We were delighted to be invited to be the hosts for this well-established fellowship; it was only their second time away together. Eleven people came for 24 hours at the beginning of May, including an imam visiting from Pakistan, and they joined us in Church and at meals. They shared together about practices of prayer and contemplation in the two traditions, including from CR’s perspective.

The co-organiser, Fr Dave Hanson, writes:

“During our final session we divided into ‘twos’, with an imam and a priest in each pair, and shared together what we had learned. The Imams commented on how impressed and encouraged they were to find people who prayed four times a day! They also commented on the sense of peace during the worship in chapel. We had lots of very useful conversations and deepened our friendships with one another – Mirfield was an ideal place for us as a group because the physical and spiritual environment lent itself to so many questions and discussions.”

For the brothers CR, we were aware of being the recipients of something special – even when there was little language in common. There was a grace in the meeting which conveyed a palpable blessing to us. And, in the aftermath of the evil of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing and other atrocities, something further of the significance of that grace became evident. Our society needs such sustained and searching friendships, and British Muslims need Christians on whom they can rely. May this fellowship continue to flourish.

Oswin CR

The community once again opens its doors to local people for a day of fun, family-friendly activities including:

Bouncy Castle, Play Your Cards Right, Spin the Wheel, Face painting, Welly Wanging, Horse Shoe Tossing, Beat the Goalie, Hook a Duck, Darts, Tombola and more…

Refreshments available including Hot Dogs, Sweet shop and Ice Creams!

All welcome to explore the grounds and take a tour of the church.

Mirfield Bookshop stocks a wide range of books and much more besides – available both online (www.mirfield.org.uk/shop)  and in the Retreat House. Alongside an ever-changing selection of popular titles and devotional items, there are a number of perennial favourites, including:

A Week of Simple Offices and Simple Offices – Saints and Seasons

These two volumes bring together the psalms, canticles, readings and hymns used by the Community of the Resurrection in its daily Offices. A Week of Simple Offices also includes additional prayers and an order for Compline, and both books include plainsong hymns used at Mirfield. Only £4.50 each (plus P&P for online orders).

Ways of Believing and Ways of Praying

Ever popular, encouraging and stimulating guides written by Simon CR which offer an accessible summary of these key aspects of the Christian life. Each booklet – costing just £1 – takes the form of a series of simple reflections to strengthen us in our journey.

CR Pin Badges and Cuff Links

Reminders of your connection to the Community – attractive, simple and functional. Both items feature the lamb and flag with a ‘Surrexit Alleluia’ banner. Badges are priced at £3.50 and Cuff Links £10.

Students and staff from St Hild College left Mirfield in Holy Week to spend their annual Easter School at St Chad’s College Durham. As always it proved a great week, with the staff at St Chad’s looking after us very well and Durham Cathedral and its surroundings proving an inspiring place to worship and study for the week. The theme of the Easter School was the Third Mark of Mission, to respond to human need with loving service. Rev Chris Howson, Ann Morisy from London and Casey Strine from Sheffield were our main speakers and were challenging and informative. Students visited a range of projects providing hospitality and support for refugees and asylum seekers.

There is  extensive work going on across County Durham and seeing some of it gave students insight into what is possible at parish level. There were also Bible study sessions and prayers groups. Philip CR was our chaplain for the week and was greatly appreciated. From Maundy Thursday through to Easter morning we joined the Cathedral community for the services of the Triduum, a powerful and moving experience of liturgy for many. Assembling in the cloisters in the dark on Easter morning and witnessing the kindling of the Easter fire followed by the lighting of the Paschal Candle in the cathedral is a moment none of us will forget. It was also a joy to be present for Dorothea Bertschmann’s confirmation by the Bishop of Durham. Christ is risen – he is risen indeed.

Revd Dr Stephen Spencer, Vice Principal

Turn it and turn it again, for all is in it; see through it; grow old and worn in it. – Rabbi Bag Ben Bag, Pirke Avos, 5:22

One of the great ironies of biblical scholarship is that often those who have given their lives to study of the bible are at best bored, and at worst irritated, by the texts they spend their days with.  By contrast there was an infectiousness of Prof J. Richard Middleton’s excitement and playfulness, in his lecture The Silence of Abraham, the Passion of Job, delivered to the college on the 27^th April, in conjunction with SIIBS, the Mirfield Centre, and St Hild College.

Prof Middleton is Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Northeasten Seminary, New York State.  The body of his lecture focused around the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac in Genesis 22.  While central in the imagination of Judaism and Christianity – and Islam – Middleton initially explored some of the ethic ambiguities of the narrative, before pointing out some of the interesting quirks of the story, notably the breakdown of relationship between Abraham, Isaac and Sarah, who henceforth in Genesis are said to live in different parts of the land.

Middleton asked if, perhaps, the text is more complex than our traditional reading, that Isaac was tested to see if he was willing to kill his son to submit to God.  Through a close reading of the Hebrew (and without giving any surprises away to those who wish to read his next book on the subject!) Middleton read the story as a test of a very different kind: that God required Abraham to argue back, to say no, to be so sure of the mercy of God that he could wrestle with him.  And in the end Abraham failed the test, remaining silent where those such as Job could not, but God’s faithfulness to his covenant carried them through.

Middleton’s reading was surprisingly compelling for one so provocative, but even more compelling was a reading of an old text which brought it alive again; which rather than ironing over the difficulties understood the creative tensions at play – the gaps, the lacunae, the ambiguities – and saw the scriptures as something to be enjoyed, to be wrestled with and pored over, not to be compartmentalised and ‘solved.’  Through his reading Middleton – partly through his study of Jewish exegesis – embraced the advice of Rabbis of old to always make the scriptures always new: ‘turn it and turn it again, for all is in it.’

Steffan Mathias

The afternoon of Saturday April 8^th saw John CR and I set off for our 30^th and first (respectively) Holy Week to the parish of St. Giles, Cheadle with Freehay St. Chad, Staffordshire! It is commonplace for parish clergy who know the community and who have perhaps trained at the College to ask for the preaching and officiation of CR brethren during Holy Week, while the ordinands of COR assume running of the liturgies on this site as part of their formation. It is perhaps not so usual in recent times for a senior father to chaperone his exuberant novice junior –yet aware that I too need to be formed in the life of CR, Fr John willingly agreed to have me with him for what came to be truly a great week for both of us.

Fr James Rosie is St. Giles’ rector; he is also an old College student whose training incumbent was my former spiritual director. This oblique connection served us well in forming instant common ground, and I soon felt at ease with Fr James. John CR and I stayed in his vicarage, eating and praying together each day, whilst also being amply looked after by the good burghers of the parish! As a Parish Assistant in six rural villages before coming to CR, I appreciated this hugely, soon beginning to feel on familiar ground amongst the people and parameters of Cheadle. We got friendships and good food throughout the week – what’s to be sneezed at?

The churches lie near to the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and John and I were pleased to visit Hanley Park on Holy Saturday to do the Parkrun there. (I came 152^nd out of 267 runners – not bad for a novice!) Maundy Thursday brought a lovely visit to Lichfield Cathedral for the Chrism Mass, giving us and several accompanying parishioners the opportunity to rededicate ourselves as an ‘oily people’ – (viz. Bishop Michael’s sermon) – to the apostolic life. John spoke with one or two former students – (Quelle surprise!) – and we both saw familiar friends of the Community, there to reaffirm their own calling in God’s service. We rounded off the excursion with soup, rolls and a coffee in town together before getting back to Cheadle for a quick snooze and a last look at the sermon I’d written for that evening’s service. It was a privilege indeed to share the preaching with Fr John, to wash the feet of God’s faithful at the Maundy Thursday liturgy, and to be back on the incomparable terra firma of a parish church sanctuary to serve the chalice on Easter morning. The regular ministers and servers in both churches could not have made us more welcome or appreciated as we joined them. It was gratifying to experience the loving presence of God in this way.

Yet perhaps more than anything, it was excellent for me to learn and share with our brother John CR, who undoubtedly bears the marks of Christ in his priestly ministry, and who was more than prepared to encourage my own offering of ministry amongst those to whom we were sent this Holy Week. I have had a great opening experience of CR’s work in this regard: it was valued by the folk and supported with brotherly counsel and love. I will remember it always gratefully and with fondness. Many thanks indeed to James and John!

Marc nCR

St Hild College (formerly Yorkshire Ministry Course and St Barnabas Theological Centre) has created two new roles since its launch in January. Rev Dr Mark Vasey-Saunders joins the team as Academic Tutor. Mark has a background in parish ministry, chaplaincy and encouraging Fresh Expressions. His Phd thesis was published by Routledge in 2015. Emily Spademan will also be working for St Hild as Communications Officer in order to help disseminate news of the launch. St Hild College now has a staff of 12, serving 110 students based at teaching centres in Mirfield, Sheffield and York.

 

Rev Mark Powley
Principal, St Hild College

I know that after the last one (and the one before) I said ‘never again’. I really meant it but there are certain circumstances which have led me to try again. Firstly we need money to keep this vast plant going. The Community church attracts a lot of people who come to praise God, to seek his will his love and his peace. It is a beautiful place and we all love it but it costs money to keep it clean and warm and comfortable.

Many people come on retreat and lots of them find the peace and quiet beneficial and healing but we are at a stage where there is an urgency about providing more monastic space so that we can accommodate the various groups who want to study and worship here. To do this properly we need to ensure that the monastic Community is properly housed.

So that is an incentive to me to do my bit.

Secondly a number of things have been given or promised and it is already enough to give promise of success. We are hoping to hold the auction post Easter next year and if the donations were to come in at the same rate we could hope to raise £10,000 which would be great. But, call me greedy, I’d like to do better than that.

Third reason? It’s a lor o’ fun. My brother who has given so generously in time and energy to the previous successes would be disappointed if we stopped while he is in his prime. But he isn’t the only one. Many of our friends have found the Mirfield auctions – whether collecting, or setting up, helping on the day or bidding for Baden Powell’s woggle – an experience that they were glad to be part of.

So Auction Stations! Pray for us and then begin to look in attics, cellars and hidey holes for those things that have been there for decades and are feeling sad because nobody looks at them any more. Ask your family, ask your friends (ask your bishop!). But please don’t bring large items without consulting me first.

John CR