ask what you would do, if you were still in your pyjamas!). We listened incredulously to the prediction that many people would marry two or three times in the course of a lifetime; that there would be increased leisure time; and that people would live longer.
In the event, Future Shock was rather tame in its predictions. In many ways, life at the turn of the millennium has proved to be much more shocking than anything Toffler predicted: worldwide terrorism on a scale undreamt of - first the Twin Towers and now Bali. The devastating impact of Aids across Africa, Asia, the former Soviet Republics, as well South America. Concerns about the environment and the fragility of planet earth. Startling too and wholly unpredicted has been the surfacing of ethnic and religious conflicts which have afflicted countries as far apart as Rwanda, Kosovo, Nigeria, Kashmir, and Indonesia. All this has plunged our world into a much more shocking state than anything that was imagined back in the 1970s.

But what about Church life in Oadby? I don't know if anyone predicted its likely shape today, back in the early seventies, but what I can do is hazard a guess at how church life might be fifteen years from now. What I write may be prophetic, or it may miss the mark entirely. But projecting into the future at least may help you to know where I am coming from and why the parish is being shaped in the way in which it is as it prepares for the future.

So imagine it is the year 2017: what is the Parish of Oadby like? Well the first thing that is different is the composition of the Ministry Team. There is now only one full time stipendiary minister. But there are 3 non-stipendiary priests, four readers, and three pastoral assistants. There is also a voluntary Parish Evangelist and a full-time Youth Worker. The Parish has had the foresight to see the reduction in stipendiary ministry coming, and so right from the year 2000, one person a year has felt called by God to enter into lay or ordained training. This foresight has created an incredibly strong ministry team and continues to encourage others to present themselves for training.

The second startling thing to notice is that the Parish of Oadby is now one where Anglicans and Methodists have united. Trinity Methodists and St Peter's in particular by 2017 have already enjoyed many years of integrated ministry and for the best part of a decade have planned their future strategically together. The URC Church in Rosemead Drive and Oadby Baptist are also in a Covenant agreement with the united Methodist/Anglican Parish. The Christians in Oadby have found it vital to pool their resources, and so for some years now, at certain points in the year: at holiday times and on Sunday evenings, services are held at one location only. Children's and Youth Work is a joint enterprise with one church in the area specialising in children's work and another in youth work.

By 2017 the Parish continues to have the benefit of secretarial backup in a Parish Office, but the office is in a central location and serves all the churches in Oadby. Local people have found it very helpful to drop into one office to find out about all the activities offered by the various churches. The Parish still has a Verger/Hall Manager but there again this job operates across the Parish. All the Halls, Anglican and Methodist alike operate to full capacity offering facilities for the growing elderly and Asian constituencies and thereby helping to finance the Christian outreach into the community.

St Peter's Church Hall - revamped twelve years earlier provides first rate facilities for the elderly - a café, bookshop, and hairdressing facilities are just some of the things on offer. There is a bowling club and table tennis is enjoyed by young and old alike. There is a thriving youth club brought about by the focus which the parish has attached to this work over a fifteen year period. The Hall also boasts a gym on the first floor of the revamped Hall and this has enabled considerable outreach among the 30-50 year old age bracket.

On the Rectory site, there has been a Christian nursery for some years - something which has also been a vital form of outreach to the young families in the area as well as being a project which has enabled the Parish to purchase the Rectory site from the Diocese. Plans are afoot to build a new Hall on the site in 2020. A major appeal is in the offing.

Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the churches in 2017 is their makeup. Successful evangelism among the Asian population in Oadby (by 2017 Oadby may be 60% Asian) has resulted in the congregations of the various Churches reflecting pretty accurately the ethnicity of the area. Through sensitive but effective evangelism, Christians have found Asians progressively receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and welcomed them gladly into their churches. That in turn has brought about changes in music and styles of worship.

These then are my predictions of how the churches could be like in 2017. It is an optimistic picture. If the Asian population of Oadby were for example not to become part of the church then the picture might indeed be much bleaker. In that case scenario we could be talking about having sold off buildings - perhaps the Christians in Oadby meeting in just one church twenty five years from now. That is why it is so important that we lay the foundations now for the future: establishing lay ministry, and non-stipendiary ministry is vital. Working as one unit is likely to be the only viable long term solution to the needs of the Christians in Oadby, and so we need to learn that difficult lesson now and work towards it. Prioritising what buildings may be needed and to what purpose; what work needs to be done and with what resources for children, young people, the elderly, and the very diverse Asian population: all this needs to be sorted out clearly now, for the church to have a long term future.

The picture may be shocking: it is certainly very different to what we enjoy today. But once we begin to think about it, the shock begins to dissipate; we become open to God's will, and we set our sights on the future knowing that God's Holy Spirit is always inviting us to accept new challenges and to embrace the future whatever it brings with the confidence that stems from faith in Jesus Christ.

Michael Rusk.

October Letter

Over the last few days, I have been asking myself the question: is there any future for the Book of Common Prayer? The reason for my posing the question is twofold: one, a recent request to speak at the Prayer Book Society concentrated my mind on the subject. Two, I suddenly realised that as I approach my 44th Birthday this month, my spiritual life can be divided roughly into two phases. The first 22 years knew nothing else but the Book of Common Prayer. In contrast, in the last 22 years of church going, at least 80% if not more of the services I attend, are either the product of modern liturgical reform or the inspiration of the moment. So, with my life equally balanced in terms of usage, what do I conclude?

Firstly, for me the Book of Common Prayer is central and fundamental to being an Anglican and I am tired of having almost to apologise for the fact that my spiritual life is best nourished by its constant use. It is time that people realised that those whose spiritual life has been formed and nurtured by Cranmer's Prayer Book can and do experience the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit as much as any other Christian group. I worship in many different forms and contexts, but there are few moments which attain for me anything like the profundity, the depths of my relationship with God, than the words of the General Confession: "Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And there is no health in us." Call me old-fashioned, but I love the Prayer Book.

Secondly, I am saddened and alarmed that the Church of England should jettison its liturgy of over 400 years in less than 40. While the introduction of many modern services, and Common Worship, in particular, can be broadly welcomed, the resulting disappearance of the use of the Book of Common Prayer is nothing short than an act of monumental folly and historic vandalism. How is it that a country which has seen the successful relaunch of the much loved Mini; which draws of thousands each year to preserve and experience Steam Trains; and which draws tourists from all over the world to experience the joy of a narrow boat on our canals, can find no space in its Parish Churches for the 1662 Holy Communion, Mattins and Evensong? Do we seriously think there is no market for services of such transcendent beauty? That no one any longer wants to say those haunting words of the General Thanksgiving: "We bless thee for our creation, preservation. and all the blessings of this life; but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory." One of the astonishing features of this country is the capacity for the collective amnesia of our historical heritage. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the liturgical life of our national church. Isn't it time we in the Church engaged in a bit of retro-marketing?

So why do I consider the Prayer Book so important? For me, the Prayer Book is like a musical instrument that provides a medium through which the worshipper is brought into the presence of God. It is as if God speaks through the beauty of Cranmer's prayers. There is nothing new or strange in such a claim and it is one that should be respected. Jews find the voice of God in the Hebrew scriptures, Muslims in the Arabic of the Koran. Both faiths go to enormous lengths to enable their children to know these "languages of heaven". For scholars trained in the Christian tradition, the voice of God can speak most wonderfully in the Greek of the original New Testament; the stunningly eloquent Latin of Augustine of Hippo; or the haunting Spanish poetry of the Romances of St John of the Cross. All these are instances when people have found a particular language facilitate the experience of transcendence - the ultimate joy of communicating with God. And for many the Prayer Book is of this ilk. That is, of course, a subjective experience. What works for some, may not work for others. But I have come across so many people who have a genuine and real love of the Prayer Book, who have been told it is old hat and that in the interests of progress their parish church has moved on from it on from it, that I feel that it is time that their subjective experience is taken into account.

But what about the accusation that harking on about the Prayer Book is indulging in nostalgia and a trip down Memory Lane? Well, firstly a little bit of looking back and considering what one has valued in the past is not a bad thing. The people of Israel constantly looked back over their history of God's saving grace - the Bible is full of appreciation of how God has worked in bygone years and that becomes the well spring of the future. Secondly, the Prayer Book is vital to our theological understanding of what it means to be Church of England. Anglicanism is a carefully worked out balance between the Catholic tradition on the one hand and the Lutheran/Calvinistic reformed movement on the other. It is a blended faith, and nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the Prayer Book. If we abandon the Prayer Book, we are in danger of losing our identity: it is the failure to appreciate this that has led to the diversity of the present state of the Church of England and our parish. Diversity can be good, but there is no denying it can also be the source of much misunderstanding and alienation. Thirdly, there is a legitimate challenge that aesthetics cannot be the only consideration in the things of God. That is true, and the Magnificat of Mary must be a revolutionary song that inspires us to social justice and not just beautifully sung. But provided that the Prayer Book is used as a wellspring of real engagedness in the world there is no reason to dismiss it usage.

So what should we do to retrieve the situation? First, at St Peter's we should seek to promote Evensong: let others know that it takes place most Sundays and seek to double the congregation. If you concur with any of the sentiments in this letter, please support us by coming along. Secondly, we should explore the possibility (subject to choir availability) of an excellent Choral Evensong once a month. Thirdly, we should use Common Worship to its full extent. Common Worship (the new Prayer Book) retains a great deal of the principal services of the BCP. We should not be afraid to use the traditional services: particularly Order 2 for Holy Communion. This perhaps could be used regularly at the early service and occasionally at the 10.00am service. That way we will be making an effective contribution to saving something very special that is in danger of being lost. And isn't that what the Christian Gospel is ultimately all about?

Michael Rusk.

September letter; from the curate, Stuart Mousir-Harrison

Dear friends,

The English summer is drawing to a close, the schools have re-started and the hours of darkness are beginning to increase. Night by night we roll downhill to Christmas. As if that wasn't enough the realisation is beginning to dawn that we've been here in Oadby over two years. It barely seems like yesterday that we arrived. A curate's stay is meant to be a training experience and I'm certainly learning a lot, including the pressures of fatherhood. As I progress through my curacy here in Oadby I'm beginning to realise what is one of the most crucial elements for all Christian ministry. But before I say what it is, you might be surprised by what it isn't.

It's not simply a question about who it is performing Christian ministry. This month sees me as curate writing a letter that is normally the preserve of the Team Rector or Team Vicar. However, due to circumstances, such as holidays and vacancies, the task falls to me. That the letter should not normally be written by the curate is simply a matter of local tradition, something that has worked over recent years.

There are many things that are performed within our churches and within our society that fall to certain people but which might actually be performed equally well, if not better, by others. Much of what we perceive as the role of the clergy does not need to be done by them. You only need to look at the hard work undertaken at St Paul's during the vacancy, and also week-in week-out at the Grange Church, to see that.

Neither is it a question about where we worship. It's not whether our buildings are suitable for the tasks they're used for, nor whether they are beautiful and historic pieces of architecture or more utilitarian and practical ones. Our buildings, and the issues that surround them, are important within the life of our parish and our community, but they are not the most important. If there is one lesson that God's Church has been re-learning in recent years it is that the Church is the people, not the building. We are the Church, not the stones or the blocks.

So if it's not about who, or about where, is it about how much? Is it about money? Dosh? Filthy lucre? Again the answer is no! How we as individual Christians and corporately as a parish handle our money is important. True, there is a growing gap between our income and the expenditure that's required to maintain our service to the people of Oadby and our worshipping life together. We'd be stupid if we failed to recognise it and be concerned about it. But this is not the point either.

Our Christian witness within Oadby can largely continue without the who of Michael, Ken, myself and the new Team Vicar (whoever that may ultimately be). It could still thrive and grow without the where of our buildings. In the same way we could faithfully show the love of God to others without the how much of our money.

So... what's the crucial element without which Christian ministry falters?

The answer is so simple that it's profound. It's the question of when? The issue is time.

Do you remember how, not so long ago, the scientific prophets were looking for-ward to the great leisure revolution? The wonders of technology would allow us to do our week's work. in half the time, leaving a society with ever larger amounts of freedom. But if you look around, it hasn't happened. Instead expectations of productivity have risen. Deadlines have been made shorter. The amounts we are expected to earn to buy our creature comforts, or even to maintain our standards of living, have risen dramatically. If anything the pressures on our time have increased.

In the familiar story of the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus had actually gone away to be by himself after the execution of his cousin, John the Baptist. Instead of solitude he got a multitude. He didn't send them away. No. He made time for them, and in making time he made a difference. He didn't ignore his own needs, he just shuffled the priorities.

One of the things that saddens me most as curate is that I find myself unable to devote the time to so many people who are actively seeking, or visibly open to, the good news of Jesus Christ. It wasn't so much of a problem before the dog-collar was fitted! Just as the fundamentals of a relationship are being cautiously laid along comes the tidal wave of "what must he done" Almost invariably the incoming storm drives me on to other tasks and those foundations are never built upon.

Christian witness and Christian ministry are dependent upon the amount of time we invest in them. It's not the exclusive task of the clergy (or the other licensed staff for that matter). It's our task, both as individual Christians and the church.

The witness of the church here in Oadby will only continue so long as we are willing to dedicate our time to God. It is from that sacrifice that so much else springs. That devotion can be applied in three interlinked ways. The first is by spending time to nurture our own relationship with Jesus through private prayer and study. The second is in corporately exploring and investigating our faith. The third by acting upon what we're learning, both as individuals and as members of God's Church.

There are plenty of resources available to us in the first direction in the form of Bible study notes, books, even simply using the lectionary, providing we make the time to engage with them (and I'm not pretending that it's easy!). When it comes to learning more about what we believe, we have the excellent opportunity through the Exploring Christian Life and Faith course starting in the diocese later this month. (See the separate article later on in the magazine for details).

But it is in living and outworking our faith that we can be of most use to God. I know that there are many members of St Peter's, St Paul's and the Grange who carry out acts of Christian faith and witness quietly, effectively, and without expec-tation of reward. I can only say "thank you", and pray that God will bless you. Yet at the same time I know that there are still areas in huge need of assistance in all our churches: our ministry to children and teenagers, home communion visits, practicalities like providing transport, reaching out to those with absolutely no church connections. Even things as simple as being able to explain what we believe to our friends and neighbours are vital.

We are blessed in having buildings which we can use, the most recent of which is the Barnabas Centre at St. Paul's. We are blessed in having the assistance of Steve and John, our readers, of Ken as he pursues his important work at Devonshire Court, of Margaret in her role of Pastoral Assistant. We are blessed by the generosity of many faithful givers. But without the when of our time offered sacrificially to God in growth, nurture and service, our church will ultimately be on a slow road to nowhere.

My ministry as Team Curate is simply my part of God's work, Each person who claims faith in Jesus Christ has their part to play, their ministry. I pray that in the season ahead we may all continue to learn and discern what our individual roles are, and act upon them,

With every blessing,

Stuart

Dear Friends,

August letter from the Rector, Revd Michael Rusk

One of the most compelling adverts currently on TV is the one for the Orange Mobile Phone network. The viewer is presented with the palm of a hand in the centre of which is an orange square -the secret sign of belonging to the Orange network. Then countless palms are opened to reveal that there are thousands more adherents -all connected to each other and all belonging to this special community of Orange users. The advert ends with the now familiar optimism of this brave new world: "the future's bright, the future's Orange." But prior to that there is an even more important message. As one woman reveals the orange mark on the palm of her hand, she says, "I make my own world, and I take it with me everywhere at all times."

Although I am not a mobile phone user, and have no immediate intention of purchasing any type of mobile phone, nevertheless I find this advert extremely powerful. Full marks to the advertisers for producing such a memorable advert. Not only that, full marks for them managing to capture in a few minutes so much of the philosophy of western life. The imagery and the message invite serious consideration.

What is interesting for me is how much the imagery in this advert draws subconsciously on religious imagery. For the Christian, I would suggest the sign of a mark on the palm of a hand reminds one of the mark of the nails in the crucified Jesus. That is when the Christian focuses first and foremost on the palms of the hand. As Father Andrew writes in his famous hymn: "O dearest Lord, thy sacred hands with nails were pierced for me: O shed thy blessing on my hands that they may work for thee." Moreover for the Christian the significance of the open palms reflecting the pierced hands of Jesus is invoked on each occasion at Holy Communion when the palms are open to be nourished by Christ, the living bread.

Of course, the big difference is in the nature of community that is created. The pierced hands of Christ bring about a community of believers that strive to bring in the kingdom of God through being a loving, redemptive worldwide community. The community of a mobile phone company is a much more illusory, intangible kind of community. The Christian community embraces a whole range of people whom God has chosen to be His people. The community that the mobile phone user creates is one of his or her own making over which he or she exercises complete control.

Another subconsciously Christian feature in the advert is to do with the future or eschatology (the end things). 'The future's bright. the future's Orange" is an eschatological claim that in the final analysis the Orange network will reign supreme and the implication is that happiness will be brought to all as a result. It is a bold, masterful advertising strategy giving the illusion of future success. Of course, on examination, the claim by a mobile phone company of transforming the world by its success is arrant nonsense, but at least they make the claim that they can have a transforming impact on the world.

Their optimism of a bright future is rarely promoted by anyone else nowadays, particularly after September 11 th. For most people the imagery of "the future's Orange" conjures up a raging inferno brought about either by terrorist or nuclear attack. The challenge for Christians is what kind of a future do we hold out for the country and for the world and what are we doing to bring it about? Reflection on the future and what God will bring about in the last days has its roots, after all, in Jewish/Christian thought. We would do well to recover this dimension of Christian thinking.

Finally, the statement that "I make my own world, and I take it with me everywhere at all times" is a major challenge for Christians. While one may admire the fact that it is a woman who has been liberated to live in this way, nevertheless this statement perhaps sums up more than any other where people are at in Western Europe today. There is an individuality and self centredness here that is deeply challenging to the Christian tradition. For the Christian it is God who has made the world and therefore it is God and no other that should be at the centre of our lives. In the advert it is a person who has become the creator of his or her own world over which he or she can exercise complete control (or at least that is the illusion). The problem is one which Paul encountered himself: "People exchange the truth about God for a lie; they worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself, who is to be praised for ever!" (Romans 1.25) This identifies the problem. Quite what we as Christians do about it, since we are all involved together to some degree with making our own worlds is another matter -but perhaps the most challenging that we shall encounter.

Another feature that this new form of Western European living brings is mobility. Their world is taken with them everywhere at all times. This a mixed blessing for the Christian. It is of course the claim of the Christian that Christ and the Holy Spirit are continually with the believer bringing comfort and guidance. In this sense the Christian should not be afraid of such a claim. But from a practical point of view, the new found and increasing mobility of modem culture militates against creating strong community life upon which sociologically the church has traditionally depended. As people live increasingly in their own worlds controlling or seeking to control their own lives with a host of technological equipment they are less likely to be part of the village, town, or church community with any regularity of habit. Yet, if Christianity can be embraced and tailored to go with them as this highly mobile life is lived out, then their commitment to the faith may be strong. The question is how can Christianity develop in such a way to reach this highly mobile population who are plugging into their e-mail, and text messaging as they do their shopping or journey on the train? If Christianity is to reach this growing number of people, then it must adapt rapidly and effectively and put its energy into new forms of communicating the gospel.

Michael Rusk.

July Letter

Dear Friends,

It is already July and no one has yet spoken to me about the Leicester Fortnight - the traditional two-week holiday break taken at the beginning of the month when all the factories closed and everyone who could afford it headed off to the seaside. Such is the changing face of Oadby that the Leicester Fortnight no longer figures in our consciousness.

Thinking of change, another major innovation is in the world of photography. I remember as a child being given my first camera: an old box camera that had been my mother's. It was enormous and impossible to carry round but it took some excellent black and white pictures. Its great advantage was that it was so heavy that I couldn't wobble it when I pressed the button to take the picture. The camera that I really liked most of all, however, was that of my Uncle Gordon. He would come back periodically from his RAF base in Germany to Northern Ireland with the latest gadgets and I remember the year when he came with a Polaroid camera: - one that could produce a picture instantly. The picture was never very large and often it wasn't terribly good, but still this camera could do something that others couldn't: it could produce the instant picture and because of that virtue I considered it infinitely superior to the more conventional cameras of the time. I imagine now, we would look upon the Polaroid camera with a quaint smile. Now we can laugh at how satisfied we were with what it produced and reflect amazement that in its time it was the height of technological advancement.

Today, photography is undergoing another revolution. The world of digital photography is suddenly defining the world in pixels. Digital photography like the Polaroid offers instant pictures and gives the individual control over the whole photographic process. Gone are the days of the darkroom. Now a computer or even a printer will suffice. Gone are the days of taking the film to the Chemist's shop and waiting for several days before collecting the snapshots. Digital photography is a success not because it can actually produce better pictures than conventional photography but because it offers the individual immediacy and control. It panders to our inability to be patient and it flatters our desire to be our own masters. Of course, digital cameras are a wonderful invention and are improving all the time but these two qualities -
immediacy and control - are two important factors in their success.

And all this to produce the holiday snaps. Although traditional cameras could fulfill this function quite adequately, they nevertheless are facing an uncertain future. Suddenly along with Video recorders, record players, floppy discs, their days are numbered. Soon they may be consigned to the status of interesting historical relics.

In the midst of so much change and in a world that embraces new inventions one year only to ditch them in the next in favour of some superior model or brand, it is not surprising that the Church has struggled to make its mark. For the church is about stability, wisdom and love and these qualities if they are to be of lasting value cannot be acquired instantaneously.

Nevertheless, we must not be discouraged. There were no cameras around in Jesus' time: no photographs, no footage of those years our Lord spent around the Sea of Galilee. And yet our evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have
taken the trouble to record the memory of those years, the forcefulness of our Lord's words, and the beauty of His healing, caring, teaching ministry. We have been given the Good News of God coming to us and redeeming us in Jesus and through the power of the Spirit, our Bible paints pictures of our Lord's ministry as freshly today as it ever did.

As Christians we need to have the confidence that the truth and wisdom of the past is better than anything else on offer today. That our lives can be shaped and formed most effectively by the truths of the gospel rather than by adapting to our ever changing world. As we move into the holiday season and begin to find some well-deserved rest from our frantic world, our primary task is to capture the eternal truth and love of God whose perfect image is most accurately found in Jesus.

Michael Rusk.

June Letter

Dear friends,

Has the world gone mad? The most famous church hall roof in the East Midlands is that of the newly built Barnabas Centre. It is the wrong colour of grey. Around Oadby, and particularly round St Paul's, residents shake their heads in disbelief. What are the Planning Officers on about? What is the correct colour of grey? Suddenly everyone has got an opinion on the relative merits of various shades of grey. Oadby is instantly full of potential of potential planning officers and everyone feels an expert ready to deliver wise judgement on the matter.

But the madness is not limited to the Barnabas Centre's roof. Leicester got in the main news last night: the second major news item at that. And what was it about? John Collinson had his six-month sentence for retrieving lost golf balls from Whetstone Golf Course reduced to a two-year conditional discharge. Evidently he had been caught in the middle of the night dressed in a wetsuit wading out of one of the Whetstone Golf Course's lakes clutching a bag containing a thousand golf balls. Leicester Crown Court had found him guilty of stealing. He claimed that the golf balls had been abandoned so that there had been no dishonest intent in retrieving them. Suddenly we all felt capable of judging this original entrepreneurial activity. Some of us were caught up in admiration: which one of us after all would be prepared to don our wetsuits and dive into ponds in search of golf balls at dead of night? Surely there has to be some reward for the home comforts abandoned in the pursuit of a missing golf ball. Others admire the desire to retrieve that which is lost - after all quite a few parables of Jesus are about that. A few of us no doubt will have sided with the environmental concerns. The water lilies and wild life aren't helped by such midnight visitors. Mind you, no one from the golf club ever seemed too bothered about the well being of the lilies and the fish as the wayward golf balls hurtled into them! But all of us feel able to deliver our judgement from our armchair and if necessary to dismiss the original judge's ruling as misguided and foolish.

These two illustrations indicate to some extent where we are as a society. As reasonably educated, intelligent, well informed individuals, we have the confidence to make our minds up and give our opinions. We have no fear of challenging or ridiculing officialdom whether they are planning officers or judges. If they make a bad decision they are told so, plain and simple. It is no different in sport. The cricket umpire, the tennis umpire, and football and rugby referee is shown to be fallible, time and time again by the power of the camera lens. We know better and we tell them so!

In one sense, this new power of expression should be celebrated. A democracy has come of age. People can give their views and form their opinions. Yet. ironically, it comes at a time when the nation has never been more apathetic about the political system. When given the chance to express our opinions about whom we would like to be our MP in parliament, many of us avoid the poll stations in droves. What a strange and crazy and unsettling world we are in!

And while we might celebrate a change of attitude on the part of officials whether it be on the colour of the roof or the legitimacy of retrieving golf balls, there is nevertheless a nagging worry for Christians. The very self-confidence and desire to control one's own life has perhaps done more than anything else in affecting the spiritual life of the nation. The Church is no longer looked for moral and spiritual guidance: young and old alike feel confident to adopt the life styles of their choice. Any advice can be seen as interference. People no longer look to the Church to form their world view. Rather they themselves form their view of the world and then bring that to the church. It raises the whole question of what should the place of obedience be in the Christian faith. In the Great Commission (Matthew 28.19-20) Jesus said: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

The language of the church today has to be that of that of invitation. Accepting people where they are, and appreciating their insights and views as to what life is all about is the best starting point. Obedience remains an important and vital dimension of Christian faith, but it is not the point to begin. Rather it is a point to move towards so that through individuals' self discovery there is a deeper discovery of the saving grace of Jesus Christ who was obedient even unto death. The relative greyness of the roof and the retrieving of the golf balls may seem a thousand miles away from any spiritual reality. Yet they are actually very close because how people respond to these issues give us important clues to as how they might respond positively to the things of God.

Michael Rusk.

May Letter

Dear friends,

April was a month of farewell's: most notably in the moving funeral of Glenys White, but also in the Farewell Party that St Paul's gave Brian and Viv on Tuesday 2nd April. Tuesday April 30th afforded another opportunity to see Brian this time in his new parish in Ashby de la Zouch at his licensing service.
It is important and vital in life to be able to say farewell appropriately and in the Gospels, we find that considerable attention is given to the farewells that the Risen Lord gave the disciples.

In Matthew's gospel there is the great commission which takes place on a mountain in Galilee - "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always to the end of the age." (Matthew 28.19-20).

The earliest copies of Mark's gospel do not have such a farewell and scholars have been puzzled that the gospel should end with the words: "Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." (Mark 16.8). Has the end of Mark's gospel been lost or did the evangelist intend to end his gospel in this way? Our Bibles have been so uncomfortable that an appropriate ending has been added. There is a great instinct to tie up loose ends!

In contrast to Matthew where the final appearance of Jesus takes place back in the familiar haunts of Galilee, Luke locates this as happening in Bethany. For Luke it is important that the farewell takes place from Jerusalem and that it is from there that the gospel shall go out into all the world. In Luke's gospel and again in the Acts of Apostles there is the wonderful depiction of the Risen Christ blessing the disciples. "When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God." (Luke 24.50-2)

The whole of the last chapter of St John's Gospel is taken up with the final appearance of the Risen Lord to the disciples. Here as in Matthew, they are back in Galilee where they have returned to their old jobs. They are out on the Sea of Tiberias (or Galilee) engaged in the old familiar and at times frustratingly unrewarding task of night-time fishing. Jesus appears as the stranger on the shore, inviting them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. A great catch of fish is the result. The beloved disciple recognises that the stranger is indeed Jesus and Peter throws himself into the sea to be with first. When all the disciples get to shore, they discover that a cooked breakfast awaits them. "When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread…Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish." (John 21.9; 13) The Jesus sorts out the unfinished business of Peter's betrayal. Three times he asks him, "Simon, son of John, do you truly love me?" and each time, Simon Peter is given a new responsibility: "Feed my lambs"; "Take care of my sheep"; "Feed my sheep". The final invitation to Peter is quite simple: "Follow me!"

In all these final encounters with the Risen Lord, the farewell is the wellspring for new beginnings. The disciples are commissioned and sent out to follow their Risen Lord. Here in the Parish of St Peter and St Paul Oadby, we too are invited to meditate on the new beginnings that the resurrection gospel invites to encounter. The Interfaith Course, "Unfamiliar Journey" led by Canon Andrew Wingate and well supported throughout the parish is a good instance of an important new beginning. The new pattern of Parish Morning Prayers, now at St Paul's three mornings a week is another. The new PCC is to spend the morning of Saturday 4th May together, and on 12th May our Crosslinks Missionary Partner, Pauline Grist, is to speak at St Paul's 10.00am service, followed hopefully by a Parish Luncheon.

All this points to our gracious life-giving God bringing us ever forward to encounter new experiences of faith, unity, and love as we grow in the likeness and image of Christ. For the Risen Christ is one whose farewell is always only "au revoir" and not "adieu". For our God is one who seeks to surprise us with new revelations of faith in both the familiar and unfamiliar things of life.

Michael Rusk.


April Rector's Letter

Throughout April this year, Christians throughout the world will be celebrating the joy of the resurrection - the stupendous claim that God raised Jesus who was crucified from the dead thereby conquering sin and death. And although for Christians of long standing the stories of the Risen Christ are familiar, nevertheless each year, believers are invited to discover afresh for themselves and their church communities what the Good News of the Risen Christ really means.

This April is a particular illustration of how our parish life is invited to engage with the deeper mystery of the death and resurrection of Christ. After the end of Brian's special and distinctive ministry, there will naturally be some anxiety about the future and a real sense of grieving as he moves to take up a new ministry in Ashby de la Zouch. However, by trusting in a God who embraces the whole of our lives - past, present, and future, we can be confident that God has in store for this Parish good things, indeed perhaps such good things that surpass our understanding. The Resurrection is after all a sign of a God of surprises who turns our insight and interpretation of the world upside down and inside out. So it should not be surprising if the Holy Spirit brings about change and new patterns of being in the course a church's and parish's life.

This April there are lots of interesting developments in the parish. The Annual General Meeting is at the end of the month on Thursday April 25th at 7.45pm at St Paul's. As well as being a time of looking back on the last twelve months, this AGM will be very much one of looking forward. The prospective new Church Wardens and many other members of the current PCC are beginning to ask major questions on a whole range of issues. How can we as a Council discern the will of God? What should the place of prayer be in our deliberations and planning? How can we empower and enable PCC members to take a parish rather than a specific church perspective? How can we as distinct congregations nevertheless establish a parish identity that enables both St Peter's and St Paul's and the Grange Church support, love and care for each other? Ephesians 5.25 states that "Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." How can we as one Parish live this out from day to day so that everyone can see that each of our congregations as well as our corporate and parochial life reflect the radiance that the apostle speaks of. One thing is certain: if we are called by God to be a "radiant church, without stain or wrinkle" then we have to open to cleansing transforming power of God's Holy Spirit.
So what changes should we see? Perhaps not much on the surface initially, but hopefully a coming together of minds and hearts so that at Standing Committee and PCC level there emerges a real sense of spiritual renewal with all engaged together in a mutual search for what God wills for this parish. It is often in the sharing of friendship; in the valuing of one another's gifts; in being prepared to lay aside old ways of doing things and being open to the movement of God's Spirit that the most surprising changes can occur. And that in turn brings other more visible changes, because a new vision emerges as to how God wants things to be and we are able to embrace change because we have discerned prayerfully that it is God's will and not our own that is initiating the changes. There is, of course, a strong temptation to cling to old patterns because they are familiar and we feel safe with them. But as that wonderful hymn "Rock of Ages cleft for me" claims there is only thing to which we as Christians should be prepared to cling: "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the Cross I cling." So do pray for the Parish of St Peter and St Paul, Oadby in partnership with the Grange Church. Pray particularly for its leaders, for unity and harmony, and vision. May God grant us his blessing and impart to us a deeper understanding of the risen power of Jesus Christ.

Michael Rusk.


March Letter 2002

Dear friends,

One of the striking features about Lent is that Mothering Sunday occurs in the middle of it. At first sight, it can appear rather odd that a season of austerity should be interrupted by a celebration of all that is good in motherhood. For example, many churches have the dilemma of whether to have flowers in church on Mothering Sunday or not. In Lent, most churches don't have flowers in church as a sign of austerity and of respect for the season of penitence. On Mothering Sunday, though, most of us want to see flowers in abundance, as the flowers of early spring are often found to be an appropriate way of expressing our feelings about our mothers.

So has the church just got itself into a muddle and picked the wrong Sunday? Well, the answer to that could be "Yes" and we could change the date. Americans, after all, celebrate Mothering Sunday in mid-May. But since it is likely that Mothering Sunday is here to stay for the foreseeable future in mid-Lent, can anything be said in favour of the traditional mid-Lent date?

One advantage of keeping Mothering Sunday in Lent is that it invites one to follow the gospel narrative to the Cross through the eyes of Mary the mother of Jesus. The clearest indication that Mary, the mother of Jesus followed her son on his final journey to Jerusalem comes in St John's Gospel where the evangelist records (John 19:25):

"But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene."

It is difficult for us to imagine the agonies that Mary experienced as she stood by the cross. In St Luke's Gospel, the aged Simeon tells Mary "that a sword will pierce through your own soul also" (Luke 3:35) and this is fulfilled as Mary experiences all the emotions of a mother as she watches the execution of her child. What is hard for us to realize is that the crucifixion of her son is the culmination of a puzzling journey that at times seemed to more about alienation than anything else. In Luke 8:19, at a time when Jesus is going through cities and villages, preaching the good news of the kingdom of God, and being followed and supported by a number of women (Luke 8:1-2), the evangelist records:
"Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him for the crowd. And he was told, 'Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.' But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." Not much chance of an audience there!

Then again in Luke 14:25 Jesus is uncompromising about the nature of discipleship:
"Now great multitudes accompanied him; and he turned and said to them, 'If any one comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and sister and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his won cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.'"

Not many of us would qualify or would even want to qualify if such conditions were literally applied to Christian discipleship today. Yet they convey something of the sacrifice that Jesus chose to make as he went the way of the Cross. They also convey something of the sacrifice that Mary herself may have experienced. As the mother of Jesus, how hurt and baffled she may have felt as, from her perspective, her son got into deeper and deeper trouble. How often do parents today experience such heartbreak and disappointment when their children's course of life takes an unexpected twist.

Yet for all this, Mary the mother of Jesus is the model disciple. Despite all the apparent rejection, she is there at the foot of the cross, long after many others have fled. Western art have grasped the poignancy of the scene in art and sculpture in the pieta, the representation of a loving mother of Jesus holding her dead son in her arms as he is lowered from the cross. But powerful though the picture of Pieta such as Michelangelo's is, we must not just leave Mary there at the cross. St John notes that:

"When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!' And from that hour the disciple took her to his own house." (John 19:26-7)

From the cross, Jesus brings a new community into being - and its first members are his own mother, Mary, and John, the beloved disciple. Here is the first sign of resurrection; of new life; of love conquering evil and death. The new community is one of responsibility, of caring for one another for the sake of Christ. The new community is one of hope in the face of darkness; of life in the very depths of death.

So Mothering Sunday in Lent is not a bad idea after all. To stop and think about Mary the mother of Jesus and her journey of faith can spur us all on to enter into the sorrow of the passion of Calvary and the joy of Easter with renewed vigour and purpose.

Michael Rusk.

St Peter's News Update

1. A major feature of March is saying farewell to Brian Robertson who preaches his farewell sermon at St Peter's on Palm Sunday and for the whole Parish on the evening of Easter Day at St Paul's. The Parish of Oadby is indebted to Brian for four and an half years of excellent ministry. Our prayers and good wishes go to Brian and Viv as they move to Ashby. Brian's licensing there will be Tuesday 30th April at 7.30pm at St Helen's.

2. The Check it Out Club which meets on Tuesday lunchtimes at Gartree has been so well attended, that the group has been split in two. The young people chose to split by gender, so for the remainder of the school year, the boys will come one week and the girls the next. It is hoped that this will enable the club to operate with 15-24 young people each week instead of 35 which is a bit unmanageable.

3. The Annual General Meeting is on Thursday April 25th at 7.45pm at St Paul's. At present, various reports are being written and the accounts are being processed by the Independent Examiner. Initial indications from the draft accounts point to a significant loss at St Peter's in the current account over 2001: by the end of the year, the deficit appears to be in the region of £8,000. The seriousness of this cannot be underestimated as this was in a year when there was an extra windfall of £5,000 from the Inland Revenue. It points to the need for a serious increase in Stewardship Giving, and to every effort being made to reduce the church's overheads. Basically St Peter's is spending circa £110,000 a year on an income of £95,000 (these figures exclude the hall).

4. Canon Andrew Wingate is going to lead a Course on Interfaith Dialogue in the Parish. Preaching at St Paul's on Sunday 21st April, Andrew is to follow that up with four sessions on Tueday evenings from 23rd April and on into May (avoiding the date of Brian's licensing). This is a great opportunity to be guided by one of the country's leading experts in Interfaith dialogue and to discover some of the work already taking place in Leicester. It is aimed to provide a platform for the parish and deanery to take this important aspect of Christian witness further.

5. It is a pleasure this year for St Peter's to host the CTO Family service for Good Friday. Starting at 10.00am just prior to the Walk of Witness through the town, the service will be aimed at enabling all ages to enter into the drama and passion of the events of Good Friday. In addition to this service, there will be the traditional devotional service at 2.00pm.

6. St Peter's Choir is to sing Stainer's Crucifixion on Palm Sunday at 6.30pm. Conducted by the Director of Music, Dr Simon Ainge and accompanied by the former organist of St Peter's, Robert Foreman, this service (at which Brian will preach his last sermon at St Peter's prior to moving to Ashby) is one that should not be missed!

Februuary 2002 Rector's letter is written this month by the Team Vicar, Brian Robertson

Dear friend,

I am writing this letter on New Year's Day. By the time you read it the year will already have lost its sense of "newness" and you will have already experienced something of what I want to write about. Change.

Like me, you probably entered the New Year anticipating change. Just as well, because none of us can escape change. It's part of our human condition. Right from the moment of conception we begin to change. And all through life things change around us - the seasons, other people, our circumstances. Some changes we look forward to - even engineer. Some surprise us - pleasantly. Others fill us with dread.

Many times I find myself wishing that I could see change coming. Then I can at least prepare for it. But often I can't. Can't see it - and can't prepare for it. One of my many limitations - and yours - is the inability to see round corners. If we could anticipate the future - just imagine what life might be like. It would spoil a few things…we'd know how a film or book ends before we got started! But there would be some gains, too. We'd anticipate swings in the stock market and be able to capitalise on them. We'd know which journeys to avoid for fear of accident. We'd know which appliance would not break down the day after its warranty ran out. We'd know to stop eating one mouth-full before heart-burn sets in. Life would be safe.
But life isn't safe.

I watched "The Truman Show" on TV over Christmas. Truman (Jim Carrey) is the star of the most ambitious, most watched and longest running soap in history. Only he doesn't know it. He's the brainchild of a media mad TV director. The show started when he was born. He has lived all his life on a huge "set" - an island, which they are able to keep Truman on because of his (engineered) fear of water. Every person in his life is an "extra" - including the people he thinks of as his parents and his wife. Every encounter he has is planned; every conversation he has is scripted; every move he makes is directed and filmed and watched. Even the weather is controlled by special effects. Everyone is in on the fact that it's a soap. Except him.

And he's safe. Nothing can harm him. The director watches over and plans his every move and moment.
Then one day Truman realises that's life's being "fixed" for him. And he tries to escape. He frustration with being controlled finally overcomes his fear of water, and he boards a boat and sail off for the horizon - and freedom. The director tries everything to get him back - but fails. Finally Truman's boat crashes. Not into dry land or a boat or iceberg - but into the end of the his world…the enormous "set" he has lived his entire life on. He spots a stairway on the edge of the set and he makes for a door which will open onto the real world. He's about to step out of the "soap" and into the real world when the director (who has overseen his every move and word from birth) makes his final attempt. "Don't leave - you are safe here. Nothing will ever harm you. I can make sure of that." Truman hesitates for a moment. The TV audiences hold their breath. And then Truman steps through the open door. He leaves the cocoon and enters the real world - a world of freedom … and of danger. And the TV audiences cheer! The show is over and life begins.

There are times in all of our lives when we would choose to star in The Truman Show rather than follow a script-less life in the real world. There are times when we would opt for a God who directs our every encounter and experience - moving "extras" and changing "sets" to suit our every comfort and need than try to trust in a God who sometimes feels like he's not there or doesn't care.

But life's not a "soap" and God's not a TV director and script writer.
Life's not safe. And in a sense neither is God. Not in the sense of him being "predictable" or cotton wool-ing us from the bumps along life's journey.

But the Scriptures assure us of some things. He is good. And he is "there". And he has come "here" - and so he knows what life off the TV set is like for us. Change is part of the human condition. And changeless-ness is part of what it means to be God. But at the first Christmas the changeless one became a human baby - and experienced change just as we do, and life just as we do. And he wasn't safe either. The Gospel stories - and Good Friday - tell us that.

Truman chose real life rather than the "soap" he had lived through thus far. We don't have that choice. But we do have the choice of going through real life - with all the changes it brings…trusting in a God who can help - because he doesn't change, and in a God who can understand…because he has experienced change.

On a personal note, change is the order of the day for my family and me this year. We leave Oadby after Easter for a new post in Ashby de la Zouch. New part of the county, new homes (we have a temporary home sorted - but nothing beyond that yet…), new styles of ministry and church, new people, new responsibilities, new fears and expectations.
Same God.

We have enjoyed our four and a half years in Oadby. We came expecting to stay longer, but we are grateful for what we have had and the people we have met and the friends we have made.

Pray for us as we prepare to move and make the changes that lie ahead. Pray that God would give us new friends to add to the old ones. Pray that God would be pleased to use us in his service. Pray that we would be open to being used in whatever way he chooses. Pray that we would continue to grow as people and as Christians.

Pray especially that, in all the changes, we would put our trust in the Changeless One. Pray that, too, for yourself.

Yours,
Brian Robertson

January Letter
Dear Friends,

The ending of one year and the ushering in of a new one is an important state in the life of any nation. All cultures have traditionally celebrated their new year with festivals and celebrations. It is a time to party; to exchange greetings; to wave goodbye to the past and to look forward to the future.

Saying goodbye to 2001 is a strange experience. The world is so different at the end of the year compared to its beginning that it is disconcerting even to think of it. No doubt the definitive visual image of 11th September will have been played once more before our incredulous eyes as the media sums up the old year for us. The American and allied successes in Afganistan may have in the short term reassured us that stability and normal service has been resumed. But nevertheless, the hidden fears of vulnerability and a changed world order are never very far away, and the constant escalating violence between Israeli and Palestinian gives enormous cause for concern. We enter 2002 in the full knowledge that the world is a much more insecure and vulnerable place than we had hitherto believed.

The well known Christmas Carol, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" reflects on the significance of God's gift to humanity in Jesus in the final lines of its first verse: "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

So what are the hopes and fears that we should entertain as Christians as we move into 2002? Each of us will of course have our own personal hopes and fears which mark out our own distinctive Christain path of discipleship. Some of us may have worries about health; about our families; about our job; or some other anxiety that is a real crisis for us. Jesus said: "Come to me, all who labour and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11.28) Jesus offers to take our fears away from us, if only we have the courage and humility to share them. At a national level there are very real fears about the lack of thought, care and energy being put into sustaining a coherent multicultural society. As the recommendations from the report into last summer's riots in Oldham and Burnley are digested, deep questions arise about how are cities and suburbs with high levels of diverse ethnicity can be truly integrated and harmonious communities. Can a multicultural society just happen automatically, or does it have to worked at? What kind of investment is needed not just in money, but in time and expertise to create a truly proper multicultural society? And what is the price of failure? These are deep and pertinent questions - questions that are as pertinent for Oadby and Leicester as they are for Burnley and Oldham. At a parish level, the challenge to the churches is what part are they called to play in all this. Are they colluding in effectively creating parallel existences or they engaging in Christ's name with people of all colours and faiths in the local community? As we move into 2002, one of the prime questions must be: What kind of Christians does God call us to be in multicultural, multifaith Oadby?

In last year's January letter, I set out my five year vision of what I thought St Peter's was called to be: "The foundations at St Peter's are these: to be a Church that brings and sustains people of all ages into a living faith with our Lord Jesus Christ; a church that inspires people through its worship, its teaching programmes, and its outreach into the wider community; to be a church of healing and peace; of energy and laughter; to be the very presence of Christ and the place where we encounter the living God."

At the beginning of 2002, I find these words helpful insofar they focus the work that goes on week to week in the parish. Over the past year, as we sought to implement this vision, some new priorities have emerged. There is a greater emphasis on engagement with the wider community: befriending and caring for people offers people a practical Christianity is both admired and useful. In 2002, there will be considerable efforts to increase and develop the Church Hall so that the links particularly with the elderly can be built upon. But the desire for "the church to be the very presence of Christ and the place where we encounter the living God" is a good one. The Spirit of God will lead us into the enterprises that God's wills and through His grace can bring to us the joy and hopes of a new year.

Michael Rusk.

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