School's Out For Summer

The Curate writes...

 

Summertime, and the living is easy. Warm days, light nights, the kids are off school and the sound of their playing drifts through the streets – although, as the late Terry Pratchett once wrote,

“It was nice to hear the voices of little children at play, provided you took care to be far enough away not to hear what they were actually saying.”

Which raises an interesting question. How often do we listen to what kids are actually saying? I know from experience with my little tribe that most of the time it’s not hard to hear them – as amazing as my kids are, there are times when I feel we could stand them on Roker seafront and use them in place of the foghorns - but there’s a difference between hearing and listening.

The old adage of children being “seen and not heard” is no longer seen as the ideal way of relating to the younger generation. But actually a look through the Bible shows us this was probably never the best way of helping young bairns grow into the men & women they were created to be. Jesus Himself reminded us, his disciples, of the importance of letting children come to Him, and many other passages of scripture show God regards children as worthy of His calling, commissions, healing, blessing, life and salvation.

 

Jesus also reminded us that we can learn much from children.

 

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

 

When He said this He wasn’t encouraging naivety. Children aren’t held back by the cynicism that pervades our ‘grown-up’ world. Children ask the questions adults don’t dare, children throw themselves into things wholeheartedly and, in the right climate, find joy and excitement in the simplest of things. And it is worth remembering we are all God’s children. We are told to call God ‘Father,’ to come to Him with all our concerns and fears like a child to a trusted parent, to be challenged and inspired to grow into who He created us to be and ultimately rest in His love.

 

So this summer and beyond, hold on to the idea that the children you encounter are fellow pilgrims on the way to eternal life, with as much to teach as to learn. Pray for them, pray with them. After all, the only thing worse than the sound of children in church…is the sound of no children in church.

"Good Game, Good Game!"

Guardians of Ancora is a new digital environment for 8 to 11-year-olds that combines the excitement and creativity of a high-spec online game with an immersive experience of Bible content and faith formation. Delivered via app and free of charge, Guardians of Ancora aims to provide a fun and positive social space where children can explore their relationship with God and the Bible.

The game includes two interactive Bible quests, quizzes and challenges, access to videos, space to reflect on the experience. More Bible quests and other content will be released regularly throughout the summer.

What’s great is the game meets children where they are at with their interests, and is instinctively compelling for them, offering the wealth of God’s Word freely, and potentially opening a doorway into a life with him forever.

We asked three ‘game’ volunteers – Daisy (6), Poppy (8) and Caroline (old enough to know better!) to test the app and tell us what they thought. Here’s their reviews…

Daisy: “It’s OK but quite difficult to control, which makes me frustrated!”

Poppy: “If they can sort out a few of the glitches and it will be good. I like the adventures you can have and I’ve learned things from the Bible.”

Caroline: “A good game but they do need to sort some minor glitches out. It’s very addictive and very informative - as soon as you’ve learned the controls, you can travel through the different stories of the Bible.....and passing these, you get points which link with other stories and create a timeline. Overall it’s a really good game for ages 8+ because of the controls.”


Guardians of Ancora is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store, Google Play and the Kindle Fire Store.

Book Review: More TV Vicar?

Bryony Taylor’s More TV Vicar?
Christians on the Telly: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky
We as a nation love our telly. From the days of gathering as a family around he set, waiting for it to warm up and the fuzz to clear, to the modern obsession with on-demand box sets of popular shows, available instantly via the internet, we Brits spend on average four hours a day watching television. I don’t get to watch so much these days, (and when I do it’s mostly CBeebies with 4 kids in the house), but I have fond memories of programmes watched through the years and do try & keep up to date with the shows people are talking about. As a Christian, I’m also fascinated to see how my faith is portrayed in programmes – which is why I found the idea behind Rev’d Bryony Taylor’s new book More TV Vicar? Christians on the Telly: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky to be a hugely compelling one.
In the book Bryony takes us on a whistle stop tour through the portrayal of Christians across many years of TV, and assess them as they were created to be seen – the good guys, those made to be loveable endearing leaders of the faith; the bad ‘uns who bring comic effect from being exactly what you wouldn’t expect from a Christian; and the ‘quirky,’ those who don’t fit into any real box but bring eccentricity, and at times great heart, to the mix.

The beauty of this book is its style – it is written in an easy, relaxed manner, akin to chatting to a friend about old TV shows over a cold glass or steaming mug of something or other. Each character is introduced by a handy box laying out a bit about who they are, and rated out of 100% on attributes such as Longevity, Offence & Realism. Add to that the research that has gone into the book – for example, the revelation that Richard Curtis, creator of The Vicar of Dibley, took quotes he had heard at the debates over women priests at the Church of England’s General Synod and put them in the mouths of his characters - and suddenly you have an informative and thought provoking piece of work.

But perhaps the jewel in the crown is the little section at the back, entitled “What Would Jesus Watch.” Each section concludes with Bryony’s reflections on the thought process of writers & directors when it comes to making polarised Christian characters, how we tend to relate to them & the range of emotions we can feel when we encounter them as people of faith. But the conclusion looks at the life of Jesus and how this should inform our viewing habits, pointing out how far ahead of many modern comedians and writers Jesus Himself was. His use of storytelling to teach those around Him is well known, but it is easy to miss the humour He employed – from satire to stand-up and all in-between – to really make an impression on those He encountered.

In the introduction Bryony expresses a hope that the book will take us on a ‘pilgrimage’ of sorts, leaving us “a little bit more worldly wise and refreshed in our outlook on life.” In my humble opinion, with its balance of wit, style and theological reflection More TV Vicar? achieves this with ease.

“More TV Vicar? Christians on the Telly: The Good, the Bad and the Quirky!” is available now from all good bookstores, including Eden & Amazon.

The Vicar Clicked On The Link...And Couldn't Believe What He Saw!

Imagine discovering one day that something you had done in your past was now a viral sensation on the internet, making headlines on social media and being covered by news outlets from Washington UK to Washington DC. This was the situation local priest Rev’d Paul Child found himself in recently, as a clip from a couple’s wedding video became an overnight internet smash.

 

Paul, Assistant Curate in the Monkwearmouth Team Ministry, said, “The first I heard of it was when a couple of congregation members said they’d seen my video online. Then a few people mentioned it at the school gates and said it had been in the local press. When I looked it up on social media I was absolutely amazed, not just to see the footage but also the response it was getting!"

The video, which featured Shaun and Adele Palmer’s wedding at St. Andrew’s Church, Roker, was memorable for the unusual way the couple received their rings. Shaun had secretly arranged for Bilbo the owl to deliver the rings at the appropriate point in the service - with Adele and the rest of the congregation completely unaware of what was going to unfold.

 

This would have been an unusual situation for many vicars, but for Paul there was an additional reason to be nervous. “It was the very first wedding I had officiated at,” he said. “When I got the message from Shaun to say he’d secretly arranged an owl I was unsure how it would play out, but it was his & Adele’s special day & I wanted it to be as perfect as possible for them.”

Returning to St. Andrew’s to celebrate their first wedding anniversary, Shaun Palmer said, “If Adele & I had to use one word to describe our day it would be incredible!  From the first meeting Paul and the team made us feel so welcome and special it was just amazing.  We couldn't see ourselves getting married in a better church, it’s such a beautiful building, and we were honoured we were the first couple Paul married - quite a landmark day for the 3 of us!  We couldn't have asked for anything more!”

The video has now been viewed over 782,000 times on YouTube and Shaun & Adele have received messages from across the globe commenting on it. But has there been a sudden rush of animal antics at St. Andrew’s?

“Not yet,” said Paul, “But in the Monkwearmouth Parish we try our hardest to help all our wedding couples have an amazing beginning to their married life together. A church wedding offers a unique opportunity to be joined together in the sight of God and to allow Jesus to be the bedrock on which the relationship will be built and sustained. If we can help make it memorable in other ways we’re always willing to try!”

 

To find out more about arranging a wedding in Monkwearmouth Parish, visit our website.

 

 

 

  

 

Shaun & Adele with Rev'd Child on their 1st Wedding Anniversary

 

Magic Eye

The Curate writes…

Back in the 1990’s a craze swept the nation that left us cross eyed with excitement. “Magic Eye” pictures, stereogram images to those in the know, appeared in the national press, on huge posters and in numerous books, captivating the imagination of people at the time. I, as do many, remember squinting at a patterned picture of apparently nothing trying to blur my eyes enough to discover the 3D image concealed within. Moving the page back from up close was a good trick. It looked a bit daft, but the satisfaction of discovering the hidden image was huge, especially when others around you failed to work it out.

I mention these pictures because I think we can all find life a bit like this. With the busyness, the challenges and frustrations we face, the never-ending streams of information and noise that seem to flow all around us these days - it can sometimes be hard to see where God is in the midst of what is going on. But like the Magic Eye pictures, if we seek to carve out the time to be still & seek God, He is always there. We may even feel a bit foolish as we search. We may need help from those around us, which is why we come together in Church, and why House Groups can be such an important and useful way to deepen our walk with the Lord.

So if you feel you can’t quite see Him right now, be assured Jesus is always with us. He was there right at the beginning and will be there at the end but, most importantly, He is here right now in the middle of all that is going on – surrounding us in His unchanging, unending love…