Jenny’s letter 28th January
Dear Friends,
Please forgive my brevity this week. I am afraid time has been filled with many things but most specifically dad’s funeral. Andrew and I were delighted that so many of you were able to join us. As I said during the service, you came not only as representatives of the Bromborough Community but as members of the wider church. Dad worshipped in Norfolk and Somerset, in North London and for most of his life in Pilton, Barnstaple. Latterly he joined St Barnabas though in the last months of his life he was cared for by some of the team at St Mary’s Upton.
Given the list of locations I have just named, dad and mum did not really move around a lot. Compared with me they consistently lived in the same house in Devon for 60 years of their life. They saw vicars come and vicars go in their parish. Some good, some very bad indeed. They never left their church though. Even in the difficult years when they saw the church empty their view was that they should continue to worship at their parish church. Oh that more felt that way!
I am aware that if the people who lived in the Parish of St Barnabas and went to another Anglican church all came to us, we would need to build an extension! These days it is much more common for people to move around and to ‘shop’ for a church that suits their way of thinking, believing and worshipping. This can risk churches becoming very one dimensional. I am pleased that in the last few years at St Barnabas, we have been able to offer people several different styles of worship held on different days and in different locations. I am pleased that I get to join most of them! It also means that we have several different congregations who meet together. I think one of the real benefits of having Tea and Coffee between Sunday services is the fact it offers overlap and a chance for different congregations to meet.
I hope that normal service will be resumed next week. My thanks to Ros for collating our information each week and which has enabled me to get something out to you today.
Wishing you every blessing in the week ahead,
